Chronicles of Darkness

Book 1 – Rise of Darkness

Chapter 1
Brother & Sister
She was alone, completely alone. She had been for centuries or longer, maybe shorter, she wasn’t sure, time had no meaning here.
Here, was nowhere, or maybe it was somewhere, but you couldn’t tell. It was a complete total darkness, so mind numbing that you lost
any sense of direction. There was no sound, no smells, no movement, no feeling of air blowing, it was a complete void, absent of every sense.
Even if you knew your eyes were open you could see nothing. There was nothing to see.
For the first few hours or maybe years, she had been able to squint and see her own naked body, but now she couldn’t distinguish it
anymore. It had become part of the darkness. In fact she wasn’t sure she had a body anymore. In the beginning she had been able to kick her
legs or flail her arms, and get some sense of movement, but know there was nothing. It was as if she was an incomplete thought, floating
nowhere until someone could complete it.
Another endless amount of time passed, she had no way of telling if it was minutes, hours or years. No way of knowing. Again her
thought fell upon the world she had shared with her brother. For an unknown amount of time he had been the only deity watching over the
world, worse yet, influencing it.
As so many countless time before she despaired of what had happened to, Helentria, as they called their world. She spent much time
conjuring up vivid pictures of destruction, hate and war, diving deeper into the helplessness and dread she was already feeling.
***
The castle was huge, the size of many larger cities. The walls impossible tall and smooth, the castle sat on an island in the middle of a
lake of hot molten lava. In fact the castle was a very impressive sight, to many it was also a reason for fear. As you got closer you could tell
that the walls had no seams in them, they looked as if they had been grown from the hard black granite making up the walls. On top of the

