The Purple Tempest

The Unveiling

Every night at midnight, the purple clouds came out to dance with the blushing sky, casting an eerie hue across the landscape. The deep shades of purple were unlike any other, and seemed to pulsate with a sickly energy, as if imbued with an otherworldly force. The sky itself seemed to quake and quiver as the clouds swirled and twisted, casting a foreboding shadow over the land. It was a sight that only the bravest would dare to witness, for it was said that those who stared too long into the depths of the purple clouds risked madness or worse. The stars, once so comforting and familiar, now seemed to twinkle with a sinister gleam, as if they too were in league with the eldritch forces at play.

What portentous force could be responsible for this grotesque mutation, I wondered?

Before my very eyes, these ominous clouds began to coalesce, forming a tempest of infernal proportions. The tempest that seemed to draw upon some dark, eldritch power, its very essence infused with malevolent intent.

I could feel the weight of its presence, a palpable heaviness that settled upon my soul like a curse. What unspeakable horrors did these clouds carry within them, I dared not imagine. For surely, no good could come from such a harbinger of doom.

With a tremulous gasp, I barred the window against the encroaching deluge, a noxious maelstrom that had brooded for eons at the edge of the world and now surged forth with fiendish impatience. My mind fixated on every quivering detail of the wind and rain, dreading the cataclysmic thunderclap that would surely rend the air within moments. Too many tempests had ravaged this forsaken dwelling for me to dismiss this one with casual disregard. The savagery of the storm evoked images of a ravenous beast on the hunt, as if nature herself had transformed into a frenzied predator, stalking its prey. And in an instant, as fleeting as the striking of a match, I apprehended the truth that all elements of creation, including nature, are mere manifestations of existence. Even now, some unspeakable entity of unparalleled power might lurk obscured by the roiling clouds, perhaps beyond the reach of even the lightning’s jagged touch. It would be a horror beyond comprehension to witness that enigma in its full majesty under the moon’s eerie glow; to behold it shrouded by a veil of darkness that not even the tempest could rend would be an atrocity beyond reckoning. While most men envision only devastation and chaos wrought by these storms, my acute sensitivity to every event that transpires before me has instilled a sense of normalcy in the notion that each tempest bears an elusive significance that forewarns of an unspeakable force hidden within. And so, the clandestine essence suffusing this region of the earth has designated me as its voice, and my comprehension has finally grasped the whole truth, leaving no aspect unknown. It is as though my existence had been crafted to reflect that of an ancient race that had long ago mastered the art of shaping and binding this vast world like the gods themselves, when every wisp of cloud possessed a knowledge that even they could not fathom. Having seen and been made conscious of the unfathomable, perhaps even enduring a terror more appalling than mere destruction, my soul can never unsee what it has witnessed.

There followed a heavy gust of wind, a long silence in the darkness and then, before one could gather one's thoughts, that unmistakable clap of thunder, an impact so appalling and earth shattering it made my very blood curdle. As I came out of my trance with a start I stared into the dark as into a tunnel; there were eyes there—the eyes of a wild thing behind that purple curtain, and they burned in a great glaring ring that told the story of destruction, and this time without a single hope for any rescue; of something too vast, too irresistible, even for the very elements, in their unheeding passage to that home, that universe, from which the creature had come. They flashed for just one second in the heavens, so vast in their malevolence that no comparison was possible to us and they turned again upon their unswerving course; it seemed as though something vast as the whole earth and more would sweep the moment of destruction down upon that far eastern sea. The beast of darkness that had set out upon such an unholy mission and in the name of powers older than man could understand... I waited breathlessly until, with one more deafening crack, they died away beyond the eastern rim. There could not have been anyone who had a power on earth equal to nature; because for every such thing there is an equal or superior power that knows it, has knowledge of it, has, to a degree, understood it, or in other words, is magic, for a magic is a law no power has any reason for disturbing; they have come at last into being as man has, or being has come about, and it would be better if he understood it, or could know that in understanding is itself magic.

