Soulforge Legacy Series

Darkness was everywhere. No matter where I looked or how hard I moved, it was there. If I moved forward, it kept up. No matter how fast or far I moved, it was already there. People talk about how fast light is. How lightspeed is the fastest anything can move. But being here made me wonder. If lightspeed is so fast, then how is it that darkness is always there to greet it?

While I know that darkness doesn’t really move, it is always there, waiting. It doesn’t care that you took moments, seconds, or even years to reach it. It patiently waits. In fact, it is almost like death in that way.

Slowly, something sparkled in the distance. It was faint, nearly invisible, and if not for the complete darkness, I would not have noticed it at all. Whatever it was, I focused on it. Moved toward it.

Around me, the darkness writhed like a living thing. It pulled and pushed at me. Battered me around as if it were trying to keep me here. To keep me away from whatever was out there.

With each shove, I expected to lose my breath, but nothing happened. It was only after a solid shove against my front that I realized I wasn’t breathing at all. A fact that should have at least caused me to freak out and maybe even hyperventilate.

But I felt nothing.

My heart didn’t slam in my chest.

My eyes didn’t bulge.

Nothing.

It was almost like someone had taken control of my body away from me.

Well, maybe not full control as I could still move around without issue. Or at least, I am pretty sure of that given how I have been moving toward this light for a while without issue. But it wouldn’t hurt to make sure. So I tried to lift my hand up.

There was nothing.

I don’t mean that my hand didn’t move. I felt the thing move. I mean there was nothing there. I didn’t have a hand.

In fact, looking down, I found that it wasn’t the only thing missing. In fact, everything was missing.

I had no legs. No arms. Not even a chest.

Which explained the lack of breathing and heartbeat. I couldn’t even breathe if I wanted to.

But that begged the question; what is this place and why was I here?

The last thing I could remember was the interrogator’s threads worked my brain over in motions that resembled a blender more than anything else. Actually, maybe that explained everything. While I had no doubt that magic could repair the body, even replace limbs. I didn’t think there was any spell or potion out there that could repair someone’s brain. And given the amount of damage – I was dead.

The expected fear and internal freak out never happened. If anything, I felt almost resigned to what had happened.

It wasn’t like I didn’t know this would happen eventually. Death is a patient predator. It stalked everyone without pause. While you could push it back for days, years, and even decades. There was no way to keep it back forever.

That went double for a world like this. Where everyone was fighting everyone else. Where magic and technology were used by monsters, both human and not, to kill or grow more powerful.

So, now that I was on the other side, what was next? Was there a door? A tunnel? Some lounge for me to rest in while waiting for some god to make a decision over my fate. To damn my soul to heaven or hell.

Actually, while that had been a bit of a flippant idea made given that I grew up without believing in any god, this world did have gods. Not that they mattered. Not to me. Not right now.

What mattered here, now, was the system. Specifically the ability for us ‘Travelers’ to be able to come back from death. While I had no doubt that there was a way to decline such a return, something told me it wasn’t the most common option.

But how to get there? How to make the decision and return back to the world of the living?

Of course, the first thing I tried to do was to open the system window. Nothing happened. From my inventory to my information. The entire system refused to listen to me. Then again, that made a bit of sense didn’t it. It wouldn’t do for a dead person to return to Earth or even send a message.

But was this the other side or was this a sort of state of limbo? A place for my soul to wait for some god, or even death, to come see me? A universal buffer of sorts where we sat, waiting for our turn to be sent back to respawn or for the path to open so we could just move on.

Would it be death that came to see me or some god? While I could see death making the trip, as this was their area of expertise, wouldn’t offering such a choice go against their purpose? Would they try to stop me from returning?

Before I could think about it more, a piece of darkness coiled in front of me. The sight of it, the way it moved, cut off my rambling thoughts.

It was fucked up. Black enough to blend in with the darkness around it, yet I could easily see it. Not only that, but the thing twisted in and out of sight. Parts vanished into the distance yet stayed almost within reach. Then, there would be a part that seemed almost out of reach was nearly on top of me.

It was as one of those tendrils got too close that I got a better look at its flesh, or whatever it had in place of flesh. The skin was shiny, as if every bit of it was covered in slime. There also seemed to be a complete lack of anything sticking out of whatever it was. Almost like it was a single blob of darkness.

