Ailnea saw all that occurred with Lorenor, for The Observer showed it to her. She watched also as Kythor was given a taste of his own destiny, the knowledge that someday he would become the leader of his small village. She was happy for her friends, for things had turned out well for them, and they had earned their rewards. Now it seemed it was her turn, for in the darkness of this place, the image of a great sphere of eyes appeared before her, and beneath it, scenes began to play out.
“Now that I have kept my word, there is something I require of you.” a dark sorcerer was saying to a young knight.
“You are not well. You do not remember the whole truth, but you must know it in order to heal.”A nurse was saying to her patient.
“What is the truth then? Tell me, show me everything.” Ailnea demanded.
Scenes and images whirled about her, of places beyond Althanas, and creatures beyond imagining spoke in dark and horrid tongues. Slowly, Ailnea fell to her knees as the truth became known to her, unable was she to bear the burden of knowledge. Eventually the images receded.
“I, understand. Is that my quest then? Of course it is, who could live with such knowledge and not act on it? But, how do I progress from here?” Ailnea asked.
“It is time to recover the body.” an Aibrone monk said to another.
“The concept of physical matter is an illusion. There is no such thing in truth. The stones of the earth, the waters of the sea, the plants and creatures that inhabit our world, we are all comprised of energy. Our bodies are nothing more than stored energy. Therefore the possibility exists, that if we could gain better control over the energy in our bodies, we could accomplish profound feats to defy the imagination. Imagine, being able to turn any physical substance into energy to heal your body. It would all be a simple matter of Conversion.” A strange human from another world was saying.
“This is an ability you have, and it is what made the structure around you.” A wizard was saying to his apprentice.
“But it will disappear for a time after you use it again.” A merchant was saying to his customer.
“Restore that which was, and reclaim your rightful property.” a beautiful deity in another land was saying to her mortal follower.
Beyond the temple, the monks watched in amazement as energy began to flicker along the sides of the temple. Slowly it shrank in upon itself, until it was no more. In its place lay the creature Ailnea had summoned earlier. Looking around, they could see nothing of Grandmaster Akim, or Lord Lorenor, or their draconian companion. Grabbing her, they held her up, demanding an explanation.
“I am, I remember now, all of it. I am Ailnea, your sister. I assure you nothing ill has happened to Brother Lorenor, or our friend. Akim is no more, he betrayed us all, and so has been neutralized. I will tell you everything, but first, I must find Lorenor, and tell him before any other.” Ailnea said.
…
As Lorenor approached her in the church, she had delayed telling him for some time, not certain how he'd react, but now she felt she must.
“Lorenor, I thank you for treating me kindly, and allowing me to stay here, but there is something I must tell you.
I am Ailnea, I am The Envoy, Goddess of The Eldritch Horrors, a pantheon of gods that exist beyond this world. I have no mother, I am self-reincarnating, saving my spirit at the point of death each time I am to die creating a new body for it to inhabit. There was no mother who gave birth to me in the citadel long ago, there was only me. Now that I have reabsorbed my true body, that temple which we discovered in the swamps, I am whole once more.
We are not N'jal's allies, but we are not her enemies either. We are slaves to The Nightmare King. He is N'jal's enemy in every sense, just as he is the enemy of N'jal's brothers and sisters The Elder Thayne. The Nightmare king seeks to destroy N'jal, but masquerades among her and the other Dark Gods as their friend, yet if he is not stopped, he will destroy all of Althanas.
We have been resting, but I cannot wait any longer. I'm sorry to have to ask this of you, but I need you to leave all this behind, and come with me to The Void, it is where my fellow Horrors are being kept, and where our people are held prisoner. It is the first step to defeating The Nightmare King. But I warn you, it won't be easy to do, and we may become trapped, prisoners of The Void.
So I ask you Lorenor, help your mistress gain some grateful allies, come with me, and help me free my people from the grasp of The Nightmare King.” Ailnea said.
Lorenor considered her words for many long moments, before pulling her close and embracing her. The pair had begun to grow close to one another, and as he held her close, he whispered five words that reassured her immeasurably.
“I'll always stand by you.”
Submit Thread for Judgment
