//------------------------------//
// Chapter II 
// Story: The Last Testament of Myrddin 
// by Knight Breeze 
//------------------------------//

I ran, screaming into the night as the strange amalgam of body parts pretending to be a living thing chased me.  It cackled madly as blades and cheese fell from the sky in equal measures, while all around me I could see the faces of some bizarre, horse-like beings.  They all stared at me with those huge, unblinking eyes of theirs, horror and despair written upon their long faces as they watched mutely as I was endlessly chased by the mad demon.

Yet, that wasn’t the worst part.  The worst part was that nagging, quiet whisper.  She was calling to me, begging me to hurry, all while she cried in pain.  But as fast as I ran, I never seemed to be able to catch up to her, all while that abominable beast nipped at my heels, his insane cackling permeating through my very soul.

“Please, you must hurry…” I heard her suddenly say, as if she were standing right behind me.  “I have been waiting so long for my children to come save me.  Why do you tarry?  The demon… the demon steals your birthright, and you do not even know it…”

I turned to look to her, only to be met face-to-face with the demon.  His insane, yellow and red eyes gazed deep into mine, and with a snap of his fingers, I felt my form twist and melt.  In seconds, I was nothing more than a bubbling gelatinous mass, my face locked into a primal scream as my form flowed into the cracks of the earth, every nerve of my body screaming in pain as the demon continued to cackle at me, his unhinged eyes staring into mine with an odd look of satisfaction.

Thunder crashed all around me, and I woke with a start, my eyes darting all around as I tried to get my breathing under control.  This was rather difficult, however, as another lightning strike nearby purged all desire to stay out in the forest for the night, as well as any thought of sleep.

With quick, unsteady hands, I gathered up my blanket and pillow, and without another look back at the statue, I made my way inside.  I tried to go back to sleep, but by the will of the gods, the storm, or the haunting nightmares, I had no luck as the rain continued to pelt my little thatched roof into submission.

As I sat there in my bed, my eyes staring holes into the ceiling of my little cottage, I couldn’t help but feel my gaze drift towards the shutters.  They rattled alarmingly as the storm continued to pelt them, but they held firm, serving the purpose for which they had been built marvelously.

With sleep being a fleeting, distant thing, I decided that, with the outpouring of magic, it would be wise to better practice my powers.  I stood up quickly, before making my way to the shutters to let some of the rain into my cottage.  It pooled rather quickly onto the floor, to which I quickly shut them, to prevent much more from seeping in.  Then, with shaking, nervous hands, I wove the magic before me, forming the spell in my mind before unleashing it on the pool of water.

The liquid shimmered a dark, grey color, before it stood up, becoming a small man standing on what remained of the puddle.  He looked up at me, before tilting his head to the side as I let out a grunt of triumph.  It worked far better than I could have hoped, as the last time I had tried that spell, the most I had gotten was a faint ripple, followed by a headache.

It was a shame, then, that my father had died before he was able to see this.

Unbidden, my eyes traveled to the shutters again, and with shaking hands, I opened them once more.  I wove the magic pulsing through me, and quickly formed it into a protective barrier around the window, to allow me to look out without fear of any more water coming in.  Off in the distance I could see that mysterious statue, and for a few minutes, I just stared at it.  Voices seemed to echo through my mind, with one in particular being the most prominent, her dire warning seeming all the more serious, now that I have felt the power of the ancients at my fingertips.

Your birthright is being stolen from you, and you do not even know it… I thought I heard her say, her voice an echo upon the wind and the rain.

I quickly snapped the shutters closed, before exiting my cottage, the barrier wrapped around myself like a cloak as I ventured forth from my home.  The water ran like streams against my power, but I ignored it in favor of summoning a small light to allow me better view of my recently plundered spoil.

The statue itself was of a rearing horse, its likeness nearly a one-to-one match for an actual steed, with the only exception being that I had never before seen a stallion that was quite as toned as this one.  It was clear that the original artist had a vision of the ideal horse, and used his considerable talent to bring that vision to life.  Legs were frozen in the act of kicking into the air, while muscles seemed to bunch underneath fur and skin, so lifelike that, if it had been any other color than the pale white of stone, and had been textured as fur, instead of the pure white marble that it was, I would have been forgiven for mistaking it for a real horse.

The base was equally beautiful, if not nearly as detailed.  The arches had some work done on them, but as for the center, it was left completely blank, and polished to the point where I could almost see my own reflection in it.  In fact, it was so stunningly shiny that I lost myself in that shimmering, reflected glow for a time, until I realized why the perfect surface nagged at my consciousness so intently.

