Post by drakadorchaos on Apr 17, 2023 20:14:08 GMT
Clouds rushed by. Stars glimmering in the void beyond, shining through the cracks. Colours were dull, lights dim.
A gentle breeze caressed his skin.
He was lying on the floor. Why?
The man looked around, there was a starship which had dug itself into the ground. A man was standing over another mans corpse, quiet, still, unmoving. It was as if time had frozen.
Who were these men?
“A strange place for a mortal, is it not?”
Gentle, yet cold and factual the voice reached his ear. The first sound he had heard. Out of instinct he reached for his weapon, which wasn’t there, and turned around in a flash…
Which weapon? Whose instincts?
The man before him was strange. He was clad in white robes, stylised red eyes embedded in its surface, though his clothes aside he seemed almost… mundane?
He had no presence, yet, he felt like this man shouldn’t be here.
Why? What was ‘here’?
The man looked up at the sky, his hands clasped behind his back, as if watching the dull stars.
Silence. He felt… distrust. This man… he wasn’t ‘right’.
He turned his head towards him and observed, as if scrutinising him, judging.
“I see. I suppose we should’ve expected this.”
He paused, as if waiting for a reaction, though he was wary.
“You are Mitsuyoshi. Emperor of the Jade Empire of Ingenious and recently deceased.”
He looked down at the corpse.
“Well, almost.”
Images, colours, voices, spun in his head, memories returning, experiences and feelings rushing by. He died. Killed, by the Panopticon slave, why was he here? Was this one of their tricks? Who was the man standing over his corpse?
“Who are you?!”
His voice commanding, yet he could not hear himself, the man seemed unimpressed but answered regardless.
“Ah, our name is of little consequence. Some call us ‘the Herald’. You may call us Amerandus, if you so wish.”
Mitsuyoshi squinted, still wary. He had never heard of a Herald or an Amerandus, was he an apparition of the Panopticon? Maybe even a demon of the Far?
“What are you here for ‘Herald’? To laugh over my corpse? Steal my soul? Gain information over my Empire?”
The strange man shook his head. Another breeze came, from the same direction, the young Emperor turned his head, there was a distant glow over the mountains, over distant horizons. Greens and golds, lush, luscious, ethereal.
“None of these things. We have taken an interest in you, ‘Emperor’. You see, your flesh may have deceased, but there is part of you which is still alive, in this curious soul prison of yours.”
The Soul Vault? He looked over to the man standing over his corpse, anger welled up over the imbecile. What was he doing here? Had he been watching all along, like a coward? Waiting for an opportunity to claim his death as his doing?
Vlad. He remembered now. Vlad was his name, he fought him in orbit of the world.
“There are still things you could return to, things you could do, times to live through and experience, however, our mutual friend here seems to have different plans. He has the intent of destroying your corpse, as crude as his powers may be, it would destroy your prison without fail. We could help you. We could grant you a new spark, to claim your body back, prevent this from happening.”
The breeze grew stronger.
“We could help you, return to your people, your family. You have a strong will, experience, you have convictions. You could go back, if only for a price.”
His fist tightened, he faltered, conflicted.
For but a moment, there was a sting in his heart, one of melancholy and regret.
His people, Mariko, his father..
Sera.
“What price?”
He looked at the distant glow, remembering his life, what he had been taught, how he lived.
He turned back to the man, standing firm and proud, his gaze fierce, conviction in his heart, his doubt gone, now fully the Emperor again. He had lived by his own will and if the last decision was made, he wanted it to be his own still. Be himself to the last.
“No.”
He had died and if the ancestors wanted it so, he would pass on, on this very day.
“No demon of the Far, no slave of the Panopticon and no other being will claim me. I have lived my life. I have had the honour to die to a worthy foe. I will not stain the future of others for my own gain, by making pacts with a devil I do not know!”
There was another moment of silence. The ‘Herald’ looked at him, he did not seem to be angered by his words or even confused, merely… mildly disappointed. He nodded in an understanding manner. His gaze returned to the horizon, now awash with a majestic golden glow, a colossal shade slithering over the clouds on the horizon, like a serpent. He could feel its awe-inspiring yet familiar power, even from here. It had a warmth to it, it felt like home.
The man turned away, observing the horizon again, a thoughtful look on his face.
“We understand. A shame, really.”
The serpent grew closer, the green glow washing over the landscape as the gold ignited the sky.
