87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMhFis6Esur
Outside of the palace, a young boy with pale blue eyes and sand- colored hair sat on a bench in the courtyard, again. He was skinny, and his face was freckled. He appeared to be between 15 and 16 years old, but he had been here for about 9 years. Or was it 10? He was never good with time. But however long he had been around, half of that time seemed to be sitting on the same bench, in the same courtyard, for the same reason. Although his perception of time was poor, he seemed to excel at trouble. As he sat, he wondered what the issue was this time. Last time, it was making loud noises while everyone was trying to sleep. The time before that, making other people fly. Most of them were attempts at escaping Merrah and entering Tendrid. All of said attempts failed, and he was caught afterward. One time he accidentally created a sentient pair of pants, so that was cool. He was also caught for trying to communicate with demons. It sounds bad on paper, but due to circumstance, it was probably worse. Trying to cheat a state of being is a dangerous thing to do, and often ends up in accidentally erasing yourself from existence. Well, that’s what the gods say.
His name was Howard. Howard P. Tackett. At least, that’s what Netia told him. He wasn’t too sure what the P stood for, but it had a nice ring to it, so it didn’t bother him much. He had speculated, of course. Maybe it stood for Percy. That didn’t sound too bad. Howard Philip Tackett... Howard Peter Tackett... Howard Percival Tackett. Percival... very fancy. He liked the name Percival. When he figured out what the P stood for, he hoped it was Percival.
He lived in the universe Merrah, the spirit world. Typically, a soul would reside for a few years before meeting their scheduled date of birth, but Howard was a special case. His scheduled date of birth was about 600 years into the future, or somewhere around 150 times what is normal for a soul. And about 8-and-a-half years in, Howard became bored, and his attempts at escaping the universe gradually increased. More than anything, he wanted to get out of this place and enter Tendrid, the physical universe. He wanted to start living his life, rather than be trapped up in here. He wanted to build a house, become a knight, be a hero, hunt dragons, save the world... the usual stuff.
There were 5 gods who watched over what everyone did on Merrah. The god of Death and Dwellings, Jorne, was probably the nicest and most relaxed out of all the gods. He was always calm and level headed, and always addressed everyone with respect. Next was Pollythene, goddess of Sea and Marriage, who had a habit of helping people at the detriment to everyone else, most often herself. Pollythene had taken a liking to Howard, and he was pretty sure that she considered him a son or something. To be honest, it was nice having someone who prioritized your feelings. He didn’t get that very often on Merrah; nobody stuck around long enough. Then there was Iroth, god of Wind and Justice, who tended to agree with Netia, which was annoying, because Netia absolutely refused to let Howard leave Merrah. Other than that, Howard didn’t know much about him. Next was Orina, goddess of Land and Warriors. She had little feelings for Howard, and he suspected that was because he hadn’t triumphed over a bear in hand-to-hand combat. She always told the best stories, though, and admittedly, a part of Howard always wanted to make her proud. Lastly was Netia, goddess of Destiny and Humanity, and as of late, she seemed to be pretty on edge. Jorne had reassured him that she wasn’t always like that, but with some of the raves and rants she’s made about the future and the dangers (which she hasn’t specified), Howard couldn’t have guessed. There was a sixth god, Vorphane, but no one liked to talk about him for some reason.
The chatting inside the palace grew steadily more intense. At first, he just thought they were arguing about what to do with him, like usual. But now, he wasn’t so sure. He must have goofed up super bad, but he typically was aware when he did big things. Then again, the chatting never rose to this level of intensity. And was escalating further and further. Oh boy... maybe he upset the balance of Merrah. Maybe he opened a rift between universes. If that was the case, he hoped the rift led to Tendrid. Howard racked his mind for something he must have done, but in retrospect it all seemed tiny. Too tiny to justify having this heated of a discussion.
