Luna
For one moment, Luna was tempted to hide behind Asch. The shakagra knight stood firmly by her side, ready to shield her if she so requested. Indeed, for one moment Luna was afraid of what would follow, for she saw the greedy, cruel look in Walmir’s pallid eyes. But then, she realized that there was nothing to be afraid of, not from him at least. He was a monster, yes, but he was a pitiful creature, a caged rat, by far the least dangerous to her out of all the beasts in this room. As such, she met his gaze with a stoic fury. “I am not afraid of you”, she hissed.
Asch gave her a genuinely surprised, but otherwise inscrutable look, before he nodded. He stepped aside, just as Walmir’s eyes narrowed. “You will be”, he promised her, as a wicked smile appeared on his face. He blinked once and when he opened his eyes again, the world around Luna began to spin. She knew his gaze was horrid if he so desired, but she never expected this godless intensity. It felt as if an invisible force hit her, malevolent, driven and hungry. The world around her lost its colour and now doused in grey it began to spin, as Luna struggled to remain on her feet. Something within Walmir’s gaze was tearing at her very essence and his hunger, she realized, was not aimed at her flesh or blood, not like the vampires in the stories her mother had told her, but at something deeper. He hungered for life itself, his gaze furiously clawing at her soul, though stopping just short of actually tearing it apart. It was not for a lack of trying, it merely seemed that no matter how much his gaze dug into her, he was not able to pierce through her, to cause actual injury, not that it made this much better. The whole process was as nauseating as it was agonizing and only barely did Luna stifle a pained scream.
Only a few moments could have passed, but they felt like centuries, before Walmir of Reeveshoff blinked again, his gaze returning to its normal self, still horrifying but without this otherworldly power within it. With a gasp, Luna sank onto all fours, her hands pressed onto the cold, dark stone. A small smirk formed on the arch-vampire’s pale lips. “I am sated for now”, he chuckled. “You, however, do not look so well. Your elven soul remains out of my reach, but that does not mean I cannot kill you with my gaze alone” He glanced at Asch, one eyebrow raised. “Does that sit well with you, having placed her in such danger?”
The night elf met Walmir’s pallid gaze with his deep, pitch black eyes. “You wouldn’t have killed her”, he stated with confidence in his voice. “Rage all you want in that pitiful prison of yours, but you genuinely cannot kill her” A downright smug smirk flashed across Asch’s face. “I thank you for confirming my suspicions. It appears her blood keeps her safe from your gaze” He turned to Luna, giving her a genuinely impressed nod. “Well done, Luna”, he complimented her. “I am impressed”
Behind him, Walmir of Reeveshoff had a genuinely puzzled expression on his face. “Her… blood?”, he asked, as he took a disturbingly deep breath, like an animal picking up a scent. After a moment, his eyes widened as if he had noticed something unexpected, though he regained his composure swiftly. Instead, he opened his mouth into a horrifying smile, revealing the sharp, thin canine teeth of his. “To think that you would offer her up so readily…”, he gasped. “Oh, Black Lion… does she know?”
Asch gave him a nod. “I have told her the truth about her heritage”, he stated and Luna only barely avoided a frown. It still felt surreal to think of it, that she was half-shakagra. Not an elf, as she had always thought, but a half-elf only from her mother’s side. Her father, the man Asch had personally killed, had never been an elf to begin with, despite the similar appearance. Though she hardly knew much about her elven heritage, she had learned by now that Asch and his people were something else entirely.
“The truth…”, Walmir spoke, each word dripping with venom. “But not all of it, yes? I do not think this child would stand by your side so confidently if that were the case” He glanced at Luna, his eyes gleaming with malice. “Would you like to know what I have spotted in your scent, girl?”, he hissed and Asch’s smile grew slightly thinner. “Another word, leech, and I will kill you where you stand. The ritual is almost over, so it’s not as if you’re irreplaceable”, he warned him. To Luna’s surprise, the vampire backed down almost at once, even slightly bowing his head to the night elf. “Oh, I wouldn’t want to spoil the surprise”, he replied, before glancing at Luna again with wicked glee.
“What is he talking about?”, Luna spoke and this time, Asch did not even look at her. “Continue with the ritual”, he barked. “I want everything ready once the mother-queen returns” As he spoke, he sent a fearsome glare towards Walmir and the arch-vampire lazily turned back to his lesser spawn. “You heard him”, he growled. “Step forth and open your veins. Bleed for me, my creatures. Bleed for the Nameless God!”
The next to step forth was a burly man with an untamed beard, his eyes darting around in a fear that did not quite match his otherwise brutish appearance. He glanced from Walmir to Curunir, before kneeling down in front of the circle, each move clearly motivated by sheer terror. Luna understood in this moment how pitiful those creatures were. Not counting Walmir, who radiated malice even in his current, trapped state and Curunir, who carried himself with an inner power natural to a mage of his raw skill, each of them had been ordinary people not long ago. Some had been good, some bad and most, she assumed had been nothing but ordinary people, torn from their old lives and trapped in a nightmare not unlike the one she had found herself in, at the mercy of a being far above them.
With heavy breathing, the burly man presented his bare arm and Curunir grabbed it, his claws mercilessly digging into the soft flesh. The man winced and closed his eyes, as red blood poured from his forearm into the chalice. Around him, his fellow vampires glared at him with hunger, sensing his fear and weakness. Chief among them was Walmir, who towered above the poor man.
The moment Curunir let go of him, the man staggered backwards and onto the ground, where he crawled away from the circle on all fours. The other vampires leant over him, snarling and growling and though he was quickly hidden behind the rest of them, Luna could hear the man’s scared sobbing. Still, the cup far was from full and the arch-vampire far from finished. “Next!”, he growled, his voice hoarse with greed.
Before the next vampire could step up, Asch glanced at Luna. “Are you alright?”, he asked and only now she realized that she hadn’t moved for the last minute. She hadn’t even blinked. When she stared down at her hands, she realized they were trembling out of control. “You’re pale as snow”, the Night Elf added and she only barely managed to give him a nod. “I’m fine…”, she lied, as a dark chuckle echoed through the room.
“A little side effect of my gaze”, Walmir hissed, as he rose to his full, terrifying height. As a human, he would have been the tallest man she had ever seen, towering even above Asch with ease and right now, his sheer presence was enough for Luna to feel panic rising within her. She noticed the concern in Asch’s gaze, as he stepped between her and the arch-vampire’s prison. “Perhaps it’ll be best if we end this here”, he sighed. “Curunir, I trust you will gather all you need from these leeches”
The vampire mage gave him a nod. “It shall be done”, he promised and this seemed good enough for Asch, who placed a hand on Luna’s shoulder. “You need to rest”, he told her, before he glared at the injured human, Dangig. At his silent command, one of the vampires, the armoured woman, lifted him up to his feet and Dangig groaned in pain as she forced him to stand. It took him a moment to regain his composure, but then, he gave Asch a tired, if still slightly defiant glare in return. “You…”, the Night Elf growled. “Come with us. We may have use for you yet”
The knight behind him pushed the human forwards and he almost stumbled into Walmir’s prison. Even now, Luna could see how the arch-vampire briefly tensed up, ready to tear out Dangig’s throat should he do so much as lean over the glowing boundary of his circle. It was a humbling reminder of just how feral Walmir truly was. She saw it in his gaze, the maddening hunger that raged on inside of him and she knew that if not for his prison, he would slaughter the lot of them, Asch included.
Dangig managed to steady himself, as he limped towards Asch, each vampire staring him down as he walked past them. Once he was in reach, the shakagra grabbed him by the shoulder and yanked him closer towards him. “With me”, he growled. “Swiftly now” With these words, he led the two of them towards the door and Luna thankfully followed him, past the vampires and up the small set of stairs that led deeper into the tower. The air felt warmer here and she felt more at ease the farther away she got from Walmir.
The moment Asch closed the door behind them, Luna felt a shiver running down her spine. Her vision clouded briefly, as she staggered back against the wall behind her. “Oh…”, she gasped, glancing down at her trembling hands. “That… that was…” She paused and looked up, straight into Asch’s black, empty eyes. They stared back at her coldly. “I’d say you’ll get used to them, but they won’t be around for much longer”, he replied. “But compose yourself. These leeches can sense weakness. They prey on it”
She shuddered at the thought of being alone with them. “They are monsters…”, she whispered and he gave her a calm nod. “But they are pathetic monsters”, he replied. “Slaves to the hunger, with all the weakness of humanity still lingering within them. They do not deserve your fear, nor pity” His eyes narrowed for a second. “And before this week is over, most of them will be dead”
“Good”, Dangig growled, to Asch’s notable chagrin. “Those monsters do not deserve to live” The Night Elf sent him a glare, followed by a cruel smirk, as he grabbed him by he collar of his shirt. Dangig struck her as a strong man, but his injuries and Asch’s sheer might made him unable to resist in the slightest as the shakagra pulled him close. “Do not think it’ll be any different for you, human”, he replied. “You are even less than them and the only reason you are still alive is thanks to her” He looked from the wounded human to Luna and she could sense how utterly displeased he was about this new development. “You will remain alive as long as you do not overstep your boundaries”, he added. “Your sole purpose now is to serve. Follow my every command and Curunir’s as well. If you are fortunate, nobody will care to put you out of your misery once our goals are complete. Then, you might make it back to your kin” His expression hardened even further, his face now a terrifying grimace. “But if we need more blood for the queen’s ritual, yours will be the first veins we open”
He let go of Dangig, who staggered back, right next to Luna. “Understood…”, he stuttered, his face pale now, though if from fear or injury she did not know. He gave her a tired nod. “And… thank you”, he added. “That creature would have surely killed me back there had you not intervened. I owe you” His words were spoken in earnest, but she could see apprehension in his eyes. She knew that expression well, for many humans, even back home in Tobria, looked at her the same way. Elves, for as fair and familiar as they might appear towards mortal eyes, were not human. She grew up among them, thought and spoke like one, but the same could not be said about her wilder kind, the tribes that rarely could be found in the plains and forests. They were inhuman to the core and this frightened some people. She could not blame Dangig for feeling that way, not when an ancient elven princess was the one behind her misery.
“Think nothing of it, Sir”, she replied kindly. “I want no more bloodshed, so if I can save even one life, it’ll be worth any effort” She smiled, but could not hide her own fear, her own anxiety at what would follow in the coming days. Pardona’s ritual, the entire reason for this nightmare, was drawing to a close and somehow she doubted that any good would come from it.
“Touching”, Asch growled and though his pitch black eyes made it hard to notice, she was certain he was rolling them just now. “Come along then. You had an eventful evening and need your rest. The mother-queen should arrive soon and by then, all shall be revealed to you” He led them up the stairs, one hand on Luna’s back and she was grateful for it, for her steps were still shaky from her earlier encounter with Walmir. She felt… diminished, somehow. Utterly exhausted as if she had spent the entire day working on her parents’ farm. He had done that with just a gaze and she shuddered at the thought of what he could and would have done had he not been trapped in the holy circle Curunir had prepared for him. In a room full of monsters, the caged one had still been the most dangerous.