“It seems our time is up. We bid thee farewell. Emperor Mitsuyoshi.”
A gentle breeze caressed his skin.
He was lying on the floor. Why?
The man looked around, there was a starship which had dug itself into the ground. A man was standing over another mans corpse, quiet, still, unmoving. It was as if time had frozen.
Who were these men?
“A strange place for a mortal, is it not?”
Gentle, yet cold and factual the voice reached his ear. The first sound he had heard. Out of instinct he reached for his weapon, which wasn’t there, and turned around in a flash…
Which weapon? Whose instincts?
The man before him was strange. He was clad in white robes, stylised red eyes embedded in its surface, though his clothes aside he seemed almost… mundane?
He had no presence, yet, he felt like this man shouldn’t be here.
Why? What was ‘here’?
The man looked up at the sky, his hands clasped behind his back, as if watching the dull stars.
Silence. He felt… distrust. This man… he wasn’t ‘right’.
He turned his head towards him and observed, as if scrutinising him, judging.
“I see. I suppose we should’ve expected this.”
He paused, as if waiting for a reaction, though he was wary.
“You are Mitsuyoshi. Emperor of the Jade Empire of Ingenious and recently deceased.”
He looked down at the corpse.
“Well, almost.”
Images, colours, voices, spun in his head, memories returning, experiences and feelings rushing by. He died. Killed, by the Panopticon slave, why was he here? Was this one of their tricks? Who was the man standing over his corpse?
“Who are you?!”
His voice commanding, yet he could not hear himself, the man seemed unimpressed but answered regardless.
“Ah, our name is of little consequence. Some call us ‘the Herald’. You may call us Amerandus, if you so wish.”
Mitsuyoshi squinted, still wary. He had never heard of a Herald or an Amerandus, was he an apparition of the Panopticon? Maybe even a demon of the Far?
“What are you here for ‘Herald’? To laugh over my corpse? Steal my soul? Gain information over my Empire?”
The strange man shook his head. Another breeze came, from the same direction, the young Emperor turned his head, there was a distant glow over the mountains, over distant horizons. Greens and golds, lush, luscious, ethereal.
“None of these things. We have taken an interest in you, ‘Emperor’. You see, your flesh may have deceased, but there is part of you which is still alive, in this curious soul prison of yours.”
The Soul Vault? He looked over to the man standing over his corpse, anger welled up over the imbecile. What was he doing here? Had he been watching all along, like a coward? Waiting for an opportunity to claim his death as his doing?
Vlad. He remembered now. Vlad was his name, he fought him in orbit of the world.
“There are still things you could return to, things you could do, times to live through and experience, however, our mutual friend here seems to have different plans. He has the intent of destroying your corpse, as crude as his powers may be, it would destroy your prison without fail. We could help you. We could grant you a new spark, to claim your body back, prevent this from happening.”
The breeze grew stronger.
“We could help you, return to your people, your family. You have a strong will, experience, you have convictions. You could go back, if only for a price.”
His fist tightened, he faltered, conflicted.
For but a moment, there was a sting in his heart, one of melancholy and regret.
His people, Mariko, his father..
Sera.
“What price?”
He looked at the distant glow, remembering his life, what he had been taught, how he lived.
He turned back to the man, standing firm and proud, his gaze fierce, conviction in his heart, his doubt gone, now fully the Emperor again. He had lived by his own will and if the last decision was made, he wanted it to be his own still. Be himself to the last.
“No.”
He had died and if the ancestors wanted it so, he would pass on, on this very day.
“No demon of the Far, no slave of the Panopticon and no other being will claim me. I have lived my life. I have had the honour to die to a worthy foe. I will not stain the future of others for my own gain, by making pacts with a devil I do not know!”
There was another moment of silence. The ‘Herald’ looked at him, he did not seem to be angered by his words or even confused, merely… mildly disappointed. He nodded in an understanding manner. His gaze returned to the horizon, now awash with a majestic golden glow, a colossal shade slithering over the clouds on the horizon, like a serpent. He could feel its awe-inspiring yet familiar power, even from here. It had a warmth to it, it felt like home.
The man turned away, observing the horizon again, a thoughtful look on his face.
“We understand. A shame, really.”
The serpent grew closer, the green glow washing over the landscape as the gold ignited the sky.
“It seems our time is up. We bid thee farewell. Emperor Mitsuyoshi.”