Once upon a time, there was a man named Lirion.
A man with a determined gaze, always impeccable in his demeanor and clothing.
His jacket, sewn with millimeter precision, was always free of even the slightest crease.
His hands, though often stained with dirt or other signs of his work as an explorer, were tended to with almost obsessive care.
Every detail about him seemed deliberate, as if his very presence were a statement of order.
He was a meticulous man, the kind of person who left nothing to chance, not even a comma in a written report or a knot in the rope of his equipment.
Lirion was an explorer, a profession that few dared to take on.
His job was to travel to the most remote and unexplored planets to retrieve fragments of the Aeternum.
It was a dangerous job, but Lirion faced it with almost military precision, as if risk were just another variable to calculate.
One day, during preparations for a new expedition, he found himself in a large operational room, a structure lit by cold white lights, with precise maps and technicians moving back and forth like busy ants.
He was busy checking a list of materials when a calm, deep voice interrupted him.
"I suggest adding a couple more air filters. You never know when a planet’s atmosphere decides to play a dirty trick on you."
He looked up.
In front of him stood a man with a wide smile and a relaxed demeanor, with an appearance that seemed the opposite of his.
He wore a jacket that, though practical, seemed to have seen better days, and his hair was messy, as if he had never considered the idea of combing it.
"Zeydran," he introduced himself, extending his hand.
"Are you also heading to the mission on Jovar?"
He looked at the hand for a moment, then shook it firmly.
"Lirion," he replied simply.
"Yes, I’m headed there.
But I prefer being prepared for any eventuality rather than improvising."
Zeydran chuckled lightly, a warm sound that contrasted with the sterile environment of the room.
"Oh, I do too.
It’s just that I don’t take precision to the level of art like you do."
Lirion stared at him for a moment, unsure whether it was a compliment or a tease.
But there was something in Zeydran’s voice, a sincerity that made him feel at ease despite everything.
"And what exactly do you do?" Lirion asked, returning to his serious tone.
"Explorer, like you," Zeydran replied, casually leaning on a nearby crate, nibbling on a strange fruit he was holding.
"I just prefer to call myself... a discoverer.
I like the idea of uncovering what the universe has buried."
"Then I guess we’ll be working together often in the field."
"Seems like it," Zeydran said with a sly smile.
"And let me tell you, it’s better to travel with someone who knows what they’re doing.
I’ve had enough travel companions who couldn’t tell a gravity compass from a blowtorch."
Lirion then allowed himself a slight smile.
"Good. Then let’s start preparing everything we need.
And yes, I’ll add the air filters."
"Now that’s more like it," Zeydran said, giving him a slap on the back.
"You’ll see, we’re going to have some fun."
That was the first time Lirion thought maybe working with someone wouldn’t be so bad after all.
The two immersed themselves in preparations, discussing tools, tactics, and even sharing stories of past missions.
But let’s pause for a moment.
Now, some of you might be wondering: how did the demigods travel from one planet to another?
A perfectly legitimate question, and the answer is quite simple.
The demigods used the same means they had used to escape from Proxima Mortis, namely, a kind of flying ships.
These vessels were nothing more than a legacy from the Eden.
When preparing their army, the two Eden designed and built ships capable of carrying the "mud men" through the skies.
However, during the great escape, the demigods stole these same ships that were meant to transport them when unconscious, and used them to expand their knowledge.
Ironically, don’t you think?
In any case, the ships, aesthetically similar to those used on the seas, differed almost only in their ability to soar through the skies.
To function, they required an energy source, which is why their pilot was usually an individual of extraordinary strength.
In the vast cargo bay, silence enveloped Lirion and Zeydran as they continued to prepare the ship for the expedition.
The ship’s structure shone in the artificial light flooding the shipyard.
Lirion, ever meticulous, checked the stability systems, while Zeydran took care of the supplies with almost contagious energy.
Suddenly, the sound of quick, decisive footsteps broke the atmosphere.
All present turned toward the figure advancing with authority.
It was the man in charge of coordinating the expeditions, a tall and sturdy individual, with gray hair and a serious expression that rarely showed signs of lightness.
His dark cloak billowed as he approached the group gathered around the ship.
Silence fell in the room.
"Everyone, stop," he announced, his deep voice echoing through the yard.
