Curtains of Realms

Humans tend to believes what the eye only sees. Yet, behind the mirage of existence, a dimension opposite to the world unfolds and forms the perfect reality separated by a curtain where angels, devils, vampires, werewolves, witches, and even egregores that gave birth to the exquisite taste of lores roam the shadows away from the eyes of the world—a world between the seen and the unseen. Yet the balance who have stood so tall has been tipped when Xeion, an ancient entity with a body like a human, six sharp eyes that pierce through most rigid skin, and power that can reach through the other realms. Suddenly went rogue with his fixation on humanity's darkness and vowed to make them disappear. Some ancient egregores saw this as an act of defiance and had him locked in the realms of the unknown, yet with his power being one of the ancient entities, a simple cage will never subdue him. On his escape, he met the Suriack, who are dark entities with pale skin, long limbs, hollowed eyes, and a wide mouth that always curves a menacing smile every time they open it. They saw how intoxicated he was from his wrath and saw this as an opportunity to make him their greatest ally. Xeion, who sees how desperate the Suriack are, let them be his aid by worshiping him like their God and following his orders like obedient slaves; in return, he promised to bring the realms in darkness and rule not just the domain of Riakai but the whole realms of the world. The other factions from other parts of the realm saw these disturbances yet chose to look away to avoid bloodshed they couldn't afford to have. Those who tried their best to subdue the growing force of Suriack all have been silent and now lay upon the stomach of other dark entities who chose to fight alongside Xeion. While poison is spreading into the realms of the unseen, the opposite realm seems to be playing a dangerous game of shadows. The mortals, whose nature is to destroy what they fear, hunted and burned anyone or anything which seemed different from their eyes at first, it was the creatures who are born in the lands of mankind like the Griffin with the hind body like a lion, head like an eagle and wings from the hawk. The old ogres who look frightening and hunts humans as a snack, the manticore that sported the head of a blue-eyed man, the auburn body of a lion, and the stinging tail of a scorpion that has been luring lost wanderers through its dark cave by wailing in pain and asking for help. Every original wanderer becomes the prize of a wasted game. But as time changes and new breeds of people have emerged, they stop hunting mystical creatures and doubt those who blend alongside them. The witches, werewolves, and vampires who originally are mortals who awakened and shed their mortal skins became the newest target, for they have something that puny mortals loathe, the power of awakening. But even that didn’t last long; from hunting and destroying, they seem to jump into a new game called civilization, yet mankind will always destroy what they build and fear their ghost. Brothers against brothers, bloodshed for a piece of land, and even kingdoms tore each other's pillars for nonsense battles and women. For years, mankind’s world revolved around power and falsehood jurisdiction that created hundreds of innovations yet also produced the cruelest war that it finally reached its ultimate downfall, the great h*******t that made the energy of the land so impure it birthed a new creature, a triaklodt. The egregores who served as the Gods and Goddess also suffered the backlash of humanities pain and wrath. That some have perished, and others became so helpless as they watch their beloved worshipers become godless souls whose hearts are too cold or too arrogant to remember the very Gods they promised to serve. Meanwhile, those who hid in the shadows with their wickedness kept growing stronger than their control became so immense even the largest entities started fleeing from one realm to another. Day after day Xeion orchestrates a symphony of death that can even be heard from the realm of the seen, and anyone sensitive enough to listen to this music is bound to strip their skin off until they become walking flesh. The suriacks who now can walk from the realm of the seen using the strength of Xeion made it their plan to seduce and rapture mortals of their humanity as they feed off their fears, anguish, wrath, and their lust to kill, which made them even stronger. All of the factions can no longer brush this off nor look away. The realm that was divided by their difference finally formed an alliance with the common goal of cutting the Suriack for good. However, a number who lacks power can never win against a faction with a mythical being backing them up, so they beg otherworldly egregores to join them. Still, since egregores virtue is neutrality, they also fled and looked away. In their desperation, they simply made everyone fight, from the elemental nymphs, the tiyanaks, the Kraken, and even some ancient demons fought to balance the opposing side. Even the realm's sky, a mixed hue of blue and purple, suddenly fades its colour until the sky turns black, the two lover moon disappears, and now the only shade of crimson cloud was seen creeping through the clear sky. The war has started for nine whole days and nights. Yet even the