Wisconsin, North America, August 15th 1888
The early morning sun shone through the window. The small rays of light that came through were just barely able to illuminate Josephine’s bedroom. She was perfectly asleep until the light entered her eyes. At which point she growled, stretched, and got out of bed. Josephine hastily opened up the blinds and rushed downstairs. She made her way over to the kitchen, and took out a carton of eggs out of the fridge. Josephine proceeded to turn the stove on, crack the eggs, and put them in the frying pan. After cooking the eggs for a little bit, she sat down to finally have her breakfast.
Yet this tranquility would only last for a few moments as someone knocked on her door. Josephine rolled her eyes and hissed before getting up and running over to answer the door.
”Who could possibly be visiting me at this hour?” She groaned.
Josephine begrudgingly unlocked the door and waited for her visitor to open it. She watched in annoyance as the handle turned and the door swung inwards. Her anger was quickly replaced by joy as she locked eyes with her visitor. Bethyinine merely glanced at her niece as she made her way over to the couch. Josephine noticed some white feathers stuck to her aunt’s back. She could also notice some grains of sand lodged in her scales as well. Josephine watched in anticipation as her aunt sat down, pressing all of her weight into the couch. She slowly walked over to Bethyinine and sat down next to her.
”It’s been a long time since I’ve last seen you. How have you been?” Josephine asked.
”I’ve made a couple of friends lately. Other than that I’ve been doing great, mostly… ” Bethyinine responded.
“Mostly?” Josephine stammered.
”Had a bit of a bad experience with two of my eels.” Bethyinine replied.
”How so?” Josephine inquired.
“Well, one of them got a bit too curious for its own good. The other one stole my prey, and then forced itself down my throat.” Bethyinine answered.
”Okay, that really does sound like a bad experience.” Josephine stated.
”That isn’t even the worst part, not at all. Franky the worst part of it all is the fact that I can feel them squirming around inside me.” Bethyinine shuddered.
”Well, how exactly would you like me to help you?” Josephine asked.
”That’s what I was going to ask you actually.” Bethyinine stated.
”Really, is that so?” Josephine chuckled.
“Mhm, I really have no idea on how to fix this issue.” Bethyinine chuckled.
”I’m not sure whether to laugh at that, or to be a bit disappointed in you. No offense of course though.” Josephine smiled.
”Well, why not do both? After all, I could have figured out a solution by now. And besides, I for one will admit that this situation is a bit amusing.” Bethyinine mused.
“Fair, though if you’d want me to actually help I’d need a minute or two to think first.” Josephine declared.
Bethyinine nodded and watched as her niece went upstairs. She heard the door being gently closed as the birds were just starting to sing. Despite the genuine calmness of the situation, Bethyinine could feel something gnawing at her mind. Someone frantically and violently knocking, knocking on her skull, almost begging her to let them in. Then the pain started to set in. First it would start with a slow boil, rising ever so gently until the pressure was just right. Minutes passed by as the clock on the kitchen wall incessantly ticked away with maddening rhythm.
Then the pain stopped and she heard the door open as her niece rushed downstairs. Josephine sat back down on the couch and glanced at her aunt.
”Are you alright?” Josephine asked.
”Yeah, I’m fine, why’d you ask?” Bethyinine muttered.
”Well, your eyes, they’re pale white for Pete’s sake!” Josephine hissed.
”I… I had no idea.” Bethyinine groaned as she bit her tongue.
”You really aren’t yourself now, that’s for certain.” Josephine sighed.
Bethyinine gazed into her nieces deep violet eyes for a while. Her mind began to wander for a moment as the pain returned in force. She could feel it, the knocking, only this time it was much more incessant, impatient even. She watched in horror as her claws reached out towards Josephine. Only to be utterly relieved when her niece backed away. By now the pain was so much that she couldn’t hear anything. Her vision began to darken as she lost control over herself.
“This, this isn’t normal, I’d still be able to see if I really was losing control over myself. No, something’s amiss here, there’s someone else at play. Someone just barely out of reach, yet this intrusions, my senses tell me that I am familiar with it.” Bethyinine thought to herself.
