Yggdrasil Fallen, LitRPG Series
Book 1, Part 1: Obsidian
Chapter 6: Ashes
Curt stirred, the loud chiming of his phone dragging him out of a deep sleep riddled with rapidly fading dreams he could only describe as “absurd”.
“Fucking Andre, he’s even found his way into my accursed sleep.” He groggily grumbled to himself as he glanced down at his still ringing phone:
“What in the hell does he need at this time of night?” He grumbled as he hit the answer button and lifted the phone to his ear.
“This is Curt”
“Is it common practice for your workers to torch wall plates while stripping out walls!?” A very angry Silderson screamed in response. Curt sat in silence, trying to grasp the exact meaning of the words currently being bellowed through the phone to him.
“I really have to apologize, I’m not exactly sure I know what you mean?” He finally managed to say, after steadying his nerves.
“You don’t know what I mean!? Would you care to explain to me then, exactly why I am currently looking at a charred, smoking section of flooring in the exact spot where the wall that separated my master bedroom from the living room used to be?” Silderson growled in response. A heavy silence filled the air as Curt’s mind turned over trying to formulate his answer.
“Absolutely not! Who in their right mind would even think about doing something like that?! Due to the greater property risk alone I don’t allow torches or anything that would even risk a fire anywhere on site, especially cabins such as yours.” Curt finally responded attempting to mask the shocked stress pushing its way into his voice.
“Well, I’m at “the cabin” staring at the smoking remains of what I can only assume was the floorplate of the wall your guy removed from the master suite. No electrical yet at this cabin, so there can be only one explanation” Silderson barked, reiterating his pointed anger, as he dug the toe of his boot into the blackened remains of the wall.
“I knew hiring this Andre kid was a mistake! You either need to kick him off the project or have a serious conversation with him. If anything like this happens again, you’ll find yourself not only fired from this project, but you’ll also be facing a hefty lawsuit!” Silderson’s voice had escalated to deafening volumes, the tone echoing with sinister danger.
Curt paused for a moment, something about Silderson's words not quite adding up in his mind:
"Floorplates aren't used in timber builds... at least not typically... what exactly is he talking about...." He thought, taking a moment to order his thoughts before responding:
“I’m so very sorry this has occurred, sir. I will reach out to Andre as soon as we finish speaking to see if I can figure out exactly how he handled things at the site today; I’m sure there’s an explanation to explain everything. I for one am just glad there’s no additional, irreparable damage to the property and I can assure you nothing like this will never happen again; on this project or any others should you decide to work with us again after we exceed your expectations on this one!” Curt responded with an almost pleading note to his voice; desperate to calm the understandably angry Silderson.
A long moment passed, the silence squeezing Curt’s chest like a pneumatic press before Silderson responded, his formerly hell fire anger having calmed to just above simmering rage:
“Please do see to it that this “worker” is properly handled. To this point I have been beyond pleased with not only your prompt professionalism, but also your discretion on certain matters. If things proceed to plan with no further… issues; there may be future opportunities. Rest assured though if anything even remotely similar happens again, or there are other “Problems” you can certain appropriate actions will be taken.” His voice carrying a dangerously acidic tone.
“I completely understand sir, if there’s nothing else at the moment, I’m going to take action on what we’ve discussed.” Curt’s replied tension in his shoulder and neck that he hadn’t even noticed at that point relaxing, sounding a fair bit more normal than it had just moments before.
“That is all we need to discuss at this moment. Do let me know in the morning the results of your investigations.” Hanging up the phone Silderson stared down at the line scorched across the floor, several embers faintly shimmering as they smoldered all while smiling to himself:
“Things certainly are working out far better than I could have wanted them to.” Silderson laughed to himself, as he dialed another number on his phone. After several rings a gruff voice answered:
“Yes?”
“Everything’s on proceeding as expected, I anticipate we’ll have results within the week.”
“So, the diviners were actually able to pinpoint an access point this time around?”
“It would appear so, sir. All evidence points to assets ample enough to organize a widescale raid. Though I feel there is another matter, or rather person I should bring to your attention.” Silderson spoke, attempting to prevent his trepidation from staggering his tempo.
“I am tempted to suggest we keep an eye on him or bring him into the fold.” He finished.
“Oh? This individual must be quite exceptional as to trigger you to such a fluster.” The voice almost playfully responded.
“What is it about him that drives such a response from you? Do you believe he is one of the assets we've read about?” He continued.
“You see, sir… I’m at the site and it would appear that the Living Wall vines…”
“Yes Yes, we have had countless of those wretched things removed across all the sites we have purged, they are no big deal.” The voice cut him off, annoyed.
