a gorgeous white by Heather_anare

267: The dark island

The bellowing winds of darkness swept throughout the barren lands. Trees withered, shriveled up, and deformed. Anything that breathes, anything that crawls and walks on the blackened ground, would be poisoned and consumed by the very earth it trods. Scattering fat centipedes, blood-red, crawls up the crumbling branch. How high up it was, unaware of the danger beneath it.

Past the blood-red waters and over the bottomless cliff, a mountain, reaching for the heavens, piercing the thunderous black clouds. Millions of starving creatures, reeking of blood and rotting flesh, roamed the land searching to consume and devour. Their eyeless forms were terrible, enough to haunt one's soul until death. Some swarmed around warm locations while other dwell in waters, others scourge through the ice, and some prey underneath the surface.

It is a horrifying place, The island of Gohtel.

A place feared by most and worshipped.

Lightning cracks, lashing around the mountain top engulfed by darkness. And a shrill caw noised, resounding in the troubled air. The malibreeds roared at its call. A crimson bird glides down a curved opening, a window. Cawing a few times, the crow landed on one arm clothed in red. Red eyes gleamed.

"He... is alive." The voice was hoarse and cracking, sounding hideous. The robed man grinned. The lighting revealed the sharp rows of teeth and one wriggling eye at the forehead's center. "HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA"

"Iraz is watching over us!" He cackled with wide eyes. His third eye bulged as though it would pop out.

"Sanctify our beloved Serpent!" He felt as if his soul was doused in happiness. At once, he must tell his master of the good news!

Harsh footsteps echoed. The dark stones trembled underneath stubborn footsteps. Finally, a door creaked open, and everything was shrouded in cold air. The noise echoed, ceasing every movement within the dark halls. Before every pillar, someone stood, breathing but still as a corpse. At the end of the hall, a massive boulder was carved. A serpent with three heads. Eyes made of rubies and sapphire, and its scales, painted with blood. A row of black candles with blue flames sits beneath it. And a shadow of a large man casts over the steps. A man with a single horn. His skin was a pale grey, and death seemed to hang

"My Lord..." A voice spoke behind him. There was a merry gurgle. "Word has come. It is true... He lives. There is hope... "

An ominous silence filled the halls.

CAW!

The red bird cried out.

Finally, the heavy built man lifted his head. The lightning cracks, and his features were revealed. Alha gazed into the eyes of the giant middle serpent expressionlessly. He felt nothing as he looked at it. His eyes are dead. There was no worship or crazed adoration like the rest of the demons within the mountain. However, the news causes him to turn around.

His eyes are blood-red and glowing as he faced the demon behind him. His eyes caught sight of the red bird. He understood. The smell of blood entered his nose.

"Pity..."

The red-robed demon tilted his head. The grin never vanished.

Alha raised his arm, and the crow immediately flapped its wings in flight. It perched on Alha's hand, cawing. The one-horned demon stared at the bird on his forearm, and he spoke, "Leave."

With a bow, the red-robed foreteller stepped backwards and turned away.

'HE'S HERE, HE'S HERE, HE'S HERE, HE'S HERE, HE'S HERE, HE'S HERE, HE'S HERE, HE'S HERE, HE'S HERE, HE'S HERE!!!' He could not control the deranged smile on his face. His third eye's pupil kept squirming as if it had a mind of his own. His fingers scratched the back of his hand uncontrollably until he peeled his skin. But it wasn't enough!