At around the same time as Nyx stirred from her slumber and Lucifer summoned Eos and the other heroes, a blinding light abruptly appeared above the remains of a small town besieged by what seemed to be an endless, sandy wasteland. Vivid red pools of bubbling magma sporadically appeared between the occasional dunes, billowing acrid smoke into the clear blue sky and giving the rolling hills of the barren desert an oppressive, ominous atmosphere.
Directly below, encircling what appeared to be a sizeable silver-white platform with faded runes engraved across its surface, the crumbling ruins sprawled for around two miles in all directions. In the twisting asphalt streets leading outwards, heaps of tangled metal that vaguely looked like the remains of vehicles. Most of them stacked up into what appeared to be flimsy-looking barricades, but a few seemed to have warped by explosions and had various sized slashes and holes littered across their surface.
Between the metal remains and the battle-scarred structures, shattered glass and other debris littered the ground. Along the eastern edges of the buildings and wreckages were large orange-yellow sand drifts, catching the thick dust blown around by the stifling breeze. Occasionally, a few fragments of bleached bone stuck out of the piles, reflecting the sun's bright light.
Most of the taller buildings, around forty to a hundred feet high, had caved inwards with dried moss and desert plants growing in the cracks. The few that remained somewhat intact marred the skyline and casting two long, creepy shadows across the empty streets due to the twin suns at opposite ends of the sky.
In the empty areas, seemingly at random, crack-like black lines would appear in clusters as they hovered motionlessly in the air. Around the cracks, the remains of various small creatures and objects lay, each one displaying numerous slashes of damage that seemed to have been caused by an incredibly sharp object.
The moment the white-yellow circle had appeared high in the sky and started to expand the few signs of life, mostly small rodents and some bigger, dog-like creatures, scurried into the dark recesses. Even the few birds, primarily large scavengers, fled as if the appearance of the light were akin to their death knell.
Before long, apart from the dull hum from the teleportation circle and the blistering wind howling through gaps in the debris, the ruins below fell into absolute silence.
It was only when the circle of light had reached three meters in diameter that it suddenly contracted before releasing a small, thunder-like clap and dissipated. In its place, a man in an orange jumpsuit was awkwardly propelled even higher into the sky. His short, black hair fluttered wildly in the wind as his arms and legs trailed listlessly behind his body.
For a brief moment, John's eyes rolled around his eye sockets as he instinctually struggled to remain conscious. While teleportation was extremely convenient, if ridiculously expensive and prone to errors and mishaps, one of the reasons why it hadn't taken over as the primary method of long-distance transport was due to the side effects one would suffer for a few minutes afterwards. Especially if there wasn't clear, safe location on the other side.
As such, appearing mid-air was something that those who travelled via portals expected. The risk of their bodies forming inside a wall or melding together with another living being much lower.
It was only when John's ascent started to slow, the pounding pain in his head and blurry vision slightly receding, that he was able to take a desperate gasp of air into his empty lungs and think.
His first thoughts were of his family, his ex-wife and two children, but the last few moments in the courtroom rapidly superseded them. Before he had completely regained his wits, all John could see in his mind's eye was the mocking smiles of those that had come to rejoice at his misfortune slowly warping into expressions of fear as his soul power and domain overpowered theirs. He still felt the feelings of anger, power and control, causing him to clench his numb fists and teeth as he revealed an almost feral expression. Moments later, a tiny pulse of energy, churning with his emotions and intent, rippled outwards from his chest.
The cold, violent pulse caused his brother's earlier warning to reverberate in John's mind. With little effort, knowing that it was in his best interest, John resisted the temptation to vent his anger and growing despair by roaring into the heavens while ignoring the consequences. Within a couple of heartbeats, he had suppressed the pulse and his soul's aura. However, the fog that had momentarily clouded his mind only started to clear after he had counted to three.
As John's mind focused, the numb feeling caused by the teleportation started to fade. It began at the tips of his fingers and toes before pulling back inwards, leaving a painful, pins and needles-like feeling at the extremities of his limbs. However, this wasn't the most unpleasant sensation he felt. The scorching hot air sucked in by the momentary gulf created by the collapse of the teleportation circle made John feel as if he was in a furnace. His lips were rapidly drying, cracking slightly, and his skin and lungs felt as if every drop of moisture was evaporating.
Without conscious thought, John started circulating his essence to resist the effects. However, as the uncomfortable sensations wracking his body diminished, John quickly realised what he was doing. As he did, the corners of his lips twitched upwards into a small smile.
