《The Nightcore Trilogy》Prologue
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Prologue: From Centuries Past
“Are you sure they’ll work?” asked Daedalus, test-flapping his newly grown wings – long white feathers adorning the appendages that now sprouted magnificently from his shoulder blades.
“Of course,” soothed the dark entity towering over him, its black robes masking any discernible features. “They must work for you to accomplish your task for me.”
Daedalus nodded, admiring his wings He was a craftsman of unparalleled skill and had even crafted a great labyrinth for an ungrateful king, yet his skills were far too inferior to create something so extraordinary. The wings were a true marvel. He caressed one of the more prominent feathers and felt both softness and strength in it.
His joy was fleeting, the task at hand returning to his thoughts. He examined the black-robed entity, trying to glimpse something of what was peering back at him from beneath its shadowy cowl. His efforts yielded nothing but disappointment.
Again, he questioned the bargain he had made with the being cloaked in long-flowing black robes. Perhaps it was some trickster god from any of a hundred pantheons. Clearing his mind, Daedalus looked over at the others. The newly augmented humans were each admiring their new and glorious feathered wings.
For an instant, he glanced away from the scene and down into the shallow ravine behind him. Within lay the dead bodies of the men and women who had previously wore the feathered gifts. Their wings had been torn out in vengeance and punishment, leaving deep and ghastly wounds where they had once been connected. The bloody sight caused him to vomit in his mouth, but he quickly swallowed it back down. Daedalus had no desire to share their fate. The dead bodies were once lesser wind deities, the Anemoi. They’d turned down the dark entity’s deal and had suffered and died for their decision.
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Daedalus wasn’t about to make their mistake. The wings that had just sprung from his back had once belonged to one of the dead. In exchange, he had bound himself in service to the dark entity in a mighty plot to cast down all of the world’s influential gods.
When he peered back at the hooded figure, it was holding something towards him in its out-stretched black spindly fingers. The object wasn’t large or particularly imposing. It was dark, the color of soot... round, like a sphere. It also wasn’t solid. Numerous deep holes penetrated its exterior, meeting in the middle and creating a partial hollow within.
It also appeared damaged. A good quarter of it was missing, perhaps melted away by intense heat. Daedalus took the orb in his hands. It was smooth and cold to the touch, having the heft of a rock. He could feel it subtly vibrating, a low hum just reaching his ears. The sensations hinted at a power hidden within the strange black object.
“You know what you need to do,” whispered the dark entity in Daedalus’s mind.
He nodded to the black-robed figure and motioned for one of the other Anemoi to accompany him. His job was simple, to fly the object to the dark side of the moon and bury it there. His companion, a man named Ikarus, was there to guard his journey. There were a great many others who wouldn’t look kindly on what he was about to do. Ikarus stepped up to him and nodded. Then both newly born Anemoi used their gifted wings to lift themselves skyward. The other reborn Anemoi had been given separate tasks of which Daedalus wasn’t privy. It didn’t matter, the two of them had only their task to mind.
They flew for what felt like hours towards the pale white moon hanging low in the sky. Then, ever-so-slowly, the blue was replaced by black, the air growing colder with every flap of their mighty wings. Little by little, the moon grew bigger, slowly edging out the darkness of the night sky. Their destination was the great moon that now floated just before them.
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Daedalus knew the moon was ruled by the twin goddesses Selene and Artemis. Selene held sway over the light side and Artemis controlled the dark side of the moon. Secretly, Artemis had also become a thrall of the mysterious dark entity and the orb would rest in her domain for all of eternity. Avoiding the gaze of the ever-watchful Selene, they carried on.
Once they reached the moon’s dark side, it was a simple matter to deposit the black sphere under the ash-colored ground at the bottom of one of the larger craters. Artemis was nowhere to be found, but it mattered not. With their task completed, Daedalus nodded to Ikarus and started the journey back to their home.
“Wait,” called out Ikarus. “We shouldn’t waste this opportunity. I’d like to explore the vastness and openness of this night sky we’ve flown through.”
“As would I,” replied Daedalus, “but it’s far too dangerous. Many gods reside here and an encounter with any one of them would most likely end badly.”
“You worry too much,” laughed Ikarus. “There are far too few of them to patrol this immense of a domain. We’ll be fine.”
“Go if you wish,” answered Daedalus, “but I will return to Earth presently.”
“Fine,” shrugged Ikarus. “If I come across a flight of sky-nymphs, maybe I’ll bring one for you to keep for yourself.”
The two said their goodbyes and Ikarus flew off to explore while Daedalus headed back towards Earth. When he arrived back at the bloody ravine, the dark entity was waiting.
“The rock has been delivered,” reported Daedalus. “Ikarus decided to explore a bit before returning, but he should be back soon.”
“No, he will not,” cut in the dark figure, it's black robes billowing about it angrily, seemingly alive. “He was foolish and ran afoul of Helios, the sun god who smote him with his fire and let him fall to the seas. Ikarus is dead and his wings must be bestowed upon another. Now, come. There is still much to be done.”
While not surprising, the dark entity’s callousness over Ikarus’s demise fell heavily on Daedalus. He now knew his life was at best, meaningless. At worst, he shuddered to think about it. Falling in behind the robed figure as it floated away, the realization that he had chosen the wrong side began to seep into his very being and he wept.
