The Calm before the Storm

Chapter 2

Ivan was led through the unilluminated hallways, all made of the same crystalline substance that formed his cell. It was so dark it seemed to hungrily lap up any light unfortunate enough to end up near it. The menacing ravenousness of the walls gave the place the eerie feeling of being alive; as though something behind the crystals was waiting for someone to get too close so it could drag them through and devour them.

The place was a labyrinth. Corridors split off in impossible angles. Small amounts of light refracting from the crystals created illusory walls and paradoxical twists. Acolytes dressed in voluminous black robes appeared from seemingly nowhere, scuttling around like mindless insects, before disappearing into darkness again.

Audun's voice broke through the sounds of scuttling. "This place is a nightmare for health and safety", he muttered.

Ivan made no reply. If he could, he might've made a witty retort or nodded in sullen agreement, but he was too pre-occupied. For (what he presumed to be) days, he'd been isolated in a cell, trying to fight back the forceful effects of whatever the hell they'd placed in his head. Gradually, his thought paradigm had been altered, but not without a fight. As he walked, he recalled what he could...

The Leryssian army was erected by the eponymous Leryssia twins; two power hungry megalomaniacs hell-bent on domination and the practice and the advancements of the Abhorred Arts; planning to abolish the Law of Elders in the process. All this would be done in service to the Void.

The Leryssians were fanatics of the Void; a dark realm governed by an even darker entity. Few had ever been to the Void themselves, and the few who returned were often touched by its influence. This made it near impossible to ascertain who or what the Void Master is, or any accurate details about the realm itself and what power or purpose it possessed.

Common belief, with only slight evidence to support it, was that magic originated from the Void; the fountain from which the power of all magicians and thaumaturges was drawn from. The Void Master itself is also believed to be so powerful and influential that it could tip the scales of the universe in favour of those who served it; whether it be as simple as getting a good hand in poker, or as serious as the outcome of a war.

The Leryssians aimed to serve the Void in an attempt to gain an affinity with it; to further develop their magical abilities and become unstoppable. Thus, the main strength of their army were fellow Void worshipers, the Black Acolytes; high in number and remorseless in their methods. They were devoted from the beginning.

Certain unlucky subjects, such as Ivan, known as "defectors", were recruited by a less conventional method. The Leryssians were notorious Crystal Mages who had garnered both hatred and reverence by developing their abilities beyond the scope of any other living beings, ousted only by the increasingly rare Astral Mages, masters of all spheres.

With the help of the mysterious Dunric and an understanding of the Abhorred Arts, the Leryssians had devised a method of mind manipulation; the insertion of an enchanted crystal into the frontal lobe. The crystal need only be four inches at the longest; although that took some finding out. In the first few attempts, most subjects were killed by the length of the crystal. That was still a much kinder fate than surviving.

Those who survived were eventually consumed by Dunric's potent dark magic. Some lasted less than an hour, some lasted a little longer, but in the end, they all bowed to the will of Leryssia. The symptoms were said to be a ceaseless gnawing pain in the temple, as though a physical manifestation of the dark magic was trying to burrow its way through the victim's skull. After this, subjects became tired and drowsy, slowly losing grip of their own volition.

When they awoke, they were slaves. No matter how horrific the order, it would be done. The Leryssians used their new recruits to infiltrate behind enemy lines; give detailed reports of the rebel forces, and backstab their friends and family. Their utilisation of this magic had, however, earned them enemies in places high and low. The majority of Thenroa's population had risen in revolt. Ivan was amongst them.

After a long, bloody war, the Leryssians had been pushed back to their final stronghold: the Crystal Tower, located in the harsh deserts of Gweatara. The following battle would determine the fate of everything...

Finally though, Ivan had succumbed to the puppet masters. It had taken so long the Leryssians had nearly given up waiting and executed him. Four days of elongated, unending agony were finally over, and they, grudgingly, had the man they needed.

Ivan was led into a chamber, covered by a cloud of unnatural darkness. A Tyrian purple carpet runner lay in the middle of the room, stretching up through the darkness to the other side of the chamber. As he walked, he looked side to side to see Black Acolytes knelt in prayer at either side of him. He noticed that the chamber was completely symmetrical and seemingly endless. He passed rows and rows of acolytes before finally arriving at his destination.

Before him was a dais with three large thrones. Each one was crafted in the same fashion; black crystals interlocking each other, with jagged edges showing at each lock, making it look as though thorns were growing through them. In the middle seat, an old man sat sprawled out, far too small for the throne he sat on.

Time had stooped his shoulders and bent his spine, but he held an air of power and authority. It seemed as though his sclera, iris and pupils had merged into one sea of blackness, and his lips looked like a pair of dried up earthworms lay on top of one another.

"Dunric", said Audun in a respectful tone. He supressed a shudder and bowed instead.

The old man stepped forwards, spry and nimble for his apparent age. He spoke in a barely audible whisper. "It is done?"

"Yes, my lord. He was stubborn, but you got him in the end."

"I always do", replied the old man with a wide grin. "It makes this old man very happy to see you here, Ivan. I saw you in all my visions; if we're to survive, we need you."

Ivan replied with his usual callous indifference. "I'm at your command."

Audun laughed out, "He seems exactly the same as before, but with less swearing."

Dunric shot Audun a glare for speaking out of turn and he soon stopped finding the situation so humorous. "I only require a simple task of you. If you do this one thing, you will be released from your bondage."

"What will it be?"

Dunric followed up with another wide grin. "I need you to kill your brother."