The Emerald. A catalyst of otherworldly power capable of harnessing the powers of a God. With its ability to grant anything a soul wishes—every man's desires— its grandeur presence could be abused, corrupted by the hands of evil. And so, it hid itself in the very chasm of the Aldian Mountains. With its presence being discovered by Eiysmr, The Man Marked In Flames, it sought a power that could mask its presence, guarding the very magic that grants desires. It sought the most powerful monstrous being that blazes fiery breaths. Thus, harnessing the shape of the Dragon Ederius, powerful enough to destroy cities after cities—His form harnessed by the Emerald. And so began harnessing more and more.
The caverns… Souls of the hungered evil echoed through the stones… Their saliva drips from stalagmites above.
Footsteps… Echoing through the Cave entrances.
Each step taken resonates along the cavern walls. Each flap of a bat's wings, each sniffle of an Ice gnome, a whine of a dying beast as it slowly perishes from its wounds;
A thud here and there… Sounds resonating through every stone—reverberating. And then, it stopped. And then, a figure: Their body, frail. Their body, weak. Their clothes, ripped and full of dirt. Small and… horrific in sight. Their frame, lighter than that of a man's. And as they turned towards a direction, Left. Darkness dissipates from around them… A splash of purple hue glimmers through the walls: This is no other human…
This is her. Her hair, black as obsidian. Flowing through the cavern breezes like a leaf. Yet, her hair tells horrific stories… She walks around the cavern once again, looking for a way. Towards somewhere… some… thing… She walked and walked. Until then, she finds it. And she turned, eyes glowing purple. Asmodea.
She sauntered towards the other part of the cave, her feet splashing through the thawed ice puddles. As dark as it is, the light from her eyes provides her comfort. An ability to see in the dark using magic. A thing or two, Klavicus, her instructor, taught her.
She arrived. A chasm. The largest part of the caverns. She stood there, staring at the walls. The scaly… stone-like walls.
And as she stared, her eyes glinted with purple, gleaming through the darkness. Like a giant campfire in the middle of the forest. And as she lit it up, A dark, ominous figure crept up in front: Eyes as yellow as gold; breath as hot as lava—body as humongous as the kingdom of emeraldia—Monstrous as herself.
She stood there, waiting. Then she grinned and then chuckled. Then she spoke:
"...I believe that with the strengths of our power, we could be of help to each other?"
"Tear down the walls, remove their barricades…" She added, walking towards the figure slowly.
"...And the flame?" The figure responded, its frame seeable—A monstrous figure of dread. It was seen before… By an ancestor. By Asmodea's great-great-grandfather. However, its shape differs from what he had seen.
"...I'll take care of it," Her breath staggered. Her face, though knowingly filled with dirt and blood, was still full of confidence and aspirations. Her eyebrows furrowed, tilting her head, she adds: "Do you doubt me, Ederius?"
"Are you certain you will succeed?" The monster paused. It took a deep breath as it lowered its head below, facing Asmodea directly. Its breath plunges towards her body like steam coming out of the Wyvlein Volcanoes. "Witch of Emeraldia? "
"...I am more than you thought my power is capable of," She assured. Ederius could see through her sly attitude. The beast's eye gleamed once more, acknowledging her prowess.
"Proceed with that plan accordingly." The caverns shook as he spoke: His declaration bellowed through the caverns. A silent shockwave fills the surrounding area as it spreads across each tunnel of rock formations, the air clearing out every speck of dust and dirt as it flies through the walls; the puddled waters vibrate… There, at a distance, a shadowed beast-like figure emerged from the darkness… The air passes it by, awoken by the sudden vibrations: Their feet clung to the rocky terrain from above as more creatures sprout from the ceiling—
A flock of giant bat-like creatures, their wings attached to their arms, extending up to their hips like a crescent moon, their eye sockets closed shut like a dessicated foreskin. With nothing but a slit in their noses, their inability to see far precedes their sense of hearing and smell… Ears terrifyingly large, a spiral etched inside it as it glows blue, vibrating to the sounds… The creature slowly takes off, unwrapping its wings from its body, revealing a large, deep, gaping hole as its heart beats rapidly, radiating in its incandescent light.
The cave shook once more… Their razor teeth grinding and sharpening together… As the first of its kind flies through the first tunnel, beaming through supersonic speeds. Its heartbeat grew soundly, rapidly pumping a loud, yet inaudible sound of different wavelengths as it glows red, its ears blue. Pumping and pumping different sounds in each sector of the rocky walls, resonating into the others.
