Aisrin stood before the ruined gates that he last passed through when he was sixteen in a past life. For some reason, a lot of details were fuzzy. Details pertaining to Bloodrend itself.
He remembered leaving the city, arriving in Fargo, many years later after learning combination magic under a woman named Trilla, but even those details were fuzzy.
He remembered meeting different people, becoming a renowned Adventurer, and then waking up as a baby in the woods.
"Seeing this now, makes me wonder why my memories are fuzzy... Why haven't I been thinking about that? What happened? Should I go inside? Why's there an illusory barrier here?... fuck, my heads starting to hurt." Aisrin held his head. The more he thought on the subject, the worse the pain got.
"Let's just go in and take a peek." Aisrin disregarded the pain and walked forward through the Illusionary barrier. When he crossed through, he was met by an entirely different scene compared to what he initially saw.
There were no trees, grass or vegetation of any kind. Only a darkness that hung like a heavy fog. While he walked he noticed that the ground seemed slick with something black, like oil, but smelled like rot.
"What the fuck happened here?" Aisrin muttered as he looked at the destroyed buildings looking to be devoid of even air. As he walked through the empty streets that once bustled with millions of merry citizens, he came across another set of foot prints.
He followed them, leading through the old market place, it's produce now reduced to the weird oil and black mold. Past the once vibrant fountain that was the center piece of a luscious park. Now it was grey and dry, the park naught but black dirt.
The foot prints led him straight upto the Bloodrend Palace. It's doors were ash black and from the top of the doorway dripped the same strange oil. The oil flowed endless down the steps.
"What is this feeling if malice?" Aisrin shook. Whatever was beyond those doors, exuded hatred so pure, it shook Aisrin to his very core.
"I wouldn't go I there." Somebody spoke, nearly throwing Aisrin out of his skin from the fright. Aisrin spun around and stared a red headed viking dead in the face.
"Are you fucking mad? What if I just swung and took your head from your shoulders? Just thought, 'Huh, creepy ass ruins, random dude looking around in this seemingly lifeless city... I'ma just scare the shit out of him to see what happens.'?" Aisrin blew up on the guy.
"Yeah, that about sums it up." The viking nodded.
"Jesus... why shouldn't I enter?" Aisrin questioned him, dismissing the previous comment.
"Because you're in there." The viking answered simply.
"... No, I'm right here." Aisrin stated, now a little weirded out.
"Yes, but you are also in there. As in the past you. You are sealed in there. At least all the darkest parts of you is." Loki replied.
"The past me? Wait, what? Hold on, how can I be sealed in there? There's a part of me that's still alive?" Aisrin asked incredulously.
"Now, that's a tricky question. You see, you are neither alive, nor dead in there. More like, split? Resurrected? Conjured? It's really quite difficult to explain the techniques of a god to a mortal." Loki pondered as he responded.
"Who even are you?" Aisrin inquired. His questions numerous.
"One if your, not your, summons. I guard you, not you, from you. See, if you open that door, you are going to attack... you?" Loki seemed to enjoy confusing Aisrin.
"Is there a way for me not to attack... me? What even is this conversation?" Aisrin held his head as it spun from the confusing conversation.
"You really want to see for yourself huh? Fine. Open the door then." Loki waved his hand and the doors creaked open quite swiftly. The hatred and menace slammed strongly against Aisrin as it did. The smell of rotting corpses and low muttering and growling could be heard.
Aisrin waved the dense mucky fog aside as he peered into the darkness. The oil covered the walls and ceiling. Some had hardened into Crystal's that hung upon the ceiling and emitted pure evil and corruption. In the darkness, he could see a kneeling figure on both knees and slumped forward.
He could make out wings, horns, and dark purple hair as the most notable features. Something called to Aisrin, something on the body. It called over and over. Though he couldn't hear it, he felt it drawing him near.
Aisrin has entered the room and was walking towards the body, uncontrollably so. Soon he stood above the body, the skin was dark, the horns like obsidian, the wings leathery, the hair flowed ever so beautifully. The color the only vibrancy in the room.
"I'd be quick. I can only keep the monster from reviving for another ten minutes. I'm sure you can activate its storage, grab what you wish, and you really must leave." Loki stood over the body opposite of the current Aisrin.
"Oh, right. Uh, activate storage?" Aisrin questioned. A black hole swirled in front of him and he began looking inside. He found weapons and coins. Shields, food, even monster corpses. He took it all, or tried, but only the weapons and food would exit the storage. Some treasures came with as well as coins, but the corpses and materials refused to budge.
"Your new storage doesn't accommodate the ancient corpses of your last life. Sorry." Loki shrugged.
"Right, magic isn't very popular in this age." Aisrin muttered. He noticed a few rings on the figures of his corpse and removed those, quite easily.
"Are you done?" Loki seemed strained.
"Yeah." Aisrin nodded, looking solemnly at his old self before leaving. As soon as he exited the building Loki sprinted with all his strength from the building. Aisrin looked at him strangely.
Aisrin was about to laugh at the summoned being, when he felt a chill run down his back. He turned around, and he stared himself in the cold, dead, crimson eyes.
"Traitor!" He screamed. His voice was blood curdling. It was as if the pits of Hell was screaming from within his body.
"Okay... that is unnerving." Aisrin shook.
"We suffered together! Bled together! Now you leave me in this darkness to remember it alone while you live in the light, ignorant of my suffering! Just like Bloodrend did! Joyously living on my suffering, celebrating my pain, murdering my family! YOU MUST SUFFER TOO!" Dark Aisrin reached out to choke Aisrin, to destroy him, he who lived happily on his pain.
Aisrin stared at Dark Aisrin. The black oil began to flow from his eyes, changing the glossy whites to oily black. As much as Dark Aisrin struggled, he could not stray from the doorway.
"My family? Murdered?" Aisrin stepped back. Suddenly his head split, as fuzzy memories attempted to flood his head.
"GET OUT OF THE FRESH MIASMA!" Loki grabbed Aisrin and threw him away from Dark Aisrin. Aisrin landed hard on the steps to the palace.
"I think you've had enough sunlight. Back to your darkness!" Loki slammed the doors closed, this resulted in a Demonic Roar that shook even the land as waves of fear inducing energy riveted the Continents.
It was felt in every corner of Elrim, though no one knew why, the chill of sudden fear effected every living creature that day.