“Netia, what are you not telling us?!” shouted a familiar voice suddenly. It was Jorne, and he never got angry. Except for now, it seemed. As usual, Howard’s curiosity demanded a peek, and as usual, his better judgment didn’t put up a fight. He walked up to the back doors and cast a small teleportation spell that Pollythene had taught him. In a blink, he was in the palace. In front of him was a great hall with a long table with Netia at the front, and Jorne and the others at each side. Howard swiftly hid behind a pillar and started listening in.
“It’s none of your concern, trust me on that,” replied Netia crossly. “I’ll sort everything out in due time, so stop pestering me about it!”
“None of our concern??” spoke up Iroth. He usually doesn’t appear for these sorts of conferences, so the fact that he was even present is a bit of a mystery. Usually he comes once to announce his opinions and suggest a course of action, then leave. Hopefully, this meant that the discussion has nothing to do with Howard. “We have all felt this before, and we’re feeling it again. You are amassing power to create another hero,” continued Iroth.
Oh wow... a hero?! This changes everything, thought Howard. Netia only makes heroes when times are really tough, so it couldn’t possibly be his fault. And even then, they vowed to stop making them a long time ago. In a way, that sort of relieved him. But then again... if this discussion isn’t about him, why was he waiting outside?
After Iroth spoke, there was a lingering silence. Finally, Orina started to speak.
“We made a vow,” she began. “After Tora Nakajiwa, there would be no more heroes unless absolutely necessary.”
“Lady Orina is correct. Each time before we have discussed this together, and each time before we agreed that the creation was necessary.
What makes this time different?” said Jorne. Although the talking quieted down, the amount on tension in the air did not shift. Howard felt that it was only a matter of time before they all started shouting again.
“I cannot tell you. Not this time, for your sake. I have created this hero for an entirely different purpose. You will all know eventually,” said Netia. She sounded final. However, this wasn’t the answer anyone wanted, including Howard.
“As gods we deserve to know!” cried Orina, the sound of hands hitting the table echoing throughout the palace. “Before Tendrid, before Merrah, we made a promise to protect each other. We said, ‘Together, we shall make something far greater than any one of us could alone, and together, we shall protect each other together from threats far greater than any one of us alone’!”
“I know, I know!” said Netia. “Please, have the smallest amount of trust in me. I do this all for our sakes.”
Iroth’s booming voice suddenly appeared. “You expend our trust in you like a merchant expends his coins for stock. Your behavior has been impulsive and your words short. I recall this behavior from you only before we banded together.”
“Yes,” said Pollythene. “You seem on edge, quick to snap back. What’s been bothering you?”
Netia sighed. “It is nothing you can solve, not now. I will solve this myself, and before long, all will be well again.”
Howard heard Iroth heave a deep sigh, and then heard the sound of a portal opening and closing.
“Well... what about the boy, Howard?” asked Pollythene. There it is, thought Howard. There’s the reason I was waiting outside. “He’s going to be cooped up for centuries, far longer than anyone else. Can’t we let him go?”
“Polly, I think we both know what happened last time we let someone slip into Tendrid before he was supposed to be born,” replied Netia grimly. Howard knew what she was referring to. She was referring to William Blackmore, the Savior. He was let loose before his time, and wreaked so much havoc that Pollythene herself has to step in and end him and his army. But seriously? He was going to be trapped up in this stupid universe for centuries, and they wont let him out because they think he might turn into the next William or something?
“Y-yes. Right,” said Pollythene. Her voice sounded much more somber suddenly.
Jorne spoke up, his voice soft and inviting as usual. “Do you really believe the boy will cause as much chaos as William did?”
“I very much do!” snapped Netia. “The more I let things slide, the more I shrug and say, ‘sure’, the more bad things that happen! It happened with William, it happened with Raugorath, and it’s going to happen with Howard! The standard must be maintained or it all falls to chaos and nonsense! At least Iroth recognizes that!”
