"Based on your dart throw, here is where you'd write your post"
-Some Guy
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GM
I wrote this as a submission to the poetry competition but I went over by many words. I post it here for you guys to read and if you want give feedback. You can tell me it sucks, that's ok, but only if it actually sucks.
"So you see my sweet, dearest boy; they search the universe for meaning, hoping to understand the reality of their own lives. You must show them, you must lead them my beautiful boy, my dearest Horus."
"They look so far into the sky mother, what do they see? Why does it give them hope?"
"As the light travels to them it reveals to them their past. They look to their past to understand their present."
"What is the truth mother?"
"That in their own present, the star is looking back...."
"I don't get it Frank, is it just random interference?"
"Couldn't be sir, I mean, I guess if an infinite number of monkeys typing would produce Shakespeare then maybe.... I.. I don't know.."
"Monkeys typing Shakespeare? What the hell... ?"
"I'm sorry.. i'm sorry I just, I just hope it's not interference.... but most likely it's some reflection of a signal from some kid some where. We'll isolate it and clean it all up and see if we can pinpoint it."
"You damn well better Frank. Figure it out and get me a source of causality by tomorrow, we have a lot of data to go over and I don't us distracted by... whatever this is."
"Yessir, will do, right away."
"Dude, that's bright! How far away is that?"
"Pretty far, like billions of years photon time. However, using the ole' quantum telephaser I got from my dad's work I'm sending them a signal in real time."
"How do you know something is going to be there to see it? OOH! say, 'We like to watch you pee!?' Hahah!"
"Don't be such an infant. I'm sending the symbol on our flag, the planet symbol. If they can, they'll send something back, if they can't, well then they suck and we rule."
"You're so serious all the time. I hope they answer back though, if there's anything over there."
"I don't understand Mother, what am I supposed to do?"
"You must teach them my beautiful Horus, that they are not alone, that what they desire searches for them as verily as they search for it, that all life in the universe is living in one glorious moment, irregardless of space, time, and distance. And you must teach them the truth of the Uncreate."
"The Uncreate, Mother?"
"That place beyond the light. The void which the light seeks to fill. It is the space between spaces, and the space at the end of all things. The Uncreate is the birth place of that which has never existed. It will become populated by their thoughts, desires, and actions. Teach them my son, that at the end of light they must fill the Uncreate with goodness, vitality, and life. If they fill the void with destruction, such will be created, and such will overcome all other things."
"I will Mother, I will do this thing."
ISIS
"So you see my sweet, dearest boy; they search the universe for meaning, hoping to understand the reality of their own lives. You must show them, you must lead them my beautiful boy, my dearest Horus."
"They look so far into the sky mother, what do they see? Why does it give them hope?"
"As the light travels to them it reveals to them their past. They look to their past to understand their present."
"What is the truth mother?"
"That in their own present, the star is looking back...."
On Earth an event happened in 2022, a supernova greater than any other observed in recorded history. Every telescope in the world watched the bright flare up in the sky as a new star was born. For the first time human's were able to observe the anomaly using spectrometers, x-rays, and bolometers to measure a vast spectrum of radiant energy. Two operators are looking at a screen.
"I don't get it Frank, is it just random interference?"
"Couldn't be sir, I mean, I guess if an infinite number of monkeys typing would produce Shakespeare then maybe.... I.. I don't know.."
"Monkeys typing Shakespeare? What the hell... ?"
"I'm sorry.. i'm sorry I just, I just hope it's not interference.... but most likely it's some reflection of a signal from some kid some where. We'll isolate it and clean it all up and see if we can pinpoint it."
"You damn well better Frank. Figure it out and get me a source of causality by tomorrow, we have a lot of data to go over and I don't us distracted by... whatever this is."
"Yessir, will do, right away."
Within the data measuring the spectrum of light and variations of wavelengths and frequencies they saw an image:
We now travel light-years to the supernova. As we travel the time keeps pace until we arrive in the present at the point where the supernova occurred. There orbiting the star sits a small, blue planet with a single ring. Two children sit within their home built astronomy lab using their home built radio telescope to view a supernova, the supernova which was the beginning of our own Solar System.
⦰
We now travel light-years to the supernova. As we travel the time keeps pace until we arrive in the present at the point where the supernova occurred. There orbiting the star sits a small, blue planet with a single ring. Two children sit within their home built astronomy lab using their home built radio telescope to view a supernova, the supernova which was the beginning of our own Solar System.
"Dude, that's bright! How far away is that?"
"Pretty far, like billions of years photon time. However, using the ole' quantum telephaser I got from my dad's work I'm sending them a signal in real time."
"How do you know something is going to be there to see it? OOH! say, 'We like to watch you pee!?' Hahah!"
"Don't be such an infant. I'm sending the symbol on our flag, the planet symbol. If they can, they'll send something back, if they can't, well then they suck and we rule."
"You're so serious all the time. I hope they answer back though, if there's anything over there."
In a dream, a God looks to his mother
"I don't understand Mother, what am I supposed to do?"
"You must teach them my beautiful Horus, that they are not alone, that what they desire searches for them as verily as they search for it, that all life in the universe is living in one glorious moment, irregardless of space, time, and distance. And you must teach them the truth of the Uncreate."
"The Uncreate, Mother?"
"That place beyond the light. The void which the light seeks to fill. It is the space between spaces, and the space at the end of all things. The Uncreate is the birth place of that which has never existed. It will become populated by their thoughts, desires, and actions. Teach them my son, that at the end of light they must fill the Uncreate with goodness, vitality, and life. If they fill the void with destruction, such will be created, and such will overcome all other things."
"I will Mother, I will do this thing."
GM
My Dart throw led me to this prompt:
Every day at the station, you see someone you're attracted to. How would you go about getting yourself noticed?
We share a look, a slight glance, along with a gentle smile and a raising of the eyebrows. It's simple, sweet, safe. She smiles back, a slight blush, and quickly she looks away again. She uses her finger to push her hair behind her ear, I think it's inviting. I like her, and I think maybe she likes me, should I go over and say something? My heart beats a little bit faster, I'm nervous.
The train arrives, the doors open, she disappears in the crowd pushing out and pushing in. I stand on my toes to try and see her, but she's gone. I walk into my compartment of the train, she was two or three cars up from me, a galaxy. I sit down on the open bench and sigh, strangers around me hold their handles and barely give me a look. I sigh and pull out my book, man she was pretty, I think emptily before diverting my attention to my novel.
"Ehem.." I hear and look up, "is this seat taken?" she says, motioning to the seat next to me. My heart is pounding in my chest, she came to find me! ... or maybe this is just an accident. .
"No.. no not at all," I say scooching over, "please." I use both hands to gesture, I've probably overexaggerated, I can't tell, my throat is tight and I'm frustratingly nervous. I hope I'm not sweating.
