A Dead World and A Living World

The Stroud mansion was very lively today and for a good reason. The old master of the clan will be celebrating his 150th birthday today and the entire family were ecstatic about it not just because of how long he has lived but because of a certain rumour spreading around the mansion that the old master will be retiring today and will hand over all of his assets today in his will.

Davis Stroud is a name that can be recognized anywhere in the world. He has left his footsteps in every part of the world both those recognized on maps and even new lands that haven't been discovered yet due to the nature of his work. At the tender age of 9, Davis took to a less-known profession called myth chasers.

Such people were more commonly known as grave robbers in today's society but it all depends on how you wanted to look at it. Davis Stroud was an authentic myth chaser though, he had an unquenchable curiosity for those legends of old.

His curiosity led him to uncover things that were before then taken as fairy tales. The 10 meter skeleton he found in a temple on a forgotten island, A mural depicting a weird festival involving human like people but with strangely longer ears, an underground world in which he discovered a settlement that housed strange fossils of creatures that haven't been identified before.

Different trophies of myriad civilizations and races that were thought to be mere fairy tales were the proof of Davis ability and conviction. Unfortunately, even with all of his achievements he was not satisfied, so he took to his last adventure a few months ago but he was the only one that came back from it and he has not said a word about it. Compensation was given out to the affected families and a spoken word of apology but he never talked about what happened.

All that was known was that when he came back he became very quiet and rarely spoke much and even his appetite reduced greatly. It was in this state that he announced his withdrawal from the myth chaser community and looked to pass the mantle to one of his descendants.

Sadly, none of his children had a passion for myths as he did. They simply wallowed in wealth and indulged themselves in luxury, the best of them became entrepreneurs. The old master didn't seem moved though, even the boisterous air in the mansion didn't seem to move him. He simply sat in his study and stared into space with vacant eyes, his thoughts unknown.

His eyes were bloodshot, as though he hadn't close them in days and indeed it was so cause anytime he blinked his eyes, even in that fraction of a second of darkness, he can see that destitute wall in which was carved a line of words that shook his soul to the very core.

Alas the spirit is willing but the body is weak, unable to withstand the stress brought up on his old body, his eyes slowly but surely closed before immediately opening again but within that short moment his skin went paler than it already was and he started shivering all over. His hair fell of his already balding head and the wrinkles on his face seemed to deepen.

Those words, those cursed line of words, those words that put out the fire in his heart, the fire that had burned for 150 years but before those words it could only go off like a candle in the wind. Many didn't know but Davis sought more than fame and riches, he sought to delve into the abyss of the past and discover the mysteries hidden within.

To him that was his gold, that was his treasure. The feeling of uncovering something hidden away brought him an euphoria that nothing in this world not sex, drugs, alcohol, nothing in this damned world could give him. He always believed that as long as he could piece together the puzzle of the past he would be able to relive such a glorious time in the present.

What science!? To him the mysteries surrounding the universe was much more than what those fickle concepts could create. How could science be the reason behind everything? Preposterous, heresy!!! Only divine beings could establish a universe so perfect.

He believed that the truth of the world lay in those divine mythical beings and he believed that if he could discover and understand enough of that time then he could do same if not more than what they did.

Immortality, Strength, Power, True power not one vested in laws and wealth but reality proved that the sages were right when they said 'The truth is often bitter'. He had explored countless ruins, decoded countless texts, discovered countless relics and with all of this knowledge he discovered a place that was hidden within reality.

His first authentic contact with mysticism, the others before this were mere parlor tricks not fitting enough to be mentioned in the same breath as what he witnessed. A gate in the middle of the ocean led him to a world that destroyed all the ideals he held dear to himself.

It was a wasteland, there were no heavenly palaces that floated in the air only ruined islands that hovered above them like cold moons. There were no rivers that rushed in the sky, only a yellow stream that flowed through that place like the yellow spring. There were no ethereal beasts or immortals only ashes that moved in the wind bringing with them their grief and indignation. It was a...dead world.

He eventually managed to reach the center of that place where he saw a steele erected there. Cracks ran through it taking away it glory and time weathered away it's auspiciousness leaving it as nothing but an old pillar. On this steele however were the words that destroyed Davis and put out the fire in his heart.

