and that "-ing" words are not to be used.
The Void's Approach
The soft fall of her footsteps were unconcealed by the crunch of the undergrowth as she flittered from tree to tree. She was not as stealthy as she had imagined nor desired, and she released an irritated sigh as the two moons shone down upon her through the leafless canopy.
Narii traversed a forest that was near its death, a forest that had been vibrant and full of life a mere fortnight past. It was an untouched delight that satiated the needs of those who sought escape from the overpopulated crowds, and now the Void had taken over. It was an event that signified the purpose of her birth and she had been tasked with the removal… it meant her death, but it was why she existed.
In each generation one like Narii had been educated, and in each generation one like Narii had been expended. Born with a gift that allowed her to weave the tendrils of life into the physical, she would fulfil the duty given to her by the misfortune of her birth. It was an eternal cycle that would never be broken and like the others before her she had resigned herself to her fate, though her movements really should be quieter.
As if on cue the treacherous crack of a twig beneath her foot echoed through the silence and she jumped, startled by both the sudden noise and by the icy breeze that blew past her face, the gust accompanied by a shrill screech that could only have been manifested by the Void. Her time had come.
Her pulse quickened as she increased her strides and ventured deeper into the forest’s darkened midst, the shriek a call that would not be ignored as it pierced her ears and amplified the purpose entrusted to her. The people relied on her to restore the only natural gem that remained upon this cursed existence, her gift of the life-weave was now dedicated to a higher purpose and she would not fail those she served.
Further into the cold dark she travelled, her vision obscured by the thick mist of the Void that had spread and enshrouded all it touched as it expanded ever larger, fed by the very life she sought to renew.
Narii closed her eyes aware that they would not open again; they were no longer necessary. Guided by her intuition she forced her way through the heavy auras that surrounded her, an evil that tried to consume her as all that came before her, and soon reached the landmark buried within the darkness… an ancient gazebo built by a long-gone people that no one remembered, the cycle had existed even then.
She stepped into the construct, unaware of the blood that dripped from her pores, and lowered herself to meet the rune forged a millennia ago, the symbol a bright beacon behind her closed eyes. As her hands made contact with the rune she fell backwards in horror, aghast by the knowledge that flooded her thoughts as her flesh met what she had believed to be the most blessed of artefacts.
They had created it. They were the ancients. They had created the “gift” that flowed through her veins and they had manufactured her purpose, the very existence of her life’s blood had called these spirits to the forest and they would not depart until they claimed their dues and melded her into them. This was her contrived sacrifice.
A single tear escaped from behind her frozen eyelids and rolled down her cheek as she discovered her truth, as her transcendent life-magic transferred to the blighted artefact and unleashed a golden glow upon the forest, and the malevolent winds guffawed with glee as the Cursed and Blinded fell upon their creation and forced her to succumb to the inevitable.
This particular gift had been more distraught than the last; they would feast well this cycle. The Life-Weaver had been absorbed into their ethereal mass and the forest had returned to its splendour. The Voidkeepers retreated into their artefact once more, an impatience wrought within as they returned to their dream and awaited the birth of their next disciple. It would not be long now. Only three more weavers were necessary and their tedious wait would be over; their task could begin in earnest.
The Restoration of their shared world was nigh. All would be renewed.
Image used courtesy of Pixabay