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#Post#: 6692--------------------------------------------------
Eternal Darkness
DIR By: Rita Arthurs
Date: April 1, 2014, 7:51 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
There isn't going to be much, but I'll be updating...eventually
[center]Eternal Darkness
Prologue[/center]
A long time ago, the lands of Deiterre were at peace. The
Realm was under the Rule of Man. Laurusia was the Stronghold and
the Central Power which held Deiterre together. Peace, however,
did not last long. Creatures of Pure Darkness and Evil sought to
rule the Lands, and so the 666 Year War of the Two Realms began.
Whereas many Great Cities have fallen, Laurusia held - Man's
last Hope.
A powerful King of Laurusia succeeded the throne one day, one
known in history of Deiterre for His Bravery and Justice. The
Fair King cleansed the Lands of Deiterre off the Creatures of
Evil, once again establishing the Realm of Man's Rule. All that
was left was to attack the Daemon's Hideout - the deepest and
darkest depths of Morterre.
The Divine Army of Laurusia have finally found the Stronghold
of Morterre - the Tower of Lost Souls, otherwise also known as
the Tower of Melancholia. The Final Battle seemed to have nearly
secured Victory and so the King hastily returned to Laurusia
with the great news. Little did He know that something Dark and
Ominous was about to strike.
Just as the Last forces of Daemons were about to be
annihilated, She returned - the One known as the Mistress of
Darkness and Destruction - the True Dark One. With Her immense
Power of thee Night, She singlehandedly eradicated the Divine
Army. The Daemons rejoiced as they reclaimed Deiterre and drove
the Lands into a new Age of Obscurity. The Dark One was crowned
the Empress of all Daemons, to rule all Lands.
Little did the Daemons know that the Fair King was gathering
the Last of what was left of Hope and Strength across Deiterre.
He stood tall and proud with His Melancholy Army in front of the
mighty Tower of Lost Souls, ready to challenge the Dark One for
their Final Confrontation.
The Battle was fought long and hard, remembered as the Battle
of Deureigne. While the Daemons fought with the Men, the Fair
King was struggling against the Dark One, high above the Tower
in the Lands of Hayven.
No one knew what really happened that fateful day. Both the
Fair King and the Dark One fell into eternal abyss, never seen
again. Men were banned from Morterre, secluded to Rule Deiterre
alone. The Daemons never recovered their strength and merely
awaited for their Mistress to be reborn once again one day and
reclaim what is rightfully theirs - the Empire of Orbisia.
[center]Record 1 - Delia
Inevitable Impending Doom[/center]
Some say that we are born with our Souls cleansed from our
past life’s sin. Others believe that a Soul remains either
pure or corrupted throughout any life, but the course of that
life can either strengthen or weaken the former or the latter.
There is also a common belief that we are in fact born with a
balance of corruption and pureness. That balance is a bit like a
seesaw – you do good things, your pureness increases and
vice versa for corruption. Many scholars and societies from all
over Deiterre have argued what the Soul truly consists of, why
it happens and how it all began.
As for myself – I couldn’t care less.
Delia is my name and the City’s Underworld is my game. I
am a thief with skills no one can match and to be bargained for.
Night is when my skills peak and can be said to be my second
nature. Some call me the Quick Red Fox owing to my unnaturally
natural blood-red hair and fiery sharp eyes. That is, however,
not the only unnatural thing about me.
I never said this to anyone, but I actually believe I have
some strange powers. What makes me say that? Well… night
vision is a start. I can see everything at night almost as
perfectly as you or anyone else see during the day, if not
better. This makes the night jobs quite easy which is why no one
can match me at any night activity be it a spar or a flee. Oh,
but that is not all. Strangely enough – my wounds heal
faster than usual. After some...erm…
‘observation’ of the local healers, I have practiced
enough to learn a basic Healing Spell. The only problem is that
it relies quite a lot on darkness so I need at least some
shadows when I heal during the day.
I suppose I could have always gone off and done some great
things with my raw powers, but that would take a lot of money to
train at the famous Nighe Academy of Luxeria – the only
place where the Arts of Magick are taught. Either way – my
life is quite decent… for now anyway.
~~~
I'll carry on with it in the evening of...today I guess. I just
have 2 tests today so I didn't want to waste the night on this
#Post#: 6750--------------------------------------------------
Re: Eternal Darkness
DIR By: Rita Arthurs
Date: April 2, 2014, 3:05 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
It all happened one night.
