Sealed In Darkness

The sky roared. The clashes of blades resonated with the cracking thunder as flashes of lightening made visible the blood painting an alluring canvas on the streets with its scarlet-red splendor. The weaves of corpses spawned up within the crannies, daring enough to walk a runway in the open: both young and old, neither was spared from the delight of the day. Even the pungent stench of decay had crowned the day with a lingering nauseating grace, travelling the skies like an entourage of heavy soot.

Buildings were left in ruins. Wailing and screams, chattering metal armours, and the resounding explosions of canons echoed in a flowing stream of rings.

The World was in ruin; one would mistake it to be the end of the World.

The War between the Ultiar gods: Ekron god of discord and darkness, and Vyorn goddess of Nature, had gone on for centuries. The mid 7000BC to 2000BC, felt the kind caresses of the sword and heavy form of magic.

The battle was fierce and brutal. The peace sorted for was bleak and far off sight: we all lived as though we weren't, casting away our gems, sentiments, and even our emotions. Never before had mankind faced the wrath and full force of those they worshipped. Even the lower gods feared for the terrors the last of the Ultiar gods served, and eventually were forced by fate to choose sides. A fearful god? Then what good were the mortals? A fleshy lump of skin and meat?

"My forces of shadows, multiply and grow powerful by the waking hour. Little Sister, you do not stand a chance against me anymore"

Ekron stood over Vyorn, having a conjured blade held against her neck. His malignant grin spelt out his obvious intents.

"You know better than to kill me brother." Vyorn's words rippled through the cries and shouts that coated their battle ground in a broken melancholy "-- I'm nature, and my absence will create an imbalance to this world, the forest and its creatures will die, plagues and diseases will fill the lands, the rivers and streams shall dry out." Still within earth's reach, her mind wandered in search for a possible remedy strategy. "I cannot let mankind suffer for your greed and your selfishness brother." Vyorn laid still. Surrendering to Ekron was not an option, but victory in her current state was a bit elusive. She placed her hands on the earth, making it quake. Her intentions were to make unstable Ekron's balance, creating a chance for a spell.

"blinding light of the Heavens, Shine above and repel the darkness"

A beam of light came directly above Ekron, destroying his blade, and bringing him to his knees. The attack weakened him, but it wasn't enough to end his treachery and malignancy.

Vyorn seizing the opportunity, stood to her feet. She conjured a lightening ball, and sent its volts at Ekron, knocking him off his feet unto the ground.

"Because Ultiar gods are immortal, does not mean they cannot be stopped. Have you ever wondered who ended the lives of all the Ultiars?" Ekron, angered and impatient, chose to move his final piece: drawing forth an inevitable strategy. "Vyorn, for your insolence, I will destroy you now and here." Ekron got up, brushed off dust from his armor, levitated above the ground; creating gusts of wind beneath him. He chanted a barrier spell; forming a diamond shaped crystal around him. Within the shell of the barrier, he began a spell.

"Celeste urk

te, sief

trex

novum, matrane

ont

eïy -"

As he recites, the earth began to quake, the sky rumbled with thunderstorms, tornadoes of wind rode aimlessly... "-

qzarx

zodiaque

sies. I command you, to whom holds the keys of the heavens, the doors of the ethereal. I seek thy aid, and I call upon thee, o princes: Gemini, the balance: Libra, and the maiden: Virgo. I offer my flesh as a sacrifice -"

as he said these words, the sky bore the sight as of blood, the sun became as dark as night, and a sign: a circle, appeared under Vyorn's feet.

Non of Vyorn's attacks before were working against Ekron, and as the circle formed beneath her, she could no longer do magic.

"Use my darkness as a cage for those who oppose thy will. Cocoon of darkness!"

Ekron screamed.

Veils of thick black smoke, formed within the bounds of the circle Vyorn stood. And as seconds passed, so did her movements stop; it began with her speech, to her eyes, her limbs, until she was frozen and encased in a pitch black crystal, with four keys surrounding it.

The circle slowly faded and so did Ekron.

The time he had left, was bound to the Zodiac circle, and without hesitation, he summoned his greatest warlords. He was slowly losing all form, but he couldn't leave things be this way; sealing Vyorn was never the end of her.

The snap from his fingers formed four cupsized crystals, hovering over his open hand.

"Rek

tiem

uhlanor

yreit --"

The spell he whispered drew thick dark drops of liquid leaking from his body, rolling down his arm, and out.

"Risthor

tiem

uhlanor

yreit."

These miniscule droplets, converged into a long arm-length spiral lake, twisting and circling the white floating rocks, slowly seeping into them, soaking the crystals in deep blackness.

These were what Ekron called: The Shards Of Darkness. His darkness.

Another snap from his fingers, forced each shard to appear in front of a lord, a supposed demigod he had summon, and so did a key: brilliantly shimmering, fighting off the dark progeny from the shards beside it.

"Vyorn has been defeated, and so are those who serve her -" he pointed to her, stiffly tucked in a dark casement; her appearance vaguely seen. "- Those shards before you contain unique abilities of my darkness, shadows and chaos; they will grant you access to my powers. And those keys are the celestial locks that keeps Vyorn bound, and with it can she be freed."

But before he departed, he also nailed a warning, a prophecy.

" Be warned, a day will come: The Amarethean, when her servants will arise and seek to free her from her prison, and then must you four be ready. At no cost must you let them have those keys, or else, the world we long to create will be destroyed."

With his final words, did he completely disappear with the celestial circle.

Years went on, and these Lords: The Ekryons, remained the rulers of this world, shaping it from the shadows into what they saw fit.

And as the ringing bells of the Ascension sang, so came the enthronement of this lords as Emperors to the seat of power, and so did the threats to free Vyorn.