《Book of Immortals - The Beast of the Lands》 The Unleashing The winds were as hollow as an echo throughout the night as the world descended into chaos. The world fell silent, and the earth stood still as if time itself ceased to exist. The sky that once glittered with fireworks, crackled, and shattered like a broken mirror. A crimson moon hung heavy in the night sky, casting an eerie, blood-red glow upon the skies. Within an instant, time continued, and the ground began rumbling, a scene that one could only read about in a fantasy novel, a blinding light flashed across the skylines, lightening clashing with the hellfire that sprouted from the cracks within the earth. Heaven and Hell clashed. Survival instincts kicked in as many ran chaotically, but nowhere was safe, fire ate at everything it touched, as Zeus¡¯ wrath caused buildings to crumble. What was once known as fiction, became reality as the ground trembled with the first waves of transformation, men became beast, and the beast feasted on men. An insatiable thirst slowly coated their confusion of this anomaly as the scent of blood drenched the air and death gloomed over those deemed unfavoured by the gods. Eyes weld with tears as the blood moon shun brighter over the terror filled night. The beast, no different than newborn cattle, ran rampant through the night leaving nothing but havoc in its path, killing- no, slaughtering everything in sight. There thirst brough on by their new form, left little room for self-control or humility, only their newfound urge to taste blood was at the forefront of their mind. Streets were littered with the remnants of what was once human civilization., transformed into a grotesque battlefield. The scent of destruction and fear filled the air as pleas for a saviour, salvation and forgiveness soon fell silent no later than the sounds of bones being devoured echoed through the night, as one prey fell, they hunted the next. What cruel atrocities must one commit to deserve being mutilated by jiggered teeth, ripped apart, limb from limb. It was a mercy to die quickly rather that those that withered away slowly once the monsters had gotten bored from gnawing on their bones and feasting on their organs, their blood shot eyes strained from tears and their throats swollen from the constant pleas. Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. The beast wanted nothing more than to satisfy their insatiable need to feed their wanton thrill. The thrill to Hunt¡­ Kill¡­ Conquer¡­. As the night danced on, more beasts appeared, but one amongst the majority stood above the rest, gallivanting restlessly in search of its next prey, not to feed, but to toy with, this cruel monster tormented the unsaved souls of his past and thrived from the pure ecstasy that soared through its veins as his vengeance was fulfilled. The excitement his soul felt when the silky texture of his enemies¡¯ blood saturated its tongue, quenching his thirst brought forth by rage. As the beast grew more erratic it''s animalistic urges came to the forefront, remnants of the man that was once human, faded almost past the brink of no return. Remnants of the blood coated the tips of his fur as he made his exit from the thickets and entered yet another bloody street, same as the ones prior. Lifeless bodies severed and scattered, others, though fully intact, were depleted of its essence, leaving nothing but a pale corpse with sunken flesh, as the area showed no signs of life, he continued his journey. The howls of many echoed in the distance, causing the beast to stir with anticipation as it charged forward. His senses became overpowered with unfamiliarity as he steered to a new destination, a newfound compulsion to dominate the unknown. The earth shook with each stride the beast took, paying no mind to the rainbow of enlarged eyes that bored into his large, distinctive physique. It was apparent he was different from the rest. His skin was a patchwork of mottled fur, as black as the abyss, littered with protruding veins like armour and fiery eyes that glowed with the depths of hell, three heads, snarling and baring wicked fangs, sat upon his shoulders, a foresight of the torments that awaiting the new world. As the beast neared its destination, its pace turned into leisured strides, interrupting the lesser beasts that feasted on the undead. The monster¡¯s presence was felt as they all froze and stared, bits of flesh hanging from their mouths. As his stride drew nearer, some immediately phased into a crouching posture, ears flattened, tails tucked between their legs and head bowed to the ground, his murderous presence forced them into submission. None could resist the will the three headed beast forced upon them, and it took nothing more than a growl from the beast for them to begin shifting. As their blood lust faded and their humanity flicked, memories of the heinous crimes their beastly forms committed set in, their stomachs churned and those that could not withstand the guilt of their actions, allowed their bodies to give in as bile exited their blood-stained mouths. Question about what occurred went unanswered, the possibilities of what they remembered, simply being a dream was lowered when the beast before them howled and without hesitation or thought, their bodies fell to the ground, kneeling before the monstrosity, vowing to serve without reason. Therion, was granted unparalleled power for a reason, to stand as a guardian against the impending darkness, to defend the world once ruled by Gods. No one knew the reason. One thing was for sure. The Gods had forsaken them. And the man that stood before them, was a Champion. Unleashing the Tale of the New World ¡°One thing was for sure. The Gods had forsaken them. And the man that stood before them was a Champion.¡± The ears of the maidens stood at attention as their focus was on their Village elder, Vlamir, who recanted the centuries-known tales of how the new world order came to be. Though slow, she was determined to escort this year¡¯s partakers to the ritual. The old croon looked back at the interested eyes of the young adults behind him as he finished the tale. Beasts Gore Death Things that made most squeamish did nothing more than piqued their interest. Images of the mythical beings that the Village elder told tales of commanded all their attention. ¡°Long ago,¡± she began, ¡°before the world fell into the darkness and the crimson moon ruled our nights, there was a time when only humans existed, protected by the now perished Gods.