She sits down, "My name's Sarah," she says timidly but with a smile. She takes a deep breath, "what are you reading........"
Every day at the station, you see someone you're attracted to. How would you go about getting yourself noticed?
We share a look, a slight glance, along with a gentle smile and a raising of the eyebrows. It's simple, sweet, safe. She smiles back, a slight blush, and quickly she looks away again. She uses her finger to push her hair behind her ear, I think it's inviting. I like her, and I think maybe she likes me, should I go over and say something? My heart beats a little bit faster, I'm nervous.
The train arrives, the doors open, she disappears in the crowd pushing out and pushing in. I stand on my toes to try and see her, but she's gone. I walk into my compartment of the train, she was two or three cars up from me, a galaxy. I sit down on the open bench and sigh, strangers around me hold their handles and barely give me a look. I sigh and pull out my book, man she was pretty, I think emptily before diverting my attention to my novel.
"Ehem.." I hear and look up, "is this seat taken?" she says, motioning to the seat next to me. My heart is pounding in my chest, she came to find me! ... or maybe this is just an accident. .
"No.. no not at all," I say scooching over, "please." I use both hands to gesture, I've probably overexaggerated, I can't tell, my throat is tight and I'm frustratingly nervous. I hope I'm not sweating.
She sits down, "My name's Sarah," she says timidly but with a smile. She takes a deep breath, "what are you reading........"
GM
Today I threw a 2 on the board and got this prompt:
"Write 5 questions you would like to ask a funny looking researcher who controls a fleet of star ship."
Ned clicked his pen nervously in anticipation of beginning the interview. The big bosses at "Twinkle," the cheesy culture 'zine on the worlds in the stars, did not treat these sciencey pieces too seriously and so he needed to make this good or else his article would be lost to the oblivion of a billion unread words in the great pile of word garbage.
The Colonel flowed and flopped into the room. He was from one of the big gas giant planets so his body was made of some sort of sludgy mist crammed into a tentacle envelope of a suit. Ned couldn't see a face, just a glass fishbowl of swirling pink and purple gas and a little square box at the collar that bleeped when the Colonel talked. "Heblo Blister 'Ed" came the Colonel's burbled voice through the voice box, "bLet's get bis ober wib qwibly, I hab mud to do."
Ned sat frozen and wide eyed, he barely understood what the colonel had said and didn't know how to respond. "Well," he shook his head and regained his focus, "yes.. um, well yes... um" Ned shuffled the pages in front of him, his questions for the Colonel. "Um.. thank you for meeting me today Colonel, we at Twinkle really appreciate your time, as does our readers you can be sure."
"Bly Blejure 'Ed" he burbled.
'.......What?' Ned thought,
He moved on, "So... um.. what is the nature of your research?"
"I'm Blag you aggled," the Colonel burped, "Bly bleet id bebling 'ent do dah fah egles ob bla balaxgi. Blee hab dibcobered a new borm ob blenerby, our bledorts 'ay 'at it may blee an enerbly blat bormed dah bery nadure ob all creadion!. Ib id a trubly amabling digobery!!"
The Colonel was waving his tentacle arms as if he wer excited but Ned had no idea what he had just said. Unfazed, Ned soldiered on.
"Do you believe that your research justifies the incredible expenses it requires? I mean, a whole fleet of ships sir, surely you only need one or two..."
"Blone Queblin Me Hoomon!!" The burbling figure asserted, "BlI am blum de grayblist blientibles in deh Uniberd!! Ob Corb I woul' no' akk for do mud mondee ib i diben neeb it!"
Ned was not discouraged, "and what do you have to say about the impact of moving such a large fleet through so many inhabited regions of space? The gravitational disturbance alone is enough to cause massive weather events in no less that three early industrial societies."
The Colonel settled down, "Bwe hab greybly condibered the abbect ob our bleet mobing acobb so bar a rebion, and we bully unberdand de' ebbects ib will habeb. Bwe addure your reabers that our digobbery jujdibies any ingonbeniende ib will caub. Bwe will gib to dah galagee dah
bleclet of libe!" The Colonel raises a tentacular fist as if in inspiration.
Ned didn't know what to write, he wished he had his recorder for the interview but he forgot it at the office before he left to come here. There was nothing left to do, he was going to have to make up the entire thing. By the time the magazine made it to the fleet they would be light eons away and it wouldn't matter.
"Well Colonel thank you for meeting with me, but I think I got everything I need."
"Dats ib?" the Colonel said, looking down hearted in his suit, "Blut I hab do mub to teb you aboub dah secrebs ob dah blars?"
Not knowing what he said, Ned replied, "Well yes and thank you again, I... um..." Ned moved as if to shake the Colonel's hand / tentacle, but it slithered over his fingers in a strangely intimate way, "err... um.. I will be going now." Ned grabbed his things and left the meeting room as fast as his legs could take him.
"Pidy," the Colonel mused, watching the man flee, "he deemed realbly nide."
"Write 5 questions you would like to ask a funny looking researcher who controls a fleet of star ship."
Ned clicked his pen nervously in anticipation of beginning the interview. The big bosses at "Twinkle," the cheesy culture 'zine on the worlds in the stars, did not treat these sciencey pieces too seriously and so he needed to make this good or else his article would be lost to the oblivion of a billion unread words in the great pile of word garbage.
The Colonel flowed and flopped into the room. He was from one of the big gas giant planets so his body was made of some sort of sludgy mist crammed into a tentacle envelope of a suit. Ned couldn't see a face, just a glass fishbowl of swirling pink and purple gas and a little square box at the collar that bleeped when the Colonel talked. "Heblo Blister 'Ed" came the Colonel's burbled voice through the voice box, "bLet's get bis ober wib qwibly, I hab mud to do."
Ned sat frozen and wide eyed, he barely understood what the colonel had said and didn't know how to respond. "Well," he shook his head and regained his focus, "yes.. um, well yes... um" Ned shuffled the pages in front of him, his questions for the Colonel. "Um.. thank you for meeting me today Colonel, we at Twinkle really appreciate your time, as does our readers you can be sure."
"Bly Blejure 'Ed" he burbled.
'.......What?' Ned thought,
He moved on, "So... um.. what is the nature of your research?"
"I'm Blag you aggled," the Colonel burped, "Bly bleet id bebling 'ent do dah fah egles ob bla balaxgi. Blee hab dibcobered a new borm ob blenerby, our bledorts 'ay 'at it may blee an enerbly blat bormed dah bery nadure ob all creadion!. Ib id a trubly amabling digobery!!"
The Colonel was waving his tentacle arms as if he wer excited but Ned had no idea what he had just said. Unfazed, Ned soldiered on.
"Do you believe that your research justifies the incredible expenses it requires? I mean, a whole fleet of ships sir, surely you only need one or two..."
