DarkLight

Part 48: Realm Of The Goddess

He was running through the dark corridor again, chasing Natasha as she screamed out his name. They got to the end of the corridor, but this time the shadow fell with Natasha into the darkness of the Undercity. He ran to the edge and looked into the abyss. The light that he whitnessed was blinding, filling the entire Undercity like an underground sun. At its epicentre was her figure, emitting this bright yellow light from her body. But her eyes were black. They looked into his, into his soul. The sound that engulfed him was like a torrential waterfall, a deep and terrifying rumble of her power which penetrated every cell of Soran. Through the din he heared a voice, a deep and rasping cold voice which whispered in his ear as if she was right behind him.

“I see you, Soran”.

***

He awoke with a start. He could still feel the presence of someone close to his ear. There was only one explaination:

“She knows I’m here.” He thought to himself. He could still smell the necrotic aroma of the Undercity, the smell of decayed bodies and death-all within a realm which she herself had destroyed using the mechanations of her own brothers and sisters-all of whom she had murdered in cold blood in pursuit of greater power and control.

He was angry, furious at the audacity of the woman. Rammachandra-a Skry with a god complex and unnatural mind control abilities. She looked upon all others with distain.

The lights of the room around him were flickering-his dream anxiety had manifested itself in his powers. He knew he was the only one who could truely take her on. Master Kisa could put up a hell of a fight, yes- even if he were still alive. but her mind control powers gave her the edge. His physical weakness could be taken advantage of by using any number of her minions even before he got to her. Commander Raine could indeed take Rammachandra toe-to-toe with her tenacity and if the rumors of her powerful abilitis were true, but the physical strain of a fight on any Skry body would be too much for them. Soran knew, right there in that rank and ancient room, that it was down to him-the only Human-Skry Hybrid and only other living being with the Sorceress’ Touch. Only Soran Lex had the ability, strength and knowledge to destroy the woman destined to become a Goddess.

The tower was leaning into the crevice, over the years the Continental Plate had lost integrity and given way more and more where the Jubilee Cannon had broken through. The entire structure which held up the skeletal remains of Utopia City were dangerously close to collapse.

He was far from refreshed-the dream had taken a lot out of him. Were these different realities that he kept slipping through? Was this a result of Rammachandra’s future plans of absorbing all reality and resulting in the barriers between realities weakening throughout time? He didn’t know, and it hurt his head to think about it. But he was rested, at least. She knew he was here, and she knew that he would come to her. In her non-corpoeral form her abilities seemed to let her pierce the minds of others effortlessly-even into their dreams, apparently. This encounter was one which Soran was not looking forward to, he had absolutely no idea of the extent of her abilities.

He walked out onto the balcony as the building shuddered slightly and he heard some pieces of the Continental Plate clang and crash into the depths of the Undercity. It wasn’t safe here. He looked down into the pit. The Undercity. The Satan Pit. The scar in the surface of the world that she had created-it was the true manifestation of the Underworld, a rip in the skin of reality which lead to the land of the dead. It was time. He had to step into her underworld, into the land of the dead. It’s darkness seemed to creep out over the edge of the asbyss and start to claim the surface world. He didn’t like to think what awaited him down there-after his attack in the Shadow District he hated the thought of what else her corrupting influence could have created. 

He took flight, over the trees and the skeletal buildings and finally over the scar itself. It was completely black, as if light itself refused to enter the casym. He held his hand outwards in front of him and summoned a glowing triangular glyphin the air in front of him. It glowed a deep orange and resembled a triangle with a circle set within it. As it intensified in brightness it suddenly combusted into a ball of flames. 

“This was probably the first Arcane created fire created in the last five thousand years” he thought to himself as gestured the fireball downwards into the pit. It continued to grow in intensity as it hurtled into the bowels of the planet. He took one las look at the collossal, serene forest before he hurtled into the darkness himself, following his guiding light into the dark and unknown. It was the last time he ever saw the forest, and the underworld claimed him.