quick-witted fairies with speed like no other have been swept like flies when faced with their brethren who chose to side with Xeion and now become faes with dark personality, body like a corpse who will not second guess to tore off their once sisters and brother’s wings off. Even the mightiest giants alongside the proud race of Starrion, with physique like demigod, head like a horse, long limbs of hooves which makes them conjure the winds of the greatest storm that has been unstoppable for decades, still wasn’t enough to stand a chance when faced with the triaklodt. A winged creature made out of bones coated with a miasma of rotting flesh and poisonous gas, a beak that produces the loudest shriek. That is said to imitate the echoed voices of curses from the mortals and a breath that emits a fog that will make anything on its path rot and die in an instance. Those who chose to surrender had been turned to soulless entities with an uncontrollable appetite for flesh. And as dimensions bathe in the blood of the unseen, the mortals' eyes, who are all fixated on the sky, witnessed how the humble moon weeps a faint scarlet shade that covered the whole sky and turned the warmth of the sun into deadly flares that killed their crops and land, a non-stop rain that spilled like an ocean of tears for days before the sun’s radiance disappeared carrying a harsh winter. For the damage within the curtains means loss of the balance of the entire realms. Therefore, mankind will pay the misfortune for the land of the unseen. After the war in the realms, through the rotting flesh and ashes of the dead, seven survivors of the greatest faction of the egregore, witches, werewolves, demons, angels, elves, and vampires, played the greatest gamble that can turn the tables around. Each sphere of power they possess has now been transformed into one life force for each kind and had been given to a young egregore who just woke up from its shell and now became the last trump card of the last hope. She, who is clueless and born in the worst time of the realm, has now been tasked to plant their forces in a new core, a new realm that will make the curtains stand tall again. Yet during her escape to the dimension of alchaic, the land of the ocean. Xeion has already seen her through one of the eyes he has thrown, who hides in the mist of poison in the form of a huge rotting bird with long talons that flies around in a circle, spotting any survivors hiding in the carcass. At first, the bird kept flying towards a beat it thought was a life force of a beast, yet what it found instead was a ball of blob running around with radiance that glistens in the fog of miasma. Xeion, on the other hand, stands proudly on his window view, watching the small blob run for its life through one of its eyes. With his blood, he created a domain that could transfer any object he wished to another location, and with a sphere from the bone of Triaklodt he swiftly flung it in her direction, which drills through the young egregore’s leg that made her whimper in pain. Yet she could not stop; she kept running into the air, jumping through space and flying as fast as she could while avoiding the Suriacks who are now chasing her along with the other undead creatures as they hum the symphony of dead in chaotic unison. The sound was so wretched that it made her ears ring and her heart pumping so loud she thought it would explode, and when she almost saw the tiny crack in the realms curtain, a smile has curved upon her lips because finally... she escaped yet another sphere has come through her way, but this time it didn't miss. It was so strong that it carried her towards a new crack from the curtains and flung straight through her organs that made her body burned in pain, and all she could let out was a small gasp of air as the poison spread through her body, almost like eating her from the inside. The pain was so unbearable that her golden blood came out of her eyes while holding the life forces as close to her wobbling arms. Before her visions slowly faded away with her dying power, she scattered the life forces she was holding as far away as she can which randomly fell on the realm of the seen, along with her dying body, which dropped like the first children of God. Xeion, sits impatiently on his throne of bones while grinning at his next plan, for he knows that in the state of humanity now, that egregore will never survive, and the curtains that separate the realms are finally coming to its end and when that happens... Mortals will be done for. Although since time flows differently in the mortal realm, it now reach it spresent times with smoky roads, impatient drivers, the loud noise of crimes, and the smell of murky faulty sewage that everyone doesn't mind. But in a split second, if only some would look up, they'll witness tiny glimmering stones fell from the sky and find their way somewhere hidden from the eyes of Xeion. THE BEGINNING As the young egregore fell like the rest of the life force, she, a little bit tired and slowly fading, managed to comfort herself for the last time and curved a fainted smile just enough to ease the idea of vanishing into nothing. However, instead of fading, she fell straight to a building where the light was blinking like a faded life, the smell of smoke lingering in every room. And in a small corridor where