The 13th Chime

Chapter 4: The Darkness Plays a Song that none shall hear

*A quick note from me as the author, thanks for much for the support since I didn't know it was going to ever get this big and now its gotten way bigger then expected, so a honest and sincere thank you to all of you reading this hellhole of a story, till now and forever more"


I stared down at the jagged obsidian dagger, its edges catching the dim light of the ship's hold and glinting malevolently. The creature before me - this twisted thing that called itself an "Unreaver" - gripped the blade tightly, its barnacled hand trembling slightly with what I could only assume was anticipation.

"Well, boy?" it rasped impatiently. "Are ye going to accept yer new form and take the oath, or will we have to do this the hard way?"

I swallowed hard, mind racing as I tried to wrap my head around the gravity of the situation. This was no dream - the sights, sounds and smells assaulting my senses were far too visceral, too palpable to be anything but real. And if this twisted entity was to be believed, then my entire conception of reality had been irrevocably shattered.

The void of that inky, eldritch abyss still haunted the edges of my psyche, the mere memory of peering into its unspeakable depths making me shudder. A small, desperate part of me still clung to the notion that I could somehow escape this nightmare, return to the world I once knew. But the creature's words echoed in my mind, a dreadful prophecy of the "truth" I would soon embrace.

As if sensing my inner turmoil, the Unreaver let out a rumbling chuckle. "Aye, the enormity of it all weighs heavy, doesn't it? The realization that all you've known, all you've ever experienced, is but a wisp of illusion in the grand tapestry." It inched closer, the malformed features of its face twisting into a nightmarish rictus. "But do not fear, lad. The Unweaving brings a freedom you cannot yet comprehend - an ecstasy in the shedding of those mortal shackles."

It raised the dagger, the obsidian edge glinting hypnotically. "Now...accept your new purpose, and together we shall sing the dirge of a trillion false realities."

I backed away slowly, holding up my hands in a pleading gesture. "I...I don't know if I can do this. All of this is just so...incomprehensible. The thought of destroying everything, unmak-"

My words were cut short as I felt a massive force slam into my back, sending me pitching forward. I let out a strangled cry as the creature surged towards me, dagger raised high. But before it could strike, another aberration appeared from the shadows, tackling the Unreaver to the ground in a flurry of rotting limbs.

"Fool! The master bade me bring him to the Chantry, not slaughter him on the spot!" the newcomer howled, grappling the first creature as they rolled across the deck.

Seizing the opportunity, I scrambled to my feet and darted towards the open grate, my heart pounding in my ears. I had to get away, had to find some means of escape from this twisted realm before they could drag me further into their insane crusade of "unweaving."

But as I reached the edge, peering down into that abyssal void, a sense of dread washed over me. Could I really jump, plunge myself into that unknowable darkness? Even with the Unreaver's ominous claims, the thought of subjecting myself to whatever eldritch horrors lurked below filled me with a paralytic terror.

I was trapped, cornered like a frightened animal as the two creatures continued to brawl behind me. Desperate, I glanced around the hold, searching for anything that could aid my escape. My eyes finally settled on an old wooden chest, its lid half-open, and an idea began to form.

Casting one more fearful glance at the warring entities, I darted over and flung the chest open. Inside was a tangled mess of ropes, canvas and various other nautical detritus. Without hesitation, I began hurriedly rifling through the contents, my hands finally closing around what felt like a sturdy length of hemp.

I had just pulled the rope free when a shadow loomed over me. Whirling around, I found the second creature standing there, its grotesque visage twisted in a sneer.

"Trying to flee, are we?" it hissed, taking a menacing step forward. "The master will not be pleased if you elude us now, boy."

I gripped the rope tightly, my knuckles turning white. "Stay back!" I shouted, trying to sound more confident than I felt. "I...I won't go with you. I won't be a part of your insane plans!"

The creature let out a mocking laugh. "Insane? You've only begun to glimpse the grandeur of the Unweaving, mortal. And now that you've seen, you can never un-see it."

It lunged forward, clawed hands outstretched. Reacting on instinct, I swung the rope like a lasso, the coils wrapping around the thing's torso and yanking it off balance. It let out a surprised squawk as it toppled backwards, crashing into the open grate.

I watched in stunned silence as the creature thrashed and howled, its malformed body twisting unnaturally as it disappeared into the void below. A final agonized scream echoed up from the abyss before the sound was swallowed by the oppressive silence.

Gripping the rope tightly, I steeled my nerves and took a step towards the grate, peering down into the inky blackness. A part of me wanted to toss the rope down, to clamber over the edge and plunge into the unknown. Anything to escape this nightmare, this impossible reality I found myself trapped in.

But then I heard it - a faint, distant chiming that seemed to reverberate from the darkness itself. The sound was both mesmerizing and deeply unsettling, like the tolling of some colossal, otherworldly bell.

"In the hush of night, where shadows dance,
For the null shall play, in eerie trance.
A chime that sways, in spectral grace,
Echoes through the moonlit space.

Beneath the stars, where mysteries lay,
As the eldritch stays, in twilight's sway.
Underneath those murky waves,
Secrets kept in watery graves.

Through realms unseen, where darkness thrives,
And the 13th chime played,
echoes and revives.
A whisper of forgotten lore, Lost to time, forevermore.

In the silent depths where shadows roam,
The null's eerie melody finds a home.
A haunting tune that never fades,
In the heart of night, where darkness wades."