Cursed Explorer of the Arcana

Before there was time, before there was anything, there were the three Gods of Origin. Existences who always have been and always will be, eternal concepts even beyond space and time. However, eternity is such a long time to stare into the blank nothingness with only your siblings to keep you company.

It was Iainos, later the self-proclaimed God of Order and Destiny, who first attempted to fill this emptiness. He took a glance at his sister’s eyes and tried to mirror their indescribable glow, the weight her gaze carried, and the flames of eternity mirroring her soul. The creation was mesmerizing yet incomparable to the real thing which led to many further attempts guided not by the drive to achieve perfection, but by the joy of filling the hollow world with light.

Kayel, God of Chaos and Change, saw the gleam in his brother’s eye, the fulfillment of shaping the world to his liking, and decided to bring life to the boring flames and tiny rocks floating in the endless space.

As always this rekindled the rivalry of the brothers and led to a nigh endless competition till every single creation be it massive or small, bright or without any light. was just another piece to up the other. It became meaningless and empty like everything else.

It was only them, the three of them in a realm that was no longer desolate, but still empty all the same. Kayel wanted more, something so unique that even he would fail to predict its fate… something special.

He made one last world, a special one, a garden where he formed insignificantly small yet immensely special things, beings… he created life. This was also when he first came face to face with a new occurrence, something he never knew about through his infinite lifetime… Death, the end of things with no return. The early creations were unsightly and shortlived yet unique like nothing he had ever made. Every new being was more than simple decoration, unlike the stars or planets he made, with secrets and surprises bringing wonder into Kayel’s life. His brother shortly joined, painting the new world blue and green, creating cycles and rules, and at large restarting their competition.

Creatures, plants, matter, resources, and towards the end even Gods of far lesser authority were created as they tried to tip the scale in their favor before their sister intervened. Librea saw that their feud was not something to be decided between the two brothers of equally infinite power so she proposed a solution. To do nothing, to observe and let their creations decide whether they find chaos or order the superior form of life.

Before sealing the agreement, however, Librea created something of her own, a framework for anyone and anything to make their voice heard and rise to prevalence in a world so unequal. She tried her hand at the art of creation her brothers enjoyed so much, to bring a subtle yet meaningful element into their new garden of Aelion, a tool of balance.

Forced by two of his siblings Kayel had no choice other than to relinquish his creation they intruded upon so rudely but not before adding a last stroke. A drop of his blood to haunt the world and make sure true order could never be achieved.

19683 The 2nd Spring

The skies turned red with a new source of light positioning itself right beside the bright ball of Solaire causing the world to turn upside down. The Crimson Comet dawned on Aelion, the world of countless poor mortals, and in response, the mana levels rose like the spring tides drowning the world with the force of the arcane.

Plants devoured anything in their path in order to fuel their mad growth, life mana empowering them like a vile drug. The fauna, animals both small and massive, feeble and domineering felt the energy in their bodies overflow causing changes unseen for hundreds of years along with a surge in population. The prelude to a crazed scramble.

Life in the civilized world of many species froze as the anomaly, the Crimson Comet, made its presence known. The ones who last witnessed the catastrophe lay buried: long dead and their scriptures telling of the impending doom buried deep within the annals of history. It’s been too long.

Yet there were exceptions, cultures, and lineages passing down the tale of the red light from generation to generation.

“Luna, please hit me, I’m dreaming about the world turning red.” A youthful elf, barely in his eighties, stared out the window of his cozy little house right at the comet.

“Then I’d have to hit myself Lucious,” Luna, his wife replied. “Remember the tales, the flood?” She asked her husband in a state of utter shock, trying and failing to cope with reality.

As if shaken out of his stupor by the question Lucious blinked rapidly before grabbing his wife by the shoulder and talking to her with a shaking voice. “Dear, start packing. This city will be no more by the end of the day.”

The woman’s deep blue eyes with her brown hair falling into her face widened as the words reached her. “We have to go… where? Megaris?”

“Megaris.” Came the answer without a delay.

“Help me… no secure horses, I can’t run in this state!” Luna pointed to her bulging belly, a stark contrast to her athletic body. A child, just days away.

