《Whisper From a Dream》Chapter 8
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In the depths of space, Tenebris moved through the vacuum, unbothered by it as his dark essence surged past worlds and stars. Occasionally he rested, stopping to devour the life he felt on planets he cared nothing for, and would never see again. With every lightyear he grew stronger and more terrible, he was truly the stuff of nightmares. He took pleasure in taking physical form, leaving terror in his wake. He also probed, ever seeking, and ever searching for his prey.
He could feel them, their tiny insignificant presences, and he taunted them. He relished their fear, their anxiety, their torment. Even as he reached out to their minds again, he recoiled violently, repelled by a new presence. His mother’s power burned, it angered him. How was she there, with them? How could they call on her? In his anger and his madness, he could not understand.
“Tenebris.” The voice burned like acid through his mind. Had he been manifest in physical form, Tenebris would have cried out.
No! NO! She cannot stop me! She cannot find me! Tenebris raged within himself. I will kill her! I will kill them all!
“Tenbris. You will turn back.” Elthys spoke within her son’s mind again. “Your wickedness will be your undoing. Cease this. Repent.”
Tenebris did not acknowledge her. More driven than ever before, he surged ahead, drawing ever closer to Earth and the vengeance he thirsted for. As he crossed the expanse of space, he became dimly aware of other, lesser things near the two betrayers. Intrigued, he probed them, but found their essence so dull, and so primitive that they were too far beneath his contempt. They would not bring him any pleasure, and they were not worth his time.
Onyx facility churned with activity as those within continued to prepare for the coming onslaught. Tactical teams from the United States armed forces were arrayed around the perimeter, ensuring that no one crossed onto the grounds, or approached the facility for any reason. The airspace around the facility had been deemed restricted, forbidding the news helicopters from continuing to circle overhead. As night fell, an eerie quiet settled over the building and grounds.
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Whisper gazed out the window. She could feel each life, each presence in the darkness outside. Now nearly recovered, she had command of her memories, and her power. She had been with Raden for hours, exploring it, relearning it, growing more confident as her true nature came out. She could name faces now, people from her life. She remembered her work before Engram, before she had ever seen a human being. She remembered lifetimes, places, distant worlds. Her mind settled once more on the paper that still lay folded in her pocket, containing a face she now recalled with an ache in her heart. She turned from the window, and back to Raden where he sat, resting from the exertion of working with her.
“Raddanech, I need to talk to you.” She said quietly, addressing him by his true name. “We can’t do this alone, I need to go to him…”
“Whisper, do you not remember what it took to save his life? To dissuade the Council from destroying him then? They granted him mercy only because of your father, and his intercession. They could not kill in cold blood, in spite of what you had done. If he returns, they may not see it that way a second time.” Raddanech answered levelly. “My love, I know how much he meant to you then, and still means to you now. But if we invoke his aid, you risk losing him to Tenebris, and to the Council.”
“I know he would be at risk, but I also know that he wouldn’t refuse us. Maybe it’s horrible of me, and selfish of me, but he could be the difference between driving back Tenebris, or seeing our friends hurt...our other friends…” She faltered. She wanted desperately to see him again...the one she had created. “He loves you too, Raddanceh, he always did. He knew you were everything to me. These people are innocent, he would want to protect them.”
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“There isn’t time, Whisper. We need to go to the Council, we need their support. We can’t go off elsewhere, Saxe and the others are counting on us.” Raddanech explained patiently. “Tenebris isn’t going to wait on our whims, he is getting closer. Can’t you feel him?”
An involuntary shudder ran through her as she reached out, feeling the dark presence of Tenebris and realizing it was no longer just a whisper from her dream. He was real, and he was coming. “I can.” She said simply. “But there is a way. You go to the Council, ask their help. I will go to Ion.”
“You expect me to stand by and leave you alone, now of all times?” Raddanech rose to his feet, the intensity of his passion flashing in his deep green eyes. “What if he follows you, hmm? You are carrying his mother’s light. We don’t know what he will do.”
“Yes, I do expect you to. You swore yourself to me. You promised yourself to me as my Guardian in the Light. I need to do this. And we are wasting precious time arguing.” Whisper answered, her own voice raised in anger.
“By the light of our Stars, you are stubborn!” Raddanech said, sighing in exasperation as he took Whisper into his arms. “You are stubborn, and foolish, and light help me, I love you. I will do this for you, against every ounce of my judgement.”
