That night, it awoke on my doorstep. I didn't expect it to awaken at all - there were no signs, no omens, nothing hinting at its rising. And yet, when I woke up the day after - since no-one was awake to witness its stirring - the air felt different. Gone was the pleasant summer breeze, replaced now by a more chilly wind. A very faint but putrid odor remained where it rejoined existence - but apart from that, no other traces remained. One could question if it were a dream.164Please respect copyright.PENANAFE0iCYyQog
But do not doubt my sanity, even though I am but a recluse. Years upon years of solitude and study have sharpened my senses for the ethereal. Was it not I who noticed the approach of the Firewing before it could destroy our towns? Was it not I who called forth the Thrice Beheaded when the Everhydra stormed our towns? I know what I noticed, and now it's time for me to act accordingly. I've sent a letter by express, but I'm not very confident they'll hasten their response. Time is hard on others' memories. Years and years have passed, and they have become complacent and lazy. Maybe now they'll remember.
One thing that is known about it - it is very elusive. It leaves no trail until it strikes - and afterwards, it goes back into hiding, leaving only empty husks. With how shallow people are becoming, it might even take a while for the victim's loved ones to even notice something's off. But I'm not here to ramble about society or the young these days, I'm here to find it. So let's keep looking.
Its most likely hiding place would be somewhere in the woods - for although it drains humans of their souls, it would never hurt an animal. The ancient tomes and manuscripts I've pored over all contained this one, strange detail - it would construct some sort of lair somewhere animals would frequent, as to get them to stroll through its lair, masking its scent. It was time to make the trek through the woods behind my shack, looking for the unique odor it emitted.
After a few hours, I though I'd found its nest. Branches were twisted ever so slightly to form a dome, brambles in the undergrowth lost their thorns as to create a soft mat of vegetable matter, some berry bushes that were a lot more prolific as to attract wildlife for its amusement. However, the nest lacked its most telling feature - the noxious smell - so I couldn't be sure. After marking the spot on my map, I had to continue searching. The earlier I found it, the fewer people would get consumed.
After another while, I heard a scream and ran towards it - as fast as my age would allow. I didn't expect any other humans to be around here who could've gotten attacked - I was in the middle of the woods after all and most people were tilling on their fields! And the hunters - they wouldn't have to go this deeps into the forest for their prey as I'd seen plenty of deer, rabbits and pheasants closer to the edge. But it was an unmistakably human scream - and I'd never heard of any creature that could mimic those sounds. My instincts proved correct - there was a man there. However, it must've gotten to him first as all that was left was just his husk - a body without soul, destined to mindlessly continue going. The husk reeked of it, so I knew I was on the right track. But where did it go? And why was this man here?
That last question would solve itself very quickly - I'd somehow reached the edge of the forest. My sense of direction told me this was impossible - I'd been walking in more or less a straight line, and the forest ran for miles and miles! But alas, this was my reality - I'd somehow almost turned back to my own shack, arriving near the village whose gardens I sometimes visited. Was I getting old? Or was it actually twisting geography as well? Either way, nightfall would come soon and even though I'd planned to stay in one of my woodland shelters, my own shack was always a bit more comfortable.
The next week was uneventful - I'd spend my nights searching through my own small library for any clues and my days scouring through the forest, looking for its lair. I found a few more husks and debated giving them peace, but decided against it. I'd find a few more places that resembled a lair for it, but always something was missing - sometimes the odor, sometimes things to attract the local wildlife, sometimes the control over flora. I was close to giving up when I came upon its actual lair.
It was a grotto with its own freshwater source. Strange mosses grow in that cave that made for a perfect natural mattress for it. Plants outside came together subtly to shield the entire cave from view. Shortly, if you didn't know there was a cave before, you wouldn't find it - and even if you would, you wouldn't exit safely. Inside were a pair of rare sapphire-furred foxes, looking very confused. Seems like it had settled in nicely already. Strangely enough, I couldn't spot any husks nearby, it must've hunted further away from its lair.
