by Tia Wylder
When the light faded, the sword was gone, as was my ancestral home. I stood on the scorched ground, no longer inhabiting the body of a man, but wielding the form of a dragon. Crimson scales covered me from head to toe. The remnants of my family’s great kingdom was laid out before me, and I towered over it all in my true form.
I felt the star’s broken heart inside of me. I felt its purifying fire raging like an inferno in my chest. I turned my head to the sky and saw them. The World Eaters were pale serpents that spanned unfathomable distances. Their mouths were filled, not with teeth, but with black holes that devoured all that came near, even light itself. Their hunger was insatiable, their power was impossible to conceive.
The Khalthrak clan had stories of them, but to bear witness was to gaze upon the true face of evil. I watched as the very stars themselves seemed to slip into their gaping maw. The stories never spoke of anyone who could kill a World Eater soon that would change. They would tell stories about this moment.
I threw my wings down with a roaring gust of wind and shot upward towards the infinite serpents in the sky. I stayed beneath it, steering clear of the creature’s mouth. If light could not escape, then the wings of a dragon wouldn’t either. I rose higher and higher, until the remnants of my world were beneath me. I hovered above the back of the World Eater and looked in either direction. Its body stretched far into the stars and its head was turning down towards the surface of my world.
Soon it would devour the very land my clan had fought to protect for countless eons. It would unceremoniously gorge upon the flesh and bones of an entire world before moving on as if it never existed. The combined strength of my entire clan built up within me like a raging inferno. I felt the sword’s power within me as I turned my head down toward the putrid body of the World Eater beneath me, and unleashed a burning light.
Pure and scorching light rushed out from my open mouth and cut into the beast. I turned and directed the beam as I flew towards its head. I watched the flesh rip beneath me as the beast came apart. As I reached its head, I saw its gaping maw turning toward me. Its body was crumbling, but the mouth was still intact.
I looked directly into the creature’s jaws and saw the purest form of darkness. An absolute absence of any color or light. Even the light that rushed forth from my jaws was twisted and pulled into its depths. My wings thrashed through the thin air around me, but I still felt the overwhelming pull of the black hole that resided within its jaws.
To cross that line, even as the beast was slowly dying, would spell certain doom for me. Despite my struggles, I descended towards that endless darkness. There was a part of me that always worried about the World Eaters coming to destroy us. This moment had been the subject of many nightmares for me as a child.
From within the black hole, I saw light beginning to emerge. The World Eater’s body had been torn apart by my attack. The black hole was destabilizing, that brief glimpse of light was enough for me to find renewed strength. I turned and pushed myself to fly as far away as possible. There was a powerful release of energy as the beast fell. A rushing wave swept into me, throwing me off course and out beyond the skies of my planet. I was cast into the vacuum of space, send adrift by the explosion.
The impact of the shock wave shattered several bones in my side and twisted my wings until they were mangled beyond recognition. Out there, in that endless sea of blackness, I drift listlessly through the stars.
As the ashes of the World Eater fell onto the fractured sphere that was once my home. At least I could take solace in the knowledge that my world was never fully devoured. My heart sank in my chest as I saw two, three, then four World Eaters emerge from the space behind my planet. They punched through the fabric of the stars like fish jumping from the rippling surface of an ocean.
They immediately dove downward towards the planet’s surface. I closed my eyes as I drifted further and further into the space beyond my world. I didn’t wish to watch those final moments. As a dragon, I can survive in space without air, water, or food. The only thing a dragon needs is the light of a burning star. Those fires would sustain me, but as I looked around, I saw only darkness in every direction.
The sun that fed our planet for countless eons was naught but a tiny sphere of fire. Its light was distant. With my bones shattered and my wings damaged, I could do nothing but let the currents of the stars carry me where they may. I would eventually reach a new world, and my bones would heal once I passed a star and absorbed its light.
In the meantime, I would drift into darkness and solidarity. I only had my thoughts and the sight of my world’s end to keep me company. The World Eaters wouldn’t stop with my world, they will keep devouring until all the stars are snuffed out and the planets of the universe are crumbled into dust. Their destruction would be total and absolute. I had to warn the creatures of the universe. I wasn’t sure if the World Eaters could be stopped, but it was the hope that I would eventually find allies to aid me in war against them, that perhaps another world may yet be spared.
Chapter Two
Harley Carter
There was a night, when I was eight, that changed me forever. I was just a kid with normal nightmares and fears. I was afraid to cross the street alone. I was convinced that there was a monster in my closet, and one under the bed. They were in cahoots, or at least, that’s what I believed.
The truth? The truth was a lot scarier. I lived the first eight years of my life in blissful ignorance. That night, I caught a brief glimpse of what laid beyond our immediate reality. Not just a glimpse either, what came through into our world that night was intent on killing me.
People have often asked me to describe what I saw. I don’t have words to describe it, I honestly don’t think any language does. It was a shadow given form, a creature of pure despair, hatred, and darkness. It had no face, and yet it had eyes to see. It had no definite shape, and yet I saw its body twist and turn into horrific forms.
