Return of the Mother

Act 1, Chapter 1 - Vision of Darkness

"Beneath the moon's protection, shadows weave their ancient kin;

A demon mother, dormant, stirs within a mortal skin;

Her children young and unaware, for new life shall they yearn;

But she will rise to hunt once more, and Heaven and Hell shall burn."

- "The Book of Lilith", Unknown

ACT I - THE MOTHER RETURNS

Chapter 1 - "Vision of Darkness"

Shivering. Teeth chattering. So, so cold.

I already knew it was the end from the moment the first snowflake fell. I could sense the approaching storm on the horizon, feel the wind whipping around me before I ever lost sight of the path. I didn't know where I was, or where I was going — only that my life was nearing its end unless I could find shelter somewhere in this forest.

My body was growing weaker — I hadn't eaten in days. My horse was gone. My belongings, stolen. Like many, I knew I would die out here. Alone. Forgotten. Hopeless.

My thoughts were of home, now that I was the furthest from it that I had ever been. Visions of bright, hot sun, mysterious traders wrapped in silks and finery, desert-worn camels and their herders, endless dunes of amber sand... even then, I'd had nothing. But at least I was where I belonged.

Frozen fingers wrapped around the gnarled roots of an old pine tree. I slid between the icy branches and huddled beneath the shelter of the coarse underbrush. The howling of wargs deepened the chill in my bones. I was so tired... I just wanted to rest...

As I fell to sleep I could feel my body fully rigid, and I resigned myself to simply passing on to the next chapter of my existence. My life, as it was, felt utterly pointless. I had nothing, I had no one. My name would fade into complete obscurity once this night was over. I could only hope that the creatures hunting me would gain sustenance from my frozen corpse.

Deeper and deeper I sank, until I fell completely into blackness. And yet, as I felt the burden of my physical form fade away, there was... something within me. Something that told me that my journey was not over yet.

I could perceive nothing but the cold around me — but this was different than the icy chill of the Olyam Tundra. No... my soul was cold. Is this was death felt like? No... no, it couldn't be...

"Am I... no longer alone?"

It was not my voice that suddenly echoed around me as I felt a small fire begin to take root. It was fueled by a strange fear that seemed to suddenly overtake me, infecting me with an urge to resist... what, exactly? My own death?

I could not speak, and had no means of answering the inquiry.

"You don't belong here... you cannot be here... so why...?"

Again, I could not answer. I did not recognize the speaker, but her voice incensed me further. I was stuck in this strange state of being, trapped between life and death. I could not move, I could not speak. I could only listen. And that terrified me.

"Return... go back to where you came from." A gentle command. "Your work has not yet been completed. Lift yourself out of this place... your soul, so small, will not survive here... but up there... perhaps there is still hope..."

I let the fear overwhelm me as I felt myself grow heavier. I realized that I did not want to die, and that whoever was coaxing me back to life did not want me to, either. I did not know their reason, and I did not care. This would not be the end. I could not let it be.