The Cathedral
A Countdown to Final Ragnarok short story
By Dan Wright
By Dan Wright
Kthonia opened her eyes. Everything appeared blurred, as if someone had wrapped a blanket over her eyes. She shook her head, but her vision did not become any better. Awkwardly, she stood up and stumbled around, her legs feeling felt like dead weights. The ground beneath her was hard and rocky and she lost her footing more than once in her attempt to stand. Through her head rang the sound of water and wind – which was like a million screams at once. It was deafening and prevented her from getting a bearing on where she was.
She tried to piece together her last few memories. She remembered a fight, caused by seeing her daughter, Sali-Ka, killed in front of her. She then remembered destroying everything in her path – up until she met the boy. A Dragonkin. Though a child, his power was amazing – so much so that he was able to destroy her heart. Then she remembered nothing but darkness and pain. Now she was here. But where was here?
Her right foot took a tentative step forward, but instead of finding solid ground, it found only open air. Kthonia felt herself falling, but instinctively used her hair braids to dig into the ground behind her to pull herself back. Only now did her eyesight return, the cobwebs in her mind finally clearing away. Kthonia noticed that she was standing near the edge of a cliff. Over it, the furious rush of wind and water raged below. It was a maelstrom the size of a small country, spinning in a seemingly endless motion that would last all eternity. Its epicentre was a black hole that looked like a hungry mouth, waiting to draw in anything that wandered too close to it.
The sight of it was terrifying even for Kthonia. The raw power that surged from this monstrosity did not feel of this world. And that concept was enough to even drive a mara like her to fear.
It wasn’t until she had gotten over this initial shock that Kthonia realised that she wasn’t looking over the edge of a cliff – she was looking over the edge of an island. She took many steps back, shaking her head and trying to clear the overwhelming feeling of dread from her mind.
“Magnificent, isn’t it?”
Kthonia turned to the intruder that had suddenly appeared behind her. A man clasped in metal the likes of which Kthonia had never seen before. Instinctively, one of her braids shot towards the figure. Frays of torn cape reached up like they were arms, grabbing the braid and halting it in its tracks.
“It would be unwise for you to fight me,” the Man in Shadow warned. “Unless of course, you really enjoyed being in your grave?”
Kthonia didn’t know if she was just weak from coming back from the dead, but she knew that if this stranger was strong enough to hold back her attacks, it would be fruitless to continue the fight. She relented and decided not to pursue her attack.
“Wise choice,” the Man in Shadow said.
“Who... are you?” Kthonia asked.
“That’s a good question,” the Man in Shadow replied. “I never really took a name for myself, so I guess I can’t give you an answer to that. But I can give you answers to other things.”
He gestured behind him, Kthonia turned round. Behind them was an enormous cyclopean building design, stone as black as night. Across the building were jagged stone edges; perched on them were malformed abominations that looked like they could come to life any second. Kthonia wasn’t sure what it was. A shrine perhaps? A temple? Whatever it was, she sensed tremendous Dark energy coming from the building. “What is this place?” Kthonia asked, awestruck.
“The Cathedral of the R’hl Lakr,” the Man in Shadow replied. “It was accidentally summoned here by Kerrigal during his final battle with Dronor. This is responsible for the Vortex below us.”
Kthonia’s heart leapt a beat on hearing this. The Vortex was one of Draconica’s most feared places – an eternal storm that none dared to come within a hundred miles of. For if you ventured too close, the Vortex would pull you in. No one who ventured into the Vortex was ever seen again. “We are floating over the Vortex?”
“We are quite safe I assure you,” the Man in Shadow said. “Now, how about we have a talk inside? It’s too loud out here?”
“Why should I trust you?” Kthonia asked, her hair braids on end to attack again.
“Because your family are inside,” the Man in Shadow said.
“My family?”
“Jihadain and her Kthonian Knights. They were very interested in what I had to say – but only if you were brought back as well.”
So like Sali-Ka, she had fought so long for her and Kthonia to be together – and it seemed they weren’t interested in letting go just yet. But even hearing this, Kthonia wasn’t entire certain she could still trust this stranger. “What is it you want?” she asked.
