The following story is fictional. This is the final part for now. I will still be working on the website and improving it, and maybe I will return at some point. For now, the next step is to translate my writings into whatever language I will see fit. Thank you all for this year where you have been with me, reading, and I hope that it was at least interesting and caught your attention.
Continuation from Afterlife – Elements of Black Light
“Our realm may seem painless at first, but in some cases, it is not. To be stronger in the face of pain you have to experience it. It is a double-edged sword as it strengthens you, but too much of it can cut right through your soul. You need to be prepared in the face of it, and for that, our Element of Pain can help you.”
“Element of Pain?” you look surprised at the Dark Star.
“Follow the Light of the obelisks young soul. Go now, and seek out the fourth element. Let Kar-Gorgon, The Pain’s Relief, thunder through your soul.”
“The Pain’s Relief? I don’t like the sound of that,” you tell the Dark Star.
“Indeed, it may sound intimidating, but there should be nothing to fear about. Pain is one of the elements that is universal, and it is felt one way or another by any being, whether they show it or not,” says the Dark Star.
A rift opens close to you, and from it, Sarco, your guide appears:
“Sarco! It’s been a while since I haven’t seen you! What have you been up to?” you ask Sarco.
“Just guiding souls like I have been guiding you at the beginning of our journey. I sense in you the power of the Elements. Seems like you have been busy in my absence,” says Sarco.
“Indeed, I did the trials and met new entities, different from me. Seems like there is diversity here in the Andes,” you tell Sarco.
“Diversity and a lot to learn and adapt, but he went through everything and did not give up, he is a clever soul”, says Eos.
“Since you and Sarco did not have much time to stay together, I was hoping you would accept him as your guide for Kar-Gorgon. Eos needs to attend the meeting of the Council. We need to be present there, in Agrathar,” tells you the Dark Star.
“What is Agrathar?” you ask the Dark Star.
“Agrathar is our soul society, a vast expansion where entities from all over reality exist and thrive. Once you master the Elements, you will have a place also among all the souls there,” tells you the Dark Star.
“It has been a while since I was there myself, maybe we will go together. For now, let’s go and see the Element of Pain,” says Sarco.
“I await to hear about your success, young soul. Whatever happens, I know you will return with the Light of Kar-Gorgon. Let me open this rift for you, may your journey teach you more,” says Eos while opening the rift.
You pass through the rift and reach the ground looking at the Light pointing to Kar-Gorgon.
“Now we go north-west it seems, Sarco. Should we open a rift or fly there?” you ask your guide.
“You have more options than before, but Eos did not tell you yet I presume about the rifts. Try opening one there if you wish.”
“Very well,” you tell Sarco.
You open a rift and you cross together on the other side. At first, you don’t understand where you are but after brief moments you recognize it is Rakar’s forest by looking at the shapes of the flora.
“Is this…Rakar’s domain? you ask Sarco.
“Indeed, it is a place where you have been before. When opening a rift, you need to visualize the place where you want to be. To do that, you need to reach it through other means first. Let’s head back to the tower, and try opening a rift there.”
You focus and visualize the tower and through the fingertips, you tear reality once more and you arrive with Sarco back where you first departed.
“I guess we should switch to flying where Kar-Gorgon is, but my wings are temporary,” you tell Sarco.
“Mine are not, so if they fade out I can carry you, but we should arrive in time,” says Sarco while spreading his ethereal wings.
“Your pattern is approaching mine,” you tell Sarco while looking at his wings.
“Once you master and evolve the bonding, you can mold them into whatever you like, but this will require time. Here you can say you have plenty of it but we will take it step by step.”
You spread the ethereal wings and you start flying there as long as the effect can persist. You almost reach what seems to be a field, that travels as far as the eye can see. It does not take long until you spot a glimmer. You know that it contains a message, and you approach it from above. Once picked up it takes the shape of a circle, as words are etched on it also.
“Suffering will always be a part of my past reality, but I don’t understand how it is possible here to exist,” you tell Sarco.
“Now that we have reached the Plains of Pain, we will be close to our Element and you will see for yourself.”
