The Beginning

The sky has turned dark red with screams of agony and warcries echoing through the devilish land. The field is scorched brown with flickers of orange scattered around. A wounded Kalkiz scrapes his body across the area, looking for a place to hide or regroup with his men. Kalkiz heard something. It didn't speak or create sound. There was a force far beyond natural senses, and he could hear it. The sound was musical, and powerful! It made him think of his family back home, with his wife, and his soon to be born son. Kalkiz felt something course through his veins, his blood pumping, his eyes widening, his heart beating faster. Without even realizing it at first, Kalkiz began to lift his arms. He imagined himself reaching for his child, and his knees drove into the ground. The warrior felt no pain, no suffering in these actions. All he could feel was the warm embrace of another, but they were not truly there, not physically. The music played again, this time, he could feel it pulling him towards a cave. Was it a wish granted? Will he find a place where he could survive? Every bone in Kalkiz’s body shook as his foot left the ash covered ground. His immunity to pain was still with him, but the warrior’s body was tired nonetheless. Each step took time as his limbs wobbled, with sweat dripping down his dirt filled face. Eventually, Kalkiz made it to the cave, and used its walls as support to hold himself up. As the warrior traveled deeper and deeper into the structure, the music got louder. He could see himself, walking towards his wife with a smile on her face. What seemed unusual to the warrior was that as he stumbled more into the cave, it did not get darker. In fact, it was as if the cave was gathering more light. The music was more harmonious than ever, and soon, Kalkiz found the light source coming from the cave. A pool of water shined with a green aura. The sight was hypnotizing to the warrior. He wanted to walk straight into the liquid, and feel the cold substance tend his wound, but the unknown silenced his urge. “T-talk to me.” The warrior gasped for air. “I-I know you can.” After a few moments the water started to swirl. Like Kalkiz wanted, he heard a voice similar to a human, but any sane man could tell that this was no mortal speaking. “You require my voice to know that I am speaking to you?” The water asked. It sounded feminine, but more… stressless, and true. “It is to learn what you are.” Kalkiz admitted. “You’re a being… who can speak without… talking. S-Something that can… touch without feeling. Yet… you can still t-take on human… human attributes. ” The warrior choked out, taking deep breaths in between words. “He truly has made an interesting world.” The voice spoke quietly. Kalkiz fell to the stone floor, still leaning against the wall. He took a few more breaths, staring deep into the liquid abyss before him. What the warrior felt was indescribable. Fear, curiosity, exhaustion, hope, they all were one inside Kalkiz. “Why did you bring me here?” He asked. The warrior could speak more easily now. His energy was slowly coming back. “I want to bring you to life.” She answered. Kalkiz dragged his body closer to the pool. “What do you mean?” The warrior asked, his hands shaking for the answer. “You are not real.” The voice answered. Kalkiz could feel his expression change as the words entered through his ears. “There is a being who lurks in his own darkness.” The voice started to explain. “An exiled entity who sleeps because that is all he can do. He was removed from my universe, so he made his own. His slumber is your creation, and your creation is his home.” The words pierced into Kalkiz’s being, deeper than any blade that could penetrate him. His resistance to pain was no longer there. His limbs now ached, like a needle slower being slowly driven into them, and his abdomen wound set his body on fire. Kalkiz’s face slammed into the stone for the energy he once had vanished, and his mind felt as if it was being torn to shreds. “W-we’re a dream… for a gods entertainment.” Kalkiz stuttered. He did not stutter because of his lack of air or agony in his bones. This stuttering was because he knew her words were wise and true. “I need him back.” The voice continued, ignore how traumatized the warrior looked. His eyes vibrated with disbelief. His neutral expression was now distorted. If every movement didn’t torture him, Kalkiz would curl up into a ball and scream for the entire world to hear. The pool of water could tell that Kalkiz’s sanity was breaking, and quickly decided to fix what is cracked. “Your existence will become real. Listen to me, and you will exit Azathoth’s imagination.” She assured. Once again, the warrior could tell that her words were true and promising. Slowly, as torment built up in his blood, Kalkiz raised his head off of the floor. “Tell me…” The warrior whispered, his teeth gritting. The voice was pleased to hear his cooperation. “Who are you?” The water’s feeling of ease faded as he finished his sentence. “For now, you may refer to me as a god. Once you have escaped Azathoth’s mind, you will see who is under this liquid.” Once more, trust overcame Kalkiz. He could feel his mind feeling more restored. His resistance to pain rose again, and