“And you, human…”, Asch growled, as he shot a ferocious glare towards Dangig. “Your first order will be to watch over her room. There are leeches in the tower and some might remain here for a while, so if any of them act out of line, I expect you to hold them off until I arrive” Before Dangig could react, Asch grabbed him by the chin, the gloved fingers digging into the human’s flesh. “It matters little if you are maimed or killed while defending her”, he added. “For know that I will do worse to you should you fail in this task”
“I…”, Dangig began, but any hint of defiance left his gaze as he stared into the pitch black pools that were Asch’s eyes. “I will do as you said” With this, the Night Elf let go of him. “Do well and you will receive some scraps to eat”, he replied. “I will not work you to death as long as you have use to us, but make no mistake… the only way for you to survive this is if you prove to me that you are worth more alive than dead”
By now, they had reached the door to Luna’s room and Asch stopped in front of it. He removed the hand from Luna’s back and this time, she remained standing on her own. “This is where I must leave you”, he replied. “I have business at the top of the tower, until the mother-queen returns. Once she does, I will see to it that she will visit you first” He probably meant it to sound encouraging, but the thought of actually meeting with Pardona after having seen her through those ancient memories, it was not something she looked forward for. Asch seemed to pick up on her hesitation. “This is a great honour, girl”, he growled. “Be not afraid. My queen means well and she is elated to finally speak to you”
This was another thing she doubted, but she did not voice her concerns. Instead, she mustered a weak smile. “I will keep an open mind”, she promised and this was enough for Asch. His back straightened and he gave her a firm, soldierly nod. “Good”, he spoke, before he glanced at Dangig again. “You will stand guard in front of her door until I relieve you of your duty”, he ordered him. “Fall asleep and you will find yourself as Walmir’s next meal”
He left them with these words, his footsteps echoing through the staircase as he made his way further up the tower. Luna and Dangig remained in front of her room and the moment the Night Elf was out of the way, the human began to shiver. “Oh gods…”, he sighed, as he stared down at his trembling hands. “I… what the… what the fuck is even going on?” He looked at Luna as if she had any of the answers he was looking for. And yet, she could feel empathy for this injured, terrified man. He was tall and had a strong build and it was likely that he never had felt like this, so weak, so out of his depth and so utterly terrified. She knew, for she had felt the same a few weeks ago.
“Something vile”, she told him. “These vampires down there and Asch, they serve an ancient, elven queen. She is gathering their blood for… for some kind of ritual” This brought a grim frown to Dangig’s face. “Of course it’s the elves’ fault…”, he growled, before he glanced at her ears. “No offence” She briefly narrowed her eyes, before giving him an understanding nod. Were it not for her heritage, she probably would have shared his sentiment, as it was a common one among the humans of the northern Middenrealm.
“She serves the Nameless One”, Luna added and Dangig’s grim expression completely crumbled. “Oh… oh fuck…”, he gasped, to which she could only nod. “Yeah”, she sighed. “This is really bad” Like any god-fearing citizen of the realm, she had no experience with the Nameless One and his secretive servants, but she knew all of the rumours, of the dark rituals they conducted in hidden covens, of blood sacrifices and dark chants, of enslaved demons and boundless power that could be achieved if one were to leave the righteous path of the Twelve Gods. It was commonly accepted that vagrants and beggars were his servants, as were those who had lost a limb, but Luna knew plenty of either type that most certainly were faithful to the Twelve Gods. Regardless, Pardona’s involvement and her dark god were bad news and Dangig rightfully feared not only for his life, but his very soul.
“And… we’re just…”, Dangig stuttered. “Going along with it?” Luna gave him a grim nod. “What choice do we have?”, she asked. “I can promise you, if Asch thinks, even just for a second that you do not follow his orders, he will kill you without hesitation” She sighed. “I think he’d do the same to me, honestly”, she admitted. “So, the best we can do is to stay out of trouble and hope for the best”
The man frowned, but she could see how scared he was. “Still…”, he sighed. “Shouldn’t we… I don’t know… isn’t it our duty to do something?” Her gaze hardened for a second, but she felt too weak, too injured to keep it up. “Our duty to whom?”, she replied. “Listen, if you want to try anything, go ahead. It’s not as if I could stop you. But you’ll achieve nothing and they will kill you in return” She shook her head. “I can’t… I just… I can’t”
Dangig leant against the wall behind him, his face pale with fear. “I know what you mean”, he admitted. “And yet…” He shook his head. “I have family not far from here. I cannot just stand by” This actually got her attention. “Nearby…”, she mumbled. “You know where we are?” He gave her a hesitant nod. “Not this place exactly, but I wasn’t as out of it as the huntress thought”, he replied. “We’re in southern Meadows, close to the Darpatian border. It’s remote, but I’ve seen a few villages not far from here, no more than a small hamlets. And to reach the tower, we had to cross a frozen lake”
“And to escape, we have to get past the arch-vampire…”, Luna reminded him, to his visible chagrin. “Yeah…”, he mumbled and all sign of defiance left him as he remembered the monster that was trapped below them, just a few feet away from the only door into the tower. It was a cunning way to keep them in and only added to the cruelty of Walmir’s own situation, to be trapped so close to freedom. She would have felt a hint of pity, if not for the fact that he was quite likely the vilest creature she had ever crossed paths with.
“We’re not getting out of here, are we?”, Dangig asked and softly, Luna shook her head. “It is as Asch said”, she told him. “Do what you can, follow his orders and perhaps he will let you live once the queen has finished her ritual. He is not a liar, though his idea of the truth is often… quite different from ours” Dangig narrowed his eyes, but he gave her a quiet nod. “Understood”, he spoke.
It was in this moment that Luna felt another moment of weakness. She staggered back and if not for him, she would have fallen onto the hard ground. Dangig stepped in, gently grabbing her by the shoulders and steadying her, his face betraying concern. “You alright?”, he growled and she gave him a tired nod. “Yeah”, she lied. “But Walmir’s gaze… I feel tired” She managed a small, confident smile, but it did not reach her eyes. “I think I will lie down for a bit”, she told him. “I’d advise you to stay here until Asch tells you otherwise, but I won’t be needing your aid for the night”
He let go of her and the softness of his face was gone in an instant. “Look at me, taking orders from a knife-ear”, he sighed. “No offence, but this is just plain wrong. All of it and you know it” He sighed, as he glanced down the stairs. “Worry not for me. I have no intention of dying here” Her smile grew thinner. “I wouldn’t dream of it, Sir”, she stated, before she entered her room behind her. She glanced at him as he took position on the wall next to her door, his legs briefly shaking, before he composed himself and remained standing after all. He had to be exhausted beyond belief and yet, he could not rest. Unlike her, it seemed that Asch fully intended to work him to death.
The moment Luna turned around, the confidence left her face. Her expression soured, as tears welled up in her eyes. She took one step towards her bed, then another, before she just threw herself onto the cold, hard mattress, the pillow muffling her sobs. It was not just the horrid experience of having felt Walmir’s gaze upon her, but the entirety of the situation. Talking to Dangig had once again reminded her just how wrong all of this truly was. Just a few weeks ago, she had been nothing but a farm girl from Tobria, wholly unconcerned with the larger matters of this world. She had known nothing of the world at large and the world had cared little for her. It was how she preferred her life, how she would have lived it for many more decades, perhaps even centuries if the longevity of her race actually extended to her.
Now, here she was, taken captive by a dark knight and his wicked queen, having seen memories of gods and dragons, standing in the presence of vampires. “I can’t do this…”, she sobbed into her pillow. “I can’t take it anymore. This is not right. This is not how it should be!” She would have loved to scream at the top of her lungs, but even now, her fear of Asch was stronger than her need to let it all out. Instead, she cried. She cried for Alfred and Guthmund, who had been cut down by the shakagra’s blades. She cried for Will, who had been left injured and barely stirring. She cried for her parents’, who would never learn of her fate. And, though not first nor worst, she cried for herself and for how horribly unfair all of this was.
In her despair, her hand reached out to the nightstand, where the small, dark stone was resting, the one containing the queen’s memories. Asch had called it a child’s toy and yet, she doubted that any child could see what she saw, that anyone could experience these memories so vividly. “Please…”, she sobbed, as she grabbed the stone, immediately feeling the familiar, soothing presence, this sensation of drifting off into oblivion. “Just… show me a way out. Please…”
It was a long shot and not one she expected to work, but right now, this was her only refuge. Those memories, horrid as they could be at times, gave her an opportunity to be away from the confinement of her room, away from Asch and his schemes, even, in a way, away from Pardona, albeit they were her memories to begin with. And if there was anything to gain from them, anything at all, she needed it now. “Please help me…”, she sighed, as darkness overtook her.
The Memory of Truth
“Pardona…”, the voice whispered softly and for a moment, pain flared up in the princess’ forehead. She winced at the sensation, blinking twice, as she looked around in vain, trying to find its source. It was the same voice she had been hearing for months now, the same presence that had been with her from the moment the god-dragon and the elven queen had given her this life. Her first moments, as she now knew, for contrary to what her mother had hoped, she was not and had never been Vayadona. The high elven princess, daughter of Simia and Orima, light of her people, was dead and would remain so forevermore.
“Pardona…”, the voice whispered again and once more, pain flared up within her. This time, it was stronger and the voice, it felt closer, almost like a physical entity at this point, the words no longer originating somewhere between her ears, but in the room. Whatever the true nature of this being she found herself linked with, it was growing stronger. And somehow, despite the pain, this felt like the right course of action. As such, Pardona felt no fear, but anticipation. “Yes?”, she mumbled.
“You heard me?”, the voice asked and a smile flashed across her face. “Of course”, she gasped and only then did she noticed that those last three words had been spoken by a different presence entirely. These words were smooth and warm, decidedly male unlike the other voice’s higher, more ambiguous sound. She knew them and despite the pain, her heartbeat fastened as she turned around to another sight, not the voice whose presence she had come to yearn for, but still near and dear to her heart.
Ometheon stood there, gallant as only an elf-lord could. He was tall and handsome, his long, silvery hair adorned by a bright, thin circlet, his body clad in layers of long cloth in various shades of blue. His eyes were warmer than usual, his smile softer. His entire being, as she understood the more she learned of him, represented the best and brightest of their people. He was a king in all but name, a visionary as only Simia had been before him. It should have been him, not the blind queen, who should have led their people into a brighter future after the old king’s death. He would never have made that deal with the dragon and even though Pardona knew that she herself would have never come to be if not for Pyrdacor’s machinations, she objectively knew that the high elves would be better off for it. The god-dragon had preyed on Orima’s grief, on her despair, her weakness, but there was no weakness in Ometheon. His vision would be the future of their people, their sole hope against the dark tides to come.
“Are you alright, my queen?”, he asked and her heartbeat fastened as he called her that. “I am no queen”, she reminded him gently, placing one hand on his chest. He clasped it and gave her an earnest, deep look. “You should be”, he claimed. “You are of Simia’s blood, his direct descendant. Orima claims to have had her reasons for removing you from the line of succession, but many here believe that she cannot deny you your birthright. Her decree has driven her people into my waiting arms”
“So everything is ready?”, the princess asked and Ometheon gave her a nod. “Many have left already, led by my acolytes. More will follow. You and I shall leave by the end of the week, before Fenvarien arrives” Fenvarien… only hearing his name soured Pardona’s mood. Ometheon was right, it should have been her, not because she was of Simia’s blood as the people still believed, but because despite all that had happened, despite the murky circumstances of her birth, she was Orima’s daughter. She should succeed the blind queen. Furthermore, she was the daughter of the dragon. With Ometheon by her side, she could usher in an era of peace and prosperity between their realms, for she was the only one able of keeping Pyrdacor in check.