My heart raced as I realized the true horror of what had just transpired. The storm had been a mere cover for the arrival of the creature from beyond, a being of such unfathomable power that even the elements themselves trembled in its presence. I could feel its malevolent gaze piercing through the veil of reality, seeking out those who dared to bear witness to its arrival.

As I stood there, trembling with fear and awe, I knew that my mind would never be the same again. The very fabric of my sanity had been torn asunder by the revelation of this cosmic horror, and I could feel the tendrils of madness creeping into my thoughts, twisting and distorting everything I knew to be true.

But even as I descended into the depths of insanity, I could not tear my eyes away from the sky, for I knew that the creature still lingered there, watching and waiting for its moment to strike. And at that moment, I knew that the fate of the world hung in the balance, for if the creature were to be unleashed upon the earth, there would be no hope for humanity.

The eldritch aura of the extremities, the amethyst clouds and the fiendish creature, rent asunder a door within me, a revelation. In an instant, I comprehended who I am or, more aptly put, what I once was.

I, Ethan, am among the final practitioners of the eldritch arts, and it is my time to embark upon the pilgrimage to the halls of Oblivivallum - a name that evokes the fading vestiges of knowledge in this world. As the last surviving scion of my lineage, I bear the responsibility of restoring our forgotten wisdom to a realm in dire need of it. For centuries, my ancestors had roamed far and wide, serving as conduits between the divine and the mortals of this land. And yet, it was perhaps one or two among my forebears who glimpsed a destiny beyond this realm for our kind.

I felt the wind under my arms, which pierced easily through my clothing. An ancient spell suddenly came into mind, and with the wind, I whispered:

"Celestia elendrion valanorath, kynarien astarielle silmarien, ar naiadrielle quettar elenath, lumioniel tel'mireth valandurin, hiriethiel luthien athanatari, asarien aranel en'dorath."

The ancient knowledge became clear while I spoke it:

"Assemble within me the power of the stars, the wisdom of the ages, the light of the elves, the magic of the earth, the grace of the immortals, and the majesty of the heavens. Let me be infused with strength and understanding, as I traverse the paths of magic and mystery."

I could tell that my spell just reached beyond this world.

It was the appointed hour, and a surge of strength suffused my bones, dispelling my fear with equal haste. The thunder reverberated with greater force, as if to quell my defiance. In my audacity, I provoked the ire of the demonic creature by willing my body to unleash magical power, despite my abysmal lack of control over its mystic might.

Riven asunder by the revelation of the monstrous entity that rode the tempest, I beheld with newfound clarity that the cosmos was naught as I had believed it to be. Powers unfathomable lurked beyond the veil, and I, a mere mortal, was a pawn in their endless machinations. A curious sensation overtook me, an unbridled thrill at the prospect of uncovering the arcane secrets woven into the very fabric of existence. I felt as though a child again, gazing upon the world with unclouded eyes. This was reality in its truest form, not a mere imitation of its former glory, but an awe-inspiring manifestation of its primordial essence. I was grateful to have witnessed this marvel, for though I would inevitably pass into obscurity, I would forever carry the memory of this transcendent revelation. Yet, a melancholic ache gnawed at my heart, for I knew that my fleeting mortal existence would never suffice to grasp the full scope of this wonderland.

As the magic that pervades the very fabric of existence courses through you, you become a conduit for the very power of the universe. Fear recedes in the face of the revelations that await, for the veils that separate you from comprehension part with ease. In those fleeting moments, only two things hold import: the yearning for emancipation and the unyielding defiance to deny the grandeur and profundity of this realm. It is in the realization of one's place in the vastness of the cosmos that one finds solace, for it becomes apparent that, like all things, one is fated to perish. Thus, even in death, one is brought home to the greater whole.