“You see sir, that’s the thing… in all that we have had removed never have we seen one activate much less trigger their self-destruct.” The silence that followed Silderson’s words pierced him, as though a thousand spined shards of anxiety were digging into his brain.
“Are you trying to tell me that a civilian somehow managed to reactivate one of those accursed things?” The voice finally responded.
“More than that, sir… it appears as though the wall reactivated despite its depleted state and was subsequently destroyed, triggering the self-destruct mechanisms of the vine's seed core.” Silderson replied.
“This is indeed something we should keep our eyes on, if things are as you describe. I assume you are and will remain in close observation of this situation?”
“Of course, Sir.” Silderson responded. A long silence followed, the tension hanging in the air like a thunderhead breeching the horizon.
“Very good, I truly hope that we’ve found not only the proper lock, but perhaps the key with which to open the door and if you are correct this "Andre" may have to be brought into the fold if not to be used, than to at least silence the potential leak to our deeper ambitions. I truly hope these are good omens for our endeavors.” The voice finally answered stilting Silderson; as he processed the response.
“I agree sir, very much so the same. I’ll keep you apprised as circumstances continue to develop.” He finally replied. As Silderson hung up the phone he dug the toe of his boot through the ashes of the charred line again.
“It’s only a matter of time until initiate the raid and further expand our coffers and power! This “Andre” really is an interesting individual and had better live up to my expectations.” Laughing loudly, he turned walking down the hallway and out the front door into the dark, chilly night. He paused briefly to examine the faint whisps of smoke that drifted from the dumpster before he climbed back into his vehicle and sped out of the drive, kicking up large plumes of dust in his wake.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
“DAAAAAAAAAMN Andre! You really can cook some great grub!” Jeff cheered, taking a huge swig out of the beer he was holding. What had promised to be “Just a six pack” had turned into a full case of beer into which Jeff had made a decent dent in the number available. Andre himself only had a few, one of the particularly tasty brews used in marinating the chicken for their simple street tacos.
“Hey man, I learned from the best!” He jeered, poking a bit of fun at his friend.
“You should crash on my pullout tonight; I just got a free month of Netflix and I know you’ve always got your night out bag stashed in the trunk.” Andre continued quickly, not leaving any room for argument. Even though it was a Tuesday night; Andre knew the diner was closed the next day; and he was concerned that with all he'd already had to drink his friend would get himself in trouble.
“Plus, I’ve got that bottle of tequila I’ve been saving for a special occasion! Seems like tonight might be the right time for it!” Andre pressed.
“Naw man, no need to worry about me tonight! This girl I’ve been seeing is coming to pick me up for a bit more “fun” out on the town… but you can have one for me;” gesturing to the beer sitting on the table he continued with a wink:
Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
“Hold onto those for me, eh?”
“This dudes’ an animal! Though I suppose work hard/play hard has always been his motto;” Andre thought to himself, as he watched Jeff polish off the last taco with the remainder of his beer.
“For sure man! I appreciate it! So, who’s this girl and why haven’t you filled me in about her yet?”
Setting down his empty bottle Jeff started to nervously peel the label off:
“I don’t know man it’s kind of a new thing. She started working as a server at the diner a couple weeks ago and we kinda hit it off. Her names Marie but kinda prefers people call her Trinity; kind of a hippie chick who really likes the green we have here; which is why she moved to town. We’re not exactly exclusive so I didn’t think it was that big of a deal,” Jeff continued without making any eye contact.
“Maaaaaan! You must really like this chick!” Andre laughed, watching his friends’ nervous behaviors.
“Yeah man I’m hoping this one actually sticks; she’s really something special.” He responded looking down at his phone.
“Oh snap! Speaking of, she’s outside waiting for me! I should get going,” He continued standing up from the table.
“What man, you’re not going to have her come in and meet me?!” Andre prodded with a jeering tone.
“Naw; I don’t want your ugly scaring her off.” Jeff responded without missing a beat.
“Damn! Straight for the jugular!” Andre quipped back, a look of mock hurt on his face.
“Anyways man, thank you for the tacos. It was great hanging out tonight!” Jeff said grabbing his coat and opening the door.
“Anytime buddy! Thanks again for bailing me out with lunch and for all the help on the site today”.
“For sure, just make sure you keep inviting me out to those sick ass properties!” Jeff replied before walking out and closing the door behind him, leaving Andre once again alone in his apartment.
“Dick could have at least offered to help clean!” Andre burst out laughing and set to work cleaning up dinners mess.