I have just completed my latest commission and was balancing
on the rooftop of the Viloidive household. Viloidive were one of
the richest families in Tenebris, owing its power mostly to the
nearby mines. It seems that although the mines have long since
ceased to provide anything useful, many centuries ago the
ancestors of Viloidive have found some gems which raised them to
where they are now. Of course each household’s power came
from similar sources. Of course there was always one household
which held the most power and became the ruling house, with a
King for the lands. That house was Viloidive.
No matter how much power you have, however, you shall always
seek for more.
The households became power-hungry and sought to devour
whatever the peasants of the land owned. High taxes and harsh
levies followed, leading to a revolt and the execution of the
King. The Viloidive’s power was diminished in the revolt,
but the household has found other dubious ways of getting into
power. Although the Lands here are ruled by many houses, they
still leech off the poor, taking whatever hard earned Gold they
can find. No wonder many inhabitants of Tenebris are in poverty
beyond belief.
Those who have rose to power through dubious means shall pay.
Dearly.
At least that is what I have decided ever since I have arrived
in these lands and became a thief for a living.
I was nearing the edge of the rooftop. I prepared to climb
down the walls of the mansion in the shadows. Grabbing the edge,
I lowered myself and placed my feet into the weepholes of the
ancient building. As I began to climb down, I heard some noise
and froze.
Two figures emerged from the darkness of the entrance. They
have entered the gardens, seeking privacy. Guess their desire
was unfulfilled as I stealthily and silently reached the ground
and slithered into the bushes, ready to spy off any interesting
rumours.
“So… is that true? Has what Remille mentioned
proceeded as planned?” one of the voices sounded feminine,
despite the low murmur.
“I believe so,” I saw the other figure nod, a
male, I see, “Jun has made all the necessary
arrangements.”
“That is a relief! I thought they would involve us in
this!”
“Unlikely. They most likely shall use their slaves to
make the necessary arrangements and recruit the suitable
mercenaries.”
I felt myself flinch. That’s right, although many were
free, households such as these held slaves. Secretly, of course.
Or so they believed. The irony was that everyone knew of this
– they knew how the households hunted any surviving street
urchins who were orphaned and how they imprisoned them in a fate
worse than death.
“How long do you think this shall take?”
“Most likely a few days. Father is in a hurry to get
this over and done with…”
“But isn’t Morterre a forbidden territory?”
…Why hello, juicy information! I already have a list of
all the potential… ‘customers’ who would pay a
shiny coin for that kind of information. A powerful household
planning to hire mercenaries to enter the forbidden Lands?
Something interesting must have happened!
I strain my ears to hear the rest of the conversation as my
chatterboxes begin to walk through the garden, towards the
fountain.
“I was rather surprised when I heard…” the
female has carried on.
“I’m sure it wasn’t as surprised as I
was!” the male seemed to shake his head from afar,
“Although a legend, I think that father is trying rather
too hard to find this so called ‘booty’ worth three
kingdoms…”
My treasure senses started tingling. Three kingdoms?! Just
what kind of a relic would be worth so much? A very powerful
artefact?
“Yes… but it is in the Tower of Melancholia…
why would we want to risk angering the Daemons…?”
“Precisely why we need the mercenaries, darling,”
this is beginning to sound bad. I could see the male figure
approach the female figure, “Now…are we going to
talk about my father all night or shall we…?”
I started to sneak away as I had no interest in such affairs.
Despite the giggling and the rustling, my mind began to process
all the information I have just learned.
Tower of Melancholia… The stronghold of the remained of
the Daemons. Since they were a remainder, they were quite
powerful. Treasure worth three kingdoms… That would
provide for me until my last days! Morterre… Or the
forbidden Lands. No human is allowed to step there, otherwise
consequences shall follow. It is very dangerous to go there, is
it worth it? But… ‘booty’ worth three
kingdoms… And that was all the reasoning I needed.
I was tired of this life.
Stealing and hiding in holes like a rat was not to my taste. I
long since sought a way to try and get away from the Life of
Crime so I had nothing to lose. First, however, I needed to find
out where this Morterre could be found…
#Post#: 6835--------------------------------------------------
Re: Eternal Darkness
DIR By: Rita Arthurs
Date: April 3, 2014, 5:11 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
I think I knew just the source.
The alleyways have become more twisted as I submerged deeper
into the suburbs. The buildings were not the most pleasant sight
in the world. I tried to keep my demeanour intact despite the
horrible odours coming from Spirits know what. After a while, I
have reached my destination.