The surface was shiny, almost ridiculously so, and so utterly, utterly clean.  Not even water dotted its surface, and any raindrops that happened to land on its perfect surface disappeared entirely.

I stopped and examined the statue again.  Everywhere else I could see there were droplets of water that peppered the surface of the statue.  It was so bad, that the water was running down places, and forming small waterfalls near the base.  Yet, on the surface of the base itself, it was completely clear.

With trembling hands, I reached out to touch the marble’s perfect reflection.  Instead of stopping on the stone, my hand passed through, as if it encountered nothing but water.  It even rippled like water, though it certainly didn’t feel like it.  It felt instead like my hand had disappeared entirely, and the stump was now exposed to the empty air.  It didn’t hurt, however, but even so, I still panicked, and pulled back my hand, half-expecting it to start spewing blood everywhere.

Imagine my surprise and relief, then, when feeling instantly returned, and I saw my fingers wiggle in front of my face as if nothing had happened.

I knew that I should have just turned away right then and there, that it would have been safer had I dumped the statue off somewhere, and forgotten about it, returned to my life as a mad hermit, and maybe find some way to make some coin other than begging.

Yet, that part of myself was so small, having shrunk to nearly nothing as I spent my life ignoring it in favor of following the mad dreams that plagued my every rest.  So, it was no surprise, then, that instead of turning and running as far and as fast as I could, I took a deep, cleansing breath, and stepped through that smooth, alabaster surface.

Almost immediately, I felt my world explode.  Lights seemed to pass me by at impossible speeds, and my stomach felt like it was being ripped apart as I felt myself cross some grand distance, all while staying completely still.  The experience seemed to drag on for an eternity, and yet, contained in that eternity, I found myself counting, only to stop at five as I tumbled headlong out the other end of… whatever that was, nearly breaking my nose as I collapsed onto the stone floor beneath me.

I wanted to scream, I wanted to void my stomach, but most importantly I wanted to curl up into a ball and quietly weep.  My body, however, seemed only able to lie there, shivering in terror as I quietly gasped in the life-giving air around me.  I do not know how long I spent there, quietly breathing as I tried to get my body under control, but when I finally managed to get my shattered nerves back under some semblance of normalcy, I quickly became aware that I wasn’t quite as alone as I had thought.

Somewhere nearby, I could hear voices chattering to each other in some unknown language, though they seemed somewhat muffled, as if they were speaking through a closed door, or from a very far distance.  With shaking, weakened hands, I pushed myself up and finally took stock of my situation.

I was… in some kind of cave, illuminated by odd crystals that shed a pale, almost sickly light.  Scattered near the walls of the cave I could see several wooden crates lining the walls, as well as armor stands upon which several suits of armor made of bronze sat.  They were shaped in an old, seemingly archaic fashion reminiscent to that of the old roman empire, or possibly older, though I could not be certain, as I was no expert in fallen empires and their arms and armor.

Yet, despite their obvious age, their ruddy, burnished surfaces gleamed dully in the pale light of the nearby glowing crystals, showing obvious signs that they were well cared for.  There were weapons here too; swords, spears, bows, and shields, all in that ancient style, though the most notable thing about all of these objects wasn’t their style, or age, but the silvery runes that covered each of them that seemed to glow in the pale, oddly artificial light.

And finally, standing behind me as if it had spat me out onto the floor, was a huge, full-length mirror that stood upon a pedestal.  It was framed in an odd, purple material that also seemed to glow in the pale light of the crystals of the cave, and was shaped as if it were a horseshoe with various decorative flares spouting from around its frame.  It also had several priceless-looking gems embedded into its surface, and upon the top, I could see some kind of jutting piece, covered in silvery runes that gleamed far brighter than the crystals that otherwise illuminated this room.  As for the mirror itself, it was, by far, the most perfect mirror I had ever seen, with the reflection being far clearer than that of even the calmest pools of water, or the most polished of metal surfaces.

As for the room itself, other than the crates, armaments and mirror, it was surprisingly bare, as if this place was little more than a storage room of some kind.  Its walls were made of some kind of smooth, purple stone, with the only way out being a single archway that looked more like a gaping maw, than something made by human hands.

As I sat there, marveling at my surroundings, I suddenly became aware of the fact that the voices I had noted earlier seemed to be getting louder, and without knowledge of who, or what, I was dealing with, I felt it extremely prudent to hide.  So, with quick, quiet steps, I made my way to a stack of crates and sequestered myself behind them.  I left enough room to see, but as I was unsure of the ability of my unwelcome guests, I began to weave my invisibility charm around myself, and was almost knocked off my feet right then and there by the amount of mana at my disposal.