Yes, I know that makes no sense. Especially given the multitude of tendril like things. But trust me, if you could see the thing you would be saying the same thing.

Whatever it was, it looked right at home here. The lack of light allowed it to move around without issue. If not for the fact that it was nearly touching me, I might not have noticed it at all.

But what did it use to navigate around? Smell? As far as I knew there was no air here. Light? Again, doubtful given the lack. Pressure? Maybe, But what kind of pressure? Mana? Spiritual?

Whatever it was using, I couldn’t detect it. And maybe that was for the best. If I couldn’t sense how it was looking around, it likely couldn’t sense me. I didn’t know what it ate or even what it was. If it could see me, would it see me as food or another predator? Would it attack or run?

Not willing to take a chance that it would find me and decide to take a bite, I stayed as still as I could. Not that such a thing was all that hard given my current predicament.

Slowly, the creature continued its odd movements to continue past me. Eventually disappearing into the distance.

Minutes and years later, another creature moved past me. Unlike the last one, this one blurred a bit as it dove into and out of sight. Popping up in one space before diving into that not distance only to pop up a few meters away. Like a dolphin diving under the waves only to pop back up before falling back in once again.

Moments later, a much smaller creature zipped past me. Its dives were short and fast as it raced after the second creature. Sadly, I wouldn’t be able to see what it would do when it finally caught up. After all, the creature, given its size and how it moved, could have been the things child. Well, that or it was a predator chasing down its prey. I had no idea but I wanted – no, I needed to know. Especially if I was going to be here for any length of time.

There was no sense of vertigo. No feeling of movement. Between one moment and the next, my line of sight changed. The void around me shifted to reveal, more darkness. The only real sign that I had moved was the fact that the two creatures had appeared before me once again. Just in time as I watched the tiny thing finally catch up.

The large creature flailed, diving in and out as if it was trying to beat something off. It grew even larger as it pulled its way out of whatever space it was diving into. With it came tendrils. Dozens, if not hundreds, of them. Each wrapped around its body. Pulled with the tendrils, the small creature became something not so small.

As if it was a whale exploding out of the water, the no-longer-so-small creature exploded forth. Waves of tentacles erupted around its prey, blocking off every avenue of escape.

The battle, if it could be considered that, ended almost as abruptly as it had began. Between one moment and the next, the tendrils grabbed its victim and dragged it down into the depths and out of sight.

The scene played out in my head on repeat. A reminder that I really should stop underestimating things. That anything could be the top of the food chain, especially with magic involved. Fuck, that doesn’t even take into account what had to be an extra dimension. I mean, how else were they moving in such odd directions?

Thankfully, the tiny creature didn’t notice me before it zipped off once again. Likely in search of more food. Still, with it gone, I no longer had anything to anchor myself to. Nothing to occupy my mind and keep me sane as I drifted in this vast, empty space. This void.

Sometime later, the sound of shattering glass reached my ears. The noise was so sudden and so loud, that I nearly ran. But, I couldn’t. I had to stay, to see what had made that noise. To see what could make a noise in this place. If not so I knew for the future, then to at least give me something to do while I waited for whatever came next.

A flat line appeared in the distance. While I could make it out, I had a feeling that it would vanish if I looked at it straight on. As though it had length and nothing else. Two points connected by a line. No height, nor any width.

A pattering, tinkling glass sound filled the space around me as the line started to twist, expand, and shrink. Over and over. Faster and faster. Until, finally, it shattered outward. Exploding with such force that the reverberations vibrated through whatever made this place up.

Yes, I know how that sounds. How could something vibrate that which is empty? How could it make a sound when there was no air? I have no goddamned idea. It just did. And I had the distinct feeling that if I tried to look into it, I would go made. Fuck, just thinking about it felt like it was driving me closer to insanity.

The thing, whatever it was, went from a flat line to a dot before finally opening up. Flat panes of something forced their way out in every direction. Like the thing that had spawned them, the panes each lacked some dimension.

Length and width, but no height.

Height and width, but no length.

Each flat pane slid into being before sliding back out. All without moving any closer or farther from me.

Almost like a movies, scenes played across each of the panes. A man battled against scorpions. Crushing, burning, and otherwise killing swathes of the creatures, before he was finally overwhelmed.

