Darklore was almost as intricate and immersive as the knowledge of Heh-el, Elysium, and the Earth playnes. By this point it was woven into almost all aspects of the world, both theirs and, As Alecto had found, humanity as a whole. The mysterious Iremia playne seemed to be the only realm untouched, completely unpolluted by Darklore. Alecto feasted on the contents of the latest book he had snuck from the archive library. He was hunched against the cool stone balusters at the top of a secluded staircase, as he ran his fingers over the words he'd been reading.
He had never been a fighter. He was not a candidate that flourished with combat training and embracing their ancestry. But as his knowledge expanded and he learnt more of the realms that lay between him and Heh-el, his strengths were fortified.
He would never win physical battles. However, he connected with Darklore, and was beginning to control it, in a way no one else around him seemed to manage... Or even attempt. Darklore and knowledge would be his weapons now.
Alecto felt the grip of Satan in his mind. It sliced his thoughts with a biting pain, and he drew his gaze from the book in his lap. The strength in him reared its head and Alecto rolled his neck as he embraced the link that fed his growing power.
'Yes Master?' he whispered.
As he exhaled calmly, he vheil shifted from his quiet corner of earth, to where his soul was being summoned and when he opened his eyes again, the daemonic amphitheatre realm of Celestial Isle, lay before him.
He paced the arena, refusing to look up into the stands where, the darkest most bloodthirsty creatures of Heh-el were playing audience to his meeting.
'You're learning my realm rules quickly I see, protégé.'
His Master's voice had the seductive, intrigued tone to it today. Alecto turned, dipping his head in respect.
'You bring me closer to your UnderRealm halls each time I am summoned. Dying within Heh-el would be counterproductive. So yes, I read. And I learn.' Alecto replied.
The vheil of dark smoke that hid his Master from Alecto's vision, shifted. The dark energy swirled between them and Alecto hoped his developing outspokenness was pleasing his teacher, not aggravating him.
'You're progressing. You understand well the two sides to this war. But are you quite ready to be my consort?' the voice of Satan asked.
The malice in Celestial Isle pressed in, curling around Alecto, seeping into his skin, strengthening him further. He wanted the poisonous mantle offered before him; Alecto only needed a chance to take it.
'When opportunity presents itself, let me prove it to you.' Alecto spoke firmly, surprising himself with the level of need he felt to prove his ability to the deity before him.
Alecto had never been believed in, nurtured to find his potential. But now, this terrible, yet great immortal had chosen him. Alecto lived with fools, they understood nothing, and Satan had the right aims. The world was overpopulated.
Overpopulated with creatures that were less than worthy. Centuries came and went, and humankind kept killing each other. Fighting over land and money and religion.
It was time they came to heel, and either found their rightful place in Satan's image or die in the purge, in their own destruction.
'A true member of my inner circle finds their own moment to do my bidding,' Satan countered.
Alecto picked up the silent challenge and steeled his thoughts.
'I want to take my place, show the Three Alliances how wrong they are to oppose you.'
'It is not yet time for you, my disciple, to reveal yourself to the fools who protect my brother's creations. They are not ready. But I am eager to see how you manifest my power.'
The Celestial Isle took that moment to roar into life, daemonic cries of Horde and the wailing calls of the vengeful souls trapped within, filled the air. Alecto clenched his fists. He was the one to tip the scales and he could do it without falling to utter darkness. If one mastered darkness, one could defeat it, right? A small part of his mind was still a little conflicted, did he want Satan to trust him, then betray the immortal and severe his own ends? Or was this the place he had longed for in this world presented in a slightly different, but not less important form to what was taught to most of his race.
The amphitheatre realm continued to pulse with restless excitement. The occupants ready to unleash pain, agony, death. Alecto needed power, to prove he could manipulate it, not have it manipulate him.
He bowed as his Master lashed out. The hit tore through Alecto and his soul wrenched itself away from chaos as he returned to his staircase perch. It was time to explore his destiny, prove he was important. Alecto stood, his hand gripping hard to the handrail, no longer would he be the outcast. No longer would he allow others to underestimate him, and what he was capable of. It was his turn at glory.
*
The journey back to his dorm was halted when Alecto heard the voice of the teacher he hated most, filter up from the staircase below. Master Delacruz was speaking in hushed tones, and his secretive behaviour gave Alecto more reason to snoop.
'I get your point Elroy, but it doesn't change my question. Is there anything you'd refuse to do if it was Clarisse who asked it of you?' the Master paused, clearly awaiting a response, 'exactly. Shake your head all you want; I know your weak spot for that Angelus--' he sighed then and Alecto crept a little closer, eager to know the topic they were discussing.
'--Walker, the students are just asking for two hours to hang out. Two hours where they can be ordinary teenagers. Unbothered with the Unspoken One and his ever-nearing apocalypse. We were once like that too, ' Master Elroy pleaded, 'my two nephews already told me which students would be there.' The sound of paper being passed over stopped the conversation for a moment, 'It's a good group, Heca and Morgana put it together, nothing stupid would happen.'
