As the screaming man was put to sleep, Maximus chuckled to himself. He had expected this event to be a momentous occasion for Alyx and himself. It was also a decisive victory for The Unbound. Two celestial deaths was nothing to scoff at, though, it was no longer as challenging as it used to be.
This strange man frozen in celestial blood had him immensely happy, and curious. As he thought on the circumstances, things seemed to point towards some of the other factions beginning to experiment with alternate ways of empowerment. None of which were new to him or the realms. It was almost a right of passage for most undead after all. He would never have thought the high and mighty celestials would stoop to such means. What did this mean for this latest find? What did it mean for this man?
“Darling?” Alyx said, her masked head turned towards him quizzically.
“Ah, my dear, it seems we may have stumbled upon an experiment. Or quite possibly, a newfound practice that the other factions are beginning to use.” He sighed contentedly, “The information brokers will have a field day with this, I must remember to tell Sayah this.”
“Ah, reincarnation then?” Alyx asked.
“Possibly, but more likely possession, so as to tailor make a host. The way it looks to be set up would both empower the body and break the mind simultaneously. Though it would seem pointless as they were both intending to use him. Two celestials with powers as vast as these two would be plenty to break a mortal without turning his mind into a hellish landscape on top of it.”
“My eyes told me he wasn’t mortal though,” Alyx seemed to remind Maximus, “at least not fully.”
“This is true. So… an Ascendant then? Or possibly touched by the experiments, or even… his exposure to the void within a spatial storage?” The intense blue flames for eyes seemed to grow with curiosity as he speculated.
“Were we not supposed to vacate before the other celestials came to lay claim to their corpses and items?” Alyx interrupted his musings.
“Yes I suppose, though forget not your trophies and latest additions to the establishment.” He turned towards her with excitement, “Also, I was absolutely enraptured by the display you put on as you battled both celestials. An exquisite feat of skill and beauty!” The Arch Lich crowed with delight.
“Thank you, beloved,” Alyx responded to him as she began to approach the two corpses on the lake, Maximus in tow, more solemn now. Her steps seemed to crack across the surface as if to herald an end. Maximus’ solid weighty steps a reaper.
As they reached them, Alyx stepped behind them, alone, and reached down and grasped each head in an ebony hand. Suddenly, she twisted violently and yanked both heads away from their remains. The man’s head broke away clean and sharp from its frigid bindings while the woman’s with a sickening squelch. She gazed at them for a second and breathed out contentedly.
“Thank you for this opportunity, my love,” she whispered.
“Of course,” he responded gravely, “anything for my Matrons.”
The macabre scene seemed to hang in the moment. A sharp contrast beneath a vast scene of beauty. The moment, frozen in time, as a long awaited ceremony finally came to pass.
“May life never limit us.” Maximus intoned after the moment passed.
“For we are Unbound,” she replied.
She stowed away her gruesome trophies and embraced him in a deep hug. Both face coverings melted away and they kissed gently, deep night becoming one with a pale moon. After a short span they, begrudgingly, left each other’s grasp.
“I suppose it is time for us to head back,” he stated regretfully.
“Maybe we could take the long way home then,” she replied playfully. “A quick tour of the Empire perhaps? With the Emperor’s latest wife?”
Maximus brought a hand up to his chin as if to consider the request. His true, dark eyes and pale face easier to read than the skull mask and crown. A playful expression twinkled in his eyes as his lips split into a mischievous grin.
This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.
“I suppose I can make an exception for you, my beloved,” he chuckled and interlocked his fingers with hers. She smiled back and they both walked, hand in hand, towards a recently opened realmway portal. The sleeping man's ice prison followed behind them. Their masks slid on at the last second, to gaze into each other’s eyes a moment longer, before departing their gruesome wedding.
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The realms sparkled like a grand painting. If the painter was extremely reliant on just splattering different paint on a canvas, shaking it, and setting it alight with fire. The painter would inhale the paint fumes and only then could they paint such a kaleidoscope of colors and contradictions. Next to vibrant colors sat dull, diluted ones. Fluorescent colors filled with vitality were next to some so dark it seemed to suck your soul away. This scene of mismatched colors seemed to undulate in their respective areas. Ever shifting but never becoming one with their neighbors.
