Lennox Ford's grip on reality faded away, as his eyes flashed rapidly and he began to faint. The icy ground under him seemed to dissolve and his body entered an endless void.
From this nebulous abyss a crossroad between two opposing dimensions emerged. One familiar, the other completely unknown. Lennox absorbed the currents of a warm, revitalizing energy that enveloped him, a radiant embrace that harmonized these divergent realms until they melded seamlessly into a singular existence. For an ephemeral moment, the contrasts coalesced in tranquil unity. Yet, this harmony was but a fleeting illusion and Lennox felt his skeleton being torn apart and his soul pouring out of him.
After Lennox came back to his senses, his tactile perception felt unusual. He noticed the heaviness of his limbs and of his own body pressing himself into a seat that was carved into a slate rock. When Lennox tried to lift his head, an unexpected weight resting on it dragged his neck down.
Lennox opened his eyes in bewilderment. The first thing he saw was a gloomy stone hall, dimly lit by a gigantic ring-shaped chandelier swinging from the cave-like ceiling carrying large candles. White wax of the candles dropped to the rough charcoal ground before him.
As he clumsily tried to move his arm, he noticed how his body had transformed. His hands were keratinized, turning them into bestial black claws.
Lennox's breath stopped for a second, before he realized this was indeed his own hand, that he had control over, even if he felt his motor skills were not as filigree as he was used to.
"But didn't I just…die?" Lennox tried to whisper, hearing his sonorous throaty growl echo through the halls.
Lennox inspected his hands closely and how they were connected to the heavy ash gray exoskeleton covering his arms and chest, that was littered with deep scratches like scars on skin. Beneath thin cracks in his exoskeleton Lennox saw turbulent streams of a boiling red liquid. While Lennox saw this he remembered the way he was about to die, filling Lennox with a deep seated regret and hatred that inflamed his whole body, making his lungs grunt and his eyes ignite with a ruby shimmer.
"What kind of creature am I, is this place hell?"
His fury heated up the mysterious liquid inside of him, birthing a coruscating fountain of infernal energy. A surge of ancient might lifted his heavy bones out of his throne and he felt a set of wings on his back catapulting him into the air making his long white hair fall into his face. Intuitively Lennox balanced his new body while majestically floating through the throne hall, when suddenly he felt time freezing around him. His movement stopped abruptly but he remained afloat.
A runic script appeared directly in front of his eyes, while his vision on everything else around him turned blurry. He started to read:
〔One season ends and a new one begins. There is no such thing as permanence, not even the end is final.
Beloved Appearer, Embark on your SANGUINE CONQUEST and enjoy our latest extension: MORTAL SACRIFICE.
But beware, the rules have changed. By consenting to our Terms of Service you gave us permission to end your mortal existence if you were to die in this realm. 〕
When Lennox stopped reading he sunk to the ground.
"What in God's name is an Appearer?" Lennox's head was spinning with all the questions he had and he heard thunder strike while this sentence crossed his lips..
"Sanguine Conquest? Isn't this the deepdive VR game they were talking about earlier? Is it true that they can end your life if you die here? And how did I even end up here in the first place? These must be the hallucinations of a dying one..."
Lennox sat on the cold ground when a shadow flashed through his peripheral vision. He lifted up into the air again to glance over the room. There was no sound except for the slight breeze running through the hall.
"I know I saw something for sure. You cannot be a coward in this world as well" Lennox thought.
"Reveal yourself!" Lennox shouted earth-shatteringly, a voice that sounded both metallic and primal.
Suddenly a tiny creature dropped from the chandelier to the floor. On all four a black-furred cat stood in the middle of the room and shook itself, almost losing the amulet it was wearing around his neck. His eyes glowed like tiny rubies.
"Cats are always landing on their feet, they say. Seems to be true" the cat said, before stretching and eventually standing up straight in front of Lennox. His feline body was lean and his fur looked smooth. His breed most closely resembled the Scottish Fold.
"Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Lafaar, I am your loyal servant and bearer of occult wisdom. I have been serving the Undying Fortress for ages and I am destined to give my seven lifes for its lord. And now for you, Appearer."
