《Stormstruck》Birth Grave
Advertisement
Darkness wraps around me, fills me up. It becomes me and I become it, another part of the whole that is everything and nothing. The silence screams around me, though I have no ears, full of words spoken by an absence of voices, rather than voices themselves. Epitaphs made of nothingness so complete and dark they form vivid patterns across the void, overwhelming my disembodied senses.
My concept of self returns first as pain—and by its confines I can sense my own outer edges. What is me, and what is not. I am pain. Then, in an instant, the pain is gone. A heavy, liquid cold wraps about the void left by its absence. I'm propelled forward into a searing clearness. I know I have skin again because I can feel the cold bite of the wind against it.
In fact, I feel more, sense more than I ever could before.
My teeth chatter. I open my eyes.
I've returned, but the world has changed.
In spite of the darkness of the night, I can see in full color and with perfect clarity.
I run my hands over my arms, trying to discern any physical changes. What have I become? I can sense something different, just at the periphery of my awareness, but I can't quite discern what it is. It feels so natural that at first it's like trying to describe a color to a person who can't see them. Something which can be known and understood only by perceiving it.
And something feels odd about my mouth. I run my tongue along my teeth, finding that my canines have lengthened to fangs.
Gwendolyn's shadow falls over me where I crouch on the cold stone. "My daughter has returned to us!" She bends to meet me eyes, to help me up—but the instant her gaze fixes on mine her pupils dilate and her breath stops. For a few thunderous heartbeats she stares into my eyes, her expression betraying something I've never seen on her face before.
Advertisement
I can tell, instinctively, that it's fear. Not from her face, but from the scent of her blood—blood I can now hear as it courses through her veins, faster and faster as her heart rate speeds up.
"She is Reborn! Praise the Storm!"
Those who remain chant her words back to her. Why didn't she declare my type?
I don't realize how disoriented I am until I bat her away and try to stand up on my own, only to find myself sprawling on my hands and knees a half-second later. Smirking, my mother calls for Mr. Pollux and he rounds the stone, scooping me up in his arms before I can do anything to protest. She swoops up to his side, whispers in his ear—"get her down to the portal and get her out of here. Now." As she leans forward, the pendant drops from the loose collar of her robes. Focusing past my disorientation, I reach out and rip it off of her, breaking the chain.
Shrieking, she grabs at it. Pollux stumbles. I shove the pendant into my shirt pocket, beneath the robes—afraid that if I throw it away somewhere it will land on the cabochon side and send out a signal. Out of the corner of my eye, I see E.J.'s face, feel the shadow of life still lingering in her cells. A darkly shining energy that can't truly be seen but sensed. The revelation of my change pales in comparison to the terror of my next thought. If he takes me away now, I may never see her again. Never feel her presence again. It tears my heart open—and through its bleeding wounds power flares.
Energy snaps outward from me in an explosive whirlwind of light. Pollux shouts in pain, dropping me—but he's almost entirely drowned out by the thunder that roars directly overhead. A bolt of purple lightning strikes the Umbra Gate, and its darkened door ripples and churns.
Advertisement
My new sense surges into incredible clarity. There's an endless, three-dimensional web of life-shadows around me. They're everywhere. The most intense are in E.J.'s body, so freshly dead. The faintest are hidden deep beneath the island, encased in stone and soil. Bones of creatures dead for centuries, turned to stone but still with just the tiniest glimmer of that ineffable spark clinging to their presence. Contrasted against these undying shadows are the flickering embers of those still living, distracting in their brightness and movement.
"Pollux!" My mother shouts, panicked and wild-eyed. He lurches forward a few steps then comes to an immediate halt, as if he's hit some invisible barrier.
I stumble to E.J.'s side. Collapsing to my knees beside her, I wrap my arms gently around her, my tears soaking into her already blood-drenched shirt. This close up and in physical contact, the dark glimmer of her life's shadow shivers across my skin. I react instinctively, reaching out to wrap that energy in my own.
I freeze as the intensity of the response sweeps over me. It's like tossing a match onto liquor-soaked kindling. Her cells flare to life—true life. And, like a wild fire, they multiply—but instead of destruction they sow restoration. The flesh and bones of E.J.'s ravaged neck fill in and knit back together. New blood surges into her veins, and her heart beats.
But none of that—none of it—holds a candle to the inferno that sparks in me the moment I feel her heartbeat against my skin. Violet energy explodes around me—into the stone, into the sky, into E.J.
Thunder crashes again, and more bolts of lightning strike around us, but I don't see exactly where. My eyes are closed, pressed against her chest. It expands suddenly beneath me as she inhales suddenly, deeply. Pulling away so as not to restrict her breath, I help her turn sideways as blood bubbles from her mouth. She coughs, hacking ichor and saliva onto the stone until her throat clears.
