Each step that he took parted the sea of sand littered on the ground. A heavy mind trailing along with him as Aldric moved.
But the biggest reason for his journey was that he was on the search for a gateway. A place that he could call his own. Out of the space of the Fire Keepers and subsequently Nephis. However, until he found a suitable one through the Aether, Aldric would have to stay in the Tower of Longing.
'Let's see... Choices, choices, choices.'
'A star...'
'A haze...'
'A triangle...'
In this moment, Aldric could have used any sort of criteria to decide which gateway to choose. Whether it was through flipping a coin or any other process, today he chose differently.
A feeling of familiarity urged the young man away from the symbol of the triangle. In the case of the stars...
It was simply too soon. Every fibre in his being told him that approaching this gate was a dangerous move. It was not that fear took hold of him, but he just knew that his current state was not enough.
'A death zone where being a Master is not enough.'
Singularity concluded.
And with that, the decision was made.
In his quest to get away from all the noise, the stresses that awaited him and the heavy feelings that accompanied him from the second nightmare, Aldric chose the gateway that was neither familiar nor dangerous.
Approaching the closed obsidian gate, the air rippled as the gate opened on its own. A glassy black mirror reflected back at him.
'In and out quickly, Aldric! I can't stay there for too long. There is simply too much to do. Make some observations and see where this leads to. Perhaps a gateway if you're lucky.'
And so he stepped through.
But unknown to the explorer, this place would be more familiar than he ever thought.
A spiral staircase met him as he traversed the gate. But immediately, Aldric felt a wave of deja vu. The walls, that staircase, this perspective. It was all too familiar.
'What are the chances of that? To think that I would return here so soon.'
STEP
STEP
STEP
Finally surfacing, that same statue stood above a desecrated cavern. Stone shrapnel were covered in dust and debris as they littered the dark space. With no source of light, it was only Aldric's acute vision that allowed him to see.
Flashes of images burned in the explorer's mind. The battle that changed it all. The place where he had first lost. Taking a brutal shot of steel-like web through the shoulder, it took weeks for him to recover and to even think of getting revenge. But after scurrying like a rat with its tail between its legs, Aldric returned and slew the creature.
And like the conclusion of a storybook, he was rewarded. Stumbling upon the magnum opus of Nether left behind in the statue, Aldric gained a relic that would guide his destiny through directing the force of darkness through the statue.
Back then, Aldric was nothing. A young teenager that was full of potential. But that was all he had. Potential.
Yet now, now he was different.
A Master whose strength only magnifies as he conquers more and more. But most importantly, Aldric had etched his existence into this world. A company of elite awakened humans under his command. With a global presence on top of everything else. He had achieved all the goals he set out for himself at age nineteen. With his twentieth birthday nearing, Aldric reflected.
Walking the path that led him towards the Forgotten Shore, his mind was filled with thoughts.
Of the past, the present and his future.
Feelings and thoughts that Aldric could not communicate properly.
Before him were the same two gouges that led to two separate places. The more dangerous path is what guided him towards the Forgotten Shore. But that was not where he wanted to go.
Ignoring any worry of danger, Aldric focused on the newly evolved attribute that succeeded [Insight]. [Hyper Intuition] was a strange name given the multitude of interpretations it had. Particularly the word 'hyper' had a range of meanings. From 'exalted' to 'exaggeration', the runes were vague in their definition.
Finally putting it to use, Aldric focused on the new attribute and, in doing so, let the world guide him. A shimmer of heat and air responded to his desires, emanating feelings and concepts that aligned with what he was searching for. The second path was not rich in danger at all, but it was rich in something else.
It was a feeling that Aldric could not describe, a flavour even. With the lack of communication from the attribute, the hunter could only rely on the pulses of feelings and emotions that it conveyed.
But this was a deeper feeling. Something primal and rich. It was not fate or some other force guiding him but rather a resonance of choice.
With each large stride of his now compact and durable body, Aldric walked through the darkness with no care in the world. Only occupied by the thoughts of his mind.
'I feel like I'm in a transition period. And I hate this feeling.'
With so much happening and changing at once, Aldric felt overwhelmed and stunned. It was akin to the feeling of moving to a new home or area. Where the first day seems to stretch for eons as you recalibrate yourself. Where insights and thoughts that are new all of a sudden come to mind.
And Aldric hated this feeling. This feeling of uncertainty and change. Yet, all he could do was accept it. As that change birthed strength and progress. Yet as he looked back to the past, the anomaly could only recognise how far he had come.
