Vrin: Ten Mortal Gods

by John Michael Hileman

  Returning to the bridge, I examined my armor. It was badly damaged from the impacts of the foul beast. The metal was split and torn around the mid-section. But this, and the gash in my side, was easily mended with a wave of my hand.

  Again I cautiously approached the entrance, and paused to listen intently. All was silent, so I took a step in. There were no more surprises. To my left, where the single light beam filtered in, was the outline of a door. I took a section of the thread that clung to my ankle and made a thick match. As I struck it, the room lit up slightly. A bar stuck out of a circular opening in the center of the rusty iron door. Reaching out, I took hold of it. A loud clank echoed through the dark chamber. The door creaked loudly as it slid out of its stony pocket, and light pushed free from inside.

  Again I paused. Everything looked okay. At least nothing was jumping out at me.

  I crept in slowly. The interior was nothing like the outside. The walls were a rich tan colored stone, and the floor, black marble with creases of white. Silently I made my way down the hall, frequently glancing behind. I came to a door with a small window. Carefully I scanned around its edges for threads or traps. Finding none, I peeked in. The lighting was dim, but I could make out two figures against the far wall. Judging from their sizes, they were the two I’d come for.

  My pulse raced. And the fear of the unknown gripped me for the very first time. Anything imaginable could happen. Death could be waiting for me on the other side of this door. --Funny I should start to fear death now.

  I’d seen so much in this odd place, heard so much talk of religion and gods, good and evil. But I hadn’t stopped to think about my own place in the universe. People were counting on me, and it was possible I was the only one who held the key to the way home. But was I prepared to face the greatest unknown? --It didn't matter. At this point, there was no turning back. No matter what the cost, it had to be done.

  It was time.

  With sweaty hands, I slid aside the five dead bolts. The door swung open.

  “Who’s there?” came a woman’s voice from within.

  I stepped in and created a wedge from the threads of the hallway floor to hold the door open. “My name is Jason. I’ve come to set you free,” I said, keeping an eye on the open door behind me.

  “Oh thank the gods!” She picked the child up in her arms, and in crossing the cell, passed into the light of the torches. She carried herself in a proud, elegant manner, and was quite beautiful. Her pale features were almost perfect, with wide set green eyes, and flawless skin. The girl’s features were much like those of her mother’s. Both were very beautiful, but both looked exhausted. I stretched out my arm. The woman gently placed her hand in mine.

  A loud CRASH came from behind. I twisted around to see an enormous stone block covering the door. I pushed my energy into the threads attached to my ankle, but they only brought me as far as the barrier. I laid my hands upon the stone and released my energy, but the threads did not light! In frustration I flung myself against it, but it was no use. The stone would not yield.

  Turning back in toward the cell, I found the woman kneeling in its middle with her hands raised to an invisible barrier. ”Why are you doing this?” There were sobs in her words. “WHY won’t you let us go?” Her daughter knelt beside her in silence.

  A door opened in the rock behind them and someone entered the cell. As soon as he stepped into the light, I knew him.

  “Rath!”

  “Ah, you remember me. Good,” he taunted.

  I held my tongue and fixed my stare on him.

  Another figure entered, but stayed in the shadows.

  Rath stepped up to the divider and smiled a broad sinister smile. “You have done a fine job, Sam, but it is time you took a break." I glared at him as my mind raced to find an escape. “The war is coming along nicely. You have stoked the fires, and we have accepted the challenge. But the finale is yet to come.” The sarcasm was thick on his tongue.

  “You can’t win!”

  “We’ve already won.” He laughed. “This world will dissolve, and things will continue on as if it had never existed.”

  “What’s in it for you?”

  “You wouldn’t understand if I told you.”

  “Try me.”

  He sighed. "I will be a true god. I will sit at the right hand of the ancient one."

  "You're mad."

  He laughed. "Your limited intellect cannot comprehend the magnitude of what is going on here! We will use Vrin to change the outcome."

  "What? By destroying it?"

