The Unraveling Phase Three

Tenomachi is sound asleep upon the floor of his castle within Volheim. Vilanea lays only a few feet away from him. The door bursts open, and one of his guards comes in waking Tenomachi.

The guard says ‘My king! My king, you must awake. We have been under attack.’

Vilanea and Tenomachi rise to see that their chambers are in shreds. Tenomachi says to the guard ‘What has happened?’

The guard responds ‘I do not know, my king. But there is devastation everywhere. Something attacked us during the night.’

Tenomachi and Vilanea gather themselves and make their way down the corridors into the grand hallway of the castle of Volheim. Their banners lay upon the floor. Tables are overturned. The throne itself is torn in two.

Tenomachi and Vilanea look at each other. There is a surprise, but also a worry and fear growing within them. They make their way outside to the surrounding area inside the great walls of Volheim.

The entire settlement is tattered and in ruin. Things are destroyed. Pieces lie everywhere of homes and dwellings.

Tenomachi’s commander of his guards, Shaddaka, makes his way up the grand steps toward the king. He kneels and bows.

Tenomachi signals for him to rise. They begin walking alongside each other as Tenomachi begins to survey the damage.

Tenomachi says ‘What do we know, Shaddaka? Who are they?’

Shaddaka says ‘We know nothing of them, my lord. There is no scent. We cannot seem to find one. I have the best trackers on it. If there is one we will find it, but so far their scent eludes us.’

Tenomachi says ‘How many casualties?’

Shaddaka is silent for a moment. Tenomachi looks at him and says ‘How many are dead?’

Shaddaka looks into the eyes of his king and says ‘None, my lord.’

Tenomachi puts his hand under his wolf-like chin and says ‘An attacker who attacks but only destroys our dwellings. Leaves no scent. Strange.’

Just then upon the high palace wall, a guard yells out ‘My lord! My king, there is a figure on the hills in the horizon.’

Shaddaka, Tenomachi, and Vilanea make their way to the top of the palace wall. They look out to where the guard has pointed. Across the plains stands a tall silhouette.

All the volwynn sniff the air. Then they recoil their noses back. ‘Smells of decay and rot.’

Vilanea says ‘Maybe it is a soldier, one of our scouts. Maybe they are injured. Maybe they know what has happened.’

Shaddaka sniffs the air again and says ‘This can’t be…’

He smells the air, reaching out with his nose. He says ’No… this can’t be. I know this scent. When I was young, I was presented with a piece of armor that had this scent upon it.’

Tenomachi looks surprisingly at Shaddaka and says ‘Then who is it, my friend?’

Shaddaka hangs his head and says ‘I don’t understand. The scent is that of my grandmother, Jaiddaka.’

Tenomachi, Vilanea, and Shaddaka look out across the field to the silhouette figure. Standing in the distance is Jaiddaka breathing heavy.

Fairy Kingdom...

Deep down within a dark forest of Alfheim, there are screams heard all around. Fairies gather all around.

One says to another ‘What is happening? What is happening to our beloved sister queen?’

Another one says ‘Is she bewitched? Has a spell fallen upon her?’

Mieraki is inside the chamber with Aeveron. Aeveron screams aloud, and her body begins to twitch. Her wings flutter with strange energies.

Mieraki places her hand upon the arm of Aeveron. Aeveron quickly snatches it away and says ‘You must leave. You must go!’ She screams out in agony.

Mieraki says ‘What is happening? Please tell me. My Queen.’

Aeveron’s eyes go dark and she says ‘Something within me is growing. I can’t control it.’

Elsewhere in Alfheim...

Lyindrinar and his friends ride fast towards the forest and the mountain where the old gnome is said to live. As they ride, Lyindrinar looks to his right.

Something has caught his senses. Upon a grassy hill, he sees her. A spirit wolf staring back at him. He says ‘Valeyta!’

Quickly Lyindrinar turns his horse and makes his way towards where he sees Valeyta. Valeyta who is looking down upon him then takes off running.

Elararis says ‘My King! Wait!’

Lyindrinar chases Valeyta down towards a rocky cliff. Valeyta makes her way through the cliff and down where passageways have been carved out.

Lyindrinar dismounts from his horse and begins walking into these passageways. When he comes to a certain point, he sees Valeyta. She is curled up into a ball, and she is trembling.

Lyindrinar reaches forward and says ‘Valeyta? I’m here. It’s me.’

Valeyta cries out to him ‘Go away! Please.’

