Ahead of the Storm - Day 48
Acheron, Two Months Ago
Elena marched purposefully across the frozen wasteland that was Ocanthus, the fourth layer of Acheron. She had earned visions of this place many times, yet this was only her third true visit to this plane, an infernal battlefield populated by demons, devils, dragons and armies of planar mercenaries. Most importantly, though, it was home to the Goddess of Death, Wee Jas. And today, it was for an audience with Wee Jas that Elena had come.
As she approached her destination, Elena's mind rushed with all the questions she needed answers for...
How exactly were she and Pellegri destined to bring an end to the universe?
Who else would aid them in this mission?
How soon did this need to be done?
And perhaps most importantly, why did this need to happen?
Because it was still the "why" that troubled Elena the most... it was the "why" that had pushed her nearly to the brink of suicide, depressed at the thought of the destruction and suffering that might come at her own hands.
She had always fought against any evil tendencies within her - a struggle that was important to her, to maintain that sense of self in the face of all the darkness around her. Yet, this final act, this last need to... destroy... everything... It flew in the face of all that, forcing her into a position she did not want to be in. She wanted to protect, to bring peace to the world. With the defeat of Kyuss, it was all supposed to be over, to be safe now. Yet Wee Jas was telling her that she was destined to bring an end to everything. Even knowing now that she was not alone in this anymore, that she had Pellegri by her side, it was still enough to bring her to tears, fearful of that line she was about to cross. And whether, somehow, it was all a mistake...
Her thoughts were brought back to reality as she saw the structure that now loomed in the distance across the field of ice shards she was now crossing: a massive dark castle of black ice, the infamous Cabal Macabre that was the home of the Goddess of Death. As it drew near, however, the constrast around her seemed to shift... and the ice around her grew dark, while the castle begin to shine with a bright white light. Elena closed her eyes, allowing the light to shine upon her, shine into her... and then she felt her body grow cold and die. But her soul rose up above it, and continued to travel forward toward the castle.
Elena was used to this now, though it had troubled her the first time. But such was the case with Cabal Macabre - only the dead may enter. And as a living visitor, she had to allow her body to die... had to abandon her body behind her... in order to move forward beyond the castle's gates.
This time, now used to the feeling, her soul drifted toward the castle with a purposeful and powerful momentum. And soon enough, granted permission to enter by the guardians of the castle - mighty infernals created of icefire and stone - Elena arrived in the audience chamber of the Goddess...
"Greetings, Elena, my most loyal disciple... We have much to speak of..."
For three hours the two held a discussion of all that Wee Jas knew and was willing to share. As the discussion reached an end, Elena felt at last that she had earned the answers she sought. Yet, frustratingly, she had also been forced to promise not to discuss any of this with anyone - not even Pellegri - until the time for action had come... the sign of which would be the death of a Demon Lord at that hands of some new heroes. Apparently, their actions would set everything into motion, leading up to the grand destruction. But none could intervene, as the strength they would gain on their mission would be crucial to their ability to aid in the final chapters of this story.
So, Elena was now trapped within a dire secret - forced to live on in a life that was all but pointless, as everything was meant to be destroyed in the end. She would celebrate her brother's wedding - but on the inside, she would look at everyone as though they had a death sentence hanging above their heads - perhaps only with two or three years left before it all came crashing down.
Returning to her abandoned body, soul now united with it, but feeling more disjoined and lost than ever, Elena wondered, still... if even the answers she had obtained truly explained "why".
Yet she now knew the truth...
That there were some things even Gods couldn't explain...
Elena marched purposefully across the frozen wasteland that was Ocanthus, the fourth layer of Acheron. She had earned visions of this place many times, yet this was only her third true visit to this plane, an infernal battlefield populated by demons, devils, dragons and armies of planar mercenaries. Most importantly, though, it was home to the Goddess of Death, Wee Jas. And today, it was for an audience with Wee Jas that Elena had come.
As she approached her destination, Elena's mind rushed with all the questions she needed answers for...
How exactly were she and Pellegri destined to bring an end to the universe?
Who else would aid them in this mission?
How soon did this need to be done?
And perhaps most importantly, why did this need to happen?
Because it was still the "why" that troubled Elena the most... it was the "why" that had pushed her nearly to the brink of suicide, depressed at the thought of the destruction and suffering that might come at her own hands.
She had always fought against any evil tendencies within her - a struggle that was important to her, to maintain that sense of self in the face of all the darkness around her. Yet, this final act, this last need to... destroy... everything... It flew in the face of all that, forcing her into a position she did not want to be in. She wanted to protect, to bring peace to the world. With the defeat of Kyuss, it was all supposed to be over, to be safe now. Yet Wee Jas was telling her that she was destined to bring an end to everything. Even knowing now that she was not alone in this anymore, that she had Pellegri by her side, it was still enough to bring her to tears, fearful of that line she was about to cross. And whether, somehow, it was all a mistake...
Her thoughts were brought back to reality as she saw the structure that now loomed in the distance across the field of ice shards she was now crossing: a massive dark castle of black ice, the infamous Cabal Macabre that was the home of the Goddess of Death. As it drew near, however, the constrast around her seemed to shift... and the ice around her grew dark, while the castle begin to shine with a bright white light. Elena closed her eyes, allowing the light to shine upon her, shine into her... and then she felt her body grow cold and die. But her soul rose up above it, and continued to travel forward toward the castle.
Elena was used to this now, though it had troubled her the first time. But such was the case with Cabal Macabre - only the dead may enter. And as a living visitor, she had to allow her body to die... had to abandon her body behind her... in order to move forward beyond the castle's gates.
This time, now used to the feeling, her soul drifted toward the castle with a purposeful and powerful momentum. And soon enough, granted permission to enter by the guardians of the castle - mighty infernals created of icefire and stone - Elena arrived in the audience chamber of the Goddess...
"Greetings, Elena, my most loyal disciple... We have much to speak of..."
For three hours the two held a discussion of all that Wee Jas knew and was willing to share. As the discussion reached an end, Elena felt at last that she had earned the answers she sought. Yet, frustratingly, she had also been forced to promise not to discuss any of this with anyone - not even Pellegri - until the time for action had come... the sign of which would be the death of a Demon Lord at that hands of some new heroes. Apparently, their actions would set everything into motion, leading up to the grand destruction. But none could intervene, as the strength they would gain on their mission would be crucial to their ability to aid in the final chapters of this story.
So, Elena was now trapped within a dire secret - forced to live on in a life that was all but pointless, as everything was meant to be destroyed in the end. She would celebrate her brother's wedding - but on the inside, she would look at everyone as though they had a death sentence hanging above their heads - perhaps only with two or three years left before it all came crashing down.
Returning to her abandoned body, soul now united with it, but feeling more disjoined and lost than ever, Elena wondered, still... if even the answers she had obtained truly explained "why".
Yet she now knew the truth...
That there were some things even Gods couldn't explain...
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