  "Not by destroying it, by transforming it! You do not understand now, but..."

  "ENOUGH!" hissed the figure in the shadow. Then it stepped forward.

  My heart constricted with terror. My eyes darted back and forth looking for a weakness in the trap. But found none. Through the transparent barrier, I saw the woman and child begin to tremble. The young girl huddled in closer to her mother as they both cowered over with expressions of horror painted on their faces. I had let them down. I had let everyone down.

  Dusky light fell across the grotesque disfigurement of the dark, slightly bent body of Kric’ tu. More specter than man, its form was tall and thin, with dark eyes sinking into a fleshless face. Patches of dark flesh, which looked sewn on, hung from its sickly gray skin. My stomach wretched to look at it.

  He moved closer, expelling an airy laugh. “Look at you, Thomas. You are so angry, yet, you don't even know what you are fighting against."

  The voice was familiar, but I couldn’t place it. And-- why did he call me Thomas?

  "I am truly horrible to look at, am I not? How clever of God to represent me as such. Do you know that in Ethral I am the most beautiful of all angels?” He turned away slightly. "But things are not always as they appear."

  "If you are so, wonderful...” I tried to keep my voice steady, “then why are you bent on destroying Vrin?"

  "I cannot say.” He took a step toward the woman and child. “He is watching. He is always watching."

  "--Who is watching?" I said, hoping to stall him.

  "You are strong like him, Thomas. And your power must be added to my own.” He took another step. “But first you must endure the darkness. On the other side, things will be clearer. After you have made the decision."

  "What decision?"

  He hissed a laugh. “You must decide to follow your own heart, and cease being a puppet of God. Man will grow beyond the box God has put him in.”

  I was trying desperately to follow his riddles. If I could not properly respond, he might lose interest in the conversation, and I was not done formulating my plan. “And this world represents a threat to that process?”

  “Yes,” he hissed.

  “So-- you would like to keep the scales balanced toward evil.”

  He sighed in annoyance. “We are not evil. We are chaos. You do not understand, but you will.” He turned sharply, and with a withered hand, effortlessly pulled the child from her mother’s arms. The girl let out a desperate scream and I flinched as he struck her across the face.

  I felt so helpless! What could I do?

  Kric’ tu’s gnarled fingers twisted into the girl’s hair as she began sobbing uncontrollably. “These two pose a threat to us.”

  “A threat! They’re harmless. They've done nothing to you!”

  Kric’ tu produced a knife from his long dark sleeve.

  “Take me instead!”

  Rath laughed. “We already have you!” he said, stepping forward and putting his hands on the woman’s shoulders to keep her from rising.

  “If they live,” hissed Kric’ tu, “Gaza will find the hope he searches for.” He adjusted his grip on the struggling girl. “That is simply unacceptable.”

  “Gaza’s been warned of your plot!” I said sharply.

  “Armadon?” He smirked. “He has been taken care of.”

  “That’s a lie!”

  “Your army has been crushed. And now it is time to extinguish the last
flame of hope for you and your so called cause.” The knife moved quickly to the young girl’s throat.

  “MOMMY!”

  Pulling my pistol from the holster on the small of my back, I gripped it tightly, and began moving toward the veil. Both Rath and Kric’ tu leaped back in surprise as I began firing rounds directly at Kric’ tu’s head. Only one bullet needed to get through. Just one! My anger increased. Kric' tu flinched as bullet after bullet smashed into the barrier. Round after round chewed into the shield. And my fury continued to elevate. --But then the weapon began to click.

  And the power left me.

  The gun was empty. Not one bullet had pierced through. I hurled the pistol at the glass. It cracked, but instantly the tiny fragments began fusing back together. Rath was fortifying it!

  I slammed full force into it with the metal of my shoulder. But it was no use. Rath laughed, and as I glared at him with a growing hatred, a new resolve began to build within me...

