Everything Returns to Nothing

Note: Back to releasing, with this chapter is the start of Volume Two. Along with this chapter will be around 3 others releasing today as well, not much of a mass release but it's something. 

To my dismay, chapters will be shaved down to 3 chapters a week to make sure everything remains consistent. If I am able to I will slowly try to take on more chapters if the workload lightens. As of now, chapters will release on Mon, Wed, and Fri around 5 pm EST, the time of day may change but chapters will release on these days. 

Finally, I hope you enjoy Lowly Ascent and perhaps leave a comment or review, it means a lot. 

Thank you for reading my story. 

----------------------------------------------

Time seemed to slip through Cain's grasp; his existence faded as he felt like he was dreaming.

As Cain's body dissipated into crimson vapor, a strange tingling sensation spread throughout his formless being. He felt his consciousness stretch and split into a thousand directions all at once. It was as if his mind itself was turning into mist, each particle containing a sliver of thought and memory.

Even communication between the vapors felt muffled and distant, like shouting across a vast canyon. He had to focus intensely to form a single thought. The air felt thick and viscous as he swirled aimlessly at the whims of the wind, searching for any sign of Numineer.

In his new form, Cain spread out and searched Netherane far and wide. Clouds would split and converge as they hunted the living virus. The clouds would even rain, heading deep into the earth to catch their target.

Slowly, Numineer was being killed off. Even as a mist, Cain had some functioning ability. For one, even if he was split between many mists and clouds, he could communicate as they passed by one another.

Using simple tactics, Cain had been subconsciously eradicating Numineer, and now his goal was almost complete.

He had destroyed him once and since that victory on the battlefield, he has been doing it again and again in his current form. Now there was only one more battle and his victory will be absolute.

All mists converged on a small area of the swamp harboring a cave with a forest of trees. Realizing this was the last of his enemy, Cain's subconscious clicked and gathered, heading to the nearest settlement to acquire a body.

...

A quaint village was nestled between the swamp, surrounded by endless trees covered with plants and mud.

Rough stone and lumber buildings clustered together, with wisps of hearth smoke trailing up through the thatched roofs. The main path meandered between structures and split off into smaller foot trails leading to different areas.

Chickens pecked in the dirt as villagers went about their daily tasks, carrying water from the well and managing their animals. A mist seeped down from above like floodwaters, obscuring anything more than a few feet away.

Men wielding axes and tools emerged from doorways, bracing themselves against the supernatural fog creeping into their home.

"Chief! The red cloud is coming! It's huge, the biggest one we have seen!" A villager yelled out in front of a house at the center of the village. In response, the chief exited his home.

The crimson mist was the subject of many grim tales whispered around the village fires at night.

Some claimed it was a curse, the vengeful spirits of an ancient battlefield. Others said it was a demon called forth by dark magic gone awry.

"Damn curse, so many had to die, and now we pay for their sins," the chief muttered while he walked to the young man.

Putting his arm on the young lad, he spoke with confidence, "Gather the men; we will try to fight it off, but it could claim some of us. Also, make sure to hide the women and children."

...

Cain wasn't a good person; he acted on his own qualms. The red mist, as people called it, was a terrible disaster left behind from a giant battle a long time ago.

Wherever it went, people would be consumed by it, and only bones would be left behind. Of course, the truth was Cain acted on instinct. When the red fog was too small or not satisfactory, it would kill a few people to create more.

It did this many times to spread out more and hunt Numineer. Cain didn't care how this affected the people, which was exactly why his subconscious did this without even batting an eye.

All that mattered was killing Numineer; after that, the people, and after that, the world! This was Cain's plan; this was his objective.

The mist converged on the village as it swarmed around, covering the entire village in a fog. The villagers slashed and attacked the air, but it was futile. As if the mist was alive, it compressed itself into thick strands as it found its new body.

Alton's heart pounded ferociously in his chest as the crimson mist crept closer, tendrils reaching out toward the villagers. Despair and bone-chilling terror rose in his throat - he thought of his family and sent a silent prayer for their safety.

Like a swarm, the entire cloud enveloped Alton and housed itself in his body.

The axe handle grew slick in Alton's trembling hands as the swirling fog enveloped him, obscuring his vision completely. His mouth went dry as a desert, tongue swollen and lips cracked. His legs shook violently beneath him, muscles tense and poised for flight.