Josephine stepped back from the couch as her aunt reached out towards her. Her eyes were now a rather luminous purple. Josephine could sense that her aunt was gone, that something had taken hold of her. She watched as Bethyinine prowled around the living room, almost as if she was getting her bearings. Finally, she lunged towards Josephine, her claws outstretched so as to tear through her scales.
Josephine frantically dodged out of the way as her aunt tumbled to the floor. Bethyinine growled and struggled to regain her balance as Josephine ran towards the door. Yet when she reached it, the door was locked shut, yet it was just open half an hour ago. She groaned as Bethyinine drew closer, her claws scraping agains the hardwood floor. Josephine turned around to face her aunt whose claws were brushing up against her chin. She chuckled and stared into Bethyinine’s eyes before quickly punching her in the face. Turning her attention back to the door, Josephine tried in vain to force it open.
Eventually she resorted to using her own claws as makeshift lock-picks. Josephine grunted as her claws repeatedly broke off from her attempts to open the door. She couldn’t hear her aunt anymore yet her guard remained up nonetheless. Even after all of her claws had been filed down to dust, she still hadn’t gotten the door open. Josephine pondered the idea of just smashing the door open when Bethyinine lunged towards her. In the heat of the moment she had no time to react and was knocked backwards. The force of the lunge was more than enough to blow the door open, throwing Josephine outside in the process. She quickly got to her feet and locked the door behind her, trapping Bethyinine inside, at least for the time being. Provided she wasn’t smart enough to try and open the door herself that was.
Josephine breathed a sigh of relief as she opened up a portal and stepped through it. She had to warn someone, anyone, about this situation. The first person on her mind for a situation like this, Silas.
The Abyss
“Perhaps we should stop somewhere?” Lythros chuckled.
”Not now, I still have a body to bury.” Nurull stated.
”Wow, aren’t we a stickler for tradition.” Lythros sneered.
”It’s called being respectful. I take it a creature like yourself would hardly know what respect is?” Nurull hissed.
“Hey, I was just making a joke, alright?” Lythros groaned.
The pair walked towards the entrance of marble cathedral at the center of the city. Nurull smiled as he knocked on the door only to be greeted moments later by a spider-like creature adorned in gray robes. He lifted Silas’s corpse off of his back and handed it to the priest.
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”See to it that this man is buried honorably. I’ll pay for the burial arrangements if need be.” Nurull declared.
The beast looked at the corpse and nodded before closing the door of the cathedral with a deafening boom. Nurull glanced at Lythros and smiled before the two of them made their way down a rather crowed pathway. They walked past dingy market stalls and lavish ebony inns. All of them having a different level of care put into their design. Eventually several people rushed past them, some were screaming, while others muttered to themselves.
”What exactly is going on here?” Lythros inquired.
“So asks the creature that feeds on chaos.” Nurull chuckled.
”Now’s not the time for jokes, you bastard!” Lythros hissed.
Nurull nodded and grabbed one of the fleeing pedestrians by the shirt collar.
”My good sir, why exactly are you running?” Nurull asked.
The man looked at him, a faint hint of purple shining in his eyes. Nurull locked eyes with the man for all but a moment as searing pain shot through his skull. Quickly he let go of the pedestrian and turned his gaze back to Lythros.
”Something. Something tried to take control of me. Just like it had taken control of him. That man, his eyes, there was something in them. Something different, something foreign, something hostile.” Nurull wheezed.
”Well, then I suggest we get out of here as quickly as possible.” Lythros declared.
The pair rushed past several the fleeing pedestrians, making sure not to make eye contact with any of them. Though in their haste to flee the city, Nurull ended up knocking into one of the pedestrians.
”So sorry about-.” Nurull stuttered as he locked eyes with the woman.
”No need. Oh, hello again Lythros.” Josephine smiled.
”Josephine! Wait, since when did you leave the house?” Lythros inquired.