  But what happened next will haunt my dreams forever. Kric’ tu’s blade slid smoothly across the young girl’s throat, and I watched in horror as her life’s blood drained from her. The expression on her tiny face was more surprise than fear, as though she did not understand what was happening to her. He opened his gnarled fingers and her lifeless body slumped to the floor.

  I beat my fists against the barrier with fevered aggression. “Noooo! I’ll kill you! I'll KILL you!”

  “Not likely,” he said, with a twisted smile.

  Rath dragged the woman to the girl’s bloody form. She wailed and clawed at him, but he held her tight with ease. His eyes held no remorse. No guilt. How could such a monster have been chosen for this experiment!

  Kric’ tu grabbed the woman’s hair and pulled her close. No! Things were moving too fast! I needed more time! There had to be a way to stop him! The woman’s face was wet, and her pleading eyes dug deep into my soul as she mouthed the words, “Help-me.”

  I was completely powerless. No. WAIT! I could not manipulate the threads around me, but I still had my threads! I got up and turned my back to the scene. “I do not care to watch any more,” I said, desperately hoping to allow myself the few short seconds I needed.

  Kric’ tu’s voice floated in from behind me. “No stomach for reality, Thomas?” he taunted. “Perhaps you are not the man we thought you were. You’re allowing your spirit to get in the way.” He paused. “You know, you were not always a puppet of God. This place has done something to you. --No matter.” There was finality in his voice.

  I was ready. “There is one last thing I would like to say,” I stated loudly.

  “Yeah. What?” said Rath.

  “This!” I turned, and falling away from the veil, rolled until I hit the far wall with a clank. What had once been my hand skittered across the floor and came to rest next to the barrier. The deafening explosion created a shock wave that pinned me against the wall. The pressure pushed in on my sealed ear passages. My armored body shook as the walls quivered.

  I rose quickly and sprinted toward the barrier. Through smoke and dust, I saw an opening, hit the ground, and slid through to the other side. The ground was slippery from the young girl’s blood.

  Kric’ tu had not yet risen from the blast. I scrambled across the floor and grabbed him with my remaining hand. He was confused, but I clarified the situation with my stump, which came rushing toward his chest with a spike protruding from it. It sank in deep.

  A smile crossed his ghoulish face. His teeth were rotted, and his eyes, empty. He began making the guttural noises of Arganis, and a searing pain shot through my leg. I rolled off him and clutched at it. The burning was unbearable as it spread throughout my body, engulfing me! My mind locked up. The room swirled around me. And I fell into darkness.

  I awoke to find myself back on the other side of the transparent barrier, with the room spinning in nauseating twists. I was unable to stabilize my vision, but could see Rath, standing just beyond the barrier, alone. His voice came to me, thick with arrogance. “That little trick with the bomb was quite clever, Sam. It will be glorious when you come to the side of chaos-- but that will have to wait.” He chuckled. “Because first, you must experience the nightmare.”

  “You’ll never hold me,” I said weakly.

  “What was that? I’m sorry.” He jeered. “Could you say that again?”

  Though the effort was incredible, my stubbornness would not allow me to remain silent. “You’ll never hold me,” I said louder through gritted teeth and spit, almost passing out from the exertion.

  His laughter filled the room. “I’m afraid you are quite wrong about that. You see-- you are going to be my guest, for a very, very, long time.”

  I tried again to speak, but my voice would not come. He walked away-- his laughter stabbing at my heart, his form fading from view, until he was gone. As the massive stone door encased me in my tomb, the light began to fade, until I was in complete and utter darkness.

  I wished for sleep, but it would not come.

  CHAPTER 15

  HAVING A FAMILIAR RING

  001001011001110

  My first efforts to move were excruciating. So I lay still, breathing shallow breaths. An attempt at rolling to my side ended abruptly with a sharp pain stabbed into my back, informing me that my left wing was broken. I struggled to sit up, but dizziness overtook me. I fell back down against the hard sticky ground. --I guess I would have to wait a bit on the whole moving thing.

