Chapter 8: Entity

Muck covered their toes as the afternoon tides flowed over their feet. Rusted machines lay lifeless. Abandoned in ages past, built on repeatedly. The basis, foundation of the forge built upon everything that came before. Chipped paint licked the faint breeze. Specs withering away at each gently touch. Never to be repaired or operated on. From taller buildings, old chairs covered in dust and algae fell into the scrap. The ground here shook frequently. Twenty workers off duty hung around unaffected by the quakes. Iron’s cool touch lingered against their shoes, as they stood on a huge circular seal. Near the shore, one worker knelt in the sand. A visitor from the sea had come.

Pale skin made out its body. Two deep black dark eyes. The light was not affecting it, almost as if it was taking it in. Lungs and gills took in each breath. Water carefully poured from pores. Webbed hands met the workers as he waited for it to get closer. The lizard-like creature scrambled to the top of the man’s clothing. He couldn’t help but laugh. Four long whiskers, two on each side crept up slightly hairy arms. Small pieces of skin detached as they traced up the arm. Liquid inside the skin followed. Fog from the sea lingered closer to the forge. Laughing rang out as more pale little bodies made landfall.

“Shit, little guy. That hurt.” The man said. One whisker found his neck and tried to dig into it. Followed by the other three. Waves grew larger, invading the land with each crash.

“Hey, Moore! Check out these little fellas. Kind of cute.” One man called at him. Visibility began to wane as currents of cold air made their way in.

“Just watch for their whiskers! Not the most pleasant feeling.” Moore said.

The notice may have come just a little too late. Others yelped and tried to shake them off. Sand stirred and iron hinges shook. Older structures lined with cracks, severed as the ground shook.

“Dang. Can’t see a thing. Time to go!” Moore said. One of his feet sank into the sand. The little creature hanging onto his neck with every whisker.

“Come now time to go. Back to the s—” He said. With sight reduced it was hard to see or tell which direction he had come. Dozens and dozens of creatures took over his view. Most of them climbed up on him, others rushed by. Brief laughter was now met with screams. Moore took the head of the aquatic creature and ripped it from his neck. He swung down, to attempt to stall their advances. Forward? Back? There was no way of knowing which way back to the heart of the forge was. Blood cascaded out as he pulled out the whiskers and held his neck. Cries of pain reached higher and higher, until the waves were the only sound. Below beaten brown shoes, water retreated. Moore ran the opposite way, as whiskers dug into him. The tiny creatures moved more rapidly now. Wounds spread, as blood found its way.

Moore fell at the edge of the iron tile. Life draining from his face as he fell stomach first. Entire groups of lizard-like fish swarmed over the fallen. Moore’s eyes widened as some grew bigger. They tore through his friends and acquaintances. Until only bone remained. The giant grate exploded. One grey limb sank through and made its way back up. Silence. Little gray bodies tried to crawl over the others, fighting for food. For the journey to the surface was long and they were hungry. Moore’s heart stopped and his eyes fell. Red light filled this once peaceful area to escape the routine of the forge.

Waves rushed past its giant legs; purple veins drew up its mass. Clustered in some spots they resembled gems. Fish and other animals fell from atop its body as it rose. With another leg it widened the hole it had struck. The surrounding area collapsed, along with the little creatures. Falling their eyes cast back to the giant red orbs above them. Once they had landed, there was a mad rush to get back to the top. Terrain and crumbling earth did nothing to stop them.

It spoke into the depths of the earth. The deep guttural voice reverberated below. Chains rattled and a single eye opened. Eight long limbs to its side. Two feet hung above a huge drop. With a glance it went over each of its shackles. Patiently it waited as words filled the chamber. Air absorbed into the maw above. Tts mouth and its body shook. Gills extruded water and gray ooze. Like a landslide, from its giant maw a forceful torrent came fourth. Land instantly disintegrated as the gray hurled from its mouth. Chains built into the ground, reached into the forge. Snaking its way through the streets and tightly wrapped around abandoned buildings. In one instant they broke apart. Fragile, as if it was fabric, structures collapsed. Below the caverns shook and limbs managed to move. To occupied about its freedom, it fell further. Fins gracefully parted the water as the Tulere Piscius vanished under the fog.

