《Curiosity Killed The Imp》


 Author Information

    Schedule: One chapter every week on Sunday (GMT +10:00). Chapter length will vary depending on the time I have available to me in the week.


    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AndrewJVarela/</a>


    Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=2729274&ty=h&alert=1</a>This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.


    Other site I post these chapters on (Webnovel): https://www.webnovel.com/book/16056033905765505</a>


    I keep all of my commissioned art on Patreon for my published and non-published novels in development. If you''re curious feel free to have a look (it''s available to everyone).

 Artist Commissions

    Art related to this story I''ve paid for myself, or been able to commission through support for my work. I have other (for yet to be published stories) art on my Patreon for the curious. They''re freely available to view.


    Book Cover: https://www.patreon.com/posts/33660339</a>Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    Well, there is a 500 character minimum so I''ll explain a bit. Currently any money that supports my novels goes directly to commissioning art for those novels. I post all my commissioned art on Patreon for anyone to look at and enjoy. I may do further things if I receive enough but for now it''s just art.

 Book One: Chapter 1

    A large volcano towers above charred, blackened ground. Its earthen shell long replaced with wave-like molten rock, magma bubbling and swimming in the spider-web cracks scattered across the ground. A thin silence pervades the air, a pause in nature''s breath as it waits for a spectacle. And then a boom resounds as the volcano erupts and an ocean of lava pours down from its tip toward the valley below.


    The lava reaches its climax and the magma slows as it flows across the ashen ground, spreading yet another layer of molten rock as it solidifies. Nature''s fury withdraws once again as the volcano''s bubbling lava recedes back into its shell. A silence follows, as deathly as the last, only accompanied by floating black ash scattering down from the air above. The ash gently permeates the ground in a layer of film as if covering its nakedness.


    As the last of the ash settles, it begins to stir once again. The air carries a will as it directs the ash in a rhythmic tempo, drawing the tiny particles into a congealed shape. The shape solidifies more and more until it outlines a small humanoid creature, a mixture between a fairy and a goblin with only his slender, elongated tail that ended with a heart-shaped point to identify him. An imp. The black ash that formed him gives off an almost dusty colouring. As he finishes forming, his two eyes open, glowing brightly for but a moment before receding to display two beautiful amber irises¡¯. The world stays silent for but a moment longer before the air gives way.


    With the loss of his support the imp drops the short meter to the ground and slams into it with a thud. Many following thuds occur in unison as his kin follows in his steps. The imp blinks slightly as he takes in his surroundings, the clear sky and savage landscape filling him with a strange emotion. As his eyes travel downward he notices the cracks spread across the ground, forming rifts in the earth. With a natural motion, the imp shuffles slightly to peer over one of the cracks, his eyes widening as he stares down in fascination at the bubbling magma below. Its gentle warmth invites the imp in. Unable to contain himself, he stretches his hand forward and dips a finger into the lava.


    The imp watches in mild surprise as he sees its finger start to erode. Something in the back of his mind tells him this is wrong, but the imp only continues to stare as the blazing red liquid finishes eating through his finger and falls onto the ground, eroding the earth until he reaches a place that is no longer willing to give way. The imp tilts his head as he stares down at the lava, his mind trying to piece together an answer to the mystery.


    And then the imp smiles. A pure, blissful smile. He can still feel the searing pain from his missing finger. But more than that, he felt curiosity. A burning curiosity that continues to bubble up inside of him. An oddity of an imp it seems, for while he stared down at the lava with a curious smile the imps around him were already tearing into each other savagely. It is as if seeing a deer grazing amidst lions, oblivious to the danger next to it.Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    This imp is an anomaly. A blip in the code of creation. But an anomaly isn''t exempt from the laws of nature. He learned that fast as he felt something bite into his arm, causing him to reel back in shock. The imp musters as much strength as he can to shrug off the imp clutching onto him. His fist slams into the others face, sending them reeling back.


    Yet their eyes are alight with a madness he found himself lacking. Staring into those manic depths the imp hesitated for a moment, and in that brief moment the imp pounced once again. Desperately attempting to shrug them off, he slams his fist over and over against it in distress. He feels something crack under his fist but through his hazy, muddled mind he can''t make sense of anything.


    Finally after what seems hours to him, but was only moments, he felt the other imp release their hold. Collapsing into a gasping heap, the imp slowly lets his eyes drift downward. And they widen as his mind clears, and sees the caved in face of the other imp. Shivering, he brings his hands to his face and stares at the black blood caking them. Before he can grasp what he has done, a grey energy streams from the dead imp¡¯s body and into his own. The imp shivers again, this time as a euphoric feeling fills him from the energy streaming through his body.


    The pain and anguish from killing the imp dwindles and then disappears as he revels in this exuberant feeling. His eyes turn slightly crazed as he feels the same type of madness he saw in the others. The imp turns to his myriad of kin still engaged in their battles. he watches, he waits¡­and then he pounces.


    His cries of war mingle in with the others as he tears into another imp, the various exchanges drawing more blood and more pain as each offer parts for a kill. An arm, a leg¡­a tail. He loses much in his carnage before he finally takes hold of his mind and tears himself out of the madness the euphoria induced. He struggles to keep hold of himself as the energy pours into him, improving his body bit by bit down to its very foundation, whispering to him that if he just took another piece, another life, he could become so much more.


    He rips himself away from the battlefield and totters to the edge of the volcano''s valley, an abhorrent feeling welling up inside of him as he stares down at his mangled body. When he first awoke, he felt curious. Now he feels like a monster. A struggle fills the imp as his eyes flicker, two versions of himself clashing against each other, neither willing to relent. What does he wish to be? Or rather, what is he? The difficult question revolves around his mind as he seeks an answer.


    Eventually the struggle teeters out and clarity and resolution replace it. The imp looks back at the others, watching them fight, their mad eyes and ecstatic faces painting them insane. He turns away and looks forward towards the craggy, charred earth and bubbling magma that trails an unending land. The imp closes his eyes as he finds an answer within himself. Free. No matter what, he wishes to be free. He doesn¡¯t look back as he picks himself up and walks away. His lone back walking toward the horizon paints a strange picture when one looks behind, and sees the carnage still transpiring behind him.

 Chapter 2

    The imp descends further into the craggy, ashen land. As he pushes forward the grey energy travels through him repairing his body, flesh and bone, piece by piece. The broken tail straightens and its fragmented bone conjoins and becomes whole. His gnawed off arm ripples as its bloodless stump slowly burrows outward offering a fresh, familiar hand for his use. The imp looks at it in surprise but nothing more, devoting his focus to his unknown path.


    The barren ground offers no comfort as he travels. Its dead, empty land only differentiated by the towering stone platforms reaching toward the sky and the twisted, serrated hills. Bubbling lava can be seen flowing through thin cracks spread across the ground, their web-like structure extending throughout the visible land and beyond it. More volcanoes can be seen far away from him, making him wonder if those would create a version of his kind like the one behind him has. It is a land of flame, of smoke and ash. And yet, for the imp, a comfortable land.


    Then the imp looks up and his breath stops for a short moment. He stares up at the sky toward a giant island farther then the eye can see. Its ground shapes like a backwards triangle, the long-edged surface growing thinner the farther it reaches. It floats there atop the clouds with its visible edges covered by towering mountains. He can only stare and wonder how such a thing exists. Could people live up there? What kind of life would they have? It takes a long time for the imp to rip his eyes away from the spectacle, begrudgingly moving his feet forward.


    The sun had started descending by the time the situation changed. The imp had been so focused on treading forward that he neglected what was around him. A brief glance to the side revealed a dense, sprawling forest filled with vegetation, in sharp disparity to the land his own feet stood on. The two opposite landscapes form a disconnected, jagged line separating their boundaries. The trees and green life dig into the blackened ground as if trying to rip it from its own hands, the blackened ground eating into the life of the forest like a beast munching on its meal. But it is the two roaring monsters that complete the spectacle. A giant menacing ape stands in the forest, its height at least ten imps¡¯ stacked on top of each other.


    Its muscles ripple as it beats its chest, its skin glimmering like solid steel. Standing against it is a similarly sized lizard. Its body barbed with sharp needles that dig into the earth like water, its mouth exhaling a dark, toxic flame with every breath. The two face each other off as the imp could only stand there, a mixed feeling of fear and curiosity making him more sick then afraid. He knew, rationally, he should leave. His pitiful presence in front of them couldn¡¯t even register. He just has to walk away. And yet, he couldn¡¯t.