For the duration of his imprisonment, John's cultivation had been suppressed, resulting in him being only slightly more durable than an ordinary man. As the circulation of his energy became more pronounced, filtering through the seven core layers and four gem coverings before moving into his body, he suddenly felt as light as a feather. Some of the tension, even though he was still mid-air, left John's muscles and one of his biggest worries faded into obscurity.
While he had believed that his family would have kept an eye out for any foul play, even if the banishment was akin to a death sentence, John had mentally prepared himself for the worst. While he still couldn't get his bearings to confirm his location, the fact that he had not been teleported into space, a mile under the sea, or have his essence locked caused him to feel a sliver of hope. With his strength, at the top end of mortals in the five realms and an environment he could scrape by in, he felt like he had a chance.
As he thought about his predicament, John remembered the peculiar attitude and expressions of the judge, a follower of Lucifer, and couldn't help but reveal a small smile. "Stupid bastards... should have killed me when they had the chance. They let the tiger return to the mountain."
The smile on John's face suddenly stiffened as he continued to think. "I guess without being able to remove the problem from the roots they could only give me a chance and say it's down to luck if I live or die. If that's the case..."
As John thought about his chances of survival and what he would do if he were in his enemies shoes, the smile finally vanished as his face became somewhat emotionless. "Then, they will not leave my survival to fate."
Taking another stuffy breath of air, John suppressed his emotions as he started trying to analyse the surroundings. The realisation about his situation, having not given much thought to it in the past as he was unsure if he would even reach this far, gave birth to a sense of urgency.
While he still couldn't see very well, just a light blue colour, the temperature and essence in his surroundings gave John enough information to guess his location roughly. "If I am in the middle realm and on the mortal world of Eden, I should be in the... North Eastern Sector. Near the Dead Sea and the Shattered Plains of the fourth continent."
"Crap... That's near the heart of the voidlands. Only Husks, Void beasts, Voidlings and mutants should be around here. The neutral fractions will only start appearing at the tip of the third landmass. I'll at least get to the second to be able to find a city with a portal network off this rock."
As John's body reached the zenith of its flight, his vision finally cleared enough to make out the strangely coloured orb-like circles in the sky above. Even though he was distracted with far more critical matters, the sight still managed to take his breath away.
Beyond a clear blue sky, several large planet-like shapes stood illuminated against a velvety black background. Excluding the debris, the faint twinkle of stars could be seen even with the glare from the two suns. Nearly all of the nearby celestial bodies, which seemed far too large and close to being something that naturally occurred, appeared to be severely damaged. Apart from the furthest one, which looked similar Earth, they displayed what appeared to be catastrophic fractures or were missing large chunks of their surface.
The two in the worst shape, which were also the closest, was a barren-looking red and a hazy blue planet. The pair's surfaces seemed to have fused as what appeared to be violent electrical storms raged across their shared atmosphere. The debris from their collision, countless rocks and dust, formed a vaguely visible ring.
High above, the occasional shooting star, rocks burning up as they entered the atmosphere, streaked across the sky.
"The Splintered Sky. The Ruined Dimensions. This destruction is the result of the preeminent battle of Godsfall." It was at this moment, as he stared at the strangely captivating devastation above, that John's subconscious finally accepted where he was. While he had been making plans earlier, he had still held a small amount of hope that it wasn't the case. "I really am in the Voidlands."
Apart from the natives, those banished, and the heroes peacekeeper forces that would suppress the Void Lords every few decades, very few had witnessed the otherworldly beauty of the Voidlands in person. Even before the final war against the remnant gods, the place had been notoriously famous. Not only was it the birthplace of two of the two greatest heroes, Lucifer and Eos, but it was rumoured to be the location of the first victory of the mortal forces. One in which the Doomsday Gods had lost their greatest weapon.
While most of the details had been lost with time, some conspiracists stating that it was purposefully hidden, it was widely believed that a great evil had been sealed beneath the planet's surface. Because of the resulting battles to free their weapon and supposed comrade, the Gods had destroyed multiple dimensions, causing the remaining ones to collapse. The only surviving dimension, composed of the surviving celestial bodies and energy, became a single plane of existence.
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Yet, this wasn't the full extent of the destruction.
Due to the damage and a strange rift above one planet's surface, tears in the fabric of reality formed throughout the middle realm. Not only were the local inhabitants killed or mutated by the strange, void-like energy released but countless aggressive souls and creatures of the void poured into the physical world. While they were weak and unintelligent at the start, they steadily grew until even the god slayer, Lucifer and his heroes would only appear to ensure that things didn't get out of hand.
The excuse given to the masses was that the souls were immortal and grew with every setback. Instead of fighting them and improving their enemies strength, it was better to isolate and contain until a permanent solution emerged. As such, only when the heroes were forced or had overwhelming might to instantly wipe out the void lifeforms without giving them time to grow or gain any benefits would they appear.
