Mythos

Chapter 3: The apple tree got off lightly, trust me

Night fell over the city.

Like a curtain, gentle darkness covered the beautiful buildings, streets, the palace and its gardens. The city was flooded by the colorful sounds and blinking lights of the night and with every passing hour it grew more quiet, more calm, more peaceful. Until finally, the city, like the palace, were gently glowing with drowsy lusters and the only remaining sounds were the few urban night owls still fussing in the streets and the crickets in the grass and trees. Everyone felt safe.

It would be the last time for a long time.

The palace gardens were shrouded in eerie darkness. Not a single breeze was moving the luscious branches and leaves. An ominous silence laid over the whole scenery, while the palace's residents were sleeping airily. Few ancient lanterns dimly lit the meadows and trails. Here, all life seemed to hold its breath. Not a sound could be heard. Not a single soul was to be found in those gardens. This night lay heavy on the palace parks and the air seemed to vibrate with anticipation. All sounds outside the palace walls seemed like worlds away.

And then it happened.

A ghastly snap suddenly disturbed this nocturnal peace.

It came from under the mighty apple tree at the northern end of the garden, where the misfortune took its course.

The proud tree began to creak and moan despairingly, its leaves rustling as if powerful winds were perturbing them. Ripe, plump fruit was shaken off the branches, tumbling to the ground and bursting open in the grass. The birds that had sought refuge in the tree's crown rose up and fled with deadly terror. They fled into the gloomy sky as if feeling the imminent menace. But for the people in the palace, it was long too late.

A cruel gust was racing through the branches and the tree was crying and shaking with sounds resembling a dying beast. Branches broke and fell to the ground. It was as if the tree was entrapped in tempest. It trembled in lethal agony and then it cracked, clean through the middle, the gruesome sound echoing in every corner of the garden.

And then the garden was silent once again.

And then, ominously quiet after this horrid rendition, something slowly came to life amidst this darkness.

Inside the horrid wound of the once proud tree, something truly bizarre was happening. A thin line of light was gently glowing in the dark, as long as the crack in the tree and as dainty as its thinnest branch. It was as if space itself had cracked with the tree. Without a single sound, it extended. Its spectral glow shed a dubious light on the nearby grass and trees and ghostly shadows danced through the garden. It widened and widened, pressing the remains of the tree further and further. Faster and faster it grew. When it was finally large enough to easily accommodate a human being, its growth came to a sudden halt. Something was now in motion in its midst. A stranger was slowly emerging from the gleaming passage, into the heated air. The stranger stepped out of the passage and gracefully landed on the ground. Black leather boots were buried in the grass and the dark coat gently rustled in the breeze coming from the portal. The stranger was covered in black from head to toe, a hood pulled over the head and even the face was mostly covered with a black cloth. The only thing visible, besides a bit of dark skin, were the eyes. They were icy blue and coldly scanned their surroundings with a piercing gaze. The stranger didn't seem surprised upon seeing the destruction this arrival had caused and the watchful gaze returned to the glowing passage. As if the stranger had sensed a change in the glowing depths, another figure broke through the portal. Distinctly less graceful, it painfully fought its way out in the open, to land right in a pile of shattered fruit. The newcomer cursed extensively but a stern gesture from his predecessor silenced him. He was dressed in similarly suspicious attire. Another four people emerged from the light and lastly, an utterly grotesque creature squeezed through the bright opening. It was very tall, with ridiculously long limbs and instead of a dark cloth, it wore a morbid mask, covering its face. When all were assembled, the stranger who had emerged first, started to speak.