The Pain’s Relief
You start moving through the plains, they seem as from your own past reality as you look towards them but the same geometrical shapes that you have seen in your encounters are predominant here. It does not take long until you spot entities, standing down in what you believe is a meditative state.
“So many entities and they all seem quiet and in the same state, I wonder what is this?” you ask yourself.
You approach with Sarco a towering entity, a giant, the same kind of the ones that guarded the barrier when you first entered Andes.
“A Colossi! Is he awake?” you ask Sarco.
“Yes, I am, young soul.” says the giant.
“What is happening here? Why are all the entities meditating?” you ask the giant.
“Touch me with your hand and you will have your answer.” says the giant.
You touch the hand of the giant, and in mere moments you feel excruciating pain over your being. You cannot face it and you let go of the giant, the pain disappearing.
“What is this pain I felt?” you ask the giant.
“This is our gift from Kar-Gorgon.” says the giant.
You start moving forward to where the Light points while discussing with Sarco.
“So all the entities here are meditating while being in pain, what does this offer?” you ask Sarco.
“The state of meditation while being in perpetual pain can strengthen the soul, what they are doing here is accepting the pain and focusing on it.”
“This seems odd to say the least,” you tell Sarco.
“Indeed, it seems odd when you first look at it. But some do it for strength while others do it for pure pleasure or curiosity.”
“What kind of pleasure does this offer I wonder…” you point out to Sarco.
“In an emotionless reality, there are few things that can remind a soul of what was before they came here. Pain here is part of a nostalgic process for some, as they are reminded through it of their past life.”
“So there is not only strength to be found, but also memories of what was once,” you tell Sarco.
“Indeed, the pain is also limited to what the soul can resist without endangering his own psyche. As you might recall from your world, too much pain can prove too challenging for one’s mind and spirit. Here we surpass that limit one step at a time. While I offered the reason that many souls come here for, we have also one”.
“And what is that reason?” you ask Sarco
“Should we have a conflict with our counterpart, or if Darkness will find a way to escape again, we will be more ready to face them and the consequences they bring.”
“But there is no way for that to happen, right?” you ask Sarco.
“For now there is nothing to worry about. Peace has been always a choice that we did not abide by, but if anything should come, it is better for us to prevent it.”
Following where the ray points, you reach a hill where the Light glows strong, and you start climbing it. As you do it, each step brings a rush of pain as they become heavy. You do not give up and you continue to reach higher where you start seeing the Element itself. You approach it, as you sense a tremendous amount of energy coming from him, just like on the other Elements you encountered. Only his shape is different from the others, representing a circle.
“Welcome, young soul. What brings you to me?” asks Kar-Gorgon with a deep voice that resonates into your being.
“I came here under the wish of the Dark Star, to seek a bonding with you,” you tell the Element.
“Did you ever feel pain in your past reality, young soul?”
“I did, but I can’t say it was too enjoyable.” you point out to Kar-Gorgon.
“Depending on the level of pain you seek, it can prove to be useful in certain situations. To learn how to suppress it, you first need to face it. Tell me, while climbing the hill, where did the rush of pain go?”
“In my past reality, the legs should have been the ones affected, but here it was different, I sensed the pain right into my core,” you tell Kar-Gorgon.
“Exactly, this is a type of pain you will encounter here more often. The physical pain does not exist anymore here, as you already noticed. Yet pain can still affect someone’s soul.”
“What does your form represent?” you ask Kar-Gorgon while looking at his form, that of a circle.
“Since the beginning, I represented the never-ending cycle of pain that affects everything, even your reality. For one to evolve to a new form, pain is a piece of the puzzle in evolution.”
“Then I am ready to put this piece where it belongs,” you tell Kar-Gorgon.
“Very well, it is time for you to meditate and to feel a part that was lost in the process of your passing.”
“What will you do Sarco?” you ask your guide.
“I will meditate with you.”
“Are you sure? During our journey here from my reality the pain you felt during your life was unpleasant, to say the least,” you tell Sarco.
“It is something I have accepted, it is not my first time being here. It is a part of our own legacy and it must be remembered.”
You are next to Sarco and you both stand down, ready for the process to take place.