“Flames,” the Man in Shadow replied.
“Flames?”
“Come inside,” the Man in Shadow said. “I think you’ll like what I have to tell you.”
She tried to piece together her last few memories. She remembered a fight, caused by seeing her daughter, Sali-Ka, killed in front of her. She then remembered destroying everything in her path – up until she met the boy. A Dragonkin. Though a child, his power was amazing – so much so that he was able to destroy her heart. Then she remembered nothing but darkness and pain. Now she was here. But where was here?
Her right foot took a tentative step forward, but instead of finding solid ground, it found only open air. Kthonia felt herself falling, but instinctively used her hair braids to dig into the ground behind her to pull herself back. Only now did her eyesight return, the cobwebs in her mind finally clearing away. Kthonia noticed that she was standing near the edge of a cliff. Over it, the furious rush of wind and water raged below. It was a maelstrom the size of a small country, spinning in a seemingly endless motion that would last all eternity. Its epicentre was a black hole that looked like a hungry mouth, waiting to draw in anything that wandered too close to it.
The sight of it was terrifying even for Kthonia. The raw power that surged from this monstrosity did not feel of this world. And that concept was enough to even drive a mara like her to fear.
It wasn’t until she had gotten over this initial shock that Kthonia realised that she wasn’t looking over the edge of a cliff – she was looking over the edge of an island. She took many steps back, shaking her head and trying to clear the overwhelming feeling of dread from her mind.
“Magnificent, isn’t it?”
Kthonia turned to the intruder that had suddenly appeared behind her. A man clasped in metal the likes of which Kthonia had never seen before. Instinctively, one of her braids shot towards the figure. Frays of torn cape reached up like they were arms, grabbing the braid and halting it in its tracks.
“It would be unwise for you to fight me,” the Man in Shadow warned. “Unless of course, you really enjoyed being in your grave?”
Kthonia didn’t know if she was just weak from coming back from the dead, but she knew that if this stranger was strong enough to hold back her attacks, it would be fruitless to continue the fight. She relented and decided not to pursue her attack.
“Wise choice,” the Man in Shadow said.
“Who... are you?” Kthonia asked.
“That’s a good question,” the Man in Shadow replied. “I never really took a name for myself, so I guess I can’t give you an answer to that. But I can give you answers to other things.”
He gestured behind him, Kthonia turned round. Behind them was an enormous cyclopean building design, stone as black as night. Across the building were jagged stone edges; perched on them were malformed abominations that looked like they could come to life any second. Kthonia wasn’t sure what it was. A shrine perhaps? A temple? Whatever it was, she sensed tremendous Dark energy coming from the building. “What is this place?” Kthonia asked, awestruck.
“The Cathedral of the R’hl Lakr,” the Man in Shadow replied. “It was accidentally summoned here by Kerrigal during his final battle with Dronor. This is responsible for the Vortex below us.”
Kthonia’s heart leapt a beat on hearing this. The Vortex was one of Draconica’s most feared places – an eternal storm that none dared to come within a hundred miles of. For if you ventured too close, the Vortex would pull you in. No one who ventured into the Vortex was ever seen again. “We are floating over the Vortex?”
“We are quite safe I assure you,” the Man in Shadow said. “Now, how about we have a talk inside? It’s too loud out here?”
“Why should I trust you?” Kthonia asked, her hair braids on end to attack again.
“Because your family are inside,” the Man in Shadow said.
“My family?”
“Jihadain and her Kthonian Knights. They were very interested in what I had to say – but only if you were brought back as well.”
So like Sali-Ka, she had fought so long for her and Kthonia to be together – and it seemed they weren’t interested in letting go just yet. But even hearing this, Kthonia wasn’t entire certain she could still trust this stranger. “What is it you want?” she asked.
“Flames,” the Man in Shadow replied.
“Flames?”
“Come inside,” the Man in Shadow said. “I think you’ll like what I have to tell you.”