"I’ve received an urgent report.
The conditions on the planet designated for this expedition have changed."
A worried murmur swept through the group.
The coordinator watched them for a moment, then continued: "Something strange is happening. The energy on the planet has suddenly changed, destabilizing the entire environment.
There is a real risk of encountering servants of the Eden... or, worse, an Eden himself."
At these words, the silence became oppressive.
Terror painted the faces of many, and whispers turned into declarations of withdrawal.
One by one, the team members began to step back, some shaking their heads, others clearly terrified.
"It’s not worth the risk," muttered one, grabbing his bag and abandoning the group.
"Not for a handful of fragments."
"Exactly," added another.
"We already lost too many men last time.
I won’t make that mistake again."
Within minutes, almost everyone had left.
The bay, once filled with voices and movement, now seemed empty and tense.
Only three figures remained still: Lirion, Zeydran, and another man who had remained on the sidelines until then.
He was small, with a lab coat that seemed more suited to an alchemist or scholar than an explorer.
Two magnifying lenses were fixed in front of his eyes, giving him a quirky and distant appearance.
Without turning, the man approached the ship with a calm smile, as if the coordinator’s words had no effect on him.
"I guess it’s just the three of us then," said Zeydran, breaking the silence with a nervous smile.
Lirion nodded decisively.
"If the conditions have changed, it could mean something big is happening. We can’t afford to lose this opportunity."
The third man, with a calm and almost bored tone, intervened:
"Anomalies often lead to... unexpected discoveries.
My name’s Deymor, by the way.
A servant of the Eden or an Eden himself? It would be fascinating."
The coordinator stared at them incredulously, shaking his head.
"You’re mad.
But if this is what you’ve decided, I can’t stop you. Just remember that out there, no one will come to save you."
The three exchanged a glance.
Then, with a nod of agreement, they continued preparing the ship, aware that their decision was leading them toward the unknown, perhaps even toward death.
But, for them, the unknown had always been a call too strong to ignore.
The journey through space was long and lonely, but for the three explorers, it became an opportunity to get to know each other better, to bond, and to ease the weight of the unknown that awaited them on the designated planet.
Inside the ship, the silence of the outer universe was broken only by the hum of the machines and their occasional conversations.
The main cabin was lit by a warm, soft light, creating an intimate, almost homely atmosphere, contrasting with the vastness of the space surrounding them.
Zeydran, as usual, was busy cleaning one of his weapons, with a meticulous attention that almost bordered on obsession.
"You know," he said with a smile aimed at Lirion,
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
"I didn’t expect you to accept this mission so easily. You seemed like one of those guys who think too much before making a decision."
Lirion, sitting with a cup of warm drink in his hands, looked up with a slightly amused expression.
"I do think a lot, that’s true.
But I never back down when something big is at stake.
And besides, I knew you’d need someone to keep an eye on you."
Zeydran laughed, shaking his head.
"Me? Need someone?
Believe me, I can handle myself.
But I guess having a serious guy like you around isn’t so bad."
From the corner of the room, Deymor, who had been busy examining a small vial of glowing liquid, intervened.
"Do you really think it’s just seriousness with Lirion?
I think it’s pure stubbornness disguised as virtue."
Lirion shook his head, trying to suppress a smile.
"And you, Deymor? Did you accept this mission just to study the anomalies?
Or is there something else driving you?"
Deymor took off the strange glasses he was wearing, hanging them around his neck, and leaned back in his chair.
"Curiosity, Lirion.
Curiosity is what moves everything.
And let’s face it, who else would have had the guts to come with you two?
Someone had to bring some brains to this expedition."
Zeydran laughed heartily, throwing the cloth he was using to clean his weapon at Deymor.
"Ah, sure, because spending all day playing with strange vials and mysterious liquids makes you the genius of the group."
"They’re not mysterious liquids," Deymor replied, grabbing the cloth with an exasperated expression.
"They’re advanced chemical compounds that could save our lives.
And trust me, when one of you gets into trouble, you’ll be the first to come to me."
Lirion watched the two argue with a subtle smile, sipping his drink slowly.
"You know," he said after a moment of silence,
"I didn’t expect to find companions like you on this mission.
I thought it was just going to be another solitary job, but... I’m glad you’re here."