The building in front of me could not exactly be classified as
one. If I were to give it a more suitable name, it would be a
shack hanging for its dear life. It wasn’t much, but it
worked as a home and business centre for a certain acquaintance
of mine.
I entered the ‘humble house’ and looked around. It
was still as messy as I remembered it. Dust and cobwebs covered
most walls and corners as no one ever bothered to clean them. A
worn out carpet which still held some resemblance to its true
rouge colour was the second only item which seemed out of place
due to its elegancy despite its age. The first was the finely
crafted, yet also worn out, old wooden desk full of parchments
and various other devices with which I had no business.
I looked around and frowned. Where has that useless, poor
excuse of a human being gone off to?
“Delia~!” a familiar annoying voice neared at an
alarming speed. I raised my hand in a fist which
‘accidentally’ made contact with a face, producing a
loud ‘crack!’ sound. I heard a loud noise as though
something heavy fell to the ground next to my feet and a low
whimper.
“Oh my!” I feigned surprise and worry as I lifted
my hand to cover my mouth, “Didn’t see you there!
You should be more careful!”
“‘Didn’t see you’ my butt!” the
mass on the ground turned over to reveal a pouting familiar
face, “You always avoid my greeting hugs!”
I sighed. To believe that the devilishly handsome man lying on
the ground could be such an imbecile still hurt the tiny part of
my woman pride. Why, oh why must you be an idiot? It’s not
like I get to talk to many fine young men with my occupation!
“Sorry, I prefer to maintain my hygiene and personal
space,” I shrugged and grabbed a hold of his outstretched
hand. I lifted him up to his feet, “Besides, you should
know me better than that now, Ater.”
“My fair lady, how you hurt my pride!” Ater sighed
dramatically with a hand over his heart. His brilliant crimson
eyes seemed to sparkle as he bowed his head slightly, “I
thought by now you would consider my position too and stop
playing hard to get.”
Ater dodged the inkbottle which I threw at him, its place on
the table empty, “Cut the sweet talk. I’m here for
business.”
Ater straightened his back as soon as he heard me. He has just
finished dusting off any dirt from his clothes and with a few
strides was behind the table.
Ater could be said to be a ‘friend’ of mine,
although no one in this city could call anyone one. He was an
outcast just like me who has arrived in this city not much
earlier than me. His eyes were similar to mine and his hair was
also of exotic colour – silky fern green. It was always
neatly tied in a ponytail; how he did that in such an
environment is a mystery even to me. Either way, although he was
a douche, he managed to climb his way in the World of Crime and
managed to hold a decent reputation of a good spy who always
knew of good information, for a good price, of course. He always
had a sense of coolness around him when he was doing business
although there was also an ominous aura around. I don’t
think anyone but me knows that his true nature was of a
five-year-old kid despite his real age of nineteen.
“What kind of business?” Ater’s lips curled
in a smirk as his eyes gleamed a dangerous dark crimson colour,
“Give or take?”
“Hmm…take, I guess…” I tilted my head
as I thought it through.
“I see… Area of interest?” he started to
ruffle and search through his parchments and records. He paused
and looked up at me with furrowed brows, “The price will
depend on it. Sorry, Del, but you are still a customer so I
still have to charge you…”
I inhaled and exhaled, of course this was to happen. I
mentally thanked Ater for keeping his little shack at least
odour-clean, “I am looking for information about Morterre
and the Tower of Melancholia.”
A file dropped with a ‘thud’ on the wooden boards.
Ater’s eyebrows rose, his eyes widened a little and his
mouth hung slightly open. His hands were frozen although they
held no file which has dropped a while ago. He stood there,
motionless for a few seconds, before he recomposed himself.
Ater cleared his throat as he lowered to the ground and
grabbed the file, “If I may ask – why does that
information interest you?”
#Post#: 6843--------------------------------------------------
Re: Eternal Darkness
DIR By: Rita Arthurs
Date: April 4, 2014, 7:34 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
I weighed my options and decided that if I gave away too much
information, it would not be long before I had competition. Then
again, Morterre was not the most popular destination. Ater must
have noticed my hesitance and cleared his throat, “Never
mind. What exactly do you want to know about it?”
“As much as possible, really,” I shrugged,
“I’m mostly interested in how to get there,
though.”