"Blone Queblin Me Hoomon!!" The burbling figure asserted, "BlI am blum de grayblist blientibles in deh Uniberd!! Ob Corb I woul' no' akk for do mud mondee ib i diben neeb it!"
Ned was not discouraged, "and what do you have to say about the impact of moving such a large fleet through so many inhabited regions of space? The gravitational disturbance alone is enough to cause massive weather events in no less that three early industrial societies."
The Colonel settled down, "Bwe hab greybly condibered the abbect ob our bleet mobing acobb so bar a rebion, and we bully unberdand de' ebbects ib will habeb. Bwe addure your reabers that our digobbery jujdibies any ingonbeniende ib will caub. Bwe will gib to dah galagee dah
bleclet of libe!" The Colonel raises a tentacular fist as if in inspiration.
Ned didn't know what to write, he wished he had his recorder for the interview but he forgot it at the office before he left to come here. There was nothing left to do, he was going to have to make up the entire thing. By the time the magazine made it to the fleet they would be light eons away and it wouldn't matter.
"Well Colonel thank you for meeting with me, but I think I got everything I need."
"Dats ib?" the Colonel said, looking down hearted in his suit, "Blut I hab do mub to teb you aboub dah secrebs ob dah blars?"
Not knowing what he said, Ned replied, "Well yes and thank you again, I... um..." Ned moved as if to shake the Colonel's hand / tentacle, but it slithered over his fingers in a strangely intimate way, "err... um.. I will be going now." Ned grabbed his things and left the meeting room as fast as his legs could take him.
"Pidy," the Colonel mused, watching the man flee, "he deemed realbly nide."
Th3King0fChaos The Weird
Member
Seen
5 days ago
So the Dice roller didn't work for me, so I went and rolled on my own and got this prompt:
Tear-Jerker
Something that makes you cry.
Be careful this talks about some 18+ topics.
Tear-Jerker
Something that makes you cry.
Be careful this talks about some 18+ topics.
I was asleep on a stormy Summer's night. I just got home from being fired from my long-standing job as a music designer, a job I was working towards my entire life. It all started with my childhood sweetheart who was the first person to ever introduce the wonders of making music. I originally despised music, it hurt my ears even, yet...when she sung and played her little plastic flute...I don't know I just felt like music was the most beautiful thing in the world.
We grew together, she taught me all sorts of wonderful instruments, and I made sure she didn't flunk every single grade we were in. It was a great match, truly, she was the sole reason I didn't give up in life. The heartache and pains I went through with my drunken and abusive father, with my alcoholic and nihilistic mother. Her existence made it worth it.
Even as we made it to college, we were together, well I hope we were, she was wearing the engagement ring I bought her. We went to college for many different things, I went to use the facilities at the school to make music and bide my time till I made it big. While she went to get a major in Business, she may have been the one to introduce me to music, but she was the one who wanted to listen to it, never make it. So she wanted to have her own business and eventually sell my records. It was wonderful, I felt so high during those years, as my music got better people found out more about me, even soon a record label picked me up and I was off, making music and living the dream, all with the support of my lover right behind me, or so I thought.
I worked with this record label to start making music for these many up and coming stars, many ranging from ages and styles, yet all I could work with. As I met my boss, a tall man with a strong build, a handsome face, a thick set of hair on his head and face, and an aura that commanded respect. He was a man who had been seen with hundreds of women, and everyone knew why, yet I minded none. Well, I would soon.
As I spent around a year working under this label, I was excited. I was doing great work and I was doing what I loved, yet it felt strange between me and my boss. He always seemed to be looking through me, always punching a hole into my head with his never-ending gaze. His eyes always transfixed on something behind me, I never knew until now what it was.
One night at the record label I found myself working overnight to finish up a mix for the presentation to the boss tomorrow, I lied to my soon-to-be wife that I was going to a friend's house, yet I was really just working. Trying to make sure we had enough money to live a comfortable life, and enough for our wedding soon. As I left I noticed the door to my boss's office was cracked open, I went over thinking I would say good night to him as I head off, not really knowing he was there or not, but just in case.
What I saw next was unbelievable, as I grew closer I heard light grunting and moaning, I realized people were in there having sex, as I got closer I peered inside to notice the underwear right next to the door, as I looked towards my boss would sit, as I see my lover and my boss having sex. I felt tears well, yet even more so, rage. A rage that bled into my actions, as I kicked the door in and stood there, as they both looked on to see me. My lover looked absolutely mortified, while my boss looked at me with a small grin on his face, as almost like I was never there, he continued to have sex.
I left in a hurry as I felt my rage turn to pure tears as all I could hear was pained, I'm sorry's. After that I broke up with my long time lover, I had not received any calls or texts from her in the past 2 weeks. I was planning for those 2 weeks to be my vacation weeks so me and my lover could be together and have some dates and even go on a small vacation. Well, now I am here in this empty apartment as I just received a call from my boss that I was fired, as he even threw a few jabs at me before hanging up the phone.
I am just staring at the piling laundry of her's that I have no wish to touch, maybe because I just didn't feel strong enough to even smell her scent, I decided to put a large box over it and call it a day. I see her pictures that she had of us, yet as I looked at them I cried from the pain she inflicted on my heart, so I threw them all into a box and shoved them into a corner. Then I noticed the instruments we bought for the both of us to play, I left them where they were as I picked up my guitar and started playing blues. Maybe I did all of this waiting, just in the hopes to see her again, maybe there is a part of me who wishes to be with her, even now, well now wouldn't be a great time, after all, seeing me hanging from ceiling fan would not be the greatest sight to find. Yet I wasn't strong enough, apparently. I wasn't strong enough to keep her with me, and I wasn't strong enough to keep hold of my own life.
Well Mr. Rope I hope you're strong enough. I don't want another thing falling apart in my life.
We grew together, she taught me all sorts of wonderful instruments, and I made sure she didn't flunk every single grade we were in. It was a great match, truly, she was the sole reason I didn't give up in life. The heartache and pains I went through with my drunken and abusive father, with my alcoholic and nihilistic mother. Her existence made it worth it.
Even as we made it to college, we were together, well I hope we were, she was wearing the engagement ring I bought her. We went to college for many different things, I went to use the facilities at the school to make music and bide my time till I made it big. While she went to get a major in Business, she may have been the one to introduce me to music, but she was the one who wanted to listen to it, never make it. So she wanted to have her own business and eventually sell my records. It was wonderful, I felt so high during those years, as my music got better people found out more about me, even soon a record label picked me up and I was off, making music and living the dream, all with the support of my lover right behind me, or so I thought.
I worked with this record label to start making music for these many up and coming stars, many ranging from ages and styles, yet all I could work with. As I met my boss, a tall man with a strong build, a handsome face, a thick set of hair on his head and face, and an aura that commanded respect. He was a man who had been seen with hundreds of women, and everyone knew why, yet I minded none. Well, I would soon.