My fingers paused and I stared at my laptop’s screen. My eyes scanned the page. This was the first time I had told this story to anyone but a shrink. It was a memory that I hated digging up. It was bloated and rotten, never meant to see the light of day again.
My blog, “The Truth is Out There,” is one of the top 100 blogs of its kind, and it has a lot of fans. I grew up seeing doctors and therapists after that night. My parents thought I had gone insane, and they did everything they could to suppress that night’s memory. No one believed my story, not until I went to my first meeting of the Truth Seekers. They were a group of like-minded individuals who invited anyone with knowledge of the worlds beyond our own to come and share their stories.
They believed me, every word. They inspired me to quit my job at twenty-three and start my blog. Soon the website was making enough money that I could devote all of my time to it. As it took off and rose the ranks of the internet, more and more people begged me to tell my story. I always declined, even my About Me page said that I wouldn’t discuss what brought me into this life.
Today I was breaking that promise to myself. I had a draft of that night written down. I kept looking over my shoulder as I sat hunched over my computer. I expected that thing to come back again. This time, it would finish the job.
When the story was finished, I hovered my mouse over the “Publish” button. Once I clicked that, everything would change. My truth, my moment when I knew this wasn’t all there was, would be revealed to the world. Was I ready?
“No, not yet,” I whispered.
I closed the laptop and switched on the lamp beside me. Tomorrow was the first ever Truth Seekers Con. It was being organized at the border of Area 51 in the Nevada desert. Crossing that line would get you in hot water with the government, but it made for a great tagline: Located One Step From the Truth!
It’s no secret that the Truth Seekers inspired me to become a crusader like them. They asked me to be their main speaker at the event, and I accepted graciously. I was going to publish the new post tonight as a surprise
before the event, but I couldn’t push myself to do it. Maybe I would tell them tomorrow. Public speaking wasn’t my forte, but if this story was going to get told, it was now or never.
I climbed beneath the sheets of my hotel room bed just after I turned the A/C down to a ludicrous temperature. I liked it cold, and if I wasn’t paying the power bill, I took advantage of the situation. With the temperature low and the sheets warming me up, a drifted into a peaceful sleep.
I didn’t dream that night, which was for the best. I was still on edge the next morning when I woke up. I felt ridiculous as a grown woman staring down the closet in her hotel room, but that kind of fear doesn’t leave you when you realize that there was a monster in your closet, and probably under your bed as well.
I took my shower, packed up, and checked out of the hotel. The sun was beating down on the stretch of highway that I drove through the Nevada desert. My old clunker of a car sputtered and bounced down the sandy road. I saw a parked group of RVs and cars with faded paint from sitting out in the sun.
There were canopies set up around the area and a stage with a podium built on the far side of the convention. I parked near the group and climbed out of my car. With my laptop in hand, and a backpack slung over my shoulder, I approached the people gathering within the circle of parked vehicles.
Even with sunglasses on, and a wide brimmed hat, people recognized me immediately.
“Harley’s here!” they shouted.
I had a swarm of fans surrounding me within seconds. They sat waiting for me to say something, anything.
“Hey everyone,” was all I could muster.
I looked down at the laptop in my hand.
“I’ve decided that today, during my presentation, I’ll tell my story,” I said.
This was met with a hushed silence. Several people had their jaws agape in shock. A few people surrounding me gasped audibly.
“So, look forward to that,” I said.
I stepped toward the edge of the circle as all the fans started talking at once. I couldn’t make out any of their questions through the noise.
“Alright, let Harley breathe people!” a voice shouted.
I immediately recognized it. It was Greg, the leader of the Truth Seekers. He was a portly fellow, probably twice my age. He came running over in khaki shorts and a t-shirt with the Truth Seekers logo on it. He took the baseball cap off his balding head and used it to shoo the crowd of fans.
He grinned from ear-to-ear as he saw me standing there. Greg was more of a father to me than my own. When my blog took off, my parents didn’t want anything to do with me. Greg though, Greg was proud of me. He was one of the few people who never pressured me to tell my story.
Maybe you’re ready to tell your story, maybe not. The real question is: are we ready? I had never heard a story like my own. Greg was right to think it would change everyone’s perceptions, perhaps not for the better. He ushered me away from the group of people and led me toward the stage in the distance.
“Sorry about that Harley, wish I should have hired a security detail for you,” Greg said.
“Its fine, they’re just excited. I haven’t done public appearances before, you should be honored,” I said.
Greg chuckled as he wiped the glistening sweat from his brow.
“Yeah, well I am. Your presence gave this convention the press it needed. Speaking of press, are you sure you want to tell them? Are you ready?”
I shook my head. “No, but they are. I can feel it. It’s time.”
“Alright then, that’s all I need to hear,” Greg said.
He turned and walked over to the podium. I followed behind with my computer clutched in my sweaty and shaking hands. Greg tapped the microphone as we stood underneath the blazing sun. The impacts echoed from speakers set up on either side of the stage. The people in the crowd hurriedly came over and flocked around the stage.