she fell in, a vessel she never knew existed has been lying unconsciously with a slit on her wrist on a bathtub filled with cigar ashes and dripping blood. The whole room looks like just the usual old inn with torn wallpapers, sticky floor, the smell of molds that have been left out for years but in the eyes of someone who came from the realm of unseen, all that is there are faceless shadow beings walking around the room, echoing voices, peeking eyes from every corner, lowly demons who are sucking the hair of this unconscious girl. And if that is not the worst case, three evil entities also have come who are snickering so sinister while their eyes bleed and bent up body creeping towards the floor. She knows that the soul is still lingering somewhere, and if she doesn't find it now, something will take over, and it will eat the body from the inside. But what can she do? She was just born yesterday. Nobody taught her anything except keeping the life forces safe and avoid anything that looked undead, yet something as simple as that she still managed to fail as she walked back, hands on the bathtub. A cold, wet hand dragged her towards the murky water and found herself staring in vast bluish water with no life force of anything on sight. Panicking, she was pacing, swimming, trying her best to keep away as a giant serpent slowly trail her like a predator ready to hunt its meal. Fear slowly creeps into her body as the serpent's face looks straight into her golden eyes and slithers its tongue on her face, but before she could even scream, she finds herself gasping with air, soaking wet, hands trembling and trapped in human flesh. She dared to scream or at least move, yet her body seemed to be frozen while three eerie-headed beings moved closer and closer. “Give her baaaaaaack", whispered the eerie beings in the room with their beady black eyes bleeding in blood with necks that twist on their own, and in every twist, each soul they have in their body tends to beg for her help creating an echo of pleading voices. Heart pumping like crazy, she was more concerned about what she was feeling than the entities about to make her their dinner. But before she could snap from reality, her body seems to recoil, and with a kick, one backs away while the other entity, who is drooling a gooish black blood, watches with a creepy smile and giggle in her direction. Every shadow people kept moving back and forth while watching as if they were themselves trapped in a constant loop of their old past lives. So with a bit of strength left on her newfound body, she forced herself to at least get out of the tub for other beings started to notice the body, and small dark hands started crawling, thawing, and digging their hands on her as if a she’s a flesh that everyone needs to have. Tears slowly fall through her eyes while forcing her body to crawl. Her visions started to fade as creatures with dark hands shackled her limbs while others tried their best to cover her and to gnaw her skin. Her ears began to ring and every part of newfound body hurts so much she cannot think straight but before she could lose all of her senses, she heard an unfamiliar voice. "Oh light that pierces through darkness, warmth that creates fire, she who glistens like the shiniest sky. Mother of Light I beg thee… through this prayer I speak, create a barrier and protect me from this wretched energy.." said a figure before ducking down to put a sigil on the ground as if magic, every impure in that room fades and through that floor, it picked up this young one filled scratches. CHAPTER 1: The children of Theia and Jarilo It was during their tenth birthday when the twins first had their awakening. They thought the world was just odd while their parents, who were so busy to care, thought it was just part of their childhood since everyone has these particular "imaginary friends." But the difference was, the two can see what others cannot. They see things, heard things, and feel things normal beings do not. On their fourteenth birthday, Karina started to have gifts when she stumbled upon Theia, one of the oldest Goddesses associated with light, oracle, and prophecy. While his brother Kairo who has a bit of a temper and is easily upset though he lives as a typical jock who puts his aggression into rugby seems to find his home in Jarilo’s presence. A Slavic war god who is also the God of vegetation, and through that, he taught Kairo to love plants and conquer himself. But through the silence of the night and in the comfort of their bed. A scream roared in their room. Karina’s The room was silent, well too quiet that I could hear the faint rustle of the leaves from Kairo’s plant near his empty bed. The sound of the clock kept buzzing too, but the time was glitching, and the room was starting to get cold. I swallowed a huge gulp before walking towards the hall and trying to figure out things when a hem of silhouette caught my eyes. It is shining as if the dress itself was made out of gold. "That's odd?" I whispered to myself before tilting my head, trying to think, but my legs seemed to walk on their own, and before I could refuse, I was now walking downstairs, but instead of the living room, I was transported to a different place. The smell is so putrid it made gagged and tear up so bad. I kept walking with my hands on my nose, trying my