“He’s going to escape eventually,” Orina chimed in. “He has a very determined soul, and this universe can only keep people in so long. Eventually, cracks will show, and people like him will be the first to exploit it.”
Even though it seemed they still weren’t going to let him go, Howard couldn’t help but feel flattered by Orina’s words. Mostly because it was true. He had been trying for the past year to escape, and he wasn’t about to stop now.
“I don’t feel comfortable keeping him locked up in here,” said Jorne. “But I agree that every other time we chose to be lenient in our rules, catastrophe struck.”
“Netia is right. He will... yes, he will stay,” spoke Pollythene softly. Her words seemed to be distant, as if her mind was preoccupied with some sort of memory.
There was a moment of silence before Netia spoke again. “Yes, but until he eventually is let out, I have spoke with Jorne about moving him to a new home. We agreed on the observatory, correct?”
Jorne nodded. “And he will also have first use of the Beholder, correct?”
Netia seemed to hesitate. “Eh... how long until Turner makes his second?”
“I don’t know. Probably less time than the first one.”
Orina spoke up again. “Let the boy have his fun with it. We can wait a little while longer.”
“You realize this is the first time in a century that we have had a method of seeing Tendrid again, right? I just don’t think it’s the right choice to give it to him first,” protested Netia.
“Perhaps it’s not the most beneficial choice to us, but it’s ultimately harmless,” said Jorne. “Maybe you should have a little trust in him, Netia.”
“Fine. All we intended to discuss has been discussed. Meeting over,” sighed Netia, and once again, Howard heard the opening and closing of a portal.
A new home, thought Howard. Maybe he wouldn’t be leaving Merrah anytime soon, but exploring the new home would still be exciting. He heard the sounds of Jorne’s footsteps approaching the giant doors behind him, and Howard suddenly remembered that he was supposed to be outside, on the bench. Swiftly, cast a small spell, and he was on the bench.
Jorne met him outside. “Alright, Howard. In case you were wondering, you haven’t done anything wrong, although those pairs of pants have yet to be seen or heard from. Instead, we have decided to move you out of your old cottage, and into the observatory. From there, you can see Tendrid, and I was told there’s a nice garden out the front of it. Inside, Lady Pollythene will give you a tour.”
***
To say Howard was excited would be an understatement. Jorne had escorted him to the front gates, which were very pretty, and then took his leave. Just inside the gates were indeed a garden, along with the observatory itself. Howard opened the gate and walked along the cobbled path to the large doors. Beside him were roses and tulips, and bushes of flowers. Humming birds and bees zipped around from flower to flower, and the bees made Howard nervous, so he sped up. He reached the large doors and opened them up, and the sound echoed through the large building. Inside, he was greeted by a large circular room, with two doors on the left and right. But just north of him, was a staircase leading up to the glass dome roof. On the railing of the staircase, Pollythene sat there to greet him.
“Hello, dear!” she threw up her arms and rushed to greet him, as if she hadn’t seen him in years. In reality, she visited his old cottage last week. She gave him a big hug. “I just know you’ll absolutely love this place!” Pollythene appeared to be in her mid-thirties, and had deep blue hair. Her eyes were a blueish-green, and she wore large golden bracelets. On her head was her famous pearl tiara, the Seagate. At the center was an orb which looked very similar to the moon. She wore what appeared to be a thin blue dress, with long ribbons that wrapped around her forearm. She also wore very fancy slippers, and a thin gold necklace.
“Hi, Pollythene,” chuckled Howard. “How’s the world?”
“Lots of little prayers and wishes are being made, most them about each other’s safety. Something big might be happening. That, or the warm- water leviathans might be migrating eastward again, and the fishermen are trying to catch them. I think it’s that time of year again... I’d have to check.”
“I thought the warm-water ones were tiny and harmless.”