A mermaid danced amongst the coral. Twirling through the various reeds and plants as she smiled. Only for her smile to shatter along when the very water she was in turned against her. Crushed her. Leaving nothing but paste.

A stocky being wore what looked like a space suit used in various sci-fi movies as they worked on some rock. Given the way everything floated, they were either in space or deep underwater. Then they hit something and the scene turned bright.

Grass, trees, and even a town were laid out beneath the sun. Life in its glory. Then I noticed the creatures laid out on the ground. The grass was nearly tall enough to cover each of them. Still, I had seen enough.

Each of the bodies had been twisted. They no longer even resembled something that could be allowed to live. Not because they were evil, but because it would be cruel.

And on each, small cracks pulsed with a dark light. Growing, reaching with each pulse. Spreading across the area as if looking for something to use, or to just eat. Whatever it was, it didn’t feel right. Like it was something that shouldn’t exist.

Over and over, scenes of death played out on each pane. Some were simple battles while others were a bit more subtle. Yet each showed death. Even as they started to merge, to combine into a single object, the scenes continued.

Finally, the panes coalesced enough to form a sort of three-dimensional object. Albeit one that lasted for but a fraction of a moment. And what stepped through made me almost laugh at the absurdity of this place.

They wore a hooked cloak that hung loosely on their body. The only limbs that were visible were the two hands. One of which held the scythe such a being had been pictured with in every story I had ever read.

Standing – floating – there before me had to be none other than death. The grim reaper. And they moved just enough for me to catch a glimpse of what lay under the hood.

It was empty. There was nothing there. No face. No bones. No life. Nothing but darkness. A void that asked to be filled yet something told me that nothing could ever sate this creature’s hunger.

“Not something one expects, is it?” The voice was soft, if a bit neutral, as they turned to look back at the various panes.

When the shock at the question passed, I tried to answer only to realize I couldn’t. “Here, let me.” Their hand waved over me, whatever I was. With it came heat. Enough to burn me had I still had a body.

Then it started to dissipate and I finally felt just how cold this place was. As the frigid space stabbed at my skin as it tried to pull every bit of heat from me.

“Where am I?” I asked while trying to not look the being in the eyes. “What is this place and why am I here?”

“You died.” It said as it flicked out its hand a second time. The panes rapidly vanished, as if commanded to leave. Taking with them the odd tinkling glass.

“So this is hell?” The laugh that came from the being lacked the joy I expected given its volume.

“There is no heaven. Nor is there a hell. At least, not as you would understand them.” It gestured around us. “This is the void. The place outside the world. The sea on which each universe roams.”

The sea on which the universe roams? Was this being trying to use poetry to describe how the planets moved around? I mean, that made some sense, sort of. Well, not really, but it would get the point across to people who had never even heard of space.

“So this is space? But if that is the case, how are we talking?” As though in answer to my question, the space around me twisted. I didn’t even realize the creature had moved to stand in front of me. Positioned in such a way that I had to look under their hood.

Unlike the first time, there was a face inside. Well, more than one face really. One moment I looked into the eyes of a young woman. The next I was staring into the dull eyes of an old man. Faces appeared and vanished. Yet, inside of each, I saw the darkness. Felt the hunger.

I was so entranced by the shifting faces that I nearly missed what it said. “This is not space. This is the void. A space where time, space, distance, mana, and even life as you know it, cannot exist here.”

It held a hand up to forestall the question it knew was on the tip of my tongue. “What you see flying around are creatures of the void. They live in, even thrive on, the void between universes. They were not born here, but made out of the void itself. And like the void they were formed from, they hunger for more. Push to go where they are not welcome simply in the hopes of sating their hunger.”

Death stopped talking as it looked into the distance. After a moment, I broke the silence. “So, if I am dead, what happens next?”

It let out a soft sigh as it turned back to me. “You have two options.” The way it spoke said that it didn’t care which of the options I chose, just that I made my decision so that it could move on. “You can choose to stay here, to try and survive, to make your way back to reality on your own, or you can let me help you return.”

“So a person could just die, pop up here.” An arm waved out at the void around us. “And then simply come back to life on their own?” Stories of ghosts came to mind. “Or would we come back as ghosts or something?”

