The Legendary Creature Project: The Wyrm

CHAPTER 1

Yorik Hempshine reminisced on this bleak, dreary day as he rode through the bustling streets of Boston, in a black stretch limo. He pondered the recent loss of his beloved Achilles. What a fascinating creature he was and how great he could have been, had he not betrayed him. A tear rolled down Yorik's cheek.

The limo came to a rolling stop at the front of a looming skyscraper. The beautiful masonry was weathered by years of sea salt and North Atlantic winds. Yorik wiped the haze from his window, taking a moment to gaze at the stone tower. The architecture with its dusty, battered windows vanished into the thick clouds hovering in the ominous sky. The young driver opened the door and placed a hand under Yorik's arm, helping him out of the limo. Yorik moved slowly toward the entrance of the building, his mind racing with old memories. A large plaque imbedded in the masonry read: "Established 1975".

May 5th, 1975.

Yorik sat in a dim, icy room with a single bulb attached to a wire hung overhead, creating an eerie halo of light around him. He could see the silhouette of three individuals standing just outside of the light's domain.

"Yorik Hempshine," a man's voice echoed from the inky blackness. "You are here because you have petitioned to be initiated into the Brotherhood of Eternal Light. Do you understand the burden you wish to endure as being one of our order?"

"I do," Yorik answered. "I am ready and willing to prove myself in the face of the Eternal Light."

"That you shall, Yorik. Strip your clothing," the booming voice commanded.

Yorik did as prompted. He was rather short and overweight, so the task was more difficult than one would believe. He dropped the last of his garments on the floor, and stood in the center of the light, as naked as the day he was born... and he felt free.

"Blindfold him!" the man commanded.

Two of the shadowed figures moved toward him, the light distinguishing them as men. One placed the blindfold over Yorik's eyes, while the other tied his hands. Then they stood next to him, waiting.

"You will be escorted to a place of infinite silence. Do not struggle or hesitate. If you do, we will take that as a sign that you do not wish to join, and you will never hear from us again," the man said.

"I understand. I will not do either," Yorik responded.

The two people escorted Yorik through a long hall, and as he moved steadily forward, he could hear the sound of electric powered devices humming. There must have been a couple dozen and after several long moments, they stopped. Yorik reached out his hands, finding something cold and metallic, and then heard what sounded like a large, steel door opening. They led him up some aluminum steps, and then lowered him into what felt like water.

"What is this?" Yorik questioned.

"We have placed you in a deprivation tank. Here, you will encounter the Eternal Light if you are worthy to join our brotherhood," the man answered. "Lie back in the water, and you will float. You must then relax and let your mind wander."

The others removed his blindfold as well as the bindings around his hands, and then immediately closed the lid of the tank. Yorik listened as the mysterious men left the room. Now alone, he laid back and floated. He was never good at meditating. He had tried several times in his teen years but could never achieve deep meditation, his analytical mind wouldn't allow for it. He floated for quite some time, with his eyes remaining closed. He was getting anxious, thinking that it wouldn't happen. Soon he no longer felt like he was in the tank but instead, in the emptied void of black space. To his astonishment, a giant sun blazed into existence in front of him and he could only stare in awe at its magnificent glory.