the warrior began to stand up. “Go to the other side, and pick up the weapon you call a dagger.” The voice ordered, her soft tone flowing down Kalkiz’s ears, sending shivers down his spine, and rested in his soul. Kalkiz found the strength to move forward. The warrior staggered around the pool, the water following him as he made his way towards the end. On a small rock sat the dagger with trails of green similar to the water engraved down the sharp, silver blade. Kalkiz picked up the knife, and peered into the light green trails. He saw his wife’s dark brown eyes piercing through the dagger, keeping his eyes locked on the weapon. The warrior slid his finger down the metal surface, hoping to feel his lovers heartwarming face in the process. “Why?” Kalkiz asked, his voice becoming louder. “Why do you manipulate me with visions of my family?” The warrior yelled, still glaring at the dagger in his palm. “Would you have come here if I showed you anything else?” The water asked back. Kalkiz knew he wouldn’t have. She was right in that sense, but he still didn’t appreciate that his family was used as a source of motivation. Taking his silence as acceptance, the water continued her orders. “Cut off your hand.” Kalkiz’s eyes shot open as her sentence finished. The warrior slowly brought the dagger to his wrist, his heart pumping, and his bones tensing. Noticing his obvious distress, the voice comforted him. “It won’t hurt.” She promised. Kalkiz nodded his head, and aligned the dagger so the point was inches away from his limb. With a swift breath, Kalkiz gashed his hand, slicing straight through the bone. The warrior fell backwards from what he had just done. As if time had slowed, Kalkiz watched every second as his severed hand dropped into the green pool. “Sacrifice your hand so it shall reach between Azathoth and I. Bring me into his dreams so I can disturb his fantasy and give you absolute meaning.” The voice echoed in his mind as the torn off flesh made contact with the cold liquid. “Reach for me.” She whispered. The warrior crawled towards the pool of circling green water, and for some reason, Kalkiz moved his handless limb to the water. Trickles of blood dripped down into the water, converging with the green pool. As the water continued to swirl with every drop of blood making a red spiral, a transparent green hand appeared above the twisting liquids. Kalkiz did not shutter or hesitate. The hand wrapped itself around his empty wrist, and the warrior pulled up. Fear, shock, hope, curiosity, those emotions escaped Kalkiz as a feminine figure rose from the pool. Her entire being was a green transparent color. Tendrils were attached to her back, almost acting like wings. The face was inhuman. One eye sat at the far left of her face with more tendrils acting as hair. She failed to have a nose, mouth, or ears. Aside from those physical features, the rest of her body was human like. Soon, a red mist clouded the warrior’s handless limb. Kalkiz felt as if his bones were extending, and shaping into something new. When the mist cleared, Kalkiz’s hand was back, but instead of flesh covering his bones, the same transparent green blanketed the newly formed hand. The warrior recognized that the being before him no longer had a right hand. “Who are you?” Kalkiz repeated his question from earlier. “My name does not translate to english, so you may call me Grace.” Grace finally answered. It was not just the hand that felt different to Kalkiz. His entire existence felt fresh and new. The aching body he once had was no longer aching. Any wounds or scars he gathered over his life have been erased. Not even waiting for another order, Kalkiz started to walk down the cave. Each step echoed off of the grey stone walls. These steps were not fake or broken like when he entered. These steps were real, and powerful! Kalkiz enjoyed the feeling it brought to him. As the exit got darker, Kalkiz turned to see that Grace was right behind him. When the man got to where he started everything was black with white outlines. Even the slight breeze had small white lines flowing through the dream world. These were now eyes of someone who was real. “Go my blood king. The warriors who died for not will find meaning under your kingdom.” Grace told him. The blood king scanned the widespread of black empty beings. “This is all mine?” He asked. Grace nodded her head. Kalkiz moved forward into the darkness, and looked down at a corpse, if it could even be called that. Kalkiz knelt down to touch the black figure, but before making contact, he stopped. “My family…” The blood king said. “I’ll never see the again, won’t I?” Grace came to comfort the existing being. “They will share a story without you for now, but in time, you will see them again.” Kalkiz could hear something weird in her voice. It was unusual, almost hesitant. He had never heard her voice with such doubt. Even so, her words have held truth since the beginning. Kalkiz had no reason to distrust her. The blood king tapped the black emptiness before him. Blonde hair came to life on his head. Silver armor colored his body with a ragged red cape. The scar on his forehead disappeared, and the newly born man looked up at Kalkiz. “Rise my friend. This is the beginning of reality.”