Beyond the Void

The End, The struggle begins anew

I write this entry on the first year of an unnamed Age, the moon of Brilliant Skies - In the previous year, on the 48th day of Harvest's End, on the year 1458 of Stagnation the Mark of the Other One blossomed as I dreamt of it...

...and the mark blossomed once again, this very night mere hours ago...

An excerpt from the diary of Pia...

PIA

The start of a new day. Mere hours since the New Mark of the Other One was born.

Pia stirred. Was it her turn already? The memories of her dreams shimmered vividly before her. She wanted to cry. She had seen her little boy dance around with his stuffed bear. The thing had been as big as Mattias.

But he was gone, lost to the abyss. She had to make do with this family. If it was her time to watch over the slumber of the offspring, then she had little choice. The thought upset her. She should have been among the fathers and mothers. Why did it matter that she was one of the later arrivals? After all she was born in the last world, not this one.

Her body felt weak still. But if she did not help herself, then it would take days to wake. There were others waiting on her. She cursed them and their needs. Her thoughts echoed around her. Repeatedly.

Now other thoughts buzzed around her. Words she had not said. She was still okay, was she not? She should have slept for a good while now if it was her time. A hundred years? Two by now? She had forgotten the time. She should have been okay. She felt okay, her thoughts were quick and without doubts. Although, others said this confidence could be the first sign of the madness.

Her heartbeat quickened, and her eyelids fluttered. Even this dim light hurt her eyes. She pushed herself into a sitting position and she sat there breathing. Pia could only support her weight and breathe. At least it stopped her from muttering.

Where was her strength? The invigoration should have started by now. Her eyes were opening and slowly the blur in front of her started to make sense. But it made little sense. She could see, but she could not understand. Had she gone insane? Had she lost it? Her ears were ringing.

All the brothers and sisters were waking up, no one was lying on their cradle. Some were sitting as she was, others forced themselves to wander around. They did not make it far on their weak legs. Some looked to be in pain or otherwise in a bad way. Some were laughing. Everyone who had opened their eyes were now staring about like complete idiots. The look on some of their faces made Pia giggle. Her laugh would not last. This was wrong.

The sight before her was incredibly wrong. Her heart was pumping full speed. It was a risk, but she had to stand up somehow. She might have been counted among the brothers and sisters, but she was their keeper. She was born in the last world. Not this one.

She drew on her flow and slammed one foot onto the floor. Then the second one. Her eyes wanted to burst out of their sockets. Seeking support from the stone pedestal that was her bed, she made two steps. Sound had returned.

This quiet rustling and groaning with the occasional giggle could have been a rock-concert. She tried to cover her ears forgetting that her legs could not stand on their own yet. She fell on her knees, scraping her right arm on the stone bed. Someone was crying now.