Ater furrowed his brows in concentration. His eyes looked
distant as he thought this through. He seemed to have finally
made up his mind and started to search through his papers. Ater
occasionally glanced up at me, shook his head and carried on
searching. After a while, he found an old tattered black
notebook. He opened it and scanned through the pages until he
stopped half-way through with his index finger pointing at a
certain phrase.
“Morterre – Land ruled by Daemons and Creatures of
the Dark,” he read out as his finger and eyes followed
each word he read out, “A mere human cannot easily enter
as the deadly miasma there shall engulf anyone and engulf them
in Darkness.”
I gulped. This was not sounding very pleasant. As Ater skimmed
through more pages, he mumbled what he read. It took him a
while, but he finally stopped and tapped his finger on something
he found, useful, I presume.
“According to this,” Ater spoke up,
“Morterre, although a forbidden Land, can still be entered
through one way.”
“Great!” I exclaimed and clapped my hands
together, “That would be?”
Ater looked uneasily at me then back to the page he still had
his finger on, “Well… it’s the Land of the
Daemons and the Dead so…”
“Ah…” I finally understood what he was
talking about, “Death?”
Ater winced before looking up at me. He stared at me for a
while, as if to make sure that I was serious. I returned his
stare with my own, full of determination. He sighed and shook
his head, “Yes, but since it’s you, I can share a
way I personally know.”
My eyes widened, “You… know the way? You’ve
been there?”
Ater sighed before closing the book, “Once. It was a
long time ago…”
“Really?” I could not hold back my surprise,
“How did you do it? How did you survive? Why did you go
there? For Spirits’ sake, speak!”
Ater held his hands up as if in defence, “Hey, hey! It
was a long time ago and I was… on an errand of information
gathering…”
So I am not the only person who was interested in Morterre, I
see. I wondered whether it was the house of Viloidive by any
chance.
“Either way…” Ater sighed once again, he
seemed really reluctant and displeased with this topic,
“It was no easy task… A mere human cannot enter
there, Delia.”
“You entered.”
Ater faintly smiled, “Yes, but I am sure you have
guessed by my appearance that I am not an average human.”
“You possess Magick.”
It was not a question, it sounded more like an accusation.
“Bingo,” Ater chuckled faintly, “It took
some time, but I still had an advantage and I…I
don’t want you to risk your life for some stupid mission
or whatever you have received…”
I snorted. This was unlike Ater to be serious, “My
dearest friend, I am more than capable at taking care of myself.
Cut it out with the puppy eyes and tell me the way.”
Ater indignantly sniffed and tapped his nose. I rolled my eyes
and leaned in.
“A certain local house seems to be on track of a certain
artefact of immense power,” I casually played around with
a quill lying on the table I was leaning against. Ater took the
quill and started scribbling down what I was saying, “The
house should be familiar – it is our most
‘favourite’ house around, most powerful too.”
Ater nodded, he seemed to have grasped who I was talking about
so I carried on.
“They have been gathering some mercenary dogs as their
scouts and plan to send them off to Morterre very soon. Their
target is the Tower of Melancholia, it seems…” I
decided to play cool and pretend I knew more than this, although
that was a blatant lie.
Ater’s eyes widened in realisation. He scribbled it down
and nodded, “Anything else?”
“Perhaps…” I feigned disinterest as I
nonchalantly began to walk across the room with hands in my
pockets, “That is for you to decide – do you need
any more information for a shiny coin or two?”
Ater sighed, he was sharp to pick up on my clues that I had no
more information. He shut his notebook and looked at me,
“You have to go into the Passage of the Lost.”
I nearly chocked on thin air, “What?”
Ater started to put away all the books and scrolls he took out
during his search, “That is the Gateway to Morterre. They
say it is the Passage of the Lost since many Souls were lost
there to Morterre, although no one knows this as no one has
survived to tell the tale.”
I scratched my head and shuffled my feet as I thought this
through. Ater did not seem to wish to make eye contact with me
as he tidied his desk; how unusual. It gave me a sense of
uneasiness – was he holding some information back?
#Post#: 6844--------------------------------------------------
Re: Eternal Darkness
DIR By: Rita Arthurs
Date: April 5, 2014, 7:21 am
---------------------------------------------------------
The Passage of the Lost was an ominous place indeed. It was a
pass between two large cliffs of Mount Arias and Mount Necaer.
The earth of the pass crumbled and void of life, as if it was
sucked out of it. Some dead trees could be seen in the distance,
those were named the Forest of Thanatos. The brave who have
ventured there never returned. How long would it take to reach
these so called ‘Gates’ until I too would wither
with the lands of the pass?
