The Realm of Mist and Shadow by Austin Baillio

Author:Austin Baillio [Baillio, Austin]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Austin Baillio
Published: 2019-10-24T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter 6

The next morning, the harsh cry of the Vultayre woke Bryggen up. Just like the day before, the Vultayre carried Bryggen and the others out of the pit and towards their fate. Today, the Vultayre flew to the outskirts of the lake Bryggen had seen the day before. The water in the lake was a murky green color. As the water lapped against the shoreline, mud and dust swirled into the water, further muddying its appearance. It did not look inviting at all. Bryggen shuddered to think what kind of monstrosities might live in it.

The Vultayre dropped Bryggen on the shore in front of three altars. The altars were set in the shape of a triangle, one at each corner. Atop each altar were two black crystals embedded into a stone slab. The crystals radiated with dark energy. The altars appeared to have been constructed specifically for him and the others. The three prisoners sat staring at the altars when the Shadow-Stalker from the day before appeared before them. He billowed up into the air a bit so that he was looking down on them.

“Today’s test is a battle of wills. Each of you must seize the dark crystals on one of the altars.” The Commander waited until each of the prisoners did as instructed. As soon as Bryggen’s hands touched the crystals, he felt a purring within them. The Shadow-Stalker continued.

“These special crystals are a conduit for the Darkness of this place. Your task is to endure. As time goes on, the power of the crystals will grow, subjecting you to even greater pain. As always, your goal is to survive. If you are the first to let go, then you will die and the others will be spared. To make the game more interesting, we’ve added another twist. The crystals are bonded to one another such that you can force darkness into your competitor’s altar. Doing so will reduce your pain and increase theirs.”

The Shadow-Stalker let out a wicked laugh and chanted the following words: “Embrace the Dark!” “Devotion to the Dark!” “Eternity in the Dark!”

The dark crystals flared to life and began vibrating in Bryggen’s hands. He looked over at Mya who was also startled by the sudden vibration. Bryggen tightened his grip. Bryggen stared at the crystals with an awful dread, realizing the dark power that was toiling within them. Just like the experience in the shayde cocoon, he heard the Darkness calling to him, beckoning him to embrace it. As the Darkness grew, the vibration of the crystals intensified. Bryggen’s hands began to go numb from the pain.

He looked over at Mya to see how she was doing. Mya seemed unphased by the intensity of the experience. Bryggen looked over at the third prisoner and saw the desperation in her eyes. She was straining to keep her grip on the crystals. Clearly, none of them wanted to be the first one to let go, but it was becoming increasingly difficult to hang on.

Suddenly, a powerful jolt of energy surged into Bryggen’s crystals.

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