hardest to cover the stench of rotting meat as if a roadkill that had been basked in the sun and rain for days. The place kept getting darker, and I felt my feet getting wet, and the path seemed to get narrower, and a hard stick pricked my feet. "Ouch!" I gasped before staring at the ground just to find it not as muddy as I thought it was but bloody. The path is made out of the blood and mashed meat that I didn't even dare stare for it. Trembling, my body seems to be stuck, and as I blink, my eyes start focusing on a tall naked old man with wrinkly skin, back against me, who appears to be crouching down while hugging his knee. “Hello, sir?" I called for his attention, a bit nervous because maybe he might be lost just the same as I was. I met fellow travelers who guide walkers like me. But the glint of hope in me has suddenly filled with terror for what I called wasn’t a human but an entity with a long skinny body, hallowed eyes. Before I could make a run for it, it flashed me a gruesome smile filled with razor teeth that seemed to be chewing a small child with its lifeless eyes stares at me. "Run, Karina," a voice whispered into my head as my legs froze in fear. I could not do anything as my tears rolled down my face while this monster was now facing me while imitating the little girl's voice; it was just chewing a while ago. “H-help me….He-hihihi”, It mimics before doing this sinister chuckle that sends chills down to my spine. "Please…Please! Lady Theia help me…" I begged as I closed my eyes, and before I could see the dark, a flashing light both blinded us, making me have the chance to run as fast as I could while the ground I was running turned into an old building complex with number 456 on its door. Then it took me inside with a girl with short, uneven hair laying on the tub. "What is going on? I need to wake up!" slapped myself as I scooted near the small space between the tub and cabinet, but I was still there. I am still in that room, and the slender being is still following me while using a different voice to attract me from going out. I want to wake up, but I can't… I don't want to stuck in this place. I don't want to die here and be eaten. A lot of thoughts are flashing within my head, and through the cracks of the floor underneath the tub, a light is flashing quietly as if it is telling me to hide there. I don't have many options, but not doing so will put me at more disadvantage, so I did. After I hid in that space, the slender being appeared with its long tongue out and mimicking voices of small little kids before a white light blob almost like a firefly appeared and distracted it to another room, then the door closed. A hand glowed upon the tub and reached my hand to help me out. Her radiance is just blinding, but I remember that silhouette; it was like before. "Listen to me, child. I need you to save this girl no matter what. Find her- Find…" But before she could finish, a slender arm with long nails pierce through her chest and grabbed my face. I screamed and screamed, and as I blinked my eyes, I woke up with my brother in my arms and barley leaf on my temple. "Karina, what's wrong?! "I didn't sacrifice my privacy so you can die in your sleep, you know?" worriedly said by Kairo while checking my body before hugging me. “There was this um…. I don’t know what to say… But a .. someone is in danger, and she needs our help." I desperately said to Kairo before crying in his shoulders as I couldn't stop trembling from that experience. After that dream, I was awake for two days and sketching till I got every scene right. I needed to save that girl. But I can't seem to fathom where I have seen her. “Hey Kairo, do you know this girl? I don't know where I have seen her.", I told him as I showed him the sketch. "Hmm.. I don't think so… But I think I saw her before on campus. Also, you need to go to school, I cannot make more excuses to you, and one more crap Mr. Burns is threatening both our asses." Warned by my brother while trying to kiss his plants which made me cringe in disgust. "For a giant who likes to break guy's bones, you do have the weirdest love for plants. Did you even offer anything to Lord Jarilo’s altar lately? Don't be lazy, or he will whip your ass.”, I told him while scratching the bruises left on my neck. "I did; I offered him some Thai vegetable salad made by Chaow’s great-grandma.”, he replied before removing his shirt and stared at my neck. “Does it still hurt? When’s the last time you slept?”, He said again before sitting on my bed with his sweaty body and worried gaze. “You stink, ugh. Get off my bed.”, I jokingly said before grabbing my veil and bag. “Where are you going? I am coming with you.” Kairo said before grabbing his worn-out shirt and following me out of the apartment. We were now walking in the street of Cordelia, which is known as the busiest part of the street, not just to the living but also to the dead. The voices of the murmurs and the gushing curses from the area made me really uneasy that I needed to wear my veil and set a ward to protect my energy. We were just wandering aimlessly, trying to find a clue without putting heads meet when one of my spirit guides pointed out a specific direction. "Karina, it is already starting to get dim. Let's go back" suggested Kairo while tugging my wrist. “WAIT!" I said before running towards a