    Then they clash and the choice is made for him. Their two bodies lock against each other with a resounding thud, the heavy impact sending a shockwave spiralling outward. It slams into the imp and throws him into the air, flinging him away and into the forest. He passes many trees before finally slamming into the ground. A moment passes and then the pain registers and he screams, his body feeling as if it has torn itself from the inside out. With heavy gasps he attempts to pick himself up as a healthy sense of fear finally sets itself in. Halfway through the motions he stumbles forward and knocks into something. Opening his eyes he finds himself starting face to face with the skeleton of a large imp.


    Or at least, that is what he sees. Except this imp has no tail, no hooved feet. Instead it has horns that twist around themselves and sharp, elongated claws. And it is much larger; at least twice his size. The imp would find it scarier if the flesh had not long crawled away from its body and left only the bone, bare and empty. Emboldened the imp draws closer and spots something held in its hands. It appears as if the skeleton had once been clutching something much larger that has long since eroded. Now all that¡¯s left is a tiny, frail thing. A ¡®book¡¯ is the word that popped into his mind.


    The imp reaches down and grabs at the rectangle, ripping it out of the skeletons hands mercilessly as his eyes focus only on the book. Strange etchings, up down and side by side, scratch against the surface of the book. The imp almost dismisses them but feels drawn toward them, a familiar sensation tickling at the back of his mind as if he¡¯s in on a secret he himself doesn¡¯t know. Upon closer inspection the imp realises that the rectangle is not one singular object, but many tiny ones combined. With a careful hand he reaches down and pulls open the first page, revealing more archaic etchings.


    The familiar feeling grows larger and as he opens to another page he finds himself grasping something. On this page is the etchings, but accompanied with them are pictures. They show a large horned imp moving their mouth in particular ways. Focusing on one of these pictures he attempts to emulate it. ¡°Ar. Ei. Eh. Ogh. Ou.¡± His eyes widen as he hears the sounds come from his mouth. He says it again, and again, each attempt matching closer to the motions depicted in the book.


    Intrigued he opens further in and finds new etchings, this time depicting many small elongated white grains gathered together. ¡°Ra. Ie. Ss. Eh.¡± He attempts, feeling quite certain in his pronunciation. But something doesn¡¯t feel right as he goes through the page again. Then it clicks. Each sound isn¡¯t separated. They combine. ¡°Raeise. Raiceh. Raece. Rai¡­Raiz. Raiz!¡± He exclaims, this time feeling no doubt in his assurance. Raiz is the word. It sounds right to him. Strong. ¡°Raiz.¡± He says again, waving the book around. ¡°I Raiz. Raiz!¡± he continues to shout in mad glee. The excitement of discovering something new, something unknown, overwhelms him and in his moment of discovery he decides to take the word as his name. Raiz.


    His celebration is interrupted as a huge object slams right next to Raiz, causing him to stumble. Holding tight to his book he scrambles back and finds himself staring into the eyes of a very familiar, very large lizard. It has long stopped breathing and as Raiz freezes in his tracks, the grey energy starts to pour from its body and escape into the air. It hovers for a moment as it searches for a target and then finds him, the energy rapidly condensing and then pouring into his body. Raiz quickly finds himself overwhelmed as the sheer amount of energy entering his system starts to bloat. The ecstasy, the sweet whispers from the energy, only grows with intensity from each new influx. Realising the danger he starts to panic as he attempts to will the energy to disappear or to go, just anywhere so that it can stop filling him and driving him to the edge of insanity.


    His manic commands find traction as, to his surprise, he finds himself able to will it into eyes. His vision clears, grows and his sight extends farther. It goes through his ears and the sounds around him heighten and clarify, their distance determined with pinpoint precision. But the energy keeps pouring in and Raiz can only continue. With less panic he considers for a moment and realises he forgot a very important something. The ape. The thought only just passes when the giant beast tears through the trees and appears before him, its body deeply injured but still rippling with power. Raiz¡¯s eyes grow wide and his brain churns fast for an answer.The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    The ape, however, is distracted by the dead lizard as he expects his reward. Those precious few seconds are a godsend for Raiz as he sees the injuries covering the ape¡¯s legs. With no hesitation he focuses harder than he ever has in his short life and wills all of the energy to meld itself into his legs and feet, their strength and mobility rapidly increasing with each moment. And then he twists himself around, clutching his book tight, and runs as fast as he can away from the ape. The cracks of dead branches are unable to be muffled by the leaves and the ape instantly responds, twisting its head around to stare at the escaping prey. It only takes a moment to register the energy roiling around the imp for the beast to realise its loss.


    With a loud roar it pounces towards Raiz and immediately starts the chase. The distance they travel blurs as Raiz¡¯s speed increases with each step. Soon he finds himself bounding across the ground like a stimulated leopard on two legs, the ape slowly falling behind. Soon the ape cannot be seen at all and Raiz slows down, giving himself a chance to catch his breath. The energy had long since gone after being used on his legs. Given this chance of respite Raiz doesn¡¯t pause to think before excitedly reaching for his book again and opening it.


    Just as he starts to read he feels an overwhelming sense of danger and throws himself to the side. In his place are the fangs of a snake, having thrown itself from one of the trees, its teeth find themselves stuck in the imp¡¯s book. Seeing his precious book being chewed through Raiz becomes mad and pounces on the snake. His one bound instantly throws himself on the snake and he claws at it, his teeth hands and tail all helping him tear the snake to shreds.


    Only releasing it after making sure it¡¯s dead he slowly works its fangs out of the books cover with some mean-spirited thoughts given to the dead creature. The book is made of something truly precious as the venom from the snake only mildly scars its surface. Raiz gulps rather loudly, however, when he ses it drip onto the ground and start to eat through it. He wonders if the venom was similar to the red, melting liquid in the volcanic land. Taking the energy from the snake he uses it to enhance his hearing as he continues to run, only veering back towards the ash-filled land.


    Soon he breaks through the trees and finds himself grateful for making it back to his home, bounding forward as he did before. As he races across it he encounters other large predators but his speed ensures they can only watch as they fall behind him. Soon they lose interest and turn on each other, creating a mess behind him. Unsure of his safety Raiz continues to run deeper and deeper into the land.


    It isn¡¯t until he stumbles upon a small cave, dug into the side of a large skyward stone, that he stops. Tottering inside the cave with his book clutched tight he collapses onto the ground. The night passes in a fitful sleep for Raiz. When dawn comes he is already awake, his book open as he studies the etchings and images carved into it. The language grows more familiar with each moment he studies it, something inside him connecting with it and rapidly helping him understand its context. Raiz loses sense of his surroundings and time as he finds himself drawn further into the book and the language it presents. More than half a day passes before Raiz can rip himself away from it. Forlornly closing the book Raiz decides to head onward, clutching the book tight as he leaves the cave and starts to run.


    Not much time passes before he slows down, as he sees between the edges of the two lands; the forest and the ash, a strange closed cave. Its circular door is two stones struck against each other. Each half acts as its own world. The left side holding vines and vegetation as they stretch across its surface. The right with black ash and molten rock held against its surface. Unlike the fighting environments beneath them, these two disparities appear in harmony as they meld themselves together in the line stuck in the middle. Upon approaching Raiz realises there are words above the cave¡¯s door carved deeply into its surface. Raiz stares at it intrigued, but is unable to understand their meaning. Still his curiosity stops him from leaving, and once again he loses sense of what is around him.


    So enraptured by the door he only realises the ape had caught up to him when he hears its roar directly against his ear. Turning to face it Raiz looks into the ape¡¯s eyes, its body more mangled then before but still solid. Clutching his book tightly to himself, Raiz stares up at the beast and impulsively gives a small wave to it. The movement triggers the beast and it reaches down toward him. Raiz attempts to dive out of the way but the close proximity prevents him from escaping. The ape dismissively reaches down and grabs hold of his arm. A more mocking roar escapes its throat as it holds Raiz up against his will. It brings Raiz¡¯s body skyward and starts waving it around as it shouts with glee.