It was amongst this vast and incredibly diverse scene that a strange and peculiar object rested. A giant devil skull sat in a pocket free from the realms’ influences and fluctuations. A swirl of thousands of large cubes seemed to rotate around the skull like a pinwheel. They all appeared to slowly brighten and dim to black similar to sparks alighting upon kindling. The eye sockets of the skull seemed to burn from within with ever changing flames.
Horns sprouted from the forehead curling straight up in a corkscrew fashion. Half of each horn was engulfed in a dull red flame that seemed to slowly move its way down the horns. Sharp, jagged teeth lined both jaws. Fire belched from in between every so often.
A large line was outside of the fire breathing jaws of the skull with more beings arriving in subtle warps every moment to join the procession. The flames licking the edge of the walk way did not touch any of the beings as they waited in line. It wrapped around them without ever touching a single molecule on their persons. The fire delivered a warmth to them that was not unpleasant, as if it was a lover's soft hug on a cold night.
The beings that gathered outside this place came from all ranges of species and genders. Strange abominations that seemed to hurt a mortal’s brain were amicably sharing space with races of heartstopping beauty. Ethereal entities were flitting from group to group, greeting former acquaintances while attempting to make new ones. Almost everyone was a person of power in their respective realms or had powerful connections.
There were groups quite clearly together of the same race and attire. Factions clearly at odds with others but respecting the atmosphere and influence of the owner’s establishment. The armored guards, bedecked in fire themed outfits of black and red, constantly monitoring the line also put everyone on their best behavior. Not out of fear of the guards, but of their master. This was an opening ceremony after all.
As the flames slowly traveled down the horns, groups began to grow silent in anticipation. There was knowledge to be gained in these next moments. Insights that could help the younger generations to grow in their strength. Other insights that could expand the collective knowledge for the elders in the gathering. And others were just waiting for the spectacle that was about to happen.
The flames reached the base of the horns and intensified in their brilliance. They began to be pulled into the space between the horn tips, coalescing into a bright sun that lorded over the horns. It ascended higher and higher above the onlookers. Then, it exploded.
Dazzling flames of all colors lit the sky in a panoramic view. Streamers of majestic fire cascaded from the dying sun. They took shape into new suns and grew bright and brilliant in their various colors. They too exploded in great cosmic eruptions that mirrored the first sun’s death. The cycle continued until there were innumerable suns to behold. Each one living it’s life in a span of seconds and multiplying to give life to more suns. A state of infinite death and rebirth. A cycle of fiery, passionate life followed by a sudden, violent end.
The scene was a wild cacophony of noise until the suns filled the entire empty space inside this tucked away section that sat between the realms. An order started to overtake the suns. Slowly, a beat arrived to the chaos of the explosions. A loud bass thump began to repeat. As the colorful beat asserted itself, the jaws from the enormous skull opened as the head tilted back to look up to the area above.
From every orifice of the skull, flames erupted out in a loud wail that mixed intensely with the beat of dying suns. The wail seemed to scream for an eternity as the suns began to feverishly erupt at a frenetic pace. This time, however, they didn’t replace themselves. Instead, the energy from their release began to pour into the screaming skull as the wail reached a deafening crescendo. The scene looked as though the horned skull was devouring the suns into its insatiable gullet.
Then the flames began to fade and the intense wail receded into silence, leaving two glowing eyes in the otherwise vacant skull. The flames seemed to converge on a single point within the fanged maw of the skull, a woman.
Striding forth was a toned, humanoid woman with dark auburn hair that emitted a soft glow as if ready to catch fire. Her eyes were an intense orange yellow surrounded by black sclera. They sat below a small pair of horns that jutted out of her forehead. She wore a sleeveless, loose fitting, black dress emblazoned with red that ended at her knees. Intricate tattoos ran down her bronzed arms. Gentle, red flames seemed to flicker in and out over her body in a seemingly random fashion.
As she exited the devilish skull, she raised her hands and announced to the entranced onlookers, “Welcome to all currently gathered outside our fine establishment!” Her voice was powerful and confident as her words easily traveled to the entire crowd.
She threw on a sharp, dazzling smile and continued with an excited fervor, “The opening ceremony has concluded! I, Ember, Matron of the Dying Flame, shall be the reigning Matron for the next 333 realm hours. Remember our rules as they have not changed. Please enjoy your time here at our glorious establishment, The Unbound! May life never limit us!”