As for the god-dragon, he had kept his distance for now. She knew her duty to him, knew what he demanded and she was willing to go along with it despite her growing distrust of him, for their goals aligned for now. He wanted her to go with Ometheon and her heart wanted it too. He wanted her to follow him to the far north, where his followers were in the process of carving out a kingdom of ice and snow. A great tower was being built there, named after the man who envisioned it, a tower to pierce through the clouds, to withstand the sheer cold that had engulfed this land. There, Ometheon believed, the destiny of their people would be fulfilled. And Pyrdacor believed that it would be there that the Key of Ice would reform again and claiming it would once more grant him power over its element, the one he had willingly sacrificed to save his lizardfolk servants from the ice age the gods had envisioned for them. He wanted her to claim it in his name, to take control over the element he lost and then to surrender it to him, but Pardona was not so certain about it anymore. If Ice was anyone’s to claim, it should be hers. He wanted her to be a goddess beneath him, but with what right was anyone above her?
“The right of strength, princess”, the voice whispered and by now, every single one of its words felt like a dagger through her skull. Pardona winced and Ometheon took note of it at once. “Are you alright?”, he asked gently and she gave him a tired nod. “Yeah, I just… it’s been a lot. Mother’s illness, her chosen successor…”, she mumbled and her expression genuinely soured. “Lysira…”
A frown flashed across Ometheon’s face. “I heard rumours”, he spoke. “But nothing of the truth. What happened to Lysira?” He gazed at her firmly, his expression gentle, but knowing. Pardona herself had heard the rumours, most of them involving her in some capacity. In some she was Lysira’s killer, in others at least involved in her death. Some came close to the truth even. “Pyrdacor killed her”, she whispered, so quiet that she was certain even Ometheon directly in front of her barely heard her. But he understood.
“She deserved better”, he sighed. “We were friends once, when our kind was still young, when Simia ruled over this land, when the days were brighter… Your death brought us apart, but I cared for her still” There was righteous anger in his voice. “The god-dragon will pay for this”, he hissed. “Let it be known that whatever scheme he has planned for our people, it will fail. We will head north, far out of his reach. Let him have this city and its worldly riches, but the hearts of our people he shall never have”
“A pity…”, the voice whispered and Pardona gasped in pain, placing one hand on her head as it continued to ache with each new word.
“In a better world, he would have made for a worthy leader of his people. He truly is second only to Simia” Pardona staggered towards the elf-lord and he stepped up to gently grab her, holding her for a second and letting her rest against his chest. “I miss her…”, the princess mumbled, the tears in her eyes genuine. “I am so tired of it all, Ometheon. Mother won’t even see me as she lies on her deathbed”
“Your mother has always been blind”, he whispered into her ear, one hand gently pressed against the back of her head. “But I thought her wiser than that. I thought she would be able to see what you could become” Pardona frowned, but he could not see her expression, knowing that this was exactly the problem. Her mother had seen something within her, something the princess herself was not certain of, but instead of telling her, instead of helping her, she had withdrawn all support and all the love she had claimed to hold in the beginning. Now, knowing that Pardona had never been the daughter she had lost, it seemed as if all will to live had left her. Perhaps she had at long last realized what Ometheon and his supporters have seen from the very beginning, that her grief had blinded her to the god-dragon’s schemes. And as such, ever since that evening in the gardens, where Pyrdacor had revealed the truth to her, the Queen of Tie’Shanna had withdrawn herself from public eyes. The blind queen suffered from a broken heart and it would not be long until it would cause her to fade away, to abandon this life, her people, this very world. She would die soon and even then, she refused to see her only living daughter. Not for the first time, Pardona felt a deep, dark fear inside of her, fearing what her mother had seen.
“I need to rest…”, Pardona mumbled and Ometheon gave her a nod, still holding her in a soft hug. “You must, love”, he replied. “It will be a long journey to the Skytower, one not taken lightly. Sleep. Rest. We will speak once you’ve recovered” He looked at her, his blue eyes meeting her golden gaze. Following an impulse, Pardona stepped up to the tip of her toes, their lips touching briefly. Her heartbeat quickened, as he tucked a strand of hair behind her ears. “We shall”, she told him. “And no matter how hard the journey will be, we will make it together”
This was what Ometheon had to hear. He left her with a nod and a smile on his face. Though he would never be King of Tie’Shanna as he should have been in a better world, he was as good as a king in his own right. The last, brightest flame of their kind. “
One you will snuff out”, the voice hissed without warning, just as Ometheon had vanished behind a corner. This time, the words were spoken entirely out of her head, their physical echo lingering in the room. They were spoken without any warmth, with a sudden sharpness that caused her to stagger. “How…”, she gasped, as she leant against the wall behind her, The world spun and for just a second, her vision darkened. “Where are you?”, she mumbled, glancing around, momentarily stunned.
She followed the echo, glancing in the other direction from where Ometheon had left, only to see a shadow darting around the corner. It was small and fast, too fast for her to make out any details. It was only then that Pardona realized that the hallway had darkened. A moment ago, bright sunlight had flooded through the windows and she had been able to see the bright, blue sky and the ships that soared across it. Now, all she could see was a dim, faint light, dousing the walls in a shade somewhere between purple and gold. And there, on the ground, sat a rat, a tiny thing, lean and quiet. It looked at her with a deep intelligence in its eyes. “You… it is you, isn’t it?”, she stuttered. “Are you here to tell me the truth at last?”
“I have never lied to you, princess”, the rat whispered with a familiar voice and this time, the words caused her no pain. Instead, she felt drawn to them, her feet moving on their own as she walked down the hallway, towards the rat and towards corner where she had seen the shadow. As she approached the rat, it turned around, darting towards the corner. It was fast, as all rats were, but just before it reached the corner, it paused, looking back and patiently waiting.
“Ometheon loves an idea of you, a thought of what you could be and never must”, the rat continued.
“He might even be able to love what you truly will be, but I know it won’t come to that. The blind queen loved whom she thought you were, her heart unable to hold affection for any other. A pity, for you are the best and brightest of her accomplishments. And the god-dragon loves only himself. He will use you and burn you out until he discards you, as he has done with many before you since time immemorial. Only I see the truth of you. Only I love you as you are”The voice was louder now, neither male nor female, neither young nor old. It simply was. Each word resonated through her mind, causing ripples within the world. She walked towards it, knowing that even though the hallway still resembled Tie’Shanna, each new step brought her further away from her mother’s court, to a place beyond places. And she knew each and every word the voice spoke to her now was the truth, all of it.
She continued to follow the rat through night-shrouded halls, each step making it more and more obvious that this was not her mother’s palace. This wasn’t even the waking world, but the memory of a dream, a twisted version of the hallways, staircases and flights of rooms she was familiar with. And whenever she tried to gaze out of one of the many windows she passed, she only saw the nightly sky and purple silk.
When she walked around the corner, she spotted the rat hushing through a large, half-open doorway. Normally, the hall in front of her would continue for several hundred feet, but right now, she spotted a large, golden door in front of her. It was ornate and lavish, depicting tall, gaunt figures bound in heavy chains. She stopped in front of it for a second, trying to gaze through the gap, but she only saw purple behind it.
“Pardona…”, the voice whispered to her and it came not from inside of her head, but from the other side of the door.
“Come…” She tensed up as she heard it, but in anticipation, not fear. Then, she pushed the door open, stunned by what she saw behind it. It was a hall, for a given definition of the word, a seemingly endless room clad in purple silk. It was dark there, but somehow the purple itself emitted a soft glow, dousing the entire room in twilight. She stepped through the door and immediately, the thing fell shut behind her.
The rat was running across this silken hall and as Pardona followed it with her gaze, she saw a figure sitting there, back turned towards her. It was a child in size, a willowy kid with long, golden hair falling loosely down its shoulders. It wore an elegant dress of purple and gold, the kind that could be worn by a boy or a girl and nothing about its body betrayed its gender. From behind, it resembled an elf, with pointy ears breaking through the hair and fair, smooth skin visible beneath the dress. And yet, the calmness with which it sat there was entirely different from the wild, active children she had seen on the streets of Tie’Shanna. There was a quiet confidence to its presence and something deeply, disturbingly unsettling.
“Who are you?”, Pardona gasped, as the rat reached the child. This time, the child glanced at the animal, then over its shoulder towards Pardona and the princess froze in terror. This was no child. This wasn’t even an elf. Though having a childlike body, the face was old and worn, with small, intelligent eyes surrounded by ancient wrinkles. The nose was elongated, almost joined with the mouth into a twisted, rat-like snout. As it glanced at the princess, it reached down to the rat and to her horror, she saw a large, gaping mouth in its palm, filled with razor-sharp teeth. The rat climbed into the palm-mouth, readily allowing itself to be swallowed. In an instant, the creature was gone and the mouth closed entirely behind it, with only the still-twitching tail sticking from the hand. With the rat gone, the being turned its focus entirely onto the princess.
“Hello, Pardona”, it spoke and its voice was the one she had heard within her from the moment she was born.
"It is so good for us to meet like this at long last"Everything within her told her to flee right now. She had never feared the voice before, had always felt comforted when hearing it. But right now, she only felt a primal fear in the face of something incomprehensible, something so powerful that even just trying to imagine its true nature caused her head to ache. She knew she stood in the presence of a god.
In sheer terror, the princess spun around, but where previously there had been the door behind her, she was now surrounded by purple silk. The walls, the ceiling the ground, none of these concepts even existed in the place she found herself in. There was just the purple silk and, to her horror, rustling behind it. The emaciated outlines of gargantuan figures sometimes pressed against the silk, moving their long, gaunt arms, pushing against the silk, trying to break through, trying to reach out to Pardona.
“Don’t run”, the being spoke, its voice equal parts that of a child and that of a crone, male and female at the same time, joyful and trembling with wrath. “I am glad we can finally meet like this. You have grown strong, my princess and at long last, we can truly begin. It smiled and though the expression was not without warmth, seeing its deformed snout twisting into a smile and seeing the razor-sharp teeth beneath was a harrowing sight.
“Are you afraid of me?”, it asked and Pardona could only nod.
The being sighed.
“Your fear is not misplaced”, it admitted.
“I have no intention of hurting you, but I could. Destroying you would be as simple to me as stepping on an ant" Its smile widened and she could see the rat-like teeth in its maw.
“But we have come so far together that it would be a shame if that is how things will end between us, wouldn’t you agree?”Still frozen in fear, the princess mustered a weak nod and though she was terrified of this being, this creature, she knew deep in her heart that it was indeed telling the truth. And she knew, whatever was waiting for her behind the purple veils that covered this endless hall, it was something worse entirely. “This is not real… isn’t it?”, she asked. “I was just speaking to Ometheon, it was bright day and now… I am dreaming, am I not?”
The being chuckled. “Not quite”, it spoke. “The moment he left you there, I made my move. I removed you from your world, from your reality. Only seconds will pass where you came from, but in here we have all the time in the world, one moment stretched to eternity” Its smile grew thinner, but now that it no longer showed its teeth there was something almost comforting in this expression. “We can finally speak face to face”
Pardona narrowed her eyes. “Can we?”, she asked. “You know everything about me. You have been with me from the moment I was born. You told me the truth when everyone else was lying to me. And yet, for every answer you left me with two new questions” She crossed her arms, feeling a sudden, desperate defiance growing inside of her. “What is your name?”, she demanded to know. “Who are you really?”