I then set out to prepare some traps, hoping that mundane tricks would be able to capture or at least restrain the entity for a short time. To this end, I'd brought all kinds of traps - ranging from simple nets to mechanically-triggered cages, from blow darts covered in sleeping agents to elaborate dispensers of incapacitating gasses. I'd only barely covered my tracks and made myself scarce when the entity's scent heralded its approach. It was obviously time for me to hurry to my shelter, only a few hundred meters away.
I awoke deep in the night. The clean forest air had been displaced by the scent of rot, and the trees had twisted to resemble claws scratching the sky. The usually dry dirt floor of the forest felt damp and muddy while the stream nearby had stopped flowing, becoming a mess of still pools - perfect breeding grounds for mosquitoes. My first instinct was to chalk it up to some illusion or dream, but you don't live as long as I did when panicking without a real reason. Then my mind caught up with me - it must've been the entity. It has influence over the environment, after all. It could've done this all to lure me away, so it could drain my soul as well, leaving me to be just another husk.
So I began reciting my wards, over and over. All the way until sunrise I was chanting them. They seemed to help - nothing ate my soul that night. After that grueling time of half-sleep, the sun's rays felt like pure hope - maybe I'd actually survive whatever was happening. Luckily I have some backup rations at each of my shelters, as all of the usually very prolific berry bushes nearby had somehow shriveled and their fruits looked like poison and smelled like death itself. Again I wondered, what had happened to the forest? It was usually so resilient and lively, absolutely not like this disgusting swamp I stood in now. Time to go check on the entity.
While the walk from the cave to my shelter had only taken me twenty minutes last night, this time the swamp caused me to waste almost an hour on sloshing through the mud and still, mosquito-infested pools. When I'd almost arrived, I found two lifeless canine corpses in the mud. The mud had already caked to their fur - which turned out to be sapphire in color. Someone - or rather, something - had killed the foxes! But who would do such a thing? Don't they know that the sapphire foxes protect our forest? For ages we had worshiped the land's creatures, knowing that they protect us and our environment. And then those outsiders show up, with their newfound gods. Shameful that our society fell for it... But I digress, and you must forgive the old their rambling.
I buried the poor creatures a bit away, on a slightly higher outcrop and performed the ancient rituals to ensure their spirits' safety. Then onward again, something was messing with the forest. It was only and hour after sunset when I arrived back at the cave where it had made its lair. The vegetation looked undisturbed, hiding the cave mouth. It looked as pristine as when I'd left it, so I slowly and carefully made my way inside, to check whether or not my traps had worked.
That's when I saw it. No-one had ever seen it before and lived to tell the tale. But here I was, looking upon its majestic, unconscious form. It's surprising how anything this large could be so stealthy - it was easily larger than a moose. It's iridescent and almost transparent scales were crimson in color, like they were shifting in and out of our reality. When I snuck closer and softly touched its hide, it felt extremely rough, like a sandstone boulder. Its shape, though curled up, seemed to suggest it was bipedal, with very powerful hind legs and massive claws. Its head was vaguely simian in shape, but also had some birdlike features. A long line of bony protrusions ran down its neck and back, all the way over its triple tails.
I was worried the does had been too strong, as I didn't see it breathe - but then I remembered that of all entities I'd ever studied or read about, only the shore-dwelling Voidhorse needed to breathe in the traditional way. That's when the worries really started to set in. If I'd only pacified it, and it had slept for ages while the forest was healthy, then what had caused my home to die this quickly? It all didn't make sense.
However, I had to get a sense of the scale of the destruction. How much of my beloved forest had died this quickly? Was my own home shack safe? Were the other people - living in the towns near the forest - affected? I had to find out.