Page 1 of 7
Chapter 1
walls huge stone carvings of dragons and gargoyles loomed motionless over anyone approaching.
The hooded figure on the midnight black stallion did not seem impressed or fearful; did not even seem to notice. No guards or
companions accompanied him; he just rode quietly, with purpose towards the gates of the castle.
Around the lake of lave a huge army had set up camp, at first it would seem that they had laid siege to the castle, but as you got closer
you could tell that was not so. There were no defenders on the walls of the castle and the army, impressive as it was, made up of Orcs, Ogres
and worse, they all seemed frightened of the castle.
The horse quietly trotted on, heading down the causeway to the castle, not paying any heed to the army of monsters or the boiling
lave. The figure on the horse looked up as if noticing where he was for the first time.
As the figure looked up the hood fell down. Long honey blond hair fell down the back of the cloak.
The figure on the horse was a woman. She had high cheekbones and full lips. Her slightly slanted eyes, a stunning emerald green,
were perfectly spaced in her face and with her small nose accentuated her incredible beauty. Her slender body was hidden beneath the folds of
the cloak, but looking at her there was no doubt the rest of her body was as perfect as her face.
A wickedly beautiful smile spread across her face as the horse passed beneath the great portico. It seemed a smile of triumph, yet also
an ironic smile.
In the courtyard she rode the stallion all the way up to the main building and dismounted. She walked in, leaving the stallion standing
there, she had no fear it would leave and the horse had no need of tending. The stallion was not really alive. It was the embodiment of a long
dead stallion. It looked normal, it smelled normal, but it did not act normal. It had no fear, it would not grow trepid as normal horses would,
and here in the middle of His castle, surrounded by liquid fire and monsters, it stood quietly, awaiting the return of its Mistress.
She walked through the huge empty hallways. The castle looked like it had been built for giants, the ceiling at least 100 feet above her. The
walls were completely smooth and seemingly made from the same seamless granite as the walls. There were no decorations on the walls and
no sconces held torches. There was complete darkness. If it affected her, you couldn’t tell. She walked confidently, as if she was talking a
stroll in the market square of Maral-Wen. She stopped in front of a pair of huge double doors. The doors were made from Crimson
Mahogany.
Crimson Mahogany is a rare wood species that you would only find growing on the site of the Whei-Mar battlefield. It is a very red
Page 2 of 7
Chapter 1
wood species, very dense and durable. Legends tell that the trees fed from the blood drenched ground and over the next few years mutated
into this new species of trees. The wood is highly priced for its beauty and close grain, but also for its incredible strength. The harvesting of
Crimson Mahogany, was outlawed by King Jhadious thousands of years ago.
She stood there for a few minutes, steeling herself. Although she had been here before and that she normally held no fear, a meeting
with Him, could often be unpredictable. Although He probably would not kill her, there were certainly plenty of other options that He might
opt for, He was known for his imagination.
She stepped forwards towards the door, which quietly swung open, as she was about to walk into it. She knew that would happen and
didn’t hesitate for a second.
***
The darkness was never-ending, her thoughts equally so. As she was floating in the void, her mind turned inwards, cursing herself for
the mistakes she had made, cursing Him for his deception and cruelty, she thought she might be crying, but again, she had no real way of
telling. All of a sudden, her thoughts and despair vanished. She had seen a flash of light, she was sure of it. She knew light and she was sure
she had seen some. But how could that be, there was no light to be had here, and certainly He wouldn’t give her such a chance. She starred
into the darkness for what seemed like years and when the light didn’t appear again, she started crying again.
‘ I must be going mad!!’ she screamed ‘ He finally succeed. I am now a useless idiot’ she continued.
She tried to listen for her own voice, but even that small consolation she wasn’t granted. She opened her mouth again, screaming, an
animalistic snarl on her face, but nothing could be heard. She tried to curl up and weep, but with lack on sensory input, even from her own
body, she had no way to tell if she was actually doing it.
***
She entered the huge room. Although huge was a weak word to describe the room. It was larger than most castles, and was large
enough to fit an army into. The ceilings vaulted so high above her in permanent darkness, that she had no idea how far up it was. The walls
were lined with numerous sconces, burning with a cold blue flame. At the end of the huge room was a large raised platform, with a throne on
it. From here it looked like a regular throne, but she knew that was far from the truth, she knew what it really was. It was one of the few things
that could still make her queasy and fill her with disgust, so when she could she stayed as far away from it as she could. Of course she could
Page 3 of 7
Chapter 1
show none of this weakness to Him, although he doubtlessly knew it, or to the other Chosen. Weakness could get you killed or worse around
here. Much worse.
She stopped at one section of the room, the only place where there was any decoration or interruption in the emptiness, besides the
throne. It was a collection of trophies.
There was a Knight’s armor, once worn by a mighty king in a long forgotten era, it was rumored to have protected him from almost all
physical blows. Unfortunately the King had been over confident with his seeming invulnerability that he had charged into the middle of an
enemy army. This had been his undoing. As he was swinging his sword left and right, cleaving enemies with every blow, a small man took
notice of him. The diminutive man made some arcane gestures with his arms and muttered some words only understood by Magi and
Dragons. A bolt of lightning shot from his fingers, flying straight at the king. The bolt hid the king mid chest, and with enemies and corpse all
around him, he had no chance to throw himself out of the way. The heavy metal armor served as a conductor, and electrocuted the king in his
armor. The little man won the day for the conquering army. The little man later presented the armor to Him and was made one of His Chosen.
The king was still in the armor, she was sure.
Next to the armor there was the waxed and preserved head of a great Elvin warrior, who had once led an army against His castle, he
almost succeed and would surely had laid siege to the castle, if he hadn’t been betrayed by one of his brothers.
There was many other trophies, some grisly, some valuable, some beautiful pieces of craftsmanship, and she knew the story behind all
of them. Except for the last and most plain of them. A mirror. A full height, beaten silver mirror hung on the wall. The only thing remarkable
about it was that the silver had been beaten so well and so expertly, that you couldn’t see the small hammer marks normally noticeable in
mirrors like this. Also the mirror never tarnished, even though no one maintained it. But the most remarkable thing about it was that it was
here, in His castle. And she didn’t know why it was here, and whenever He was asked about it, a heavy silence would be the answer, with the
not spoken threat not to speak of it again.
She stopped in front of the mirror, as she did every time she came here. The image that appeared in the mirror pleased her. Her face
was perfect. She dropped the cloak on the ground. Her slender curvaceous body was clearly apparent in the tight doe leather pants and top she
wore. Her full, round breast could be seen straining against the laces of the shirt. On her hip she wore a simple belt with a simple slender
sword hanging from it. Her long honey hair hung down past her firm buttocks. All together she was the most beautiful and perfect woman that
Page 4 of 7
Chapter 1
any mortal man would ever meet.
***
A small pinprick of light seemed to further convince her that she really had gone mad, that finally, after centuries of absence of
everything, she had lost her mental faculties. But the light persisted and after hours of trying to disbelieve it, to afraid to be hurt, to be
disappointed, she finally reached out. She sent apart of her self towards the light.
She felt warmth, she felt the light, she felt her spirit soar, and she felt herself basking in the tiny spark of light. It was real, she was
sure. The light was still too small, to distant to be useful, but the mere presence of it raised her spirits. For a while she allowed herself the
thought that she might be able to escape, but when, a moment later, the light disappeared, her spirit was crushed, and she screamed. She
screamed for mercy, she screamed for death, she screamed for mental oblivion.
Again an immeasurable amount of time passed. She was just floating, trying not to think, trying not to do anything, but be there. A
small speck of light appeared again, but this time she did not do anything. She saw it was there, waiting for when it would disappear, as it did.
It came and went several more times, each time staying a little longer and seeming a little closer.
Finally it was so close, she imagined she could feel the heat from the light, that she could feel her body again. She closed her eyes and
willed herself into the light.
***
He was in the room. She could feel it. There was no mistaking it. His presence was overpowering. She turned away from the mirror
and faced Him. Instantly she knew it wasn’t bad, he wasn’t going to punish her for any of her schemes. He appeared as a rather well build
human male. A large chest but slender waist, a well chiseled faced and handsome black hair. His eyes though betrayed his nature, they were
black, but beyond black, the seemed to absorb light and draw your soul into them. If He looked into your eyes, it wouldn’t take long for you
to start quivering, because in His eyes, all your sins and dark desires were exposed. He knew everything wrong you had ever done, and every
deepest and dark fantasy you have. If you ever cursed you wife, He knew it. If you thought about beating your brother, He laughed at it. And
if you thought of taking a woman against her will, or killing a man for profits or anger, He would use it against you. He was Malignus, or in
the common Tongue (The) Evil One.