Perhaps she only imagined it, but the being’s expression grew slightly darker just then, as if it was gripped by a sudden sadness.
“I would love to share my name with you, my Pardona”, it claimed.
“But believe me that I cannot. My younger siblings have made sure of that when they bound me here” It moved its leg and for the first time, the princess could see the thin, golden chain that was wrapped around the being’s bare ankles.
“I am as much a prisoner to this place as you were a prisoner to your mother’s palace and to the god-dragon’s plans for you. With my aid, you will shatter what little of your chains remain and I have high hopes that in return, you will help me shatter mine”As it moved towards the princess, she did not recoil in fear. Instead, she felt a warmth radiating from this being. “How shall I call you then?”, she asked, as she instinctively moved towards it. This was a god, yes, but it was her god. In its very own, terrifying way, it cared for her and though she knew that a god’s attention was never a good thing to have, right now she felt overwhelmed by the compassion that radiated from this being.
“Countless worshippers have called me by many titles”, it spoke.
“I am called the First and the Thirteenth, The Golden God and Our Lord in Purple” Each of those titles were spoken in a different voice, their echoes lingering, each spoken at the same time and mingling together, the myriad of its voices joined in an enchanting harmony.
“I am known as the Vulture Mother and the Rat-Child, as the Surplus Wolf and the Jackal-That-Follows”, it continued.
“The trolls of the fifth age knew me as the Lord of the Burning World and your mother’s people call me the Wind of Dhaza”
Pardona’s eyes widened as she recognized that name. “You are Dhaza”, she gasped. “My mother fought against you when the elves first stepped into this world” The god smiled at her with clear sorrow on its rat-like face.
“The Dhaza”, it corrected her.
“Your kind knows me exclusively as such, but that is not my name. Others knew me as Burdaq and Iblis, as the Strongest, as the Lord of Lords, He-Who-Lies, the Eldest of the Eons and the Mutilated God” It spread its arms and as it did so, the countless emaciated giants behind the veils did the same as each cried out a title, a cacophony of different voices, speaking in countless different languages, howling titles that have not been heard in untold ages.
“I have as many titles as there are stars on the nightly sky, but I have no name”Even after the Rat-Child stopped speaking, its echo lingered and the giant figures behind the veils continued to murmur. Pardona stood there, shocked by the sheer might of the voice she had just heard, her eyes wide with primal fear, but also with wonder. “How… how may I call you then?”, she asked and the god smiled at her.
“Any of my titles suffices”, it spoke.
“Most of my servants call me the Golden God or the Nameless One. Most of my titles mean just that in the tongues that first spoke them”“The Nameless One”, Pardona decided, before she took the briefest of bows in front of this being, this physical god that had graced her with his presence. “You have been with me from the moment I was born” The Nameless One gave her a nod.
“Before that even”, he confirmed.
“My wayward champion reached deep into spheres that had been left untouched by mortals for ages past and even bound in chains I felt his machinations. I stirred and reached out to him, touching you in the process. You were his creation, but I made sure to play my part in it”The Nameless One had hinted at something like that before, she remembered. “You are Pyrdacor’s master!”, she gasped. This time, the god’s smile widened, revealing several rows of sharp, rat-like teeth.
“Erstwhile master, I am afraid”, he admitted.
“Not that I could blame him. Back when we formed this world, me and many of my younger siblings poured a fraction of our power into powerful champions, the very first of the dragons of old. Each of them were made with specific intent, carrying a spark of our divine power and a task they had to fulfil. I was the first and oldest of them all, a leader by right and might and my dragon was always supposed to be the same among his siblings. The strongest of his kind, carrying with him my ambition, my claim to this world” The smile grew thinner again.
“I cannot blame him for turning against me when my siblings rose up in rebellion. The will to surpass his betters has always been in his nature”, he spoke.
“And yet, for all his bravado, Pyrdacor is much like a lantern in the dark of the night, bright and brilliant on his own, but nothing compared to the raging sun that is my divinity. He is no god”Pardona knew that much already and she suspected that many thought so. Ometheon and Orima did for sure, but she wouldn’t be surprised if doubts about Pyrdacor’s self-proclaimed divinity could be found even among his lizardfolk. Then again, it mattered little to common minds whom they bowed to as long as the being at the top truly stood above them. And for all his faults, she could not deny Pyrdacor’s right to rule.
“You intervened in his ritual”, she realized and the Nameless One gave her a nod.
“Pyrdacor believes you are truly his to control”, he spoke.
“He hasn’t questioned your small disobediences, because he is convinced of his own perfection. When he brought you into this world, he tried to bind your soul to him, to draw you to him, to never make you question any of his orders” The god shook his head.
“And we can’t have that, can we?”, he continued.
“To diminish the brilliance that is your mind by forcing you to serve an unworthy being… no, my dear, that is not the fate you deserve”It was in this moment that Pardona realized something. “My mother… she knows you well. She faced you once before”, she gasped. “So… when she looked at me… she saw you, didn’t she?” The Rat-Child gave her a quiet nod.
“Your people call her Blind Queen, but though clouded to worldly concerns, Queen Orima sees more than most mortals”, he confirmed.
“When you stepped into this world, a part of me latched onto you. The voice you heard, the will that drove you to question anything and anyone around you, the ambition to take control of your own fate, that was all me. I was quiet at first and weak, but a shadow of a memory deeply engrained in your mind. But as time passed, I grew stronger alongside you. I knew your mother would catch a glimpse of me eventually”The princess’ shoulders dropped. “This is why… why she would not even see me”, she muttered. “She knows and fears you, so when she saw a part of you latching onto me, she began to fear me as well. Without you, I’d still have her” Her tone was sharper now and though she knew that any open defiance against a god was as reckless as it was futile, she could not quite swallow her anger. “Did you plan for this as well?”
The Nameless One gave her a nod, taking her aback in how quick and firm it came.
“Of course, my dear”, it admitted.
“I knew that once she saw me as part of you, she would abandon you. It is a pity, though, for this might be her greatest flaw. This might be the one part of her that is truly blind. She sees me as evil incarnate and all I touch as corrupted beyond redemption”Pardona narrowed her eyes. “Are you?”, she hissed. “Evil incarnate?” She moved a hand across the room. “Because do not think me blind to any of this. This room. The things you spoke to me from the moment I stepped into this world. Your intentions for me cannot be good” Her own words echoed across the room and briefly, the emaciated giants behind the curtains froze in place. The rat-child gazed at her, quietly mustering her from head to toe.
“Good?”, the god asked.
“I am not… good. Neither am I evil, for neither truly exists. They are concepts created by narrow minds to paint the world according to their own views. They are subjective, but true divinity is anything but”As he spoke, the giants began to move again, their long, thin arms faintly rustling against the silk.
“I am ambition! I am desire! I am domination! I am sovereign! I am truth!”, the Nameless One intoned.
“Tell me, Pardona, do any of these sound genuinely evil to you? You might believe some of my aspects more ominous than others, but as with all things in this world, they hold the capacity for good and bad at the same time”He paused for a moment, taking a deep breath and as he continued, his tone was calmer than before.
“Once, I was sovereign. This was my role in the universe, I was made to rule over all others. I was not a cruel master, despite what you might think. Under my rule, all had their place, all had the means to be content”, he spoke and his expression darkened. For a second, Pardona could see a spurned, angry god, one that barely held back a righteous rage.
“But my siblings were not”, he growled.
“They are gods in their own right and they refused to be governed by one of their own even if I was the oldest and strongest among them. So they conspired against me, the Twelve that hold the high seats now and their immortal allies. Now, there is chaos in the heavens. Gods rule over Alveran, demons over the Nether Hells, each blind to the fact that they are two sides of the same coin. There is no central authority to put an end to the unchecked schemes of my immortal brethren and the people of this world, any and all who are not divine in their own right, they have merely traded one master for many”His smile returned and it was a warm, charming smile of the kind Pardona had learned not to trust.
“And at the bottom of it all, mortals suffer”, he continued.
“Some might delude themselves into finding comfort in their lives, some might even come to appreciate their hardships, but if you could look at it objectively, do you believe the world is truly a better place now that I am no longer there to keep it under control? In these regards, do you truly think my ambition is a bad thing? That my desire to dominate, to control, to rule supreme is in any way more evil than the gods’ desire to be free of me?” He shook his head at the same time as Pardona did.
“No, I do not think so”“But my mother does…”, Pardona mumbled and now, the god’s terrifying smile returned.
“And that is her fault, isn’t it?”, he asked.
“It certainly isn’t yours or mine. You were born this way and I act according to my principles. We clashed, me and your mother, because she could not understand me, because back then she considered it the most horrible fate of them all, to be ruled over, to be controlled” He chuckled, just once, before his expression grew serious again.
“Ironic, isn’t it? Now she has to be queen. Perhaps I revealed myself to your kind too early, before you fully settled into the reality of this world”, he mused.
“Your mother convinced her husband to pick up arms against me when my envoys arrived, resulting in the terrible war that claimed his life and that of her daughter, the one you resemble in all aspects but your mind and your eyes. It might be her own guilt that has caused her to abandon you so readily now, because she simply lacks the strength to fight me once again”The princess took a step back, only to stop as the silk touched her. A large arm brushed against her back, shoving her closer towards the Nameless One again. “So, you saved me from the dragon’s schemes”, she spoke. “But what then? Because the way I see it, you manipulated me as well. You pitted my mother against me. You made me hesitate and question my father, alienating me from the place he wanted me to take in his world. Even today, you whispered to me, trying to pit me against Ometheon. Haven’t you simply replaced one spell with another?”
To this, the Nameless One shook his head.
“Not in the way you might think”, he claimed.
“I did not bewitch you as Pyrdacor tried to do. I became a part of you when you stepped into this world, but all I was able to do was to whisper to you, to make you question the world around you, to make you open to the truth. I see the potential within you and I want you to embrace it instead of squandering it as all these lesser minds do. You are the dragon’s daughter, as much a creation of my divinity as he is”
“And for what?”, Pardona hissed, even as she felt the words weakening her resolve. Pyrdacor had been lying to her from the start. Without the voice, she might have never been able to see it. Orima had abandoned her through no fault of her own. Perhaps, just perhaps, there was merit in hearing him out. “What do you want from me?”
“The same I want from everyone else my dear. Everything”, the Nameless One replied.
“I am sovereign, after all. It is in my nature to rule, to nurture this world to its true potential. And yours is so much greater than any I have seen since Pyrdacor himself” As he spoke, he began to walk towards her, the golden chain around his ankle rattling across the ground. This time, the princess did not back off. “You speak of ruling this world. Of dominating it”, she replied, her tone cold. “And yet, you are bound. If you are truly so powerful, why have you sent your armies to crush the elves? Why do you need to convince me instead of forcing me?” She narrowed her eyes. “And why should I value your words any more than Pyrdacor’s? At least the dragon is free. He rules over the mightiest realm on the continent. Untold millions live and breathe solely to serve him”
The Nameless One’s smile faded.
“I know. Isn’t that a disappointment?”, he asked.
“To think that Pyrdacor would settle for something so low… he was made by me and had he remained loyal, I would have granted him more than an insignificant realm of the likes of Zze Tha. Dozens of its kind have preceded it, many more will follow. In time, nobody will remember his garden, nor its people. Even his name will be forgotten” With these words, he gave Pardona a firm, calculating gaze.
“Once, he was my champion, the mightiest of my servants. I would have given him this entire world had he just asked for it”, he explained.