As he finished cleaning up the mess from dinner, Andre felt a peculiar tingle emanate from the base of his spine all the way to the top of his head.
“It is highly suggested that you participate in guided meditation to further expand your senses and consolidate your experiences from the last 24 hours. It is an imperative step to facilitate your growth and understanding of the changes your mind and body are currently undergoing” Andre heard ALIAS chime in the back of his mind.
“So what, you expect me to just sit all cross-legged and goose-fabba like some kinda fuckin yogi?” He thought back.
“I emphasize “GUIDED” meditation. It is apparent to me that you are extremely inexperienced in the matters of environmental and interpersonal awareness.” ALIAS wryly responded. Taken aback at the almost sarcastic response from his internal voice Andre hesitated, then thought back:
“Ok, either I truly am losing my damned mind, or you really are trying to help me in this transition, let me finish this up and we can give this a go.”
“Very Well, I strongly suggest you put yourself in a position you find most comfortable; but not so comfortable as to allow yourself to easily sleep.” ALIAS replied. It wasn’t long before Andre found himself sat, cross-legged on his living room floor; his coffee table having been shoved aside to make room.
“Do you really find this position comfortable/relaxing?” ALIAS chimed
“Well, I have had a few beers and you said you don’t want me to fall asleep…” Andre replied.
“Very well… if you insist. Please follow my following instructions: take deep, controlled, focused breaths and allow the everything in the room around you to fade away; the sights, sounds, smells and anything else you may be detecting. Focus solely on your breathing while I initiate the cognitive transference to the intermediary realm” ALIAS carefully directed Andre.
"Transference... intermediary realm...? I thought you wanted me to meditate, not haul my ass off somewhere." Andre thought as he felt his breaths slow to deep intakes through his nose and out through his mouth. Moments seemed to pass as his mind drifted through everything he’d experienced.
"The intermediary realms are saturated in respective ambient aspect energies and greatly augment the speed at which you can consolidate and learn from experiences, especially after prolonged uses of that specific type of energy. While you only utilized your "Identify" skill today, I feel it is great practice in allowing your mind to traverse the various realms for when you start utilizing your aspect specific abilities and skills." ALIAS answered as Andre's breathing slowed, faint trickles of power slowly working their way through his limbs. A feeling that while it all felt supremely surreal, in his gut he felt it all to have some tangible relevance.
“Is it possible to see Phione again?” Andre thought to himself as his world seemed to swirl around him.
“Processing” was the only response he received as his carefully controlled breathes flowed out. Andre would have been thoroughly convinced his grip on reality had truly slipped if it weren’t for what he felt swelling inside him. Though, as it was, he really couldn’t be sure of that either. Physical feelings were so easily mistranslated, thoughts so easily influenced and misconstrued. Yet he felt an inexorable pull towards something greater.
“If I truly am going insane my brain is doing an absolutely fantastic job easing me into the state, making the reality so easy to grasp I doubt anyone could see through the slow fall into madness well enough to stop it before it was too late.”
“This process works best if you silence your mind as well.” ALIAS cut in.
“Nothing to do but surrender to it, I guess! Gotta embrace the absolute insanity sometime anyways.”
Not knowing if it was the warmth of his cozy apartment after a long hot shower, the fatigue from his days’ labors, the breathing techniques, or just the beer and good food; Andre found his consciousness quickly fading.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
He awoke, finding himself once again curled in the fetal position on a bed of cool soft moss.
“Why can’t I have any damn clothes on in any of these dreams!” Standing Andre found himself back where he had originally met Phione. Only he was now greeted by scorching arid air as the sky above roiled in vibrant hues of red, orange and yellow; as though the clouds themselves had ignited and were about to rain molten fury. The horizon a once vibrant green riddled cityscape had blackened, as though a wall of shadows had crept in; slowly advancing on the last refuge that was the mossy glade in which he sat.
“So, ALIAS managed to guide you back to my realm” a cool voice spoke from behind him.
“Yeah, whatever you did to my head… this voice… made it surprisingly easy to figure out.” He sarcastically responded.
“Did you not feel the need to rest and process everything that happened last we met? Though i should be gladdened you decided to expedite your return, we haven't much time.”
“I mean, yeah? But no, I’m pretty damn sure this is all a madness dream, and in actuality I’m lying in a hospital bed in a coma from some tragic accident or brain hemorrhage I certainly won’t remember; that is if I ever wake up.”
Her bubbling laugh caught him off guard:
“While my words will be unlikely to proffer stability to the reality you now find yourself in, perhaps I can send a sign of sorts. A Reaffirmation to act as a physical reminder.”
