Prologue
In an unknown time and place lies a world, a world so far removed from reality and logic that any mortal would sooner gouge their eyes out than look over its surface. Blood red skies flow like water, currents of vivid purple clouds swirling about within. The air pressure is so great that it can crush a man in an instant and the winds hot enough to turn his remains to ash. The skies are home to constant lightning storms, energy arcing between the ground and the heavens in a brutal display of raw power.
But for all the dangers the sky presents the surface is far deadlier, shifting in eternal torment as though suffering constant earthquakes. The surface splits and shatters in an instant leaving great chasms, but reforms just as quickly as the surface is once again pressed together. Mountains rise from the ground only to be toppled by the godly forces, and rivers of molten lava even hotter than the sky flow in random patterns, filling the chasms and crevices left behind by the turmoil. As if to complete the symphony of destruction, volcanoes constantly spew lava into the heavens in great gouts of death.
And yet for all its turmoil it still houses life. But life here did not form from flesh and bone; instead it formed from energy. To survive the ground life floated above it, and to survive the crushing skies life has evolved without physical form. This world is home to beings of light, of raw power.
It is home to Gods.
Part One
Zaladar stared out over the surface of Vorpus as the mountains in the distance rose and fell in an endless cycle of devastating renewal. The ground beneath him shattered; leaving a chasm so deep the bottom could not be seen. He was not concerned however, his ethereal form kept him safe as he hovered above it. To most, seeing the cataclysmic forces that Vorpus was constantly subjected to would push them to the very limits of their terror, but to his people it was just another day at home.
To his right hovered his friend Xar, who was also scanning the horizon. The two of them have been given a mission, one of great import to their people and their world. Something had triggered a change in Vorpus, upsetting the world’s violent equilibrium. And they were tasked with finding the trigger. Zaladar hoped that it was not what his people feared it would be.
“You’re worried about the prophecy aren’t you?” Xar asked.
“Well, aren’t you?” Zaladar replied. “It talks about the death of our world. And these changes we’ve been feeling, they line up with what was predicted.”
“I’m not assuming anything.” Xar replied as they started to float forward. They’d been looking for 2 whole cycles and Zaladar could tell Xar was beginning to think it was a futile search. “Besides, those prophecies are over 1000 megacycles old.”
“So what’s your theory?” Zaladar asked, with a hint of frustration.
Xar extended his ethereal arms. “Look around you, look at this place. Nothing stays the same. Ever. It’s just more upheaval that we’re feeling, more chaos.” His voice shifted slightly. “You’ve been to the Child Worlds?”
Zaladar nodded. The Child Worlds were from another place, another dimension of reality. There were hundreds of them, all different and all inhabited by strange and wonderful creatures made of fur and flesh. Zaladar’s people had studied them for a long time, transporting themselves there by piggybacking along the fine energy strands that connected all things to Vorpus. It was an arduous journey and they could never stay long, but they had learned a lot about these other worlds. The name had come about from the belief that as all the worlds were connected to Vorpus it was the parent, and they were its children.
“So you know that they’re not like this. No world is this chaotic.” As if to emphasise Xar’s statement a mountain sprung up in the distance.
“They’re chaotic in other ways.” Zaladar retorted, referring to the near constant civil conflict on almost all the Child Worlds. Vorpus had none of that. The world itself was too dangerous to make it any more so with in-fighting.
“Anyway, I’m hoping you’re right.” Zaladar sighed. “Come on, we’ll keep going. If we don’t find anything by the next cycle we’ll head back.”
Zaladar and Xar returned their attentions to their surroundings. Around them it was the same wherever they looked, complete chaos. Lava flowed, the ground cracked and the skies boiled. Zaladar rapidly moved out of the way as a massive shard of rock punctured the sky where he had been only moments before. While they had no physical form the ground was electrically active, which meant it could hurt and disrupt them on contact. It was just another of Vorpus’ unique and deadly properties.
As they moved ever onward a distinct glow made itself evident in the distance, visible even through the violent lightning storms which plagued Vorpus. As they got closer Zaladar could tell what they were seeing was not a natural part of this world. His people were extremely attuned to their surrounds; it had evolved as a survival mechanism. This glow felt wrong, foreign, and he could tell Xar was thinking the same thing. As they got closer he could see it for what it really was, and for the first time Zaladar felt true terror.
The glow was originating from a roughly circular light easily three times Zaladar’s height. It swirled with all shades of blues and purples, like a whirlpool suspended in mid-air. Surrounding it was the ground that had been violently shattered and tossed upward as a by-product of its creation. They hovered unnaturally in the air, circling the light as though containing it. Zaladar had never seen anything like it before, but he instantly knew what it was. The prophecies had come to pass.
The Shadow Gates had arrived.
Part Two
“Enough!” Xanthar roared, bringing the furore to an abrupt end. Zaladar looked around at the congregation before returning his attentions to their leader. Since the discovery of the Shadow Gate 20 cycles ago his people had fallen into panic. The prophecy had come true and now the very fate of their world hung in the balance. And to make matters worse four more Gates had been discovered since then. “Elementalis, what have you learnt?”
Elementalis half floated/half slithered through the congregation to float beside Xanthar. He was Vorpus’ most celebrated researcher, having made more trips to the Child Worlds than any other. He was possessed of a near infinite knowledge of the worlds, their inhabitants, languages, customs and just about everything else.
“As you all know, the arrival of the Shadow Gates is meant to signify the death of our world.” Elementalis began, “But we never knew how. Well, now we do.”
He paused for a moment. “All the Child Worlds are connected to Vorpus by thin strands of energy, energy we have exploited in the past to allow us to travel to and from them. The energy flows both ways, allowing equilibrium of sorts to be maintained. However the Shadow Gates have changed all that.”
“How?” Xanthar asked.
“The Shadow Gates are powered by Vorpus, my Lord. Those thin tendrils have expanded to allow enough energy to flow from our world to power them. What this means is that there is no more equilibrium. The Shadow Gates are draining Vorpus dry.”
The crowd murmured, and the fear and panic was palpable.
“Does this mean that all the Shadow Gates are pointing here?” Zaladar asked.
Elementalis shook his head. “No, we are merely the power source. All of the Shadow Gates have the same end point, but it is not Vorpus. It’s Balor.”
“The human world?” Xanthar exclaimed.
Elementalis nodded. “Yes. Something strange is happening on Balor. Now, I’m not sure if you’re aware, but Balor has always been harder to travel to as the energy current is not quite as strong as the other worlds. I could never figure out why, but it’s now evident that somehow Balor has been storing tiny fragments of energy. Over time this energy has taken on a physical crystalline form, and I think the Shadow Gates have been awoken because of it.”
“So if we destroy these… Shadow Crystals…. we can close the Gates?” Xar called out.
“It is a possibility. There is something else. As these Crystals are storing energy native to Vorpus, I believe we can harness them to return the energy safely to our world.” Elementalis replied. “And that may have the same effect in closing the Gates. I fear simply destroying the Crystals would cause a catastrophic release of energy which may even destroy Balor, and the flow on effect would threaten any world connected to it.”
“Then we must venture to Balor. We can use the Shadow Gates to arrive en masse and restore equilibrium.” Xanthar said.
“Unfortunately it will not be as easy as that my Lord.” Elementalis said. “For all its dangers, Vorpus and its unique properties help maintain us. While we can maintain ourselves on the Child Worlds for a short length of time, longer periods will cause our forms to dissipate."
“So what is your suggestion?” Xanthar asked.
“Simple my Lord.” Elementalis smiled. “We take Vorpus with us.”
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