“Only in comparison to the cold-water ones. Now then, let’s begin the tour!” Pollythene clapped her hands and led Howard upstairs. Up there was the glass dome roof, and an odd contraption at the center, which looked like a gyro-sphere. “Here’s the main attraction, the big glass dome, and the Beholder... I think that’s what it’s called. One of Turner’s wiz-gigs. I can’t say I know how it works, but effectively, it lets you view Tendrid from here.”
“Wow...” gasped Howard. It truly looked marvelous. On the outside was a large silver ring which housed two other rings, crossing into each other, and each covered with lens of varying sizes. At the center was a large glass disc, with a gold-silver rim. Howard was about to reach and touch it, but Pollythene stepped in the way.
“Oh no you don’t,” she said, putting her hands on her hips. “Don’t touch that with your grimy hands, not until you’ve washed them.”
“Oh, right. Sorry.”
“Now then, let’s head back downstairs.” Pollythene then lead Howard downstairs and to the left. “Here you have the kitchen!”
It was a bit small, and most of the room was taken up by a large island in the middle. On the walls were knives of different sizes, and in some jars there were spoons and forks. Compared to his old cottage, this was very fancy. At the center of the island, there was even a marble basin to clean things. Pollythene walked to the marble basic and tapped it with her finger. A soft stream of water spouted up from the center. “There you go, dear. Wash your hands, please!”
“Yep,” replied Howard. He walked over to the basin and started rubbing his hands thoroughly in the water. When he was done, the water disappeared, and Pollythene tossed a rag she found to him, which Howard used to dry his hands off.
Pollythene opened a cabinet. “Aha!” She pulled out a book and handed it to Howard. “That’s a cookbook right there. Should help you fix your own meals.”
Howard set down the rag on the island and took the book, skimming through it. Inside were instructions on how to bake bread, cook meat, make nice salads and soups. There was even a page on cake. He didn’t really understand the measurements being used, but hopefully he could manage bread.
“And now to the second wing.” Pollythene led him back into the large circular room, and walked into the room on the left of the entrance. “Here you have your living quarters, and bathroom.”
Inside the room was a large, fancy bed with a wardrobe next to it. There was also a bookshelf that ran along the wall, filled to the brim with all sorts of different books. Alchemy, magic, history, science, arithmetic, and others. Above the bed was a plaque with the head of an elk, with two shiny swords crossing behind it. The bathroom was also quite fancy, with the entire room being coated in smooth marble. There was even a mirror.
“Alright, I think that’s everything, dear. I’m going to head off and discuss some things with Jorne, but if you need me, just send a letter! There should be some parchment and ink somewhere in this house,” said Pollythene, as she ruffled Howard’s hair affectionately.
“Thanks, Pollythene! I’ll see you around!” called Howard as she left the building.
“Remember to be careful around the Beholder! It’s delicate!” Pollythene called back, and she closed the door.
And so here Howard was, alone in this beautiful house. It took him a few minutes to take it all in. He was beyond excited to see Tendrid, but something had been on his mind for the past hour. What Netia said, “It happened with William, it happened with Raugorath, and it’s going to happen to Howard!” It clearly conveyed that the last thing Netia wants is for Howard to leave, which scared him. If he was getting compared to rampaging conquerors and powerful archfiends, what chance does he have? He had been on Merrah for a total of 3 years now, which wasn’t much, but it felt like barely any time had passed when his scheduled date to leave was 600 years into the future. In the grand scheme of things, a fancy prison is still a prison.
But with some difficulty, Howard managed to push away the negative feelings he had for now, and focus on the cheerier things. He may as well enjoy his fancy prison while he can, and not let those nagging doubts take over his whole day. After all, it was only noon. Howard walked out of his bedroom and up the stairs, into the observing room. The light of day flooded the room, and due to the glass dome nature of the roof, he couldn’t find a single shadow. The Beholder, as Pollythene called it, had a pamphlet placed on top of it. Flipping through the pages, he finally found the activation guide. It said that it was triggered by specific magic... freekensees? Free... Frequances? Howard wasn’t very good at reading, but he hoped that he could infer and assume enough to get by. He made various shapes with his hand, like Pollythene taught him, to focus magic into potential energy. As he made the different shapes, the rings started to shift and turn in different directions. Using the pamphlet’s pictures (thank the gods there were pictures) to figure out what hand movements to do, he got it to connect to Tendrid.