Alecto frowned. He had no one to go home to over the long weekend, but when he'd asked to get out for the evening he'd been denied.
Anger rose up in the pit of his stomach, fast and acidic. He ground his teeth. He doubted his name was included in the little bonfire jaunt. That Heca bastard probably had something to do with it.
'Okay, okay. I'll escort our students to the north west clearing for 4:30pm. Then collect them again two hours later. And no more names than the ones I have already. It's a weekend off for us too, I'm not babysitting a party I can't enjoy.' Delacruz conceded, listing his conditions.
Alecto bolted as he heard the Masters begin their journey again and slipped into an unused classroom. His resentment still coursing hot in his blood. If Morgana had planned it, some of his dorm was likely on the list. The girl did not spend any time interacting with Alecto, so he was definitely left out. Satan's earlier words surfaced in his thoughts.
'Find my moment.' Alecto whispered to himself.
He flicked open the Darklore book in his hands. The incantations leapt out at him with more ease now. He felt pride in knowing he had cracked the hidden language of Satan, concealed in the words and pages of the Dark Material books Alecto had come to treasure. Something in its pages would be a perfect test run of his growing abilities.
Satan chuckled. The vheil he had opened to observe his protégé shivered as tendrils of spite and dark mirth tied themselves between his soul and Alecto's. His final pupil had indeed risen and the balance was finally shifting firmly in his favour.
'Yes Alecto, embrace that venom in your heart... Soon, we shall rise.' Satan murmured, his hand moving over the image and closed the vheil, 'You show me your worth, how dangerous you can become.' he laughed. The dark pleasure dripped in every note of his laugh, all of Heh-el heard their dark King's joy.
Alecto felt a bubble of laughter spring in his chest. As he found the curse he felt the bonfire merriment would most benefit from, he sensed a pleasure that was not solely his own, ripple through the shadows, his Master approved.
*
Eros was packing when Alecto reached their dorm. He slipped the book under his pillow before his roommate turned to speak. Alecto had only noticed in the last few days that Eros seemed to be growing darker, to match Alecto's growing power.
At first, he had been worried Eros would steal his place in Satan's favour, but the foolish Demi God would only succumb to his darker thoughts if Alecto was close by and not keeping his own maliciousness in check. It amused him that such a strong, dedicated candidate could be so corrupted. Especially with the knowledge that, although Alecto knew he was using Darklore, it was in full awareness of doing so and the use of it did not control his behaviour, merely seemed to enhance him. Alecto smiled; his roommate's gaze was clouded with ill-tempered frustration.
'I am not excited for this weekend.'
'You chose to date a fickle Angelus candidate,' Alecto reminded him.
'Sometimes I don't know why I bother.' Eros confided.
Alecto patted his roommate on the back, irritated that Eros would come back happy, and less poisoned by Alecto's growing skills.
'You won't think that in a bit.' he said, resignedly.
Eros snorted and looked between two textbooks before tossing one onto his bed and packing the other. Morgana picked that moment to bound through the door.
'Uhm, do either of you have a copy of 'Ancestry Association: How Our History Affects Candidacy'? I haven't finished that implementing ancestry knowledge to our combat skills essay.' she moaned making a face at the two of them.
Alecto shrugged, since he did not know anything about his self-indulgent parents, let alone his ancestors, he had skipped that particular essay. He'd opted for an extra thousand words on the History Essay. Interesting how he now saw the divide of truth so much more clearly. Eros huffed and shuffled things at his desk a bit, before pushing the book into Morgana's hands. She glanced at Alecto, then asked slowly,
'Thanks, off somewhere nice are we Eros?'
Alecto watched as her concern gave way to pursed lips and annoyance when Eros waved his hand and ignored her questions.
'You got any plans?' Eros asked Alecto instead, tossing a few more items into his bag.
'Oh this and that.' Alecto said, committing to nothing.
Morgana sighed throwing up her hands in defeat and left the room, shooting an unreadable glance at the pair. Alecto rolled onto his back and chuckled under his breath.
His hand ran over the pillow, through the fabric he could trace the engraved cover. The dark words of his chosen curse, filled his thoughts.
'Storm's coming... ' he muttered, his gaze watching the clouds outside their long narrow window.
'It'll blow by us probably.' Eros challenged.
'Perhaps.' Alecto murmured.
His smile grew. Morgana's confused look had pleased him. From a lifetime of living on the side-lines, he had learnt that revealing specifics left you vulnerable, open to more questions. And he enjoyed the game of keeping others guessing. He didn't want anything throwing off his plans for tomorrow. Not when he had something so exciting to do.
*
Alecto had improved at tracking. As he picked a path through the woods, he took a moment to embrace the utter loneliness one could feel when walking alone. In growing darkness he moved with the shifting shadows. The clearing was no more than ten minutes ahead of him so he slowed his pace and collected his thoughts.
