Rise of the Arockalypse (Second Lordi Saga - Story 3)

Chapter 18 - The Prime Monsters

Mr. Lordi, Emily, Mathias and Hella didn't know how long it took, but when they finally opened their eyes again after being swept away in the mighty whirlwind of northern lights, they soon found they were no longer in the Arctic at all, nor even in the human world.

All four were now standing in the center of a gigantic plateau several hundred meters in diameter, made of black rock almost resembling obsidian, and even appearing to levitate in the air. Moreover, all around them and with amazement, Mr. Lordi, Emily, Mathias and Hella contemplated other rocky plateaus, but also kinds of mountains of the same black rock, all levitating, floating and dispersed in a endless space of night color and traversed from side to side by distant torrents of stars joining and intermingling gracefully to form true rivers of energy which then sank little by little in the meanders of the distance. With the tip of his finger, Mathias lightly nudged a small fragment of black rock that was floating nearby and watched, amazed, as it levitated away. All four of them could also feel the immeasurable energy that reigned here, invisible but feeling palpable like a physical object. They also noticed that the Spirit Boreal King was not with them, which puzzled them.

_"It's... really incredible..." Hella breathed with fascination as she continued to contemplate this place.

_"My love..." Emily then asked Mr. Lordi while continuing to observe. "Do you know where we are?"

_"I've traveled to many different worlds in my life, but this is the first time I've come here..." confessed the Monsterman, thoughtful. "It's... really strange... This world does not give off the same energy as the others, it is much more present, more raw and powerful, as if the smallest particle were impregnated with it."

_"Guys, we're not alone here, look!" Mathias then indicated, attracting the attention of the others and indicating a direction.

Indeed, the group could see that someone had just appeared out of nowhere and was standing about twenty meters away from them. She had a feminine, humanoid appearance, standing almost 2 meters tall, with long, flowing, opaque black hair falling over her shoulders. Her body was covered in loose deep gray clothes with wide sleeves, with a hood pulled up over her head, giving her an almost mystical nun look. Her face was hidden by a smooth golden mask depicting an intricately crafted but expressionless face. Around her collar was a pendant, also golden and representing a symbol in the shape of vines intertwining and forming a triangle, with in its center a perfect circle.

At first surprised but wary to see someone here, Mr. Lordi, Emily, Mathias and Hella stayed together, but soon noticed that the foreign, masked woman was doing nothing, just staring at them in silence, then finally decided to take a few steps towards them without showing hostility. Despite this, the group preferred to remain on their guard and stood ready to act in the event of a possible trap. The surprise was greater when they saw her bow to respectfully greet them, then she spoke to them.

_"Mr. Lordi lord of monsters and Emily lady of light. Mathias and Hella, heirs and lords of hell. Welcome."

Her voice was soft, benevolent and also very ghostly, almost like an echo ringing through the air.

_"Do you... How do you know who we are?" Mathias asked.

_"Of course." answered the mystical woman. "We have followed your lives since day one and have been patiently awaiting your coming."

Since the first day? Wait for them to come? The group shared puzzled looks.

_"But... who are you and what is this place?" Emily asked in turn.

_"We are the Dwellers..." replied the woman, speaking of her strangely in the plural. "And you are now in the Ether."

_"The Dwellers?" Hella said, bewildered and turned to Mr. Lordi.