Maize narrowed his eyes inspecting the area. Silence grew in the shadows. It lingered there. The Fallen Mountain was near and he held onto an unpleasant feeling. Luminescent leaves fluttered and light rippled through branches. Fog grew dense down the path and Maize paused. Hands twitched towards the twin blades that hung low on his waist as his body tensed. Maize kept still, lungs screaming for air. Muscles twitched from strain. Bright leaves that rustled gently in the breeze were the only movement he detected.
Maize frowned, forehead scrunched in concern. Every aspect of the forest was unusual. No animals ran through the brush. The sky was bare and no bird took flight. Insects did not chirp protesting the heat. The fog was an anomaly, but recordings of such instances happening close to the Mountain were common. Certain texts told of far worse irregularities in the ecosystem. Fog, he was prepared for. Sweat dripped off the ends of dark hair, rolling down his neck and into a drenched shirt. Maize ignored the faint itch from a corner in his mind.
Turning his attention onto the path in front of him, Maize took a few steps forward cautiously. All senses alert he slowly continued down the path. Tiny hairs across his body stood on end when a surge of static power rushed towards him. Wide-eyed Maize swiftly turned peering down the path he just climbed. Trees in the distance quivered and dust clouds rose clashing with the fog. Mumbling curses under his breath, Maize sped up the path into the haze. An earth-shaking roar vibrated into the air. Whispers of annoyance echoed in his ears.
The ground shook in objection underneath him. Bare feet slapped against stale dirt. Through the soles of his feet Maize detected the tang of magic flowing from the creature. All surrounding foliage appeared to be absorbing the peculiar power. Maize studied the planets in proximity to him as he came to a halt. The once soft illumination from the flora was quickly whirling into a deep scarlet smolder. As the scarlet burn spread rapidly throughout all the foliage, the air grew dense. Shadows were casted onto the fog, playing with Maize’s vision. The world around him grew sharper. Plants grew in height and took a feral aura, pulsing against the mist. Angry crimson leaves whipped and lashed out.
Maize labored to take breaths against the weight of the humidity pressing against his chest. He struggled farther up the trail. Splintering wood cracked. The pounding of large paws echoed against the wall of haze. Maize felt his heart drum against his ears. Racing over the peak of a hill Maize saw the edges of the fog begin to clear. Willing his lungs to expand Maize skidded downhill, wincing as rocks cut against callused feet. Maize sprinted towards the edge of the fog. Branches snapped out slapping against skin and thorns tore at flesh. Gasping for breath the moment he escaped the haze, Maize tried to calm his mind and racing heart.
The Fallen Mountain frequently produced mutated creatures. Another anomaly. Maize was unsure which beast he currently faced. Behind closed eyes, memorized book pages flashed in perfect replication. A howl broke Maize from his thoughts. The ground rumbled back in response and jostled Maize as he attempted to gain balance.
Within the reference book, The Influence of Sortilege Evolution, Maize mentally recollected sections regarding animals where excessive transfigure took place. “During the course of the previous millennium, natural evolution of plants and animals experienced various deviations. Plants started to move and displayed emotions. Animals rapidly morphed into new species. Residue left from the Fallen Mountain quickly changed the surrounding woodland into nothing the shamans could have ever predicted. As the flora and fauna continued to evolve, their hostility grew. Any human contact with the foliage resulted in savage aggression. Hundreds of thousands were lost trying to reach the Fallen Mountain. During the generations that followed, the Mountain and its surrounding forests grew distant and shifted into myth,” Maize mentally read from image behind his closed eyes.