    Then the air¡¯s resistance suddenly grows weak and the ape becomes confused. It brings its arm back down and looks at the arm clutched in it, the rest of Raiz¡¯s body, too weak to hold on, flung far away into the sky towards the forest. Not long after Raiz slams into the ground heavily injured, his only arm still holding tight to his book. Raiz knows the ape will not be far and can only desperately move. He places the book into his mouth he holds it tight with his teeth and, with his only arm, begins dragging his body forward. Raiz crawls on the ground as the dirt and vegetation make their home on his body, slowly moves forward at a snail¡¯s pace. His single arm drags him an inch at a time as his vision starts to give up on him, the overwhelming pain screaming at him to give up. Still he continues onward.


    Unknown to him his crawling takes him out of the forest as he reaches a mysterious secluded area made entirely of crystal. Raiz himself finally reaches his breaking point and collapses in front of a pedestal, his blood soaking the crystallised ground. Beyond the pedestal lies a giant statue clutching a matching sword in front of itself, standing guard before a towering cathedral. Surrounding this place on all sides are six different environments. The sprawling forest and ashen land equally behind him. In front a land of white ice and flowing water, then of jagged metal and towering mountains.


    To the left a strange place, high and low ground a step away from each other with creatures that could almost float jumping across them. Then to the right is a swampy, multi-coloured mess of bright inks splashing against each other. Each environment clashes against each other with an aggressive desire to conquer, but none are willing to encroach on this secluded crystal space.


    As Raiz falls unconscious in front of the pedestal the ape barges out of the forest and steps onto the same ground, standing before him. It beats its chest with a victorious roar as its eyes stare deeply at the tiny creature before it. The weak, little thing that had taken much from it. With a snort the ape raises its fists high and go to slam them down. However as it does the statue suddenly moves. With blinding speed the sword is picked up and swung sideways before returning to its original position. One would think nothing had happened if the ape¡¯s head did not roll off with the beast¡¯s arms still raised, his face locked in its ferocious expression. The body collapses before Raiz and all goes still.

 Chapter 3

    Raiz wakes to the metallic taste of blood. Much to his surprise he¡¯s still alive. Baffled he picks his exhausted, battered body up, his remaining arm straining to raise him from the ground. As he half-stands and finally looks beyond the blood-soaked ground he finds himself staring into the menacing face of the ape. With a fright he jumps away, ignoring his unwilling body as he scrambles up again ready to fight. He tries to back away but ends up knocking into something hard and heavy and can only freeze mid-motion. The chilled air drifts through a deafening silence as he stands there, still. The ape is dead which can be clearly seen by the body lying separate from the head.


    The tension release from Raiz as he lets out a long sigh, letting the energy he received from the ape renew his body. He is unexpectedly alive when he has no right to be, and as such appreciate of his fortune and luck. Or at least that¡¯s what one would expect. But the only thought that quickly passes through Raiz¡¯s mind is one of ¡®as it should be¡¯ as he turns to what he considers far more prevalent - the thing behind him. A pedestal as he discovers, made of translucent white crystal like the ground he walks on.


    On top of it lies a book. A beautiful book. It¡¯s made of a dark brown leather with the edges of its pages that one can see a deep red. On its front is the carved the depiction of a man. He walks in a never-ending circle, each point on his travel turning him from inquisitive to knowledgeable; and then back to inquisitive. A continuous cycle. Time had worn the book, its colour dulled and its bindings frail, but still it stood the test of time.


    Raiz stares at it enraptured. His eyes never leave the image craved onto the books cover as he reaches out and slowly opens it with his hand, gently splaying the pages out. Words fill it to the brim, their tone hurried and excited, drawings filling the spare spaces. Each page is filled with more text as if the further the writer got the more they needed to put down. But unfortunately Raiz could not understand it. He could only look through it in wonder, wondering what it could say.


    A loud grating noise interrupts Raiz¡¯s thoughts and makes him look up. It is then that he sees the crystal statue before him, its solemn tone guarding the grand cathedral behind it. Raiz¡¯s breath catches as he stares at the intricately carved building. Its doors sitting on the side of the statue grates against its edges as it slowly opens its doors inward. With interest Raiz is driven forward. He grabs both of his acquired books to his chest as he steps under the statue¡¯s gaze, pausing to look up at its heavy gaze, before moving beyond it into the building¡¯s depth.


    The dark shadows immediately dissipate as Raiz makes it through and opens out to a wide interior. Lit with candles he finds himself staring at unending bookcases, their rows stacked both high and wide as they reach further then the eye can see. Books so numerous a person could use it for kindling and never run out. A strange sight for a cathedral. Before he has the chance to get his bearings a man appears in front of Raiz. Slightly illusory the man stands in front of him and stares down, a mixture of warmth and understanding filling his eyes. The man¡¯s clothes are unkempt, his hair disorderly and his body frail, but it does little to hide the regal gaze that fills the room with his presence. Curiously on his back sits a shell melded into his form, his arms shorter than one would expect and his face slightly shrunk.This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    ¡°I have waited a long time little one.¡± The man speaks, his voice echoing through the hall. As he finishes speaking the words repeat in Raiz¡¯s ears as whispers that he can understand, alighting his eyes with curiosity. The man gestures grandly as he looks at the building around him. ¡°This is my inheritance - my magnum opus.¡± Turning back to Raiz he smiles warmly. ¡°And you - my inheritor.¡± Raiz is excited at the man¡¯s words and tries to emulate, attempting to stretch his voice to fill these long words the man speaks. Seeing this the man laughs loudly.


    ¡°You will learn to speak little one. My name is Lorvane,¡± he says pointing to himself and then to Raiz. ¡°And yours?¡± Lorvane asks.


    ¡°Raiz,¡± he says proudly, waving the books in his hand.


    Lorvane looks down and sees the second book in his hand. ¡°¡¯Guide to the Common Language¡¯. No wonder. It¡¯s interesting that the one who arrives is a newborn. But then, my test is strange for this world. What use do I have for strength? You passed, little one, because you picked up that book.¡± Lorvane says as he gestures to the brown leather book. ¡°Do you know what that is? Nothing special. It¡¯s my journal. From the day I first asked ¡®why?¡¯ to the day I no longer could.¡± Lorvane pauses as he looks down at his hands, seeing them grown paler. A deep sigh leaves him at the sight as an old weariness fills him.


    ¡°No time to talk. No time to discuss. I wish-¡± he pauses then and with a gentle shake of his head leaves the sentence unfinished. ¡°I will be clear and brief little one. You are my inheritor. I will give you all that is mine, but I ask for something in return.¡± Lorvane¡¯s gaze grows distant as he stares past the walls of the cathedral and above, to somewhere unknown. ¡°I spent my lifetime pursing a question. It led me to many answers, but never the one I wanted. I failed, but still.¡± He clutches his fists tightly, an unwillingness fills his eyes. Raiz grows quiet as he stares up at Lorvane. ¡°Still I cannot accept it. At the end of my journal is that question, little one. I hope, one day, you can answer it in my place.¡±


    Lorvane turns to stare down at Raiz as his body starts to shatter inch by inch. ¡°Question everything Raiz. This world seeks to keep us ignorant and beholden. The world has acted against me from the moment I asked why, and it has never relented. That is reason enough to seek answers.¡± The final shattered pieces of Lorvane drift away as his final words pass into Raiz¡¯s ears. ¡°Good luck, little one.¡±

 Chapter 4

    Raiz closed the book he has been reading, placing it on top of a pile beside him. Surrounding him are many such piles haphazardly organised. Months have passed since Raiz first entered here. The only time he left was to gather more energy as Raiz has learned that he can hold a certain amount of energy inside of himself. Yet it dwindles as he uses it to sustain himself. Like an addiction, if he withholds himself from absorbing it he will grow weak and sunken as a crippling need will onset onto him. Food and water is worthless. His body craves energy to survive, demands it, and he can only comply.


    Aside from answering that need Raiz stuck himself inside this strange library and let himself wander through it. The first month was purely learning to understand the words. Afterward he mainly wished to know what the books contained. And the answer that was given back was a simple one. Everything. Each bookcase was a different topic, each topic filled to the brim with its intricacies. He knew of lava now, of the way magma cooled into a thick, blackened ground. Of the way toxins can eat away at something, and poisons can do so unknowingly. Of course there was still much he had not found. The skeleton, the big imp, he once stumbled upon. He knows now it¡¯s no imp. But what is it? And more importantly for Raiz, the giant island that floats in the sky. He has yet to find it mentioned anywhere, which only incites his curiosity further.


