Baptisms and Visions

MAX

I find myself in some sort of vision; I sense how the colors of my surroundings seem to bleed into each other, like watching the world through some funny filter. I'm floating in the sky, watching a grand city of white and silver below me, when suddenly a man is floating alongside me.

The man is clad in robes of silver and gold, and with hair as white as fresh snow, he has a regal quality to him. The city below burst into panic only a few moments after the man appeared, the sound of an alarm blaring so loudly that it reached us so high up.

The man stares down at the city below us with eyes of liquid gold for minutes before raising his hands to the sky, and the once beautiful clouds transform into a storm of dark clouds.

Thunder rumbles above us, and the day turns as dark as night. I look down as multitudes of panicked individuals scream in fear, flying away from the coming storm, but the storm continues to build and darken. Flashes of lightning accompanied by the sounds of rumbling thunder were a constant foretelling of impending death.

In seconds, tornadoes of dark winds and lightning so large that they begged comprehension descended on the city below us, wreaking havoc on the city.

Once beautiful buildings of white and silver were reduced to rubble in the face of this horrible storm. Lightning of various hues strikes down from above, killing hundreds in an instant and destroying more. The sounds of thunder sound like the voice of a wrathful god.

The flashes of lightning blind me, but the cries of millions reach my ears, wails of pain and agony as people mourn the death of a loved one or rail against their own inevitable death.

I watch in horror as death reaps the lives of millions, an entire city wiped out in minutes. I want to shout and cry for the lives lost, but I can't tear my eyes away from the calamity I just witnessed.

The man turns to me as the storm dissipates, the sky returning to its previous beauty as if to mock the disaster and horror below. I shy back from his gaze in horror and fear, wanting to be away from here. I rail against my mind, and I'm yanked out in seconds.

My eyes fly open, and I almost believe I was still in a vision as I find myself in a storm of lightning very similar to the one I just witnessed in the vision, except this one is real and I'm in the center of it. I feel the hairs on my body stand on end as arcs of lightning swirl around me. I rage and scream at the will that held me captive in this, but my rage is short-lived as agony rips through me the next moment.

I scream at the top of my lungs as lightning rushes into me. My whole body is lit on fire and simultaneously bathed in ice a million times. The lightning rips away skin and shatters bones.

I beg for death, but the will keeps me alive as I undergo this baptism of lightning and storm. My scream sputters out as I lose the strength to give voice to my pain. I don't know how long it lasts, but when it's finally over, what's left of my body is a smoking mess of hair and skin. I feel the will suddenly loosen, and my consciousness starts to slip away from me. I don't know what happens next. My eyes close as darkness takes me once again.

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I open my eyes to find myself in a room so beautiful, it looks like a palace room. A massive throne of silver and gold stands at one end of the room, and pillars of silver and gold line the room. Curtains and banners depicting various war scenes and victories in incredible detail hang between each pillar.

Sounds so melodious tickled my ears, swirling around me and wrapping around me. Peace washed over me, and I closed my eyes to savor this moment before it slipped away.

I open my eyes a few moments later, feeling much more centered, and I look up to see the roof covered in a map of silver and gold. Just beneath the map, the words "The Sunstone Empire" were written, so unlike any other map I had ever seen, I scoured the map for any detail or clue that could help me understand what was happening to

"This is a vision child."

I turn around to find a man whose—no, I stare in horror as the man from my earlier vision stands before me with hair and clothes still so white, like I didn't just watch him murder millions of people. Fear grips me, and I'm not at peace anymore; I'm not centered at all.

"I can do you no harm here, child; put your mind to rest."

Somehow, his words are gentle; he smiles at me, and he almost looks fatherly; he gestures towards a chair behind me, urging me to sit; I nod and gently sit while he sits opposite me.

"Who are you?" I ask,

He smiles at me again, and it's off-putting. "I am a wisp of the consciousness of AZ RANOK, THE GREAT CALAMITY," he replies in the same calm tone, and I struggle to understand how a man who would kill millions could just sit here and look fatherly.

"You killed all those people—millions—why?" I ask,

His smile is sad now, and he takes his time to respond. "I'm not a good man, child; the vision you last saw was me at the height of my power before my ascension." His tone is gentle and warm. "It was not a good deed, but it was for a just cause."

We stare at each other for a while, seemingly content to just be. I still fear this man, but I don't feel in danger. "What's happening to me?" I ask, the words bursting out of me.

He smiles at my question, being patient and understanding. "You inherited my legacy." He raises his hands to ward off my next question and continues. "A legacy is the seed or copy of an immortal's talent; you carry the seed of my powers."

I stare at him, letting the words settle, but I don't completely understand. "What does that mean for me?"

"It means you have the ability to control, create, and manipulate storms and lightning; with every tier up, you will grow stronger, until you grow too strong for this world to hold you."

"What is this world? Are you still in it?" I asked eagerly, the fact that I was finally getting answers spurring me on.

He nods as if he'd been expecting my question. "You are in the world called AEFLYM." He goes on to explain what the classes are and how talents are gotten, how tiering up works, and how to better train my talents. "I am no longer on AEFLYM; I was an ascended immortal when I planted the legacy you now carry."

I spent the next few minutes asking a series of questions, and I even managed to make Ranok laugh with some of my questions. The fact that I had the ability to create and manipulate storms and lightning was exciting. Finally, Ranok says our time is coming to an end. I nod. "Will I be seeing you again?" I ask. He gives a mischievous smile.

"Once you ascend from AEFLYM, you will, but this will be the final vision, child." He clasps my shoulder in his hands. "You have been given a gift, child; use it, train it, protect yourself, and grow stronger so you can protect those you'll come to love."

His words linger in my mind seconds after he's gone from the vision. I close my eyes and center myself; this time when I wake up, I'll be ready.