And so it grinds and grinds its teeth, and finally, lets out a blood-curdling screech.
And so they follow it. The sound. Where Ederius resides.
Ederius' eyes gleamed a brighter hue of yellow once again, and as he took one deep breath, the dragon stood up and said:
"You must leave, quickly!" The dragon turned—the tunnel reeking of imminent danger.
"What… What are they?" She asked, Her face grew worrisome by the lingered time she spent inside.
"The manifestations of Abomination," Ederius responded, bellowing a grunt as its mouth foamed with orange hues, its stomach echoed a loud gurgling sound as the screeching danger grew louder and faster. "Phiats."
For seconds, the dragon waited, and for seconds, whence the sound came rushing, within supersonic speeds, dozen came crashing towards the humongous beast. Their razor-sharp teeth lunging from limb to limb.
The Dragon's body, to which its humongous figure slowly come crashing down, disturbing the mountains once more.
Ederius is no match for them. The beast spewed a strange gurgle. Its neck flailed, circling the air as if swatting flies with its hand. The beast's stomach gurgled once more as the chasm lit up with the snake's tongue, burning through every creature in the passing vicinity. However, the rocky ceiling was no match for the beast's blaze, as thousands of pebbled rocks came crashing down, pelting the Phiats's reckless movements. Though their motives were far from devouring the beast, no. Their ears spiral into reckless blue, its speed preceding that of sound.
Flickering in the lights, one of them, the smell of human blood echoed through their veins; The monster turns its head, facing Asmodea. Many more came to the other's agreement that Asmodea, her frail presence, is but an easy prey. With their immense speed, they charged right towards her.
With nothing but her life at hand, her legs shaking from an abrupt change in the tides, she quickly turns her body, lunging towards the other end of the tunnel: eyes gleaming with purple hues—rocks crashing down to block the tunnel—thunderous bellows escape from the rocks' in-between, the light from the fiery breaths of Ederius shone through it. Screeches and screams of otherworldly monsters fade through the damaged tunnel. She escaped. Barely. Soon, the cavern she resides in will crumble into piles of rocks…In an unwavering uncertainty. Lying there, her helpless body: Unable to collect herself… The scars that taint her cut-off hands haunt the living life she has.
The caves shook once more—Fell, the rocks once again; pelting the same ground she lay. Once again, her eyes shone purple. Her magic she used to gain equilibrium at a small distance. Wind circled her, lifting the frail form of a body she has. Legs quivering in, weakened by her state. She had used most of her waters. Her eyes flickered again, signalling a retreat of magical prowess. She winced. Placing a hand on her head. It seems that mistreating the works of her magical abilities had given her a migraine. Finally, she took a quick, sharp breath. And as she does, she moves on. And when she did, she hissed through the cold yet warm breath that escaped her mouth. Legs busted up, bruised and bloodied, face wincing in agony. With little to no hope, two amputated hands, busted up legs and little to no magic left to use, she's bound to die any sooner.
"Damn it!" She exclaimed. Squinting her eyes through every throb of her wounded self, she knows that she'll never leave without effort. And with her last resort, she bites her lip—So hard that it bled. It bled red, and her eyes were full. Her eyes were filled. And wind circled her, from her feet to her torso: Unwavered and with resolve, her eyes flickered purple, magic from everything flowed to her hand like a river—Veins colour themselves purple, and it formed. And her hands formed. She grinned, finally helping herself.
For minutes, she stumbled.
For seconds, she stood up—never wavered.
For hours, she looked. The exit, lost.
Removed and gone. Boulders covered it, a speculation she thought hard of.
Yet, she never wavered. Like her brother, she is determined.
Like her brother, she persevered. And when a little light glinted in her eyes…
A dog, she was… When they finally met the master, they longed.
A bird she was, when she soared through jagged terrains that sliced and cut her foot as she wandered through the tunnels.
She walked, and walked. And the light gave her hope.
She walked towards the light. Seeing her brother inside it.
She wanted to grab his hands, but her magic shattered.
Her waters ceased the littlest bit.
But in her eyes, it never mattered; all she wanted was her brother.
But he never saw through her antics; he never did.
That is what drives her now. The hope for her brother.
That hope… drives her mad—crazy, perhaps.
The weather then, swirled in mad;
Damning those who'd wandered through
For Asmodea, it is but foreign lands—
Cold rattled— her bones shivered.