Page 5 of 7
Chapter 1
 “Sin, I am so glad you are here”. He said with a big smile.
“I live to please you, Master”. Sin said with deference as she kneeled down in front of him.
He stared at her for a long time, as if considering if she was worth his time. Sin remained kneeling, feeling his stare move over her,
evaluating her as if a horse for sale.
“Sin, I have received some disturbing reports about you. Reports indicating that you are not 100% loyal to me” He said in a quite
voice. But coming from him the tone level and statement carried the highest level of menace you could imagine. Sin was caught of guard for a
minute before she managed to respond. She had been so sure that he was in a good mood from the way he arrived. Well, she thought maybe
not a good mood, because he could never be associated with anything good, but at least a non-lethal mood.
“Master, maybe you should investigate the loyalty of my accuser”, Sin managed to say sounding almost casual.
He fixed her with a dark stare, which held her motionless for what seemed like an eternity, but was only a few seconds. Her knees
started buckling, but as his gaze shifted, she managed to straighten herself.
“Sin, my dear. First one of my chosen accuses you of betraying me, and now you suggest I look into his loyalty to me!” He said, the
tone level raised so that there was no doubt she would hear him. He dropped his head down and his body started trembling. Sin thought for a
minute he was so enraged that he might just kill her, when all of a sudden he threw his head back and laughed loudly and with much
satisfaction. This startled Sin more than the anger would have.
“I have chosen well this time it seems. Before my chosen have been too afraid of me to show any sort of initiative. And now I have a
group of schemers so busy that I almost think I should start watching my back” He continued laughing and finally settling into a smile. He
stepped closer to Sin, leaning into her and whispered “I said almost Sin, I do not want you or any of the others to forget who made them what
they are and who can return them to what they were or worse. You do not want to return, do you Sin?” He asked. A picture flashed in Sin’s
mind. A picture of a woman burnt. Her hair burnt away, leaving only a slight stubble on her scalp. What had been a beautiful face and
seductive body, burnt beyond recognition, the skin melted into a horrendous mutation of what it had been. A woman, who once had been the
subject of much desire and envy, was now a subject of pity, disgust and hatred.
Sin shivered, vividly remembering what had happened to her and what he had offered.
“Master, No, please. I do not want to return to that!” Sin said, her normally strong voice, weak and quivering.
Page 6 of 7
Chapter 1
“Good, Sin, because you are a prettier sight this way” He said with a small grin.

Page 7 of 7
Chapter 1