'I remember those first days in the orphanage. The denial, the pleading and then the acceptance. After finally accepting where and who I was, I dreamed big. But given my resources, there was only so much I could do. So, soon the days blended into years of monotony until my first nightmare. And since then, I've never felt so alive.'
'It gave my life purpose and meaning. This pursuit of strength in the face of danger.'
Aldric could not begin to describe what he was. An anomaly stuck between two worlds that weren't his home. But it felt as though, with each goal that he conquered, the denizen was beginning to become more complete.
The gradient of the dull brown dirt began to darken slightly. Walking on a downward slope, Aldric was descending slowly. Whatever occasional awakened creature that reared its ugly face was completely destroyed.
'I'm in the Hollow Mountains, and I'm choosing to descend even lower.'
It felt like a rendition of Dante's Inferno. The imagined reality of hell that worsens as you go deeper and deeper. Aldric knew what rested below the Hollow Mountains, but whatever this feeling that was pulling him was, he hoped it would amount to something.
It felt close, close enough that he would not have to venture for days in search of this elusive feeling.
Approximately two hours and twenty-seven minutes later. With a kill count of twelve awakened creatures and five Fallen and while avoiding a corrupted horde of creatures, Aldric entered a clearing that began to truly resemble the Hollow Mountains. Bodies of vaporous mist clung to the ground and rested on the ceiling in an eerily expansive cavern. It was simply too big compared to where he had just come from. As though it was its own realm, the skyline stretched too far and the horizon too wide.
But he felt it first.
The feeling of a presence from his flaw. Not the maddening air of corruption but the feeling of the ascension pathway. Akin to when he was in the presence of Wake of Ruin or Saint Tyris. A being who outranked him by leagues. And this one seemed to have a much stronger presence than either of them.
'A sovereign or more...'
Flavours of shadow and that which was devoid of death burned in the distance, unknown to the Master.
Aldric was at an impasse. There were two options before him.
Firstly, there was the choice in trusting in [Hyper Intuition]. To believe that this attribute would not put him in harm even if the threat was not initially hostile. However, this seemed to stretch beyond the strength of an attribute and beyond the capacity of intuition. That would be in the realm of a foresight or a precognition aspect. So it was a high-risk option.
'I could just leave... There is literally no reason to take this risk. But for that same reason, I have to! Besides, it's a matter of time before I have to explore this place anyways.'
Though beyond the attribute and his motivations, something was telling him to move forward.
'If anything, this feels like an encounter that should happen. Who knows what I might learn if the being is not hostile?'
So Aldric chose the pragmatic option.
Using [Dark Well] to pour darkness from his hand, [Dire Ordinance] listened and shaped the matter according to Aldric's will. A massive bird with the rough outline akin to a mix between a crow and the large wings of a vulture took shape. But even if Aldric sent this creature out, it would not be able to communicate what it would see. So he needed another step.
'Bael can't help me with reconnaissance, and even the Apostle formed from Mordret could not.
Aldric subconsciously summoned the runes to prove his decision.
Apostle: [Spectre of Nothing]
Apostle Rank: Ascended
Apostle Class: Terror
Apostle Attributes:[War's Traitor][Mirrored][Soul Sand][Near Totality]
Apostle Abilities:[Realm of White][Made in Complex][Fractal Fission]
Seed of Nightmare: 0/10
Apostle Description: [Everything burned to fuel his hate. Doused by the anomalous Singularity, not an ember remained. A hollow husk.]
'I really need to name this bastard. I hate having to think of Mordret every time I speak of it. 'Alright, let's come up with one.'
Summoning the spectre from his darkness, the ghastly figure arose. Wreathed in a willowed cloak, its features were hidden completely; however, its limbs were a stretch too thin and too long. Unmoving and unresponsive, the figure had an air of mystery surrounding it like a thick veil.
Adhering to the name sense of his first Apostle, Bael, Aldric came up with a suitable name that held meaning.
'A demon. No longer a prince but more. With that burning fury that directed his every move, that is a suitable name. From a prince of humanity to a noble of hell.'
Directing his face to the figure standing beside him, Aldric spoke.
"Amon. That is your name from now on."
Even though now was not the time, the newest of his Apostle had finally gained its own name. A name that represented a new beginning devoid of ties to its previous form.
Glancing back at the runes of the Apostle, he concluded that he was right and there was nothing that he missed. Amon had no business currently helping him.
From what Aldric could gather from the cryptic descriptions, Amon was the embodiment of utility. A perfect blend of abilities that mirrored what Mordret was capable of but different. As though Amon evolved on a different pathway; what he sacrificed in combat ability, he gained in utility.