After setting up some smaller wards around the cave, which would allow me to know if anything came here, I made my way back home. It took me hours upon hours to reach a familiar landmark - a very large and strangely smooth rock, engraved with ancient runes. However, I approached it from the wrong direction. I saw the carvings first - which are on the north side of the boulder - but I should have been coming from the south. Something was messing with either geography or my sense of direction again. Now thoroughly confused, I set out to where I thought my closest shelter was, as the sun was setting already. Hours had gone by, and I'd only wasted time slowly making my way through the now soaked bog.
I found my shelter shortly after, but it was not how I left it. The shelters are all warded against wild animals and scavengers, so it couldn't be something natural that dug through my shelter. I didn't understand what could've done this. It was way too early in the year for any migratory entities to be passing through. I was starting to fear that I wasn't dealing only with the majestic, unnamed entity in the cave, but also some other entity which was trying to nest here.
That's when I noticed my wards on the cave going off. Something was going in there, and probably not for any peaceful end. I set out again, now in the twilit swamp, looking for the cave again. Somehow, I kept getting lost while trudging fruitlessly through the mud - it was almost like something was trying to prevent me from reaching the cave again.
I'd maybe struggled for an hour or two when the environment changed once again. Where once stood a lush forest, was now only a dusty plain. Blackened grass ran over softly rolling hills as far as the eye could see, every gust of wind whipped up clouds of dust and sand, where once prolific berry bushes fed the people, no only remained some shriveled, brittle, thorny scrubs. Worrying and terrifying though the sudden change was, it at least allowed me to hasten more. I could now see where I was headed, and started towards the cave, increasing my pace. No longer did I have to avoid bubbling pools of muck, now I once again had solid ground under my feet.
After not much longer, I arrived where the cave looked to be - a gaping mouth in the rock, now. Without the trees to hide the entrance, it was painfully clear to see where it was. However, my senses obviously betrayed me. I had been walking by moonlight, straight here and yet the cave was not here. It had disappeared from view behind a slightly larger hill, and when I crested the top of said hill, the cave was nowhere to be seen. I only saw the barren cliff face. What was happening to reality?
I decided that it would be no good if - when I showed up - I could barely stand on my feet, so I decided to rest there. Usually, I'd make sure to be in one of my shelters to avoid being attacked by wild animals, but I hadn't seen a trace of a single one - except a few more dead sapphire foxes - so I didn't have to worry about being eaten alive.
It was a very uncomfortable night I spent there, under the stars. Nightmare about loss and my previous failures plagued me all night. I woke up almost even more tired then before I went to sleep. Hunger started to set in as well - this environment couldn't provide for anyone. Not even the myriad crickets could be heard. Not a single bird in the skies.
I set out once again, searching for that cave. This time, I closed my eyes and let my sense of direction handle it for me. It was slower but I was confident that I'd at least arrive around the correct spot. About an hour later, I arrived where I hoped to be - I could see the cave again, and this time there were no hills to shield it from me. I hurried towards it, almost frantically. My instincts warned me to not rush all the way there, but proceed with some caution.
As I snuck closer to the cave's mouth, I could start to make out that the original entity was still here - but its crimson scales had lost a lot of their hue, now being more grey-like. Its three tails - which were moving subconsciously the other time - lay on the ground. Its simian head looked to have aged a hundred years. Its signature odor had lost all of its strength - this entity was clearly dying to something. What was killing it? I'd only put it to sleep with my traps and concoctions.
Something was approaching, I sensed it. The only sensible course of action for me was to hide somewhere in the cave and see what was coming. I found a large rock to observe unseen and didn't have to wait long before I could see what else was here.