Maize felt every muscle begin relax and sigh in relief as tension eased away. His body suddenly felt lighter and the quivering ceased. Slowly blue eyes opened and Maize emptied his mind. Maize carefully examined the bonds he held in place. Satisfied they were secure, Maize dipped into the stream of chaos beyond his perception. Babbling in a hushed voice as his fingers tingled numb, Maize raised his hand swiftly creating symbols in the space in front of him. Flares of blue hues erupted from nothing. Interact symbols hovered in place igniting brighter. Gradually a veil began to bubble and expand wide in all directions. Maize continued muttering his enchantment fortifying the barrier between him and creature perusing him. A soft snicker whispered within his subconscious and Maize quickly shook it back. Satisfied with his work, Maize spun around and began jogging down the path. Knowing the barrier wouldn’t hold the creature for long, it would at least buy him a middling one or two hours of sunlight.
After persisting down the dirt road for hours, Maize finally slowed when the howls of the creature ebbed away. Foliage resumed their normal florescent glow once the ruby sky darkened. Soothed by the calm of night, plants stood limp. Maize slumped against a rock surveying the damage done to his body. Deep gashes ran down his left forearm and throbbed sharply. Leaning down he rummaged through the small brush along the forest floor. Careful not to disturb the sleeping plants, Maize tried to locate a moss to pack his wounds with. Maize warily wasted the dark hours away caring to his wounds. With the moon missing from the night sky, Maize could no longer make his way through the forest. He would need to wait until dawn to continue towards the Fallen Mountain.
Maize sat hidden from view and relaxed with his swords resting on top folded legs. Slowly the faint light of dawn began to inch upward. Pink hues filled a thin stripe of the low horizon. Maize slowly rose from the den he constructed of moss and dead leaves. Frowning in confusion and swords gripped tightly in his uninjured hand, Maize slowly walked towards a massive shadow that hung over the sky. Shock filled his expression.
The Fallen Mountain loomed broken against the brightening horizon. A deep red sun began to chase shadows and the darkness into hiding. Maize strained his eyes to see details of the destroyed civilization. Taller than any rock mountain, the once enormous floating city of Alyon lay decaying in a deep crater before him. Foliage died off in the distance replaced by waste overgrown with intertwining vines. Maize craned his neck up and shielded his eyes from the sunrise. Even though he stood many leagues away from the city, the Fallen Mountain still rose high into the skyline. Magic particles floated along the wind, swirling through the air. The Fallen Mountain’s pulse vibrated through the soil quickening as bright light filled the sky. Tree branches swayed alive, reaching out towards the rising sun.
Destroyed buildings defined the Mountain’s outline. Building and houses crumbled into the air as the wind blew against their walls. Foundations stood bare with no structure. Hundreds of thousands of people lost their lives in the carnage that took place. Some areas on the Fallen Mountain’s south side were nothing but large holes exposing the vast halls and tunnels hidden beyond the city’s exterior shell.
Maize was having difficulty calming his shaking body. The amount of energy brimming from every heartbeat belonging to the Mountain pressed against his being. His body shook in excitement and tensed in terror. Maize spent years studying every aspect of Alyon. He memorized the entire chronicle history of the power source below the Mountain that ultimately led to the city’s massacre.
Finally, a voice rumbled inside his skull. Maize stiffened and his gut dropped. Inhaling weakly, Maize tried to wrap the chains tightly around the form growing in his mind. He shuddered in horror feeling the figure slip and chains fell heavily against the walls of his sanity. Pain erupted from his head, destroying all his mental defenses. Maize miscalculated. The bonds were not securely in place the previous day. Too preoccupied with surviving, he failed to keep Him at bay. Panic consumed Maize as he realized his fate.
Wailing loudly in pain, Maize felt the blight spread throughout his body. All nerve endings fired rapidly and Maize felt his body being cleaved apart. A maddening laugh escaped his lips as he fell to his knees. Skin stretched taut as the growing figure pulled against Maize’s frame. Snapping bones filled his ears and blood spurted from his lips. Opening his mouth in a silent scream of pain his body convulsed and fell limp against the ground. Wisps of shadow slowly began to assemble and semi-solid feet ambled towards Maize’s battered body.
