Theurgy: The Journey's Dawn (Book One)

Chapter 23 Nighttime Walkers

Very few people fully understood the word struggle. Many think they do. Most would point to life moments, specific challenges to overcome that could perhaps decide the very fate they tread upon. But for Damusius Concord, this struggle was minuscule in the face of what he faced for nearly a decade now. The struggle was different for the likes of him. Struggle meant more than a choice or arduous task, one that would occur once per lifetime. It didn't mean something that could only happen once or twice. No. A struggle for a plithos meant that every moment, every second spent conscious or unconscious threatened your destruction. Your soul, your body mangled beyond belief. To keep in a power that you may wish for, but is never truly yours. Your purpose is to be the container of this power, and any falter in your mind or will may very well be your demise.

He doesn't remember the last time he had felt the sun. Although, that was a luxury, someone like he rarely gets to see. He had been locked in this dark chamber for a long time, and only now has he been given the chance to stretch his bones and sank his claws into something. Put his mind onto something beyond his struggles. The thoughts that gnawed on him like beasts over the last bones of prey. When he heard the cracking of locks unhinging, the scrape of the stone door slowly widening to let in the torchlight, at first he recoiled at how fresh and lively the air was. It was unsettling, but he did stand immediately. The haggard rags clung to a frame that was too tall and too skinny. The only human characteristic still afforded to him now was the pale, paper skin wrapped around hands that protruded from the cloak's sleeves. A hood was pulled down, and not even the brightest light could reveal what was hidden. A hollow breath escaped him, yes the very whisper of death he oft-repeated till now. As the crack widened, he felt relief knowing he no longer had to focus only on his psyche, and he could pour all that he had that was before him.

Standing in the doorway was a woman. He did not recognize her at first, there was little that he cared to recall, especially after a long time. She was as tall as any man, and her build was clear that she spent a life of labor and hard work. The spear over her shoulder upset him, for a reason that he did not fully comprehend. Her smile was sure and confident, but not overly so that he felt wary. Next to her were two of those warriors who were on their toes as soon as he came into view. The light of the torch diminished under his presence, as the light was absorbed it seemed. It did not take him long to recognize those curly blond locks and the chilling green eyes of another Plithos. It was indeed Atalanta, a Plithos who has been among Talin's ranks for hundreds of years. Besides him, she was by far the oldest still living. He did not get to interact with her as much as the others, she was always quite reserved and stayed clear of the likes of him. But the eagerness that she failed to veil gave away her intentions. He is needed again, and Talin is rising once more.

"I've come to summon you from your slumber," she spoke in a simple tone.

He did not move, but his voice came out sounding somewhere between ripping parchment and the sound of a dry wind. "The only time Talin unlocks my seal is when things become dire enough to require my abilities. Does that mean that Talin once again mobilizes under it's banner? After our last defeat, I would think the Prime Noctus would take longer before resetting the board. The board must be reset. Pieces must be set. Yes . . . set."

That knowing smile that would grate most men sprawled across her face. She seemed to enjoy it when she had information that others did not. Perhaps she enjoyed that power of information. "The Prime Noctus Umerius has fallen. The new Prime Noctus is Lady Hecate."

That name. It was familiar, and he could almost remember the source, but the visuals escaped him. All that he knew was that name held power, ancient power. He looked distantly to the halls disappearing to darkness either side. "Yes, I can feel it. There have been many deaths within these halls, as it seems."