“Harley Carter will be presenting shortly. In the meantime, don’t forget to check out our merchandise booths!” Greg said.
The crowd didn’t seem too keen on buying his t-shirts which had the conventions makeshift logo paired with the message: I was mere steps from the truth! I liked the shirts, but people in this line of work weren’t usually keen on flaunting their beliefs as they also feared the wrath of world governments.
I opened my laptop and stood on the podium. My original plan was to simply read the post I had written the night before and left unpublished. Standing there, though, that somehow didn’t seem right. I closed the computer and looked out onto the crowd. The heat from the mid-afternoon sun was causing shimmering mirages all around the border of the convention.
The patrons looked up at me with faces that glistened from the sunscreen they applied.
“So,” I said, “how many of your read my blog?”
All of their hands went up and I felt my heart stop. I expected a good chunk of them would be followers, but not all of them.
“Wow, so I suppose we’re all on the same page. Alright, well, I had the entire story written up last night on my computer, but I’ve decided to publish the post after this presentation, so you’ll all get to hear it first.”
The crowd applauded enthusiastically.
“How many of you have had some kind of encounter with something beyond our understanding?” I asked.
A few hands went up.
“Now, keep your hands up if that experience drove you to seek the truth,” I said.
Not a single hand went down.
“That’s what I thought. My experience may be different than yours, but it doesn’t change the truth: that there are forces, beings, and perhaps even worlds beyond our own. Our governments are holding back crucial information. I know you’re all here to listen to my story, but remember why Greg started the Truth Seekers: to seek out this hidden truth.”
More applause, this time less enthusiastic.
“My story began when I was eight-years-old. I was the kind of kid that always thought there was a monster under the bed, and one in the closet. Turns out I was right. One fateful night, a creature made entirely of Darkness stepped through into my room. When I say Darkness, I don’t mean shadow, nor do I mean simply an evil force. The Darkness I refer to you is the very absence of light and righteousness. It is evil incarnate.”
The crowd looked on with bated breath. I took a deep breath as the silhouette of the creature appeared in my mind. I recalled the way the edges of its form lapped at the air of our world like the edges of a black fire.
I remember the way it whispered to me, how it used words that were not words. How it turned my blood ice cold.
“It didn’t walk, it seemed to push away the air around it. The night light that I kept beside my bed flickered and went out as it approached. Even then, as a child, I knew it was here to kill me. We didn’t speak the same language but I felt its intentions crushing me down like a lead blanket,” I said.
The crowd waited for the next part of the story in complete silence. Even Greg stood off to the side with his jaw agape.
“It touched me with something that you could consider a hand. In that moment, I glimpsed at a place beyond our universe. A place where light is not welcome, nor can it be found. I saw creatures more grotesque and horrifying than we as petty humans could imagine. They weren’t possible, their anatomy was beyond wrong, it was insulting to nature itself.”
The night light beside my bed lit up again. The tiny bulb within it exploded as a powerful and blinding light rushed out of it. The creature was thrown backward as something else stepped through.
“It looked like a man, but he was made entirely of a white-hot fire. He came through into our world. The creature lunged at him and he battled with it before my very eyes. They fell through the portal in my closet and everything returned to normal. It took years before I stopped seeing those things in my nightmares.”
There was a short pause before everyone’s hands went up.
“I’ll answer all of your questions momentarily
. First, it’s time this story was told to the world,” I said.
I opened my laptop and hovered the mouse over the publish button on my blog. A few people in the crowd below gasped and I looked down to them. They were all looking at something in the sky, so my eyes naturally followed their gaze.
I saw an object streaking through the sky. It was massive and glowing red hot as he approached the ground. I couldn’t make out the shape before it sailed over our heads and crashed into the desert just beyond our improvisational convention.
I closed the laptop and carried it with me as I followed the crowd of people out into the open desert. As we approached, the object seemed to be breathing. It heaved up and down, releasing thick exhalations. Everyone else kept their distance, but I had to see what it was. The outer layer of the object unfurled and two thick wings shot out in either direction. They had a stony texture to them, with thin webbing running through in the interiors. The main body of the creature stirred and I saw a reptilian head emerge slowly. It had a long snout and piercing emerald eyes that clashed perfectly with the creatures glowing red scales.
There was no mistaking it, this was a dragon. The same kind of dragon popularized by fantasy novels and bloated television shows cashing in on the lore. I paused as the dragon’s head fell flat on the dusty soil. There was a brilliant flash of light that came with a blast of heat. I was swept off my feet and landed hard on my back.
I climbed to my feet and tried to stare through the swirling dust around me. The dragon was gone. In its place was a man. He had flawlessly white skin that seemed to glow with a soft light. His body looked completely human. I caught myself staring at his perfect form. My eyes wandered down his chiseled frame and across his muscular thighs. This wasn’t what I imagined an alien would look like, but then again I didn’t expect to see a dragon crash land on Earth today either.
