I woke up, prepared for the day, and began to make my way towards the training grounds. But something felt wrong, the usually bustling camp was eerily silent. There were no clashing sounds of practice swords, no hearty laughter from the warriors, not even the chirping of the artificial bird sounds. The world seemed to be holding its breath.
Suddenly, a faint cry resonated through the heavy silence, "Help us."
It came from the edge of the encampment, where the sturdy oaks framed our settlement. My heart pounded against my chest, a sense of dread gripping me. As I turned back to the camp, a chilling sight met my eyes. The tents, the weapons, the fires, everything had vanished. I stood alone in a barren field, the vivid greens replaced with an ashen grey.
The voice echoed again, more desperate this time, "Help us..."
"Hello!" I managed to call back, the sound of my own voice startling me. I clutched at my throat, surprised by the sound that seemed alien to me after so long.
"Help us!!" The voice pierced the silence once again, its shrill tone sending a chill down my spine.
Without warning, the once blue sky was swallowed up by an ominous, deep red, as though the heavens themselves had started to bleed. A foul stench, like decaying flesh, filled the air, turning my stomach. The world around me had morphed into a nightmarish landscape, devoid of life and filled with an inexplicable dread.
A sensation of something wet trickling down the side of my head broke my horrified fixation on the landscape. Instinctively, I raised my hand to brush it away, expecting a stray leaf or an errant drop of dew. My heart pounded painfully in my chest when I pulled back my hand, the sight of crimson liquid smeared on my fingertips chilled me to the bone.
A gasp escaped me as my eyes darted upwards, trying to locate the source. As if in response to my questioning gaze, a shower of scarlet droplets began to fall from the ominous, blood-red sky. Each droplet hit me like a miniature meteor, sizzling on contact as it painted my body in a gruesome shade of red.
The atmosphere grew heavier, the silence only punctuated by the dreadful thud of the bloody rain, soaking me through to my very soul. Fear coiled around my heart like a constrictor, squeezing the breath out of me. I was caught in a macabre downpour, the world itself seeming to bleed around me.
"HELP USSS!!!" The echo of the petrifying scream seemed to shake the very earth beneath me, and then, abruptly, the rain ceased. The world held its breath, its unsettling stillness returning. But this time, I was no longer alone.
Around me, like ghostly apparitions, were ten figures, two were distinctly recognizable. One wore the crown, the mark of his kingship, while the other was Orryn, his features illuminated with a familiar grim determination. Their appearances were strikingly clear compared to the others.
The remaining eight figures were shrouded in shadow, their identities obscured as if by an unseen force. Amongst them, I could discern the outlines of four females and four males. Despite the dark veils obscuring their features, a feeling of familiarity washed over me. It was an uncanny sensation, a strong feeling of connection, as if, even though I couldn't see, hear, or touch them, I already knew them, bound by a thread unseen. This dream, or nightmare rather, was teetering on the brink of my comprehension, revealing something far deeper than I could fathom.
The King's face twisted grotesquely, his lips curling up into a malevolent grin that chilled me to the bone. There was a sickening satisfaction radiating from him, his glee was disconcerting, to say the least. Who on earth would find amusement in this horrifying ordeal?
My anger surged, the raw emotions breaking through my initial shock. I wanted to scream at him, to question his inhumane delight, but the reality of the situation shackled my voice. This was no ordinary King. This was a man who relished in chaos and despair.
His laughter reverberated around us, a cruel soundtrack to the falling body parts that rained down around us. The sight was gruesome, enough to make the strongest stomach churn in disgust. A severed hand, bloodied and mangled, fell only a few feet away from me, its fingers grotesquely splayed as if trying to grasp the last vestiges of life.
Around me, the other figures reacted in kind, their obscured visages mirroring my horror and disgust. Among them, Orryn seemed the quickest to regain his composure. I watched as his figure hardened, a determined resolve flashing in his eyes as he surveyed the nightmarish scene.
Our once serene field had transformed into a horrific slaughterhouse. The heavens above dyed red, as if the sky itself was bleeding in despair. The air hung heavy with the metallic scent of blood, making each breath feel like a gulp of the grotesque spectacle.
Beneath the King's mocking laughter, the disembodied cries for help amplified, their pleas echoing off the blood-soaked earth. The chorus of despair seemed to bounce from every direction, filling the silence with its piercing refrain.
Fury simmered within me as I clenched my fists. The sight of the King's enjoyment, his callous disregard for the lives lost, was more horrifying than the actual spectacle. As I stood there, rooted to the ground amidst the rain of gore and the King's laughter, I swore to put an end to his reign. And if it were the last thing I did, I would make him pay for his sins.
Fiery wrath surged within me, consuming every cell of my body. It howled in my veins like a wild, untamed beast, yearning to tear itself from my chest and launch itself at the King. The desire to rip him apart, as he had done to those unfortunate souls, was all-consuming.
His nefarious gaze bored into me, each evil glint reflecting off my burning anger and fanning the flames within. His smirk was a blatant taunt, a challenge that whipped my fury into a tempest. I glanced down at my hands, shock briefly replacing my anger.
My skin was splitting apart like brittle glass, shattering and falling away from my flesh. Beneath it, an intense light poured forth, vibrant and ethereal. It traced the contour of my body in a radiant, almost fluorescent glow. It felt otherworldly, as though an energy beyond my understanding had taken hold of me, transforming me from within.
I raised my glowing hands, my eyes wide with awe and a hint of fear. As the skin crumbled away, there was no pain. Instead, an electric energy crackled across the surface, like an excited current. The raw energy bubbled up, ready to spill over. My body felt weightless, full of a potent power that buzzed beneath my now luminescent skin.
A potent, radiant light pulsed from within me, spreading outwards in powerful waves, engulfing the surrounding area. It danced and flickered, searing everything in its path, yet curiously, the unidentified figures remained untouched by its incandescent intensity.
One by one, they started to clasp hands, forming an unbroken chain of connection and unity. My eyes were drawn to Orryn's hand, stretched out towards me in silent request. Hesitation momentarily holding me back, I finally placed my glowing hand in his. As our hands clasped, a surge of energy rushed through me, amplifying my already heightened power. The feeling was exhilarating and terrifying, an uncharted territory I was unwittingly navigating.
Turning to the left, my hand reached out instinctively for the figure shrouded in darkness. The touch of its hand, despite being indiscernible, triggered a deep sense of familiarity within me. Just as before, a surge of power coursed through my veins, intensifying my already heightened energy. It was as if my inner light was recognizing its kin, accepting and welcoming them.
It swelled and overflowed, cascading like a cosmic waterfall, flooding the beings around me with its luminescence. The energy was wild, untamed, yet it seemed to strengthen those in its path, imbuing them with a semblance of its power. It was a homecoming of sorts, a union of energies that seemed to have been separated for an eternity. With each pulse of the light, we grew stronger, ready to face whatever lay ahead.