First thing first – I have to prepare. I need to gather
everything I can and venture out as soon as possible. Something
told me that Viloidive also had the information about the
Passage as I did, probably from Ater.
“Well then, I shall be on my way now,” I said as I
turned and walked towards the entrance. Ater looked up and
seemed to be in conflict of wanting to say more and his duty. I
smirked and waved, “Don’t worry, I get it.
It’s business after all, nothing much I can do about
that.”
Ater still seemed a bit lost and saddened. I sighed and smiled
more reassuringly, “I’ll be fine. Don’t
worry.”
That seemed to be a satisfactory answer for Ater as he nodded,
slightly less uneasy. I turned around, paused, glanced back and
then left.
#Post#: 6845--------------------------------------------------
Re: Eternal Darkness
DIR By: Rita Arthurs
Date: April 7, 2014, 10:15 am
---------------------------------------------------------
Gathering my belongings did not take long, mostly because I
didn’t have much. At the late hours, none of the stores were
working so I had to ‘borrow’ some of the supplies I needed with
a thank you note and compensation of what I thought the price
might be. Although I am a thief, stealing only applies to the
noble houses.
I stood at the city’s walls, near the edge of the Passage. The
Passage was just North of Tenebris and was hard to miss. I
looked back at the city one last time and snorted as I muttered,
“Good riddance!”
I jumped down the walls, my leather belts trailing behind me.
From afar it may have looked as though I was on black fire. The
hard part was the landing. The fall was pretty much a stealthy
jog down the wall, just a bit more extreme. Some parts of the
wall which were older began to fall down and soon enough I had
to compete with a load of rocks tumbling down. I could not lose
momentum and used them as stepping stones before giving a final
push and taking my chance of landing on a nearby dead tree. I
flew at the tree in full speed and managed to grab on a branch
and somersault myself on the ground unscratched… well almost.
Some cuts managed to make onto my skin through my cloth despite
the leather.
Despite the damage, I carried on.
Scrambling the slight hill to the Passage, I looked back many
times, wondering whether this was truly what I wanted. Every
time I told myself that I had to do this if I wanted to rid
myself of my past life. But at what price? What price was I
willing to pay for this?
Doubts began to cloud my judgement, so I pushed them aside.
I focused solely on my path forward, which did not seem very
pleasant. I finally reached the edge and entrance of the Passage
and inhaled a deep breath to calm my thoughts and my wildly
beating heart. What is this I am feeling? Fear? I grinned
widely. No, all I could feel was excitement. I exhaled and
walked into the Passage without a doubt in my mind. This was
going to be a long journey.
#Post#: 6846--------------------------------------------------
Re: Eternal Darkness
DIR By: Rita Arthurs
Date: April 7, 2014, 12:43 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
[center]Record 2 - Delia
An Unlikely Arrangement[/center]
It is said that there are many paths etched into your
lifetime. Some are shorter than others, similarly others are
longer. As some would say, Fate may have already marked a path
for everyone to walk on, deceiving us, mere mortals, and leaving
a trail for us to pick up on. Many, though, believe that we have
some free will and we choose to prod upon the path we wish,
leading us to many unexpected twists and turns Fate throws upon
us in order to confuse and discourage us.
What says I? Fate has a strangely distorted and perverse idea
of a path for me. Ironic, too.
If walking through the Passage of the Lost, same as walking
straight to your death is not imbecilic enough, then I
don’t know what is.
Looking around, I can see why they also nicknamed these Lands
as the Passage of the Dead. Everything around me seems dead. The
trees, the ground, the cliffs, the sky. Everything. It sends
shivers down my spine and turns my blood cold, but I have to
carry on.
It has been a while since I entered the passage and so far I
haven’t encountered anything. Looking back I could not see
the beginning of the Passage, looking forward – I see no
end. Does this Passage have no end? If I haven’t walked
right through it, I would have believed by now that there was no
beginning either.
What is Day and what is Night? That is a question I have
always asked myself ever since I came to Tenebris. In our lonely
city, there was no such thing as Day. There was only Night and
eternal Darkness surrounding it. Instead of Day, we often had
the periods of Dawn – that is when the sky becomes a
bloody red, as if all sins were etched into it.
I remember knowing Day, a long time ago. It was such a long
time ago though that I can hardly recall it. I believe that
there was a sky, clear of all the clouds of doubt. There was the
shining Star – the Light of all the light-dwellers. It
gave them energy and prosperity of their crops. Health was
always on their side, unlike us, the dwellers of the Dark.
