The Destroyer of Known Worlds

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Prologue

Sana and Ina huddled together, fear painted on their pale, nervous faces. All around them, ravenous flames tore through the Infinite Library, setting the forest of bookshelves and spiral staircases ablaze. The myriad of books that they had been placing were consumed mercilessly before their eyes. Their ashes added to the oppressive air that gripped the anomalous space.

Up above, the orca-shaped swarm of Horrors banged against the translucent defensive barrier and blocked the starlight, casting their grotesque shadows all over the marble floor. Under the shrouded heavens, at the heart of that shifting, squirming darkness was the lithe, grinning figure of Clover Gosling.

"So. How do you like it?" Clover started, pacing leisurely towards her troubled foes, "These Horrors knocking at your door are the manifestation of the despair of the Known Worlds that have fallen to the Ancient Ones." She cupped her hand over one of her ears and asked, "Can you hear their screams? Their agony? Absolutely fucking delicious - all of it!"

"You monster!" Ina lashed out, "Taking delight in destroying worlds!"

"How cute." Clover scoffed, "While I do enjoy the death and destruction, we wouldn't have been able to destroy the Known Worlds on our own. Human and demi human societies are more than capable of destroying their own worlds, you see!" She laid her hand over her heart and bowed patronizingly, "My employers and I simply sell them the rope with which they will hang themselves. We provide that one last push that sends everything spiraling out of control. By the time the Known World realizes its hubris, it's already too late. They're too far gone! And they only have themselves to blame!"

The white-haired girl then pointed squarely at Ina and growled.

"But you. Oh, you and your friends denied me that pleasure." She pinched the air with her fingers until her fingertips were on the verge of touching, "We were this freaking close! One more Known World chock full of potential had to fall. Just one more! The more potential, the better! Then, we would have had the greatest show that the Known Worlds will ever know! A real symphony of destruction!" Clover frowned and spat on the ground, "Thing is, someone shouted 'fire' in the theater. The sprinklers went off and rained on our parade. The Horrors never got their chance to shine on stage. What a tragedy! Ooooh~ but we won't make the same mistake twice."

When Clover spoke, the otherworldly flames intensified. Bookshelves and spiral staircases were incinerated into ashes. With every prop that burned on Clover's marble stage, the barrier that protected the Infinite Library weakened. As the galactic orca of Horrors continued crashing against the barrier, cracks started to form throughout the heavens.

Horrors started slipping through those cracks and fell down like a downpour of grime on the marble floor. They pooled together like squid ink, squelching and coalescing together until they took the macabre shape of the monsters that Sana had only seen in her NASA training videos.

Faceless humanoid called Type A's.

Giant armored slug-like amalgams called Type B's.

So, NASA wasn't talking out of its ass. The Horrors are real - and they're here!

In a few heartbeats, Clover Gosling had assembled an army on the grounds of the Infinite Library. She chopped her hand through the air and ordered her army of Horrors to advance.

Hundreds if not thousands of the grotesque humanoid Type A's marched towards Ina and Sana. The rejected Priestess and the ex-astronaut braced themselves for battle.

...

Eleven

The Destroyer of Known Worlds

Eleven: The Sequel of AlterMythWhere stories live. Discover now