Everyone around us is frozen in shock or fear or both. Most are still wobbly on their feet like I've been, half-dazed. Pollux seems to have turned to stone, while my mother's face is contorted—expression incomprehensible.
"Ashwyn," E.J. croaks, reaching up with her free arm to touch my cheek. "What did you do?"
Advertisement
Outlands
The Outlands stand as twisting spires of stone and cracked earth under an emerald sky, warped by feral magic and scorched by searing sun. Emaciated creatures scurry through its gullies and across its plains, feeding off what meager tufts of grass they can find. At night the darkness comes to life, shadows churning from an ages old curse. Sin's Curse. A lone hunter stalks these plains. In his bones are memories of ages past. In his blood burns searing vengeance. His people cry out for revenge, for he is the last of their number. These are his lands, and he will claim his birthright.
8 222Twisted Souls (Redone)
On the outskirts of Oxford, England, there is a large manor run by an old man and his daughter. This place is known as Aetherius Manerij. Here, few people are saved and taken in for rehabilitation. These people can vary from orphaned teens to former asylum inmates. What they all have in common; they've all been through hell. One day, Lydia Rein is shipped out of prison and to Aetherius Manerij. The people seem nice, the manor looks grand, and the meals and clothes offered are both well, to say the least. However, minor oddities have always plagued the place. These seem to worsen when Lydia arrives, or so the other patients say. Lydia does not realize that her arrival has triggered something to awaken. It doesn't take long before the darkness begins to grow, as a mysterious force drives these mentally-challenged inhabitants to their knees...
8 100Conquest Online
After being betrayed and killed by his own uncle, Jamie goes back in time just 1 day before the launch of the new VR game conquest online . This time he will not repeat his past mistakes, this time he will aim for world domination .
8 175Augmented Reality
One night an old friend of Ned's wakes him up from his sleep only to inject something into him. The next day he was found murdered. From that day on Ned's life changed. Ned found his world altered, different from how it normally was. This story is about how he tries to navigate through his new view on the world and tries to figure out thes secret of how his entire world had somehow turned into a game of sorts. AN: New writer...somewhat, haven't published anything and this seemed a good time as any so there and this idea was kind of annoying me as well.
8 132The Prodigal Prince
The Crowned Prince Nicholas Bennett Caspian Remington III has decided to abandon his country and title at the age of 12. He is not sure why, but his "6th Sense," as he has come to call it, tells him he has to leave before he is engaged to Scarlett Lola Barnes otherwise he will not get the "optimal" results. If you are confused, don't worry, he is too! He has a checklist in his mind titled, "The Perfect Game Walkthrough," whatever that means, and it has guided him since he was 6 years old. Though he has tried to fight the feeling all his life, it is like he is being controlled by someone else at times. Nick still has some control, mostly in conversations or when the 6th Sense is not guiding him, but for the most part, he has learned to go with it. It has helped him save himself and his family on more than one occasion, both politically, from corrupt nobles, and physically, from assassins that he fought off himself! He does a routine that would be demonic for any kid, let alone when he started it at 6. From martial arts, sword fighting, and magical studies, to mathematics, geography, economics, and business studies, Nick has worked his body and mind into the ground and built it back up on more than one occasion. It is time for him to leave on this journey. He has planned for this over the last 6 years and knows much adventure awaits him, as does much danger. With a heavy heart, he leaves his elegantly written letter telling his family of his choice. "Yo Mom & Pops!I have decided to step down as the Crowned Prince and go on an adventure around the world! I don't want to be engaged to Scarlet, as everyone knows girls are gross and have cooties, and I really don't want to go to lower or middle academy classes since I have already mastered their knowledge long ago. I will be gone for many years, but when I come back, I promise to make it up to you all!Love you bunches,Nick" With that Nick sets out for 6 years on an epic adventure filled with new friends, epic battles with scary monsters, mystery & intrigue, items & treasures that kingdoms would wage war over, an ancient enemy and its army that is defeated just in time to save the world, and a romantic interest that ultimately didn't really go anywhere..........* * *AND NOW HE'S BACK! ....And his 6th Sense is gone for some reason... A/N: This story will attempt to tell the tale of our returning protagonist prince after his perfect 100% video game walkthrough. The game has ended, but the story has only begun!
8 88My brothers best friend, / Adam Banks TMD
This is based on D3. The third mighty ducks movie. It involves Adam Banks and Charlie Conway and Charlie's twin sister, Kendra.Completed
8 127