"Traveler from far away

You who seek to discover the secrets hidden within the past

You stared into the abyss to seek those secrets but you were unaware that the abyss was staring back at you

Within this abyss dwells truths that are too heavy

But you went above all obstacles laid before you and sought this truth at the cost of everything

We hid this things to protect you from the abyss but you delivered yourself into it's open maws

Your will however is admirable and will be respected and as such you may know a part of the truth in one line

This world which once was alive is now dead, the legends of old have fallen and all the myriad beings wept"

Immediately after seeing that line his world went dark and he woke up alone on the ship that brought him there. The gate was already gone but within his palm was a necklace, a very simple necklace made with a simple string and a colourless crystal.

He hesitated for a moment then he put it on before setting a course for land. Since he came back he had no one to confide in for the secret which he held was to great and not anyone would understand it even if he told someone.

So he sat here alone in the light of his study, trying to come to terms with the fact that all he had done up till this point were pointless. This world was dead how was he supposed to solve those mysteries that troubled his curious heart in a world that was dead.

Then a weird thought went through his mind and once it came he just couldn't get it out. It completely occupied his mind and in the end it was all he could think about.

"Hahahahahahahahahaha"

A maniacal laughter came out of his mouth and he stood up from his chair and closed his wrinkled eyes allowing that memory to take him in but he didn't let it destroy him but instead he used it to start a greater flame. A flame so great that if he wasn't careful it would burn not only his ambitions but his life however his dreams have already been shattered so what else kept him tied down to this life.

Family? Please.... In all his years he had barely had any interactions with them. He barley knew his wives and he doesn't even know his children's names, even though there were times he sought to reunite with them, that ship had long sailed and there was no way to get on it.

His friends were either dead or retired they barley kept in touch. In his generation, he was the only one still active due to the various life extending techniques he picked up but his compatriots had long since resigned to life.

So what of it if he dies, he will pursue his dream to the very end. He laughed again and pulled out a sheet and quickly wrote his will then he pulled a hidden lever and a hidden elevator appeared. He took it all the way down and then destroyed the contraption. He looked at the secret space that housed all his greatest treasures and while still laughing started setting up a trigram.

He used all of his greatest treasures as the sacrifice to power the trigram and used the most expensive materials to create the ritual items. This was a method he found in a particular ruin that was otherworldly, it didn't seem like something any civilization on earth could make and he had his own theories and it seemed like he would finally be able to confirm them.

While setting up the trigram, he engaged in soliloquy while carrying a crazed expression on his face.

"My world is dead, forsaken by mysticism."

"I seek to discover the mysteries hidden away from us by the ancients but alas my world is dead"

"I want to explore deep into the unknown, to show that science is not the foundation of all things but alas my world is dead"

"I want to seek the secret of immortality, to forever exist between life and death and study all that is within it but alas my world is dead"

"I WANT NOTHING ELSE BUT TO TEAR AWAY THE VEIL THAT COVERS OUR EYES AND BRING TO LIGHT ALL THE MYSTERIES HIDDEN WITHIN ALL THINGS BUT ALAS!!!

ALAS!!!

AHHHHH!!!

MY WORLD, THIS WORLD WE CALL HOME IT IS DEAD AND WITH ITS DEATH GOES THE HOPE TO SATISFY MY WILL"

"So for what reason then do I remain suffering in a dead world, I would rather take the chance that through death I may find a world that will allow me to satisfy my will"

"I will discover the mysteries hidden away from us by the ancients cause that world lives"

" I will explore deep into the unknown to prove that science is not the foundation of all things cause that world lives "

" I will seek the secret behind immortality and forever exist between life and death to explore all that is within it cause that world lives "

" I WILL TEAR AWAY THE VEIL THAT COVERS MY EYES AND BRING TO LIGHT THE MYSTERIES HIDDEN WITHIN ALLLLLLL THINGS BECAUSE THAT WORLD WILL BE ALIVE "

" I, DAVIS STROUD, SHALL ABANDON THIS WORLD THAT HAS PERISHED AND SEEK OUT A WORLD THAT SHALL FULFILL MY DESIRES OR DIE WITHIN MY ASPIRATIONS "

Wth that statement he finished the trigram and started the ritual. The core component for this ritual was a book that was a 1000 years old, without it he wouldn't be able to carry it out. Luckily Davis collection was enough to satisfy such conditions, the book he chose had a pale golden cover made out of real gold with black inscriptions decorating it's spine.

Its pages were made of the skin of an unknown beast and there was a black bookmark that stuck out from the middle of the book with golden glyphs inscribed on it. The words had faded with time leaving the book empty but it was enough to satisfy his purpose.