    Raiz turns himself back to Lorvane¡¯s journal beside him. It was open on a specific page, one he had read many times. Picking it up, he reads it once again.


    Aspects of nature. That is the way it is described to us. When you throw fire from your hand you wield the aspect of fire. The cleansing of impurities calls upon the aspect of water. But if you are not born with an aspect it is not so simple to acquire one. We call them ¡®wells¡¯, places where an aspect has condensed so thickly that it forms its own dominion. As long as you have something to anchor you one can enter such a place and find a shard, a physical manifestation of the aspect, to take back. If they survive the journey, they then must also survive the consumption of said shard. Have you swallowed fire before? What if you swallowed the embodiment of all fires, all raging together in one as it commands you to understand it, to appreciate it like a peacock preening to an audience. And only when it feels you¡¯ve satisfied its ego will it release you, intact or not. It¡¯s not so easy to acquire strength.


    I proposed a theory with these wells. These aspects. It got rejected of course. Condemned is more accurate of a notion. I was laughed at whenever I mentioned it. ¡®It¡¯s called aspects of nature¡¯ for a reason they¡¯d say. But who called it that? What do we define as ¡®nature¡¯? It was the first time that I realised. No-one ever asks why. My theory was quite simple; aspects aren¡¯t static. Have we ever seen the world around us stay still? The world is constantly changing, new things are forming all the time. Isn¡¯t it hubris to believe aspects cannot do so as well. Could we not make an aspect ourselves?


    This building, this place I have given you as my inheritor, is my magnum opus. As you can see it is filled to the brim with knowledge. Every piece of understanding that has been held, seen or witnessed by me throughout my existence lives in here. Go to the middle and take a look. If my theory isn¡¯t worthless. If it isn¡¯t the ravings of a madman.


    Then you¡¯ll see a well.


    Raiz pauses on that final line for a moment before continuing further as he finishes reading the method to access the well and digest the shard. Closing the journal he places it to his side and looks forward. A large tear into the fabric of space lies in front of him, twisting and turning as golden light shines out of its gaps. Curiosity burns in his eyes as he stands up. In one of his hands is wrapped a chain made of energy. It curls around and sticks itself to a quartz post to his side, its shade clear and pure white. Focusing Raiz calls on the energy resting in him and draws it out as he coats his body in it like a thick armour. With his preparations done Raiz gives himself a small running start and jumps straight into the rift.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.


    The second he passes through he finds himself plunging inside a thick, viscous yellow-gold liquid. Immediately Raiz finds himself sinking as he clutches onto the chain in his hand, the only lifeline that can bring him back out. Raiz attempts to breathe but finds he is unable to. More disconcerting is the realisation that he doesn¡¯t need to. Flailing his arms around he attempts to take some control of his descent as he focuses his eyes around searching for something, anything to change in what he can see but his vision is limited to a mere two inches. The thickness of the liquid that surrounds him blocks his sight, its sticky soup-like existence sticking to him and then sliding off as he swims downward one messy stroke at a time.


    With each stroke Raiz feels the armour he encased himself in broil as the liquid eats at it, slow and consistent. With each passing second it reduces in size before drawing on his reserves to restore itself. Each second those reserves dwindle. He wades deeper as he ignores the slowly settling in panic that fills him. He can try again, he knows that. But he¡¯s curious. What will he get? What is it like? Unable to shake that curiosity he dives deeper, ignoring his reserves growing smaller and smaller.


    The energy is nearly dried up when Raiz feels himself hit something, bumping into a physical object. Joy fills his eyes as he reaches out his arms and grabs onto it, drawing it toward himself. In the same moment he clutches tight to the chain held in his hand and commands it to restrict. The chain starts moving upward at a rapid pace, dragging Raiz along with it as it obeys his command. Raiz feels his body emptying of its last reserves even as the liquid continues to eat at him, the armour eroding fast. Closing his eyes tight Raiz simply clutches the chain as he waits for the outcome.


    Then he feels himself grow light again as he escapes the rift and slams into the ground. Raiz ignores the pain and scrambles up to stare down at the shard he¡¯d acquired, his excitement incited. In his hand the sharp-edged shard glows a bright yellow, pulsating in a steady and calming rhythm. It is a small thing. He could fit at least three of them in the palm of his hand. But he knew he couldn¡¯t underestimate it.


    In this moment there should¡¯ve been some hesitation. A pause in consideration of the risks when Raiz looked at the shard. At least some preparation. But for Raiz, there was none of that. His eyes glow with interest and without hesitation he crushes it in his hand and brings it to his mouth, swallowing it whole with a look of expectation. A moment passed as it travels through him and enters his body. And then a blinding, intense pain assails him, causing him to collapse in a fit.


    Overwhelming knowledge. Incomprehensible information. A volume beyond consideration pours into Raiz. In his mind, his body, his existence. It speaks of what can and may be, of what has and will be. It tells him of secrets from existence to dusk. Of things beyond his comprehension. Raiz went insane in that moment. Then the next moment he was sane. This cycle continues on and on as he is shown what knowledge truly holds. It continues as the aspect demands him to listen, to pay attention to it, to what is possible. He should appreciate such an opportunity even in death. And then finally, satisfied, it lets him go.


    Raiz collaps into a messy heap and lays there, shivering on the floor as his mind picks itself up from its shambles. It takes a long time for such a thing to happen. He ccan¡¯t recall any of the information that passed through him. The aspect didn¡¯t want him to understand. It only wanted him to appreciate. Appreciate? Raiz felt he could laugh in that moment, finally understanding what the journal was saying. But he felt if he did, perhaps he wouldn¡¯t be sane by the time he finished. So he didn¡¯t laugh. He lay there quietly. And tried not to think.

 Chapter 5

    It takes a long time for Raiz to settle down and feel alive again. When he does his curiosity takes over and he starts to figure out what that sort of power that shard gave him. It feels almost intrinsic, the knowledge coming to him in an instinctual manner. To piece it together and describe it, only a single word came to Raiz¡¯s mind; Insight. It allows him to see into the existence of things. To go beyond the shallow surface a person can view and pry through the barriers of secrecy to see what¡¯s beneath.


    Raiz turns his eyes to the crystal ground. If you observed closely you would see his yellow eyes glowing ever so slightly. When Raiz looks down into the crystal he finds himself peering into its structure, its makeup of particles and strange building blocks. He can feel the way it had been crushed, condensed from a different form to create the clear structured nature it now encompasses. He can understand the process and trace backward to when it had begun.


    Quickly, however, pain fills Raiz¡¯s eyes and he is forced to look away. The further he pried into its history and its structure the more pain he felt. Closing his eyes Raiz lets the ability fade away, returning him to normal. Still, it is hard to contain his excitement. Such an ability feels as if it is made for him. Raiz¡¯s thoughts can¡¯t help but drift back to the strange cave he had seen with the words scrawled across it. He knows now they¡¯re not words from the common language. Perhaps his new ability could help him decipher them?


    With the decision made Raiz immediately sets to head out, not forgetting to grab the small crystal knife he has been using to hunt. Often he simply uses his claws but when that doesn¡¯t work he¡¯ll resort to the knife. There were many such strange things in this place - odds and ends that have no reason to be there. Perhaps Lorvane thought they¡¯d be necessary. A justified thought as it turns out.


    After exiting the building and treading beyond the crystal ground Raiz starts to tense up. He¡¯d learned from experience that nothing would step beyond the edge of this place, but he is fair game once he¡¯s past it. Raiz immediately steps between the edges of the volcanic land the forest and starts to walk across it. It isn¡¯t long before he encounters a creature, a small monkey with thick green fur curiously watching him.


    With a single bound Raiz is upon it, his claws digging into its skin as he watches the life drain out of its eyes. His eyes watch coldly onward as he waits expectantly. It doesn¡¯t take long before the gray energy wisps itself out of the monkey¡¯s body. Raiz, however, doesn¡¯t take it straight away. Instead he uses Insight and looks at it.