Lyindrinar says ‘Valeyta… please don’t send me away. What is happening? What has happened to you?’

Valeyta responds ‘You must stay away. You don’t understand.’

Lyindrinar looks at Valeyta. He can feel some strange energy within her.

The Borderlands...

In the borderlands, Atherak stands below the Vanatorin athranaak. Mevinah steps up behind him.

Atherak says ‘All are ready, Mevinah.’

Mevinah nods his head and says ‘The work is complete, master.’

Atherak says ‘Good.’

As he turns, behind Mevinah, stretching on as far as the eye can see, are naturals in every shape and form. But they are unlike any other naturals. They are not of the living anymore, but of the dead. Myrrdonite naturals.

Atherak says ‘Good, Mevinah. Now the time has come to send them forth and claim their vengeance upon those who destroyed their layer.’

Mevinah says to Atherak ‘But the Veil Mist. It will be hard to send them through to the Vanatorin.’

Atherak says ‘No, Mevinah. There will be no blockage. No barrier that stands between here and the judgement of the Vanatorin layer.’

Atherak reaches with his hands to the sky where the Vanatorin athranaak hovers above him. He says ‘Go forth and bring judgement.’

Atherak moves his hands and pulls them apart. The Vanatorin athranaak shatters, crumbling to pieces falling all around. Behind it, the grey mist dissipates.

The unnaturals go flooding through. Inside the Veil Mist itself, Nyrix has noticed the large trembling. He is with the Veil Keeper.

Nyrix says ‘What is happening?’

The Veil Keeper falls to his knees. He seems to be overwhelmed as Nyrix comes to his side.

Nyrix says ‘My Keeper, what is going on?’

There is shaking all around, and the mist begins to swirl.

In Volheim...

In Volheim, Tenomachi, Vilanea, and Shaddaka have made their way past the great gates towards Jaiddaka. They stop suddenly as Jaiddaka stands and a loud thunderous roar that spreads throughout Volheim is let loose.

Vilanea, Shaddaka, and Tenomachi fall to their knees. They begin to shake wildly. Then in unison, they all begin to roar and howl.

They begin to take off running upon all fours, descending throughout all of Volheim, destroying any structures.

Back in Alfheim...

In Alfheim, Aeveron begins to shriek loudly. Mieraki is blown back by a sudden burst of light. When the light dissipates, Aeveron is nowhere to be found.

Lyindrinar reaches his hand forward and says ‘Please Valeyta. I love you.’

Valeyta says in a soft and weakened voice ‘I know. But you have to…’ Just then Valeyta shrieks aloud. She says ‘It is happening again.’

Lyindrinar steps forward and says ‘Please, my love. What is happening?’

Valeyta turns on him, her eyes glowing bright. She growls, baring her teeth. She jumps forward knocking Lyindrinar to the ground. She bites him in the shoulder before she goes running off.

Lyindrinar regains himself. He looks in the distance where Valeyta has fled, but he cannot see her. He then hears other horses approaching, and the approach of others. ‘My King!’

Lyindrinar says ‘I am here!’ The others make their way to Lyindrinar. Elararis and Draena get off their horses. They run to his side.

Elararis says ‘What has happened?’

Lyindrinar replies ‘It was Valeyta. Something changed in her. She attacked me.’

Elararis says ‘Things are strange, my lord. If Valeyta is part of what is happening… if something has bewitched her, we will find the answers. I promise you, my King. I will not let anything happen to her. I know how much you love her, and how much she loves you.’

Frigit then says ‘Look! The mountain of the old gnome.’ All turn and stare to where Frigit is pointing.

Grimson then smiles and chuckles. Grimson says ‘Yes it is! We found it.’

In the distance sits a tall black mountain covered by a dark forest.

Elararis says ‘Come. We must speak to the old gnome. She may know what is happening.’

They help Lyindrinar to his horse and they all depart, making their way towards the mountain through the dark forest. There they find a lonely cave. The cave is large enough for all of them to enter.

They walk for a while down into a grand chamber where a little fire is going. There they can hear the humming song of a gnome.

Grimson then steps forth and says ‘Oldest of all gnomes, we come to you at this time.’

The old gnome speaks ‘I know why you have come. It is the end of things. We have foreseen it for so long. But us gnomes… none are ever curious about us.’

Lyindrinar steps forward and says ‘I am curious now. Tell me.’

The old gnome says ‘The naturals. It is time. They have undergone so much that they are rising against the sential beings of the realms. They are turning on us. It is what’s happening to your love, Lyindrinar. She is becoming more of her natural side.’

