NOVEL SIMPLE 70. And Recounts Bygone Times VII (Morgan)
Three months came and went, and the winter solstice was finally arriving. The day where the sun hung in the sky the least, and light would be shunned in favor of the dark. On the night of the winter solstice the very energy of the world felt suppressed. It was for exactly that reason that Morgan selected that day for her ritual.
The magic that she sought to wield was primordial and grim, something that she could only attempt because of her upbringing. She applied her knowledge of those old magicks to the new, and attempted something that had the potential to reshape the world.
Deep trenches were carved into the earth, both in swirling lines and in sharp, geometric ones. Altogether, they formed a pattern - a magic circle. Various objects were placed within the trenches, laid there carefully and purposefully. Flesh from individuals suffering from different poxes and plagues, the blood of monsters, men, and awakened. Candles lined each side of the trenches, not yet lit.
In the center of that great assemblage, where the lines converged upon one another, was a pedestal bearing a vessel - an urn which would carry this ritual's product.
The only souls that were present there were Morgan and Selene. Neither of them would allow another to enter and risk disturbing the process. Every last detail was carefully curated, each part of the plan an intricate piece which simply mustn't be bent out of shape.
They stood at the center, at either side of the vessel. Even after their lengthy preparations - time spent working through their veritable catalogue of reagents, and arranging them delicately one by one - the two of them spent hours beside that ornate little urn talking about all manner of things, including the future.
Isa had bitterly given it the nickname of "Slumbering." After bestowing it with a name, the Pioneer of Deceit cut ties with Morgan and Selene entirely. They utterly refused to participate in the pair's plan.
After seeing what the awakened were capable of, and their capacity for inflicting harm, this was the solution that Morgan and Selene finally came to. The awakened wouldn't be selected by a dice roll of the gods, they would be chosen by the people of the world -- or more specifically, they would be chosen by the perpetrators of the Slumbering.
A poison that would curse those who imbibed it, and those born from them. It would weaken the link between soul and body, just enough to prevent the accursed from awakening within their lifetime.
It was for this reason that they wormed their way into the heart of Hyperion. The kingdom was to be their testing ground, to see how their plan would work throughout the world.
"We're about to bring something into existence that will curse generation upon generation." Selene spoke in a flat tone, not a hint of uncertainty present within her words. But there was something of a question there, as if she were asking 'are you sure about this?'
"I've doubted it plenty of times, as have you." Morgan gave her partner a solemn smile, "If this falls into the wrong hands, if the ritual fails and the poison doesn't act as it should. If - even though all else seems a success - we should fail to continue that chain of triumph..." She sighed, "I will play the hand that I've been dealt. This is the path forward, I'm as certain of that as I can be. All across the world, the people are being harmed by those who think that their powers make them something akin to gods. You and I will put an end to it."
"That's why we worked so hard, I know." Selene glanced up at the stars, her gaze lazily traveling across a few different constellations. The sky was so, so very clear on this night, as if the only light that was allowed to pass into the world was that of the stars'. "I've seen what harm has been caused, and I agree with the methods. I'll follow this course for as long as I can. First Hyperion, then Lushaire, and then..."
"The world."
"You really aren't lacking in ambition, you know?" She held a hand to her face, stifling a giggle, "I'm as prepared as I'll ever be, ready at your signal."
"Then there's nothing else for us to do, is there?" Morgan took a deep breath, a small, restrained laugh escaping her lips.
"Mm-hm."
Morgan lifted a finger, mana welling up enough to slowly leak out into the air beyond. A loud snap rang out through the area, energy crackling out from her hand throughout the ritual circle. It rained down as sparks, each one falling upon a candle which was promptly lit. They flickered to life, and the ritual began.
A soft light was brought into that dark space, but even that glow felt oppressive, suffocating, and cold. From out to in, that light came into existence from the now-lit candles, and the pair began directing a vast amount of energy as one.
Patterns, glyphs, letters, and runes began to light up - some even carving themselves into the ground on the edges of the trenches as Morgan and Selene directed the reservoir of energy to their whims. Either one guided one half of the ring from the outermost edge all the way towards the center. Selene stood at the east, while Morgan stood in the west.
The energy that they worked with started out as raw, unadulterated by the hands of another or by spell-work of any kind. It moved at a slow pace, agonizingly slow. But as it worked its way through the trenches, it began to slowly pass over those wretched samples that the two had laid out within them. At a snail's pace, that energy began to take on an almost fluid consistency. It was metamorphosed from intangible energy into a dark liquid resembling bloody phlegm.
It grew darker in color, concentrating in potency as the trenches grew thinner towards the center. Each cutting of flesh, each spattering of blood, even each candle was taken into that all-consuming fluid - dissolved, absorbed, and integrated. Each and every time, there would be a shift all throughout the circle.
As it grew closer and closer towards the center point of the ritual, it became increasingly difficult to reign in that vicious energy. Tangled tendrils connected the both of them to it, allowing them to shift the energy with their very will towards the beginning - but now, they had to physically yank and pull, digging their heels into the earth. Every centimeter that it traveled was a trial in its own right.
Finally, after an hour of their grueling laboring had passed, the fluid - which more closely resembled a paste by this point - now rested within the urn. Everything about the stuff made the pair feel sick to their stomachs, in spite of the fact that it would do no harm to them.
Selene quickly, but carefully, placed a lid on the urn. Morgan, in turn, began tying the lid thickly in twine in order to prevent it from ever being opened unintentionally. Even sealed up carefully, wrapped and lidded, their creation would bring about discomfort in anyone who so much as gazed upon it.
The land was consecrated, an effort which took another two weeks from Selene, and very nearly put her in an infirmary more than a few times. Even with her radiance, it was a struggle to purge that place of the corruption that they wrought.
Morgan and Selene had completed the first leg of their machinations with the creation of the Slumbering. Though the tasks ahead were not easy ones, they had found a way to turn the wheel back - to reject the advancements that were being granted to them.
All that remained was to distribute it to the people of Hyperion. First the commoners, and then the noble class.
