Peace, something so many desire yet so few can appreciate.
A calm wind drifted across the frozen shore of North Crown. South of Verzak sand swept idly along the great dunes. Along the borders of the four great isles the waves gently caressed the shores to the sway of the celestial bodies overhead. The land was pleasantly warm from the sun's golden rays, the vast swaths of vegetation greedily reaching out to claim sustenance from it's very touch. Left alone it very well seemed like the land was truly in a peace of it's own. It could only last so long as, with the setting of the sun, the plots of man and god alike were set into motion.
As the final rays receded beneath the horizon, the sun on it's way to bring day to the other side of this pleasantly green and blue orb, a different sort of light made it's way through the forest. The light of torches weaved between the trees, primitive men and women clad in furs running forth wielding these burning tools along with spears and stone studded clubs in their grasp. Leading these warriors was a man who stood tall above the rest, wearing the skull of a large lizard upon his own head. Protecting his shoulders were pauldrons fashioned from a creature's rib cage, lit torches fixed to them which allowed him to wear the flames in a manner of speaking. The rest all wore headgear wrought from the skulls of various beasts and even other humans but it was clear from the size and impressiveness of his attire that the tall man was their leader.
Meanwhile down the ways were another tribe's village. In the middle of their ring of tents which were largely just long branches tied at the top and covered with hide was a quaint campfire surrounded with celebrating villagers. They had great success with a recent hunt bringing much meat, many gathered berries and varied herbs. As they celebrated with dancing and festivity they cooked the flesh of the deer they had slain. Just before they could begin the great feast however some of them caught sight of the lights approaching them. They stopped and looked on, unaware that the approaching lights were the fires of battle swiftly approaching.
_
A woman's scream cut through the air as a spear was hurled forth from the clearing between trees, lodging itself deep within a man's abdomen. Swiftly their hunters rushed for their weapons but the invaders were upon them well before they were ready to fight back. A brutal massacre ensued as the warriors mauled the men who had yet to arm themselves before turning to face the small few who emerged from their tents, spears now in hand. The leader of the warriors faced down the head of the village. The tall man with the burning pauldrons wielded a large ceremonial wooden staff topped with a clay brazier which housed a particularly strong flame within it. In his other hand he wielded a large stone tied with dried sinew to a short piece of wood which served as the handle to his primitive hammer.
Across from him the head of the village was little more than an old man who was quite a bit smaller framed than the warrior's leader, wielding a paltry stone knife which was used far more for cutting meat from slain animals and far less for battling fire laden chieftains. Seeing the disparity between himself and his attacker the head of the village dropped his knife before dropping to his knees, looking up to the tall man with tears in his eyes.
"Please spare us! You've won, let us leave with our lives!" The old man begged, silently praying to Hayim for the safety of him and his tribe whilst the tall man sneered down at him. The old man's pleas were met with deep, thunderous laughter from the tall man. Rather than answer the head who groveled before him he kicked the man down, pinning him to the earth with his foot as he stared down with cruel delight. Tipping his staff forward a strange liquid coated in fire poured from the edge of the brazier, flowing down upon the village head's face. The old man screamed in agony, thrashing helplessly but only succeeding in helping the burning fluids splash across his face, covering his entire head in fire. The fire clad leader breathed the smoke in deeply, taking in the smell of the strange alchemy mingling with the scent of burning flesh. It smelled kind of like bacon which put a sickening grin upon his chiseled face.
The tents were all put to the flame. With all resistance slain the warriors held aloft their torches and cheered in victory. With a loud clearing of his throat the leader quelled the cheers to silence as all attention was on him.
"The hands will remain with me to secure the food and women we've already captured." He gestured to his greatest warriors, men and women who were painted with a hand print above their heart which was made with a bright red dye.
"As for the rest of you, go forth into the woods! Kill the men, capture the women, let none escape our fire's wrath!" His voice boomed as he proclaimed his orders. Those who weren't staying with him to secure their prizes set forth into the woods, cheering and howling with torches and weapons in hand as they chased after those who had fled.
_
Through the woods fled a girl clad in a simple brown dress. Tears flushed her large chestnut colored eyes as everything she had ever known was destroyed in a blaze of fire brought upon by the savage tribe from the south. Behind her she could hear her pursuer, a large man who's heavy feet beat the forest floor loudly as he hooted and hollered in his chase. Her chest and lungs hurt as she pushed herself to her utmost capacity to run as fast as she could lest she be killed or worse by these murderous fiends. Thorned bushes and branches clawed across her as the forced her way through, her skin accruing minor cuts while her dress sustained several small rips and holes.
Taking her first glance behind her, the brutish thug still keeping up with her despite her best efforts, she had failed to see the short yet sudden drop ahead. As her foot gave way she exclaimed with a short sharp note of surprise as she fell, tumbling down the dirt cliff side. After a short tumble she came to a swift stop, skidding down the along her side until she hit the very bottom. She shot up, heart racing a mile a minute as her eyes were drawn up to the approaching light of the torch's flame. Quickly looking left and right her panic was screaming at her to make a decision. She could of ran but her body ached from pain and effort. Having seen the man in pursuit of her she wasn't sure he'd grown anywhere nearly as fatigued as her over this race of theirs.