Elararis says ‘And what is behind this?’

The old gnome stays quiet for a moment. Then she says ‘It was inevitable. It was bound to happen.’

Just then the cave begins to shake violently. Rocks and stalactites begin to fall from the ceiling.

Grimson says ‘We must get out of here before it caves in!’

They help the old gnome and they make their way back up to the entrance. There outside they can see that rocks have been thrown at the side of the mountain. As they look down, they can see the tree ents. They are the ones who are casting the stones.

The old gnome looks with surprise as she recognizes one of them. She steps forward, raising her hand and says ‘Narraku, old friend. Please.’

Lyindrinar, Nastazil, and Elararis recognize this tree ent. He has always been a friend to them. Now he seems bent on destroying them.

Narraku snatches the old mother gnome up in one of his limbs. The others then flee back inside down to the cavern. They descend back down into the cavern as the pounding continues.

Nastazil says ‘We’ve got to get out of here.’

Frigit says to Grimson ‘The old mother! Narraku took the old mother. He tried to kill us. I don’t understand.’

Lyindrinar says ‘We’ll worry about that later. Right now, we need to find a way out of here. Nastazil, Elararis, can any of you open a portal?’

Both of them try, but no portals can be opened here.

Nastazil says ‘The old mother gnome must have had protections put over this cavern.’

Lyindrinar says ‘Wait a minute.’ He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a ring with a black gemstone.

Lyindrinar says ‘King Varidon gave this to me. The wearer and all those around him placing their hand on him can be teleported to the Void. Quickly everyone, gather around.’

All of them gather around placing their hands upon Lyindrinar as he slips on the ring. They begin to feel strange, and a Void energy begins to surround them just as the cavern collapses.

All fall to their feet once the energy dissipates. They are now within the Void.

Mount Olympus...

In Olympus, Orion walks into the council chambers. There Zeus and Ares are waiting for him.

Zeus says ‘Are you ready to go?’

Orion responds ‘Yes.’

Zeus turns around, and a portal is open. The three of them step through. They go to the realm where the drakon are.

Zeus says ‘Urisia will have the answers. The drakon, they must know why the unicorn and the others went as wild as they did.’

Orion then says ‘Urisia will have the answers. That I know.’

They begin making their way to where the drakon would meet. There they see Urisia. She is flying high above. She spots them and makes her descent towards them.

Zeus points and says ‘There she is. She’s coming to greet us. We will have our answers.’

Ares walks forward and puts his hands over his eyes. He says ‘I don’t think she’s coming to give us answers.’

Ares pushes Zeus and Orion out of the way as Urisia bears down on them with fiery breath.

Urisia then flies back into the sky. The three begin to back away behind the rocks, watching the skies as Urisia turns and tries to scan for them.

Orion says ‘What the hell has gotten into her!?’

As they back up, they can feel that they have backed up into something that is not rock. As they turn, they stare into the eyes of the drakon Alkelion.

Ares steps forward and says ‘Alkelion, what is happening here? What is wrong with Urisia?’

Alkelion’s eyes bear down on him. He lets out a mighty roar. The three barely escape being incinerated by his fire.

Orion opens a portal and says ‘We must get out of here! The drakon have gone mad.’

The three make their way to the portal as Alkelion lets out a roar signaling to the other drakon. They barely escape through the portal from being incinerated.

The Void realm...

In the Void, Lyindrinar and his group gather themselves. As he stands, Draena Silverleaf draws her sword as the image comes into view of the Void.

There everywhere around them, Void beings have been impaled upon spikes.

Elararis says ‘What has happened here? What is going on?’

They then hear a voice from the darkness ‘The king. He is purging the wicked of the Void.’ Layahzarus steps forward.

Lyindrinar looks puzzled, but he steps forward and asks ‘Purging the wicked?’

Layahzarus says ‘It has been known of what is happening among the other realms to King Varidon. The king is undergoing something strange.’

Lyindrinar says ‘I must speak to him. Can you take us to him?’

Layahzarus replies ‘Yes. This way.’

As they walk down the grand courtyard of the Void, there are impaled Void beings upon spikes. They enter the palace. There the Void throne is shattered. Varidon stands, only wearing trousers. There are thothilssin symbols carved into his skin.

Varidon turns his head over his shoulder and says ‘I see you have come, Lyindrinar.’

Lyindrinar steps forward and says ‘My fellow king, what has happened here? What has happened to you?’