Whisper closed her eyes and hugged him tightly, then reached up to kiss him softly. He had always been the only one that understood her, that believed in her. “Thank you. Thank you so much for trusting me. You know I wouldn’t do this if I thought it would only make things worse. Ion really can help. We should go.” She said, reluctantly breaking their embrace.
Raddanech was the first to depart, calling a gateway to Inasban, their home. He wove Light energy into a doorway, which glowed with blinding intensity and power as he stepped through it. It blinked out as suddenly as it had appeared, taking him far from Earth, and far from Whisper.
Once he had gone, Whisper repeated the process. Her own power was now so intense that the air crackled with it as she wove a doorway to a different destination. Without hesitation, she stepped through and onto the surface of Lumhia, Inasban’s moon. Darkness surrounded her as she let the doorway close behind her.
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Old Riding Author Lunatic Asylum
Just off the A19, in the dark, incomprehensible lands known as Yorkshire, there lies a town. A town where shadow-silent alleys glint with the secret hunger of knives. Where blood soaks the chipboard window shutters of forsaken terraces stretching off into the night. Where the smog-choked air rattles with the depraved laughter echoing out from clubs that can only generously be described as post-apocalyptic. Well, that’s Middlesbrough. But down the A19 a bit (an impossibly long way down, actually) there lies another town: Raughnen, in the ancient, forgotten Old Riding. It is an equal match in muggery and thuggery alike. It also has magic spells and pointy wizard hats. And now, across the miles and across all sensibilities, a pretty nasty power (a magic one) calls out for its pretty nasty counterpart (a decidedly unmagic one): a proper sound Boro lad. Nothing good can come of it. This is a collection of one novella and four connected short stories: I. A Yorkshire Summoning II. Old Riding Day Trip (the novella) III. Heaven is a Parmo IV. Death on the 66 V. Death on the 257 In total, this comprises 34 chapters totalling around 35,000 words, so try not to worry. It will be over relatively quickly. There are three more short stories with more tenuous links to the core collection: Rush, Paper Round and Scenario 79: Sausage Fingers, all of which can be found in my collection Short Records of Misadventure. Reading these may allow you to make more sense of certain parts of the story, if any sense is to be made at all. NOTE: There are instances of prejudice and discrimination within these stories, including elements of sexism and ageism, which are purely the thoughts and actions of the characters involved and which certainly do not reflect my own views on these matters. ANOTHER NOTE; A WARNING, PERHAPS: This can get a bit weird. In less than 150 pages, we have four viewpoints, first and third person narratives, and a completely disjointed plot with lots of gaps, dead ends and no real resolution. Also ZERO lunatic asylums. It's all a bit odd. If that sort of thing isn't your cup of tea, which it most likely isn't, it might be best to move on now.
8 190NINA
As a person who had always been fixated on her weekly routine, Nina felt stranded when she was dropped to the unfamiliar world below. With no other choice but to accept the help offered by a local courier business, she soon finds that the group of women she works with have a lot more to them than what meets the eye. Promised that she can return home after her contract is finished, Nina’s chaotic time at The Cloud Orchestra begins. But will she really want to leave when the time comes?
8 150Farblade
In the year 2046, where humanity advanced further than imaginable and created a device that broke world records and setting new heights for competitors all over the world, how will they keep up? Allowing people to enter a role-playing game world, where you can use weapons such as sword, axe and more, would you want to get involved? Knowing how to enter the game world, how will you leave the game world? https://www.wattpad.com/user/Zoldyar This is my work and I will be posting it on Royalroadl.com
8 74CALL OF THE DAO
This is a story of a young boy, Lin Feng, whose passion for cultivation dies once he opens his meridians, he decides to leave his family and settle on a small Mountain, to kill his boredom, he starts painting, carving, farming and other hobbies. What he doesn't know is the things he thinks are normal can make cultivators lose their minds. Join Lin Feng in his daily normal life. The cover isn't mine, just found it on google. If the artist wants it removed just dm me and I will remove it.
8 117A Wish
This is a story where there are no heroes and no villains. This is a tale about revenge, despair, and hope. This is a story where the truth is constantly hidden deep beneath the surface, and nothing is ever as it initially appears. The world is a stage. Every character has their part to play before their exit. They are actors, dancing on a stage set for them while searching for the truth behind the façade. Only time will tell whether they will be able to escape their predestined fate, to search for their happy end, or whether the promised end is nothing more than, a wish. Author's Note: Update will be very unpredictable as I travel quite a bit for my work.
8 162Dolor
So this is death...? I... Wish this moment would last forever... this is bliss in its purest form... why do humans fear this feeling? [The Slothful Moon Goddess intervenes with your curse!]
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