It shook its head. “While that is theoretically possible, not once in my entire existence has a single mortal managed such a feat. Mostly as being able to traverse the void is one of those things that separates a god from a mortal. A power they learn so that they can defend their universe from the void and its creatures. To keep them from infesting their reality. To keep them from consuming the reality upon which mortals like you depend on to exist.”

That confused me. “So if someone managed to make it back on their own, they would be a god?” While I didn’t think that was the case, its words made it sound like such a thing was a possibility.

“No.” The hood shifted a bit as the shifting thing inside shook its head. It then looked into the distance, as if contemplating how to answer. Though, it could have just as easily been trying to figure out what it could say. “For one to navigate and travel the void, one must be able to force their will upon it.”

“For example,” a hand moved between the two of us. “My will is why you are currently able to talk. I am forcing the void to listen as well as providing you with a structure that allows you to do so. My will is also why this section of the void is so free of creatures.”

“What do you mean partially why?”

It waved off the question as it simply said, “those that survived my visits have learned that they need to simply wait for me to leave before returning.” The shoulders lifted as if the thing was shrugging. “Of course, that means that, if a soul decides to not take me up on my offer, they find themselves eaten quite quickly.”

That was…this was…this fucking thing was hustling me. This god, creature, thing, was basically saying that, unless I took it up on its offer, I would be eaten. I wanted to yell at the creature. To try and beat it up for even trying something like this.

Yet for all the annoyance and anger flowing through me, I knew there was no way I could do anything. This creature was too strong and me too dead. So, instead, I changed the subject. “Whatever happened to the river Styx? Was it, and other places like it, real or something humans made up?”

It let out a sigh of annoyance. Like it had answered this question, and those like it, too often. “Just like every other story revolving around death and its many forms, they are based on what you see. Eons ago, I used to meet a soul at the moment of its death. From there I would guide it to its next destination. What that was and where they went from there, I am not at liberty to say.”

It had worded that in such a way that I had to ask. “You said it used to be. What do you do now?”

A soft chuckle left the scaled lips of a lizard thing. “Unlike what you humans think, we gods don’t just sit around, waiting for time to pass us by. As it became clear that the number of being living in each universe grew, I found myself stretched thin. Before it became too much, I, along with a few other gods, got together to automate much of the process.”

It shook its head as it continued. “This whole picking up the dead and returning them to the land of the living is new. An experiment if you would.” A hand waved off any questions as it returned to its reason for being here. “Now, back to the decision you need to make. To return or not. To take my offer or not.”

“And what is your offer?” I asked, a bit annoyed at the lack of any real choice. That it could ask for pretty much anything and I would have to pay it.

Then again, it wasn’t like I knew this place or how to navigate it. So I could always think of this as me paying for its knowledge on the fastest way back.

“I offer to take you back to the Tree of Worlds and ask for a flat ten percent of your currently gathered experience.” It shot me a look as if it wondered if to elaborate. Whatever it saw caused it to do just that. “Whatever experience you have absorbed is your own. As it has already merged with you, it cannot be taken from you. As such, this deal will be closer to a loan than anything else. You will be free to wander about and do what you will. But, you will find that you will not gain any experience until your debt is cleared.”

Oh, so death was a loan shark. Great. Still, it wasn’t all that bad of a deal. “And that is all you want? Experience in return for bringing me back to life?”

“What? Did you think I wanted money or some nebulous favor?” It sounded a bit offended. “A tiny nations money does nothing for me. And while some favors are nice, they come with too many strings. One of which would have me working to keep you alive just so that I could eventually collect on it. Been there, done that.”

Just as it finished, the scythe in its hand flashed out and down. Something in the far-off distance let out a scream. It was quickly joined by a second before another joined in. The number and pitch of the screams increased faster as more of the things reacted to whatever this thing has just done.

“While I would love to continue this conversation, I have a feeling we will not be left alone for much longer. And while I could handle these things, I doubt you would. So your time is up.”

In all honestly, I didn’t have a choice. “I agree.”

“I, Thanatos,” with each name he gave, his voice seems to grow in both volume and depth. There was also a weird age to it. “The Final Curtain, Mors, The Doorway Beyond, The Great Equalizer, The Reapers, and The Angel of Death as you one final time.” Its voice resonated with so much power that it hurt to listen.

