Thousands of kilometers to the west, he sat motionless in a modest thatched hut, as he had for the past millennia. The gentle rays of the moon filtered in through the cracks in the masonry, its silver glow breaking the monotony of the cloying darkness enveloping the room. Clad in unassuming robes and seated in the lotus position, his posture remained perfect, and not even a strand of hair strayed out of place.
All around him, everything felt ancient. Stale. Like time itself had been captured and frozen in a singular moment, rendering everything within motionless and still. Even the beating of his heart had become so slow, barely pulsing once every hundred years. The room existed in perpetual quietude, where not even a single object seemed to stir. Not his breath. Not his heart. Not even a mouse.
The sole disruption to this utter stillness came when the slender beams of opalescent moonlight slipping through the cracks, cast delicate patterns of light and shadow on the room's floor. These fleeting moments of movement occurred only when his neighbors strolled past his unassuming dwelling, embarking on their daily tasks. Of course these movements were lost to his closed eyes, as was the thriving community living on the other side of his closed door.
Outside, the Hamlet of Downsview bustled with its usual candor, despite the late hour. It was an idyllic settlement located in the heart of a rolling mountain range—nestled against its gentlest slope and lushest valleys. Here, the air was always crisp and refreshing, carrying the scent of pine from nearby trees and blossoming flowers that adorned the troughs of the hamlet homes.
This particular night, the sky above was a mesmerizing vista showcasing the awe-inspiring tapestry of twinkling stars, surrounding the low hanging moon that cast its gentle glow upon the world below. The sun had long since escaped in its nightly ritual, but the passage of time seemed irrelevant to the busy hamlet residents.
They carried on with their simple tasks, completely disregarding the hours slipping by. Tanners worked with supple leathers, skillfully transforming them into intricate garments that mirrored the hues of the night sky. Their tools clicked and clacked as orders were completed from their shrinking backlog.
The rhythmic clang of metal on metal emanated from the blacksmith's forge, where the skilled hands of Master blacksmiths crafted wondrous creations from glowing molten iron. Sparks leaped into the air, like tiny stars that briefly illuminated the night before fading away. Their presence, fleeting but somehow necessary in the smithing process.
The aroma of succulent meats wafted from the butcher's stall, mingling with the sweet fragrance of nearby fruit orchards. The butcher, with a practiced hand, sliced through cuts of tender meat, all while effortlessly swatting away pesky flies seeking to taste the delectable offerings.
Amidst this bustling activity, the villagers moved with purpose and harmony, their faces adorned with gentle smiles. Yet, to an outsider, it might appear strange that despite the cacophony of industry, not a single human voice resounded in the orchestra of sounds. For the residents of the hamlet, though, this was entirely normal. Diligently engaged in their tasks, they refrained from disrupting the serene night atmosphere with idle chatter, content in the tranquil rhythm of their nightly routine.
And then everything changed! As one, they all turned towards the unassuming hut in the hamlet's center.
Like a twisted child's game, everyone remained stone-still just as he had remained motionless over the past thousand years. Their lips remained smiling, but the sheer terror in their eyes was no longer hidden under the masks they had worn for so long. Tears streamed down multiple faces, as they waited with bated breath while his closed eyelids twitched within the darkened hut.
Much like puppets being held together by an invisible string, none could move a muscle as they were forced to gaze upon his glory. Lightning crackled far above and thunder boomed, shaking the very structures around them. Ominous clouds gathered in the sky, circling the quaint hamlet, while conflicting Daos battled for supremacy with destructive results.
Multiple people disintegrated into dust, their lives and souls refined into nothingness in the natural cauldron formed by the surrounding hills. Nothing escaped, not even the ethereal energy that remained of the chosen few who would be joining him forever more as he sought for the peak.
His eyelids twitched more furiously as he finally realized what had disturbed his slumber; Fate had moved!
Reality stirred and bent around his ancient figure but he remained motionless, not daring to undo all his years of hard work for something that might end up being a trifle. Nevertheless, he looked through the strings of Karma he had latched onto throughout the years and noticed the slight divergence in a couple of threads. With but a thought, he tightened his hold on the loose strings, binding them closer to himself.
Was someone making a move? If so, why were they being so inefficient?
Battle between Immortals could either be extremely fast and decisive, or painfully slow and a waste of everybody's time. He had his fair share of enemies but they would know better than to begin a lackluster attack on his interests. No. This was most likely an anomaly. But that raised a different set of questions.
He considered sending a message to his subordinates, but thought better of it. No use in tempting fate further by contacting them. Besides, he trusted them implicitly and knew they would contact him if the anomaly became dangerous enough to warrant his personal attention.
With that thought, he let the matter drop, sinking deeper into his meditation and living through billions of lives. The seed of fear that had encompassed the hamlet remained for the next year, but the hamlet residents continued their silent vigil, grateful their very souls were not ripped out and consumed, never to join their loved ones in rebirth.
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“Honored Ren, this room is yours for as long as you stay here,” Algor said over his shoulder, as he opened the door.
The room had the bare necessities. There was a bed pushed against one wall, with cotton blankets folded neatly on it. Against another wall rested a wooden desk made of an exotic tree that Ren’s brief scan could not identify. Upon the desk rested a sizable mirror, trimmed with the same wood that made up the sturdy desk.