Zeydran looked up, taken aback by Lirion’s sincerity, and nodded slowly.
"Well, you’re not so bad either, Lirion.
Although sometimes you seem more like a commander than a friend."
Deymor added with a playful tone,
"And me? Don’t forget to thank the brains of the group."
Lirion laughed, raising his cup in a gesture of a toast.
"To the three of us then.
May this journey bring us something good."
"To us," Zeydran and Deymor replied almost in unison, raising their cups and glasses.
After months, the ship finally landed slowly on the surface of the planet, raising a light cloud of dust that dispersed in the still wind.
The view that opened before the three was desolate, almost alienating in its monotony.
A flat, uniform ground stretched as far as the eye could see, dotted here and there with sharp rocks and crevices that seemed to slice through the earth.
There was no trace of vegetation, no signs of life.
Just silence, broken by the sound of the ship’s engine shutting down.
Lirion stepped out first, his face serious and his eyes alert as he observed the surrounding environment.
He wore his helmet to filter the air, even though the planet’s atmosphere was technically breathable.
A strange light smoke hovered in the air, wrapping everything in an ethereal veil that slightly distorted the contours.
The smoke had an almost tangible consistency, as if it were alive, and it seemed to move imperceptibly, following an unknown dance.
"What a... unsettling place," murmured Zeydran, stepping out of the ship.
He scanned the horizon, looking for any signs of movement.
"I don’t like this at all.
That smoke... shouldn’t behave like this, right, Deymor?"
Deymor, who was the last to step down, gazed at the red glow permeating the air, an unnatural light that seemed to have no definite source.
There was no visible sun in the sky, nor an obvious light source, yet everything was enveloped in a scarlet aura that made the atmosphere surreal.
The smell in the air was acrid, almost sulfurous, a mix of burnt metal and rotting flesh.
"This place doesn’t follow normal chemical laws," Deymor said, examining the data on his device.
"The smoke isn’t natural. It’s rich in unknown particles, as if it were... artificial.
But I don’t understand how or why it’s here."
Lirion crouched, scooping a handful of dry, dusty soil.
He rubbed it between his fingers, examining the texture.
"There’s no life.
There’s not even a trace that there ever was.
This planet is dead. And yet... there’s something.
Do you feel it too?"
Zeydran nodded, looking up at the sky.
"There’s pressure, something... oppressive.
It’s like the air itself is trying to crawl under our skin.
It’s not just the smell or the smoke.
It’s the silence.
This place doesn’t want us here."
Deymor stopped analyzing for a moment and looked at the two with a tense expression.
"Maybe it’s not just the planet that’s strange.
There could be something living here, something we don’t want to meet."
Lirion stood up, his eyes scanning the horizon as if trying to decipher a riddle.
"Whatever it is, we’re here on a mission.
Let’s recover the Aeternum fragments and get out of here.
The faster we do it, the better—it doesn’t seem like the best situation to play nice explorers."
Zeydran positioned himself next to him.
"Alright, but let’s never let our guard down.
This place screams danger in every direction."
The ground beneath their boots creaked slightly, as if the rocks were groaning under the weight of their presence.
The red glow continued to saturate everything they saw, making it difficult to judge distances or clearly distinguish details.
And above all, the dancing smoke seemed to be watching them, like a silent but aware entity.
The planet was dead, yes, but something, or someone, seemed to still be keeping watch over it.
The blanket of smoke seemed to thicken as they moved forward.
It was Deymor who broke the silence first.
"I checked the readings.
The smoke density increases drastically in this direction," he said, gesturing with his hand.
"It’s like we’re getting closer to something... an epicenter."
Zeydran stopped, placing a hand on Lirion’s shoulder.
"Doesn’t it seem strange to you?
This planet should be desolate, dead.
And yet, the further we go, the more it seems... alive, in a sense.
Alive in a way I don’t like."
Lirion turned toward him, his face serious but calm.
"I know. I feel it too.
It’s like something’s watching us.
Not the smoke, not the environment... something more.
But until we see it with our own eyes, we can’t make conclusions.
Let’s keep moving."
Deymor snorted, adjusting his glasses to try and see better through the red glow.
"Easy for you to say. I can’t even tell the horizon from all this smoke.
Are we sure we’re not getting lost?"
"Trust me," said Zeydran, pointing to a distant spot.