The ground was overburdened and could not hold the weight of its fall. Soft earth and trickles of water filled the gaps. Thirty feet wide each of the arms moved independent of another. Being spat into a new place, unbounded from the surface. Trapped fish tried to make their way out from under the body. Walls of inky black damned their passage. Briefly coming into contact with the wall they tried to swim farther under. However, thin wiry strands surrounded them. Momentum fully stopped they fought against the pull in futility. The tail ends of the fish flapped violently, followed by strands giving them one last shove inside the arm. In a pocket of shallow water, they floundered about. The enclosure began to morph. Contorting inside this cage, eyes slowly came to life all around them. Pupilless to start. White as a fresh sheet of ice. Some force pulled at them leading them straight inside of the eye sockets. Curious ears and ones awakened from their slumber came to inspect the noise. Senses betrayed them, believing this thing to be safe. Without warning they too, were consumed. Muscles and nerves inside the eyes twitched and zeroes in on its prisoner. Each passing moment memories, thoughts, feelings began to surface. One hand reached high into the cavers. Fish tails formed out of it stringy body. Other arms mimicked this behavior. Bats, turtles, worms, crabs, salamanders, and frogs. Not just life creatures, the surrounding area as well. The samples it took from the rock and water mixed on its back. Streaks of stone, sand and dirt all came left. Strands of light from above gently fell and graced the observer. Particles danced in its vision.

Entwining with each other photons and electrons slowed their eternal travel. Waves of static rippled through the being. Somewhere inside of it a single pulse made it jump into the air. Rocks and stalactites groaned as the ground sunk further in. They harmlessly bounced off its back before imploding. On its two feet, two hands came forward as it leaned in closer to the light particles. Invisible forces beckoning it closer as the whites of its eye touched one of the smallest forms. Then it knew.

Once at some point in time it had been the same as these photons. Through endless time and vastness of nothing it traveled. Orange and white heat erupted during its drift. Directionless, it was caught up in its pull. Caught on the edge of a crystal vast as the space itself all the lights behind went out. Chunks broke off and scattered out near the front. Burning up they speed to an unknown destination if there was one. The tail of the crystal shattered off, the photon with it. Nothingness engulfed it. The chase slowed as waves of dark surrounded the beacons in the dark. instantaneously those lights went out. Matter and energy violently crashed together to form a hungering abyss. Anything close enough sucked in.

Pulverized, it held fast to the crystal in the dark. Atrophy embraced them inside the infinite black hole. The cold whispered and the crystal grew brighter and plunged faster shattering into more fragments. With urgency the dark desperately tried to reach it. With a powerful explosion the crystal tore through the endless suffocating black. Cold and losing energy, the photon had been breached by the dark.

Energy coursed through it, as the crystal glowed. Only enough to heat half of it. Joined by other photons of light something new merged. Atmospheres had been breached by the falling crystals. Clouds forcefully splitting as they came. Shards staying in the upper reaches hovering. Beams of light graced whatever surface they touched. Some sank to unknown depths, pits of lava, tar, ice, sand and solid rock. This occurred all over existence in this brief moment of time.

In one particular place on entry, pieces of crystal severed. The eye of a hurricane aiding in the act of the fall. Humanoid shapes looked to the skies from all over. Dirt in their eyes, covered in blood and scabs. Wounds from hard fought battles against wildlife. Caves snuck in light where it would normally not reach. More curious eyes came and stared at the sky. Beyond the storm, stars reflected brightly into the crystal. The sun adding its own intensity to it. Impact was inevitable as the scorching fire in the sky plummeted. Far away from the storm, the sky was reddish orange. Bright white light from the dark reaches reminding them they were still there.

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Earth shook and exploded as the largest crystal fell. Waves upon waves of dirt and soil reaching halfway to the sky. Axis went out of control. Tectonic plates violently moved, even broke as the impact caused catastrophe. To all directions, remains from traveler from beyond left wakes of destruction and trails in the sky.

It felt warm. Deep in this cave imprisoned for an untold length of time it moved slowly forward. All its long limbs grasped at the rock. Being carefully not to cause any trouble. Smoothed black tendrils and three fingered-like hands made their way forward. Its head shook as it moved away from this place. Time did not matter to it. Wandering for days, possibly even months, it traveled underneath. One single eye always looking for the sky, to never see anything but the deep damp underbelly. Passages blocking its advance quickly fell. Straight ahead it moved all in front of it with ease. The ground splitting and bowing to its power even before it forcefully pushed on.