¡± ¡°But,¡± Vlamir continued, ¡°the world changed. Darkness descended, and human beings were no longer superior. The transformation we now bear became our destiny. The tales of the past forgotten, overshadowed by the now.¡± As the groups moved through the remnants of the fallen city, Vladmir ¡®s voice carried on, weaving the narrative of the world that had since disappeared. His words were a poignant reminder that the journey to the ritual held a profound purpose. As the girls listened, they couldn¡¯t help but feel the weight of unwavering want grew heavier. They continued towards their destination to become the unknown, hoping the ritual might hold the key to their new lives. Though the tales did not suggest it, less than one percent of the human population successfully transformed into beasts that night. Almost two hundred years later, the world adjusted to the new norm where the Beast ruled man-kind, and even now, when decades have passed, many questions remain unanswered. Why did they change? How did they change? What caused the change? What was there to come? Every year, the blood moon became full. Oracles gathered and performed the blood pact on the participants. Those who saw this as an opportunity to change their lives were excited, while the despair of loss scared the rest. To the less fortunate, this was their only chance to make it out of the trenches that human society forced on them. Growing up in poverty in the new world order was not for the lighthearted. The beasts were in control, meddling very little in human affairs, which caused a division between the haves and the have-nots as the wealthy continued exploiting the poor. The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. As Vladimir continued, he introduced three distinct species that had come to be known in the new world: The Lykins, The Abyssliths, and the Scythians. He described Lykins as beings that bore strong resemblances to wolves, their forms a blend of human and wolf characteristics, rumored to be beasts that stood on two feet and claws that could tear into anything. People called them the savages of the lands. She spoke of the Abyssliths, creatures born from the ocean, humanoid in shape but scaled that glimmered in the blackest abyss. Everything that touched the ocean was their domain. Spawns of the sea were what people cursed. Lastly, she narrated the tale of the Scythians. Avian beings with scaled wings and fangs so sharp they could skin anyone alive; the Demons of the skies were what many called them. She concluded her tale with a solemn voice, ¡°The world changed, the beast scattered to the seas, forest, and skies, making their own homes far away from human civilization as the rich took advantage of the desperate state left behind by the chaos that night cause.¡± To the three women, the ritual marked an opportunity for the better. However, the story differed for the fortunate; abandoning their wealth and living out their days as a beast was off-putting. The only thing that enticed them was the immortality granted. Rumors had spread that those who changed lived longer than most, though never proven true. With the story ending, excitement boiled in their stomach as they knew they might have a different fate. As they continued their journey through the fallen city, Valmir¡¯s words lingered in their mind. They took notice of the solemn faces making their way back home. Contrary to what most might believe, less than ten percent of attendants could make the change. Though their feet ached from their five-day journey, they weren¡¯t discouraged with a short distance remaining, they¡¯d be closer to their dreams as the one thing that gave them hope in their dreadful lives was just a few more footsteps away, To think that for twenty-two years they held their breaths and endured the pain for a moment that probably took less than five minutes, twenty-two years of humiliation, abuse, poverty, and pain, they¡¯d each vowed to endure for this very moment. They held their tongue and endured the lashings for the sake of a fifty-fifty chance at another life. Gossip of the life some lived after the undertaking circulated amongst the communities, once the ritual was completed, the participants were never seen again. Outsiders were not allowed within the specified territories and contact with the human world would cease upon accepting their new lives. They hoped the positive gossip was true, things orphans such as them would never be given in this world so unjust, even if they worked hard for twenty years. Despite the discouraging statistics, they endured and pushed through for this exact day, the day they¡¯d participate in the undertaking, and held out hope that they¡¯d succeed in another opportunity to live. They remembered the first time they heard of the ritual from a random old lady one night. The ritual marked an opportunity of a lifetime, where others would return to their homes; the less fortunate had nothing to return to but the streets. Following the Policies of the hell labeled an Orphanage, once one reached the age of twenty-two, they were no longer under the responsibility of the orphanage. Those raised in orphanages had limited options after the ritual ended. Those who were unsuccessful would work their entire lives in a cycle of working to make ends meet. The money the women saved was only sufficient to help keep them out of the doors of death, and even that was only possible if they lived below their means. Where most would eat up to three times a day, they ate once, walking instead of traveling despite the great distance and washing their clothes by a nearby river because the orphanage dared not buy electronics to ease their lives. Due to the poor conditions of the orphanage, as the oldest, they took up the task of providing for the younger kids, even going so far as giving the next oldest all their accumulated savings to watch after the kids after their departure. They hoped the children of the orphanage would survive long enough to attain the same opportunity, so this was their only chance as they had no home or money to start over if they were not selected, so with only one goal in mind, they ventured forth, biting their lips, and enduring the pain of their swollen ankles.