As I spent around a year working under this label, I was excited. I was doing great work and I was doing what I loved, yet it felt strange between me and my boss. He always seemed to be looking through me, always punching a hole into my head with his never-ending gaze. His eyes always transfixed on something behind me, I never knew until now what it was.
One night at the record label I found myself working overnight to finish up a mix for the presentation to the boss tomorrow, I lied to my soon-to-be wife that I was going to a friend's house, yet I was really just working. Trying to make sure we had enough money to live a comfortable life, and enough for our wedding soon. As I left I noticed the door to my boss's office was cracked open, I went over thinking I would say good night to him as I head off, not really knowing he was there or not, but just in case.
What I saw next was unbelievable, as I grew closer I heard light grunting and moaning, I realized people were in there having sex, as I got closer I peered inside to notice the underwear right next to the door, as I looked towards my boss would sit, as I see my lover and my boss having sex. I felt tears well, yet even more so, rage. A rage that bled into my actions, as I kicked the door in and stood there, as they both looked on to see me. My lover looked absolutely mortified, while my boss looked at me with a small grin on his face, as almost like I was never there, he continued to have sex.
I left in a hurry as I felt my rage turn to pure tears as all I could hear was pained, I'm sorry's. After that I broke up with my long time lover, I had not received any calls or texts from her in the past 2 weeks. I was planning for those 2 weeks to be my vacation weeks so me and my lover could be together and have some dates and even go on a small vacation. Well, now I am here in this empty apartment as I just received a call from my boss that I was fired, as he even threw a few jabs at me before hanging up the phone.
I am just staring at the piling laundry of her's that I have no wish to touch, maybe because I just didn't feel strong enough to even smell her scent, I decided to put a large box over it and call it a day. I see her pictures that she had of us, yet as I looked at them I cried from the pain she inflicted on my heart, so I threw them all into a box and shoved them into a corner. Then I noticed the instruments we bought for the both of us to play, I left them where they were as I picked up my guitar and started playing blues. Maybe I did all of this waiting, just in the hopes to see her again, maybe there is a part of me who wishes to be with her, even now, well now wouldn't be a great time, after all, seeing me hanging from ceiling fan would not be the greatest sight to find. Yet I wasn't strong enough, apparently. I wasn't strong enough to keep her with me, and I wasn't strong enough to keep hold of my own life.
Well Mr. Rope I hope you're strong enough. I don't want another thing falling apart in my life.
1x Like
DELETED jdl3932 Sok Il-Seong / (Second Initiation)
Banned
Seen
7 mos ago
Random thing I wrote based on this CYOA, hence the odd structure near the end and somewhat rushed pacing throughout. Like it or not, I don't really care, I just figured I'd contribute to this thread out of boredom.
Zalyr blinked as his mind rose from the abyssal depths of slumber, the gentle sloshing of water the only sound to fill the desolate space in which he found himself. With the faintest of groans he made to stand, stumbling slightly as the water beneath him quickly solidified, much to his surprise. After a moment's pause to keep himself from diving face first into a full on fall, Zalyr had finally managed to get his feet under him again, though it would seem that his trials were far from done. For soon he was clutching at the sides of his head as it had become subsumed in unimaginable pain. Memories from a life long since passed came flooding back in a dizzying rush, carrying with them flashes of faces, places, peoples, loves, and times all wrapped up in an existence death had parted him from long ago.
Death...
He could see it, his final moments on that world all those years prior. It was not a pleasant thing he was reliving, but then again being murdered never was. Every pierce of the blade and thundering of the club sent pulses of white-hot pain flashing across his vision until at last the memory was done and he found himself able to focus on his surroundings once more. Zalyr never did find out why those men had killed him back then, what their reasoning might have been, but it certainly hadn't been for his purse. He was the furthest thing from a wealthy man one could imagine, only able to afford the most modest of robes, and thankful when one of those didn't succumb to wear and tear and rot. No, something afoul had definitely been afoot. What that might have been, however, he still couldn't say for sure. This line of thought raised yet another question for him, though...
Why could he recall his death? From everything he'd been told, dying was not an event one just so happened to remember. Then, seemingly in answer to his question a slab of translucent glass rose up from the watery ground below, coming to a halt just above the crest of his head. Stepping forward, he peered deep into the surface of the rectangular pane, watching as it began to emit a luminous glow. One that brought with it a total understanding of what had led him to this point. To this here and now. It was then that Zalyr realized he had once been a mortal, but upon dying he had ascended to become something much more. A Living God. A being of nigh-infinite power not surpassed by anything else within the Verse... an inferno of raging supremacy. Taking a step back, Zalyr pinched the bridge of his nose with an exhausted sigh, only for more mirrors to appear around him as soon as he'd lifted his gaze. These were different from the one that had originally manifested before him however, the glow of which had long since faded along with the slab itself, as each contained what appeared to be fragments of his personal alchemy.
His spark.
His being...
Approaching the first mirror to his right, he gazed upon its latticework deeply and found himself presented with a cascade of choice unparalleled, albeit only the first in this long journey of self-discovery. He could not say how he knew this, perhaps it was a feeling implanted in him by the panes themselves, only that he did. Thus he ran his fingers along the glass and began to change the first aspect of his newly formed divine being, aligning himself with the sign of the Inheritor, a final culmination of power eons in the making. A cosmic birthright requiring the deaths of many beings far less powerful than he, all for the express purpose of bringing him forth and into being, though for what purpose or grand design he could not yet say. For Zalyr himself lacked the ability to comprehend the sheer expanse of possibility lying in wait before him. Despite this he pressed on, moving to the second aspect that surfaced most strongly in the depths of his mind, that of Royalty. Royalty in this instance is not something revealed nor learned, but conquered, for the sigil is only attainable by those who desire it least. Zalyr knew it would be something he would have to confront and overcome if he were to attain his destiny as laid out by his cosmic forebears.
At length, however, he moved to the next pane. Confident in his paths of transcendence as they presently stood, for through Inheritance he would achieve Royalty, and thus the ability to bestow his powers upon another when his time on this level of existence was done. Casting his gaze upon it, Zalyr stared at the glass intently as more fragments of himself slowly drifted back to the surface, carrying with them a series of conflicting drives and desires. Before long however, the trickle had morphed into a torrent, one that would have drowned him had he not made a conscious effort to shield his mind and filter out some of the more uninteresting choices. Withdrawing deeper into himself, he examined what was left, only to find himself drawn to the same goal time and time again... Amaranth. Or finding it, rather. There was just something about it—about reaching a state of enlightenment even higher than the one he was currently at—that fascinated him.
It was because of this that he chose it.