    A small gasp escapes him as he peers at the energy, its depths roiling around him. He feels madness, desirous never-ending consumption and the desire to indulge. Raiz feels these ugly, sickening concepts like a fog covering something beneath, something far into the past. He can already feel the pain onsetting but pushes further regardless. The gray fog slowly starts to give way as he studies the energies history bit by bit, but the pain quickly becomes unbearable and when Raiz feels his head splitting itself open he is forced to relinquish his pursuit. Raiz is only able to watch as the fog quickly settles back into place.This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    Just as Raiz intends to finish using Insight something catches his eye. He stops and looks at the energy again. A tiny sliver, barely noticeable to his eyes, shaves off of the energy and slowly floats upward. This energy isn¡¯t pure however, and when Raiz peers deeper into it he realises he¡¯s seeing fragments of memories and emotions of the beast all swirling together inside that tiny piece of energy. Casting his eyes up Raiz sees similar frail pieces of energy floating out from the forest, presumably from other dead creatures, and flying higher and higher into the sky until he can see no more.


    Raiz watches for a while, ignoring the energy dissipating near him, the pain from overdrawing Insight barely registering. Then he closes his eyes and lets the glow recede from them. Without a word he continues forward, his excitement quelled. The forest is incredibly dense and the overgrowth is thick enough that Raiz finds himself sinking as he steps onto it. In these parts of the forest it is hard to maintain a stable footing, and it¡¯s precisely when Raiz felt himself slip slightly that he was ambushed.


    His instincts screaming at him, Raiz dived out of the way, feeling a burning pain as a claw rakes across his chest. Rolling away he flips himself up and twists around, clutching tightly onto his knife. In front of him stands a huge leopard. Its body is covered by a strange black-purple almost gelatin-like coat, similar to obsidian in color. Something felt off about it but Raiz had no time to question it as the leopard launched itself at him again. Prepared this time Raiz was able to barely dodge to the side, its speed almost faster then he can track.


    Without any hesitation he uses Insight and immediately information explodes inside of him. He feels his intuition working in tangent and instantly knows where the leopard is going to jump to. He moves out of the way at the same time it jumps allowing him to easily dodge to the side. Without hesitation the knife comes slashing down and tears across the Leopard¡¯s coat. The gelatin parts around the knife and a deep wound bleeds across its stomach. However the leopard completely ignores the pain, its half-crazed eyes locking onto him as it launches itself on top of him.


    Forcing its head away from him Raiz stabs again into this stomach, burying his knife deep into its gut. Still the leopard hardly notices, no pain registering in its eyes. Instead it becomes even more aggressive as its mouth snaps toward his head, its claws tearing across his chest and deeply wounding it. With one hand Raiz just barely keeps the creature away from himself as his knife continues to stab into it. Yet it still ignores its injuries and Raiz finds his own wounds deepening as he fights against this strangely suicidal leopard.


    It is in that desperate moment that a strange feeling embeds itself into Raiz. Looking at the leopard he feels himself drawn to a certain part of its stomach. With a straight stab Raiz buries his knife deep. Still the leopard doesn¡¯t react but Raiz can immediately feel its attacks weaken. His eyes lighting up he sinks the knife further into that location and then does all he can to resist its attacks.


    Slowly but surely the leopard weakens and then, finally, the light dies out of its eyes. Immediately Raiz throws its body away from him and takes a deep breath, grabbing the energy to help heal his wounds. This time it really was a close call and he can feel it will take some time before his body fully recovers. Staring down at his body he feels the need to berate himself. He was too careless. He felt with his legs he could run from anything. He should¡¯ve learned after the first time he got ambushed and been prepared. With a shake of his head Raiz sits down and starts to recover. From now on he should more cautious.

 Chapter 6

    Raiz is in the middle of recovering when he suddenly stops and immediately goes on guard again. His sense of danger hadn¡¯t receded. His eyes glow as he looks around and immediately settles onto the leopard¡¯s corpse. The gelatin had started to congeal itself, an acidic mist rising from the beasts body as it quickly decays in front of him. Then it bundles itself together tightly and, using the momentum, launches itself straight at Raiz. With a start he quickly dodges to the side and watches as it splatters against the ground in a mess.


    The scattered blob immediately starts to gather itself again. With a frown Raiz grabs his dagger tightly and pierces it into the strange creature, embedding it into the ground. A piercing scream emanates from the blob in a grating, discordant voice. Its form struggles to escape from its confines, but the dagger refuses to let it budge. Using Insight Raiz notices it¡¯s the crystalline structure that¡¯s forcing the creature to stay in place. Taking a moment to glance at the leopard he finds it¡¯s almost completely eroded, a toxic smell and clearly melted body assailing his senses.


    ¡°A parasite¡­¡± Raiz mutters, remembering one of the books he read briefly mentioning it. ¡°Or something similar.¡± His eyes glow as he examines it further, his mild interest quickly switching to curiosity. He can clearly see there are two different types of energy fighting inside the parasitic creature, forming a strangely discontent symbiotic relationship. Determined to study it he leaves the dagger behind and starts to carefully tread back toward the library, hoping nothing disturbs the place while he¡¯s gone.


    It doesn¡¯t take long for him to arrive as he strides past the pedestal and statue, heading to the small part of the library filled with all manner of things. Rummaging through the mess he quickly finds a crystal phial and grabs it along with another knife, racing straight back to the previous location. Thankfully the area remains undisturbed when he arrives. Immediately he sets to work as he uses his second knife to slowly scrape the strange gelatin inch by inch into the crystal phial.


    The creature desperately attempts to resists but its natural weakness to crystal made its aggressive gestures no different from the tantrum of a child. Ignoring its desperate pleas Raiz finishes the job and secures the phial, staring at it with interest. He hesitates for a moment, torn between returning what he¡¯s found or continuing on with the journey. His desire to see that cave again wins out and he decides to continue. This time he moves carefully, refraining from attacking any other creatures as he quickly returns to that cave.


    Standing on the edge of volcanic land and the rich forest, he again peers up at the cave¡¯s entrance; it¡¯s disconnected sides, one fiery and the other lush, captivating him once again. He spends a minute taking it in, reminiscing slightly on the how small he felt last time when he looked up at this grand entrance. Not much time has passed but he feels, even just a little, slightly different.


    Raiz knew this isn¡¯t because he had gotten stronger, nor because he had grown wiser. He simply knew more. And by knowing more he could see more, and through that he could understand more. His world was so small before. Now it had become slightly larger, filled with many more things. Perhaps in a years time he would look back at this self, staring at this cave, and think the same thing. For Raiz, that is something joyful.


    As Raiz stares at the cave door a strange feeling overcomes him. A feeling that the two sides hold more meaning then he thinks. He backs away to allow his vision to widen as he peers deeply at the two sides, his eyes glowing slightly. Then he holds his step, his eyes widening and his breath catching. The lush, green side roars at him as he sees a gigantic creature in its frame, thick muscles and heavy wings spread out as it roars towards the sky. On the other, the black-red fiery grit shapes itself in the manner of a grand bird; its wide wings and brilliant feathers desiring to reach the heavens in one step. Each seem tenuous, as if to break out in a fight in a single moment, yet at the same time harmonious as they draw themselves in like two sides of the same coin.


    It is then that Raiz¡¯s gaze tears itself upwards to the carved words above, their nature ferocious and bloody as they brand themselves into his mind.The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    We were born of it, and we will be ended by it.


    With the words imprinted into his mind Raiz forcefully tears himself away, shutting his eyes tight as he slowly lets the pain dwindle away from them. Only after a few minutes did he dare to open them again, no longer using Insight to look around. His vision is blurred for a moment before recovering its clarity. However Raiz felt no less trepidation from the circumstances. He felt if he had stared even a minute longer, his vision may have been permanently impacted. It seems not everything is safe to peer into.


    With his vision mellowing the depiction of those two beasts also fade away, returning itself to the lush green and fierce red clashing against each other. The words too no longer show their distinct colouring, now plain and simple. Still they stand, both a mystery and a puzzle Raiz looks forward to solving. In his eyes those words are a hint. As to what he can grasp from that hint, that will be up to him to determine.


    Left to his pondering Raiz quickly returns to the library, re-entering its grand hall. He heads back to his favourite spot near the middle of the place,a small open space filled with a bunch of partly read books. Raiz looks at them for a moment before sweeping them away, throwing them in a corner without bothering to return them to where they were. Perhaps Lorvane would be rather indignant if he were still here to see this.


    With the space now free Lorvane rushes over to what he¡¯s now deemed the junk corner and rummages around until he finds a phial stand, bring it back to that space and placing it down with the phial holding the specimen. He stares at it for a few moments, briefly pondering what to do now. He¡¯s tried to use Insight but it seems he¡¯s not strong enough to study it, his eyes feeling a piercing pain when he attempts to peer into its secrets.