He stripped down to nothing except that strange necklace, showing his emancipated figure as a result of what he'd been through this days and stepped into the center of the trigram. He knelt down, the book before him with its pages wide open. He started chanting in a mysterious tongue, initially his voice was low but it gradually increased in tempo creating a weird atmosphere in the underground chamber.

The incense he was burning carried the smell of books into the chamber and the symbols he wrote at one point in time had lit up and started squiggling. The items he put at the sacrificial point melted into a golden goop as though there were being burnt in a furnace yet there was no heat.

Davis was unaware of all this, lost completely in his chanting. The golden goop was further refined by the invisible flames into golden ink that hovered above the book and the inscriptions came out of the trigram and assembled together to form a brush.

The brush dipped into the hovering ink and started writing mysterious symbols into the book. This process went on for hours throughout which Davis was still chanting. A man of his age should have tired out by now no matter what kind of training he did but he seemed to be okay.

Just when it seemed the ink will not be enough, the brush used the last of it to put down the last symbol before breaking down into symbols again and merging into the book. The book then hovered up and its pages filled up with those inscriptions flipped rapidly, from it came an ancient and sagely aura one that seemed to have witnessed all things and has existed since the beginning of time.

At this point, Davis' eyes snapped open and he said the final verse of the chant.

"The Omniscient One

He who treads the firmaments in pursuit of knowledge

He who endlessly hungers for the wisdom of all things

He whose eyes seek to see through the heavens to see that which are unseen

I have come now, to ask to bask in your divine wisdom

Come forth, Aristotle"

The book in front let out a blinding light and within that light Davis seemed to hear lectures being given out within the light, he tried to listen in on them but he couldn't understand anything.

He couldn't feel himself again, he simply knew he existed but in what form he couldn't say. Time seemed to pass endlessly and he thought he would dwell in this space till the end of time.

The lectures were still ongoing but he still couldn't understand anything but he still listened and tried to remember all that was being said even if he couldn't understand.

At one point though he felt a gaze land on him and then a will charged towards him and dived into his consciousness. Seemingly looking to seize control of his being, he tried to resist but the will was overwhelming.

It was like an ant trying to resist a truck. He couldn't stop it but just when he thought all was lost, he noticed the presence of that colourless crystal come into being in his consciousness.

It suddenly shattered within it and turned to dust which spread throughout his consciousness. It then pulled the will out from his consciousness and drove it into a book that before now he didn't notice was there.

It was from this book that those lectures were coming from but he never noticed it. The will was driven into the book that looked quite similar to the one he used as the core ritual item but it seemed more dignified.

When the will was completely sealed within it the dust fell onto the book and it was as though someone poured glitter over the book. The dust shined like stars as they landed on the book. Davis then felt a pulling force that dragged him into another space but this one was dark.

He then felt a serious head ache that didn't seem to go away. He stumbled and placed his hand on a surface that was a bit rough to the touch.... Wait rough? It took him a while but he eventually opened his eyes, a minute later in the busy Street of Elmore a boisterous laughter echoed out of a room in one of the living complex accompanied by spontaneous shouts of

"ITS ALIVE, ITS ALIVE"

Drawing the ire of passer-bys and tenants alike and procuring curses and yells but the laughter only got louder and it didn't seem like it would stop any soon. The residents couldn't help but wonder what was going on.

"It seems like Green 's finally lost it, poor kid I wonder whose gonna look after that young lass now" An old man in the next room couldn't hold back a pitiful sigh

"Can you blame him? It's been hard for them ever since that scandal. We all saw this day coming but didn't think it'd come this soon, may the God of Storms watch over them, Amen. " A woman's voice came out of what should be the kitchen, she sounded younger than the man but there was still pity in her voice.

" Amen" The old man responded piously.

Author's Note: Hey guys or girls (I'm not looking to discriminate) this isn't my first attempt at writing but I'm looking to be a bit serious about this one since I have more time on my hands now. I'll put in the 2nd chapter later today and I should (hopefully) drop 3 more chapters this week. If you enjoy the story let me know in the comment section, Helpful criticism is also welcomed. Read and Enjoy, SleepySaint out 😴

P. S I put this here on purpose so y'all won't miss it but from next week I'll be using the author's thought section, if I have anything to say. It definitely isn't cause I'm trying to increase the word count for the chapter. 😗