image [https://i.imgur.com/QFjYL9B.jpeg]
“My time is running short within this world. Bound in chains, holding onto the hope that one day I will be able to keep the promise I made.”
Joel’s Apartment, Spokane WA.
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The voice shattered the chaos, slicing through the air like a hammer breaking glass. "Speak the words. Break the seal."
Joel’s eyes locked onto the writhing symbols on the paper, pulsing with an ominous, dangerous force. The atmosphere thickened, pressing down on his chest like iron bands tightening, making each breath a battle. Am I really supposed to do this? His heart thundered in his chest, breaths coming short and ragged, each one feeling like the air was being sucked from the room. The weight of his decision hung over him, suffocating.
Beside him, Jamie’s fingers gripped his arm, cold against his skin, trembling. He could feel her uneven breaths, like a drowning person gasping for air. Her wide, pleading eyes mirrored the unease echoing in his own mind.
“Joel… we don’t know what this is.” She whispered, her voice barely audible, her legs shaking as though ready to collapse under her, instinct screaming at her to flee, yet she stayed by his side.
The room wasn’t just shifting—it was collapsing. The frost clawed at the windows, spreading like skeletal fingers as the temperature plummeted, biting into Joel’s skin with a bitter chill. The breath he sucked in was painful, the icy air burning his throat like shards of glass. Overhead, the lights flickered, casting erratic shadows that twisted and flickered as if the room itself was alive. The force coiled in the room, waiting, straining to be unleashed.
Jamie stumbled back, her mouth open in a pitched scream, her arms wrapped tightly around her torso as if holding herself together. Her eyes—glass-like, filled with panic—yelled for the madness to stop.
A sharp pain pierced through Joel’s skull, crawling up his spine like white-hot fire. He grimaced, grinding his teeth as the symbols on the paper flared brighter, their pulsating light searing into his vision. It wants to be released.
His body trembled with the need to give in, to unleash the power inside him, but Jamie’s words echoed in the back of his mind stopping him.
A flash of doubt tore through him. Can I even stop it?
Then the agony hit.
It crashed over him like a tidal wave, consuming everything. His mind blazed, the unbearable pressure splitting his skull open. He wailed, clawing at his scalp, nails raking through his hair as the symbols burned themselves into his mind, warping and twisting until they became incomprehensible. The world around him spun, spiraling into chaos, the room blurring into a whirlwind of sound and light.
The apartment erupted into motion. Books, furniture—everything hurtled through the air like debris caught in a storm. The air itself roared, hurling objects into walls with terrifying force, each crash shaking the room to its core. The very structure of the building groaned, as if on the verge of collapse. The destruction outside mirrored the storm of chaos raging inside Joel.
Jamie ran toward him, desperation clear in her eyes. But before she could reach him, a chair flew across the room, slamming into her chest. She crumpled against the wall with a sickening thud, her body limp as her cry vanished into the storm.
“Jamie!” Joel’s voice cracked, hoarse and raw. The smoke and fire clouded his vision, but through the haze, he saw her—curled on the floor, clutching her side, her face contorted with pain. The sight of her ripped through him, slicing his heart with a cold blade. The storm around him reached a fever pitch, the walls groaning under the unbearable weight of the energy coursing through the space.
Then, suddenly, the noise around him stopped while the storm raged around as if all audible sound had simply vanished from the world.
The silence was impenetrable, painful even. Joel blinked, struggling to clear his vision, the ringing in his ears dull but ever-present. The pressure, though, still weighed down on him, heavy as a lead blanket. He gasped for breath, each one a desperate struggle to pull air into his lungs. Jamie crawled toward him, her face pale, but her eyes were still burning with determination. She’s not giving up.
The air crackled faintly, like the last remnants of a lightning storm, the energy still lingering, charged. In the center of the room, something dark began to take shape—a figure, indistinct, bending the very fabric of reality around it. Joel’s breath caught as it approached, the air around it warping as though the figure’s very presence was distorting the world.
He didn’t just see it—he felt it. Its existence was an ancient, incomprehensible weight pressing down on him, substantial enough to crack his ribs under the pressure. His breath came in shallow gasps, each one harder to take than the last.