A large, serpentine head snaked into the cave, easily the size of a cart. It licked the unconscious entity on the floor and seemed to sigh contentedly. The rest of its body can into the cave now too - a mass of spasming tentacles - all right angles but smooth curves at the same time. I sense there's other prey here, I heard in my head. Why don't you come out, Bane-slayer? Wasn't it you who brought me this sacrifice? Wasn't it you who wakened me with this offering of territory? I crept from behind my rock, trembling slightly at the accusations. As you see, it continued, you seem to have broken the seal that kept me underground. I will reward you for that later, but let me first finish the warden's pains, they are so exquisite. I watched the entity - which I now knew was called The Warden - turn to ash. A slight breeze picked up, dispersing the last remains of the entity I had inadvertently killed.164Please respect copyright.PENANAkxl5jrOKGW
Bane-slayer, it began again, I am grateful. What powers shall I reward you with? I froze, not understanding who this entity was, or why it was offering me anything. It moved, looming over me like an inevitable prophecy. What powers do you wish granted to you? Eternal life? I see you already have that. Perhaps you wish to rejuvenate? It kept trying to trick me into accepting its bargain. I just wanted to be home in that instant. It seemed to read my mind, So it is teleportation you desire? That's what you shall have. Before I could do anything, I felt myself being torn from reality.164Please respect copyright.PENANAHvQgFYZvKR
For a brief moment, I was thrown into the infinite void. A miasma of colors tormented my eyes while a cacophony of kaleidoscopic noises assaulted my ears. Strange, impossible mixes of scents forced themselves upon my nose while things that were both hairy and smooth brushed my skin. My mouth held tastes so exquisite and yet so disgusting while the air - if that's what it was - felt glacial and scalding hot at the same time. Stationary yet racing at dazzling speeds, I rushed forwards.
I regained my footing in my own shack and took a few moments to catch my breath. Whatever it was, the newly released entity had not lied. That was teleportation. Then came the second shock - once more the environment had changed. Gone were the grasses and shriveled bushes, replaced by barren rocks. Nothing lived here, only me and the other one. I didn't know if the nearby villages had survived. Not even insects or birds had made it. I had to try and remedy this.
Another two weeks had gone by, where I'd pored over all my tomes and manuscripts while my stocks had slowly diminished. Nothing had revealed itself to me. Then the messenger came, out of breath and starving. He ran inside with a letter then plundered the last of my food and rations. I pretended not to notice and started reading. Apparently the curse had spread far and wide. More and more parts of the land were turning into barren wasteland just like mine. The letter talked about the hardships of the people and the unbelievable loss of livestock. However, right at the end was the final nugget of information I needed. In small handwriting, someone had hastily written, "reminds me of one of the ancients, Gâhar-Adrûn."
Of course! I had been looking for information on the more recent entities. Who would've thought that and entity as old as Gâhar-Adrûn would be imprisoned in a mundane, normal location like this? I ran to my library again, searching frantically for anything I could find on that ancient terror. Finally I knew what to look for, finally I could figure out what needed to be done. After searching again, I found what I had been looking for - the ancient tale of how they had sealed away the ancients, each in a different and remote location on our world.
The ritual back then had involved great magic, the likes of which have never been accessible to humanity, and required one of the participants - The Warden, in a previous iteration, I wager - to sacrifice themselves as the seal and guardian. I was ready to right my wrongs and be the seal for generations to come, but now I had to figure out how to get the powers needed to perform the ritual. That's when it occurred to me - Gâhar had given me the power of teleportation, maybe I could renegotiate to get different powers.
I prepared myself well - what I'd exactly ask for, how I'd word things - and then I set out, in search of my nemesis. Contrarily to The Warden, Gâhar-Adrûn was easy enough to find. I teleported - still the same miserable experience - to its location. It had chosen a nice spot to nest - a rocky outcrop, overlooking the ocean. The waves lapped at the cliffs hundreds of meters below me. A few seagulls flew just far enough away from the shore to not be affected by Gâhar's destruction, and fish were still abundant in the waves. I was so happy to see other living beings that I almost forgot why I'd come there in the first place.