“Is a token within a dream not just a matter of the dream state?”
“Take it as you will, decide what you may, reality is what it is and cannot be changed. I can only offer waypoints to guide your journey. Now, you come to me with questions. Ask them so I may do what I can to provide you the answers you seek.”
Andre stared at her, stunned at her cool response to his doubts.
“What can you tell me of ALIAS?”
Her gaze met his own a tinge of cloying humor playing through them, but not reaching her face.
“I’m not sure I understand what you mean. ALIAS is you and you are ALIAS”
“I’m not sure I fully understand what you mean… I first heard it talking to me when you marked me undoing that seal, but I’m not sure exactly what it is or what these “gifts” I was granted are… but I hear it as a voice and am now seeing things that aren’t actually there.”
“This “ALIAS” as you put it is gift granted from your own being upon awakening your ability to process and use aspected energies. It is a divergence of your own interconnected consciousness and will serve as both guide and companion. This is something that has been seen in the past with other Ascended in which subliminal awareness arise to help guide them; to help them survive the inhospitable reality they’ve found themselves thrust into. That is something you will have to explore to understand as its beyond my ability to know specific details.”
“Something I have to explore to understand” he murmured in contemplation. Andre stopped, letting that thought go:
“Did you just call me an Ascended? You’d mentioned that before, but my state was rather… harried… Care to explain what exactly you are talking about?” Andre asked. Phione paused; her watery eyes gazing deep into his own before responding:
“As we last spoke, throughout time, across realities mortals have been known to rise above the rest of their populations, able to take the marks of the sisters. A normal mortal would not survive the journey to our realms. Their cognitive coherence would be torn to shreds and set adrift back to the cosmos; leaving their bodies empty husks until an early, rapid expiration. Ascended are those who are able and to tread realities to make it to our realms. This is a prerequisite for us to grant them our marks, dissolving spiritual seals and beginning their conversion process.”
“You mentioned the “Conversion Process” before. What exactly is that?”
“The conversion process occurs within a mortals’ shell with each successive mark. These marks unseal their innate abilities to connect to and process aspected energies, inherently augmenting aspects of their being better enabling them to forge ahead on their desolate paths. Through this process their physical and extra-physical states are reforged, reinforced and granted skills suited to their natures. Thus they are converted from a normal mortal being, to what they have started calling themselves, Ascended. There are various tiers of conversion; once one has received a sisters mark it begins to grow within them; from a primal state into something far greater, all in tune to the individual. So, each mark will be something you will have to explore and discover on your own.”
“You mentioned that these individuals have called themselves ascended, does that mean that I’m not alone in all of this?” Phione paused again, sadness-tinged uncertainty playing across her face before she answered:
“Ascended are known to live a very, very long time. While I cannot speak too much on the matter, I can say there are bastions of such individuals who survived the conversion and subsequent destruction of their worlds. Places where they can come together to help and protect one another. Though these are not the only safe havens; there are places of concentrated aspected energy that keep enemies at bay and provide a place to rest, recover and resupply. But, again, those are places you will have to discover and come to understand on your own, my sisters and I are not allowed to know where they are or how they function.”
“What exactly am I supposed to do? If you can’t answer that, can you at least tell me what is going on? Assuming this is all real, and not my brain slowly dying. Where am I supposed to go to answer those questions?” Andre implored, his ignorant desperation plying her.
“I cannot answer the question with regards to what you are supposed to do, the future is not mine to see, but yours to write. What I can tell you is that with every risen Ascended comes a series of trials they were chosen to overcome with problems they are uniquely able to resolve. This is the price they pay for their power and life. Seek out your own answers and find the path you were chosen to follow. While I truly wish I could grant you the succor you seek, I sense it is time for you to return, there are stirrings that require your attention. It greatly saddens me to say; this is the last time we will meet for potentially a very long time. For as you may have realized by now this realm is burning and will cease to exist shortly, so heed my words Andre, you are not alone; but danger and death lurk everywhere for those such as yourself. Good luck to you and may Yggdrasil guide your future.” She replied, her watery eyes seeming to brim over.
Before he could ask or say anything else she vanished. The burning skies shifted, becoming much brighter and much more intense, waves of heat blasted down and through his surroundings; the damp moss at his feet drying, curling and crumbling. Andre stood watching the brilliance extend, erasing the veil of shadows on horizon replacing them with a licking wall of flames that slowly closed in, until he was entirely surrounded. His flesh singed, lungs and eyes burned as he reached out desperate to escape; he screamed in agony as the skies closed in, leaving nothing but ashes in their wake.