“Since today, Bethyinine’s gone completely mad.” Josephine answered.
“Isn’t that normal for her though?” Nurull asked.
”Yes, but this time was different, something’s off. It’s like-.” Josephine declared.
”Like something’s taken hold of her, same thing’s happen to all these bastards as well.” Lythros finished, gesturing to the fleeing mass of people behind her.
“Anyways, how about we get out of here!” Nurull yelled.
”Just one minute, I need to find Silas.” Josephine declared.
”Silas! He’s dead, this bastard killed him.” Lythros chuckled and glanced at Nurull.
”Well it’s not my fault he didn’t bother to attack me while I was monologuing.” Nurull hissed.
”We could just wait for him to come back, right? He always comes back from death.” Josephine asked.
“Given what’s going on right now, I’d say that’s not likely.” Lythros stated.
Nurull got to his feet and started running towards the gate as Lythros and Josephine followed behind him. The trio watched in horror as a patrolling tower started to close the gate. Nurull groaned, summoned an arrow, and sent it flying towards the crankshaft. At once the crank stopped turning and the gate refused to close any further. The trio quickly dashed through the gate just as the guard had dislodged the arrow from the crankshaft.
Nurull sighed and looked back at the outer wall of the city. He could just barely see the glowing purple eyes of all of the guards stationed there. Their gazes fixed on him as a sharp pain entered his mind, forcing Nurull to shut his eyes. Yet just as quickly as the pain had come it had disappeared. Nurull opened his eyes once again and saw Lythros staring back at him.
”Wait a minute? What just happened?” Nurull asked.
“They were trying to take over your mind. You’re very much lucky I stepped in.” Lythros sneered.
”So, let me get this straight, they can’t touch you?” Nurull inquired.
”Well, she is a creature born of chaos.” Josephine chimed.
”And her unpredictability prevents anyone from taking control of her.” Nurull stated.
”I think you meant to say “thank you”.” Lythros growled.
”Sorry, but thanks for saving my life, cat.” Nurull chuckled.
Lythros sighed as Nurull turned his attention towards the sky. She could see a faint purple glow in his eyes and panicked for a moment. Though her curiosity quickly overpowered her concern as she too turned her gaze towards the sky. Josephine glanced at the two of them and simply sat down to rest for a while. Meanwhile, her companions were gazing in abject horror at the sky. For a crack had started to form a few hours earlier, a crack that had now grown exponentially in size. Now the crack had opened, revealing the horror of what lurked on the other side, a massive purple eye which stared back at them.
”I think we found the source of this madness.” Nurull chuckled.
”Yes, but what in Nadahr’s name is that!” Lythros hissed.
”I don’t know, I just don’t know.” Nurull gasped.
Lythros continued to fix her gaze upon the eye, and as she did, she could feel something burrowing into her mind. She screamed as the pain became too much for her to bear and recoiled in agony. Nurull quickly picked her up and put her on his shoulder before tapping Josephine on the shoulder.
”We have to run, now!” Nurull yelled.
Josephine glanced at him and then at the eye behind him. She nodded, got up, and the pair began their mad dash towards the spire. The eye watched as its prey started to flee and turned its attention towards the nearby cathedral. Inside of the cathedral’s basement, Silas’s corpse was being laid in the morgue. Surrounded by the dead of ages past, whose souls had disappeared and whose names were long forgotten.
Silas couldn’t really sense anything as his body was shoved into one of walls of the morgue. Yet he could vaguely feel the wind rushing past him. Yes, he was falling again, falling downwards into the ever darker abyss. He groaned and loaded his revolver as the world around him became an unrecognizable blend of smeared colors. He understood what was going on and simply wished that it would be over soon.
”I swear, if I have to talk to that beast again, I will not hesitate to kill her on the spot.” Silas hissed.
Eventually his vision turned a deep crimson as his feet touched the surface of the lake. He chuckled upon noticing the beast’s massive eye staring down at him.
”Oh, back again so soon [O adversary mine]?” The ouroboros asked.
