A Tale of light and dark

The Light And The Dark

Legends of this land's faith and belief speak of a time when the creator created the world and all in it he created lesser gods to help preserve what he had made. The legend also speaks of how they abandoned us. It states that he created the land of humans, giants, and beast men. The land of the giants was filled with mountains too tall for the other races to get to without help. For the beast men, the land was a bountiful forest, harboring the world tree. The orcs had been born from the world tree just as the dragons and other creatures were. The humans were given a little bit of both, with their land having everything the others had but downsized for their survival. The lands were connected by the vast ocean. The giants were given brute strength like no other and could move mountains, being able to change their size on a whim. To the beast men, they were given the ability to shapeshift into an animal that reflects who they are with the speed and skill of the wild as well as magic given to them by the forest. Humans though they were weak, had the mind of great knowledge and the ability to learn, grow and become stronger. The humans were given the ability to learn magic but must undergo harsh conditions to become attuned to the nature of magic by being around it their whole life. For example, being around and playing music, playing with fire, or for ice, and living in cold conditions without proper clothing. However, with the great lights of the world, there must be darkness to balance it out like love and hate, war and peace, light and the void. The void existed before all, even the creator. This darkness found a way to manifest "itself" into the dark lord Yourmin, seven feet tall, his body sleek and bulky with steel forged in the depths of the underworld. The void black steel armor had the shoulders and joints covered in spikes accompanied by a black helmet to hide his face. The armor had a scaly rough look to it, his sword long and bulky with a nicely decorated yet functional hilt with the symbol of the void: a skull with two scythes. He waged war on the gods, laying waste to all in his path, wreaking havoc on the land, destroying the kingdoms one by one, enslaving or twisting them into his voidings or turning them gray with purple eyes; he turned normal things into horrid amalgamations of evil. The gods fought side by side with people of varying species, putting aside their petty fights to rival the possible destruction of a young world, but alas, they could not stop the approaching storm. Even though the gods answered the call, it was futile. So they retreated to the land of the humans, where the land mimicked that of the others: the giant's mountains or the beast's forest where an army of two trillion was reduced to fifty thousand against an army that kept growing faster than it could be destroyed. They had lost all hope when a woman, the goddess of vengeance, was thought to have lost her husband to the fight and had twin children Alistair and Calliope. She rounded those with the will to fight and believed it was time to create the one thing that could stop Yourmin for a few years. Two seals could be created with the power of the gods but they would cost their souls, bodies, and power, every minuscule part of them. The seals contained immense power, more than any being other than the gods could use so they left two gods to end this fight, Gillian the king and god of the giants, also the god of the sky and storms. The god of fire, Igneous, is worshiped by the beast-men and humans for the warmth he provides. Together they sealed the void dimension away, with the corruption gone, the world returned to normal. For those who were corrupted, some came back, some died and some remnants of his army stayed. The seals were placed in two separate temples, two people were sacrificed to bring forth a legion of undead to protect them. One was hiding in the thick and confusing forest of the beast men and the other was given to the giants and their vast mountains. For the next millennia, they would have peace, in hopes that the warrior of light would claim the medallions and erase the dark lord before he takes the world for himself... or at least that's what they thought.