Peering in, he saw an island surrounded by a white sea. There was no sky, only white surrounding the world. Suddenly, he felt some invisible force pull his vision in, as if he were physically there. There magical energies that lingered in the plane’s air intoxicated him as he breathed it in. How was this possible? He was at the safety of the observatory, right? He couldn’t break free, no matter how hard he tried. Then, the whispers came... they spoke of a warning... no, a prophecy...
“VGhpcyBvbGQgaG9wZSwgbXkgdmljdGltCgpNeSB3b3JkcyBoYWQgc2 93biBtYWRuZXNzLCBhIG1pc3Rha2UKClRoaXMgbGFuZ3VhZ2UgSSBzcGVh ayBjYW5ub3QgYmUga25vd24KCk5vdCB3aXRoaW4gdGhlIGNlbnR1cnkgaX Qgd2FzIHNwb2tlbg” it said, though it didn’t talk. It injected the idea of words and numbers into Howard’s head, and forced him to make sense out of it. He could feel it eroding his mind, eating at his sanity... what did it mean? But the whispers kept coming, they wouldn’t stop...
“VGhpcyBvbGQgaG9wZSwgbGllcyBpbiB3YWl0CgpJdCB3YWl0cyBub3 QgZm9yIGl0cyBtYXN0ZXIsIGJ1dCBpdHMgcGVlcnMKCkJhbmlzaGVkIHRvI HRoZSBkaXJ0IGFuZCBzdG9uZQoKQmFuaXNoZWQgdG8gdGhlIGZpcmUgY W5kIGFzaA” it kept saying, it kept forcing, it kept injecting. The letters and numbers didn’t make any sense, and yet it felt as though the message was already translated. The island warped and bent around some kind of force... or was that just his vision?
“No... please...” he heard himself saying. He could feel his arms attempting to pull his head away from the lens, but it wasn’t working. He had no strength.
“VGhpcyBvbGQgaG9wZSwgbWFya2VkIGJ5IGl0cyBtYXN0ZXIKCkkgc3
RyaWtlIGlmIHRoaXMgaG9wZSBpcyBzZWVuCgpUbyBzdG9wIHdoYXQgY2F ubm90IGJlIHN0b3BwZWQKClRvIHByZXNlcnZlIHdoYXQgaXMgZG9vbWVk IHRv—”
Suddenly, Howard heard the crashing of metal against the floor, and the shattering of glass, as a loud BANG took place, like an explosion. He was knocked aside, and his vision of the island broke.
“What the HELL do you think you’re doing?!” shouted someone. Collecting his wits, Howard saw who it was. It was Lady Orina, glaring at him. Behind her was the Beholder, now completely destroyed. She was a large and muscular woman, with autumn-orange eyes and hair. She wore a wreath of glowing flowers on her head like a crown. She had a fur skirt padded with leather, and a shirt with engraved steel on it, with symbols like runes. Even without using her godly powers, Howard was pretty sure she would win a fight against most apex predators. On her back was the large and beautiful bow Winter, and on her side was the small axe Summer.
“I—I...” began Howard, trying to find words. However, he seemed to be pretty scatterbrained. He couldn’t form a single cohesive thought to save his life.
“How long have you been staring? How long?!” Lady Orina demanded.
“J-just a few minutes,” replied Howard. His throat began to hurt as tears started to form in his eyes. Even though his tears were blurring his vision, he could see that the sun was setting.
“Just a few minutes?! What did it say to you?!”