Black limbs shook and bubbled violently as they punched through a huge wall of stone. The body reacted in a way it was not used to. Something clear and formless ran through it. The sensation was enough for it to stop briefly. Fingers tried their best to capture it in its hands to no avail. The wind graced the cavern. Light was next and one eye grew larger and larger. As it was about to burst. Water cascading down the side shot straight into the air creating mist, as it fell. This time, free by its own design. Hundreds of feet plunged into a blackened crater. Gray slate built up its slopes. People mining into the walls dropped their pickaxes and other tools and watched the great dark creature fall. Into the valleys below void of life it lay spread out. It’s one eye taking in the view of a single large colorless crystal.

Tiny frames made their way in front of its vision. Three figures stood in front of it and bowed. Darkness fell upon darkness as pupils met. Towering over them they showed no fear and simply smiled.

“We have waited for this day. For you to come back and power our home. How to show us a way to escape this darkness.” One of them said.

Black rain filled the sky as the body exploded. The center mass turning in on itself, the eye still watching them until it sank into its own skin. Eight limbs writhed on the ground separately. Mass angrily mashed together as it grew smaller and smaller. The three humans watching, just nodded at each other. Not phased in the slightest. Black smudges of rain fell across their mask resembling animals. From the noir-colored mist eight beings walked clumsy to them. Some stumbled, others looked confused as they took their first steps.

“Welcome to our home. We call it Grayland. I am Dracofynth. These two here next to me are Vela, and Ursagan.” He said. They bowed politely. One of them held a bright red crystal staff. The other a twin but blue. Tentacles squirmed from one of the masks. As if dying of thirst, they took in the black rain feverishly.

Some of the beings were double their size. Ten feet tall or higher they hovered over them and returned the bow at an awkward angle. Some to the side, others to far forward and the fell face first.

All three rushed up and took hold of their three-fingered hands. Kicking at the dirt they tried to stand. Some raised their faces and stared forward. Pale white made out half their features. Bright orange the other. Male and female alike they turned their eyes to the crystal then back at them. With no mouth to speak, one created its way onto their face. Simultaneously they all opened their mouths and said:

“Human. Crystal. No light. Dead?”

“Correct. Not unless you are willing to sacrifice half of yourself. To restore the light that has gone.” Dracofynth said.

Strained vocals cords vibrated together just eking out small groans. Dracofynth just smiled as they took giants steps and loomed over them. Under their shadow, the humanoid torso bent and twisted as the light on the crystal reflected on them. With fingers stretched out they lazily rose to point at it. Orange pulses grew within their body and made their way to the edge of the still hand. It was not pain that it felt. Something it could not describe. As the energy made its way out. Naturally as taking a breath. Effortlessly it all condensed, but then the entity pulled back. The orange crystal loomed. Veins of color now ran through it. Some sank in like water to soil.

Weary eyes fell to the small folk below its feet. Two other parts of it fell to their knees holding their heads in pain. The three that greeted it came forward. Each put a hand on their fleshy disfiguring skin to comfort.

“However this works, fear not. We are here if you fear the unknown.” Dracofynth said.

Fear? It thought. Not a single word made sense. Besides the four it had uttered.

Five of the others stared at the crystal. Four began moving to it. Featurelessness came back to replace the fleshy bodies they had begun to mirror. Light from all the entities slowly seeped out. Fingers drawn out to the crystal phasing in and out of view. The rest of their bodies shimmered. What was supposed to be flesh and bone, was replaced with an indescribable light and shapes. Violently they tore in and out of existence before the onlookers.

“Amazing. This time it is much more active.” Ursagan said. His long white hair swayed as power ran free through the valley. The mask tight on his face.

“If this works and what it told us is true, then we can rebuild this world for the better.” Vela said. With gently hands her touch left the entity’s body. Teal and darker blue feathers on the mask looked skyward. Lifting their arms as if to soar upwards, she froze and took everything in. A long-jagged beak rose up from the mask. Out of the valley, people began to cautiously approach. Most malnourished and sickened. Still holding picks and shovels. Some had fresh wounds from work. Others caked over in blood, dirt and grime. Faces cut from jagged rocks. Exhausted bodies fell to their knees, others on their stomachs. Low murmurs began as hands were entwined in prayer.

