Hellscape

What Lies in The Soul

Bradley awoke in unfortunate circumstances. He was falling into a red and foggy void. It took a moment for him to register what was happening, but once he did, he began flailing and screaming. Farther into the void he soared. The air grew hotter and drier the longer he fell. After what felt like an eternity, Bradley began to control his descent. He had been skydiving before and knew how to "fall properly" as his instructor had put it. His eyes were dry and he struggled to see as he fell. The thick red clouds he was falling through smelled of rotting bodies and smoke. The ground hadn't become visible even after all the time he was falling. Fearful he could hit the ground at any time, Bradley closed his eyes, awaiting his death.

Death did not come for Bradley. He reopened his eyes and noticed the red clouds started to thin out, turning to a thin mist. Past the bloody mist, he began to make out the terrain below. Large red lakes with orange and brown land masses sprawled out as far as the eye could see. The land beyond was mountainous and contained little to no vegetation. It reminded him of flying over Arizona. He aimed his landing for the red lake, or what he assumed was a lake. He knew at the speed that he was falling, it would be like smashing into concrete. He braced for impact knowing he probably wouldn't survive. Suddenly, his body slowed down until he was floating. His body slowly drifted down until he was just twenty feet away from the lake. He then dropped again, his body plunging into the thick liquid. It was thicker than water but less so than blood. It had the strong scent of iron. Bradley struggled to keep his mouth closed as the rank liquid filled his nose.

Bradley breached the surface, gasping for air as he coughed out the liquid. Treading, he wiped the liquid from his face with one hand. He glanced around quickly. He had seen where the nearest piece of land was before he dropped into the lake. He swam as fast as he could in the direction of the island. He crawled out of the lake on all fours, thick red liquid washing away from his clothes. He got to his feet, looking around. The land wasn't much like a beach. The ground was hard and dry. He noticed that even where the liquid had touched the ground it dried up almost instantly. The heat was blazing like he was standing in the middle of a desert. The ground began to quake, making him stumble. A large explosion sent him flying back into the lake. He sat up in the water, looking dazed before coughing up more of the liquid. Once the dust cleared, he saw an object sticking out from the ground. He crawled back to land and began to move cautiously toward the crater it had left. Sidestepping, he arrived at the object. It only took a second for Bradley to know what it was.

A large sword was sticking out of the ground in front of him. The hilt was long enough to fit four of his hands. Rough and dark red leather was braided around the grip, and a golden ring secured the leather on either end. The pommel was a clear ball with black colored sand moving inside of it. The blade was enormous, jutting out from the end of the grip. There was no cross guard on the sword. The blade was nearly the length of his body. It was straight and the edge was razor sharp. There was writing embossed on the blade glowing bright red like embers, but he couldn't read it. He grabbed the hilt with his hand cautiously. As his hand made contact, a searing pain spread throughout his body. His teeth clenched and gritted, his free hand grabbing his other wrist. Black veins grew up from his hand and all over his body. He screamed once more before falling unconscious.

Within a dark void, Bradley seemed both weightless and lifeless. His skin was pale, and his eyes were devoid of life. Despite his state, he was still holding onto consciousness. Contained within his mind, Bradley would be put through something that would change him at a fundamental level. Ripples started radiating into the void he was floating in, his body being the point of origin. Within his mind, Bradley met a being.

A stillness came over Bradley's body as he opened his eyes, only to find himself standing in a vast darkness. He felt no fear, no solitude, just calmness. He began to walk forward as if being controlled by someone. He had a blank expression as he ambled into the impenetrable darkness ahead. Suddenly, Bradley stopped, and a dim orb of light appeared a few meters above his head, illuminating a small area around him. A voice bellowed out from the darkness, echoing in the back of Bradley's head.

"You- One from another world," it said.

"Who are you, and where am I?" Bradley asked.

A moment of quiet passed before more words shot out from the darkness saying "You will have answers to your questions. Some things I can not give you, however, and you will have to learn them on your own."