dark alley much different from the beauty of Cordelia. The hot, burning smell of the drainage and crawling rats made it so wretched that it made me hold tight on my amulet. Through the old apartment near the train yard, a little firefly greeted us with its little blinking light before leading us up stairs where some homeless folks reside, and through one of floors, I remember that sequence. Room 454, 455… "Kai, this is it. This is the room!" I squealed in delight before trying to hold the knob, but fragments of devils, shadow people, and the girl flashed within my eyes. "K-kai… Break the door" I hurriedly removed my hand from the knob and formed my hand into a fist as if my skin were burnt down from that simple touch. "Are you out of your mind? Do you want us to get in trouble? This is private property! But sure whatever", he explained before walking back a bit and kicking the door as if acting down like an actor in a movie. “Do you still carry the mixed herbs I gave you for protection?" I asked Kai while trembling at what I am seeing right now. “Ah yeah, here!”, He said before grabbing the protection jar that he made as a necklace and gave it to me. But my body is all frozen up. This is the same fear I felt when I was in that dream. The overwhelming feeling of fusion energy, the shadow people, crawling, walking, the spirit staring, scratching, and laughing through the empty spaces. And if that is not scary enough, three dark entities are watching and hauling in amusement as other shadow entities with red eyes gnaw the skin of this girl. “O-oh light that pierces through darkness- “ooh light that pierces through darkness," mocked by one evil entity while spitting black miasma near my direction. I need to set my attention straight. Nothing will happen if all I do is cower in their feet. With my energy centered into one spot, I ducked down; with the blended herbs and black salt on my hand, I scattered it on the floor while chanting my prayers. "Oh, light that pierces through darkness, warmth that creates fire- “S-top it!" gnarl by the three dark entities before heading towards my direction with their bent up bodies. “She who glistens like the shiniest sky. Mother of Light I beg thee… through this prayer I speak, create a barrier and protect me from this wretched energy..” I continued as I drew a sigil of protection gift by Lady Theia through one of my dreams. And as my prayer end, a glistening barrier coated the whole room removing every negative energy and low vibrational entity. This room is old, musty, and filled with anguish. No wonder this place became the breeding ground of those shadow people. Through the bathroom floor, the girl in my dreams is there. "Kai-" "Is it okay to come out now?”, He said while carrying a dirty old shovel. "What are you doing? Where are your shoes?" I questioned with my head slightly tilted from wondering if this giant man was really my twin. "I traded my shoe for this shovel," he shyly replied while slightly looking away and averted his gaze through the girl. “Whoa, who’s the naked chick?’, He said before turning his back on us when he realized what he said. I immediately dressed her up before tugging Kairo’s pants for him to carry her. "Let's go back to our place," I gently said while watching the girl get carried by Kai like a sack of rice since his shirt is big enough to cover her whole body. "You know, sometimes I really do think we are not twins…" I said out of the whim while walking past the hall with him. “Where are you taking Mia!" shouted an old man wearing my brother's sneakers. "Don't worry, bill. I am gonna take good care of her", replied my brother as he stopped to wink at the old man while smiling. As we ride home, I cannot stop to sigh of relief because I really thought we were in danger. I was distraught that we might not get out alive. We are lucky that what we encountered are lowly dark entities. If we experience something like the one from my dreams, I don't know what will happen. “Sooo…. How should we deal with this girl, and should we tell mom?”, My brother asked while leaning his hand on the window glass to protect Mia's hand. "I don't know. Is her hand still bleeding? Based on my dream, she had a slice somewhere?’, I replied, a bit concerned because she and we are in trouble if she really has a cut. “I don’t think so… but let's just take her to mom. I am worried this girl might die in our room. " jokingly replied Kai while slowly covering his nose that is touching the girl's hair. “Ahem.. uhh, you guys know this young lady," the driver asked, which was a bit suspicious of our conversation. "Erm, Yeah she is our… friend. Can you please take us to Almond Hospital?" I answered while checking myself for money. “Psst.. Psst!" I whispered to Kai while checking my pockets. "Do you have any cash" I mouthed while trying to act casual. “Do you have a rash?”, he replied puzzled, while pouting his lips as if trying to read my mind. “What?!" I answered back before he answered with another what. "You know what, I'll just take you to the hospital even if you don't have any cash.”, the old driver said before stopping at the hospital's door. Both thankful we shyly thanked the driver before guiding this girl towards the hospital's entrance where my brother opened dramatically while calling our mom which made everyone stare on our direction.