Despite Tenebris being still a part of Deiterre – Land of
Man – it was at the very edge of it. It gathered most of
the Darkness which escaped from Morterre, a saviour for
Deiterre, and own martyr.
The World – Orbisia – is such a twisted thing.
There are many grievances, yet most of Deiterre is prospering.
There are many misfortunes, yet they all seem to gather in one
place – Tenebris. Why? Why must this once prospering city
gather and absorb all the pain? Have the Spirits not favoured
us? If so, what have we done to deserve such punishment? The
greedy noble houses and their lustful owners, how I loathe them
so. Living off the unfortunate and getting wealthier by the day
with their blood money.
Suddenly, I heard a strange sound. It was strange for two
reasons. One – it existed in this forsaken Land and two
– it was right behind me. My instincts have allowed me to
dodge the attack which was aimed at my head. I twirled around
and faced my opponent.
To my surprise and horror – there stood one of the
Thieves of Tenebris. Same dirty and tattered clothes and
bandana. Same scars on the face any Thief would have.
Something seemed off though.
Before I could realise what was wrong, the Thief attacked me
again, his rusty yet sharp dagger aimed at slicing my stomach. I
jumped back and withdrew my own knives. I lifted them in front
of my face and glared at the Thief. This was when I noticed what
was wrong – the Thief’s eyes seemed hollow and empty
of all life. His skin was pale, achromic and rotten in some
places. I could not hide my shocked expression for before me
stood a live corpse.
The dead Thief launched himself at me once again, without
emotion or regret. He swiped and cut the air where my foot or
arm was not too long ago as I kept retreating deeper into the
Passage. This was not happening! How was this possible? He kept
going still. I tried to land a few blows on the Thief myself, to
no avail. How can you kill something that is already dead,
though?
I spun around and fled for my life. I ran and ran, hearing the
heavy footsteps behind me, matching my pace. My breathing was in
tempo of my feet. As I sped up, so did my breathing until my
lungs ached. Never would I have imagined that I would be running
from the Dead! No wonder this place was nicknamed the Passage of
the Dead…
Things got worse as soon as an arm emerged from the ground and
grabbed my foot. I screamed and fell to the ground. A nearby
rock chipped the skin of my head, and soon my forehead was
covered in blood. I took out the best knife I had and chopped
off the hand. I detached it in disgust from my foot and jumped
up. To my horror, I found myself surrounded by the Dead of all
sorts – women, children and men of all ages. This was not
happening!
“Get out of my way, foul beasts!” I cried as I
charged forwards, kicking, punching and swinging my knives
around in a whirlwind fashion to clear my way. I carried on with
my escape as I broke through the Dead who were blocking my way
in the Passage. More scrambling I heard and so dodged many other
Dead emerging from the ground.
If I didn’t know any better, I would have thought that
this was a nightmare.
It seemed as though the surrounding Darkness got thicker and
began to engulf everything. Shadows crept along as they chased
me. Great, now I had not only the Dead to worry about, but the
Darkness too! Curse this Passage!
I could see nothing ahead, literally. All I saw was Darkness
– cold and hollow.
With nowhere else to run or hide, I did the unthinkable
– I submerged into the Darkness.
[center]All is gone... There is Darkness everywhere…
All alone... With the End so near…
Flames all around… Flames of hate… Betrayed
trust…
Is there any ray of Hope at all…?
In this all Eternal Darkness?[/center]
#Post#: 6847--------------------------------------------------
Re: Eternal Darkness
DIR By: Rita Arthurs
Date: April 7, 2014, 1:21 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
So cold… was the first thought that passed through my sober
mind. I cracked one of my eyelids open and found myself facing a
great grey sky. I could breathe and my bones and muscles ached
from the hard ground. That means I’m still alive.
I stirred and rolled over on my belly, shaking my head and
trying to make sense of my surroundings as though I were a blind
puppy. Judging by my hands, the ground was cracked and lifeless.
As vision returned, I noticed the colour of my surroundings, or
lack of it anyway.
Not just the sky, but the terrain was absent of life.
Everywhere I looked, I saw a wasteland without a live tree or
a bit of grass. This was very similar to the Passage of the
Lost. I groaned and lifted myself up. Looking around once more,
I have noticed that there was no sign of the Passage’s cliffs
which surrounded it. Strange, it couldn’t have all just
disappeared. Unless…
I was in the Lands of Morterre.