A bony hand wrapped around my wrist as it grabbed onto me. With it came cold. A chill of death that forced its way in. Devouring the little warmth I had managed to regain.

“Kyren Vulpier, formerly Alex Morgan of Earth. Born human and remade into a Kitsune. Do you, while being free of any external influence and with full understanding of what is asked, accept this bargain?”

“Death,” while the words felt like they were drawn from me, I knew that I could stop them at any time. Reject the deal. Like whatever it was doing was simply guiding me in how this ritual took place and the words to be used. As though the way I answered was just as important as my answer. “I, Kyren Vulpier, accept the bargain. I am willing to pay the price in exchange for guidance back to the Tree of Worlds, The World Tree, Yggdrasil.”

“So the bargain is made.” It slammed the butt of its scythe down. While there was nothing below us, the move still seemed to produce a thud that reverberated through the very fabric of this place.

Then the creature moved. Tugging me along behind it as the voice, and a cloud of creatures, flashed by. Space twisted, stretched, and compressed. Likely a result of Death pulling us along in a dimension I had no hopes of seeing, let alone interacting with.

Almost as soon as we started, we came to a stop. There, shimmering right in front of us, blocking out path, was a barrier made of pure light.

With its scythe, Death reached out. The tip sank into the surface without any resistance. Around it, a hole big enough for the two of us to enter appeared.

On the other side of the nearly opaque barrier sat a tree. One so massive that it made the images of the California Redwoods look like mere saplings. It was both beautiful and horrifying to look at. Multiple trunks twisted this way and that. Split and merged even as they twisted around each other and odd orbs. The various branches were no better.

And scatted through the whole thing, were orbs of various sizes. Each of while seemed to break up whatever they were connected to. Like the tree had grown through the world, yet not. Which wasn’t possible – right?

Death pulled me through the hole and started to cover the distance between the edge and an orb near the center of the tree. One with a second orb connected by a nearly translucent thread. The orb grew ever larger, to the point that it almost looked flat and we still hadn’t reached whatever it was.

It suddenly stopped. As I looked up, I noticed the head was tilted in an odd way. As though they were listening to something in the distance. Or maybe it was reading something.

Whatever it was, the creature adjusted its grip on the scythe before taking off in a slightly different direction. The speed at which it pulled made everything blur. Almost as though it had been holding back before and was now actually trying.

I wanted to ask — no, demand an explanation for the sudden shift, but found that I was unable to do so. Not like before. I had the ability to move my mouth and everything. There was just this pressure. Something that was pressing against me, preventing me from getting a single thing out. The feeling reminded me of how it felt to be facing into the wind as it forced its way past.

Then we plunged into the speckled marble. Whatever made up the surface let us through without issue to drop us into yet more darkness. Unlike the darkness beyond the tree, this was filled with an uncountable number of stars.

Our speed had dropped to nearly nothing as we passed through that barrier. As death sped back up, I found the stars stretching. Watched as they went from dots to smudges, and eventually thin lines. Within moments, the sky around me looked like an old Windows screensaver.

Before long, the lines shrank back into smudges before finally reverting back into the dots around us. All except for three. Well, one yellow-white star that was just cresting over the blue-white orb in front of us.

We skirted past a pockmarked moon before making for the planet itself. Unlike how every space launch returned to the planet, we dove straight for the planet.

Fire erupted around us as the air was forced closer. The compression so sudden and complete that it turned from a gas to a plasma. With the change came chaos, both in front of, around, and even behind us.

Yet, even with the violent turbulence, none of the heat reached me. Still, watching the tendrils of plasma dance around got me to wonder if I could do something similar. Not anytime soon, of course. But just the thought of turning fire into a weapon, one with real mass, it would open up some decent possibilities.

My first issue would be creating it. While I could compress something to create something similar, it wouldn’t be the exact same, nor would it be stable let alone controllable.

As I mulled over the idea, the plasma storm faded away to reveal a mountain. Well, more like a full mountain range, but the one before us was taller than all the rest. Given what I could see, I wouldn’t have been surprised to find that it doubled the others. And sitting on a ledge three quarters of the way up was a series of carved pillars.

The whole thing looked like something straight out of one of those old temples in movies. Or the things found in most fantasy games. Only, this one wasn’t worn down. In fact, it almost looked like it had just been carved in the past couple years.

And we were heading right for it.