[Realm of White] allowed Amon to access a dimension of white space that was void. Capable of traversing in and out through a medium unknown to Aldric currently. While extremely useful, he would have to understand how it worked exactly later.
[Fractal Fission] was the newest of the creature's abilities. Allowing it to shatter like a mirror and split itself like a nucleus of a burning sun. While on its own, it seemed useless, as the creature could not split itself in the physical world, but combined with [Soul Sand] and [Mirrored], which allowed it to traverse the boundaries of souls, it was a deadly ability. Capable of propagating itself across numerous souls like a virus was disturbingly chilling.
Lastly, the ability that brought it all together.
Apostle Ability: [Made in Complex]
Apostle Ability Description: [ Like a wayward thought, its presence drifts and fades.
Those who bear this Apostle rarely know it dwells within them. It feels ancient and familiar, as though it had always been there.
Yet when the mind turns inwards to grasp it, the truth slips away, leaving only quiet emptiness.]
'Rather than the soul-conquering ability of Mordret, Amon remains hidden in the souls of those it inhabits. How scary is that? The fact that you could hold a piece of it within yourself without knowing at all.'
All in all, Aldric was elated with such a useful Apostle that could gain information from anywhere and from anyone. Inhabiting and spying on the actions of people with none the wiser. This would be his way to learn more about this cursed world outside of what he knew.
But it brought up Aldric's need for an Apostle that was combat-orientated outside of Bael.
Though something was amiss regarding Amon's attributes. One of them had confused Aldric as he read it.
[Attribute: Near Totality]
[Attribute Description: Full but not whole. Like a moth to a flame, the final piece pulls.]
'The final piece? But the word Totality...'
Aldric knew that it meant wholeness. This attribute was alluding to something regarding the nature of Amon. Something it might have shared with its previous incarnation in Mordret. Filing away the strange attribute, the Master focused on the job at hand.
Before him stood a large avian creature fashioned out of darkness. Strangely though, it appeared hollow. With no feedback to tell him what it would eventually see, Aldric pulled out a new move.
Taking a step forward, Aldric dropped into darkness. His figure collapsed into a vaporous pool of darkness that seemed to shift between liquid and gas after each observation.
While he had no ears or eyes, Aldric's senses exploded as he interacted with the world in this new form. A dark tint surrounded the world as though it were black and white. He could perceive the world around him from every angle and every part of his form. With an eerie amount of proficiency for somebody doing this for the second time, Aldric focused and shifted his new form into the bird.
It was here that [Tenebrous Rule] proved its worth in allowing him to control and fashion darkness. Even if that darkness was himself.
Entering the hollow form of the bird, a few commands from [Dire Ordinance] made the creature take off into the misty skies. At the maximum distance that Aldric could see, it flew and gained a bird's-eye view of everything in the misty space.
'I'm burning essence maintaining orders with this construct in order to direct its every movement. In case of a battle, I need to hurry up and find this person.'
Seeing the world through the husk of darkness, Aldric looked and looked. He kept looking until he found something strange.
On a plain smooth elevation ahead, a figure walked straight. With the gait of a human, it walked steadily and slowly. With one foot in front of the other, the figure gave off a feeling of monotony and repetition. As though they were on a pilgrimage to the end of the world, the figure kept walking.
Focusing closer, Aldric could see it. Weathered grey bones came together to form a skeleton. Withered, it held firm even in its state. A lone rag covered its form like a Greek scholar.
'How the hell isn't that a corrupt creature?! No human could ever survive losing their flesh and blood. Just what am I looking at?'
Looking deeper, there was not the familiar air that marked a Saint. The feeling of the world responding to their presence. The rush of essence was strangely mute. As though the thing had no essence to speak of, or perhaps it was that efficient in concealing it.
TERROR
In a moment that shook Aldric to his core, the unknown skeleton turned its hollow skull towards the sky. Even with no eyes or face, Aldric could tell the thing was looking right at him.
"Hey!!! I see you!"
An eerily upbeat voice somehow came from the unmoving tower of bones. A shallow wave accompanied its voice.
'What the hell is that?!'
Aldric's mind burned with uncertainty.
A meeting between two anomalies had begun.
***
Thanks for reading.
Merry Christmas to those that celebrate 🎊🎉🎄
Chapter is finally out, sorry for the wait. That time of the year where exams take over your life is here so bear with me. After the next four weeks, it should be back to business.
Aldric got some new moves. He is progressing.
With the majority of the votes, the haze gate won. Crazy to think that you guys voted for this one. So the haze led to the Hollow Mountains, back to where it all began. Where do you think the other gates lead to?
Who on earth is that skeleton? How will this meeting go? Let me know your thoughts.
Till the next one.