My eyes widened at this realisation. I made it! I looked at my
hands and noticed that there was still some colour to it, unlike
the Dead. There was a fog around my feet, most likely the miasma
of which Ater has spoken. The miasma did not affect me in any
negative way, for now anyway.
“Heh…” I chuckled darkly as I realised what this meant.
Although I already suspected it – I am no ordinary human, as the
miasma has indicated. Perhaps the residents of Tenebris have
become immune to Darkness while the rest remained vulnerable.
Either way, this Darkness made me feel stronger and calm.
Despite the absence of Life, I felt alive, truly alive.
It was a strange feeling. I felt so…invincible. I felt as
though I could stir mountains and control the winds. I felt all
powerful and whole. Has my Soul been Corrupted wholly?
Either way, I had to find the Tower of Melancholia since I
came this far. Looking around once again, I frowned. Just where
was this Tower? There was nothing around here. And if it was
somewhere, which direction do I go? The void seemed endless.
This was so annoying. Although I was so close to my
destination, I was so far! In my frustration I cried out as I
stomped my foot on the ground.
To my utter shock and horror, the ground began shaking. I
shrieked and jumped back as the ground where my foot has hit
began to sink. It shook violently and lowered further and
further. It was quite a while before it stopped and Darkness
began to envelop it. I could not believe my eyes as dead and dry
grass formed out of the burning Darkness. Stone steps began to
form down from the edge of the now formed cliff I stood towards
the bottom. The Shadows spun, as if in a dance, and formed from
the ground a spiral which looked like a tornado of Darkness. The
Darkness dispersed into clouds of smoke as soon as it revealed
what it had formed – a large dark tower. The Tower of
Melancholia.
It seems as though I have more power than I thought.
Somehow, my wish was materialised and I had found the Tower.
How did this happen? I smirked. What did it matter? I had found
what I was looking for.
#Post#: 6848--------------------------------------------------
Re: Eternal Darkness
DIR By: Rita Arthurs
Date: April 7, 2014, 6:28 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
I started to run down the steep steps, they were a bit shaky
but still able to hold my weight. I really hoped that the steps
would not crumble under my feet. Luckily I made it safely to the
bottom. I panted and tried to calm my breathing before looking
up to see that I must have ran down a distance of a whole
mountain since I could hardly see the top!
Looking around, I saw a large pillar. I wondered what it was
and approached it.
“Gates of Darlia?” I read out loud from the
pillar. I traced the inscription with my finger and it began to
glow. Startled, I jumped back before I traced all of the
inscription. The writing dimmed from the bright red back to its
original look. I sighed with relief and looked at my target
– the Tower of Melancholia, or the Tower of Lost Souls.
Gathering my strength, I chuckled as I crouched,
“Let’s get this over with!”
I sprang up from my crouch into a sprint. I was gaining more
and more speed while the air seemed to trail me. I ran at an
impossible speed, or was it just me? Either way, I reached the
tower in no time and slammed the doors wide open, revealing a
hall furnished with a grand, long red carpet. Clicking my
tongue, I carried on to run – I could not lose time and I
wanted to be out of here as soon as I found this treasure.
Stairs after stairs, rooms after rooms – this Tower
seems never-ending! Each room was barely furnished and had
barely anything valuable except the carpets which have aged, in
a bad way. Nothing. Nothing! Yet again nothing! This is getting
on my nerves!
My hands were on my laps as I bent down and desperately panted
for air. I looked up and saw that there was only one door left
in which the treasure could have possible been. Steadying
myself, I straightened. It has to be there! I didn’t come
to the Land of the Dead for nothing!
I marched towards the double doors and slammed them open. The
slam was loud and before me stood a hall grander than the first.
Pillars surrounded a large ruby and golden carpet, forming a
path. Along the path, I saw a set of stairs to a platform with a
throne on it. Statues decorated the room, but that was all. I
desperately looked around, yet still found nothing!
Ugh! With all the rotten Luck! I stomped towards the throne. I
might as well get at least some fun from this since I
didn’t find any treasure!
I sat down, closed my eyes and imagined myself to be Queen. I
imagined myself ruling all of Orbisia and the rest of Deiterre.
I even imagined myself ruling Morterre. Hah, all would have
bowed down to me, the Empress of All.
I was startled by sounds of something teleporting and hisses.