“What about my colleagues, the neighbors, or your friends in the guild? If we just informed them-” The husband scrambled to get clothed with the agility of a drunkard despite his age and level before his wife’s voice cleared his mind.

“I know what I’m doing. Get yourself together and get us those fucking horses or goats or anything that can run and is above level 100. Pay as much as you must just please… please Lucious, I need you now, here.” Luna pleaded not to her husband but, to the father inside the man, his sense of duty to take the reins and overcome fear. “We need you.” She touched her belly.

The man left the house in seconds without saying another word after the desperate plea. His eyes told everything the terrified woman needed to know and gave her the strength and courage to stand up to the calamity dawning on them.

If they warned people they considered friends then they’d pass on the knowledge to their loved ones and so on and so on. The information would spread with mass panic being the only possible outcome and that was something they couldn’t allow themselves. If condemning an entire city to ruin improves the chances of keeping their soon-to-be-born child safe then so be it, it was a price both of them would be willing to pay many times over.

All their valuables, all the potions, food, a few changes of clothes, and anything of sentimental value. The two pieces of luggage turned out to be comically large and seemingly impossible to carry for even a man in his prime yet the pregnant Luna grabbed both with no strain on her face whatsoever before shouldering her trusty weapon through her many adventures on her way out. A laughable weight for a seasoned Warrior like herself. She took one last good look at the small apartment where everything started before opening the door and leaving their past behind.

Stay strong Luna, he needs you just as much as you need him. Leaving the past behind is easy compared to losing the future, go, move! She walked outside and never turned back.

The streets were painted red and the air already felt warmed just minutes after the emergence of the Crimson Comet yet the crowds stayed oblivious. Most people just stood around aimlessly, a stark contrast to the usual midday rush, gawking at the anomaly and gossiping like never before.

Luna caught a few conversations and assumptions about the identity of the comet as she hurried down the streets, her bag no longer as eye-catching among other people carrying burdens similarly large. A sign of wrathful Gods, a previously unseen magical phenomenon, or just something passing like the eclipses that happen every other decade as one of the three moons blots out Solarie.

Wrong. All wrong… Luna warred with her heart. Flee you fools! Don’t just stand around, run as far as you can, behind walls as tall as you can find! Maybe… NO, you can’t, not now and not even when you’re about to leave, don’t take any chances!

Soon the crowds around Luna turned restless, people making their way home to secure their families or rushing to the authorities in search of answers. The church, the guards, the major, or even the local quack of a Seer, anyone just to calm their minds.

“Please, wait!” A woman stood in her way with a child only a few years old in her arms. “You seem to be in a hurry, do you know what that is?” She asked with concerned eyes while trying to calm her crying baby.

That could be me in just a year… Luna stopped in her tracks. To leave a child…

Her resolve was put to the test, the good and the necessary pulling on her heart mercilessly. In the end, she had her own duty, as did this mother in front of her. The weak and ignorant, are the first to fall in this cruel world, and although the child was as innocent as a lamb, keeping him safe was the woman’s responsibility.

“Sorry, I’ve never seen anything like this,” Luna told a half-truth, the easiest lie. “I need to hurry to my husband, he must be worried sick.”

Before the woman could muster a response Luna ran down the street as fast as a woman with a melon-sized belly could possibly move. Despite even just one of the baggage doubling it in both weight and size the child dragged her down as if she were carrying a scorpion mammoth, a burden heavier than any weight.

Leaving their hometown despite the possible dangers along the road was not a choice but a necessity. Mana levels were not the only thing on the rise. Soon waves dwarfing the wall surrounding their town would swallow the entire shoreline leaving no time to react or a chance to fight back.

I’d rather face a dragon than Aelion herself.

It only took a couple of minutes for Luna to reach the southern gate along with the stables where she found a snaking line of people swarming the stablemaster to secure a ride.

Maybe others who know about the Comet. If so then they must’ve come to the same conclusion as us. Spreading the information is foolish. Or maybe just travelers eager to get home as fast as they can. Luna mused while walking toward the love of her life.

Charming as ever with his green eyes and that wheat-blonde hair of his, although he seemed to have gained a little weight in the past few years. Elves are known to stay sleek no matter how much they eat or how little they exercise so either human food was just unkind to their body or the husband curse had finally reached him.