"There’s something over there. A shape... see?"
Lirion squinted, following Zeydran’s finger.
"He’s right. It’s a structure... looks artificial."
Deymor stepped forward, gripping his analyzer with trembling hands.
"Wait. A structure? This doesn’t make sense.
This planet’s been marked as abandoned for millennia.
Who could have built something here?"
"It doesn’t matter who," Lirion replied, his voice more tense than usual.
"What matters is that we’re not alone.
And that changes everything, the coordinator was right."
They slowly moved closer, their steps now more cautious than ever.
As the shape of the structure became clearer, the atmosphere seemed to grow even heavier.
Before them stood a huge black stone building, intricately sculpted with unnerving precision.
Its walls were covered with intricate engravings that seemed to pulse with a faint, almost imperceptible light, in tune with the red glow that permeated the air.
"A temple," whispered Zeydran, stopping abruptly.
"It looks like a temple."
"But it’s from no culture we know," added Deymor, his eyes behind the lenses studying every detail.
"These symbols... I’ve never seen them before."
Lirion slowly approached, his gaze fixed on the engravings.
"Are we in the right place?
But if it really is a temple... then it means someone or something inhabits it, or guards it."
"Guards it?" repeated Deymor, visibly unsettled.
"That’s not exactly a comforting thought."
Zeydran tightened his sword, his eyes scanning the darkness that enveloped the temple.
"If there’s something in there, we’ll find out soon enough.
But we need to be on guard.
This planet is strange enough without adding the idea of... guardians or inhabitants."
Zeydran nodded, placing a hand on Lirion’s shoulder.
"No one’s forcing us to do this, you know.
We could still turn back."
Lirion chuckled softly.
"Turn back?
That’s not our style.
We’ve come this far, if there’s a risk, we face it together."
Deymor sighed, adjusting his lab coat.
"Well, not like I have much choice.
If I’m going to die on this planet, I at least want to know what’s behind those doors."
Lirion smiled slightly, a smile full of determination.
"Then let’s go."
As soon as they crossed the threshold of the temple, something unexpected happened.
The huge stone doors, which just moments before had stood solid and imposing behind them, vanished as if dissolved by an invisible wind, turning into a trail of black smoke that merged with the already oppressive haze surrounding them.
The temple itself, with its sculpted walls and majestic presence, dissolved into nothingness, leaving them standing on a ground that seemed to have changed beneath their feet.
The view around them was completely different.
The ground had transformed into a dark and unnatural surface, pulsing with a faint red glow.
All around, indistinct shapes moved at the edges of their vision, shadows that seemed alive but disappeared the moment they tried to look at them.
The air was saturated with unsettling sounds: a constant whisper, almost imperceptible, as if a thousand voices were murmuring incomprehensible words, accompanied by a rhythmic and distant noise, similar to a heartbeat.
"What the hell... happened? Where are we?" Deymor said.
Zeydran turned around, trying to orient himself.
"This isn’t the temple... this place is... wrong.
It’s like it swallowed us."
Suddenly, everything went dark.
The red disappeared, the whispers ceased, and the entire world seemed to plunge into absolute darkness.
It wasn’t just the lack of light: it was an emptiness, a complete absence of any sense of orientation.
There was no ground beneath their feet, yet they stood.
There was no air to breathe, yet their lungs did not rebel.
And then it happened.
From the darkness emerged a figure.
It couldn’t be seen clearly: it seemed made of the same substance as the shadow that surrounded them.
The whispers resumed, but this time they were more defined, like a single voice trying to emerge.
It was unclear where it came from: it seemed to resonate from every direction, inside their heads, in the dense air, and even through the ground they couldn’t see.
"Welcome," said the voice, a soft and almost amused tone, but with a sinister undertone, like a blade hidden in a smile.
"I wonder... what brought you so far from home.
Curiosity?
Or perhaps... desperation?"
Deymor flinched, trying to locate the source of the voice.
"Who... who’s speaking? Show yourself!"
"Show myself?
Oh, of course, it would be rude not to.
After all, you had the courage to enter my domain."
The voice grew closer, a barely perceptible whisper brushing their ears like a warm breath.
"I am Karna... The demon of illusions."
Then, again, a malevolent laugh that seemed to come from everywhere.