Magic gone, and hope unwavered.
She groaned as frail as the winter snow;
Her legs weakened—A state of disconnection.
Lumped with grass of white-ish hues,
Her smile covered, mellowed blues
Breathing in, relieved and well.
A sound so loud, it is but a bell…
To which Asmodea's eyes opened at last,
Must retreat, to rest and be well.
And so did Asmodea—She hurriedly left…
Footprints she left to be tracked and dealt.
Her breath staggered. Lungs in pain, soles bleeding… It seems Asmodea's in a rougher shape. She wandered through the snowy plains and entered the nearby forests. The kingdom never bothers to deal with the cold because of the flame's influence. Without her magic, she's doomed. Doomed to freeze in eternity as the flame never reached those beyond the walls of Emeraldia.
"Curses…!" She groaned annoyingly.. She limped forward, heading west. Her breath slowly ceasing its staggered state, she began calming down. "I need to get out of here…" She muttered under her breath. The warm breath escaping her mouth instantly froze. She stopped, leaning on a slumped tree trunk. Her head facing upwards, the sun nearing sunset.
"I need to recover…" She stumbled, voice shaking. A tear welled up in her eye as she slowly collected herself. "...I need to come back." She sniffled—inhaled, then exhaled. A simple way to get herself to move on, and so she did.
It enraged the fire, and she walked west once more. The wind blew, and the snow sailed. Travelled to a certain place, as Asmodea disappears from the white forest. And so did the sun. And the night has begun. Wolves erupted, monsters of the foreign plains. They growled and howled, meat, they thirst… Hungry, they were. And they inhaled… The smell of delicious blood enrages their souls..! They thirsted for food, they hungered for the scent. From where they erupted, so they hunt. Beast of small kind, they ravaged the helpless. They looked for more, unable to satiate their hunger. And so they look for more. They look for the lost. In the distant forest plains… A shack—Timely, withered, desiccated, barely holding itself. A small light emanates from the shack, and a trail of blood slithered a trail towards it. The day is nigh, but the hunt prevails. The wolves gathered themselves, planning an ambush. Why would a human be dumb enough to camp in the middle of a forest with so little protection? And as the wolves gathered, the strong led the pack, and the weak stayed put. They sneaked in, their teeth grinding in excitement.
The wolves, their feet approach… Snow rustling towards the shackled shack: Subtle growling, the forest is engulfed in… Their attack reaches its climax. A beastly wolf's thirst baffles even a man of lust… Time races like the beat of a heart… The wolves, slowly, delve deeper into mystique, the shack's state of curious shadow.
And then, with a howl of the pack, the strong charged and pounced! Destruction at its finest, the shack is gone. But the light is there… Floating?
The light stood upward, floating in the air. And the night is nigh gone, but the darkness never did. The wolves: confused. Frustrated to their extent… Their hunger made them foolish, dumb to resist. The wind whispered to them, they growled in reply; the forest sprang in utter silence, the weak whined in fear. Near the broken shack, in the far north of the forest, the weaker wolf—wayward it becomes.
As it turned—whined, and ran! But footsteps stopped it, so it growled in fear… Its ears wilted, and it backed away, afraid of what was to come. It whined once more. It let out a low growl. As if it could scare away the noise that is about to attack… But to no avail. The wolf backs away, its feet trembling with pure cowardice. It only dared to stand still. Yes… It stood. In the surrounding darkness, it pillared itself like a tower. A tower made of rotten wood. And yet finally, for what seemed hours, a few wolves surrounded the weak, and all were confused.
The weak growled and barked, as if telling them about the darkness. Yet none dared to take their side, for the wolf was weak. But it was all too late, as the strong turned, the wolves dead. The weak, mortified, it ran, although too late because it was its turn. Turn to become flesh…Food for the predator. As the shadow erupts from the darkness, so too light of pure magic. The wolf whined, and whined… Until there was no sound left. The pure magic flickered, as if it needed more.
The stronger wolf whined and barked, trying to act tough. But the prey can only be "predator"… If there is none to be "predator" unless itself. And so it revealed to them, in a pocket of light and darkness… The shadow was not any shadow but herself. It crept towards the hidden light, her body contorted into different angles, as if stuffed inside a dimension where no laws of nature exist. Her frame SNAPPED. her arms extending towards the mortal air, grabbing nothing but the wind…
And as she tries to push herself out, her small frame drops down the pocket, and the light vanishes. Her hair spreads like wildfire, it collects itself, then spreads once again. A loud thud reverberates through the trembling forest, whose turn is but utter silence… The wolves never dared to move a muscle, yet their breaths: ragged.