“But he turned on me, aided my traitor siblings in binding me. My servants were slaughtered, my temples shattered. Even my name has been taken from me, in a vain attempt to leave me broken, powerless. My servants endured, hiding in the fringes of this world. But none of them has ever been as worthy as Pyrdacor has been to be my champion”It was in this moment that Pardona realized what this was all about. “You want me to be your champion…”, she mumbled and the Rat-Child gave her a mildly pleased nod.
“You combine the blood of elves and dragons”, he spoke.
“You have the trust of my wayward creation and a strong claim to your mother’s kingdom. If nurtured, you could surpass any mortal that came before you”To this, the princess gave him a haughty smile, though she could not deny her fear in the face of this god. “Pyrdacor offered to make me a goddess beneath him”, she spoke. “Now you offer me to be a mortal beneath you. That doesn’t make for a very tempting offer” The Nameless One chuckled and it was a hollow tone that echoed from the veils around them. The emaciated giants that were hiding behind the silk chuckled as well and for a second, the entire room erupted in joyless laughter.
“You should know better than to take Pyrdacor’s words at face value”, he replied.
“He believes himself a proper god, but he is as far beneath me as you are beneath him. True divinity is not something that can be earned, despite what Ometheon might believe. Faith can immortalize, but a god, a true god, that is something greater entirely. You, my dear, will never be a goddess, no matter how much you want it, no matter how much you might be worshipped in the future. You will be a queen and a mother to millions, you will bring empires to ruin and overcome death itself. None that have been or will be shall ever reach the heights of your glory, but this much I can promise you, true divinity is not something you can achieve”His words cut deeply, even if Pardona had suspected that much already. From the moment she had been born, she had been curious and in time, curiosity had grown into ambition. Ambition had grown into desire, a desperate need to claim what was rightfully hers. And deep down, she knew that it would not be enough, even if the realms of Orima and Pyrdacor were to submit to her. If the Nameless One could be believed – and the more she listened to him, the more she realized that he was actually speaking truthfully – then this was his doing. He was ambition personified and his touch as she entered this world had ensured that she would never know satisfaction.
“Then what do you want me to do?”, she hissed, baring her fangs at him. “I want. I deserve. Those are the gifts you gave me, but now you tell me that I will never be able to satisfy them?” The Nameless One shook his head.
“I am ambition. I am sovereign”, he spoke again.
“It is in each of my servant’s natures to desire more than they have. I can lead each of them to glory, but it is in my nature to accept no equals” He gave her a stern glare.
“I am your best and only chance to become the greatest of all mortals, to achieve all that you can achieve, to stand firm, ageless and bright even as the world turns and all that ever will be turns into dust”, he explained.
“If you can accept me as your superior, if you can genuinely let me into your heart, not as your father as Pyrdacor desires, not as your equal as Ometheon desires, but as your god, then this is my promise to you, Pardona. All that you can achieve will be yours. You will become greater than Pyrdacor himself”“And if I refuse?”, she asked. “Are you going to kill me?” The Nameless One shook his head.
“I would never”, he admitted.
“No, if you refuse then this shall be the end of it. I will leave you, but consider for a moment where you would be without me” His smile returned and it was not a warm one.
“You would be alone in the dark of the night, with nothing but your thoughts to keep you company, with nothing but an ambition that can never be sated. You would be blind to Pyrdacor’s schemes for you and trust me, he is just getting started. You would make mistake after mistake and in the end, your own failure would be your undoing. I will feel no satisfaction when you meet your end. I will feel nothing at all, because I will not even take note of it. A brief sensation of regret at your squandered potential will be all the thought I will grant you”Those words actually cut deeper than she wanted to admit and the princess was taken aback by how coldly the god spoke them. “And what happens if I accept?”, she asked. “You said it yourself, you are nameless and bound. The other gods have overthrown you, haven’t they? What can you offer me, but words of guidance and sweet nothings?” The Nameless One looked at her, long and careful.
“You think that I hold no power now that I am bound”, he spoke and his chains rattled.
“It is true that I am not what I used to be. Back then, one word of mine would have bent reality around you, making you queen of any realm you desire, mistress of this world. But even now, I am not powerless” He flashed his teeth at her and it was not quite a smile, but neither meant to be a threat.
“A god, especially not one who ruled as absolute as I once did, can not be fully stripped of his powers”, he claimed. “I can no longer bestow strength upon mortals out of thin air, but I can increase powers that are already there. And you… you hold in you more power than any other in your generation. Given the right care, the right lessons and just a spark of my remaining blessings and you will be able to achieve greatness in your own right”Pardona was painfully aware that the Nameless One was trying to win her over. She wouldn’t quite call it manipulation, for she had no doubt that he was anything but honest to her. At the same time, he was trying to weaken her resolve, he was trying to make her go against anything her people held sacred. He was the Wind of Dhaza, the oldest and fiercest enemy of the high elven race. His Nameless Horde had brought ruin to the northern lands, his servants, humans and demons, had slaughtered countless elves, including Simia, their first king, as well as Vayadona. In a way, without this war, Pardona herself would have never been born. Had Vayadona survived, there was no doubt in her mind that this world would be a better one, without the grieving, blind queen to govern her much-suffered people, without the god-dragon to prey on their despair. She would not absolve Orima of her weakness, nor Pyrdacor of his cruelty, but all that troubled the elves today could be traced back to this old war between them and the Dhaza. To serve him now would be to betray them all, Lysira, Ometheon, even the memory of the princess she so resembled. The worst part, however, was that it was working. She felt her resolve weakening, felt herself considering his standpoint. The world was not yet broken, but clearly damaged, clearly breaking. Was it truly that bad a thing to try and fix it, to try and restore it to how it once was? To forge something that would actually last?
“What service could I even offer?”, she asked. “You have been bound by gods, stripped of your name and most of your power. What could I even do to aid your cause?” The Nameless One smiled, a bit warmer now and she saw the desire in his gaze.
“Do not undersell your worth, Pardona”, he spoke.
“I am cut off from the flow of sikaryan, the life energy that grows within every soul on this world. My traitor siblings feast on it once you die, they freely gorge themselves on your power. But that does not mean I cannot receive this energy. It must be given to me with intent, yes, but it can still be given. As we speak, my servants conduct rituals in their secret cabals, offering lives and dedicating souls to me”“Not always willingly”, Pardona deduced and the god gave her a nod, entirely unashamed by it.
“Think of it as tribute”, he spoke.
“It is a sovereign’s duty to collect from his subjects, to redirect what is theirs for the greater good. It is not so different with what the traitor gods collect after your natural life has come to an end, only that in my case, someone has to make the conscious decision to give it to me” He shrugged at Pardona’s hesitant expression.
“Do you think it cruel?”, he asked.
“What other choice do I have? With every soul that is given to me, I grow stronger. In time, eons from now, I will be able to break my chains and usher in a new golden age. With worthy servants, the process can be sped up and who would be more worthy than you?”
The princess pressed her lips together in hesitation. She was not so blind as to ignore how sinister all of this sounded. And yet… this was a legitimate god in front of her, not a self-proclaimed one like Pyrdacor, not the ones her mother made up of her dead childhood friends. The Dhaza was real, he stood in front of her and he wanted her in his service. The only thing holding her back was not the questionable moral of all of it, for she knew that this was entirely subjective. Power was not an evil thing in itself and neither was yearning for it. What truly mattered was what one would do with power. If he could be believed, the Nameless One sought to be a benevolent ruler, all-controlling but never cruel. She desired to be queen and she hoped that she would be a good one as well, one that could save the high elves from the decline that was brought by her mother and her father. No, the only thing that stopped her from pledging herself to the Nameless One right there and then was the fact that, more than anything else, she hated the thought of being subservient to someone.
The god seemed to notice her hesitation.
“Excellent”, he spoke and his praise surprised her.
“You do not want to serve, not just anyone at least. No, the worthiest servants seek only the worthiest masters. I shall pledge myself to you as much as you pledge yourself to me” He took a step towards her, his long, soft hands almost reaching her. The tail of the rat that had climbed into the maw in his palm was still twitching, nearly touching her face, but she did not recoil.
“Pledge yourself to me, Pardona, let me into your heart and you shall be the worthiest of my servants in this world. Any desire that you can achieve shall be sated. In this world, there will be no one above you and none your equal. Only I, in the darkness beyond the stars, shall be your master”Her expression softened, but some hesitation remained.
“What do you desire, princess?”, the Nameless One asked and she sighed. “I want to be queen”, she spoke. “Not the vassal my father has envisioned and not the exile my mother has chosen for me” To this, the god gave her a nod.
“And you will be, but not as you might think”, he spoke.
“This realm of elves is dying. Your cousin, Fenvarien, he will be the last ruler of Tie’Shanna. This is no prophecy, but merely a fact, a logical conclusion of the struggles that shall follow. I believe that the time of the elves will pass and that after the fall of Tie’Shanna, another race will take its place”This brought a frown to Pardona’s face. “The lizardfolk?”, she asked, earning herself a chuckle out of the god.
“No”, he stated firmly.
“They should have died out centuries ago. Pyrdacor did not prolong their life, he prolonged their decline. He is not as eternal as he might think and once he has been taken out, his chosen people will die. Give them a hundred years or a thousand, but I know that you will see a time when the last of them will have turned to dust” He shook his head.
“I believe it will be the humans”, he revealed.
“Humans?”, Pardona hissed. She had seen them before, even if they were rare in Tie’Shanna. Pyrdacor kept them as slaves and some free tribes existed in the mountains to the east and in the northern wilderness, but they were primitives. She had heard stories of a giantess living in the east who kept them safe, much in the same way one would keep a treasured pet out of harm’s way. But by and large, humans were an underwhelming species, short-lived, unsightly and weak-willed.
“They have more potential than you might think and they are not without virtue”, the Nameless One spoke.
“But you are right, their wills are weak. Easy to form. I believe it will be the humans that shall usher in my second coming and that their age will be the last before I break these chains”She found that hard to believe, but had to admit that less likely events had happened. Her very existence was one such thing and apparently she had this god to thank for it. “And what then?”, she asked. “Why does any of it matter, if Tie’Shanna is doomed, if my race will never again rise from the ashes?” This time, the rat’s tail gently moved across her cheek, as the Nameless One reached out towards her.
“My dear, you are smarter than that”, he spoke.
“Much smarter. Think, Pardona. With my aid, you will be limitless. Ometheon is leading part of your people into exile, hoping to outlast the coming storm. It is futile, but his approach is not without merit and it will present you with a unique opportunity”“Ometheon wants me to be his queen”, she revealed and the Nameless One outright laughed at those words.
“Oh, he is so earnest”, he spoke.
“He truly loves you and I believe he is dear to your heart as well” Pardona gave him a brief nod. “He wants me to be queen by his side”, she corrected herself and now, the god smirked.
“And you have no equal, my dear”, he clarified.
“As much as your heart might yearn for it, you must always keep this in mind. Ometheon’s fate will be a tragic one”Now, she narrowed her eyes. “I will not do anything to harm him”, she hissed sharply and the Nameless One backed off as she bared her fangs at him.
“I will not force you”, he promised her.
“In fact, I want you to join him, partly because you will have times of joy by his side. Hundreds of years perhaps, in which you can be his queen. His northern realm will be perfect for you to unleash your true potential”“Ice”, Pardona realized. “You want the same thing the god-dragon desires. The mastery over the element he once so readily discarded” The Nameless One gave her a nod.