Varidon says ‘I have done what needed to be done. And fellow king, you are no longer a king. You kept a court of those who conspired against you, and they brought you down. I had the same problem here until recently.

Those who still talked of the return of Umbranathor. Those who looked at me and whispered in hallways that I was nothing but a puppet king. They didn’t know I was listening the whole time.’

Varidon raises his hand and says ‘And now… now their wicked ways have brought them here at my hand.’

Lyindrinar is somewhat shocked. He says ‘But why this way?’

Varidon says ‘It was inevitable.’

Lyindrinar says ‘But I’m sure others will turn against you. You know this, Varidon. The houses will turn on you. They have no love for the Void, never have.’

Varidon then bows his head, raises it and says ‘They are fools. I am the Void.’

Two rifts open on either side of Varidon. Identical looking Myrrdonite step through. They speak in unison ‘We are the twin stars. Judgement has come. Varidon has pleased our master.’

Draena Silverleaf draws her bow. Before she can react, a coil comes from either of the twin stars snapping the bow out of her hand.

Then the twin stars speak in unison ‘I don’t believe it’s a fight you come for. A fight that you cannot win.’

Lyindrinar steps forward and says ‘Why is Atherak doing this? Tell me!’

In unison, they speak ‘It was inevitable. Judgement comes to us all.’

Varidon turns and says ‘You should look to your own, Lyindrinar. So much has just begun. Layahzarus, step forward.’

Layahzarus steps forward and bows to Varidon.

Varidon says ‘Go with them. I will need you to be my eyes and ears of the Void.’ Varidon waves his hand, and a portal opens behind them. He says ‘Now go.’

Lyindrinar steps forward to say another word, but Elararis places his hand upon his shoulder and says ‘He’s right.’ The group turns away and steps through the portal. The portal closes.

Varidon then turns again and begins speaking loudly in thothilssin as the twin star Myrrdonites begin to snatch up the bodies of the ones impaled, piercing them with coils from their hands and turning them to dust.

Mount Olympus Council...

Inside the council chambers, King Orion, Zeus, and others have gathered.

Orion says ‘It is as we feared. The drakon and others seem to have gone wild, losing their minds. They will be no help to us. But the understanding of what King Yserah and Baphomet speak of the devices…’

Yserah steps forward and says ‘There are those of us who are projections of devices from beyond. We have gathered here now. We must reach out to those who, in other circumstances, we would consider enemies. For they in our darkest hour will come to our aid.’

Baphomet speaks ‘We must draw Atherak out. We must draw him here so that we can discover his weaknesses. If we are to stand for our own judgement and drive him back, then we must find a way.

Where is he weak? Everything has a weakness including him. I myself and Yserah have gone beyond, and there are other devices. Together we can end him.’

Epimetheus then enters the chamber. All eyes turn towards him.

Orion says ‘Tell us, Epimetheus. Tell us everything you know.’

The Borderlands...

In the borderlands, amongst the debris of the Vanatorin athranaak, Atherak, Xarsha, and Mevinah stand.

They watch as the Myrrdonite naturals pour through the Veil Mist onto the Vanatorin layer. They can hear the screams and terror of the sential beings.

Atherak says ‘Music to my ears.’

Xarsha says ‘And what of the other layer? They have risen up against you. They believe they are beyond your judgement. They will begin to receive help from the devices.’

Mevinah speaks ‘They no longer fear you, master. They no longer fear judgement.’

Atherak cackles and says ‘Do they now? Then let me give them something to fear.’

Just then footsteps can be heard. The Myrrdonite turn to see a hunched-back, old decrepit woman with a face that is hidden in the darkness shrouded by a hood.

The woman says ‘I have brought what you have asked for, Lord of the Damned.’

Atherak says ‘Thank you Salindraa. Let us see it.’

Salindraa brings out a brown bag. There she dumps it out and bones fall to the ground including an elongated skull filled with sharp teeth.

Salindraa says ‘Gathered them from the Garden of Bones.’

Mevinah and Xarsha glance at each other.

Atherak kneels by the bones and says ‘Our ranks have grown, my Myrrdonite. Now let us complete the circle.’

Atherak stands. Coils appear from his back and his hand, pulling the bones back together, working fast tying flesh to bone.

When it is done, the coils retract back into Atherak. He steps backward as a creature kneels before him.

Atherak says ‘If they do not fear me then I will give them one that they will fear. Rise and serve me, Bishberrin.’

True Self Connection...
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