“Son of Idim,” the figure intoned, its voice a low, resonant hum that vibrated in the very air. “Speak the words. Give them life.”
Joel’s hand shook, the paper clutched in his fist, the symbols on it burning brightly against the darkness. The command was clear, sharp as a blade poised to strike. But I can’t.
The figure flickered, and a sigh escaped its form, resonating with a strange sadness. Slowly, it stretched out a hand toward Joel. The touch, when it came, wasn’t cold—it was worse. A bone-deep chill washed over him, leaving his soul laid bare, vulnerable. When the figure’s fingers brushed his forehead, Joel’s mind was torn open.
The world twisted.
He stood in a vast, sun-scorched desert. The air buzzed against his skin, alive with an unseen energy, opaque, crawling over him like static. Before him, a river cut through the sand, impossibly clear and lined with lush, verdant trees—an oasis in the barren wasteland. People moved around the river, their gestures fluid, commanding the water and earth as if it were an extension of their will. Joel didn’t understand their movements, but he felt the power they wielded—it was undeniable. They control the world around them.
Then the sky darkened.
The air thickened, suffocating, as dark angelic figures descended from above, warping reality with every step. Everything they touched withered—the trees shriveled, the river turned to blood, and the screams of the dying filled the air, though the silence that followed was somehow worse.
From the shadows, a darker figure emerged, swallowing the light, the air—everything in its path. Joel’s lungs seized, the air poisoned by the presence of the thing that approached. The ground trembled beneath its feet, each step sending shockwaves through his bones.
His body screamed at him to move, to flee, but he was paralyzed, helpless as the figure advanced. Its presence was a storm, relentless and consuming. Massive scythes appeared in its hands, and ravens circled overhead, their cries filling the air with a dread unlike anything Joel had ever known.
Then the vision blinked out.
He was standing at the edge of the solar system, staring out into the cold, distant void. A sense of all-consuming dread washed over him, intense and suffocating, as though it were devouring him whole. Though he couldn’t see it, he felt it—something ancient, patient, waiting.
“They have returned.”
Before he could comprehend the message, the vision snapped away, and he was back in the apartment. The air was dense, his body felt leaden, and the figure before him—now solid—stared down at him with glowing golden eyes as if radiating with the sun.
“Son of Idim,” it rumbled, its voice grinding like the earth itself shifting. “You stand before me, bound by fate, by blood. The seal that binds our chains holds your world in ruin.”
Joel’s breath caught in his throat, his hand trembling as the symbols flared even brighter, the ancient words clawing at his mind, demanding to be spoken.
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Joel’s chest tightened as if caught in a vise, each shallow breath clawing at his throat. Tehom-Raash’s words settled over him, heavy as stone, pressing against his ribs. The air crackled—consolidated, almost viscous—suffocating him, as if the room itself had come alive. Each beat of his heart reverberated in his skull, louder, faster. It’s coming, he thought, his pulse a drumbeat in the uncanny silence. The runes twisted and danced before his eyes, mocking him with their impossible complexity, taunting his inability to understand.
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“How?” Joel’s voice broke, desperation lacing his words. His throat felt raw, dry. “I don’t understand! How can I—” His words faltered as panic bubbled inside him, threatening to rise.
The god offered no answer. Instead, the silence thickened, curling around him like a suffocating fog. Each beat of his heart felt louder, more insistent, filling the oppressive quiet with its thrum. I have to do this. The thought chilled him, settling over him like cold iron, binding him inescapably.
His gaze fell to the paper in his trembling hand. The symbols—once still, lifeless marks—writhed as though alive, pulsing with an insistent rhythm. His vision blurred, but the runes refused to release him. They shifted, morphed, becoming more than simple shapes. Something ancient and hungry. The change reverberated deep inside him, vibrating in harmony with his rapid pulse.
The room felt smaller, the walls closing in as the pressure mounted. The atmosphere crackled, thick with static, making his skin prickle. A sharp, metallic taste flooded his mouth, the faint tang of blood. Am I bleeding? His thoughts fragmented as the atmosphere grew heavier, like wading through thick water, each breath a struggle. His heart raced, thundering against his ribcage as though trying to escape the inevitable pull of the spell forming inside him.