John's eyes, still not entirely back to normal, scanned the sky looking for one of the hero's space battleships remembering the rumour that one was always left stationed above the centre of the voidlands to monitor the situation. However, whether due to not being there, its size or the bright daylight, he couldn't find anything.
The lurch as he started his descent snapped John out of his thoughts, and he began to mentally prepare for what he would need to do when he hit the ground. As the speed of his decent increased, feeling the burning sun on his skin and the wind whistle past his ears, John strangely felt at peace. As the energy in his body surged towards his limbs, the small smile resurfaced.
John had been imprisoned for four years, the only thing he experienced outside his cell or a courtroom being the corridors to connect the two. To see the wide-open sky without bars between, as well as the scene above, almost made him forget the imminent danger he was in.
The fact that John had not reached a level which would enable him to alter his direction or momentum mid-air helped him to let go and adopt a 'what will be will be' attitude. Deep down, John knew that when he was back in control and on the ground, he would likely not find a moments rest in a long time.
"Just.. a little longer." John momentarily wished that his decent would never end. That he could enjoy the sensation of being free forever but, at the same time, there was the cold, yet burning, anger simmering below the surface. It seemed to boil in the depths of John's heart, demanding that he survive.
While he wanted to believe that it was because of his family, deep down John knew the real motivation was revenge. To make those that orchestrated his downfall feel regret. Not just that, he felt the urge to terrify them, torture them both physically and mentally. To cause both their minds and souls to collapse before destroying the bodies and not even leaving dust behind. The smile started to warp into the feral one her revealed before as his thoughts became darker.
"No..." John abruptly shook his head. Images of a black-haired man, surrounded by heavily armed soldiers in white armour while grinning manically suddenly appeared in his mind. At the man's feet, dozens of bodies lay. Blood flowed from the many wounds on the man's body, most looking to be deadly, yet he still stood firm as his glowing blue eyes searched for any weakness in his opposition. The man that he had loved, his father, had vanished. In his place, a monster stood.
"I can't fall to the madness... Not like dad. I will not succumb to that damn curse and become the monster they fear." Although he didn't realise it, a faint blue hue glowed from John's eyes as his resolve hardened. "I have to find a cure first. For the sake of my daughter, I can't die. Not like this."
At the last possible moment, just as John was about to slam into the tiled platform, he grunted loudly and twisted his body. With a dull thud that blew a small circle of sand outwards, John landed. However, the force was too much, and he immediately fell to one knee as he quickly scanned his surroundings.
Ignoring the intense pain pulsating from his joints, John quickly pulled out the storage pouch and withdrew the what appeared to be the metal hilt of a short sword. After sucking in a deep breath, he scanned his surroundings once more before spinning the sword-like handle and holding it in a reverse grip as he forced himself into a crouched sprint. Each time one of his feet hit the ground, the pain from his joints lessened as the essence in his body rapidly repaired the cartilage and muscles damaged.
After leaping off the platform and crossing two streets, avoiding the black cracks in the air by a wide margin, John quickly ducked into the remains of what appeared to have been a shop at one point. The back of the building had collapsed only leaving a couple of meters at the front in which he could move.
After checking that there were no threats inside, John moved to the side. While the large holes at the front didn't give him much cover, it gave John a clear view of the outside street. There was even a small gap in two large wrecks where he could see the platform where he landed.
As John pushed himself into a dim corner, his skin darkened alongside the surrounding shadows as he circulated the dark essence in his body. Within a couple of seconds, his silhouette was barely visible as the interior of the show darkened significantly. After holding is breath for a minute, straining his hearing as he listened, John released a quiet sigh and let his muscles relax.
Though he felt he was alone, John continued to watch the street for at least half an hour before slowly closing his eyes and collecting his thoughts. A few minutes later, he opened them again and pulled out the storage pouch.
Tipping the small pouch upside down, John saw four beast cores and a gold locket fall onto the sandy floor. Ignoring the slightly glowing stone-like cores, he picked up the small pendant and opened it. Inside, the pictures of a young black haired girl and a boy appeared on each side.
After staring at the pictures of the two children for a while, his eyes turning slightly red, John placed the locket's chain around his neck as he remembered about the yellow crystal handed to him. Taking it out of his pocket, along with the letter, he placed them next to the other items and sighed. A mirthless smile appeared on his face as he shook his head slightly. "No food or water. One dark core, one ice core, two light cores and an essence sword. A seal crystal and a letter. Great Grandmother still forgets us mortals have simple needs. I'd trade it all for a weeks supply of food and water."
Just as John stopped muttering under his breath, his smile froze abruptly.
