While I was still standing there— wondering what he meant by that. We heard a loud bang that shook the room.
We both stood there for a moment, wondering what it was, before I asked any question, he opened the purple portal once again and we hurled through it.
Stepping out of the portal— I was standing before a vast dry land, red sky and the sun unusually red in color. I began to wonder where we were.
" We are not in the human realm again" The Sojourner responded to my thoughts quietly.
He continues " The markings behind you, where did you get it?" He asked as he glanced through the mark he claimed to have seen on my back which is completely out of my knowledge.
" What mark " I asked, completely lost and dumbfounded.
" Don't worry, it will all become clear soon enough, that's why we are here" The Sojourner responded, moving forward towards the vast land.
The response sounds cryptic and eccentric. During that time I was standing there in the empty desert. I caught a glance of a bird figure silhouette in front of the red sun.
But, this silhouette is too large to be a bird, it charged towards us, and it began to grow bigger and bigger. Until it was clear enough for me to see a man with wings.
Curly long black hair that fell on his shoulder, he wore sleeveless metallic armor, with a silver bracelet. A wing extended out behind him. And a sword hung by his waist.
" Who is he" as my eyes raced down his body from top to bottom.
" Who is he? "His words clashed with my thoughts, but we're directed to the Sojourner who doesn't look surprised. It seems they knew each other.
He continues " Since when did you begin to mingle with mundanes " His word sounds peevish, it's obvious that he feels irritated by my presence, same could be told with the Sojourner but he makes it less obvious.
" I took no joy in bringing him along if hadn't had the Cursed Rune on him " he responded with a cold silent tone as he moved past the figure with wings.
Then, the wings that extended out from his back were pulled back in. I wish I could ask how he did it. But he seems to be a very hostile creature.
He turned his back on me and moved along with the Sojourner. They left me behind, almost as if they've forgotten that I was here. I felt excluded and lonely.
But I had to know what he meant by the Cursed Rune.
Then the male figure extended his hand forward to the thin air, for a second, the Sojourner also stopped on the same spot.
My thoughts at first was either they were both psychopaths or something is wrong.
In a moment, the ground began to rumble. Then a large building emerges from the dry land, it looks a whole lot like an ancient mansion.
Almost as tall as Vormirem, but hardly reach half of the height. 900 feet tall.
And then I found myself in a mausoleum. It was like a sanctuary. The stench of burning herbs and colognes was so strong that my lungs screamed for fresh air.
To my surprise, The Sojourner and the mysterious man feel none of the pain I was feeling. From the mid air a man descended from the top most part of the building.
" You've brought the vessel that carries the mark of Cursed Rune" his voice echoes in the room. One glance at him, I could tell that he is a sorcerer.
" I guess so, he brought him over," the mysterious man said, pointing at the Sojourner, who was still in one position.
" He ? Doesn't he have a name? " I thought to myself, while my eyes were now fixed on the Sojourner.
The Sorcerer who has now landed gracefully on the surface seems to notice this. He approached me silently.
Glanced through my body like a strange object, moved to my back and held my shoulder.
To think a human will carry the Cursed Rune is quite uncanny. But then, I wonder what lies beyond the facade of this human flesh.
" Excuse me, I don't seem to understand what's going on here. Can someone please demystify this for me. What does cursed rune means" I voiced out after feeling completely uncomfortable and lost by their way of speaking.
There was a dead silence, then the mysterious man managed to approach me with his eyes completely locked into mine.
" My name is Ajax, and you…" he said as he moved closer until there was hardly any space between us. " … carry one of the multiverse paragon of destruction in you" he said casually , almost like it doesn't mean anything.
" What ? Paragon of what ? Is that true ? " He exclaimed in fear and uncertainty, waiting for them to tell me it was all a joke. Then I looked at the Sojourner.
Even without knowing him personally, I found myself turning to him for solace and reassurance
…
Lucien is seen on top of the Vormirem roof. His hand casually shoved inside his pocket.
The breeze slowly brushed his silky hair across his face. He is seen watching the vast land that is deserted while few human slaves are seen working.
Then behind him, a red circle portal opened. And a lady stepped out of it casually.
Her beauty was a quiet spectacle. A cascade of blonde hair, a river of gold, journeyed down the length of her spine. She was draped in a red robe that seemed not just worn, but embraced by her form. With her long face and pointed nose, an air of untouched innocence rested upon her features.
" For what reason is it that you summon me" a gentle soft voice but yet, fierce.
Lucien turned back and walked towards her with his hand in his pocket.
" I need your help" he responded with a casual soft voice, almost with a touch of familiarity.
" And what is it you need " without giving him a chance of informality.
" You once spoke about a Celestial End that betrayed Zephyron. I'd like to know more about it" Lucien responded.
" For what reason? " She asked with a suspicious tone.
Lucien's voice dropped to a conspiratorial murmur, laced with amusement. "And risk tarnishing my purely altruistic reputation? Perish the thought."
There was a dead silence between them, and also a sexual tension. Then she moves away from him and close to the edge of the roof.