Towards the south, the inky depths of the sea inundated the shores and inundated the woods of Zeriak with torrents of brown, their arrival portending doom for all who dwelled on that lush and diminutive isle. But to the east, the waves crashed with a resolute might that could only be the work of the divine, colliding against a dense, forested range that extended to the very edge of the continent and, thereafter, cascaded like a deluge to the north, smothering the unguarded valleys and inundating every source of life with their malevolent power. And then, they found me. And the woods resounded with a deafening wail of terror.

The hour had arrived to depart, for the infernal hordes had breached this realm. Though my eyes beheld no trace of their loathsome forms, I could sense their malevolent aura seeping forth from the depths of the forest, from beyond the bounds of this land.

There exists a garden beyond this realm to which I must eventually return, an unbounded expanse that lies at the very core of creation. Within it lies an unfathomable abundance of water and light, and all the hues of the earth. But at its center dwells the living white, swirling in an eternal dance that permeates all things and bears witness to the missteps that we, as mortals, make amidst the eternal struggle between beginning and end.

As I ventured forth on my mission to avert the inevitable doom that loomed over us all, I felt the reverberations of an eternal voice. The voice, ancient and primordial, spoke to me in a tongue beyond comprehension, yet its message was unmistakable.

It was the voice of the universe, the voice of nature itself, and it resonated within me, stirring a familiarity that I could not place. With newfound clarity, I set my sights on the far east, where the halls of Oblivivallum lay, and where the cursed clouds of purple emanated.

These clouds, I knew, were the manifestation of a demonic beast that had descended from the nethermost depths of hell. Its domain, shrouded in the same wicked hue, sapped my powers with each step I took towards it.

Yet, the voice within me granted me the guidance and fortitude I needed to press on. Through the unfathomable tempest that threatened to engulf me, my heart remained steadfast and tranquil, even as my focus remained unrelenting.

As the tempest raged on, I discerned a sinister cadence within the cacophony of wind and lightning. The demonic entity, though its origins were unfathomable and its speech indecipherable, could be heard with a clarity that chilled me to the bone. Its voice, a chorus of crackling sounds and unidentifiable tongues, echoed through the very fabric of reality, defying any attempt to understand or evade it:

"Zarnak, m'kadoosh ha'olamim,

Khozer b'teshuvah l'orcho shel mi she'avar,

Tif'arek v'tit'kalek ha'aretz,

B'kolo ha'ma'aravi, ha'mizrachi, ha'tzafoni, v'ha'daromi.

T'chazeik, t'shakam, t'chazek, t'shakem,

B'ruach ha'tum'ah ha'm'tzay'rah mimeni,

L'havdil u'le'havchin bein kodesh l'chol,

L'fatsa l'vakashah, l'vakashah l'fatsa."

As the words were carried on the howling winds, their significance gradually revealed itself to me. It was as if some arcane force had imbued my mind with a sudden and profound understanding, granting me insight into the very nature of the world. The winds themselves seemed to tremble with an otherworldly power, as if the very elements had been harnessed to convey this message from a realm beyond our own:

"Zarnak, holy ruler of the worlds,

Return in repentance to the one who passed,

Break apart and swallow the earth,

With your voice from the west, east, north, and south.

Strengthen, rise, strengthen, rise,

With the spirit of impurity that emanates from me,

To distinguish and differentiate between the sacred and the profane,

To break apart and to request, to request and to break apart."

As these words echoed through the raging tempest, my mind was seized with a dreadful realization: the demon was gathering its forces for the coming conflict. To confront this ominous threat, I must traverse the treacherous mountains of Ur and brave the deadly miasma of the Therrak swamps. And in the realm beyond, a group of seven shall converge with me to fulfill the inexorable decree of fate.

As Ethan dared to venture forth, he was heedless of the peril that lay before him. Little did he know that his quest would take him to the very brink of his sanity, beyond the veil of reason and into the realm of the unfathomable. The abyss of the unknown yawned wide before him, beckoning him with a siren's call, tempting him to plunge headlong into its dark and treacherous depths. Read more of his perilous journey in Chapter 2, if you dare to face the unspeakable truths that lie therein.