“See if you can find relief, young soul in the pain you feel, the trial begins,” says Kar-Gorgon.
As Kar-Gorgon finishes his sentence you can feel a surge through your legs and hands that is slowly reaching your core. You start feeling pain, the same you felt in your past reality at some point, and the memories of that pain come together.
“It is…intense, I remember when I first felt that pain,” you tell Sarco.
“Attune yourself with it, do not put any barriers, let it flow through you.”
As you continue to feel that pain, it is slowly but steadily intensifying, almost breaking your state of meditation.
“It is becoming…harder…there is no time to mend it here as it was in my reality.”
“Do not lose focus, young soul, we will keep the same level for now. It is not time that you need, but discipline,” says Kar-Gorgon.
After what seems like a long or short time where the anguish persists, you start to get used and attune yourself in an attempt to find relief. You sense something approaching, but you do not look around, so the state of meditation can persist. It sits next to you and awaits in silence.
“So you acclimated to the pain of your past reality, and you kept the state of focus. There is only one more pain you need to conquer,” says Kar-Gorgon.
“He is not ready to face that pain, he already deserves the bounding” intervenes Sarco.
“This is a pain that every soul needs to feel at one point,” says Kar-Gorgon.
“This is required after more training….” replies Sarco as the conversation interrupts for you.
You do not break yet the state of meditation but you are aware of what is happening around you until a certain point. You wake up in a dark space again and the human is in front of you.
“You conquered your pain, but can you conquer the pain of the others?” asks the human.
“To some extent maybe I can, but mastering your own should come as a priority. “
“You may be right, I did not win this fight, but maybe you will help me find relief,” says the human.
“How can I do that?”
The human approaches you and reaches with his hand towards you.
“We will share our pain and find the relief in one another…” says the human.
You reach for his hand and you shake it with him. In what seems to be abnormal for you to feel, you cannot help but wonder why is his hand so cold.
“I hope you will find relief in the next pain you feel…” says the human while the vision fades away.
You are back from the vision, and it does not take long until you feel a powerful surge inside you. The last part of the trial started, and you are facing now an unknown pain, but the intensity and amplification are staggering. It breaks within moments your state of meditation and you cannot focus anymore.
“This pain…what is this pain? I never felt anything like this before…” you say while suffering on the ground.
“He will not resist, his psyche will break…” says Sarco.
The intensity is causing you to split apart into afterimages, your core, and psyche slowly deteriorating as your own glimmer fades away.
“How can I make it stop…I cannot resist” you say while your voice is breaking apart.
Sarco looks at the other entity standing beside you. It is the giant you first met on the plains while following the Light. Without a moment of hesitation, both Sarco and the giant reach their hands for you. With your last powers, you move your own hands, simultaneously reaching for both of them. The moment you do, both of them are feeling a part of the pain you fight, but in all this madness, relief starts to settle, and the pain is slowly fading away.
“This was terrible,” you say to both of them.
“What you have faced now, young soul, is no ordinary pain. This is the pain of Darkness, the one that every lost soul fights in his domain. A pain that can easily break you apart and in return grants you madness” says Kar-Gorgon.
“This is the pain that every soul has to feel and conquer. Alone or with the help of others” says Sarco.
“I had to share this pain to escape it. If you are alone, it is overwhelming for one’s mind. I wonder if this pain exists in my past reality and if sharing helps, with friends or family at least” you tell Kar-Gorgon.
“Your kin has much to understand that bound through blood has its limits. Relatives, genetics, these are the few things that here don’t matter. We are not bound by blood here, we are all together bound by Light.”
“So our bond means that we are all friends or family here and pain can be shared if it comes to it. Did I pass the trial?” you ask Kar-Gorgon
“Yes you did young soul, approach me, and carry the Light I have for you”
You approach Kar-Gorgon, and just by a simple touch, you feel a surge that offers you the strength and discipline needed to endure any pain that would harm you. You move forward to the giant, being rather curious of him.
“You have a new ability now, to conquer any pain that would harm you, even the one of Darkness or our counterpart.” says the giant.
“You helped me, but I never asked your name…” you tell the giant.