    ¡°Could I make my eyes stronger¡­¡± Raiz whispers to himself as he rubs his chin. But would that help? Raiz turns his eyes to the journal, the only book he hadn¡¯t discarded, and decides to flick through it in search of the answers. When he last went through it only some parts of the journal¡¯s information showed up. From what Raiz had gathered, there was a restriction on the journal that is slowly being lifted as time passes. Only once it¡¯s completely gone can he read all of it. As Raiz studies the journal further more information pops out to him, each piece of the journal reflecting Lorvane¡¯s thoughts and knowledge.


    Something is not right here. I feel suffocated, gripped by the unknown as if I¡¯m floundering in the darkness while being gazed upon. Is this fear? Of what? It is said the subconscious knows far more then the conscious ever could. I don¡¯t fear for my life. I fear for my knowledge.


    ¡­


    The Awakenings are a mystery. They say when initiated, one is cleansed by the heavens. I felt it myself. Cold, impassive, merciless. Those aren¡¯t the words to describe heaven.


    As Raiz passes through the journal¡¯s text, he suddenly pauses. His body trembles slightly and an intense gaze flows out of him as he reads the next chapter.


    I was able to make a trip down to the lower continent, difficult as it is. The stories proved true; these creatures are no less intelligent then us, but having been driven mad by the corrupted energy they have already succumbed to its addiction. Why are we so different? It is said that our tribe¡¯s share a common bloodline. Could that be the reason?


    ¡°The land in the sky,¡± Raiz yells excitedly as he reads the passage. ¡°He came from the sky!¡± Raiz jumps up and down wildly for a minute before calming himself down. Still excitement shines in his eyes as he goes through the remaining text that had revealed itself to him. Although no longer looking Raiz finds what he¡¯s searching for, confirming his theory.


    They consider the abilities we acquire from aspects divine. I scoff at that notion. Do they not notice that as one¡¯s body improves, so do their abilities? If a person throws fireballs from their hand, it is the strength of their hand that determines its power. Divine? Hah! This strength is ours, and no-one can take it away from us. Not even a God.


    Having got his answer Raiz goes to close the journal when his eyes pass through the last lines of text, garnering his interest.


    What I¡¯ve found only further confirms my theory. There is a gap in history. A passage of a thousands years wiped from existence. How could there not even be a scrap of information on what transpired during this time? If this is a co-incidence, I¡¯ll eat my own foot. No, it¡¯s machination at play. I grow more afraid every day. I need to find a place to hide what I¡¯ve discovered.


    ¡°A lost history¡­¡± Raiz remunerates for a moment before leaving it. At least for now, such things mean nothing to him. Placing the journal back down Raiz takes a second to scratch into the floor his simplistic plans. First, hunt for more energy and develop his eyes. Second, scour through the books to find information on those beasts. Third, when his eyes are strong enough; study the strange specimen he found.


    With a goal to set himself towards Raiz feels assured and immediately sets to work.

 Chapter 7

    A few months has passed by as Raiz sets about his tasks. With the energy he gathers his eyes have grown explosively, his vision expanding and evolving as it not only allows him to see clearly near and far, but also lets him detect hints of a person¡¯s aura. Perhaps more accurately he can see the wisps of energy emanating from them, where previously they were invisible to the eye. With such strength his Insight has grown exponentially, to the point where its passive drain has become almost negligent. Although Raiz can¡¯t keep it on permanently, he can use it for at least an hour without stopping.


    Having studied the specimen during this time he has discovered a few things. The gelatin-like creature¡¯s two halves, its symbiotic relationship, is more akin to the concept of a shared space. They¡¯re two completely different things twisted together in an unnatural way. Right now they¡¯re so jumbled up that he can¡¯t determine much abut what they are. Only by finding a way to separate them could he learn more. So he had to put it to the side for now, instead choosing to hunt for more specimens when he goes out looking for energy. As of now he¡¯s already accumulated five of the strange things.


    He had more luck with the riddle. A huge pile of books can be seen near Raiz where he had discarded them after reading through them. They¡¯re all books on biota, Raiz unwilling to even let the books on plants and trees go in his search. In his words, ¡®just in case¡¯. It is in one of these he found what he was searching for; dragons and phoenixes. Those were what he saw that day on that cave¡¯s entrance.


    The info is scarce, but it briefly mentions that both creatures share what is called a celestial bloodline, a sacred and powerful origin. Though it goes on to say the creatures mentioned in the book contain a much weaker version of that bloodline, being incomparable to true phoenixes and dragons. Raiz quickly realised the answer to the riddle from that information.


    We were born of it, and we will be ended by it.


    Blood. If he can get enough blood from either a phoenix or a dragon, he¡¯d be able to open that cave. The thought of discovering what¡¯s inside excited Raiz, making him want to open it right this second. He immediately sets out again, leaving through the library¡¯s grand door. He pauses in this moment and takes a second to look between the six different areas before setting his eyes on his birthplace, the magma-filled land.


    Treading onto the ashen ground, Raiz quietly searches around the place until he finds what he¡¯s looking for; a small, red lizard. Taking it in hand he uses his knife to cut into it slightly causing it to bleed, ignoring its squirms and small cries as he does so. His eyes glow softly as he stares into the blood, slowly breaking it down piece by piece. Thousands of different bloodlines mingle together in a chaotic, disorderly mess inside of the blood.


    All sorts of aspects blur inside of them as Raiz¡¯s eyes search through the individually until he rests on a particular one; filled with a deep red, tinged with the slightest streak of gold. This tiny strand inside of the blood is exactly what Raiz has been looking for. The bloodline of a dragon. With this guesses confirmed Raiz quickly heads back into the library.This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    He leaves again to quickly gather bits of firewood and races back inside, rummaging around in the junk corner until he finds a stand with a beaker. Placing them down he throws the firewood under them and rummages again to find some flint and a rock, quickly igniting the firewood. A sense of satisfaction emanates from him as he watches the beaker heat up. Of course, if he had considered the potential consequences of lighting fire inside of a library, perhaps he wouldn¡¯t be standing there calmly.


    The beaker looks like its become hot enough so he pours the blood he had collected inside. As he watches it start to boil he falls into thought again. After a brief moment he grabs his knife and turns to a nearby item, made of a bronze metal, and shaves slivers of it off into the beaker. He had read that bloodlines are strange things, and react differently depending on what they touch. If he finds the right material, it can invigorate that bloodline while leaving the others still dim, so that when the blood is boiled down only that bloodline remains. Finding the material is easier said then done however.


    Raiz watches the beaker for a long time but is disappointed as the blood fades away until it turns to nothing, dissipating. Soon a methodic process is followed. Raiz heads out to gather energy for his eyes, hunt lizards and search for the gelatin specimens, and then heads back to test different materials in the blood before repeating the process. He also makes sure to read at least a few books a day, going through the good parts in them before discarding it in the now very large ¡®done with¡¯ pile.


    Half a year passes like this as Raiz is consumed in his project. By now he has 21 specimens of those strange creature. Raiz¡¯s eyes have started to develop even further, allowing him to see tens of meters ahead of him clearly and even slightly pierce through normally concealed phenomenon such as fog. Though his eyes are much stronger now he hasn¡¯t once looked at the specimens, instead devoting his whole time to figuring out how to separate the blood. After a few weeks Raiz has even figured out that he can boil the blood outside, no longer leaving his life up to fate. A true miracle.


    And finally that devotion pays off. Raiz had hunted far into the magma-filled land and happened upon a strange red metal. It pulsates slightly with the aspect of fire and scorches his hand as he touches it. He brings it back and shaves a sliver of it inside the boiled blood, causing a strong reaction to occur. The blood almost explodes as it bubbles up ferociously, the beaker itself shaking so hard that Raiz has to press his hands down to hold it in place.


    The blood this time immediately starts to reduce, its speed visible to the eye. As it does so the beaker shakes even more and a strong heat blows out of it, starting to burn Raiz. Still he holds on and slowly that intense heat and movement dwindles and finally disappears. With a sigh of relief Raiz releases his clenching hands from the beaker and peers inside of it.