The moment I was sealed, I knew you would lead me here. Congratulations. You finally made it to the mystic Fallen Mountain, the rough voice ground out. Maize gasped for air numb with pain and chocked on the thick red liquid. His body gave one last shutter and stilled. Alyon will be revived without fail this time, chuckled the once abandoned God as he walked away from the mangled corpse of his host. Snapping vines came to life with each step the God took towards the ancient city. The Fallen Mountain’s pulse quickened and the moaning ground shook. With a twisted grin, the abandoned God raised his hands as Alyon awakened.
The God took his time making his way slowly through the ruins. His body absorbed the Mountain’s power with each pulse through the soles of his feet. A humanoid body began to form. The edges of the tall body shimmered in the sunlight and pulsated with the Mountain.
Wiggling his fingers, the God’s right palm began to glow as a dust substance formed. Licking his lips and blowing softly towards the dust, the small particles floated into the wind. Continuing his way towards an opening that exposed the inner halls, he watched with satisfaction when the small particles landed on the overgrown foliage. The plants burned bright light and dissolved into more particles that began to continue to float through the air and begin the process all over. Quickly the process spread throughout the mountain.
The God hummed happily as he skipped his way through the intricate halls that made up the heart of city. He stumbled upon old housing corridors and passed through the indoor market. His body began to fill in and took a solid form. The amount of power flowing off the mountain increased the closer he got to the true heart of the city.
The God laughed into the darkness when he raised his arm creating a floating orb that shone bright against the dark walls. The mountain shook with each heartbeat. Outside the mountain, the plants were all cleared and the vines that extended from the fallen debris quickly pulled back and resided back into the rock bed that made up the massive bottom of the floating city.
Consumed with the need to reach the ancient power of the mountain, the God did not realize that the mountain was pouring its energy into another being as well as his own. The broken body of Maize grew brighter with each pulse. A luminescent vine that extended from the rock bed had made its way to his body and latched on. With each throb, energy flowed into his body. Gradually his cells were shocked back to life and quickened, beginning the processes of healing. Broken bones snapped back into place and fractures sealed. Internal organs stopped their decay.
The God’s newly formed body shook in crazed excitement as he removed the rubble that covered the doorway. He took a moment to congratulate himself on his achievement. Centuries spent waiting and plotting for this exact moment. Walking through the threshold, a wild smile spread across his face. The core of Alyon hummed and vibrated the stale air around it. It stood meters high and towered over the abandoned God’s humanoid body. Raw power seeped from a crack in the core’s surface. The pulsing shock waves burnt his human skin. The burns quickly regenerated and where bright red by the time the next heartbeat pulsed. The God rolled his shoulders ignoring the smell of burnt flesh. He invited the smell, it was a sign he was truly freed from his personal prison.
A shadow substance slowly flowed and disappeared into the darkness. White lines that glowed dimly in the darkness formed a grid that surrounded the core. The God slowly reached out two fingers and tapped the barrier. The lines snapped and unwound from around the core.
Just as the grid barrier broke, Maize’s eyes snapped opened and he gasped for air. He struggled to his feet and grasped for his swords. Frantically looking around, he saw no sign of the God that escaped his body. Sweat dripped from his forehead and he stumbled backwards falling to the ground. Wincing he covered his eyes. The world around him shone bright.
As Maize attempted to control his body, the earth beneath him shook and the plants screamed. A high pitched ring grew louder each second. Maize covered his ears and cried out in pain. The ringing became deafening and his enhanced senses soaked it all in. The Fallen Mountain began to shake and slowly lifted into the air. A demented laugh filled the air as Alyon took the sky again. Surrounding foliage grew bright red and the forest cried out in anger. The roaring from the evolved creatures filled the air. Birds chirped and flew from the trees in haste. All wildlife surrounding him was lost to mayhem. Maize watched in horror as the ancient city disappeared into the haze and the laugh from the crazed God echoed in his ears.
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