While he hadn't given too much thought to it at the time, as he recalled the information about the Voidlands and looked at the crystal before him, an unnerving sensation started to develop. "Surely not... A seal crystal and being sent to the heart of the Voidlands?"
Just as he was about to laugh at his imagination, John's eyes focused on the yellow crystal as it slowly rolled towards the back of the shop. Picking it up, he was about to place it back with the other items when he felt a little pressure from it pushing in the direction it was previously moving.
After gathering enough dust and dirt to form a small barrier, John placed the crystal down and watched as it slowly started to push its way through, still in the direction of the back of the shop.
"A compass?" Initially, John didn't put much faith in Eos' words about finding a seal and passing on a letter which could save his life. What was known as the Voidlands were an entire planet, spanning four continents, and each landmass was beyond huge. The chance of him stumbling across anything was extremely slim to the point of non-existent.
John's thoughts returned to the seemingly crazy idea he had earlier. "I remember Greatgrandmother telling stories of this place before it was called the Voidlands, but she wouldn't go into detail. Saying that if I were lucky, I would be dust before the truth was known. Is there really a great evil here and she wants me to find it? To let it out?"
John's musings cut short as he spotted movement in his peripheral. Only moving his eyes, John examined the wreckage on the opposite side of the street. However, after a few minutes had passed, he was still unable to spot what had drawn his attention.
Quietening his breath, John continued to wait patiently. It wasn't long before he spotted movement again, this time seeing the top of a head peak up above the wreckage before ducking out of sight.
What looked like grey-yellow bandages wrapped around the head with small googles revealing where eyes should be. Other than that, John was unable to make out any details, causing his brows to furrow.
"It's acting cautious so can't be a husk. And wearing clothing so is unlikely to be a voiding or void beast. Too close to the centre to be a native. Another banished?"
Slowly, John swept up the four cores into the storage pouch and put it back in his pocket. Next, he picked up the yellow crystal and tucked it into his mouth, pressing it between his cheek and jaw on the left side. After that, feeling the tug on his cheek to indicate the direction the crystal wanted to move, John picked up the sword handle and slowly circulated his essence.
As he pushed back into the corner, tiny blue and black runes started to appear on the handle. Strangely, his figure seemed to blur and distort, making it much harder to see him, especially if looking into the building from the bright light outside.
Eventually, several figures appeared and slowly crept towards where he had fallen from the sky. Four seemed to human-shaped while two had long, pointed ears of high elves sticking through the wrappings. They wore barbaric looking clothing, a mixture of grey and brown furs and sand-coloured leather. The two elves held what appeared to be rifle-like weapons while the two most muscled humans held shields and long, curved daggers. The other two, one appearing to be a thin male, held a staff while the only one with a feminine shape held what looked to be a pistol and a strange square.
For a brief moment, John had the urge to find a way to meet the group in a way that wouldn't put himself in danger. However, that feeling quickly subdued as he thought that any group able to survive here were not people he should underestimate. Not only that, but John started to wonder if his earlier fears were correct and these people were the 'accident' that the followers of Lucifer and the other heroes had sent his way.
John's eyes slightly squinted as he used his essence to scan his surroundings. While he wasn't as efficient as he had been in the past, John still felt his essence manipulation was at the peak of the mortal realms.
The moment the group were close to the platform, John slowly stood up and moved through the nearby hole. After quickly checking behind him, he used the buildings and metal wreckages as cover as he promptly retreated to the end of the street.
After taking one last glance at the group, John sprinted to the corner and disappeared down the adjoining road. While he was still uncertain, having no other better option at the moment, he started moving in the direction the crystal pulled.
Five minutes later, in the area that he had come from, a terrifying yet oddly feminine, roar caused John's heart to lurch. Seconds later, the sound of explosions and what seemed to be gunfire, erupted.
Without any conscious thought, John's body exploded forwards as he burst into a sprint. His instincts screamed at him to get away as fast as he could, even if it meant exposing himself.
Soon, John spotted many other creatures, and even some humanoids doing the same thing. They seemed to ignore each other as they fled towards the edge of the town. However, even though they appeared to be the same, John noticed that they didn't seem as panicked as him. For a brief moment, he wondered it was due to his inexperience here, but that thought faded quickly. For some reason, he couldn't get the impression out of his head that it was because of him releasing his soul power when he first appeared and again as he fell. That whatever made the sound was after him.
As if wanting to make things clear, another higher-pitched feminine shriek-like roar followed by a deep, booming howl resonated from each of his sides. While he had never heard the first roar or the last howl before, the shriek had become infamous on the news during every third subjugation. Seeing as he knew the source, the other two were not hard to place. John felt his chest tighten abruptly as his speed increased. "Void lords."