Because of this that he exalted the attainment of Amaranth above and beyond everything else, though this was not to say that he lacked any other desire, it was merely that his desire to achieve Amaranth took the greatest precedent. Zalyr eventually found other drives emerging in its wake; the most powerful of which were a desire for freedom to do with his life and his powers as he pleased, an unquenchable thirst for adventure, and a need not just to show, but also to bring benevolence to the most vile and hopeless corners of the Verse. Rocking back on his heels as the panel went dark and fell away, he plodded his way over to the next mirror in line with a newfound certainty regarding what he would doing with the rest of his seemingly infinite free time. Upon approaching it, however, Zalyr found himself struck with a wave of complete realization. Unlike the previous three panes, he knew exactly what the one standing before him did. To be honest, it made him just the tiniest bit excited, perhaps a tad too much. This panel, pulsing violently with chromatic light, was what would let him tailor the full extent of his power and might, giving him access to abilities truly befitting of a Living God. Once he was finished making his selections, Zalyr moved on to the next pane, his knowledge and might having increased tremendously.
Upon reaching the next panel, Zalyr found his gaze stretching out over what seemed to be entirely different times and places. The specifics of which changed depending on the way in which he decided to view the glass. At this point it didn't take him very long to recognize what he was seeing. It was a series of resources available to him, many of which—such as the opportunity to have as many ideal partners, wives, husbands, and slaves as he'd like—were quite tempting. In the end however, Zalyr decided to follow the path of wisdom, taking multiple stores of cosmic wealth so that he might have nigh limitless amounts of supplies at his disposal, followed by an army of self-replenishing and self-sustaining soldiers equipped with the most powerful abilities and equipment reality had to offer, vast hordes of technological designs, and lastly a single Palace World to serve as his base of operations. A massive garden planet that he named New Vesta. He would not get all of these things immediately however, at least not the armies anyway, for those would have to be conscripted sometime in the very near future. As for the rest, New Vesta would be the most likely place his Vaults would appear and thus he made a note to visit it as soon as possible, while the technological designs had been injected directly into his mind the moment he had selected them.
From here he went on to the next pane, floating just above the ground rather than walking as he had done before, a show of his burgeoning might. This one in particular was unlike the rest, for it showed him the faces of people rather than powers or things. And while he did not recognize them, he did recognize what this panel was for. These were the beings who would stand by him though thick and thin, people he could call allies and perhaps friends, though not any time soon causally speaking. While he chose them here, he would still need to find them out there in the nigh-infinite expanse of the Verse, and complicating matters was the fact that he had no idea who they personally were. Merely their titles and a vague description of their skills.
But that, of course, was where the fun lay.
In any case, Zalyr proceeded to make his choice. The first member of his future menagerie was the Attendant, a person skilled in overseeing all the tasks he himself would not be able to manage, the second a being known only as the Advisor, an individual he may defer to when a course of action is unclear, and the third an individual known only as the Herald, an unflinchingly loyal guard and warrior of immense might. With this done he dispelled the panel with the slightest flick of his wrist, skipping the next panel in line despite the vital nature of its contents. For it governed his relation to the various organizations and factions that inhabited the Verse long before his ascension, though in this one instance he decided to leave his interactions with them entirely up to chance. Thus he came to the last pane in his journey. The final fragment of his cosmic self. Gazing upon it, Zalyr selected what manner of phenomenon his adventures throughout the Verse would contain. Once he had chosen, he watched as the pane of glass shattered and fell away, revealing a shimmering portal to the Verse beyond.
Taking a deep breath, he stepped through...
"Divinity, true divinity, is like unto a wave insurmountable. One cannot attain it through force of action nor violence of ascent. Nay, only by submersing oneself in it and learning its every twist and turn may one see where the path to true godhood can be found."
— 1st Canticle of Meros
— 1st Canticle of Meros
Zalyr blinked as his mind rose from the abyssal depths of slumber, the gentle sloshing of water the only sound to fill the desolate space in which he found himself. With the faintest of groans he made to stand, stumbling slightly as the water beneath him quickly solidified, much to his surprise. After a moment's pause to keep himself from diving face first into a full on fall, Zalyr had finally managed to get his feet under him again, though it would seem that his trials were far from done. For soon he was clutching at the sides of his head as it had become subsumed in unimaginable pain. Memories from a life long since passed came flooding back in a dizzying rush, carrying with them flashes of faces, places, peoples, loves, and times all wrapped up in an existence death had parted him from long ago.
Death...
He could see it, his final moments on that world all those years prior. It was not a pleasant thing he was reliving, but then again being murdered never was. Every pierce of the blade and thundering of the club sent pulses of white-hot pain flashing across his vision until at last the memory was done and he found himself able to focus on his surroundings once more. Zalyr never did find out why those men had killed him back then, what their reasoning might have been, but it certainly hadn't been for his purse. He was the furthest thing from a wealthy man one could imagine, only able to afford the most modest of robes, and thankful when one of those didn't succumb to wear and tear and rot. No, something afoul had definitely been afoot. What that might have been, however, he still couldn't say for sure. This line of thought raised yet another question for him, though...
Why could he recall his death? From everything he'd been told, dying was not an event one just so happened to remember. Then, seemingly in answer to his question a slab of translucent glass rose up from the watery ground below, coming to a halt just above the crest of his head. Stepping forward, he peered deep into the surface of the rectangular pane, watching as it began to emit a luminous glow. One that brought with it a total understanding of what had led him to this point. To this here and now. It was then that Zalyr realized he had once been a mortal, but upon dying he had ascended to become something much more. A Living God. A being of nigh-infinite power not surpassed by anything else within the Verse... an inferno of raging supremacy. Taking a step back, Zalyr pinched the bridge of his nose with an exhausted sigh, only for more mirrors to appear around him as soon as he'd lifted his gaze. These were different from the one that had originally manifested before him however, the glow of which had long since faded along with the slab itself, as each contained what appeared to be fragments of his personal alchemy.
His spark.
His being...
Approaching the first mirror to his right, he gazed upon its latticework deeply and found himself presented with a cascade of choice unparalleled, albeit only the first in this long journey of self-discovery. He could not say how he knew this, perhaps it was a feeling implanted in him by the panes themselves, only that he did. Thus he ran his fingers along the glass and began to change the first aspect of his newly formed divine being, aligning himself with the sign of the Inheritor, a final culmination of power eons in the making. A cosmic birthright requiring the deaths of many beings far less powerful than he, all for the express purpose of bringing him forth and into being, though for what purpose or grand design he could not yet say. For Zalyr himself lacked the ability to comprehend the sheer expanse of possibility lying in wait before him. Despite this he pressed on, moving to the second aspect that surfaced most strongly in the depths of his mind, that of Royalty. Royalty in this instance is not something revealed nor learned, but conquered, for the sigil is only attainable by those who desire it least. Zalyr knew it would be something he would have to confront and overcome if he were to attain his destiny as laid out by his cosmic forebears.
