Chapter 3: "The Hope they Invoked"

As Kyrios feasted on the corpse, a warm feeling emerged in his body's core. It spread throughout his body, bringing about a wave of comfort for him but he felt disgruntled that he had such a euphoric feeling while he fed on the corpse of his 'kinsman'. 

This wave of warmth felt fundamentally different from the heat felt on the outside of his body. While this warmth was refreshing, the heat was like a slow ember quietly devouring seasoned wood. It would give you an illusion of a warm comfortable feeling but when it grew large enough, you would wish to feel the biting cold instead.

No sort of comfortability was worth the price you would have to pay for this heat. When Kyrios felt this heat, he knew its source. The source of this heat was the bane of all his 'kind.

But surprisingly, it was like only he knew that. He has witnessed on many occasions how they would reveal ecstatic expressions on their faces when it came around, and like maddened dogs they would rush into it with no apprehension at all.

Only for them to suddenly scream and howl in pain, not from what they were going through but from betrayal. It was like as if they had been betrayed by their own mothers. But these embers cared nothing for their feelings, as they licked the flesh off their bones and leave nothing behind but ashes.

Though he would at times also feel what they felt on sighting it, for him it was not hard to ignore those irrational thoughts unlike them who no control.

Knowing the terror of what was coming, he hastened his pace, he ate anything and everything he could get a hold of. From limbs, guts, chunks of putrid skin to severed organs. Everything that could be chewed was devoured. All in the name of gaining strength.

On many occasions he felt the need to gag, the need to just lie down and accept his fate, but their screams would wake him up. Even beyond death, they had to remind him of their search. how he should not give up, how he should fight on.

After he had eaten until he could eat no more, he finally had the energy to sit upright. What he saw made his heart leap out of his chest. 

His worst fears had materialized. Others would call what he saw beautiful, and indeed it was a sight for wonder, but he knew better than anyone else that it was anything, but a terror manifested.

In the dark gray skies, a great wave of light so beautiful that mere mortal words could not describe it, poured from the great firmament.

It formed a stark contrast to its gloomy background.

It was like a great celestial light, stepping in the putrid recesses of a mundane world. This wave of light stretched for miles in the sky seemingly blown by great winds from all directions. It swept across the black barren lands of a Nameless World.

It swept across the corpses that had been piled in heaps on this barren land. The corpses were so unnatural that it felt like whatever was to happen to them was right.

The corpses were so grotesque that had some had fur all over their bodies, others had claws, others had twisted wings. Overall, they looked like 'Abominations.

These were Kyrios' 'Kinsmen. They were called 'Abominations' by other races. And true to their appearances, they deserved this name. 

And as the wave of 'light swept the land, the corpses were 'purified'. Like a flame burning trash. The corpses would disappear into ashes as the 'Light swept across them.

As this light 'purified' the land, a great cry of sorrow resounded in Kyrios' head. Worse than anything he ever heard; this cry of sorrow hit him like an anvil on his head.

It was a disorderly symphony of wounded bests, many voices wept in sorrow and betrayal. All they had ever done wrong was to follow their instincts to search for what had been stolen from them.

It was fascinating how even in death; they were able to focus on their obsessions as the light wiped them off existence.

But unlike what was happening inside his head, the sweeping light made no sound, and the cry of sorrow in Kyrios' head was not heard as they were wiped off existence.

Kyrios' damaged body was weighed down heavily by this cry of sorrow and betrayal, to a point where his ears bled, adding to his damage. He knew that blocking it would have no effect on his current situation and so he gave up on trying to and instead used it as motivation to get the energy to move from this place.

With a trembling damaged body, he stood up shakily.it was a wonder how he was even able to stand in his current stat where flesh on his bones had been removed in some parts exposing his black-golden bones. 

But like as if he felt no pain, he looked at their corpses one more time, committing everything to heart, he moved in the direction opposite the wave of light. 

Unlike his so called 'kind, Kyrios was almost normal, he had the right proportions, with a well sculpted body, well proportional in a sense that he was still completely whole even with his missing flesh. Well, what would separate him from the realms of normality was his skin that was like it was made of gray stone marble. well, he had to first leave this place if he was to be described.

Luckily for him, the 'Light took its time, to spread, almost like as if it was enjoying, the wails of the filth it was cleansing. if it was possible i would have even taken longer, but...

So even as Kyrios moved at a turtle's pace, he was able to evade that light.

But during the days he moved, he distinctly felt that something was different, the wails of the dead no longer haunted him, in fact for the first time in his life, he could no longer hear their wails, everything was quiet. 

He finally felt at peace. but that peace was short-lived, for one day as he was moving, he heard a soundless whisper in his mind. But whenever he tried to hear the words being spoken, he could hear no word.

But the whispers continued to grow louder. He almost felt as if he was going to go mad with everything happening. but there was nothing he could do about it. 

But one day all this changed, he could finally distinctly hear the words spoken by this voice. And speaking of this voice. It was so enchanting to the point of almost being divine.

Well, he did not know what divine meant but, he felt like as if he should stop and worship this voice. But if others were to listen to it, their worst fears would unconsciously manifest in their minds, he did not realize that he had probably been consumed by madness by listening to this voice.

Kyrios had never felt like this before, the feeling of worship that had taken root in him was exhilarating.

The majestic voice had said to him, "I ...am ...the Hope...you Invoked"

And true to the whispering voice, he would find himself at the center of things so monumental that his fate would seem so fickle in the grand scheme of things. This world, their home would be at the center stage of grand changes beyond comprehension. Changes that would reverberate throughout the cosmos.

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