"I demand answers, Lafaar" Lenn tried to assert dominance. "What am I?"
"You are an Appearer, testifying before the Five. Everyone in this world is either a player who is still alive or a lost soul like you, neither dead nor alive in the limbo. Appearers reincarnate as the most powerful creatures of this world. But all of this does not matter anymore, because this life is now the only one left for everybody in this realm."
"What about y-?" Lenn asked.
"I am none of the two" Laafar answered before Lenn could even finish his question. "I am a part of this game, there is no equivalent of me in your old world. I am only existing in the code that generates me."
"Tell me Lafaar, what is my purpose in this world?"
"You are Lenn, the Warden of the Undying Fortress near the metropolis Harberton, center of economic growth and scientific progress like the world has never seen before." Laafar prowled elegantly around the hall, "People from all over the world find themself moving into this den of iniquity, bringing with them a myriad of curses. Intentionally or not, they are summoning dark forces and great evil, waiting to return to their master. To return to you. It is your destiny to wield the demonic powers inhabiting this world, to tempt, to deprive and to sin."
Lenn was impressed by his new persona. "I am no longer weak, I will glow in this inferno of damnation. My revenge will be glorious!"
Lafaar observed Lenn's newfound determination with a satisfied purr, acknowledging the resolve brewing within his master, "Finally a master who knows what he wants. Let me show you something."
Laafar carefully took off his round amulet with his paws and placed it in the middle of the stone hall.
Upon contact with the ground, the amulet sparked, conjuring a symbol—a pentagram adorned with two angelic wings. "This is our gateway to the Eye, a glimpse into the heart of Harberton. It is our way to observe the people of Harberton, to plan our next steps." Lafaar paused for a breath, "This is your very first ritual. Now you need to focus, try to channel your concentration and speak these words:"
Lenn closed his eyes and felt the flow of his demonic energy within him. He was charging up, until he felt that he was ready.
〔Infernal Energy: 100%〕
"Discreta…"
"DISCRETA!"
"Sine…"
"SINE!"
"Oculis…"
"OCULIS!"
"I can perceive the souls of men without my eyes!" Lenn proclaimed as a black sphere of mist appeared in front of him. Lenn inspected it closely and the dense smoke slowly dissolved revealing an impressionistic montage of Harberton.
It showed the hollow-eyed faces of soot-covered workers toiling in densely-packed factories, blood-coughing fisherman, destitutes seeking solace in forgotten alleyways lit with flickering gas lamps. The vision contained distant strains of forbidden music, emanating from clandestine corners where vice and temptation thrived and lascivious whores promised their unconditional devotion.
But it also presented opulent mansions and gardens where aristocrats hosted gatherings of the privileged reveling in nature and art.
When the vision showed a young nobleman being portrayed Lenn stretched out his hand, trying to stop the vision from moving away from this scene.
The young man in his early 20s had wavy brown hair and was only wearing a velvet robe and knee socks, while the slightly older man who was painting him admired his perfect classical face.
The young lord sighed dramatically and complained to the painter "Will there ever be a day when I won't need to sit here for hours for you?"
His painter replied "Lord Aaron, youth is not everlasting, I want to capture your beauty before time will do the unspeakable."
"Oh what would I not give for the gift of eternal youth" Lord Aaron spoke, his voice tinged with desperation.
"I know this scene too well," Lenn said. "It resembles Oscar Wylde's Picture of Dorian Gray, this cannot be a coincidence. In this world my knowledge of Victorian novels is my greatest edge. Maybe I can make a pact with this young lord and get a hold of his body. I need a human shape to indulge into the hedonistic pleasures of this world and sow the seeds of chaos right amidst the affluent." Lenn's mouth formed a ghastly smile revealing his sharp teeth: "He is perfect indeed."
"A splendid notion" Lafaar started to purr and roll around the glowing pentagram symbol on the ground.
"I will possess Lord Aaron! Ku-Ku-Ku!" Lenn started to burst into loud manic laughter.