It spoke first - through my mind again, just like before - Bane-slayer, you have come back. It went silent, an awkward silence. "Yes, " I replied after a while, "I came to negotiate." Not for mortal's lives, I hope? I thought for a second - this was not how I hoped it would go. "My powers have suited me well enough, " I slowly and carefully continued, "yet I desire different. While teleportation makes me very fast, it doesn't hold a candle to summoning elementals." It seemed to think for a moment. What use does someone like you have for elementals? We were back on the script I'd prepared, and I almost sighed. "Well, you see, they make for amazing tools. With them, one can achieve anything the heart desires." It seemed to think again. Be gone, liberator, yet return by the next dawn. I teleported away again; it was growing on me.164Please respect copyright.PENANAS6utVKdFdH
That night, I was plagued and haunted by nightmares of torture and flames. The awful experience must've impacted my control over teleportation as this time, I found myself tumbling mid-air instead of on the rocky outcrop above. After panicking for a second, I recomposed myself and attempted to teleport again, with mixed results. I landed half-buried in the rock. Luckily my wards protected me from any bodily harm, so my legs weren't smashed into a pulp. Third time's the charm - I tried again and this time, found myself on the ground.
The sun just started rising, and I felt Gâhar approach. I felt it coming from under the ground, burrowing in a straight line towards me, yet saw it flying from over the sea. It was still a very mysterious entity, and were the situation not as dire, I'd probably taken the time to study it. It seemed to warp reality in strange, indescribable ways.
You came. Surprisingly. I shrugged, "teleportation is not a thing for me. Almost fell to my death in the waves below." It made some sort of gurgling noise, which I assumed was laughter. An unfortunate side-effect of my presence, I'm sure. Anyway, you wanted elementals? I brought up all the enthusiasm I could muster to confirm that, indeed, that's what I wanted. Not very successfully, it seemed. I've seen rocks more enthusiastic about being molten, it continued, but I shall grant your wish. No more changing powers - this is your final chance.164Please respect copyright.PENANALoskF6c5jy
I felt the prowess over space leave my body, as if my soul and mind were being pulled straight out of my body. It took my all not to scream. This might, hurt a little, it pensively spoke into my mind. Then I felt the awaited elemental magic flow into my veins. Finally I could fix my mistake. I thanked the entity profusely and excused myself, summoning an earth elemental to get back home.164Please respect copyright.PENANAmy9yuak3tP
Surprisingly - even though the elemental was quite slow - I was home early and could start preparing. As my mount moved forward, I noticed that all of the quaint villages had simply disappeared. Nothing was left to indicate that for a long time, humanity lived here in the shadows of an ancient forest. Not even ruins remained - it was as if only entities could survive Gâhar-Adrûn's influence.
A few days later, I had everything to start the ritual. Using my new powers, I'd created a small army of elementals to watch out for any intruders - and as power source during the ritual. In spite of the direness of the situation, I decided to go for one final stroll through my beloved lands. That's when I saw how my nemesis was attempting to escape this remote island - the ocean was turning slowly into dust. Where waves sprayed up foam, ashes rained down again. Where once had lain soft sand under calming waves, was now a bone-white desert of dust. Where once kids had thrown rocks at omnipresent seagulls, were only rocks and silence. It gave me the resolve to go back home and continue the ritual, now in a sadder and more nostalgic mood.
Half an hour later, the ritual could start. All my preparation had come to this - weeks of panicked reading, days of looking for the required components, hours of summoning hundreds of elementals. I started the impossibly long chant that would drive Gâhar-Adrûn back underground. An hour had gone by where I'd occasionally consumed an elemental. Then two hours. Three. Four. During the fifth and final hour, some of the furthest elemental scouts I'd sent out, gave their alarms, then disappeared. It must've realized what I was doing and was coming now to stop me.
I kept chanting as long as I could, but it was upon me before I could finish. Not wanting to stop this vital ritual, I kept chanting while summoning more and more elementals in a fruitless attempt to slow it down. My powers were starting to run low, and I'd still need a lot more to finish the ritual too.
