Void…
Blackness…
Nothing…
If an Eldritch horror could visit me on my darkest night it would not compare.
I was there, I think?
‘Am I dead?
All I remember was falling into cold water.
‘Let me try to stand up at least to see where the holy hell I am.’ I shudder as I remember when Death’s calling already brought me to a white haven. Perhaps it was done hauling me already and decided to not bother a second time. Condemning me to infernal darkness for all of eternity. ‘No, I have to be somewhere.’ I tried to move, but I couldn’t. It was as if my mortal body did not even exist.
‘Well, that solves that mystery I guess I am dead.’ Just after I had the thought crossed my mind a light suddenly revealed itself in front of me. The light was the purple glow that showed in the tunnels I was crawling to. Though the scary part about the light was it was the only thing around me that showed to have a color or existence. Other than the light, the void enveloped everything as if I was still in the cavern’s tunnels without any light. ‘Maybe I am still there. Hallucinations I guess can have very adverse effects on one’s mind.’
Wanting to at least be near the light I started toward it. While I was moving toward the light the more I realized that I wasn’t walking or having any work to drive myself. In all conclusions, I was pretty much levitating, or at least floating. ‘I should be worried over the transition from walking crawling to floating. However, I needed a rest after all the fear and the stress I had endured already.
The light from a distance was constantly bright and unwavering as I got closer, but on my head level, if I had a head right now, was an object. I was awed in unbelief as I started to recognize the object. I madly, ‘Ran? Floated?’ didn’t matter as I closed the distance between me and the last thing I had ever gotten as a gift. There, floating in the middle of the pillar of purple light was the mask I was given to by my mother. ‘How the hell did my mask make it all the way here?’ That was when I instantly remembered the item that I requested from Azzy. Though why did I not have it when I first woke up in the world? Did that angel put that here knowing that I would find it here? Did he? It? Does the angel know that I would have to go through all of that strenuous stress? On the brink of dying, crawling through a jagged tunnel cutting away at my skin and turning it raw, while a giant ASS FUCKING MONSTER tears away at my legs?! COOL! Cool, I can’t wait to see him again so I can deliver my next invocation straight to his fucking ethereal face!
While the thoughts I had raged like a whirlpool, I was surprised when the object in the pillar started to glow. I peered at the mask like an ancient relic and tried to reach out to at least touch my indelible trinket. In addition, I wish I could see the surprise on my face as the object lurched forward and planted itself upon my face. I instantly tried to take it off but realized that my body wasn’t there. ‘The thing is attached to me! I can see through it like it wasn’t even there, but I know it is.’ Knowing that the object on my face was still bringing an uproar, an outrage. Though kind of ironic that I went into a loving appreciator of arts who was looking at an ancient mask of history, to I hate this thing and I need it off before it turns green, and animated, and drives me insane like the actor Jim Carr—---
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In the distant annals of history, when the world was a tapestry woven with the threads of diverse races, each holding their own unique powers and destinies, a profound realization emerged. The chaos of warfare threatened to engulf the realm, shattering the harmony and stability that all beings sought. It was in response to this looming tempest that the foundation of the Eternal Council was laid, an unprecedented union whose purpose was to safeguard the delicate balance that bound the races together.
The Eternal Council, an assembly of gifted individuals chosen by the divine hands of the gods, embodied the very essence of magic itself. Six representatives, each a living embodiment of their respective elemental magic, stood as the guardians of peace and unity. Water, wind, earth, fire, light, and dark—these pillars of power were entrusted to the chosen few, who in turn were entrusted with the destiny of their realm.
Seated within a grand hall resonating with ancient wisdom, the Eternal Council convened regularly. Their gathering was not just a confluence of magic wielders, but a symphony of cultures and traditions from the world's races. Beneath the vaulted ceilings adorned with sigils representing the elements, the councilors deliberated, their voices a blend of harmony and respect.
The council's role was multifaceted, and its purpose was profound. It was the veritable cornerstone of peace, the mediator in times of strife, and the beacon guiding the world toward a shared future. It bestowed a platform for diplomacy and discourse, allowing races to forge alliances and dispel misunderstandings. The council's very existence mitigated the thirst for power, as its representatives showcased the potential unity held when the elements converged for a common good.
Amidst discussions that often spanned moon cycles, decisions of great significance were forged. Treaties, pacts, and laws were shaped and refined, resonating with the echoes of a world eager for understanding. The council's influence extended beyond diplomatic endeavors, as it nurtured education and collaboration in the arts of magic. Initiatives were undertaken to teach each race the beauty and responsibility that came with their elemental gifts.
In times of dire peril, when a shadow threatened the world's delicate harmony, the Eternal Council would unite as a beacon of hope. They faced adversaries and calamities with unwavering determination, pooling their elemental might to quell the tides of chaos. Their unity served as an exemplar, a living testament that cooperation transcended conflict.
The Eternal Council wasn't just a gathering of magic wielders—it was the embodiment of unity, the manifestation of a shared destiny. Its legacy stretched beyond the pages of history, woven into the very fabric of the world. Its existence stood as a testament to what races could achieve when united by a common purpose: a peaceful coexistence, a realm where differences were celebrated, and a future illuminated by the radiance of understanding and harmony.