My eyes flew open and I nearly jumped out of the throne to find
myself surrounded by Daemons. They were of all shapes and sizes,
all sorts of colours ranging from red to blue! Their bloodshot
eyes sparked dangerously and mischievously. I was horrified, my
Soul was to be eaten for sure!
“Ugh!” I jumped off the throne and took out my
knives. I glared at the surrounding Daemons and exclaimed,
“What is this?! I didn’t sign up for this!”
The Daemons examined me with curiosity and all took a step
towards me.
“NO!” I shouted and swung my knives, “Stay
away from me!”
One of the Daemons was dressed in all red. He had long and
twisted horns, as if one of a ram. His pale face had sharp
features with piercing red snake eyes. He took another step
forward, his hands raised in defence, “Please! Calm down!
We just want to talk…”
“I will not make a deal with any of you!” I was
getting desperate, “I prefer a fight!”
I must have looked very foolish, charging on my lonesome at
the powerful Daemons of Morterre. Nonetheless, I still did it.
With a despairing battle cry, I used all the tricks I learned as
a thief. Any trickery I could think of, I used it. The Daemon
merely brushed off my attacks, his hands followed by a trail of
cobalt flame, his eyes turning the same colour. The other
Daemons watched in silence, no doubt amused by a little human
like me attacking a powerful Daemon who could take my Soul in
less than a second.
A mesmerising azure Daemoness with ever-flowing hair and robes
which seemed to have been made of partially ice and water
sighed, “Alright. That is quite enough!”
#Post#: 6849--------------------------------------------------
Re: Eternal Darkness
DIR By: Rita Arthurs
Date: April 8, 2014, 9:56 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
With a wave of hand, she summed water from her sleeve. It
flowed across the floor in a stream and surrounded me. At first
I stood in a puddle, but the puddle steadily grew around me,
water snaking its way towards my neck and slowly turning into
crystal. In no time – I was surrounded by ice. I struggled yet I
could not move an inch.
“Ugh! Go on!” I snarled at the approaching and calm Daemoness,
“Kill me already! Get it over and done with!”
Some Daemons looked puzzled and a few exchanged a few murmurs
as if I have said the most ridiculous thing in the world.
“Silly girl!” one cried.
“You do not understand!” another cried.
“We have been awaiting your return all this time…” the red
Daemon with a skin now as pale as snow lowered himself in front
of me on one knee, as if kneeling to a King. The rest of the
Daemons followed suit. What was going on here?
The only one left standing was the azure Daemoness. She placed
her icy hand upon my cheek and a hint of a smile which did not
reach her eyes found its way onto her perfect face, “It has been
so long… But you are here now…Mistress.”
I gaped at her for a while before making sense of what she was
saying. Seeing my numbness, the Daemoness clenched one of her
hands into a fist and at once the ice around me shattered into a
billion crystals which scattered and melted in no time.
It was a while before I found my voice again, “What… are you
talking about…?”
None of this was making any sense.
“Ah… Well…you see…” the Daemoness sighed as she prepared to
tell me her tale.
[center]Long ago, these Lands were full of all powerful Daemons,
They have fought against the petty humans for eons.
The battle – long and hard – the End for Us seems to have
neared;
Just as the Last of Us was to be slain by hand of Man, You
appeared,
Defeating the Enemies, You came out victorious,
Taking the Crown of the Daemons, sat on the throne oh! So
glorious!
Our rule did not last for an Intruder – Fair King – came to
fight.
Both of You fought in the Skies of Hayven with all of Your
Might,
Something went wrong though, so You both fell stern,
And so We awaited for 300 years for Your return…[/center]
I gawked at the Daemoness as if she were mad. I wanted to
believe she was mad yet… something made me feel as though she
was telling the truth.
“What…” did I dare ask? “What do you mean? How am I involved?”
All the Daemons chuckled and hissed in contentment. The
Daemoness smirked and tilted her head, “You are our reborn
Mistress.”
My head was starting to hurt from all this nonsense. Me? A
Daemon of all Daemons? The True Dark One, the one of whom all
legends spoke? It…
It all made sense.
I somehow knew. No, felt that it was the truth. How many times
have I felt out of place with the light-dwellers? I always felt
out of touch which was why I fled to Tenebris, the Darkest of
cities, after all.
I realised that I had my head lowered and covered with my
hands. Lifting my head, I examined all of the Daemons around me.
They all stared expectantly of me. How can I be sure they were
not tricking me? But what use did they have in tricking me about
this anyway?
Endless questions were spinning in my head, yet I still found
no answer.
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