"Just tell me where I am!" Bradley snapped.

"Becoming agitated will help you none. Answers will come in time. Firstly, I will tell you where you are," it paused a moment before continuing, "Right now you are conscious only within your soul, and your body lies in wait outside. As for how you got here, even I do not have an answer that you would be capable of understanding."

Bradley looked on, anger contorting his expression. "What the hell do you mean I'm in my soul? Who are you anyway? None of this makes any damn sense!"

The voice seemed to amplify slightly like it was building up confidence. "I am not someone, but something. I am not who, but it. Something beyond the measure of time, the progenitor of all creation in this place. You touched a sacred weapon and have been brought to the inner reaches of your own soul by the power it holds. I can not directly interfere with affairs in that world, but I can touch your soul. I have come to communicate with you at the first chance."

Bradley took a long time to comprehend what was happening. One of his friends was a fantasy nerd and would always babble about portal fantasy. He thought deeply and rationally about his situation. This could all be a dream, but what if it was real? What if he really had been ported to another world?

"So I'm not on Earth anymore?" Bradley asked.

"No," the reply came. "You are in the world of Dalgastus."

"How did I get here?" Bradley asked.

"I am not completely sure of that," it said. "I only govern the laws of this universe from beyond the cosmos. The fact that I do not know means that you are not from this universe at all."

Before Bradley could ask another question, it interjected. "I have overstayed my welcome in this place. What I have told you shall suffice for now. You will find more answers soon enough. I take my leave."

"You can't leave, you son of b***h, get back here!" Bradley yelled. It was too late, though. He felt the presence of the being leave, taking the orb of light with it.

What he had just witnessed was beyond comprehension. Inside of his soul, he felt nothing but anguish. The vast and incompressible distance from home could be felt radiating in every direction. There was nothing but an endless abyss in every direction. "Is this really my soul?" he thought to himself. It was devoid of everything. There was an eery silence as he walked around, scanning for anything.

Bradley began to run, not slowing his pace until he was gasping for air. He frantically looked around, screaming out in anguish. Falling to his knees, his mind raced from one thought to the next. It felt hours had passed since he fell through the sky into a red-hazed desert. There's no way this could be real- but it was. He began smashing his hands into his head trying to wake himself from this disgusting nightmare. He had killed those men, and since, they hadn't left his mind either. Now, this was happening. Could he have bled out from that knife wound? It was superficial, but maybe it was worse than he thought. His eyes darted around as he thought about every possibility. His usually calm demeanor had turned to a frantic mess as he crawled around the shallow pool of water that covered the entire ground. The space he was in had little to no visibility and seemingly went on forever. Bradley felt like he had finally lost it.

Hours had passed while Bradley lay on his back. He had given up long ago. His mind ran empty of thoughts as he stared into the darkness above. The faint sound of footsteps echoed in the distance. Instantly, Bradley was snapped out of his trance, sitting upright. The sound of the steps were not only getting closer, but they were getting faster. Bradley shot to his feet, instincts preparing him for a fight. Whatever it was, it was sprinting directly at him. He squared his feet and prepared for the worst.

Just before it reached his sight, it stopped. The space he was in was dark enough to where Bradley could barely see his outstretched hand. He didn't move or make a sound. He felt the warmth of a breath cross his face. He heard the sound of jagged breaths. He smelt the stench of rotting flesh. Whatever it was, it was just inches ahead of him, but he couldn't see it. He had a gut instinct to run, and so he did. He took off sprinting hard in the other direction. A guttural scream echoed in all directions. He couldn't hear if it was running after him over the sounds of his own footsteps, but he had a feeling. His clothes were waterlogged along with his shoes, and he didn't have the endurance to keep sprinting. After just a minute, he slowed down too much and was tackled from behind. He thrashed around in the water trying to get whatever was on him off. He just barely caught a glimpse before a large hand gripped his face and he was out cold once again.