The Coming From the Shadows Series
Previous Stories:
The Encounter
Introduction:
The air hung thick and heavy, but not with mist, but a perpetual twilight of ash, an acrid tang of burning; below remained what had once been a sprawling metropolis, now, a gruesome parody, skewered towers like calcified bone clawed at the sky like some primeval beast against a choked sky – streets once the arteries of commerce, now choked with detritus of a forgotten conflict; twist metal husks of vehicles, petrified bodies half-buried beneath rubble and silence.
The wind, when it stirred, did not sing; but wailed, carrying the phantom echoes of long silenced screams of the lost lives below.
It was a landscape of shadowed crevices and meticulously sculpted despair, a crucible where a biblical inferno had met a bleak, concrete decay of a modern dystopia.
Perched atop a jagged metal skeleton, a figure cloaked and hooded was silhouetted against a bruised horizon; Zor’Githas – a being that possessed a form which defied logic; Youthful, almost ethereal in its sculpted perfection, yet, radiated an ancient malice that curdled the very air, long black hair escaping at the corners of his hood, whipping against his face; a face that graced a classical sculpture were it not for the glint in his eyes that spoke eons of orchestrating untold agony and misery, his very presence made the environment around him icy, the wind, had there been anyone to feel it, would have felt the cold sting – that would blend with a primal dread he could cause leaving people suffocating in panic; he was the architect and audience – the unwitting god of this particular ruin.
As his gaze swept over the devastation, a dark satisfaction played at the corner of his lips – it was yet another victory, a testament to his influential grip over mortals; yet again, he had broken the rules of his own people, yet again he had intervened bloodily in the affairs of mortal kind – to him, they were such pliable creatures, so easily shaped into instruments of their own demise, he had only acted as the igniting spark, he fed the flame and watched the grand conflagration consume itself, it was to him a magnificent and destructive art.
Then, there was a faint ripple – a subtle disturbance in the static hum of suffering that was his accustomed symphony, it drew his attention; it wasn’t any whimpering soul that had survived, or something crashing; it was something else, a familiar resonance of power that was foreign to the realm he had been manipulating.
His head subtly tilted, a predatory movement before he twisted around slowly, his face a mask of detached curiosity; but, as it drew closer, he reacted, throwing his hand out in what could be seen as a simple gesture; yet the remains of the building fractured; the ground shook; the very world itself seemed to groan, a seismic tremor, invisible but potent pulsed outwards tearing through the air as he fell downwards, crashing down against the rubble as dust and debris shifted, faint distant cries of alarm rose from deeper chasms.
Two figures soon emerged; distinct against the ruins with the older of the two entirely unaffected – Nicon, he stood like a pillar of power; his presence a palpable force, a quiet gravitational pull that drew the eye and commanded respect; his golden eyes, subtle luminous glow that spoke of ancient wisdom that predated the very concept of time – his robes fluttered about, beside him was a young woman, that struggled to maintain her balance as she clutched at the folds of Nicon’s robe to maintain her balance against the display of power; her dark hair, the colour of a raven’s wing, fluttered violently about nearly coming loose from it tied back position, the angelic beauty drew Zor’Githas gaze as she raised her gaze up, her large luminous violet eyes finding him.
Zor’Githas’s gaze lingered on her, his eyes curious as a momentary shift changed them from a reddish hue to a subtle amber, her ethereal innocence was a startling contrast to the putrescence of his domain “Nicon” keeping his gaze on the woman, he kept her fixed in his line of sight; his voice was a low, resonant rumble, like distant thunder that cut through silence “To what do I owe this dubious honour of your presence within this magnificent ruin; and pray tell, who is this delicate blossom you have brought to my domain?”
Nicon took note of Zor’Githas fixed gaze; he recognised the unusual linger – normally, Zor’Githas would not linger for such a long time on a new arrival, often giving someone a quick glance before dismissing them as beneath his attention; yet, his gaze remained fixed “This is Elpis; she is a new ascendant to our domain, she hails from a world called Ēlysia”
Elpis, still clutching at Nicon’s robe finally felt safe enough to move, her footing more stable, bravely moving forwards; her violent eyes wide with a mixture of disbelief and sorrow as she surveyed the utter ruin she had now found herself in; a panorama of utter misery and death “Ēlysia is…., is a paradise; this…, it is beyond what I can comprehend, the devastation, the suffering…, it’s heartbreaking”
A slow, chilling grin spread Zor’Githas’s face, a predator’s delight at the sight of such vulnerability “Heartbreaking you say?” he purred “How quaint; you speak of mortals as if they are anything more than crude clay for us to shape; they are the playthings of our kind my dear; their lives and struggles for our amusement, their pitiful aspirations are amusements, nothing more”
Elpis though, she shook her head; a defiant tremor in the movement “I disagree, they are life; fragile and precious, they can be capable of care and beauty, only look at Ēlysia; to see such potential reduced to this,…, it is tragic”
Zor’Githas’s grin faltered, replaced by a genuine flicker of confusion, his gaze finally drifting to Nicon, a question in his eyes before they narrowed in an accusatory manner “Is this yet another of your tiresome attempts to pacify the Celestial realm; to instil some kind of mawkish sentimentally into beings forged for far grander purposes?”
