"I thought help would never come." Redenor said quietly. He was about to sleep, but then Dane opened the door, bursting inside with good news."Me too..." Zarahbih, his wife, chorused.Nathaniel was the one who talked to the two first, Anastacia and Kane that is. He told them about what happened at the Fortress of Khalantrophe. How it was ruined and the kind of monster attacked and destroyed the castle walls.He never missed a single detail of what happened the next day as well. The aftermath of the attack. How no one was left, and how much blood was spilled inside the catacombs where the Bane was placed and was supposed to be guarded and protected.Timothy, Jacqueline and the two inheritors of the said power listened. Horror and terror can be seen on their expressive faces."Supreme one... the bane of the Khalantrophe led you to this place?" Kane was the first to ask."That's correct." Nathaniel answered and waited for the next questions to be asked. But the questions never came, and
Before life, there was a pair who loved and cared for each other as they lived amongst the stars. The Khalantrophen and the Bull. Khalantrophe and Great Witch. The two of them were powerful on their own, but when they fell in love... they became the powerhouse of the Celestial beings.But before they became a pair, they were the loneliest out of all the Celestial's in the stars.Khalantrophe had thousands of followers, subjects, servants, all men and women loyal only to him and willing to die for him. He was the wisest of all, and could solve any problem in front of him. But he was missing something and his heart grew tired of being alone.The mysterious being had always wanted a pair.And then, he crossed paths with the Great Witch. The Celestial being was made of all the unsung melodies and forgotten dreams there ever were, of Heartbreak and Desire, of laughter and beauty and perfection.Khalantrophe was smitten almost instantly.The water and the earth were a harmonious match. The
The door is opening, and Landon rubs the sleep from his eyes. He's confused, disoriented, and he fumbles for the door that separates their kitchen from their living room.. The living room is too quiet, and he can hear the birds outside. The sun is just up. It was 6:47 in the morning. Everything looks as though it's reflected in gold tinfoil, the trees standing tall in the Land of the Sorcerers were still twinkling like gold. He wonders a little if this is what it always looks like at dawn. He spent so much time outside the Land of the Sorcerers that he had forgotten what his own homes looked like. He almost forgot how beautiful the Land of the Sorcerers was during sunrise.He sips the coffee on the table and assumes it was made for him and winces. It's bitter, and he’s sure his mother — Tahani was the one who made the strong brew.He stands up, unsteady at first, then makes his way to the kitchen, fingering his hair and straightening his clothes. He's just getting his cereal out whe
The light was dim at best, the feeble orange glow of the night lamps was barely enough to see by. The first thing Levi Shaldan does is to check that it's a body, and not a corpse, that he's just stumbled on. The second thing he does is to check if the little one was actually breathing.Levi Shaldan —the Benevolent ruler had just created a monster beyond belief, a titan whom he named Atlas. He felt pride knowing he had something powerful enough to threaten the remaining Celestial on the stars. Someday, he will bring forth his creatures of terrors up there and finally end the reign of those beings.He will dethrone them someday. And he will end the tiring circle of life they had created. He planned to make things right. To create a new Earth. But then, on his way back to the castle he called home, Levi Shaldan stumbled upon a little girl. The little one looks even worse under the harsh glare of the fluorescents, bruised and bleeding from at least a dozen shallow cuts on her upper bod
At first he thought it was all a fluke. The healing of his hand, the leprosy going away. The promise he made, that one day — if the The Necromancer, Levi needs something in return for healing his hand. Then he couldn’t deny anything he wanted, or else, the sickness would return. It's not like Urubeh to concern himself with things that aren't any of his business. The rational part of his brain tells him to keep walking, while his feet choose that very moment to stage a mutiny. An idea that he had been tempted to execute a couple of times.A woman bumped against his shoulder as he paved the way to the busiest market in Egypt. “Excuse me.” The woman bowed her head and apologized. “My apologies.” He’s far from being stupid, and he’s always aware of what’s happening around him. The Creatures of Tar and Coal was created by the man who healed his hand. The same man who gives out favors, is now seeking for the payment that was promised to him.And if the rumors were true, then the prize w
"Don't you dare!" Anastacia warned aloud as the beasts ran towards her. Its claw shined against the moonlight. The being did not feel fear for it only intended to kill her, it used its claws and brandished it like a weapon.The blade was heavy on her fist, and the thing made a terrible sound as the sword slashed against its torso and tore the creature in half. It screamed –half shriek, half moan of agony– features writhing, twisting.Anastacia stiffened, and took a step forward. Another creature jumped in front of her, this time she raised her hand and threw a group of heavy boulders towards the creature's direction.With heavy breathing, Anastacia looks down on the creatures who had fallen before her. The monsters groans, and jerks, limbs spasming as if in remembrance of some recent pain.She moved forward and ran, running as fast as she could to get closer to the Fortress of Scorpio.She continued her journey, but stopped when she felt the sand shift beneath her feet.The chimera ju
The sand hit her eyes when a creature hiding from below jumped out to attack."Ack!" Anastacia groaned when the fine grain of sands entered and disturbs her line of sight. Looking around her with only one eye, the woman got hit in the face when the fist of the creature successfully connected, making her stumble against the ground.The creatures she created were greatly outnumbered by the chimera's.One by one, the monsters made from rocks, vines and roots perished and were destroyed. She and three creations of hers were left. And this scene, this racing of her heart. The blood on her forehead and bruises on her knuckles were awfully familiar.Using her god-like strength, Anastacia managed to kill seven creatures. And as she battles and fights against them, the sun rises slowly.The soft rays of the sun peeked behind the tall rock formations. Minute by minute the sun rose completely.And like the creature of the night --- the terrifying beings screamed and writhed when the sun touche
There were times of near-isolation and they were more frequent now. Kane felt the silence and while it became him, it also undid him. There were a thousand ways they could have done things differently, a thousand words that he wouldn't mind taking back: the hurt wouldn't be so amplified in that case.A month after the collapse of the Island of Mindoro, and now they’re facing a battle. The only difference is, the fate of the world somehow depended if Hyacinth was able to do the job.With little training and only two weeks of skills enhancement, a part of Kane was worried to the core.“She doesn’t even have any armor…” Kane thought to himself, and did not realize he said it out loud. He worked and helped with whatever it is that he can do for the Orion’s to keep himself busy. To push all the protruding thoughts away. It was noticeable of course, how worried he was for his friend, Hyacinth. It had only been two days, but it felt like she was gone for a week.He was not alone with the