"And your new playmate," he added.
With a flash of red, the figure revealed itself.
The darkness retreated, giving way to a crimson light that seemed to pulse with a lively rhythm, almost a heartbeat.
Karna was tall, very tall, and slender, yet with an imposing presence that made it impossible to ignore him.
His skin was a bright red, shiny like molten metal, and his eyes were two slits of glowing incandescent gold.
His hands, elongated and clawed, moved slowly as if orchestrating the silence around him.
At the center of his chest, carved like a scar, was a circular shape that pulsed with light.
His horns curved backward, like those of a ram, but sharp as blades.
"Here you go, your wish granted," Karna said with a playful tone, bowing theatrically.
"Tell me, how is it?
Disappointing, perhaps?
Or are you perhaps fascinated?"
Lirion took a step forward, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword.
"What are you? Why are you here?"
Karna laughed, a soft sound yet laden with subtle threat.
"What am I?
Ah, I like to think I am many things.
A storyteller, a guardian, a shadow... or perhaps... a threat."
His head tilted to the side, in the blink of an eye he moved in front of Lirion.
His golden eyes locked onto Lirion as if they could see through his soul.
"But today, I am simply Karna, at your service.
Or perhaps... you at mine?"
Deymor clenched his fists, fear evident in his voice.
"What do you want from us?"
Karna slowly approached, his movements elegant and almost hypnotic, like a predator enjoying tormenting its prey before the attack.
"Oh, not so fast, little human," he said with a smile that revealed perfectly white and sharp teeth.
"First, I want to know: what are you looking for here? What brought you to a place where no one has dared to set foot for eons?"
Zeydran stared at Karna, his eyes full of challenge.
"We’re explorers. We don’t fear the unknown."
Karna burst out laughing, a sound that echoed like an infinite echo.
"You don’t fear the unknown? Ah, what brave spirits... or perhaps just fools."
His tone suddenly shifted, becoming lower, almost a whisper.
"We’ll see how much courage you have left once the game has begun."
With a fluid motion of his hand, Karna then made a series of spectral images appear around them: deformed creatures hissing in the air.
"Every step you take, every choice you make, will be watched.
I am the master of this place, and you are my guests.
Now choose: stay... or try to flee.
But know this: no one escapes Karna without leaving something behind."
Lirion tightened his grip on his sword, sweat running down his forehead.
"We’re not here to play your games."
Karna smiled again, tilting his head.
"Oh, but I’m not here to stop you.
I’m here to... entertain you.
To add some excitement to your mundane little journey.
And now... let the fun begin."
With a gesture of his hands, the darkness around them thickened again, ready to swallow them completely. Karna’s laughter echoed through the air.
"This is no courtesy visit, little explorers," Karna said, his malicious smile distorting his face.
"You’ve entered my realm."
"We’re explorers, not pawns for your amusement," said Lirion.
Karna laughed, a cavernous and unsettling sound.
"Oh, but you’re exactly pawns, and pawns need a master.
Your fate is already written."
As the smoke thickened, Deymor felt something brush his arm.
He turned sharply, but saw nothing.
"Zeydran? Lirion?" he called, but his voice dissipated as if the air itself suffocated it.
Suddenly, an indistinct figure appeared before him, like a distorted mirror of himself.
"Where do you think you’re going?"
From that moment on, no one heard from him again.
Zeydran and Lirion, immersed in the smoke, could only hear the distant echo of that scream. Zeydran gritted his teeth, panic painted across his face.
"Deymor’s gone," he hissed.
"We can’t stay here. We need to go!"
"We won’t leave him behind," Lirion replied, his eyes desperately searching for a foothold in the fog surrounding them.
But Karna appeared again before them, as if he were everywhere and nowhere at the same time.
"Oh, poor little one," he said sarcastically.
"One of you is already lost.
Such a shame..."
Before Zeydran could move, Karna turned toward Lirion, his eyes as red as embers fixed on him.
"But you," he said, "you’re special.
I can feel your ambition, your desire to know every hidden secret of this universe."
Lirion clenched his jaw.
"I want nothing from you," he replied firmly.
"Oh, but that’s the fun part," Karna responded, moving closer.
"You don’t have to want anything. I offer... generously."