The shadows near him shivered, and he felt strong; the curse he'd chosen, now memorised and awaiting use in his head. He stretched out a hand to the shadows thrown out by the trees, curling it so he could look at his palm, he coiled his fingers down into a fist, capturing the shadow playing over his skin.
Eager malice rose up in his chest as Alecto clenched his fist close to his chest. After a moment he opened up his hand a little to watch the tendrils of shadow writhe and intertwine in his palm.
Sudden voices behind him made Alecto's head snap up. He stepped back into the shadows, they were impatient to accept him. He marvelled at their compliance to stretch out before him and shield him until he was stood nestled in their dark embrace. In their cool hold he waited for the voices of others to pass on.
When he was close enough to the clearing, he let his gaze flit over each in his test arena. The faces he saw made him eager to proceed. Masked by the shade of a wide conifer, he looked at the last of the faces and clocked the presence of his one weakness, who had chosen to lean against a trunk just across from his hidden spot.
'I get what you're saying but I can't agree. When a judge gives a convict a life sentence, that's what it should be, life. Not twenty five ish years and then you can leave due to good behaviour.'
Her voice was the only thing that paused Alecto's plan. Evangeline was at the bonfire... The summons caught in his throat and he faltered a moment.
'So to you, one wrong act, no matter how much it may be regretted, is it? And no second chance should be given?' Adonis replied, his voice sceptical.
'If their crime was murder or something equally foul. The person that they killed gets no second chance to live their life, why should the killer?'
'Good point. But I still think second chances can be earned.'
'I believe in second chances Adonis, but justice is left at the wayside if the punishment given is revoked before its time.' Evangeline debated.
Alecto felt a small flicker of hope fill him. If that girl believed in punishment for wrong doings, perhaps her soul was a match for his. He even controlled his rage as he saw Heca reach out and take hold of her hand, throwing in his thoughts on their debate.
Alecto drew back, unsure if now was the moment to bring pain and suffering. The shadow tendrils in his palm licked at his skin but he paused, the focus he needed shifted a little into what was happening in front of him and the words he wanted to speak momentarily forgotten. Satan's anger cut into him. The whiplash of pain shot bright spots into his vision and the voice that filled his ear was malevolent, commanding.
Satan allowed a moment of anger coarse, unbidden, through his veins. The child he had long thought dead was already proving to be a roadblock. His pupil was still governed by his baser desires. Soon Satan would have to show him the better focuses of Darklore power.
But now, all he wanted was see Alecto manifest his cruelty. Satan stretched out his hand, letting his mind sink into the vheil that allowed him to glimpse the mortal playne and spoke.
'Your lust controls you. Do not be so cowardly. She will never be yours if you act so indecisively. Power attracts all things, manifest yours, claim it.'
Alecto gasped, as if someone had branded him with a searing poker, straight from the crimson heart of a roaring fire. The centre of his chest pulsed, the scent of burning skin hitting his nostrils, smelt like roasting gammon and made Alecto split his own lip to keep from screaming.
Using his free hand to wrench open his shirt he looked down at the ancient scripture blazing, jet black, on his raw skin. The markings were daemon language. Satan's own rune characters etched in a circle in the centre of his chest.
Power, anger and control flooded his veins and Alecto felt the tendrils of shadow Horde stroke within his hand. He embraced the growing shadows, stepping back into them as two males came charging down the forest path near him.
'Try to look down on me now,' Alecto whispered.
He allowed the Darklore manifestation to thrash within his palm, slitting the flesh open. As beads of fresh red blood filled his hand, the tendrils coiled and absorbed his blood offering.
Coarse, daemonic words fell from his lips and watching the candidate he hated most press a kiss against the side of Alecto's Angelus' forehead, he aimed his summoned pollution into the sky.
'Agents of Satan, Horde, hear me. I want danger and turmoil to rain down. Rain down on this land, sicken it, and poison them all.'
The ground rumbled, shadows rippled in the wind, its biting cold coiled through the forest and ominous, heavy grey clouds gathered. Alecto felt the creed on his chest burn. The choice was made. A corrupt ecstasy consumed him and Alecto finally met the full unconcealed gaze of his teacher, his new Master and the future he had just sealed for himself.
Evangeline shivered. Her words froze in her throat and glancing into the darkening woodland beyond their warm fire, she felt every hair on the back of her neck stand up, cry out. The shadows rippled beyond the touch of the fire. A sharp breeze cut through her clothes and her arms came around her in protection as she registered the chill.
For a moment, utter silence seemed to be all around them. Her very soul felt heavy. A wariness settled on her skin and she felt an unexplainable tug in her heart. As if something had just died.
~
YOU ARE READING
Risen: Beginning of a Legacy
FantasyHidden within the world of mortals, the offspring of legends, of immortals and those beings thought to be only myth, begin to join the war. An ongoing secret battle between two ancient brothers, who keep the entire world in balance. Legacy; a fragme...