She saw a recess in the face of the small cliff. While she risked discovery and capture by remaining she had little faith in her ability to outrun the man and thus chose to hide then and there. Tucking herself in the narrow recess within the short dirt wall she could hear the heavy slapping of the warrior's thick feet less than an arm's length above her. The sound of his movement stopped quite suddenly as he stood still at the edge of the little rise. From his position he couldn't see where she had went even though just moments ago he was just about to close the distance between them to where he could grab her.
Her breath was held tight. She was too afraid to make any noise whatsoever given how close the man was to her hiding spot. As the man stood still, not uttering a word, the silence the woods around her was positively deafening. All of a sudden there was a great thud which shattered the stillness of the air. She was able to feel the tremors of his landing as he had jumped down from the top of the little cliff and landed like a god had simply dropped a human statue there. Her chest was tight, her whole body wound like tightly woven fibers as she peeked from the edge of the dirt crevice. The man's torch illuminated the area around him, the light scraping right along the edge of her hiding spot.
"Come out come out little girly! We only want to plaaay~" The man taunted as his eyes continued to scan across the forest ahead of him for any traces of her. His rotten words sickened her to her very core and if it weren't for the very real terror which gripped her heart right then she would of felt nothing but hate more searing than the very torches they brandish. The moment she saw the whites of his eyes she immediately ducked back into her hiding spot. Her back was up against the wall so hard she left an impression of herself in the dirt it consisted of.
It was too late however. He had seen the faint shadow of movement out from the corner of his eye. She could not see him but she could hear him crushing grass and other flora underfoot as he approached her hiding place. She had never known fear so real as it was right then. Right before the very moment his torch's light crested past the edge of the small recess she suddenly felt a hand wrap around her face, smothering her mouth so no sound could escape. This sudden grasp shocked her, causing her to let out a muffled scream. In that very instant nearly a hundred more hands emerged from the darkness, grabbing every part of her to the point of holding her perfectly immobile. The world rushed around her as she felt herself pulled through the wall which was very much solid less than a second ago.
The bulky warrior stepped forward, looking into the cleft in the cliff having heard the stifled cry only to be faced with a perfectly unoccupied space, not a girl in sight. Not entirely sure if he wasn't just hearing things he decided to set his sights back on the woods ahead. He was disgruntled with having lost sight of the girl despite being so very close to his prey so he continued to sweep the area until he was certain she was gone.
She was most definitely gone.
_
Pulled into the dark unknown she struggled in vain as she was whisked away, hands passing her to other hands which served to funnel her down what felt like one long chute lined on all sides with smooth wispy hands which served to slow and control her descent. She screamed into the seemingly infinite blackness, a darkness so deep that not even echoes returned.
All of a sudden she felt a natural breeze upon her skin once more, not the touch of countless fingers that once carried her. She sat up, the feeling of grass against her legs and palms. Gazing out from the shadow she was sat in she could see a new forest bathed in silvery moonlight. No longer could she hear the crackling of distant fires nor the din of warriors sacking her home. The air was alive with the sounds of crickets chirping their nightly chorus.
Still in shock from this sudden development she pushed herself up to her feet and looked around in a thorough examination of the environment in the hopes of figuring out where she was. It took some time but after some thinking the facts clicked into place. She was on the early climb of a mountainside. Her mother had explained to her before that their village would trade with the people of the caverns, exchanging furs and meat for stone tools and flint for starting fires. She shuddered at even the thought of fire now though.
Deciding on a way to go she noticed something else. Sat next to where she was placed down was a big leaf, far bigger than any she had ever seen. It appeared to contain something seeing as it was tied up at the ends with vine fibers. Looking inside she saw various fruits safely stored within. She had never seen such fruits before, they were much larger and more interesting than any of the vegetables she had seen growing in her native forest. She wondered what they tasted like.
Looking around she could see nowhere this leaf or it's contents could have fallen from. There were no traces of anyone nearby and no explanation for anything that just happened.
"There's only one explanation for this..." She paused, the conclusion dawning on her.
"Our god, Hayim, must have protected me!" It was all clear now. She was whisked away through the power of the forest and provided food for the trip ahead of her now that her home was destroyed. Tying the leaf back up to keep the food secure she scooped it up before looking out into the night sky with all it's marvelous stars.
"When I get to the village of the cavern people I should prepare an offering of flowers for him in thanks for his great kindness!"With that said she set began her long trek up the mountain, singing her people's songs of praise to him as she went.
Meanwhile in Oao's Den of Darkness...
There was a visceral
shlpop noise. The goddess Oao had been ensconced within a slick fleshy mould of darkness, casting her senses through it so she might see the world through her domain. The gross onomatopoeia was the result of her pulling herself free from the soft slippery folds of the strange organ of darkness she had designed to hold her in comfort whilst she was busy casting her mind forth.