At length, however, he moved to the next pane. Confident in his paths of transcendence as they presently stood, for through Inheritance he would achieve Royalty, and thus the ability to bestow his powers upon another when his time on this level of existence was done. Casting his gaze upon it, Zalyr stared at the glass intently as more fragments of himself slowly drifted back to the surface, carrying with them a series of conflicting drives and desires. Before long however, the trickle had morphed into a torrent, one that would have drowned him had he not made a conscious effort to shield his mind and filter out some of the more uninteresting choices. Withdrawing deeper into himself, he examined what was left, only to find himself drawn to the same goal time and time again... Amaranth. Or finding it, rather. There was just something about it—about reaching a state of enlightenment even higher than the one he was currently at—that fascinated him.
It was because of this that he chose it.
Because of this that he exalted the attainment of Amaranth above and beyond everything else, though this was not to say that he lacked any other desire, it was merely that his desire to achieve Amaranth took the greatest precedent. Zalyr eventually found other drives emerging in its wake; the most powerful of which were a desire for freedom to do with his life and his powers as he pleased, an unquenchable thirst for adventure, and a need not just to show, but also to bring benevolence to the most vile and hopeless corners of the Verse. Rocking back on his heels as the panel went dark and fell away, he plodded his way over to the next mirror in line with a newfound certainty regarding what he would doing with the rest of his seemingly infinite free time. Upon approaching it, however, Zalyr found himself struck with a wave of complete realization. Unlike the previous three panes, he knew exactly what the one standing before him did. To be honest, it made him just the tiniest bit excited, perhaps a tad too much. This panel, pulsing violently with chromatic light, was what would let him tailor the full extent of his power and might, giving him access to abilities truly befitting of a Living God. Once he was finished making his selections, Zalyr moved on to the next pane, his knowledge and might having increased tremendously.
Upon reaching the next panel, Zalyr found his gaze stretching out over what seemed to be entirely different times and places. The specifics of which changed depending on the way in which he decided to view the glass. At this point it didn't take him very long to recognize what he was seeing. It was a series of resources available to him, many of which—such as the opportunity to have as many ideal partners, wives, husbands, and slaves as he'd like—were quite tempting. In the end however, Zalyr decided to follow the path of wisdom, taking multiple stores of cosmic wealth so that he might have nigh limitless amounts of supplies at his disposal, followed by an army of self-replenishing and self-sustaining soldiers equipped with the most powerful abilities and equipment reality had to offer, vast hordes of technological designs, and lastly a single Palace World to serve as his base of operations. A massive garden planet that he named New Vesta. He would not get all of these things immediately however, at least not the armies anyway, for those would have to be conscripted sometime in the very near future. As for the rest, New Vesta would be the most likely place his Vaults would appear and thus he made a note to visit it as soon as possible, while the technological designs had been injected directly into his mind the moment he had selected them.
From here he went on to the next pane, floating just above the ground rather than walking as he had done before, a show of his burgeoning might. This one in particular was unlike the rest, for it showed him the faces of people rather than powers or things. And while he did not recognize them, he did recognize what this panel was for. These were the beings who would stand by him though thick and thin, people he could call allies and perhaps friends, though not any time soon causally speaking. While he chose them here, he would still need to find them out there in the nigh-infinite expanse of the Verse, and complicating matters was the fact that he had no idea who they personally were. Merely their titles and a vague description of their skills.
But that, of course, was where the fun lay.
In any case, Zalyr proceeded to make his choice. The first member of his future menagerie was the Attendant, a person skilled in overseeing all the tasks he himself would not be able to manage, the second a being known only as the Advisor, an individual he may defer to when a course of action is unclear, and the third an individual known only as the Herald, an unflinchingly loyal guard and warrior of immense might. With this done he dispelled the panel with the slightest flick of his wrist, skipping the next panel in line despite the vital nature of its contents. For it governed his relation to the various organizations and factions that inhabited the Verse long before his ascension, though in this one instance he decided to leave his interactions with them entirely up to chance. Thus he came to the last pane in his journey. The final fragment of his cosmic self. Gazing upon it, Zalyr selected what manner of phenomenon his adventures throughout the Verse would contain. Once he had chosen, he watched as the pane of glass shattered and fell away, revealing a shimmering portal to the Verse beyond.
Taking a deep breath, he stepped through...
~END OF BOOK I~
DELETED jdl3932 Sok Il-Seong / (Second Initiation)
Banned
Seen
7 mos ago
Another story, this time entirely original.
I sit at my desk, as I am want to do most evenings, the kerosene lamp to my right flickering dimly. Its flame running low as I marched onward into the long night, the scratching of my pen against parchment the only sound to be heard in the cramped room aside from my sighs of protest. Protest at the prospect of yet another sleepless night spent shackled here to this damned journal. Another night of having my eyes bound to its worn pages. Yet I cannot rest, not yet. My mind is too full for that. Too bloated with the experiences of a distant and alien world. And so I sit across from the window overlooking the sea and its dark foaming waves. The lamp, shelves, and polished oak desk my only companions in this desolate space. As for the world, well I suppose I should get to describing it, shouldn't I? Lest my mind collapse under the weight of its strangeness.
I learned of its existence around two nights or so ago, when I found myself drifting through an endless abyss of hushed stone and broken whispers. I was, for some strange reason, unable to recall how I got to this place, nor was I able to tell for certain in which direction I was falling. Only that I was falling somewhere. After a while, however, I could see a faint light slowly fade into view, its piercing radiance gradually dispelling more of the inky veil around me the closer I got. Until, at long last, the darkness fled and I was left awash in an earthen sea. Its coarse waves stinging my eyes and stealing my breath as they buffeted me to and fro in a primal fury, one after the other, until I thought I might be drowned. Then, just as I reached the crest of panic, just as another wave of liquid earth rose up in greed to strike me down, I felt a hand take hold of my collar and pull me ashore. Or what I assumed was the shore anyway. It was solid at the very least, unlike the roiling ocean of dirt around me. Sitting up, I began to cough, hacking up bits of soil and rock, each time more certain than the last that these tiny particulates had left minute cuts to blossom inside my lungs. But, of course, there was nothing I could do about that. Even if there were any trained physicians here, I doubt they would be skilled enough to heal such imperceptible ills.
Brushing myself off as best I could, as the "water" clung to my clothes in a fashion similar to mud, I turned round to greet my savior, only to be met with the weirdest creature I had ever laid eyes on. It was a tall figure, lithe in form, with a decaying book for a body and a tangled mess of black coils for limbs. But its face, however, was quite the opposite. Delicate and beautiful, it shone with a feminine radiance, one that was framed perfectly by a cascading waterfall of snow white hair. Blinking, I gathered my wits about me and approached the figure, opting to focus on its face rather than the strangeness lurking below. Meeting it's gaze with mine own, I saw that its eyes were deep purple in hue, similar in color to that of an amethyst. Not that unnerving of a trait when compared to the rest of its form, but something that was out of the ordinary nonetheless.