Dracofynth gleamed over the sight. Smoke poured out the dragon mask. Red eyes shimmered with unknown intent. The rest of his expressions hid under black scales. Two curled black horns rest at the top. He moved closer as the beings just did. Ice peeled back layers of skin behind the mask. Entropy took hold instantly and he froze a couple of steps away. Alive but solid as a statue, Dracofynth’s eyes spun in fear. Some presence was looming over him. In all directions as it bore down. With no control his hands crossed over his stomach. In silence he struggled to regain movement. An invisible force pushed at his sides as if to flatten him to a pulp.

Orange and white brightly flickered in the distance. Darkness filled the rest of the space. No light escaped at a certain point.

A crack formed along Dracofynths mask like a glacier. Falling into darkness, his eyes were now steady. Less afraid than before. Color drained from his face. Skin peeled off and streams of red slowed into gray. From the middle of his chest, a hole leaked out the gray. All the streams fused together and drifted to the crystal. The light in his eyes began to fade.

He heard a voice in his head.

“Well now. You truly do not fear the end. Despite that fleeting emotion as you approached.” The voice said. Slowly and methodically as the stream in the dark.

“I’ve known for a long time now. What is to come. What needs to be done.” Dracofynth replied. His eyes slowly closing.

“I sense other remnants. From eras long past within you. They are quiet, yet still have an insatiable desire to cover the light.” The voice said.

“For eons I have waited. Only small fragments of the inescapable dark reach this place. This place may give life, yet the dark comes here to die. The light above, a sickening blight.” Dracofynth said. His eyes now closing, only murmuring escaping his lips.

“Rest momentarily. Soon the will of this world will break. Then we will use this husk, to devour the rest.”

Feet and staff dragged in the soil as Vela and Ursagan took hasty steps back. Their leader before their eyes, dissipated into mere gray specks. Then funneled into the crystal. The light began to change color. The welcoming oranges and whites, replaced with oppressing gray and black. Onlookers, as if hypnotized, crawled to the crystal. Vela went to stop some of these crazed folk. Their faces were barely recognizable as human. Faces drooped and black pits of light replaced the eyes. Backs pushed upwards, twisting into new shapes. In a moment their limbs faded view.

Mangled limbs came steaming out of the crystal. Skeletal, stripped of flesh.

The remaining giant beings watched all this expressionlessly, until Dracofynth had disappeared. With the mangled mess in front of them, they acted. Slimy hands forcefully dripped over Vela and Ursagan. Before they could react, they were pushed into its slimy flesh. Each one took by a different giant. The other two closely by. Hearts pounded in their chest as they cramped inside a chamber of flesh. Eyes came out and watched them. Yet they did not feel hostility. Sadness, pain and fear. Jostled inside, the giants took off into the valley. The sounds of wails filled their ears. Just for a moment, the recent creations looked back at the crystal. Without hesitation they ran.

A gray mass no bigger than ten feet at length levitated through the hollowment. The landscape much different than previous times. Rail-cars and mechanical beasts filled these tunnels. Nearly every corner was exposed to some light. Steel kept the tunnels from falling as spider-like creatures did repairs. Bits of pieces of this spherical gray, cracked and ancient felt the pull of a benevolent force. A door barred its path as it floated up the stairs. Losing the little bit of power it had left, struck the floor several times. Fragments shattered off. On it went, pieces of it sparked orange for just a moment. Through time it had learned to pass through solid objects. Though it took much of its energy. It did just this, as an impasse of steel above kept it below. Gray morphed and spread out over the floor. A few minutes later, a sickly human-like shape emerged from the mass. Struggling to stand it pulled itself up on a shelf. Brief though it was, a pulse of calm ran through its decaying body. A small chest in front of it. It would not open. Perhaps it had been too weak. Bits of its hand got sucked into the lock. Filling in the gaps, the slimy flesh pushed apart ancient mechanisms. Some of it fused with the gears. Then a small click! Three crystals with ribbons gently placed around them. It touched each one with a smile on its face. Droplets of gray fell off its face into the crystal.

“I hope this will be enough. If not, the others bear this responsibility. Though they may be gone from this world.” It thought.

Collapsing into a heap, the being dissipated into three arcs. Each strand slowly going into the crystal.