  The room was dark as soot, but smelled of something far worse. With each breath my stomach wretched from the noxious odor assaulting my senses. To my left, was a dripping sound. At first I had to strain to hear it, but the longer I lay there, the louder it got. Each drip echoing through the chamber in a maddening rhythm, playing upon the strings of my emotions with a sinister hand.

  The chill passed through my armor and into the very depths of my bones-- but I was too tired to shiver. The encounter with Kric’ tu had pushed my body far beyond the point of exhaustion. Whatever he'd used on me caused my body to tighten so violently, every muscle had ruptured. And it wouldn’t be long before the shock wore off and the process of healing began. This I dreaded, for I knew it would be extremely painful.

  Pain stabbed at me again as I made another attempt to roll over, but with much satisfaction, I made it onto my stomach. The cold sticky ground offered no comfort. The pain from the wing was almost unbearable, so I reached into my mind in an attempt to remove the pain, but nothing happened. I tried again, this time making a suggestion to my subconscious, like I had done with the injured soldiers, but again I failed.

  It made no sense, the technique had worked wonders for the soldiers. Why not for me? My mind struggled to understand, but there was too much interference from the searing pain.

  A rush of air escaped my lungs as I tried to move to a kneeling position. It was no use, the broken wing was a dead weight against my back. I would have to remove it if I hoped to get anywhere. With this in mind, I pushed my energy out into the threads of the wing, but nothing happened. I tried again and again with the same result. The threads did not respond. My powers, were gone.

  It took a moment for the reality of my situation to fully sink in, but when it did, it hit hard. And something inside me snapped. I began thrashing about, clanking and scraping and screaming at the top of my lungs. All of my anger lashed out at the universe for my stupidity! How could I have been so arrogant? I thought I was untrappable! I thought I was invincible! But I was wrong! And now my fate was sealed, like the door to my tomb.

  Eventually my aggression dissipated, and I lay still on the chilled ground, my chest heaving with each labored breath. What was I thinking? This whole thing stunk of a trap. I knew it, and yet I’d continued on! Was it the power of the web effecting me? Was it my belief in the righteousness of the cause? I thought no one could stop me, not even Rath or his demon associate. Yet when the time came, I was powerless to stop them. My God! The young girl! Her face! The innocence!

 
I pounded my steel fist against the concrete floor. Armadon should have come. He would not have failed, but had he not failed already? Lies! Kric’ tu had to be lying! They wanted to destroy my hope, that was all. Armadon had made it to Gaza. It had to be so!

  Rath's words echoed in my mind. “First you must experience the nightmare.” The meaning of that statement was becoming clear to me now. Desolation. Loneliness. Pain. All had a way of driving a person mad, and I was no exception.

  But-- if they were telling the truth, nothing was left to prevent Gaza from destroying Vrin. And if he did follow through with his plans, then there wouldn’t be time for me to experience the nightmare intended for me. Or would the nightmare continue on after this world was destroyed? Was there pain in the destruction itself? My heart pounded in my ears. Could the destruction be the nightmare? Or was the statement just another lie to dig at my insecurities?

  Assuming everything I knew was fact, where did it leave me? The goal of chaos was clear. They did not want this world here, at least not in its current form, so they were using Gaza like a puppet. He had the power to destroy Vrin, and would, if he couldn’t make a connection with his lost family. But chaos had eliminated them. So how long would it be until Gaza made good on his promise? If Armadon had been stopped, then someone else had to make it to Gaza!

  I pushed aside my self pity, and drew upon my anger and stubbornness. I would not sit around waiting for oblivion. No cage was complete. There had to be a way out.

  It hadn’t occurred to me before, but I had grown dependent on my newly acquired powers. I was addicted. The more I’d used them, the more I had needed to use them, and now that they were gone, I was experiencing withdrawals. My thoughts were erratic, and my heart was heavy with depression. A sense of futility was taking hold, but I had to fight it. I was stronger than this. There was no time for self doubt. After all, I was Sam’ Dejal, the god of reason! If there was a way out, I would find it!