However, as technology evolved and society’s kingdoms fell and rose again over and over. Peace between the races came to a standstill and the Eternal Council was degraded from a peacekeeping force to a show of power between the strongest individuals from different regions of Ghalljorn.
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“You humans have no right to be in the divide! That land is sacred, the trees that you chop down for your pathetic so-called houses kill millions of wildlife!”
An elegant elf stood facing figures from across a marble white table. He always hated this insufferable room every year he was called to it. Called, more like being whisked away from where you are supposed to be, to a room that had morons and thieves.
“You have to be joking! The divide in total is almost a million acres total and you claim that the Elves have jurisdiction over all of it?
Your threats from you or your kingdom always come with null.” A man who was bald but had a long boisterous beard yelled across the table toward the outrageous claim that the elf just sputtered. He hated the council for never really trying to soothe the relationship between humans and elves, but he wasn’t the man to stand there and take threats from an eternal, an elf one at that. Along with his white beard and face, the rest of his body was covered with armor colors of variety. The most noticeable of him was the eyepatch on his right eye that was strapped behind his bald head.
“Come now, both of you are acting like children. Why don’t both of you use your influence to convert your people to join the church?”
Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.
A woman that was royally postered at the end of the table could only be described as a nun. She looked like a nun and she was very annoying with the radiant chair she sat upon. At the top of her head was a unique symbol resembling her church. Although no one at the table tells their honest opinion about the radiant eternal, they can all agree that they hate her.
“Shut up radiant! Your so-called [Pacifist Church] invaded my homes only a year ago and somehow turned that story of tragedy on my people to a boost in your follower numbers and its cause!”
Said a reptilian humanoid sitting on an ocean-blue chair. The eternal council was always great at introducing more goods to show to the other races, but even when his race rejoiced that he had become their eternal. He still had to see the church at the meetings and it made his scaly skin crawl with disgust.
“But that was all a big misunderstanding Scaly.” Radiant poutingly said to him.
“You bit–”
However, as soon as he started the main event at the council, one of the six marble chairs that had always been white suddenly turned to an inky purple. All the side and main conversations of the five people in each of their respecting eternal element colors turned in surprise, even some turned in fear. No one was ever picked for the dark element, some say that the deity that harnessed dark magic left the realm eons ago. So that was why everyone was at the ends of their seats wondering or in distress to see what evil could be picked for the first dark eternal.
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Suddenly I was finally able to grab the mask that was attached to my face. I pulled it off in victory without realizing that I was sitting before a long white marble table. There were all kinds of colorful lights around the table. Each light though, was a figure, but it was as if their bodies were the light. Sure they were all kinds of colors but they still had a humanoid look to them and they were all looking at me as if I were a great pharaoh of Egypt who had risen from his ancient tomb.
“Uhm, hi?”
All of the light-colored humanoids standing before me flinched in some regard as if my words were bullets to them. The white humanoid at the other end of the table had a more volatile reaction and sprawled behind her chair, holding onto it so tightly that I wondered if the chair was going to crack under all of that stress.
“Sorry, am I bothering you all? If so I can leave….” I looked around to see if there was an exit I could take, but all I saw was white. It was like back in that void with Azrael, I shuddered at the thought and looked towards the humanoid lights that were in the seats before me.
“Who are you?”
I glanced in the direction of the voice and the red humanoid light was leering over the table. An act of confidence or excitement? I wouldn’t know since everyone’s faces were devoid of expressions only a hue of their respective colored light replaced them.
“I am Rifter.” I gestured toward the man who questioned me.
“Who do you represent Rifter?” I glanced in the direction of the light that was almost devoid of color but one could differentiate the silhouette of white.
“Uhm, I have no idea what you mean. What do you mean, who?”
“What Deity chose you for the dark element?” This time it was from the radiant one that now has scrambled back into its chair. I couldn’t help but feel like that light was… wrong. It was if there was a feeling that just did not like the radiance and wanted to keep away from it at all costs.
“I don’t know what you are talking about. Plus, why does everyone look like a lava lamp in here?”
One of the lights the green one looked as if scratching his head.
“Lava lamps? Not sure what kind of stuff that is but from what I can interpret you want to know why you and everyone look like different colored lights?”
“Y-yes! That would be a good explanation to sta—”
Finally realizing what he just said I immediately looked for some kind of reflected surface so I could see myself. I looked all around until my eyes rested upon the marble white table in front of me and peered over the table looking at myself.
As I focused on my reflection on the white marble table, my form now fully revealed, I took in the sight before me. What was once a face with distinct features had been distilled into an enigmatic light composition.
My eyes, the sole semblance of familiarity, emitted a glow that seemed to hold secrets of forgotten galaxies, a luminescence that whispered of cosmic wisdom beyond the grasp of my human comprehension. Once the windows to my soul, now gleamed with an otherworldly hue, a piercing cyan that seemed to pierce through the fabric of reality itself. The very essence of my humanity had given way to this anomalous illumination, a paradoxical blend of darkness and brilliance. I reached out with trembling hands, fingers tracing the lines that were now mere impressions of what they once were.