“My name is Gor, little soul. My kin has also a place in Andes and in the universe itself.”
“Thank you for helping me Gor,” you tell the giant.
“Sharing pain can create a strong bond, and we have one now little soul. I will remain here and continue the process. I believe you have other matters to attend to now”
“Indeed, we should return to our Dark Star,” you say while turning to Sarco.
“Create a rift and let’s return.”
You start imagining the top of the tower where the Dark Star is and you focus the Light toward your fingertips. With one fast movement, you open a rift and you pass it together with Sarco. You are back now to the Dark Star.
“Seems you have conquered the pain and found relief. I sensed the Light within you.” says the Dark Star.
“This part of the journey is almost over, only one more Element awaits,” says Sarco.
“It might be too challenging and prove too difficult at this point for you, young soul, to obtain the final bond.” says the Dark Star.
“Am I not ready for this?” you ask back the Dark Star.
“It is not the problem with yourself, but this one Element has been proving difficult to bond with, he is different from the others you encountered.”
“Who are we talking about?” you ask the Dark Star.
“Aberon, The Relative Sin.”
“Why is he different and difficult?” you ask the Dark Star.
“During our last war from a forgotten time, we managed to exile Darkness but the cost was too high, so much that Aberon could not stand it. He ventured where many fear to tread, into the very heart of Darkness.
“And what happened after?” you ask the Dark Star.
“Nobody knows what happened there. He managed to return but all alone, and from that point, he was changed. He became secluded as being touched by madness itself.”
“He might not offer him a bond, but I think it is worth a try” suggests Sarco.
“Do as you see fit, return to me after whether you fail or succeed.” says the Dark Star.
You open the rift that leads out and you are again alone with Sarco.
“It seems we must head north, the last obelisk is pointing that way,” you tell Sarco.
“Let us spread our wings and fly there, we should make it in time”
The Relative Sin
You start soaring above and heading in the direction where the Light points.
“Can you tell me more about this Element?” you ask Sarco.
“You can always ask the other Elements inside you, maybe they will tell you what to expect,” says Sarco while trying to evade the question.
“I almost forgot about that, Rakar, what can you tell me about Aberon?” you ask the Element within you.
“Forever changed he was when he returned from Darkness…” says Rakar.
“But he is still our kin…” says Tor-Nihil.
“…and the same Light that is within us is within him” replies Kar-Gorgon.
“But we believe he was tainted by the Darkness, you should at least approach carefully,” says Suron.
As you fly towards him guided by Sarco you notice you did not spot any glimmer of Light as before with the other Elements.
“So this time there is no message, are we getting close?”
“We are near from what I can remember,” says Sarco.
“Aberon cannot be tracked even by Rakar, one of his capabilities is to block the connection with the other Elements,” says Tor-Nihil.
“A capability learned in time after his return, while secluding himself,” says Rakar.
“What other capabilities does it offer?”
“For a start, you can shape parts of your body to the extent of a weapon,” says Suron.
“And you can break the limit of our own capabilities and develop new ways to use them,” says Kar-Gorgon.
“We will see what we can do, I can see what seems to be a cave in the distance, but the shape is odd,” you tell the Elements.
“That is our destination, Aberon should be there,” says Sarco
You land in front of what seems to be a cave, the entrance is oddly shaped, almost as a geometrical form that is distorted. You enter together with Sarco, and at first, you do not see any trace of the Light. The cave is dark itself, and you reach further inside it, your glimmer being the only source that you can see. You follow Sarco and the cave starts to stretch wider until you reach a chamber in the depth of it. There is a source of Light in that chamber but it is not as bright as what you have seen at the other Elements. You see from a distance that it has the shape of a triangle, reminding you of something from your past reality.
“So the Icon of Sin, it is shaped as a pyramid?” you ask Sarco
“Isn’t this what divided anyone of our race would want to achieve? To be at the top of that pyramid?”
“It depends, but it seems that sometimes that way is indeed paved with Sin,” you tell Sarco.
“Sin can have many faces, but only those who are more conscious can understand its true nature. We should approach.”