Nicon’s expression remained unreadable, his voice calm and steady “Only you Zor’Githas crave war for the sake of war, it is only you that finds art in destruction”
Elpis, despite her horror which continued to grip her, felt a subtle, undeniable intrigue, a pull towards the being she should see as a monstrosity; he was dangerous, terrifying, a force of nature unlike anything she had ever encountered in the serene, ordered beauty of her own home – yet, at the same time, it was the same raw, untamed power that there was a strange, morbid fascination – a dark curiosity she had never known before.
The flicker in Elpis’ gaze had not gone unnoticed to Nicon, the subtle shift in her stance “I am beginning Elpis’s training” he stated, a subtle shift within the golden glow of his eyes, as if there was a hardening in his gaze “I have brought her here specifically to demonstrate the abuses of power, the grotesque consequences of unchecked ambition and the cultivation of conflict”
Zor’Githas’s eyes narrowed, a cold fire igniting deep as his eyes locked, shifting from the amber hue back to the original reddish hue “Abuses, I merely facilitate their natural inclinations”
Nicon ignored the barb, instead gesture for Elpis to get a closer look of the abyss; the utter chaotic scene of death and suffering “Look closely Elpis; observe what happens when their shepherd’s becomes their wolves; our roles, unlike his” Nicon’s voice dropped, laced with steel “Is to help guide, to nurture; not to destroy, not to revel in their suffering”
As Elips gazed across the ravaged city; the images of despair seared themselves into her nascent celestial consciousness; slowly, she gave a nod of her head, her violet eyes clouding with an increasing sorrow, yet there was a dawning resolve “I understand”
“Good” Nicon gave a soft, subtle smile “We should move on to the next world; a fragile place still being cultivated; I intend to take you to Gaia”
“Gaia you say” the predatory glint returned to Zor’Githas’s eyes “How convenient, I myself have an ever increasing inclination to visit the world of humanity”
A wave of icy apprehension washed over Elpis, a premonition of lurking danger; her breath hitched, Nicon however, he barely reacted, hid golden eyes simply meeting Zor’Githas’s red. Holding them in a silent, unwavering stare, he offered only the slightest, almost imperceptible gesture – a subtle shift of his hand, a fractional tightening of is jaw; a warning, etched within ancient power, clear and unequivocal that simply stated ‘Do not Interfere’
Zor’Githas knew not to test Nicon; knew the true extent when push-came-to-shove; there was a reason why Nicon was so often considered to hold a position at the very top
The very ability to walk from one realm to the next left Elpis completely disorientated, as she glimpsed at another new world, stepping forwards, the place she now found herself was free of the stench of death and ash; instead, it was replaced by a crisp, clean scent of damp earth and verdant growth – surrounded by a sea of greenery causing her to drift her gaze around slowly – the oppressive ruins she had just been, that nightmarish memory, had given way to a land of beauty.
A warm sun weakly penetrating the canopy above; the world reminded her of lessons of her own, about how Ēlysia was meant to have been in its primitive days before the growth of settlements and the advancement of technologies she had grown up with; this world however, it was yet to realise its full potential.
As Elpis looked around the strange, alluring green around her, she heard subtle sounds of life, the sounds of fluttering of feathery-wings – the world was primitive, the chirping of unseen inspects a strange melody, yet it felt comforting; her lips curved upwards into a genuinely warm smile.
“I believe this will be a perfect place for you to learn to control your unique talents, and, I am certain our friend here…, shall be more than happy to help” Nicon observed Elpis sharp twist, the look of confusion
“What friend?” she found herself querying, glancing about – her eyes finally finding the new arrival as she emerged from the foliage; a woman with rich, russet brown skin, with dark, almost like a nights sky, cascading down her back, her eyes, a deep most green, holding ancient, enduring wisdom – the very personification of the world they stood
Her gaze, serene and all-encompassing fell upon Elpis, Gaia tilted her head, a curiosity as old as the mountains seemed to shimmer in her verdant eyes as she regarded the young woman, a new celestial prospect upon her world, finally, she spoke, her voice a gentle chorus of rustling leaves and flowering water as her gaze drifted to Nicon “It has been awhile; who is the new light you have brought to the burgeoning world?”
Nicon gave a nodded response, a slight reverence to his posture that Elpis hadn’t seen him display, particularly with Zor’Githas “Greetings Gaia; this is Elpis; she is new to the Celestial realm, and I have brought her here to learn under your tutelage, she has a similar capability as yourself”
There was a subtle shift in Gaia’s posture “She is capable of influencing her environment, her emotions, they ca cause the land to bloom when happy, or devastation when angry or upset” Nicon said, speaking with a growing smile “I believe, you could provide her the perfect guidance, your connection to life if profound, and would serve as an invaluable education for her”
There was a slow nod of Gaia’s head as her eyes returned to Elpis, her lips curving into a smile “I have no issue taking her under my tutelage”
Written By: Westley H.
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