100 years after the war: Chapter 1

Blood spurted out of the neck belonging to an orc and another headless orc leaving trails and pools of blood as a score of orcs were on the ground. Sitting by a fire was a 105-year-old giant, yet not giant. 105 was considered young for a giant as their life span is 400. He seemed to speak to the fire and as he spoke, out stepped a fire spirit in a human form, Blaze. The fire spirit was 6 ft tall in a white buttoned shirt and black robes around it, he had pale skin with crimson red hair and eyes. "What did you do to provoke the orcs Alistair?'' to which the light brown-skinned giant who was 7ft tall responded, "I passed through their territory." The giant, Alistair, donned a black hood and armor, with gold spiked guards and a blackish gold cape. "They are made for violence," it's in their nature and I stole their food." he explained, as he handed Blaze a large hunk of meat that he cooked instantly. On the way to a secluded spot, they spotted a temple guarded by the undead. It seemed to call to him. "I am going to raid that temple in the morning. I know you can't enter as something is keeping you at bay" said Alistair. Morning came and as they approached the eerie temple they felt an uncomfortable presence of darkness, yet it was familiar. "Be careful, I know you're a good fighter but this feels different. I can't stop you, but I will warn you. There's an amulet in the center, don't move it or I will kill you myself before 'IT' can kill you," stated Blaze "Your warning has been heeded," Al (Alistair) relieved Blaze, as he tore through the undead. He acquired treasures along the way while he followed a voice to the middle of the temple.When he reached the center, he found a gold and gray medallion on a pedestal. He heard the voice whisper weakly, "It has the knowledge you seek, the memories you can't recall, and holds unimaginable power. Take it." Little did Al know, this call of the void would release a terror unseen for 200 years. As he grasped the medallion, his body felt like it was burning from the inside out, but he managed to pull it from its pedestal.A wave of black hit and threw him into a wall, breaking the wall and knocking him unconscious. When he awoke he saw a blaze with an apple in his hand, he sat up and looked around. He appeared to be in a hut with jars of various herbs, spices, and creatures. Al gagged when a woman shoved a tonic down his throat. He coughed and his mouth burned. Outraged he roared, "WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE YOU LITTLE... oh hi sis, apologies." In a sweet high pitched tone she said "You always had such a short temper. If someone so much as looked at you weirdly you would choke them. Oh well." It had been a century since they had last seen each other. His sister, Calliope, was a 5'7" foot tall female, she bore similarities to Alistair but had long black and gold hair dyed using flowers. "So you took the accursed medallion, why?" "I took it because the voice had been tempting me for hours so I did what it asked. It promised me power and answers I couldn't resist." Then his sister started to speak and explain a few things, interrupting him "First of all I should have kept an eye on you. I am a bad sister but I am glad Blaze was there. He brought you here. You had several broken bones and a cracked skull but you don't remember how. Do you? Well, I peeked into your memories while you were asleep. I am a witch, dark magic is my specialty but I am also an alchemist so I was able to repair your body to near perfection. You went down fighting but you released the dark lord of the void Yourmin, somehow with multiple broken bones you managed to kill two scores of his voiding soldiers and went toe-to-toe with the dark lord in battle. Your bones were shattered like glass. Here drink this, it will replay the memories you lost like a vision or as if you went back in time is how it will feel." He gulped down this delightful drink which tasted like frog legs, tree root, and strong liquor. Whatever it was shot his mind through time to relive a fight. As Al took the seal, he immediately drew his weapon and he felt something was wrong. A black portal leading to the void opened and out came the higher voidling tall sleek monsters with spikes along their backs, sharp fangs, and a long tongue like a snake. Devious creatures but not a problem. Starting with an axe and long sword, he hacked and slashed through ten of them, and with a mid-air twirl, he channeled ice magic into his weapons and hit the ground sending a wave of ice, freezing the rest when a blast of white fire hit, shattering and melting the remaining soldiers turning them to ash when a voice shouted "I TOLD YOU TO BE CAREFUL! WHAT DID YOU DO?" Blaze grasped two and set fire to his hands. When they were sure they were done fighting Al sheathed his weapon only to be kicked in the back with such force his spine shattered, unable to move. He was stunned when Yourmin and his lieutenants stepped out from the void and memories once lost came back. What happened when he was five, why his mom and dad disappeared, etc. When a dark familiar voice spoke " I HAVE RETURNED'' the medallion began to glow in response to the dark presence. Al could not move so they did not see him as a threat when they began to leave a hooded figure with an aura of gold as multiple voices spoke in an echo " THIS IS AS FAR AS YOU GO." with blinding speed, a flash of light passed through the enemies. Every soldier in the room lost their head in a matter of seconds. The figure seemed to disappear when an axe flew through the air but was knocked aside by Yourmin's bare hand impaling Blaze to a wall he screamed in agony as if the sword had effects on the mind and soul and was bound by chains of darkness. The dark lord and his lieutenants went in for the kill so they could make quick work of him and take the seal but he deflected blow after blow dodging sharp-edged whips while parrying axes and swords. When Lust, one of Yourmin's lieutenants, lashed out with such fierce force, the air around them whirled around and the ground cracked. The walls tore apart, to wrap around Al's head and separate his head from his body while he just stood there. But instead of losing his head, he caught the rope with one hand yanking the rope and bringing Lust towards him to which he pierced her stomach, killing her. But as he did, the light of the amulet faded and he collapsed, but the Blaze had broken his bonds and escaped with Al. The vision ended and Al got out of bed "He wants the amulets we need to protect the other one." Now Blaze was aware of everything past, present, and future. He was not an ordinary fire spirit, he was primordial, one of the first four gods created by the creator. The primordial spirit of fire was one of the most powerful gods, he thought about how Calliope and Alistair were the children of the giant god and the goddess of vengeance when he said, "I will go and rally the armies." Alistair stepped in front of Blaze. "Blaze. Stop. I know you're the primordial fire god Igneous no fire spirit can make a fire that big without their life diminishing let alone produce white flames. The amulet showed me the god of the giants. I need to find him. I don't know why something compels me". There was a fire in the middle as well