“I don’t know!” wailed Howard. Everything was moving too fast. From words and numbers getting injected into his head, to Lady Orina shouting at him. He felt overwhelmed, and just wanted everything to stop for a few minutes so that he could begin to process what was happening. “It just started saying letters and numbers, and... and... it didn’t make any sense—I don’t know what it means!”
“Stay. Here.” she said, and walked out of his house. Now alone, Howard was left with the ruins of the Beholder. The rings were bent and folded, and glass shards were scattered everywhere. As he looked over the wreckage, his heart plummeted into his stomach. There was the one thing he was excited about. Though the house was nice, all he really cared about was the Beholder. To be able to see Tendrid and all of the kingdoms and castles... At least, that’s what he read about. What he saw was most definitely not what the books had described.
***
After a few minutes, Jorne had stepped in. He walked up to the Beholder. Howard was sitting with his knees close to his chest in a corner.
“Oh my... you look awful, Howard,” noted Jorne as he helped Howard up. It was true, the explosion, did a bit of damage to him. His shirt was torn, and he had many cuts from the glass shards. In fact, his whole body hurt. “This is very important, tell me why you contacted Nothing first.”
Howard was pretty hesitant to talk for fear of his words devolving into tearful blubbering, but he was just as mad as he was disappointed. “I didn’t try to call Nothing!” he cried, his voice breaking (just as he’d feared). “I tried to find Tendrid! I-I didn’t want to and it just found and-and—” By now, he was blubbering tearfully.
“What hand signs did you make?” asked Jorne softly.
Howard didn’t respond, but repeated his hand movements all the same. As he did them, some of the metal shrapnel began to agitate.
“Mm. You made the right signs,” said Jorne, who seemed to immediately recognize the hand symbols. “Iroth will come soon, with some medicine. Please stand by—”
Just then, the doors burst open, and through it came Pollythene and Iroth. Orina followed behind the two, looking disgruntled. Pollythene rushed up the stairs to Howard. “Oh my goodness, what happened to you? Orina, you said the machine just broke! This place looks like a drunk mage had fun in here!”
Iroth and Orina also walked up the stairs, Iroth carrying a pouch of some sort, like a coin purse.
“Will someone explain to me what’s happening right now?” demanded Pollythene.
“It seems that Howard here had tried to contact Tendrid, but Nothing had other plans,” began Jorne. “I believed that’s when you sensed its presence, Lady Orina?”
Orina nodded. “That’s when I rushed over to try and save him from it.” For a brief moment, Howard could detect a deep sadness in her voice. “By then, I could tell it had been talking to him for a while, so I did what needed to be done.”
“Mm. Perhaps its magic was too strong for the poor machine, and it tore itself apart.”
“No, I just hit it with my axe, and it exploded.”
Iroth sighed and opened his coin purse, taking a golden coin from it.
87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUxcfwk2p2W
At the center of the coin was a glass marble. He softly grabbed the back of Howard’s neck, and guided him toward the sunset, as he focused what little sunlight was left through the coin, and onto Howard’s forehead. He kept it there for a few moments before the coin shatter in a small explosion. “His soul is tainted,” declared Iroth, in his deep and booming voice. “I will let Netia know at once. We may have to move again if Nothing is following us.”
“Thank you, Iroth,” said Pollythene. Iroth nodded. All of the gods seemed awfully concerned.
“Jorne, Iroth, Pollythene,” said Orina, starting to head out of Howard’s house. “We have things to discuss.”
“I think it would be best if I stayed with Howard,” began Pollythene, but Jorne cut her off. “Not at all,” he said. “I’ll stay with the boy, you need to discuss the best course of action with the others.”
“Are you sure that’s the best idea?”
“Absolutely! My job nowadays is to sit on a comfortable chair and watch things. Not important at all!”
Pollythene looked a bit hesitant at first, but then Jorne have her an exaggerated wink. She gave him a faint smile, and walked out of the house.
ns 15.158.61.20da2