"Um... excuse me... miss?" I stammered, finding it difficult to convert my thoughts into words. "Cou... could you tell me where I am?"
The creature continued to stare at me through unblinking amethyst eyes, its coils flicking back and forth idly, before finally responding.
"Why my dear child," it began, hair blowing listlessly in the rhythmic winds. "You are in ANYM."
Its voice felt soothing, like a healing salve or cool spring breeze, and I found myself set at ease immediately despite the outlandish nature of my surroundings. This revelation did not, however, give me a clearer idea of where I was. I had never heard of a place called ANYM in all my life, nor had I seen any place on Earth that was its equal in terms of strangeness. What place had earthen seas after all? Or was inhabited by abstract creatures like the one that stood before me? No place, that was what. At least no place on Earth anyway. So was this another world entirely? But if that were the case, then how had I gotten here? That void I had fallen through possessed no stars that I could see. No distant pinpricks of light to illuminate my path save for the one that had consumed me in its brilliance. So it couldn't have been space, that much was clear. And if it was not that black abyss encircling our home through which I fell, then was this truly another world I was on? Or just some strange fever dream brought on by an overabundance of work and lack of proper sleep?
Shaking my head, I pushed that thought from my mind. It hardly mattered now in either case.
I was here and that was that.
Might as well make the best of it.
"I... see," I replied slowly, letting the words roll off my tongue. "And who are you?"
The being smiled, and I felt a faint warmth bloom within my chest.
"I am SHE WHO GUIDES," it said, bowing slightly, a movement that caused several mold eaten pages to fall out of its voluminous body. "The one who will aid you on your journey through this land, which must no doubt seem very strange to you, as I have done for many others."
"Others?" I asked, furrowing my brow. "Other people have been here before?"
"Why yes, child," SHE WHO GUIDES inclined her head toward me. "Many others, each one from a different waking world. But fret not young one, for you shall meet them soon enough."
"Meet them? You mean they are still here?" I asked, gazing out at the earthen sea, which seemed to stretch off into infinity.
"Of course my child, where else would they be?" SHE WHO GUIDES said, as though the answer were obvious. "Four are they in number, each lord to a house. One of Awakening, one of Nomenclature, one of Yoctoseconds, and one of Malléables."
"I see," I muttered, scratching the side of my head as I absorbed that information.
"But be wary child," SHE WHO GUIDES went on, seemingly oblivious to my response. "For there is another houseless being here, like myself, who is a blight on this land. A dark being, cruel and callous, who will seek to hinder your journey above all else. It will not rest in its pursuit of you, no matter how high or how deep you may go, and once it has you..."
I felt my heartbeat quicken and my breath hitch.
"It will destroy you."
Although she delivered this line with a quiet softness, it did little to lessen the spine-chilling implications. For though she did not go into detail on the manner in which this destroyer would steal away my life, I could feel in the depths of my soul that-no matter the method-the end result would be a fate worse than death.
"And how will I recognize this being?" I asked, eager to learn the signs of its coming, so that I might better avoid its wrath. "Or by what manner shall I know of its approach?"
"By the hairs of your body standing on end and the chill prickling of your flesh as it draws closer," she replied, her tone becoming serious. "For you shall never see this creature, such is its nature, but it shall always be at your back, just as I will always be at your side."
"I will keep what you have said in mind," I said, flicking a stray bit of dirt off my coat. "Now, about those lords and houses you mentioned..."
I paused briefly to wet my throat with what little saliva I had left, before continuing.
"How do I get to them?" I asked. "Is there a path of some sort?"
SHE WHO GUIDES nodded.
"Yes child, though you will not like it," she said, her angelic expression becoming tinged with sympathy. "In order to reach House Awakening, you must master acceptance, for that is the first step to truly awakening what is inside. And, in order to master acceptance, you must first face the thing you hate..."
She gazed out at the ocean of churning earth, a knowing look in her eye, before turning back to me.
"You must face the sea."
I followed her gaze and felt my nose crinkle in disgust. I was not a neat freak or perfectionist by any stretch of the imagination, but the very idea of having to immerse myself within that roiling maelstrom of grit once more made my skin crawl and my lungs burn as I recalled my near-death experience only minutes prior. Sighing resignedly, I tugged at the hem of my garment, taking a few tentative steps towards the edge of the platform.
"Well," I began, my nerves aflame as I stared down at the churning mass. "Better get on with it."
Closing my eyes, relaxing my body, and taking in what would no doubt be my last breath of fresh air for quite a while, I allowed myself to fall into the sea's waiting embrace. It was naught but a few seconds before I became immersed in the stuff, its coarse depths once again tearing and scraping at my tender flesh, threatening to send me into yet another fit of panic. Of fear. So out of pure instinct I reflected on the words of my guide and found myself soothed once more. Calm. Accepting. It was then that I felt it. A wall of gelatinous warmth, undulating and pulsing, only feet away from my fumbling hands. Reaching out, I pushed through the viscous barrier and found myself clambering out onto something solid. Bending over, I moved to wipe the dirt from my hands, only to find it gone. Opening my eyes, I saw the soiled outline of my body cut through the shifting mass on the other side of the wall, now the floor, vanish as quickly as it had come. Directing my gaze upwards, I was confronted with a flat plane of transparent glass, the center of which was dominated by a fortress of ruinous possibility.
House Awakening...
~House Awakening~
I sit at my desk, as I am want to do most evenings, the kerosene lamp to my right flickering dimly. Its flame running low as I marched onward into the long night, the scratching of my pen against parchment the only sound to be heard in the cramped room aside from my sighs of protest. Protest at the prospect of yet another sleepless night spent shackled here to this damned journal. Another night of having my eyes bound to its worn pages. Yet I cannot rest, not yet. My mind is too full for that. Too bloated with the experiences of a distant and alien world. And so I sit across from the window overlooking the sea and its dark foaming waves. The lamp, shelves, and polished oak desk my only companions in this desolate space. As for the world, well I suppose I should get to describing it, shouldn't I? Lest my mind collapse under the weight of its strangeness.