The words surged up from a place buried deep inside—older than his memories, older than his very soul. They clawed their way into the light, demanding to be spoken.
“Zi-dim-gar-ta, idim nam-tar-ra, ud anen-na dingir-e-ne, su-bur-ra.
The syllables vibrated through him, low and powerful, like the rumble of thunder before a storm. His skin tingled, goosebumps rising along his arms as the room pulsed with energy, sharp and electric. The words weren’t just spoken—they tore free from him, ripped from the depths of his bones, ancient and primal, so potent it felt as if they might tear him apart.
The spell wasn’t gentle. It tore free with brutal force, shaking the ground beneath him. Joel’s muscles spasmed as the force burst outward, the paper in his hand flaring with a searing light. The runes burned like molten fire, the light so intense it scorched his vision, leaving him blinded for a moment. The room trembled as if it would collapse under the weight of the force now raging through it.
The air itself was alive, humming with the violent energy unleashed. Every surface vibrated, groaning under the sheer magnitude of the spell. Joel’s body convulsed, muscles seizing uncontrollably as though they were being shredded from within. His eyes burned, stinging until he felt the warm trickle of blood running down his face. What’s happening to me? The thought flickered briefly before it was swallowed by the tidal wave of sensations crashing through him.
His breath hitched, coming in shallow, uneven gasps, the metallic taste of blood coating his tongue. Another jolt of pain ripped through him, sharper than before, cutting deep into his core. It wasn’t just his body; the spell had sunk into his soul, its claws embedded in the very essence of him, dragging him deeper into its unforgiving grip. His bones thrummed, alive with the resonance of the magic, the glowing symbols crawling up his arms like brands searing into his flesh, leaving fiery trails of agony.
Joel screamed, his voice raw and broken. His body was trapped, bound by the overwhelming flood of energy coursing through him, locked in place like chains of molten iron. His vision blurred again, the world spinning in disorienting waves of light and shadow, everything fragmenting around him. The scent of ozone filled his nose, stinging and acrid, mixing with the copper tang of his own blood. I can’t... I can’t hold on... His legs buckled beneath him, his body crumpling as the world threatened to pull him under.
Then, through the chaos, Jamie was there.
Her arms wrapped around him, steady despite their trembling. He barely registered the warmth of her touch before everything around them exploded.
A deafening roar echoed through the air, the wind howling like a creature unleashed. The walls cracked, foundations splitting under the force of the storm. The very ground beneath them seemed to heave and split as Joel’s spell ripped through the building, devouring everything in its path.
A brilliant flash of light seared his vision, causing spots to erupt in his eyes for a heartbeat. Then, with the force of a tidal wave, lightning ripped across the sky, cracking through the heavens. The sheer power of it vibrated through Joel’s body, every bone trembling, every nerve on fire. This is it, he thought, everything is breaking...
Jamie pressed herself closer to him, her breath hot and ragged against his neck, her body trembling in time with his own. But she didn’t let go. Even as debris whipped through the air, razor-sharp and deadly, her grip remained fierce, unyielding as she shielded him from the storm.
Joel’s body convulsed again, muscles jerking violently as the last remnants of the spell tore through him. His mind swam, overwhelmed by the flood of confusion and pain. The world felt distant, fading away like a dream slipping out of reach.
And then, a voice came, smooth and feminine, echoing in his mind.
System: Inheritor recognized...
The words resonated deep within him, final and unshakable, sending a shiver down his spine. That voice... He knew it. He had heard it before, back in the ancient temple, where his blood had bound him to something far beyond his understanding. It was waiting for me then, just like it is now.
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System: Initializing…
The pulse that followed wasn’t like the wild magic or storm that had consumed Joel moments before. It was colder, heavier—a presence, probing deep into his core. Not something to resist, but a reflection of who he was. Joel’s body tensed as the system sifted through his memories, tugging at the fabric of his past, pulling at the threads of his pain. He felt every one of those moments, raw and unfiltered. The world dimmed around him, fading, as if reality itself were peeling away, leaving only him—exposed, vulnerable.