"Why..." Her voice was a gentle whisper, something so faint and soft it wouldn't even frighten a mouse. She stepped back upon the cavern floor which was entirely lined with a strange slick yet rubbery surface formed from darkness which was cool from the cold which seeped from the very walls of these caverns.
"Why does no one like meEe!?" She wailed in grief as she dropped to her bony little knees in defeat, covering her face with her great long fingers as she felt tears welling up in her deep dark eyes. She shook as a deep sob shuddered up from her chest.
"I... I saved her from capture, placed her somewhere safe and even gave her food to survive the trip... A... And then she thanks
Hayim!?" Clear wet tears ran freely down her shallow cheeks, dripping from her chin as she wept. Too consumed with this sorrow to even bother standing she let herself fall to her side, pulling her knees to her chest as she curled up in the fetal position and continued to cry.
"Everyone h-" sniffle "hates me. They stay under the sun and light fires to keep me away. No matter how I try to protect them nothing will ever like me, not even beasts. They just use me, bringing harm to others by hiding in me. They say I shelter predators but it's not my fault! I'm the victim here, I'm not to blame! I'm not. I'm not..." Clearly having succumbed to her deep depression she simply lays there for some unknowable length of time. As she rests phantasmal shadows start to emerge from the pitch black walls. They begin to form a mild resemblance to the shapes of the other gods and goddesses of the world.
"Look at her. What a pathetic little wretch..." Hissed the shadow of Anu'Varr.
"Such a lowly thing. Almost makes me not interested in peeling it open and shining a light on it's insides. Almost!" Raved the shadow of Iva'Krorh.
"I would devour you but I cannot fathom what revolting taste you would leave in my mouth." Growled the shadow of Naswaru.
"I would be lying if I said she was even worth thinking about. Who am I talking about again?" Snickered the shadow of Iarus.
"You speak truth at last Iarus. Let us banish this filth from memory and perhaps history altogether." Declared the shadow of Dao Rugadh.
"Grrr! I'll burn her to a crisp! Fire time!" Roared the shadow of Ragnagedon.
"Even my underworld's too good for you. Perhaps you belong in the void." Cursed the shadow of Azhriel.
"With you out of the way I'll have a new place to store my vast collection of shiny things!" Cheered the shadow of Ral.
"Back off Ral! I've had my eyes on those caves first!" Argued the shadow of Dirka.
"There's no place in this earth for scum like Oao. Let me strike her out!" Proclaimed the shadow of Ferron.
"Hayim's gonna defecate in your carcass." Giggled the shadow of Hayim.
All of their shadows continued to cast their scorn and hatred upon Oao, slowly circling her as they did. When they spoke they spoke not with the voices of those they depicted but with Oao's own voice. She was the one saying all these things to her. Oao recited their hateful words back at herself, able to multiply her voice so multiple shadows could speak at once but not enough to change the voices. In the end the only person speaking here was her.
"Stop! Please! I beg you. It's not my fault! I never hurt anyone! I never asked for this! Just please... Please..."
Just as the negativity was beginning to overwhelm her the voice were suddenly cut silent as a hand broke through the group, reaching down to her. She looked up only to see large, faceless being formed from darkness. Kneeling down it offered it's tough but tender hand to her. Placing her hand in it's own it carefully lifted her from the cold black floor and into it's loving. Angling into a sitting position it rested her in it's lap, cradling her with it's strong and muscular arms. Letting her tension ease away she cooed softly as it gently stroked her long luscious hair. Letting her hands sit in her lap she gently closed her eyes and breathed in deeply, slowly letting the air escape as she exhaled. Slowly regulating her breathing she slowly eased her tension, the depressive shakes calming to a mild tremble in the fingertips. New shadows emerged from the dark, replacing the cruel facsimiles of the gods and goddesses with faceless human figures.
"Oao, do you want to be our friend?"
"The darkness is a wonderful thing! We should all be more like she is!"
"You do not need to change for us Oao. You are perfect just the way you are!"
"We care for you Oao. We'll never let light touch you, we swear!"
"If it weren't for you I'd be dead. Thank you Oao!"
"Your hair is wonderful but we'd never betray your trust and look, I promise."
"You do so much for Tabrasa! You're amazing!"
"Who needs the light anyway? The darkness can provide everything we need!"
"I love you Oao."
The voices issued compliment after compliment, surrounding her with positive support. In her mind she let herself envision a world where these things were true. A world where a kind, strong lover would be there to support her. A world where people would respect her and thank her for her help. A world where the darkness no longer feared the light. A world where she would no longer have to be afraid. A perfect world. But a perfect world didn't exist. This wasn't that world and deep down she knew it well. Still, for now the only thing she truly wanted was to simply close her eyes and believe the lies she told herself. It was a world she wanted to pretend she lived in.
She could only pretend she was happy.
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