I learned of its existence around two nights or so ago, when I found myself drifting through an endless abyss of hushed stone and broken whispers. I was, for some strange reason, unable to recall how I got to this place, nor was I able to tell for certain in which direction I was falling. Only that I was falling somewhere. After a while, however, I could see a faint light slowly fade into view, its piercing radiance gradually dispelling more of the inky veil around me the closer I got. Until, at long last, the darkness fled and I was left awash in an earthen sea. Its coarse waves stinging my eyes and stealing my breath as they buffeted me to and fro in a primal fury, one after the other, until I thought I might be drowned. Then, just as I reached the crest of panic, just as another wave of liquid earth rose up in greed to strike me down, I felt a hand take hold of my collar and pull me ashore. Or what I assumed was the shore anyway. It was solid at the very least, unlike the roiling ocean of dirt around me. Sitting up, I began to cough, hacking up bits of soil and rock, each time more certain than the last that these tiny particulates had left minute cuts to blossom inside my lungs. But, of course, there was nothing I could do about that. Even if there were any trained physicians here, I doubt they would be skilled enough to heal such imperceptible ills.
Brushing myself off as best I could, as the "water" clung to my clothes in a fashion similar to mud, I turned round to greet my savior, only to be met with the weirdest creature I had ever laid eyes on. It was a tall figure, lithe in form, with a decaying book for a body and a tangled mess of black coils for limbs. But its face, however, was quite the opposite. Delicate and beautiful, it shone with a feminine radiance, one that was framed perfectly by a cascading waterfall of snow white hair. Blinking, I gathered my wits about me and approached the figure, opting to focus on its face rather than the strangeness lurking below. Meeting it's gaze with mine own, I saw that its eyes were deep purple in hue, similar in color to that of an amethyst. Not that unnerving of a trait when compared to the rest of its form, but something that was out of the ordinary nonetheless.
"Um... excuse me... miss?" I stammered, finding it difficult to convert my thoughts into words. "Cou... could you tell me where I am?"
The creature continued to stare at me through unblinking amethyst eyes, its coils flicking back and forth idly, before finally responding.
"Why my dear child," it began, hair blowing listlessly in the rhythmic winds. "You are in ANYM."
Its voice felt soothing, like a healing salve or cool spring breeze, and I found myself set at ease immediately despite the outlandish nature of my surroundings. This revelation did not, however, give me a clearer idea of where I was. I had never heard of a place called ANYM in all my life, nor had I seen any place on Earth that was its equal in terms of strangeness. What place had earthen seas after all? Or was inhabited by abstract creatures like the one that stood before me? No place, that was what. At least no place on Earth anyway. So was this another world entirely? But if that were the case, then how had I gotten here? That void I had fallen through possessed no stars that I could see. No distant pinpricks of light to illuminate my path save for the one that had consumed me in its brilliance. So it couldn't have been space, that much was clear. And if it was not that black abyss encircling our home through which I fell, then was this truly another world I was on? Or just some strange fever dream brought on by an overabundance of work and lack of proper sleep?
Shaking my head, I pushed that thought from my mind. It hardly mattered now in either case.
I was here and that was that.
Might as well make the best of it.
"I... see," I replied slowly, letting the words roll off my tongue. "And who are you?"
The being smiled, and I felt a faint warmth bloom within my chest.
"I am SHE WHO GUIDES," it said, bowing slightly, a movement that caused several mold eaten pages to fall out of its voluminous body. "The one who will aid you on your journey through this land, which must no doubt seem very strange to you, as I have done for many others."
"Others?" I asked, furrowing my brow. "Other people have been here before?"
"Why yes, child," SHE WHO GUIDES inclined her head toward me. "Many others, each one from a different waking world. But fret not young one, for you shall meet them soon enough."
"Meet them? You mean they are still here?" I asked, gazing out at the earthen sea, which seemed to stretch off into infinity.
"Of course my child, where else would they be?" SHE WHO GUIDES said, as though the answer were obvious. "Four are they in number, each lord to a house. One of Awakening, one of Nomenclature, one of Yoctoseconds, and one of Malléables."
"I see," I muttered, scratching the side of my head as I absorbed that information.
"But be wary child," SHE WHO GUIDES went on, seemingly oblivious to my response. "For there is another houseless being here, like myself, who is a blight on this land. A dark being, cruel and callous, who will seek to hinder your journey above all else. It will not rest in its pursuit of you, no matter how high or how deep you may go, and once it has you..."
I felt my heartbeat quicken and my breath hitch.
"It will destroy you."
Although she delivered this line with a quiet softness, it did little to lessen the spine-chilling implications. For though she did not go into detail on the manner in which this destroyer would steal away my life, I could feel in the depths of my soul that-no matter the method-the end result would be a fate worse than death.
"And how will I recognize this being?" I asked, eager to learn the signs of its coming, so that I might better avoid its wrath. "Or by what manner shall I know of its approach?"
"By the hairs of your body standing on end and the chill prickling of your flesh as it draws closer," she replied, her tone becoming serious. "For you shall never see this creature, such is its nature, but it shall always be at your back, just as I will always be at your side."
"I will keep what you have said in mind," I said, flicking a stray bit of dirt off my coat. "Now, about those lords and houses you mentioned..."
I paused briefly to wet my throat with what little saliva I had left, before continuing.
"How do I get to them?" I asked. "Is there a path of some sort?"
SHE WHO GUIDES nodded.
"Yes child, though you will not like it," she said, her angelic expression becoming tinged with sympathy. "In order to reach House Awakening, you must master acceptance, for that is the first step to truly awakening what is inside. And, in order to master acceptance, you must first face the thing you hate..."
She gazed out at the ocean of churning earth, a knowing look in her eye, before turning back to me.
"You must face the sea."
I followed her gaze and felt my nose crinkle in disgust. I was not a neat freak or perfectionist by any stretch of the imagination, but the very idea of having to immerse myself within that roiling maelstrom of grit once more made my skin crawl and my lungs burn as I recalled my near-death experience only minutes prior. Sighing resignedly, I tugged at the hem of my garment, taking a few tentative steps towards the edge of the platform.
"Well," I began, my nerves aflame as I stared down at the churning mass. "Better get on with it."
Closing my eyes, relaxing my body, and taking in what would no doubt be my last breath of fresh air for quite a while, I allowed myself to fall into the sea's waiting embrace. It was naught but a few seconds before I became immersed in the stuff, its coarse depths once again tearing and scraping at my tender flesh, threatening to send me into yet another fit of panic. Of fear. So out of pure instinct I reflected on the words of my guide and found myself soothed once more. Calm. Accepting. It was then that I felt it. A wall of gelatinous warmth, undulating and pulsing, only feet away from my fumbling hands. Reaching out, I pushed through the viscous barrier and found myself clambering out onto something solid. Bending over, I moved to wipe the dirt from my hands, only to find it gone. Opening my eyes, I saw the soiled outline of my body cut through the shifting mass on the other side of the wall, now the floor, vanish as quickly as it had come. Directing my gaze upwards, I was confronted with a flat plane of transparent glass, the center of which was dominated by a fortress of ruinous possibility.
House Awakening...
~END OF PART ONE~
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