as several candles which went out with the others and Igneous disappeared. Despite being in bad shape, Al grabbed his stuff and headed out with his sister to find one of the last giants, alive the king and god of the giants, Gillian. As they were wandering through the dense forest they were attacked by what they thought were orcs but were low-ranked voidlings. They drew their weapons. His sister also pulled out a rock about the size of her palm with the carving of Ammit "A rock? What's a rock gonna do?" Al inquired. "You'll see." Calliope said as she began to whisper a spell. Her eyes glowed a dark purple and white when a blast of dead souls erupted from her hands and the stone. When the souls touched the enemy they dropped dead. "Dark magic. You're probably exhausted now." said Al, but the dark magic did not seem to take a toll on her and the "dead soldiers" stood up, the glow in their eyes returned "Wha-what? They must not have so-souls." Calliope said in fear. "Let me have some fun." Al drew a single 13-inch shortsword made with multiple kinds of steel. Within the hilt was an ice stone. The elemental stones are left behind when an elemental spirit dies and holds incredible power. With this, he jammed the sword into the ground. The ground changed and the air chilled. Eyes glowing blue, he lunged forward, slashing down and up running by enemies rhythmically. Within mere seconds, the ground was littered with bodies. When the void wizards were capable of manipulating the void to create a spell of devastating power, killing anything within kilometers of range. Al said, "I don't feel like doing this right now so let me use my magic and we'll see." He pulled out another short sword identical to the first but it held a different stone; it was a fire spirit stone, one gifted to him by Blaze, who he now knew was Igneous. Holding the limited power of a god in his hand he yelled "Congelation ignis!" The fire spread, consuming them and turning them to dust while to increase the effectiveness of the fire, his sister used igneous crepito which killed the voidlings. They were knocked unconscious due to the intense flames and strain. They awoke to see the god of the giants Gillian, who said, "Call me Gill." He told them about the past war and how the first time they sealed Yourmin away and how the medallions held the power to erase him forever. He said that Igneous will be here in five minutes whereas the dark lord and his hordes were on their way to take the medallion. Igneous joined them with the armies of the undead and other races as well with the medallion when a deep rumbling in the earth shook the world and the trees for miles crumbled to dust creating a plain of which revealed a legion of dark monsters. The sky blackened as the sun disappeared. The two armies clashed like two oceans meeting leaving the four heroes with the dark lord and two of his lieutenants. Gillian and Igneous attacked first, with Gilian forming a spear in one hand and a sword in the other. With his remaining hands (for he had six), he formed a war drum called the Ālambara, and sticks. He banged the drum with a ferocious rhythm mimicking the sound of thunder imbuing all allies with courage but also striking the enemy with divine lighting. He took on Yourmin head-on with a flash of attacks. The spear requires calmness and peace of mind with flowing grace to utilize its power which he had while he fought his fight. His old friend Igneous had joined him in fighting the dark lord using his full might of blue and purple flames. Calliope took on Greed and his magic weapon, a chain and hook using a philosopher's stone to turn the surrounding things to gold, distracting Greed. And of course, she had her weapon, a simple knife, and rope. Using her magic she kept Greed at bay whilst trying to kill him. Al stood bewildered at his friends and their hidden strength while he was frozen in fear, trembling at the powerful aura of Yourmin which overwhelmed him. He didn't have time to think about this because Wrath attacked his sister, knocking her to the ground. Wrath was about to run his sword through Calliope's chest when with blinding speed he was thrown into a boulder that shattered. Before he stood a warrior with a red aura of pure rage, with the most intimidating and rage-filled voice yelled, "NO ONE HURTS MY SISTER!" Greed lashed out with his chain to which Al simply moved to the side and grabbed it. Throwing Greed into Wrath who knocked Greed to the ground. Al rushed forward, slashing Greed's hands, and seeing that there was no more use for Greed who was a horrible fighter Wrath plunged his sword into Greed's torso. When a lieutenant dies, the dark lord becomes more powerful as they were a part of him. His power split to govern the army better so they returned to him when they die. While Wrath was busy killing his friend Al uppercut him, sending him sky-high. Using Greed's weapon Al yanked him back to the earth, creating a crater, but that would not stop Wrath who lunged with his sword, slashing at Al and opening a gash in his chest. Al stumbled backward, barely blocking Wrath's attacks as he bled out, but he manages to slice a small cut in Wrath's back which dropped on the amulet around Al's neck, The artifact glowed in response and the other medallion also reacted bringing so much light Wrath screamed in agony as the medallion released a focused beam of golden light slowly disintegrating him. Al's appearance went back to that of a golden form he was once again the warrior of light but as he attained strength he killed Wrath reviving the true power of evil to which the dark lord assumed a new form called the call of the void. With half the land being covered in darkness, he was now powerful enough to bring forth his realm. "No, we can't let him bring the void to our world!" Al cried. But it was too late, as half the world had become part of the void. The mountains and the ground cracked with fear as the sky darkened and filled with darkness and many faces with twisted expressions. A high-pitched evil laugh pierced the sky a voice screeched "Iiiiii wiiiiin muahahaha!" But his victory was cut short as multiple voices spoke. Calliope and Alistair had the medallions. It turns out Igneous and Gillian lost half of their godhood after using the amulets to their full extent the first time and as such, two demigods may be able to use them with the chance of death. They had time to discuss this while Yourmin was laughing hysterically not noticing them plotting together. They said, "WE REFUSE TO LOSE AGAIN YOURMIN YOU WILL FALL HERE AND NOW!" Two beams of light conjoined into one hitting Yourmin in the chest, forcing the skin and body of Calliope, Al, and Yourmin to crack and disintegrate. The medallions broke and the golden light erupted. When it cleared the sky was once again blue and what was left behind were the souls of the gods and three lifeless bodies. It turns out Calliope and Alistair lived because Igneous and Gillian had lent a helping hand by giving their power over them so that they could live. The gods thanked them for their help and faded away with peace. Restored, Alistair was disappointed that his lifelong friend would never return saying, "I should have died, it was my responsibility to finish what my mom started, my friend didn't have to die."

THE END