You approach Aberon who at first guess seems to lie dormant. This changes quickly as he disappears in plain sight in an instant, only to appear from behind and emit a shockwave. The impact throws you and Sarco away. You lift yourself up and try to explain why you are here.
“We mean no harm, I seek only the bonding,” you tell Aberon.
“I know exactly what you seek, soul, yet you are pretty brave to venture into my domain,” says Aberon with spite in his tone.
“I have the bonding with all the Elements except for you, what trials must I pass?” you ask Aberon.
“There are no trials soul, I do not seek any bonding, you came for nothing.”
“I did not come this far to give up now, I faced what there was to face, and I ended up accomplishing what was needed,” you tell Aberon.
“He is right, Aberon, he seeks the final bonding, I know you from all the Elements have the fewest bonds,” says Sarco.
“You must be his guide, tell me, does he know what bonding with Sin is?”
“Why are you called the Relative Sin? In my past reality Sin is not something relative” you tell Aberon.
“I know your kind. You should know by now that anything in your reality serves a purpose, if not it would have not existed”
“What is the relativity of Sin?” you ask Aberon.
“Just like a piece of something greater, through Sin, your kind evolved and did not perish. By Sin even if the present offers negativity when committed, it still serves as a lesson and tends to improve your kind. This is why what you call evil tends to have many hidden faces”
“Then, what is evil?” you ask Aberon.
“Evil is something that does not offer continuity. In what is created a continuity and a cycle persists. Evil is when everything stops, and there is only nonexistence”
“So Sin is just a part of continuity…created by the Maker and the Light,” you tell Aberon.
“You seem to have a bit of potential, maybe I will think about this bonding”
“What must be done for that to happen?” you ask Aberon.
“There are no trials to be made, but I have a condition”
“And what is that?” you ask Aberon
“Go and seek the binding”
“What is the binding?” you ask Aberon
“A binding is when your soul unites with a being from your past reality. For that soul when his ‘death’ will come, you will be his guide. This can be done by reaching the Quantum of Chaos. It is a place shared among the Lights, where each soul existent no matter from what is made has a fragment of his own, spinning in the neverending cycle.”
“Then we must reach this place. Can you open a portal Sarco?”
“I will open the way, soul, return to me when the binding is completed,” tells Aberon.
A rift is created that has a strong glimmer of Light from beyond. Together with Sarco, you pass on the other side of the rift, as it closes behind you.
“So it has begun,” says Aberon after closing the rift.
In what seems a vast expansion that is endless in front of you, a swirling pool of Light can be seen, and inside it, there are fragments, vastly numbered, each one of them glowing whether in black or white. You spot something while looking at the Quantum of Chaos.
“What are the fragments that glow both in black or white?” you ask Sarco.
“Those are the halflings, Eos must have told you of them. They are pretty difficult in their nature, and binding is hard due to the instability. Being both with Black Light and White Light if the opposite tends to shift to the counterpart, it may prove harmful for the binder.”
From within the pool, a fragment can be seen approaching, it glimmers both with Black Light and White Light. The fragment jumps from his place and now is in front of you. It moves in circles, almost like wishing to capture your attention.
“Seems like your presence attracted the attention of a halfling, it is your choice if you want to do a binding,” says Sarco.
“I’m pretty curious about them, maybe I can give it a try,” you tell Sarco.
“Know that a binding cannot be stopped so easily. Once the binding is complete you will have access to his memories and experiences. In an emotionless reality, he will be your only access to feelings long forgotten. It is an intimate process, with one single rule above all, that the binding never knows about you and your presence until his arrival here after the end.”
“I understand, I am ready then,” you tell Sarco.
You open your arms and the fragment approaches. He gets close and the process of the binding starts, being absorbed in your own Light, and now being a part of you. For the first time, you feel what seems to be emotions and the beings’ experiences and memories come to you as a vision. He is a human just like you were before your own end. Once his identity is unraveled and you see the human from his present time, you are left stunned without any more words to usher.
“The binding seems to be completed, but what happened to you? Who is your binding?” asks Sarco.
“A human…just like I was…”
“I can sense something is wrong, explain me more,” says Sarco.
“I know him…”
To be continued at some point.
Nothing much to say about this guy except something is weird about him…