With the mysterious orb hidden far from Earth, the Divine never stood a chance. Thus began the great purge of the many gods and goddesses of our world. It was the dark and enigmatic entity itself that started it all and saw the fall of every divine being that held any sway over the Earth’s populace.
Now, after centuries of enjoying ultimate power and slowly being corrupted by it, the unending sameness began to weigh heavily on the being known only by Daedalus as the dark entity. It had won and could only bask in the victory for so long. Eventually, boredom and monotony closed in. It wasn’t long before the mysterious being turned its back on its followers and left for new worlds to conquer. That act of abandonment opened a door, just a crack, that would pave the way to a renaissance, of a sort.
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(Indefinitely paused) The Stone-hearted Enchanter
Capra, a man with no connections but a lot of dedication and heart hopes to change his life and leave behind a legacy in the world of Chaos and Fame— a vastly popular VR game as of the last three years. But in a world where every class and skill has been meticulously studied and optimized, and vast resources have been carved out by major guilds and corporations… where, and more importantly— HOW... will Capra be able to carve out a legacy of his own? Is he three years too late? Or are there still mysteries remaining in the world of Chaos and Fame to be discovered?
8 163BREAKING POINT AWAKENING
After discovering his ability in the real world. He fought hard to protect someone resulting in his death. With the mix of regret and satisfaction. He has been reincarnated in another world that magic existed. Possessing the power of the goddesses themselves different from the magic of the world have. He faced countless hardships before meeting a Legendary weapon and conquering the ability he possessed. To protect those innocent people and his friends. Even that he can't kill anyone.
8 193Alexander Creed: Re-Life
From collecting to haphazard experimention, Alexander Creed briefly peeked at the secrets of existence in an incident involving chaos. Having given the chance relive his life, Alexander decides to move out of his reclusive comfort zone and test how far his methods would change the world. From this, he becomes a Chaos Butterfly whose wingspan encompasses everything from comic books, toys, animation, tv shows, movies, music, and even beauties. ------- This is a work of fiction and a lot of unresearched topics so don't bash my trashy work too much. Also, it is just a fictionalization of things for entertainment and just sharing for free. Hope I don't get much trouble for it and hope I don't get sued or whatever. -------- Cover Credits go to LordValmar.
8 1194Secrets of the Arcane
A Fantasy Novelby J. D. SHINOHARA During a reincarnation in Aidinth in Dragon Wolf's year, a baby is born and dies before he can take his first breath.During a reincarnation on Earth in 2001, the same baby is born and lives to tell the tale. That baby becomes the 21-year-old Julien Weiz, a weak but strong-willed man.What if there were second chances? Third chances? Fourth chances? Would you eventually be able to save yourself, your people or the world from skirmish Arcanist who kill each other? Would you even want to?The Dark Emperor who is the shadow of Julien Weiz and his truehearted lover, Freya, as their magical lives tumble through turbulent events in different realms, again and again.However, Julien finds himself troubled by his magical ideals and becomes overwhelmed with moral questions. Will his conscience allow him to do whatever is needed to stop the Arcanist?J. D. SHINOHARA explores Arcane, Spell Arts, and Beautiful Empires to full effect in the fantasy novel to end all fantasy novels.
8 159It's better me then you ( Negans Daughter and Carl Romance ) ( COMPLETED ✔ )
My mom died when I was little, which means I'm the daughter of Negan, who's a psycho. He enjoys beating people to death with a baseball bat wrapped in barbed wire, named Lucielle. We live at this place called The Sanctuary, but sometimes I wish I could run away. I'm worried I'll live my whole life here and never get to fight for myself out there, even though it's an apocalypse. I keep hoping that one day I'll wander off and find love, or a better group that actually protects eachother, but in my case, who everyone knows me as, I don't think it's possible.
8 171Zyon: The Alpha Of The North
Just as I think i'm going to make it out, i feel an arm wrap around my waist, lifting me into the air. My struggling does essentially nothing. I am incessantly weak, thanks to my non-compliant wolf. I feel myself being thrown onto the bed.I flip myself around to see him, standing at the foot of the bed, with his eyes darker than usual and a scowl set in. "I told you not to run, not once, not twice but thrice," he says. "You aren't going to like what I do now." As he leans down, I scramble towards the headboard, still on my back, my eyes never leaving his. "I told you I wasn't going to stay, why are you not able to understand..'' I'm cut short as I feel a hand wrapping around my ankles pulling me downwards harshly. I let out a scream as I kick my legs, trying to get out of his grasp. He wraps my legs around his stomach, grabs my wrists and pins them down, so he's essentially towering over me. I know what he plans to do. "Please Zyon, Please I don't want this." He looks at me and smirks, clearly enjoying watching me beg, "I don't care what you want. What matters is, what I want."------------------------------------------------Katherine is living a life of solace and acceptance with Daniel. With her wolf having become dormant, she has accepted the fact that she will live her life as a human. After all it was her own choices that got her here. Daniel, with whom she has fallen deeply in love is not her mate. She knows who her mate is, but has pushed him and all thoughts of him to the back of her head. She fell in love with Daniel before her mate realised who he was to her and she is adamant to keep it that way. Her mate, however, may not feel the same way.
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