With a motion, Karna lifted a hand and fragments of images began to float in the air around Lirion: visions of unexplored worlds, immense powers, and what seemed like secrets of the universe.
Lirion hesitated, his eyes caught by those visions.
Zeydran placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Lirion, don’t listen to him," he warned.
"It’s a trick.
Don’t be enchanted."
"It’s not a trick," Karna whispered, with a smile that showed his sharp teeth.
"It’s a choice.
A gift.
All you have to do is say yes."
Before Zeydran could react, Karna moved toward Lirion with inhuman speed.
A scarlet light exploded from his chest, and a shapeless shadow poured from Karna toward Lirion, like a dark, pulsing river.
"Lirion!" shouted Zeydran, trying to pull him back.
But the force of the energy threw him aside, making him fall to the ground.
Lirion felt as if his body were being invaded by a thousand burning needles.
His mind tried to resist, but Karna’s voice crept into every thought, like a poisonous whisper.
"Don’t fight, explorer.
This is your fate.
Together, we can have it all."
Slowly, Lirion’s body began to change.
His eyes lit up with crimson light, and his skin seemed to crack for a moment, revealing flashes of red smoke writhing beneath it.
"Run," he said with the last bit of sanity that remained to him.
Zeydran, struggling to rise, realized that there was nothing more to be done.
With one last glance at his friend, he shouted:
"Lirion, hold on!
I’ll find you again, I swear!"
And then, with a heavy heart, he turned and ran toward the exit.
Karna’s laughter echoed in his mind as he fled.
"Run, little man."
The shadows closed behind Zeydran, and the temple itself seemed to vanish into nothingness as he rushed toward the ship.
His mind was now a whirlwind of fear, pain, and guilt.
Meanwhile, Karna’s voice slid into Lirion’s mind, a velveted and seductive whisper that seemed to come from every corner of his consciousness.
"So, explorer, how does it feel to be... more than you were before?"
Lirion looked around, his mind now an empty void crossed by flashes of glowing red.
"More than I was? Am I not just a puppet now?"
Karna laughed, almost entertained.
"Oh, puppet?
No, no, my dear explorer, you’re more like a dance partner.
I offer the rhythm, you follow the steps.
A much more interesting existence, don’t you think?"
"Interesting?" Lirion clenched his fists, feeling the anger rise.
"You’ve taken control of my life!"
"But look at you!" Karna retorted, his voice full of enthusiasm.
"You’re stronger, faster, more powerful than you ever imagined.
I can show you the universe like no one else could.
Planets no demigod has ever seen, secrets only I can reveal to you.
Is it really such a high price?"
Lirion took a step forward into the darkness of his mind, as if trying to face the demon head-on.
"I don’t want your power.
I want nothing from you."
"Ah, but that’s not true," Karna whispered, and the tone of his voice became more intimate, like a confidant sharing a secret.
"Lirion, explorer of worlds, haven’t you always been hungry for knowledge?
Haven’t you always wanted to see what others can’t even imagine?
I chose you because we’re alike.
You want to discover everything, and I... well, I can show you what the rest of the universe hides."
Lirion stopped, his breath heavy.
He couldn’t deny that Karna’s words hit him deeply.
He had always wanted more, always sought to push beyond the boundaries of the unknown.
But not like this.
Not at this price.
"We’re not alike," Lirion hissed, trying to maintain his determination.
"I seek knowledge to understand, not to destroy."
Karna made a sound almost affectionate, a mix of laughter and understanding.
"Destroy?
Ah, explorer, you’re not ready to understand yet.
I don’t destroy, I... transform.
I offer possibilities.
And look at the possibilities I’ve already given you.
You see, our bond isn’t a prison, it’s a door.
You just have to choose whether to walk through it."
"A door to what?" Lirion asked, his voice calmer but still full of suspicion.
"To everything, explorer.
To the truth you’ve always sought.
To the power to change the universe, not just observe it.
I don’t hold you back, Lirion.
I elevate you.
And the longer you walk with me, the more you’ll realize that we are two sides of the same coin.
I am Karna, and you, explorer, are my perfect complement."
Lirion remained silent, torn.
His mind was a whirlwind of thoughts, but he couldn’t completely ignore what Karna was saying.
Maybe, just maybe, the demon wasn’t a simple parasite.
Maybe he was something more.
But even if it were true, at what cost?