The craftsmanship of all the furniture pieces was exquisite, and Ren was surprised at how casually they treated them. On Earth, real wooden furniture had quickly become luxury antiques with the population boom and conservative efforts to sustain the few remaining woodlands. As such, furnishings like these were held as family heirlooms, or in the foyers of the rich and powerful.
Walking forward, he ran his fingers against the textured surface of the desk as he surveyed the rest of the room. Apart from the furniture and bed, the only other item in the room was a thickly woven mat, spread out in one corner.
“The mat is for meditating, honored Ren,” Algor held a hand up to stop Ren’s budding question.
Ever since they left the teleportation hub, the man had been positively impatient. He periodically licked his lips and cast frequent looks at his empty wine pouch. Ren chuckled silently at the display. It was obvious the old man was extremely eager to join his friend at the local pub.
“If you need anything else, please contact Acolyte Kala. You two have already met. She is two doors down and she’ll be able to answer any other questions you have. I will be back tomorrow to take you to the healers. Good night my new friend.”
Without waiting for a response, he turned around and practically bolted away without waiting for a response. Ren looked on in amusement, before calling out to his fleeing back.
“Good night Algor!”
They had arrived at this residential building ten minutes after leaving Brynjar at the teleportation hub. Ren's room was on the 3rd floor of the building and they had met Kala on their way up the stairs. She was a tall woman with toned muscles who moved with the catlike grace of a trained warrior. She had seemed friendly enough but after Algor slipped something into her hands, her smile had grown incredibly warmer.
Not long after, she had offered to show him the ropes of Temple life, saying her door was always open. The mischievous look in her eyes as she winked and smiled at him, showcased the cutest dimples Ren had seen in a while. Ren idly thought of how beautiful she was but he was most impressed when he noticed the quality of the sabers sheathed at her waist. He was a firm believer that one could tell a lot about a person based on their weapon choices. And with those wicked blades, Kala was definitely someone he could learn from.
He walked over to the mirror above the desk and looked himself over. His face had some blood splatter on it and his hair was caked with direwolf blood. His T-shirt had been ripped during his fight and his jeans were bloodstained. A wave of dizziness washed through Ren as he stared at himself, making his knees go weak and he had to catch his fall by grabbing onto the desk. A frown crossed his face as he checked on the sudden alert, popping up on his internal HUD.
With an annoyed grunt, he swiped the notification away. It looked like his system’s countdown till his nuclear core's destruction, had sped up again. It had been less than a day since he last checked and in that time, his core's stability had gotten worse enough to throw off the countdown. That completely made the timeline more of an estimate than a true countdown. He really needed to find a fix and soon! But for now, there were other things he needed to take care of. Like the horrible smell emanating off his body.
“I need a bath,” he said, sniffing himself.
From the state of his destroyed clothing, he would also be needing a change of clothes. The thought left him a bit disappointed as he realized that he would have to switch away from his Earth style clothing to one of the options worn by the locals. Not like he had a choice in the matter. Shaking his head, he walked out of his room and headed towards Kala’s door. It was a short walk, so he took the time to check on his internal clock, confirming that enough time had passed since their first meeting to give her a chance to settle in her room.
After a brief pause in front of her door, he raised his closed fists and knocked.
“One second,” her muffled voice called from behind the closed door. Shortly afterwards, the door swung open.
“Oh?” her eyes widened in surprise at seeing him at her door. “It's you. Raine, was it?"
"Ren," he corrected.
"Ah yes, Ren," she rolled the name on her lips as if trying to savor it. "What a strange name. I don't think I have met anyone else with that same name."
"Well, that's because I am one of a kind," he smirked, puffing out his chest.
"Oho, we've got a smartmouth here I see!" she joked and playfully rolled her eyes. "So what do you want? I wasn’t expecting you so soon. Do you need something?”
“Actually, I do. Would you mind showing me to the showers?” Ren replied pointing to his blood splattered face and ripped clothing. “As you can see, I am in desperate need of a bath”.
Kala’s eyes roamed his exposed midriff, spending an uncomfortable amount of time before returning to his face. She seemed pleased with what she saw and a slight blush appeared on her lovely cheeks.
“Of course, give me a moment,” she said, leaving him by the door and heading back into her room. The sounds of a drawer opening and ruffled clothing filled the air for a couple of seconds. Not much after, Kala returned to the door with a green bar of soap placed upon a pile of pink towels.
“The showers are just down this hall, to your left,” she said, handing him the towels and soap. “I guess you will need a clean set of clothes as well. I will go get you some and it should be waiting by your door when you are done with your bath.”
“Thanks Kala. You are a godsend!” Ren responded with a charming smile. He then walked towards the end of the hall with the bathroom. After a couple of steps, he noticed he hadn’t heard her door close, so he looked over his shoulder to find a startled Kala biting her lips. Her eyes widened slightly, as she stepped back into her room and shut the door.
Ren chuckled to himself as he reached the bathroom. He was glad his charms still worked on the women of this world. It was one of the best tactics he used to distract people from the bloody knife, often hidden in one of his hands.