"It TOOK mE qUIte awhile…" She muttered, her voice raspy and ragged as she crawled towards the stronger wolf. "To use these… dam—HuHnGk!" To which she tried to speak, her magic had already failed her… As she tried to consult her contorted body and repair what she had done, it had quietly taken a toll on her… "You beasts.. Think… That a mere…" She spoke once again, her voice as frail as a sickly woman. "Destroyed my little home…"
Mist forms from the back of the shadow, even so, darkness seeping through the forest floors, the wolves… Terrified of the crawling monster, the smell of blood coming from her triggers the wolves' instincts… As they smell and smell the fresh blood coming from her nose, dripping and dripping like a water hose…
"But to no matter," Her voice, ever so sudden, sprang back to its previous form. Her voice, tantalising, yet… deadly. But then, finally, the strong had thought long, and as it did… Its thirst had already been fed. As it sprang back into action and tried to maul. But as it pounced, it fell back to the earths, and its flesh became one with the dirt. Albeit, before he fell, a light erupted from its very form: A light of white purity. And as it erupted, the woman opened its mouth, the light emanated towards her face, and there it revealed… From the voice to its appearance… And her atrocious magical prowess… She stood up, refreshed and ready.
"The ability to eat the essence of those I've put the courage inside…" She said, her voice refreshed from before. Her frame has become quite erratic. Her bruised arm… amputated hands… This is no other than her. The Witch of Emeraldia. "Well then, fresh food… Shall I finish all of you?" Her voice trembled in excitement… Darkness seeping through her very eyes as it enters the spiralling iris… Her magic used in the dark as the rattles of every death boggle her brain with ease: This is but a turn on for her. One of the very steps she's willing to take to ensure her plan of usurpation a success…
The ability to eat away the essence of those she had placed courage inside them… Such magical prowess even those powerful fear.
And finally, the passing of moons dared not hinder, for the sun had turned into the waking world, and the wolves dissipated from the living realm. The witch stood there in utmost awe; face gleaming with utter delight. And as she turned, her face had finally been revealed. Her eyes had flickered once again… Once again, she's back. And she's about to destroy.
With her magic all full and her strength regained, she saunters over to the broken shack, and with her powers once more, she conjured a home: The forest began to rattle, its wood and bark shaving itself. Leaves and twigs, dried and dead all scattered into different parts… Though with magic, they formed. And they collected again, and as it does, the magic begins. As each substance and matter flew through the soaring air—twisting, turning and forming into such greater lengths without inadequacies… And as the magic began to spiral from utter chaos, it finally formed.Better than the previous. And so she did, and she smiled. Proud of what she had concocted.
"Oh, brother. How you deeply pitied me." She muttered, her eyes struck with awe as she gazed through every nook and cranny she had built.
"You underestimated my power…" She spoke, turning the wooden doorknob she had built. "My abilities far precedes my master's."
"I had walked to such greater lengths… If I hadn't been in that cave, I wouldn't be able to absorb that unequivocal power..!" The light on the witch's eyes began to flutter, her magic flickered like a powered generator waiting to overload… As sudden as the surge of magic, her nose quickly let out a red ooze, her blood gushing from each nostril.
"This unimaginable power… How could I not use it on you..?" Her eyes begin to flicker wildly, the veins from her cranium begin to bulge, her legs weakened from her surging state, she begins to see from the outside realm: A place of omniscience… And as she ventured the white planes of each sector of reality, she begins to see who she despises… and she loved.
"I can see you from over here, brother…" She giggled, her voice echoing like a metal pot drowning into a pit of utter darkness as it falls down the bottomless borehole.
"You sleep like a tamed feline… As if I cannot eat you alive." She laughed— laughed.
The sounds of her brother's grunt, echoing like a pristine bath of large precinct. Asreus' frame, the painting… the colours of his quarters… It seems that the tides will tackle the same event that occurred in the later outcome… She smirked, her eyes flickered once again. Her voice, as it erupted, travels through the cord as if an emanator of tongues had spoken directly to Asreus… Her voice rattled into Asreus' bones, enchanting him.
"Don't worry, brother. Your sister will take care of you."
CHAPTER, END.