”Oh don’t bother me with your philosophical waxing again. I’ve just about had it with you at this point.” Silas growled.
”Easy [darling], I was just asking you a question.” The ouroboros declared.
”Well, that might be true in your white world. But to me, that was just you asking to get hurt. How would you like a little change of scenery perhaps?” Silas questioned.
”How so?” The ouroboros inquired.
“I don’t know. How would you like your world to look a little… redder!” Silas yelled.
He smiled, pointed his revolver at the ouroboros’s eye, and pulled the trigger. The bullet pierced the creature’s iris, popping a blood vessel in the process, causing the creature’s vision to become a dark red. Silas watched as the ouroboros writhed and screamed in pain, its eye now stained a deep red.
”You bastard! Why would you do such a thing! How could you even do so in the first place!” The ouroboros hissed.
Silas didn’t answer and just started laughing. First it started as a low bellow, but then it became a maniacal chant. He reveled for a while in the pain which he had just caused. Then Silas stopped for a moment to catch his breath.
”I’ve seen your kind before, no, I’ve killed them before.” Silas began.
”You claim to be a perfect representation of eternity, yet you can still die, why is that? You’re cowards, lying cowards, all of you! Hiding behind your supposed enigmatic nature, thinking that we wouldn’t dare approach you. No, you poor bastards thought wrong. You should not have underestimated our curiosity, not one bit. So that’s why I blinded you, for the immense arrogance which you hold. Are you happy now that you have your answer?” Silas sneered.
”Look who’s waxing philosophical now.” The ouroboros chided.
”Yes, very funny, now would you tell me just what you are capable of?” Silas inquired.
”Let’s start with names first, that’s much easier in my opinion.” The ouroboros deflected.
”Fine, I’ll play your game, only if you start first though.” Silas conceded.
”Shenya, and yours?” The ouroboros smiled.
”Mori, Silas Mori, I’m the bastard who murdered your relatives.” Silas chuckled.
”Yes, you’ve already told me that Mr. Mori.” Shenya growled.
”That I have, now would you kindly answer my previous question?” Silas inquired.
”Fine, I’ll tell you what I am capable of.” Shenya groaned before taking a deep breath.
”The only means of which I can commune or interact with lesser creatures is through their minds. Telepathy wouldn’t work because I’m far too powerful for them. So I just take control of their minds, even if they don’t want me to. How exactly do I gain control of someone you ask? Well, the eyes are the window to the soul after all. That or I imprint my will on lesser creatures in order to reach my target.” Shenya declared.
”So, you enslave those below you just because you think you have the right to do so?” Silas asked.
”No, it’s just, they need a little bit of guidance.” Shenya answered.
”It’s still enslavement considering they aren’t willing. Thus making you a tyrant, albeit a rather cowardly one.” Silas chuckled.
“And yet I see you as my equal.” Shenya stated.
”You’re equal? Why would you see me as your equal?” Silas questioned.
”You’re the only one who’s actually shown some sort of interest in me.” Shenya replied.
”Yet that interest has been rather malicious.” Silas chuckled.
”Fair point Mr. Mori. Now, if you don’t mind, I’ll be sending you back to the land of the living. Word of warning though, it might not be the same as when you left.” Shenya smiled.
Silas titled his head in confusion as his vision started to blur. His steps were frantic and his mind was heavy. He couldn’t feel anything as darkness filled his vision for a moment. Next thing Silas knew he was somewhere dark and cold. He sighed and, after a little bit of time, forced his way out of his confined cell. Silas hastily glanced around at the walls of the morgue as he made his way upstairs. Now was not the time for sightseeing, he had bigger things in his mind. Once he was back inside of the cathedral, Silas dashed outside and onto the streets.
However, he stopped after a little bit of walking. His gaze fixed on the lone figure standing in the middle of the street. He could just barely see its deep blue scales shining in the moonlight.
”Beth?” Silas cried out.
His confusion turned to horror as his sister turned around and began to rush towards him. Fear gripped Silas’s body as he reached for his revolver, his gaze fixed on his sister.