“But not for myself”, he told her.
“What use would such a thing be to me? No, I want you to claim Ice for yourself. Unlike Pyrdacor, I will not envy you for any power you can gather in this world. In fact, I encourage you to never be satisfied, to always yearn for more. Ice will reveal itself to you and you shall claim it. Do not relinquish it to the god-dragon, nor to me”“And Ometheon?”, Pardona asked and the Nameless One slightly rolled his eyes.
“Him again”, he sighed.
“As I told you before, be happy by his side for as long as it lasts. But when the day comes, and I know it will, be prepared to sacrifice him for your own good. Love him if you want, but do not love him more than yourself”His tone was stern and Pardona could only nod, feeling deep unease at the implication. A part of her was certain she could never hurt Ometheon, who was just about the only person she could still count on. Another part of her was certain that no matter what, she would do whatever necessary to survive, to thrive, to get what she deserved. And yet, she hoped desperately it would never come to this.
“So, will you serve, Pardona?”, the Nameless One growled and his tone was different now, cold, sharp and commanding. This was a being so far above her she could never consider herself even remotely its equal. The difference between this chained god and Pyrdacor was so staggering that even she, who had vowed never to serve, never to be used again, could do nothing but stare in awe. It was in this moment that she truly understood the meaning of divinity.
“Will you serve as my champion, as the first of many, as the Herald of my Second Golden Age?”, the god continued. “Will you vow to be loyal to me above all other loyalties, to place your faith in me first?”This time, Pardona sank onto her knees, knowing that this was her chance. This was the only master worth serving, the only one who would have her. Under his wing, she would grow, she would thrive and become the queen she was meant to be. She saw clearly in this moment, the path ahead of her. On her own, she would surely die, torn apart by Pyrdacor’s schemes and the cruelty of the world she had found herself in. If Tie’Shanna’s fall was truly inevitable, then she would surely fall alongside it, unless she managed to win a powerful ally, a liege worth serving.
And yet, she was still the dragon’s daughter. “Do you swear to aid me in return?”, she asked and her bold words clearly caught the god off guard. The Rat-Child stared at her, its withered face twisting with surprise, the eyes wide and the expression within them a mixture of fury and amusement.
“You truly are of Pyrdacor’s blood”, he spoke.
“And he is truly my creation through and through. That pride was my downfall, you know… yet I cannot help but respect your bravery” He chuckled mildly and his expression softened.
“I swear to always be by your side. To guide you wherever needed. To protect you from those that seek to harm you” He placed one hand on his chest.
“This I swear upon the name that has been taken from me: Pledge your loyalty to me and me only and you will be the first and highest among all of my servants, second to none among all mortals. It might take many years, but all that you desire will be yours”These words were assurance enough, for she knew that a god did not need to lie. Pardona lowered her head. “Then I, Pardona, daughter of Orima and Pyrdacor, pledge myself to you, oh Wind of Dhaza. I will be your servant from this day until the day I die” She tensed up as she felt the small, clawed fingers of the god on her chin. His touch was firm, strict and bitingly cold, as he forced her to look upwards into his bottomless, golden eyes.
“Until the day you die and beyond”, he hissed.
“Servitude to me does not end with death. Swear it!”“I… I swear… Until the day I die and beyond”, the princess gasped and the grip around her chin softened slightly.
“Then I welcome you in my service”, the Nameless God replied.
“You have knelt as a Princess of Tie’Shanna. When you rise, you will do so as the Tongue of the Nameless God, as my herald and my champion in this world” He let go of her briefly, but when Pardona tried to stand up, the Nameless God reached out for her chin again, forcing her to remain kneeling.
“You will find me a generous master, so long as you do not forget your obligations to me”, he spoke and his tone was firm, yet not without warmth.
“As the first of my many gifts to you, allow me to grant you the same spark I granted Pyrdacor at the dawn of time. A small part of my divinity shall be yours and you shall wield it to pursue your goals and mine”Her eyes widened as she realized the implications of what he just offered to her. “You would do this for me?”, she asked and the god gave her a brief nod.
“Of course, my dear”, he spoke.
“You are my herald after all and as such, you will need to represent me when necessary. It will be a powerful gift and one that you will learn to cherish, for it will aid you in your own goals quite tremendously” He paused for a second, studying her face, one clawed finger gently caressing her cheek.
“You will be the Tongue of the Nameless God, so to you I gift the power of my divine voice”, he explained.
“Open your mouth, widely”Something within his tone made Pardona hesitate. “Mylord?”, she asked and the grip around her chin grew harder.
“This will hurt, but I need you to trust me”, the god assured her.
“Open your mouth and present your tongue to me” She hesitated again, but she knew he would not accept even a hint of disobedience. With wide eyes and a rapidly beating heart, she opened her mouth, unable to fully hide the fear in her eyes. “Please… mylord, don’t hurt me”, she managed to gasp, just as the clawed fingers entered her mouth, forcing it open far wider than she was comfortable with.
“Only for a moment”, the Nameless God assured her and swiftly, before she could react, the claws reached her tongue. They immediately and heavily grabbed her tongue and Pardona felt a searing pain, worse than any she had ever felt in her life. Before she could even scream, the claws expertly carved through flesh and muscle, ripping the entirety of her tongue from her mouth. And the agony was breathtaking.
As the Nameless One released her from his grip, she fell forwards, first onto all fours, but then she sank onto her side, screaming at the top of her lungs in pure agony, as blood poured from her open mouth. Her vision clouded from pain and tears and the whole world around her came to a blur, with even her panicked screams sounding muffled to her ears. As she flailed around on the ground, she barely saw the outline of the god above her, the torn tongue withering in his clawed hand, his golden gaze staring down at her with something that was neither malice, nor empathy.
Still howling in desperate pain, Pardona barely noticed that she had fallen onto her back, but she felt the effects immediately, as the blood from her mouth instead ran down her throat. She gasped for air, her eyes widened, as even the screams stopped, instead replaced by rasped gagging. And then, the god moved. The maw in his palm opened again and from it, he pulled something, something she neither could see nor wanted to with the pain that clouded her sight.
“Turn to the side!”, the Nameless One demanded and it was an order she could only follow even now, even in this agonizing state. He forced her mouth open even against her pitifully weak struggles and forced the thing inside of her. Pardona began to gag, as she felt something wriggling inside her mouth, pressing against her inner cheeks and against the raw, bleeding wound where her tongue had been torn and her first instinct was to spit it out again. Her god prevented it at once by pressing his strong hands against her lower jaw, forcing it shut. She gazed at him in pure fear, feeling his claws scraping against her flesh and whatever he had forced into her mouth wriggling, moving on its own, increasing the pressure against what little remained of her tongue. Her mouth filled with blood and even now, it poured out in two thin, warm lines from the corners of her lips. But somehow, she realized, breathing became easier again. The constant flow of blood was stopped. She felt the thing inside of her reaching out to the torn remnant of her tongue and she felt the pain easing. It was not quite gone and she knew that the memory of this agony would remain with her forever, but the relief brought tears to her eyes.
“Good”, the Nameless One spoke.
“Well done, my herald. Open your mouth”She did as he told her and the pent-up gasps of agony left her throat at once in a single whimper. She spat blood, but that was all of it. No more poured from her wound, as she realized, because there was no wound to speak of. Instead, she realized that she could move her tongue… no, not hers, but a tongue, feeling it pressing against her cheeks, exploring her mouth, tasting the blood that still covered it.
“How does it feel?”, the Nameless One asked, giving her an expectant look.
“I…”, Pardona spoke and to her surprise, she could speak. She could feel this new tongue in her mouth as if it was her own, but her voice sounded different to her ears. It was still her own, a soft, melodic tone, but there was something else within it. Each word felt powerful, it resonated of her tongue and the voice itself was vibrating with a newly gained strength. “It feels…
good” She moved the tongue around in her mouth, feeling the sharpness of her canines and the softness of her lips, the metallic taste of her own blood and the remaining strength that oozed from her voice with every new word.
“I feel… strong!”, she realized.
This time, her god gave her a wide, honest smile, but to her horror, she realized that there was no tongue in his mouth, not anymore. It did not seem to impede his ability to speak, however.
“Good”, he replied.
“Now you truly are my herald, Pardona” He chuckled softly at her surprise.
“Did you think it was just a title, Tongue of the Nameless God?”, he asked.
“This is an honour I bestow only upon a select few and this particular one is unique to you”For a second as he vision cleared, Pardona could see what he meant. The Rat-Child’s right hand, the one with the maw inside of it, disappeared for a second and she could see a scarred stump in its place. All the hair on his head was gone, torn with spiteful hands and in place of his right eye, she saw a bottomless abyss, a whirling darkness that clouded her mind and darkened her thoughts just by looking at it. She blinked and the image was gone again, replaced by the twisted, but still intact visage of the Nameless God.
“My power is chained”, he explained to her.
“But the traitor gods did not account for the sheer spite I have for them and theirs. In every new age, I sacrifice a piece of myself, throwing it down upon the world beneath me to free it from their golden chains. Worthy servants carry those pieces in my name, sometimes just one, sometimes many. They are the agents of my will and the instruments of my desire. It will be their duty to free me once the final age has come” He smiled again and this time, she saw his tongue back in his mouth, at least an image of it.
“You, Pardona, will carry my tongue with you. Your voice will be imbued with my power, with my will, my ambition” He reached out for her again and though she still looked at him in fear, she did not recoil, as the claws gently moved across her lips, wiping the blood from them.
“Do you understand what honour I bestowed upon you?”With tears of reverence, the princess gave him a nod. “Yes!”, she exclaimed and gasped as she could feel the power within her tongue. “I feel it, mylord. I am yours now and forever!” He let go of her and she bowed her head to him, as the horrific experience she just went through was gradually replaced by the newfound strength she felt within her. It was no longer just her own and for the first time in her fairly brief existence, it felt right. She felt accepted and at home, not in her mother’s embrace, not by her father’s side, but in the shadow of this chained god who had gifted her a literal piece of his might.
“Then your first task will be to increase your own power”, the Nameless God told her.
“I have little use for Orima’s disgraced child, for a fenvar princess with neither influence nor reach” He smiled kindly, but his rat-like teeth made the expression more than just a bit disturbing.
“I have reason to believe that you will quite enjoy this assignment, my herald”, he added.
“For I want you to remain close to Ometheon. In the days that follow, his movement will attract many followers from all walks of life. Your cousin, Fenvarien, he will try to hold this realm together, but Ometheon’s self-imposed exile in the far north will lay the foundation of Tie’Shanna’s shattering. You have no power in this court, but Ometheon, as you know, is quite fond of you. Enjoy your time by his side, but do not grow complacent. Your goal is not to aid him, but to aid yourself”
She gave her god a firm nod. “I understand”, she spoke, but her voice wavered slightly. “But… I want no misfortune for Ometheon” The Nameless One’s smile grew thinner.
“Then do not bring it upon him until you decide otherwise”, he spoke.
“I will not force you into anything, princess” He gave her a stern look.
“While you remain by his side, I want you to follow your father’s assignment. Find the reformed Key of Ice, the one he once sacrificed to save his servant race. It will, as they always do, reform in the heart of its element, where the world is at its coldest, where not a trace of warmth remains. By happenstance, Ometheon has chosen to build his fortress quite close to that place” He raised one long, clawed finger.