As the crimson fog enveloped Alton, his surroundings melted away into an endless dark void.

Tendrils of mist swirled around him, deafening his ears and blinding his eyes until he felt utterly alone. Strange sensations overwhelmed him and he seemed to float in nothingness.

His throat choked on thick, smothering air. Disoriented and confused, Alton cried out into the abyss

He opened his eyes to a seemingly infinite plane; the ground he stood on was water. He looked around and around, but he couldn't see anyone or understand where he was.

Suddenly, a figure in the distance walked toward him. The figure wore a red silk robe that covered his head, obscuring his face.

Scared, the frightened man called out to the stranger, "Who are you? What is this place?"

All he got in response was a chuckle. The mysterious man inched closer and closer as the man fumbled back. The stranger removed his hood, and his face came into view. It was a young man with short black hair; his eyes were a rich red with skin paler than white.

His voice echoed through the vast space as he answered the man, "This is the inside of your mind, which will soon become mine."

Wanting to flee, the man found he couldn't; his body refused to move as the young man smiled and continued to speak.

"It's been such a long time since I was whole. I don't even know how long I was stuck like this. Nevertheless, I have gained so much. Would you like me to show you?"

"S-show me what?"

Grinning, Cain's eyes reflected the man as he exclaimed, "Where you will be spending eternity, of course!"

Red smoke expanded from Cain's back as it billowed and stretched out. In the smoke were cries and pleas coming from an unknown number of people. Cain went on to explain, seeing the man shaking uncontrollably.

"You see, in the long time I have been...asleep, I couldn't fully erase the remnants of those who joined with me. They have been reduced to this state and can only mope, but in a sense, it's immortality.

So I have decided to continue with this arrangement out of the kindness of my heart! So you will be the next to gain eternity from me, rejoice!"

At this point, the man was whimpering; Cain had bared his fangs, and the man's inner mind changed.

The water they stood on became a battlefield of blood, with dead trees littered in it, soaking in the blood. The sky turned dark, and an ominous eye encased the sky.

The red smoke acted and swept forward, reaching out with its foggy hands. Screams pierced the sky as the man tried to run, he tried to escape. But there was nowhere to go in his own mind; the hands grasped him and pulled him into their fold.

A crushing pressure swelled inside Alton's mind as Cain's consciousness flooded his own.

He felt his memories and thoughts pushed aside, the mist seeping into every crevice of his brain. Cain's presence slid down Alton's nerves, both chilling and searing.

His muscles convulsed as spasms rocked his body. A silent scream stretched his lips wide but no sound emerged. Slowly, Alton's vision and voice dimmed to darkness as Cain took possession of his earthly form.

The screaming recessed and Cain felt this place had become his and his face warped with megalomania.

"Haha, time to rejoin the living!"

...

The mist had settled in the villager's body, and the people surrounded him to see if he was okay. After a few moments, the man's flesh moved, his body changed in an instant to a foreign man.

For a moment, Cain felt suspended in sensory deprivation. The absence of sight, sound, and touch was disconcerting after so long existing as dispersed mist.

When Cain opened the body's eyes, light stabbed into his vision, blurry shapes swirling in muted colors. He blinked hard, trying to orient himself in the sudden visual overload. Lifting a heavy arm, he watched the skin move over tendons and veins, mesmerized by the visceral reality of it.

Steadying himself on unfamiliar legs, Cain took one lurching step forward, then another. The sounds of the world crashed over him - startled murmurs of the villagers leaves rustling in the trees.

Cain stood swaying, assaulted by sensations long forgotten. The deep inhale of breath filling new lungs, clothes scratching at foreign skin, feet unsteady on the dirt ground. For a moment, all Cain could do was exist inside this body, remembering what it meant to feel.

These forgotten feelings gave Cain much to say, "Hello world! I have returned after a long rest! I have returned!"

Cain yelled with his mouth wide open and his heart pounding. It had been so long since he was flesh and blood, he missed this feeling, his senses returning as he felt the wind press against his skin.

He turned to see the crowd around him, and his curiosity grew.

He pointed at a random person, "You! What year is it? What are the major powers in the world? Are there plague doctors still? Quickly answer or die!"