The wind howled, and the rain poured.
The cold night wouldn't end anytime soon.
Crenussal walked. And walked.
A torn arm that he used to call his right.
A fractured state that could no longer hold in his cries.
The washing would not stop.
His face and body drenched in the mix of rain and tears.
Then, on his left, he spotted a cave.
It was a humble shelter with a small opening.
Still, Crenussal smiled. His dedication finally rewarded him.
His body pressed through the cave's mouth.
Difficult as it was, he still found his way inside.
The cave greeted him with not a closed space.
Instead, it opened a path deep inside it.
One that Crenussal would not hesitate to follow.
So, he went deeper.
The depths grew darker, and the walls grew closer.
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Still, the ancient would not falter.
He continued until finally an opening.
A large room within the cavern's dark depths.
A single old man stood in the center.
Crenussal approached with reckless abandon.
Then the old man spoke.
'What brings you here to these depths?'
'I wish to take shelter from the rain,' Crenussal answered.
The old man shook his head.
'What brings you here to these depths?'
'I wish to explore this vast world,' Crenussal answered.
The old man shook his head.
'What brings you here to these depths?"
'I wish to gain power beyond imagination,' Crenussal answered.
The old man nodded his head and stepped aside.
'Then continue down; your answer will be found.'
So, Crenussal continued.
He ventured further down.
He faced all manners of beasts and monsters.
He slew an army of totes that blocked his path.
Finally, he emerged in a new chamber.
Upon a table lay a sleeping ancient.
Golden strings seemed to flow from her hair.
Glistening light seemed to reflect off her body.
Crenussal greeted the sleeping one.
He pulled a single knife out of her chest and spoke.
'Arise and help me create a new world.'
And he beckoned her to awake.
The sleeping one's eyes burst open.
They were black as the starless night.
She greeted him with a hiss and a growl as she rose.
Her body creaked and cracked.
It was the first time in centuries that she had moved.
The first time in centuries that she had seen another.
'Have you come to take my power?' she asked.
'No," answered Crenussal.
'Why have you disturbed my sleep?'
As a show of trust, Crenussal tossed the cursed knife to the side.
He reached out a hand.
An offering to assist the sleeping one from her table.
'I have come to show you this world.'
'I have already seen the world.'
'You have not seen the careless that stamp across it.'
You have not seen the pollution they have wrought.
You have not seen the children left to cry.
I have not merely come to show you the world.
I have come to show you a world different from the one you knew.
I have come to show you a world that needs saving.
By my hands, I can do nothing.
But with you, we can save it,' Crenussal stated.
The sleeping one thought for a moment.
She nodded.
'Very well, I will look upon this world with you.'
It was on this day that Crenussal would begin down a path to be the superior of all the ancients.