“Once you have the Key of Ice, use it as you see fit, solely for your own gain, for your success is mine”, he told her.
“Doing so will certainly anger my wayward servant, so prepare for his wrath. Pyrdacor might not be a god, but he is still magnitudes above you in experience and where you hold only one key, he has five to his name”“Then how can I defeat him?”, Pardona asked, to which the Nameless One shook his head.
“You cannot”, he replied.
“Not on your own. Pyrdacor’s hybris will be his undoing in the end, for the gods he now serves are not as blind to his transgressions as he believes, nor are they his equals. The day will come where he will overstep his boundaries for the final time” Now, a fiendish smirk flashed across his face and for a second, he seemed actively sinister.
“This is by my design, of course”, he revealed.
“I made him, flaws and all. His boundless pride has alienated him from his siblings and should the day come, quite a few of them, each his equal in age and experience, will surely be more than glad to move against him, be it noble Famerlor, belligerent Umbracor or far-sighted Aldinor” He shrugged.
“Ultimately, he will pay the price for turning against me”, he whispered.
“Look for his example and never forget it, Pardona”She felt a chill running down her spine as those deep, golden eyes gazed at her. “Understood, master”, she stuttered, to the Nameless God’s visible satisfaction.
“In this life, I want you to put yourself first”, he told her warmly.
“This is what I wanted for Pyrdacor too. But never forget that I can unmake you. Be your own master, but never forget that I am more than that. I am your god, the only one you shall ever know, the only one that will ever accept you”
Pardona lowered her head. “I will not disappoint you”, she promised. Indeed, his demands felt more than reasonable to her, the rewards beyond her comprehension. Instead of submitting to a worldly authority, like Pyrdacor wanted for her, she would truly be a queen unchallenged. And she knew in her heart that she would be a good queen, that her subjects would want for nothing. Her mother wanted to deny her this opportunity, but now she had found a god who would nurture her to her full potential.
In this moment, she felt something odd. It was a strange sensation, just for a second, as if she was seeing herself through another’s eyes. As she looked up into the Nameless One’s shining, golden eyes, she realized that he too seemed a bit quizzed.
“What is this, Pardona?”, he hissed and each word oozed disapproval.
“What are we doing here again?” He paused, his clawed hand reaching for her chin.
“This is… curious”“What do you mean, mylord?”, Pardona asked, but she felt it as well. Something was strange. This was not how it should be. “You… can see me?”, she gasped with a sudden realization and it was not her voice. Those were not her thoughts. This was a memory, but it was not hers. And she was not Pardona, the Tongue of the Nameless God. And just as she realized this, the god himself reached out for her. A stark pain flared up in her entire body as he grabbed her by the chin, pulling her closer. And she realized, in horror, that Pardona remained behind.
Luna, again
“What is the meaning of this?”, the Nameless One hissed, as he grabbed Luna by the chin, violently yanking her closer. The young elf tried to scream, but no tone would leave her throat. Callously, the god pulled her towards him, snarling with disapproval.
“I do not appreciate being stirred like this, little one!” His eyes glared at her and they lacked any trace of the warmth they had held for his herald just moments ago.
It was in this moment that Luna realized what had happened. Somehow and to her outspoken horror, the Dhaza could see her. Not Pardona, but her, Luna. Somehow, he had torn her from the princess’ memory, glaring down at her with the full might of an angry god. “I…”, she stuttered and her voice sounded meek and utterly wrong to her ears after the power she had just tasted on the princess’ tongue. “I do not… please, I…”
The Nameless God narrowed his eyes.
“You… should not be here. None of us should. This has already happened thousands of years ago” He tried to move only to grimace, this time with outspoken anger as he stared at the chains around his legs.
“My chains are weaker than they were in this memory… and I do not appreciate being reminded of how things were”, he added, before he glared back at Luna, this time tossing her a few feet away with one flick of his wrist. She screamed as she flew, but the silk on the ground dampened her fall. As she touched it, she felt large, thin hands reaching out to her through the silk, velvet claws digging into her flesh, pinning her to the ground. “Please!”, she screamed. “I only… I was just…”
“Curious?”, the Nameless God growled.
“Foolish girl! Do you not know that even the memory of a god holds power? Even chained to the Wall of Stars, I see everything. I see you, as you squirm there, I see your deep regret at having dug so deep, at having witnessed this… oh, the secrets you have learned. Were it not for the thousands of years that had passed since then, I would have to kill you now, you know” His anger returned for a moment, harder and sharper than before and Luna howled in fear at his sight. His eyes were huge, golden flames now, his face disfigured with hatred. Though child-like in body, his shadow engulfed the entire room, dousing it in purple twilight.
And then, there was a different sound. A soft, golden chuckle, quiet and gentle, but piercing right through the god’s anger and through Luna’s fear. It was a sweet sound, bright as a chime, cheerful as a song and it carried with it the same might she heard in the Nameless God’s voice. It took her a moment to realize that it had been Pardona who was chuckling. “Mylord!”, she spoke softly. “Oh, my dear lord!” She stepped towards him, leaving golden footsteps where she trod. “Do not be angry with the child”, she asked of him, placing one hand on his right arm. And the sight of her was mesmerizing.
Luna had briefly seen the high elven princess in a memory before, during a brief look in the mirror but the sight of her now was different entirely. She was a princess no longer, but a queen in her own right. Ageless as all elves were, she had kept the same youthful appearance as she had five thousand years ago. Luna had never seen such beauty before, at least not in a person. She was like the sun that reflected from the first, soft snowfall that covered her homeland during the beginnings of winter. Yet her eyes were different from before. They were still golden, distinctly draconic in appearance, but shining from within with an intense light that pierced through the Nameless God’s shadows. She was no longer clad in the white, flowing dress of a princess, but in an elegant garb made of purple silk, just a little bit lighter than the dark purple that covered this entire place. It was notably more revealing, showing off one side of her leg and most of her back, the hem lined with threads of gold. On her head, at last, covering the silvery-white hair that she had inherited from her mother, rested a crown, a thin circlet lined with curved, dark horns made of onyx, each of them small, but clearly modeled after a dragon's horns. This was still Pardona, but as she was now, thousands of years later than during her memories. “After all, this is not your memory, nor hers”, she added and her voice was soft as a song. “It is mine and mine alone”
The Nameless God himself seemed taken by the sight of her.
“It has been a while, my champion”, he greeted her and she responded with a graceful curtsy. “Far too long, I am afraid”, she confirmed. “But be assured, the promised day draws ever closer. Tireless are my efforts and this one…” She moved one hand towards Luna, who tensed up as those golden eyes looked directly at her. They were bright, beautiful and almost as terrifying as those of her father and those of her god. “She is yet another one of them. Asch’s project, to be precise”
“Asch?”, the Nameless One asked, before he raised an eyebrow.
“Ah, your First. Of course” He gazed back at Luna and she cowered under his gaze. The firm grip around her body had weakened, but by now she felt held in place by his presence alone. Never before had she felt so weak, so naked in the face of utter darkness.
“I knew there was something familiar about you, child”, he spoke and his voice, though calm now, still sent shivers of terror down her spine.
“You are a half-blood, aren’t you? Half mine, half of the light. A child of two worlds… how rare” With these words, he looked back at Pardona.
“What is your First trying to do with her?”, he asked, this time with genuine interest. Somehow, knowing that he was genuinely acknowledging her by now was worse than his previous anger.
“Asch believes she is one of the Marked Seven”, Pardona revealed. “The second, to be precise” This brought a wide, terrifying smile to the Rat-Child’s face.
“My goodness, them again?”, he replied.
“I wonder how many we’ll see in this era. Anything more than four would be… quite intriguing” He looked back at Luna.
“This is the first time one of the seven has been mine, if only partially”, he spoke.
“I can see what your First is trying to accomplish here”Though Luna was still terrified and rightfully so, she felt a tiny spark of defiance growing inside of her. “I am no one's”, she hissed. “Not yours, not Asch's, not anyone's” She fully expected anger, but in return, the Nameless God gave her only the smallest of smirks.
“All will be mine in the end”, he told her calmly. It was not a boast, but a fact, a cosmic truth that he laid out in front of her.
“But cling to your delusion a little longer, young one. Mortal defiance is always so… adorable”He took a step towards her and as Luna instinctively backed off, she could feel the long claws on her back again, firmly preventing her from getting some distance between her and the god. His chains rattled on the ground and the sound clearly soured his mood again.
“Oh, how I despise this sorry state”, he snarled.
“My siblings knew how to humiliate me” His eyes narrowed again.
“And you… you saw this memory. You brought a tiny fragment of me back to this moment, forcing me to relive it all over again”Before he could come any closer, Pardona stepped in, placing one hand firmly on his arm. “Apologies, master”, she sighed softly. “I gave Asch a memory stone. A harmless trinket, truly, one that should help her understand. Even the children in Ryl’Arc use it” Her gaze wandered back to Luna. “I underestimated the effect this would have on her. She should not have been able to access this memory” The Nameless One actually tried to move, but her grip around his arm grew only firmer. “Allow me to deal with this, master”, she replied. “Please” At last and to Luna’s boundless relief, the god let out a defeated sigh.
“Fine”, he sighed.
“Have it your way then, Pardona. I trust that this will not interfere with your own plans. Bring me a servant worthy of my attention, as you promised”“The worthiest”, she swore and with this, she let go of him. The Nameless God took a step back, his gaze firmly resting on Luna now.
“I see you, young one”, he hissed and his words rang through her mind, an echo of the voice Pardona had heard for her entire life.
“I know you. I will be watching your future with great attention” Those were the most terrible words he could have said to her and Luna felt tears of fear welling up in her eyes.
Then, however, the Queen of the Shakagra made one move with her hand and everything around her faded. The Nameless One became a blur, his silken prison a mass of whirling colours, purple and gold. There was only Pardona herself, a radiant, golden light in the darkness. Luna barely noticed herself sinking to the ground, her gaze fixed on the queen’s eyes, the golden irises flickering with a motherly warmth.
When she came back to her senses, the queen was still standing exactly in front of her, but everything else had changed. Luna realized that she was back in the waking world, lying on her bed, her back slumped against the cold, hard wall behind of her. Her entire spine screamed in pain from being pressed against the stone so harshly and she groaned in discomfort as she fully sunk back onto the mattress. She was back in her prison chamber, feeling the cold seeping in through the small window.
Pardona stood in the middle of the room, her mere presence elevating this chamber. Her eyes were shimmering with small, golden lights, themselves enough to illuminate her surroundings more than a candle ever could, dousing everything around her in a warm radiance. Asch stood behind her, a dark, gloomy figure, one of his gloved hands resting on his queen’s shoulder. “My queen, there is no reason for you to get involved now. I must ask of you to….”