    His breath catches for a moment. It¡¯s only a small amount, a few milliliters blood, but it glowed. A red deeper then any other. The tiniest sliver of gold traced through out. Raiz found it beautiful. Fulfilling. It had taken him a long time, but he had what he needed. A small, accomplished smile flitted over Raiz¡¯s face. Now he just has to go hunting.

 Chapter 8

    Raiz stands in front of the cave door, its green and black twisting together, a phial filled with deep red intertwining with a trace of gold held in his hand. It had taken him many months to gather the phial of blood. He¡¯d thrown everything else to the side. Specimens, books - even the journal. Perhaps he didn¡¯t need so much, but Raiz thought it was better safe then sorry.


    With glee Raiz immediately takes off the stopper on the phial and starts smearing the blood across the carving of the dragon. He pauses for a moment and then smears some of the remainder across the phoenix, and then the words above the door. A further pause and he shrugs his shoulders and starts smearing wherever else he felt would be useful. The blood starts glowing amidst his actions forcing him to pause.


    With agitation Raiz bounds back and throws the phial away into the forest, ignoring the blood seeping out of it and flowing into the ground. Life instantly bloomed where the blood fell, the vegetation growing denser as a powerful aura of life emanates from it. The tree nearby unconsciously draws its roots toward the blood, allowing it to seep inside of itself, causing its body to instantly thicken and strengthen as it grows longer and wider; towering across the trees in its vicinity.


    Miraculous changes filled with the vestiges of life bloomed wherever the blood fell, and yet Raiz failed to spare it even a glance, his eyes fully focused on the glowing blood. FInally with a heavy, discontent creak the door begrudgingly opens itself up bit by bit under the bloods embrace. The vegetation and molten rock that had lasted for many ages cracks under the doors weight and dissipates as the two sides of the door split apart and open up, inviting Raiz to enter.


    With unreserved glee Raiz races in and the interior immediately presents itself to him. It¡¯s not strange; a cave in the true sense of the word. Plain and simple. The only thing out of place are two things. A large pool towards the back of the cave, filled with a thick molted liquid glowing a rich, pure gold. And a message scrawled across the cave¡¯s wall in blood similar to what Raiz had gathered. Peering at it Raiz realises it isn¡¯t in any language he has seen so far. Though he has only seen a few inside the library.


    With interest Raiz¡¯s eyes glow as he activates Insight and looks again at the words. Like with the cave door the words seem to manifest themselves. Raiz hears the roar of a dragon¡¯s authority as the words peel themselves off the wall and curl together, a heavy aura emanating from them. It is as if a dragon is peering down at Raiz, not willing to be blasphemed even in death. As Raiz stares at the words that seem to have come to life, he finds he can understand them in an incomprehensible way. After a few minutes of deciphering, and exhaustion from withstanding the dragon¡¯s will, he finally pieces together the message.


    Kin,


    Or perhaps not. My life is at its end. This pool is left for my descendants.


    If you are a Celestial this will temper your bloodline, rebirthing you in the most natural way to ascend to greater heights.


    If you are not, this will be your death. I have no sympathy for the greedy.


    Closing his eyes Raiz turns away from the message, the aura instantly disappearing and the pressure no longer there. Turning toward the pool he opens his eyes again, still glowing, as he looks into its depths. An overwhelming feeling of reverence rises up as Raiz stares into the viscous golden pool, far stronger then anything the previous dragon inflicted on him. It comes from the depths of his soul as if he isn¡¯t looking at a pool of liquid, but a higher being. The reverence continues to grow stronger as Raiz stares at it, its pressure building greater and greater as if trying to overwhelm him, to force him to fall to his knees and treat it as his ancestor.


    With disgust Raiz slaps his own face, the aura immediately dissipating as the feeling of pain overwhelms his senses. ¡°Fuck your reverence,¡± Raiz scoffs, turning his eyes back to peer at the pool. Exhaustion continues to pile on him until he looks away but Raiz can at least confirms the messages truth. He can feel overwhelming power inside of the pool. The bloodline inside of it is far, far stronger then the draconic bloodline he had gathered. It is almost like the gray energy in its nature, whispering to him that if he just took even a piece he would ascend to heights beyond his knowledge.


    Yet the pool is a poison to him. If he doesn¡¯t induce a resonance within it then it¡¯ll immediately turn hostile and turn him to ashes. And resonance is something only the Celestial bloodline can induce. Still, Raiz isn¡¯t too chaffed. In truth he only wanted to see inside. Now that he has solved the puzzle and seen what¡¯s inside his interest has waned.This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    With his mind drifting Raiz walks out of the cave. Shortly after he does so the caves door shudders as it starts to move again, its body turning slowly until the cave door shuts once again. Raiz only gives it one more look before turning away and leaving, not even glancing at the strangely vibrant patch of land near him.


    After heading back Raiz finds himself at a loss inside of the library, glancing at all of the discarded books scattered across the ground. After a moment of thought he decides to take a look at the journal and see what else is written inside. Kicking some of the books out of the way he quickly finds his journal, kept safe and secure away from the rest of his things. Opening it up he reads through the new material inside.


    Most of it are Lorvane¡¯s thoughts and ideas as he tries to learn more about his people¡¯s past. Every time Lorvane had attempted to delve further into the mystery he faced resistance. It is seemingly coincidental but when it continues to happen again and again it is undeniably purposeful. One particular passage caught Raiz¡¯s eye.


    There are very few things that date back to before our missing history. The barest of scraps are all that remains, perhaps an unfortunate outcome of whatever purge happened inside of that missing history. All of them say the same thing. ¡®Why did you abandon us?¡¯. Worlds filled with resentment. Who or what abandoned them? I¡¯m afraid I may never find the answer.


    Raiz¡¯s curiosity is provoked, but with no other information he¡¯s forced to close the journal and put it back in its place. With that accomplished Raiz thinks for a moment before deciding to head out again. On his way out he grabs a leather pouch from the junk corner and stuffs it full of phials and daggers before slinging it over his shoulder.


    Upon exiting he pauses for a moment and reviews his surroundings again. In front of him are the sprawling forest and ashen land which he has frequented regularly. Behind lies a land of white ice and flowing water, as well as a place of jagged metal and towering mountains. To his right, the discomforting ground that goes from high to low and back to high mere steps from each other with strange creatures in the distance that appear to float as they jump across the land. And to his left is the swamp, its splashes of purple and green and murky white sifting together in an uncomfortable way.


    The way the environments clash against each other intrigues Raiz. They fight in silent roars and invisible slashes, their very breaths inhaling the land and begrudgingly exhaling it. None visible to the eye, and yet when Raiz¡¯s eyes glow he sees it in its glory. Their breathtaking fights against each other, none content to stay on their land; or perhaps none willing to relent in fear of being encroached. Raiz recalls one of the journal¡¯s passages as he continues to drink in the sight.


    I¡¯ve entered this land many times now. Sometimes to hide and sometimes to observe. Each time the environments stay consistent but their boundaries are always different. When I look at them it is as if I¡¯m looking at a sentient creature, their blood bleeding into each other as their claws dig in and their mouths widen to swallow their neighbors whole. Only to be forced to relent as they face equal amounts of aggression, desire and resistance. A desirous environment. What a strange and terrifying thought. Could this be what our tribes one day become?


    Letting the thought drift by Raiz returns to the present. A decision on where to go has to be made and Raiz chooses to make a new one. It was getting harder to find specimens inside the forest and fiery lands, and so he set his eyes on thick earthen and metallic land behind him. With a few bounds of his legs he stands just before its edges as he looks across its land. Looking down on the land Raiz found it made of some type of red earth mixed with blue metallic specks. As his feet sinks into the ground he feels it resists back, its joined nature biting into his foot as if munching on food.


    It feels painful but the sharpness isn¡¯t strong enough to cut through Raiz¡¯s skin and bleed. Only the pain and discomfort carries over as he makes another step, and one more as the familiarity slowly dulls the pain and his speed increases. Soon he finds himself bounding across the land as he passes lots of jagged and rounded hills around him. He moves like he would do in the forest, only this time he has to ensure his jumps stay low to the ground to ensure the impact doesn¡¯t give the ground what it needs to exact its vengeful prejudice.


    In front of his eyes the mountains he peers at from the distance grow larger, far larger then he had ever thought. They tower so far above him he feels as if a god is looking down on him. Seeing just how large they are puts Raiz¡¯s perspective in place when he looks up at the giant island floating amidst the clouds in the sky. Such a huge mountain can be stacked up ten times before it can ever reach that island.