Every nerve in his body tingled, his heartbeat quickening as memories surfaced, crashing against his consciousness. The sensation was suffocating. The air around him felt thick, dense like wading through deep water. It clung to him, wrapping his limbs in an oppressive grip, slowing everything down. His own heartbeat reverberated against his eardrums, an unnerving contrast to the silence that filled the now destroyed room, an eerie quiet that heightened the tension.
Joel’s skin crawled, tingling with the electricity that coursed through the air. It was like standing at the edge of a thunderstorm, waiting for the inevitable crack of lightning. His breath hitched as the system continued to burrow into his memories, sifting through each fragment of his past, laying him bare. He could feel the memories rushing through him—flashes of pain, sorrow, moments of doubt—each one more vivid than the last. The weight of it all pressed down on him, overwhelming.
Beside him, a sharp gasp broke the silence, slicing through the tension. Joel’s head snapped toward Jamie. Alarm shot through him, cold and immediate, as he saw her hand pressed tightly against her chest, eyes wide with shock. She felt it too. The same presence. Her face mirrored the disbelief and fear now clawing at his insides. What’s happening to us? His chest tightened even further.
Something ancient stirred within him, primal and unshakable, rising from the depths of his being. The runes, once lifeless scribbles on the paper before him, began to glow beneath his skin, flaring to life like embers catching fire. They shifted and crawled up his arms with deliberate intensity, pulsing in time with his heartbeat. They weren’t just symbols; they were alive. They’re not just marks, Joel realized, they’re tools—extensions of me.
The air around him thickened further, vibrating with a dangerous, unspoken threat as the system synchronized with his very essence. Joel’s breath caught in his throat as he felt the shift inside him, inevitable and unstoppable, like the slow turning of a key in a lock. His skin burned where the runes glowed—not with pain, but with a fierce heat that only intensified with every passing second.
Then the surge came.
It wasn’t violent. It was deep and steady, like a tidal wave rolling in from the ocean, unstoppable. The force built within him, rising like liquid fire, every fiber of his being thrumming with raw potential.
System: Runes Unlocked…
image [https://i.imgur.com/VoESvbt.png]
The symbols flared brighter, the force inside him rippling through his veins. It wasn’t just power—it was more than that. The energy, once dormant, now ached to be unleashed, coursing beneath his skin with such intensity it made him gasp. His chest constricted as the weight of the power settled deep within him.
A convulsion wracked Joel’s body, his muscles spasming uncontrollably as the pressure mounted. His entire being was flooded with the raw force of the unlocked potential, the runes on his arms burning deeper into his flesh, as though etching themselves into his very soul. The room around him hummed with the vibration of the energy, every surface trembling under its weight.
Then came the heat.
It started as a faint warmth, but it grew, intensifying until it became an inferno that radiated from Jamie. It wasn’t just the warmth of her body pressed against his; it was something far more primal. The air around her warped, and Joel could feel the prickling sensation of the heat crawling across his skin, building with an intensity that was almost unbearable. He gasped, his eyes locking onto her. She’s on fire—no... it’s inside her too.
Outside, the storm raged on, winds howling like spirits unleashed, but Jamie clung to him, anchoring him in the chaos. Her body pressed into his, a grounding force amidst the maelstrom. Around them, debris whipped through the air, spinning in a violent cyclone that had ripped the very building apart from the inside. The walls were now gone, having cracked under the relentless onslaught of power.
Amidst the devastation, Joel felt something deep within him click into place. It was an ancient hunger, vast and untapped, a force that had always been waiting, hidden deep in his bones. His soul thrummed with it, vibrating in resonance with the unlocked potential now coursing through him.
The storm’s fury began to fade, its violence ebbing as it spread across the landscape. Joel watched as Tehom-Raash’s form dissolved, its dark edges dissipating like smoke caught in a breeze. The god’s ancient, sorrowful eyes lingered in Joel’s mind. With a final breath, Tehom-Raash’s voice echoed, resonant with an ancient weight.
“Thank you, Son of Idim. Thank you for letting me keep my promise, before it was too late.”
Even as the god vanished, the words hung heavy in the still air. Joel and Jamie sat amid the wreckage, the earth beneath them trembling softly, echoes of the god’s power still rippling through the ground.