"Jason. A mage of immense power, highly respected... even by the Amezors. And then, out of nowhere, he turned rogue and fled the Hegemony. That alone was shocking. But the real mystery began a few months later, when two Celestial Ends followed him." She spoke in a hushed, solemn voice.
A deeper silence descended, a patient and sorrowful presence. A soft breeze stirred,The breeze wandered across the rooftop, its whispered passage only deepening the quiet. Then, without a word, Lucien moved to her left side, his gaze lost in the vast land before them.
" That's almost touching. But I have a feeling that the Sojourner might be involved in this" he broke the silence with his silent sober voice.
" The Sojourner… that being has created quite a fuss in the Hegemony. It will be pleasing if you could bring him before the council" Then she responded, with a tone that shows she is back to her formal self.
Then she turned back to leave. Lucien turned back too.
" Catherine, is there anything I need to know?" Lucien asked.
Without giving any response, she walked right inside the portal.
While this was going on, Clifford was seen hiding behind a chimney listening to the conversation.
" So, not just one, but two Celestial Ends have escaped from Zephyron's Hegemony" Clifford thought to himself as he sweated profusely.
…
I was still standing there, puzzled and lost. Not sure whether I was dreaming or not. Then the Sorcerer approaches me.
" I am The Anachronist inter dimensional sorcerer. Pay close attention to what I'm about to tell you " he explained as he moved towards the green orb that is aloft a brown pillow.
He continues " There are three paragons of destruction in the multiverse; Voidcaller, Dreadspire and Annahilator. These three are the most feared entities across the multiverse.
"No one knows how they came to be, they are called The Undreamers – they do not kill life; they kill the potential for life."
" The quantum possibilities and dreams from which universes are born. They are the end of imagination itself." Anachronist further explained
" Ok ? So how does this ties to me being the vessel of a multiverse paragon of destruction " I asked with a tremulous tone.
" That is the reason why I brought you here" The Sojourner finally speaks up, after a long moment of silence.
" We'll be sending you to an astral plane where you'll get to connect with whichever of the paragon that is sealed within you" Ajax explained as he tossed a large grimoire at Anachronist.
Without giving me a chance to talk. Anachronist began to cast spells and his eyes glowed yellow.
The whole room was filled with wind and I found myself in the middle of a hexagram sign.
The rune at my back was a large hexagram sign, circled with six pentagram signs.
" Ma cos te me SE cosh ! ! !" Anachronist began to ramble different spells and then the cursed runes glowed red and I was enveloped with blue lightning.
My eyes glowed red and I found myself aloft the surface, screaming in pain.
In a blink moment, everything stopped and I fell flat on the floor, unconscious.
" How long do you think he'll be out ?" The Sojourner asked, moving closer to my body, with his arms folded.
" Depends, but one thing is certain, if he dies in there— not only will he die out here too, but he will unleash a cosmic threat and we'll have two cosmic tyrants to worry about" the Anachronist said as he moved to the staircase. Hardly worried.
And just like that, I was expelled into a screaming, infinite womb—a vacuum between space and time, churning with storms that had no sky. Here, in this frantic nothingness, I had come to find a paragon of destruction.
That was how my life as a writer took the oddest turn.
I caught a glimpse of a lone figure, a dark silhouette against the horizon several miles distant. As I moved to close the distance, the land itself seemed to conspire against me—the sky answered with a spear of furious light that struck me down where I stood.
Falling flat on a hard surface. The universe inverted. And I found myself in another deserted world.
From the churning cloud-deck, two colossal worlds emerged, their vast forms breaching the vaporous sea. The entire atmosphere was then suffused with an eerie, dominant green light.
" Great, I'm now on a planet with a green sun," I said silently in a sarcastic tone while I looked around the strange word.
In a brief moment I caught sight of two large avian creatures heading towards me from the sky. I took to my heels, breathing heavily and completely clueless of what to do.
Lost and trapped in a word I do not belong to, searching for an entity I know little or nothing about, without knowing the consequences of what my failure could be.
…
Clifford is seen standing before a man in a tunnel; they both seems to be looking like they must not be caught where they are.
" Why is that you've called me here Clifford, you know how dangerous it is for us to be here" said the man in his late 50s as he moved closer to Clifford who seemed to be rattled.
" I've got new information, apparently, not just High Ends, but Celestial Ends have been escaping from Zephyron's Hegemony." Clifford went straight to the point.
With a surprise expression on his face. The man stood still in one spot.
" This is quite fascinating. Does this mean there are Celestial Ends rebels among Zephyron's army ?" Said the man quietly to himself.
" If we could just find them, there is a chance for us to turn the table" Clifford continues.
While they were having their discussion. They heard a footstep in the tunnel, then a disembodied voice was heard.
" I always knew something was off about you. But I never took you to be a traitor" the voice accused Clifford.
Then the figure appeared to be Lucien, who wore a red suit and his hand casually shoved inside his pocket, as usual.
" Did you really think I didn't notice your presence on the rooftop?" Lucien asked Clifford with a devilish smile on his face.
TO BE CONTINUED…