    Raiz finds the distance daunting, and also exhilarating. What could be up there? He will find out one day. His train of thought is interrupted as he encounters his first creature. An armadill built of a thick metallic shell. It looks innocent and harmless as it waddles forward, not yet detecting him nearby. Still cautious Raiz approaches it slowly as he readies his dagger.


    The beast moves suddenly as it rams itself straight toward him, its claws reaching out from under its shell to strike him. Raiz jumps out of the way, his glowing eyes catching the glint of something dangerous laced through the claws. Not giving it a chance to react he kicks it over, immediately digging his blade into its soft underbelly. Its cries call out for a moment before going silent as the body turns still. The usual gray energy seeps out of and immediately enters Raiz¡¯s pores, settling into his body.


    Raiz doesn¡¯t spare the body a glance as he continues forward in search of more specimens.

 Chapter 9

    Raiz¡¯s feet crunch against the sharp ground as he continues further in, his eyes drinking in the sight of many strange creatures. Large, metallic ants that move by digging themselves in and out of the ground, as if swimming through the land itself. Large birds soar above him with wide spread wings covering the sun, their body dusted with metallic particles that fly in the air around them.


    Raiz watches as one of the birds fly down and those metallic pieces direct themselves toward him. Raiz jumps out of the way and watches as it strikes the ground and tears through its sharpness as if going through liquid. Then the cackle of an entertained bird echoes out as it flies back up and those particles return to shimmering around its body.


    Raiz travels through this interesting land for a while, the mountains still in the distance, but is unable to find any specimens. Instead he finds something far more interesting. As Raiz is about to breach the other side of a jagged mountain, he hears voices beyond its peak.


    ¡°He didn¡¯t accept. The stubborn brute. Come let us look for a few others.¡± One voice says gruffly.


    ¡°Do we have to do this? I thought the plan was to let them come to us.¡± Another speaks, more timid and quiet.


    ¡°Plans have moved forward. You will do what you¡¯re commanded.¡° The third voice calls out, cold and distant.


    ¡°¡­Yes.¡± The first two voices answer. Raiz stands there silently as takes the information in. Raiz¡¯s interest is provoked as he analyses what he heard. He has never seen creatures work together in this place. It¡¯s something that goes against the fundamental nature of their being. Killing and taking their energy to grow stronger is the only way to live. Something isn¡¯t right here.


    Raiz decides to wait as he hears them discuss something with each other in low voices. After a few minutes the group disperses and Raiz can hear them heading in different directions. His ears strain to hear the distinct pattern of their footsteps as he stealthily follows the timid voice he had heard earlier. To keep himself unknown he gives the creature a wide berth as he picks up speed and goes to cut him off from the side.


    Soon enough he encounters the timid creature. It¡¯s a slug, oozing a blue and green matter that rolls over its body in thick waves. It moves quite fast for its small size and almost seems to slide across the ground as it heads to its perceived destination. Not giving it a chance to react Raiz jumps toward it and digs his knife straight into its body.


    The slug cries out in shock and pain as the dagger digs in, anchoring it in place much like the specimens Raiz gathers. While chained in place the slug gathers its body toward itself as it increases its density through pressure. Wary of its response Raiz immediately backs away as far as he can when suddenly the pressure releases and the slug explodes outward.


    The goo roiling off of it scatters everywhere as it bursts out like projectiles, the blue-green glowing mess splattering over everything nearby. Anything it touches starts to hiss as the goo ferociously erodes the metal and earth in big chunks. Its toxic nature is aggressive but quick as it fails to sink any further into the ground and simply covers the earth in a sickly shade.


    Raiz is grateful he made it far enough as he watches the spectacle, turning his eyes back to the now far more naked slug. Underneath that slime the slug has a soft-skinned body. Its body is a uncomfortable cement gray and its eyes that stretch away from its head like an antenna are drooping in exhaustion. Confirming its energy is spent Raiz returns to its location and plants another knife in its body for good measure, eliciting another long-winded scream.If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    Raiz gives it a moment for its voice to die out before starting. ¡°What happened back there?¡± The slug just looks at him like he¡¯s a monster, confusion clear in its eyes. Raiz rolls his eyes and states it clearer this time. ¡°There were three of you in casual conversation. I would like to know why. Why weren¡¯t you killing each other?¡±


    ¡°W-we aren¡¯t allowed to.¡± The slug stutters. ¡°Please don¡¯t kill me.¡±


    ¡°Then answer my question,¡± Raiz returns, grabbing one if the daggers and digging it deeper into the slug¡¯s flesh.


    ¡°Okay okay! Just stop hurting me.¡± The creature thrashes around as the pain digs at it only furthering its wounds, its thoughts becoming scattered as it forces out whatever it can think of. ¡°We serve the three Overlords. They they they¡¯re super powerful. Squash you like a bug powerful. They¡¯ve been taking in tons of beings like me. In return for serving them they protect us. We also go out and get more followers. I don¡¯t know anymore then that!¡±


    ¡°Why? Why do they want you to follow them?¡± Raiz asks, his hand holding onto the dagger as the slug looks at him.


    ¡°They said they want us to serve them. They want to be kings! That¡¯s what they said.¡± The slug sputters. ¡°I¡¯ve told you what I know. Don¡¯t kill me.¡±


    ¡°That makes no sense,¡± Raiz mutters as he stares down at the slug. He considers letting it live for a moment but eventually shakes the thought. Whatever is happening here, he doesn¡¯t want to be on its radar. After forcing their base¡¯s location out of it, Raiz ignores the slug¡¯s cries and digs his daggers into its neck, silencing the creature forever.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t make sense¡­¡± Raiz mutters again as he returns to the slug¡¯s words. Energy is energy. It isn¡¯t less potent in weaker creatures, there is just less of it. If those overlords really had such a large amount of followers, swallowing them would increase their strength exponentially. Who could resist such a desire? To be a king? What a ridiculous thought. There must be something else happening here.


    With curiosity driving him Raiz decides to visit their base, situated in the depths of the swampland. Heading through the earthy, metallic landscape it takes a while before Raiz finds himself at its edges. Staring into the murky, multi-coloured swamp Raiz¡¯s feet pause as they hover at its edge before finally sinking into its soft mesh of water-mixed soil. A hiss escapes from his feet as he can feel it attempt to break through his skin.


    Feeling it start to succeed Raiz channels some of his gathered energy to reinforce the skin of his feet against the toxic land. It takes a few minutes for him to adjust and reach a point where his feet are no longer eroding. The hissing sound still emanates from under them however as the ground continually attempts to eat through his layer of protection.


    Raiz walks further into the swampland. Raiz doesn¡¯t encounter any creatures during his short walk, further confirming the slug¡¯s words. Unless there is something commanding the place it should be filled with opportunistic creatures seeking prey. As Raiz silently traverses the area he takes his time to admire it. From afar it looks like a mess of different coloured shades all blending together like a misshapen soup.


    However once Raiz has stepped inside he realises these colours are separated into their own areas, with only the edges clashing against each other much like the bigger territories do. In one section Raiz finds himself looking at a large spattering of mangroves made of light and dark blue blotches, gathered around a purplish brackish water.


    Next to it is the swampland itself covered with trees of varying shades of green and murky white grafted together in a permanent stitching. Even further in Raiz spots a treeless area filled with deep orange flora which can only be a marshland. Raiz travels further into the swamp as he admires the view around him.


    A strangeness gently seeps into him, one Raiz fails to notice. As it does he slowly loses the purpose held in his steps, his eyes becoming unfocused as he finds himself drawn further into the scenery. Soon his focused walk slows as his gaze turns from interest to befuddlement. His mind attempts to conjure the reason he entered in the first place before it slips away again.


    A small voice in the back of his head screams at him, but Raiz is unable to hear it. His steps slow further until they become still. Raiz stands there no longer able to see anything; his mind a daze. Everything slows. A thought conjures then disappears. A plea is heard then forgotten. His purpose is gone. His reason missing. Then a new one takes its place.


    He was looking for specimens. He failed to find any and decided to enter the swamp to look for more. Yet he failed again. A shame. Raiz still in his daze turns around and begins to walk out, each step an unnatural jerk. A shame. All he can do is go back and try another day.


    Yes. That¡¯s all he can do.