“I will take it from here, my knight”, she replied firmly. “You had your time with her and you took more than enough of it” Her smile was icy and her gaze not moving from Luna. Behind her, Asch tensed up. “You seem displeased, my queen”, he realized. “If I have failed you in any way, I beg of you, please, tell me and I shall make sure…”
“She saw me”, Pardona replied, her tone quiet, but firm, her voice filling this room as her gaze did. “She saw the moment I swore allegiance to our lord. And HE… I’m afraid HE saw her too” Asch’s eyes widened and it was the first time Luna sensed any emotion from him aside from smug superiority. “No…”, he gasped. “This is impossible”
“It should be”, the queen confirmed. “And yet here we are, with your little project having seen something she really shouldn’t have. She has gained our lord’s full attention and as intrigued as HE was… HE was quite displeased as well, for HE does not take kindly to being disturbed” The brightness of her eyes flickered for a moment, before returning in full force. “As I said… I will take it from here” Now she glanced over her shoulder, straight at Asch and the Night Elf immediately removed his hand from her shoulder, as he firmly saluted in front of her. “You may take your leave, Asch”, she told him and he gave her the smallest of bows. “My queen”, he replied, his gaze briefly moving towards Luna. “Please… be merciful”
This brought a smile to Pardona’s face and she laughed, just once, a bright and clear tone. “Is this concern I sense, Asch?”, she asked and the knight outright frowned. “She has value to our cause, my queen”, he argued, to which she gave him a firm nod. “Indeed she has, my knight…”, she confirmed. “Indeed she has… so rest assured, no harm shall come to her” She glanced at him with a bright, honest smile. “I promise” This was good enough for Asch and with another bow, he left the room, leaving Luna alone with the queen.
Pardona only smiled serenely, her gaze not leaving Luna’s up until Asch had closed the door behind him. She could hear his footsteps in the distance and after a few moments, the queen broke the silence. “So… we meet at last”, she spoke, her expression gentle, but otherwise inscrutable. “The circumstances are less than ideal, but here we are regardless. Welcome, Luna”
Instinctively, the elf lowered her head. “Your highness…”, she mumbled. This caused the queen to chuckle clearly. “You have surprisingly refined manners for a little girl from the human countryside”, she spoke and Luna was not entirely certain if this was meant as a compliment or an insult. “I can see why Asch is so invested in your fate” Her smile faded, though the golden glow in her eyes remained. It was only now that Luna realized that the queen’s right hand was closed into a fist. A weak, red light shimmered through the fingers and it was decidedly more sinister.
“You called me the Marked Second”, Luna replied. “Is this why he took me? Is this why I am here?” Her gaze met the queen’s and just for a second, she showed her the same defiance she showed the Nameless God just moments ago. “Is this why my friends had to die?” As she expected, Pardona’s expression did not waver. “Ah yes, Asch mentioned that there have been… casualties”, she sighed. “Your friends had to die because they stood in his way. Asch can be… quite uncompromising. But yes, we took you here because of your destiny. That should matter more than two insignificant humans”
“Insignificant?”, Luna hissed. “They are not…” Before she could reply, the queen cut her off simply by raising a finger. “You will calm down in this instant”, she ordered her. “I was hoping you’d understand by now that there are powers at work in this world that are far grander than the lives of mortals” The flames in her eyes grew brighter and so did the red light between her fingers. “You are indeed the Second of Seven, the Herald of the Walking Image. You can count yourself among the Marked Seven” It was not the first time she had heard this term. Asch had used it, but never bothered to truly explain it. As such, for a moment her curiosity grew stronger than her anger and fear. “What does this mean?”, she asked.
“It means that you have been chosen, to put it simply”, the queen explained. “By the gods, to be precise. Not just the traitor gods, for the creation of the marks themselves predates their treason. It is said that in times of great need, the gods can bestow these marks upon worthy mortals and it is said that the more dire the times, the more marks appear at any given time. Two have been known to fight among the high elves of old during the Fall of Tie’Shanna. Three have faced Pyrdacor during the Second War of the Dragon. No more than five have reinforced my master’s chains during the Eight Age, when his servants nearly managed to break him free. Different times have known their own Marked Ones, even their own versions of the marks”
With these words, she opened her closed fist and Luna spotted a red gemstone in her palm. It was glowing with active malice and she sensed something intelligent within the glow. To her mild disgust, she spotted blood frozen all over the ruby. “This, for example, is the First Mark”, Pardona explained. “This particular gemstone is a couple of thousand years old, so it is not the first of its kind, but in ages past there have been other iterations of it, quite similar in appearance. The Marked First has always been identified by a ruby eye”
“And I am… the Marked Second, yes?”, Luna asked. “So you’re saying I have been chosen by the gods to… to counter a great calamity?” Pardona flashed her a smile, briefly revealing her sharp teeth. “Quite correct”, she confirmed. “You are the Second of Seven and I have reason to believe that the threat you have been called to combat is severe. Indeed, it might be the most severe one this world has ever faced, for I have intel that even the Sixth Mark, the one that has never been unleashed, has begun to stir in his dreamless sleep” Her smile grew thinner and just a tad bit amused. “So… don’t feel pressured”, she chuckled.
This was a lot more than Asch had revealed to her before and she could see now why he had been so curt in his explanations. Already, Luna felt an overwhelming sense of dread at what she had just heard. This was officially larger than she could ever be. How… just how could she live up to those expectations? How could anyone? “So… I have been marked?”, she gasped, as she gazed down at her body. “Where… how?”
The queen shook her head. “Not yet”, she assured her. “You have been chosen to be the Marked Second from the moment you were born, but no, you have not yet been marked. Rest assured, yours is a lot less invasive than the ruby eye” She closed her fist again and the red light faded. Now, her own golden gaze was the only source of light in the room, unnerving in its own right but decidedly less malevolent. “With that said, the moment of your marking lies close at hand. You are almost ready for it”
“And then what?”, the elf asked, her voice sounding meek and shaky. She tried to control herself, but somehow just listening to the queen’s words was as horrifying as having to witness the Nameless God. This was her fate, she knew it from the bottom of her heart, but it was not one she anticipated. If anything, she felt dread at the thought of being chosen like this, even if it was by the gods her parents worshipped so fervently. “What have I been chosen to fight against?”
To her mild relief, Pardona merely shrugged. “I do not know”, she admitted. “Not even my master does, for the traitor gods have cut him off from such knowledge. It must be something tremendous, because for the first time it seems as if all seven of the marks are called into action. Which is all the greater a reason for me to take action. A time of great calamity will follow and I need to gather my forces and as many allies as I can. My legions, the other cults and, of course, the great servant I try to summon here”
“
Assarbad…”, a voice hissed, quite similar to the one that had spoken to Pardona from the moment of her birth. It was a hollow, hateful tone that originated from somewhere within Luna’s head, sudden enough for her to flinch. The queen rolled her eyes, as she glared down at the ruby. “Hush now, Al’Chababi”, she hissed. “Back to your slumber until you are needed”
She smiled back at Luna. “I do not know what calamity you have been called to answer, but I feel it in my heart that it will threaten this world like nothing before it ever has”, she revealed. “And I believe it will be your calling, your duty, to forge a great alliance to counter it. Those who serve the Golden God and those who serve the wretched traitors, all united for the greater good” Her smile was wide and sharp, but not without honesty. “You are a child of two worlds, Luna. Your father was a shakagra of the first generation, your mother came from a royal elven line. If anyone can convince them all to work together, it will be you” Her smile faded and her eyes narrowed, a brief, chilling expression. “It must be you”, she added.
In respone, Luna could only glare at her. “And why should I aid you?”, she asked. “I know what you did. You claim to have good intentions, but what good have you actually done? There is no elven realm anymore and that is partly your fault, isn’t it?” She knew at once that she had said something dangerous just now and that as affable as she seemed at first, there was a brief, monstrous rage flaring up in Pardona’s face, a hint at her draconic lineage. Her father’s rage, she imagined, could have sunk entire continents and his daughter was in no ways his lesser.
The anger was gone as quick as it came. Pardona closed her eyes, taking a deep, audible breath, before opening them again, the look inside notably softer. “Have I harmed you in any way, child? Have I not given you shelter, have I not led you onto a path far greater than any you could have achieved on your own?”, she asked. “You may feel anger at me for having caused the death of these humans you so cherished, you may feel hesitant to aid me because of the god I serve, but that does not change the fact that I do not wish for us to be enemies. All Asch did was to nurture your presence, to shape you into the woman you need to be. And I have taken further steps to ensure that your marking shall happen soon”
This was enough to regain Luna’s curiosity even above her rightful anger. “What do you mean by that?”, she asked. “I thought this… this mark is bestowed upon by the gods” The queen flashed her a brief, toothy smile. “And whom do I serve but the greatest of them all?”, she replied, before she shook her head. “But to ease your concerns, this is not a mark given by my god, nor any single one in particular. Dire times, like the one we are about to enter, lead the marks to appear. It is up to us mortals to bring them to their rightful marked one. If anything, I am merely speeding up a process that could have otherwise taken us years. I will unite you with your mark and by then, I hope the path ahead will be clear for you”
“And in return?”, Luna asked. “You may have forgotten all of it, but to me it was only moments ago. I was inside of your head, I know how you think. You desire power, you think you deserve this world. Tell me then, why should I aid you in any of this?” She expected another sign of anger, but to her surprise the queen merely chuckled, as one would chuckle at a child’s indignation. “You know nothing, dear girl”, she told her. “You have seen a child, younger than you in body and mind. Five thousand years have passed since then and as I have changed, so has my outlook on this world”
“Then what do you want?”, Luna asked again and she did not recoil as Pardona approached her. Softly, like a mother would, she placed one hand on the elf’s cheek. “I want unity”, she spoke and Luna could feel the power in her voice. “I have read the prophecies and I know what is to come. A great darkness will befall this world, a calamity of untold proportions. For the first time since the first sun rose over an infant world, the Seven Marks will appear at once” Her smile was gone, replaced by an urgent glare. “I have no illusions that my god is not yours, but are we not both a part of this world? We both want nothing but its continued existence”, she claimed. “And yet, it is a fractured world. Under my mother, there has been one realm of elves, now there are dozens of tribes. The humans have never even bothered to unite, instead each petty lord has declared himself king and now you have the Middenrealm, Horasia, the Bornland and so many more. Should the day come where they need to settle their grudges, do you think any of them would swallow their pride? Do you think a single Lord of Men would try and weave an alliance with their fellows with whom they have shed so much blood?”
Luna shook her head, knowing that the queen spoke truthfully just now. She also knew that this made her words all the more dangerous. Perhaps Pardona considered it laughable, but she had been raised by humans in the Faith of the Twelve Gods. She knew the Nameless One as the great deceiver, the one enemy that could not be reasoned with. And still, here she stood in the presence of his highest servant in this world, a woman who was trying to do just that.
“But you are no Lord of Men”, Pardona continued. “You have been nobody and without me that is what you would have remained. Soon, you will be the Herald of the Walking Image and your duty will be to weave an alliance of the likes that has never been seen before” Her narrowed eyes mustered Luna carefully, taking all of her in, before focussing on the girl’s trembling hands. “You will bring unity”, she added, her tone softer now. “And I want to be a part of it. On your own, I know that you would never even think of extending a hand to me. You might manage to unite the lesser gods, the realms of men and even the elder races, but what good would it do you if you would ignore the greatest among the gods?”
She took a step away from the elf, before extending one hand invitingly. “Let me be the first to propose an alliance with you, Marked Second”, she told her. “Let us face this coming darkness together” Her words were spoken not without honesty in them, but Luna had heard enough of her god to know that nothing he said could be taken at face value, especially not a seemingly earnest offer. And yet, if the queen was right, then this was her duty, forming a great alliance against… against some ominous future threat. In that case, perhaps it was only right to include the Herald of the Nameless God and her shakagra legions. Or perhaps, just perhaps, this would make things only worse with the ones she actually had to convince, with the countless, well-earned enemies of the Nameless One.
[Ally with Pardona] [Reject her proposal]