Where once a nose rested on my visage, a mere outline of its presence remained, a vestige of my human form's contours. My lips, once warm and expressive, had transformed into delicate, ephemeral wisps of light, their ethereal glow casting a gentle aura. My reflection stared back at me, its luminous gaze locked with mine, a silent mirror to the inexplicable changes that had consumed me.
I moved my hands to touch my cheeks, but all I felt was an intangible shimmer, a cascade of light and color that eluded my grasp. The sensation was as if I existed both in the tangible world and in the realm of dreams simultaneously. Panic crept in, unfurling its icy grip within the confines of my mind. This was beyond the boundaries of my understanding, a reality reshaped by forces unknown.
In the midst of this ethereal transformation, my thoughts swirled in a maelstrom of questions. What had brought about this change? Was I now a vessel of some ancient power, a guardian of the celestial mysteries? The very fabric of my identity had been rewritten, my existence was now a fusion of human essence and astral energy.
“What the hell am I?” Still poking and prodding at the new look my body has undergrown.
Before I could answer my own question or what the others could say I heard a ringing above me and as I looked up I saw something that blew comprehension out of the waters.
Raising my gaze, and the sight that greeted me was truly breathtaking—an hourglass unlike any I had ever seen. While a traditional hourglass possesses the recognizable figure-eight shape, this one defied convention. It held the fundamental structure of a regular hourglass, with its upper and lower chambers, but a mesmerizing twist set it apart. The glass appeared as if cleaved in the center and pulled apart, unveiling an intricate network within.
Amid the primary chambers, a series of six tubes intertwined intricately, weaving their paths through both the upper and lower spaces. Each tube possessed a distinctive trajectory, some elegantly curving to join others, while others plunged straight from top to bottom. What truly bewildered the senses was the chromatic spectacle before me. The tubes, reminiscent of the ethereal hues that adorned the marble table, bore a symphony of colors. Yet, at the heart of the main upper and lower sections, a singular shade, pure and radiant white, radiated with an otherworldly glow.
The most astonishing aspect of this enigmatic hourglass was its perpetual motion. The tubes seemed to dance with life, the spectrum of colors shifting and swirling in a mesmerizing ballet. Despite their intricate movements, they remained anchored by the steadfast embrace of the primary chambers, an intricate unity of motion and stillness that defied comprehension.
“Wait before you go I have to know what Deity brought you here.” It was the radiance light again, but this time she aided it with a bit more annoyance and defiance in her voice as she pointed toward me.
“I already told you, I don’t kno…” Before I could finish what I had already said something growled in the back of my throat and reached for my mouth. I can’t really describe what happened to me as I fell into a semi-trance that lasted for a second. Though in that second a presence of some kind took over me and spoke one word and one word only before I was exulted back to darkness.
“Nyx”
The lights went black and I was thrown into the same place I was before when I saw the mask in the pillar of light.That was until I was splashed awake by a bucket of water.
“Ah, look who it is eh?” I blinked my eyes open and the first thing I see after darkness and death was that bastard with a red beard grinning at me.
“Sir, Captain it looks like he was attacked by one of the monsters while he was working in the mines.”
“Ah, looks like you are one tough son of a bitch, yeah?” He looked at me with a squint of surprise from his eyes. I would relish in that and say something to make sure he won’t forget it but fatigue was calling to me. My eyes felt like rocks weighing me down in water as they started to fall. *slap* I felt my face go hot as the Cap slapped me and his grin recovered on his face.
“Even after I told you not to die on the first day. Well, you did surprise me laddy. Shame that I didn’t tell you about the monsters in that dungeon to eh?”
“Dungeon, we were in a mine right?”
He did not answer as he gestured to the guard and said something to the guards holding me by the arms, in a language I did not know. The guards answered back and started to trudge me off toward the swirling black gate again. ‘How did I end up on the main cavern floor?’ I thought as they entered the gate with me in their arms. As we breached, daylight struck me in the face. Without hesitation, I smiled knowing that I survived that infernal hell hole. ‘ I am never going back in there again. I don’t care if they stake me to a fucking tree for all I care.’
“Enjoying your freedom?” The captain said as he walked in front of us.
“There is no freedom, you can run, or hide, or sleep. Though no matter what you do, you will probably end up like this fucking guy.” As he gestured towards one of the pikes that were sunk into the ground.
What frightened me the most was at the end of the pike that was sticking out was the head of the dragon humanoid that killed one of the guards before I was pushed in. I tried to vomit, but I had nothing in my stomach to conjure up, so I was to see its already decomposing skin in the daylight. Already, some flies and ravens have made his meat their domain.
“Alright take him to the Gibson.”
“What is that place?” I ask in desperation, hoping to find at least some humanity the man has in him if he has it.
“Whoever survives the mana restoration like you, gets to be entertainment for the guards.” I shudder at the thought of not the Gibson, but who all else made it out of that cavern with those monsters? Plus, what the fuck was with that gathering with those humanoid lights? That was not a dream, was it? Some kind of vision? I honestly don’t care as I slipped back and forth into consciousness as they dragged me to wherever I was going next.