Then it struck. Once. I was flown back by the sheer force behind the blow, and it knocked the wind out of my lungs. I desperately searched for breath to continue chanting while it looked perplexed. My wards had protected me from anything but the tumble. I began chanting again and ran inside, hoping to hide somewhere and finish the ritual before it could finish me off.
Inside, a single sapphire fox was waiting for me, looking expectantly. I ignored it and ran for the magically barred basement. The little fox followed me while from outside came two roars so different in sound, they couldn't come from the same being. Actual roars this time, no more mental voices. It piqued my curiosity and - while still chanting - I turned around to see what was happening. Pale, transparent crimson streaks were blocking each of Gâhar-Adrûn's blows, saving my little shack.
I continued chanting while the deafening battle raged on outside. Then, all of a sudden, the red streaks stopped, and one blow later, my shack was gone. With a single swoop of its tentacle, it had thrown away the structure like it was a leaf. Chanting, I ran to the basement again, hoping to reach it before it was too late, but alas, I was thrown through the air again. I mustered the energy to summon one more elemental. The wind embraced me and we rushed off so I could finish the ritual in relative peace. Gâhar-Adrûn pursued me immediately.
Then, in one fell swoop, it killed my elemental. I was thrown through the air again - a familiar feeling at this point - and landed harshly against a boulder. I felt my ribs crack as my wards gave out. I had to hide, right now. With the last of my strength, I managed to hide behind the boulder as I was chanting the final lines of the ritual. My nemesis must've noticed it and started desperately hitting the boulder - the one with the inscriptions. To my surprise, it withstood a few blows before being turned to dust. It prepared the blow to end me as I frantically kept chanting. Right before the blow hit me, bright green light encompassed both of us, and I heard Gâhar-Adrûn scream in my mind, Traitor! You're nothing but a power-hungry warden! Some day, someone will pacify you, and I'll enjoy your pain. I'll slowly drain you of everything. So slowly, that even you won't notice that you're dying until your final breath is upon you. I'll - then the mental sounds ended.164Please respect copyright.PENANANlzBS8kStK
I found myself in a different place now. There was a bright light - slightly off-white in color - in all directions, as far as they eye could see. I wasn't floating or falling, but not standing on something either. I was looking around anxiously when suddenly an array of crimson balls appeared around me. From all directions around me I heard the same calm, soft voice in a stern tone, why did you do it? What was your motivation for setting an ancient one free? I've kept it locked away for aeons, and now you'll become the new seal. But you're less powerful, so it will break away even more easily. I doubt you'd even be strong enough to manifest physically. Perhaps I hadn't thought about this well enough. Perhaps I was just a band-aid on a gushing wound. Perhaps my ignorance would allow Gâhar-Adrûn to roam free sometime in the future.164Please respect copyright.PENANAg15G7gqki5
It continued, judging by your vitals right now, you'll probably die peacefully soon, to become a part of the seal itself. Perhaps that's for the better - it's always harder to kill something without a physical form. The light darkened, becoming a deep red in hue. The crimson orbs - which I now assumed were what was left of The Warden's spirit - started to disperse.164Please respect copyright.PENANAzC3UqfIVmu
Then I saw a vision - the island I'd given my life for. It still looked barren and lifeless, but then the vision sped up time. It would take centuries for life to return to the island. First some grasses would sprout from between cracks in the rocks, then bushes and trees would follow suit. Soon the air would buzzing again with avian activity and the waters would bring forth schools of fish. Even later, mammals would roam the island, wild and free.
It would take aeons more before sentient creatures set foot on the Isle of Gahandur again, and they will look nothing like humanity. I could only hope that they will look after it well, that they will know what hid beneath and shall keep it there, that they will flourish forevermore. As my consciousness started to wane, and I felt myself being absorbed in the seal, I could only hope that they will be smarter, more sensible, wiser than those that had come before.
And then, nothingness. An eternity of nothingness. Perhaps that's what I deserved.164Please respect copyright.PENANAglPlrsf29Y