His true beauty came from the two horses by his side, massive and muscular beyond what one would expect from the animal normally.

[Horse lvl 82]

[Horse lvl 76]

“You found a promising pair, they might even last the whole journey.” Luna complimented her husband while catching her breath.

“Do you plan on giving them potions?” Asked the man, trying to calm the beasts he was holding at the reins.

They weren’t spared from the Comet’s influence despite being domesticated and clearly raised well judging by the revolting price the previous owner asked for them. Beasts like these two had Skills of their own, hopefully, ones that kept their nerves in check, or else meeting predators along the way would be the least of their worries.

Without wasting any more of their precious time the couple secured their bags on the saddles and popped open one bottle of green liquid each. Potions of haste, a bottle of condensed life magic sprinkled with a plethora of other ingredients the alchemists keep a close secret. The horses turned restless, literally shaking with uncontainable energy as the high dosage of magic did its work. The couple mounted the beasts with their nostrils flaring and eyes wide open before giving them the signal to gallop and bursting past the checkpoint at the gate.

No time for bureaucracy when the world is about to collapse.

***

The first stretch of the journey passed without any hiccups, blasting past traveling merchants and beasts even noncombatants could deal with, leaving only a cloud of dust behind them. At that point, the horses had been sprinting for four hours straight, exhausting their stamina and outlasting the potions of haste. The creatures, sapped of all their strength, would’ve surely failed to complete the remaining stretch of the journey without collapsing or a few hours of sleep, something Luna and Lucious could not afford so the couple chose the reliable solution. More potions, stamina and haste alike to reinvigorate their rides and drive them past the limits of their bodies.

In the end, the long ride took its toll not only on the mounts but also on the riders. Both Luna and Lucious were exhausted from constant tension and vigilance rather than physical exertion, yet years in their respective lines of work kept them focused even if their minds protested.

Night had fallen by the time the first real opponent showed itself, a bear the size of a barn wandering onto the well-traveled dirt path. Sadly the appearance of the hulking body illuminated not only by the light of the three moons but also by the hateful red light passing through the trees was enough to scare the horses witless.

As daylight burned the density of mana kept rising, turning warm and soothing at first before becoming chilling and suffocating. This affected the poor mounts on top of the exhaustion they suffered from after the potions lost their effect. Most likely the only thing keeping them from turning rabid until now.

[Bear lvl 210]

As the creature burst through the bushes like a boulder springing out of the ground, it struck one of the horses in its front leg, snapping it like a twig. The rider, Lucious, reacted with swiftness and grace befitting an elf, leaping off the falling horse’s back, and vaulting straight over the bear’s head. By the time his flight reached its zenith a trio of ice spears carrying fog and gleaming in the light of the night had embedded themselves into the bear’s flesh and taken the creature to the ground. After the elven hunter landed on the massive beast’s back he just brandished his dual daggers and severed the salivating head snapping at him.

“Nice assist dear.” He nodded at his wife who seemed to be reaching her limits, her otherwise relentless spirit and resilient body failing as the day of childbirth drew near. “Hang on just a little mo-”

In a lapse of judgment, both of them seemed to have forgotten about the injured horse lying on the ground with now blue lines running under its skin. It flailed and kicked anything that moved around him, be that human or his kin, crawling closer to the bear and licking its blood off the ground.

If one fright wasn’t enough the second did it and made Luna’s mount descend into a crazed thrashing, trying its best to throw its rider off while biting at the air with unnatural frequency.

In one swift move, Luna executed the creature, landing beside it and delivering mercy onto the other one still feeding on the bear like a starved dog. Killing them was indeed mercy, an end far kinder than being eaten alive in this world of madness after making such a ruckus.

Just as they were about to start a strategic debate the roots of nearby trees broke through the soil, slowly reaching out for the carcasses littering the ground. The wood penetrated the cuts and punctures, reaching deeper into the bodies and slowly draining them of all the nutrients even before the blood could pour out through the wounds.

Lucious quickly grabbed all their belongings from the saddles. “I’ll carry these, you just keep moving - we must be near.”