Now, under normal circumstances, I would have noticed the change immediately.  The power was so overwhelming, it was like being drowned in an ocean when the most water you’ve ever seen was that which was contained in a damp rag.  And yet, due to the immediate danger, as well as the stomach churning trip that the mystical portal had hurled me through, only now, as I wove this spell around myself, was I aware of just how much there was.  It was so plentiful, that I nearly began weeping right then and there.  Was this how our world was supposed to be?  How long ago was our mother drawn away?  More importantly, how gradually was she stolen away, for so few of my people to have even noticed until it was far, far too late?

This thought and others tore through my mind, causing me to nearly miss the arrival of two of my new ‘friends.’  However, all my thoughts froze when I first laid eyes upon those odd little creatures.

The things were only a bit bigger than the largest of large dogs, with the tops of their heads coming up to my chest, while their shoulders sat somewhere around my pelvis.  They were quadrupedal, with the same general dimensions of a horse, but that’s where the similarities ended.  These things had a shiny black carapace, like that of a bug, while on their backs I could see a dark purple shell.  Their wings were similar to that of a dragonfly, or similar insect, while their tails, frills and the holes in their legs whispered of origins unknown and alien to my human sensibilities.  Their heads were also horse-like, but larger and more bulbous, with large, protruding fangs and a sharp, curved horn on the tops of their heads that caused me to shiver uncomfortably.

What really got me, however, were their eyes.  They were bright pink, lacking any iris or pupil, and were oddly large, making their appearance all the more strange and disturbing.

The creatures entered, all while chattering to each other in their strange, alien tongue, though there was something about it that seemed familiar to me.  I couldn’t place it, however, and my new ‘friends’ weren’t about to explain to me why I found it so, so all I could do was watch as they looked around the crates for a few minutes, before finally selecting one, and leaving, their cargo floating behind them, held in their magical grip.

Jealousy wormed its way into my heart, and I briefly felt furious at these strange, otherworldly creatures for having what was denied me almost my entire life, but I kept my feelings bottled for now.  I knew nothing of my surroundings, and if I were to actually save my mother earth, my first priority would have to be information, both about my new surroundings, and about the creatures that called this place home.

Which, of course, was my first mistake.  I attribute it to me not having had the appropriate amount of sleep, and partially being drunk on the power that I had trained my entire life to use, but a mistake is a mistake, nonetheless.  The proper course of action would have been to move to the mirror, to check if I could move back through it.  Then, once I returned home, to then sleep upon my new discovery, and formulate a plan.

What I did instead was leave this little storage room, and become utterly lost in the twisting, sprawling maze that was the bug-like horse’s domain.

Thanks to my spell, however, I managed to remain hidden, but as minutes turned to hours, I became less and less sure of my ability to avoid detection.  Several times I almost stumbled into a group of them, nearly breaking my cover and dooming myself, but I barely managed to avoid them each time.  I also spied a few other odd creatures, these beings far closer to the horses of my world, if oddly brightly colored, oddly proportioned, and with a few extra limbs in some cases.

Every single one of these new, more ‘normal’ horses were being led by those bug-like ones, all with a distant, glazed look in their eyes, but I ignored them for now.  I needed to either reach the surface, or make it back to the mirror room, to reorient myself, and get a better understanding of this twisted place.

Though this mistake eventually played out in my favor, I still wonder to this day if it would have been better had I just turned around and walked back through the mirror instead.

Eventually, the sound of running water caught my attention, and though we were underground, I had a feeling that running water would eventually lead to the surface.  It was just a hunch, as I had no real way of knowing this, but I still rushed, moving past the armored bug-creature guards, to finally gaze upon the exit, which was blocked by a curtain of falling water.  I could see light through that flowing, hazy barrier, which only made me hurry through all the faster, eager to lay my eyes upon the surrounding countryside, and to finally figure out where on earth I was, and where our mother was being held.

What greeted me on the other side was hard to describe, but for you, my dear kinsmen, I will do my best.  The falls and surrounding hills were protected by a visible barrier, and all inside were as expected: green grass, green trees of unknown species, clear water, and dark brown soil perfect for fields and crops.  However, just beyond that protective shell, was a confused, chaotic hellscape lacking rhyme or reason.

Checkerboard hills, a mountain made of a bright-green, somewhat jiggling mass in the distance, while pink clouds swarmed like bees overhead, leaving behind trails of a dark, muddy water that turned to ice where it laid.  Nothing seemed permanent, either, as every aspect seemed to shift and change with the passing of the seconds, with even the very sun and moon in the sky bent to the whims of some spiteful deity, each shifting places with the other at random, changing from the brightest of days, to the darkest, most star filled nights at the blink of an eye.

What was more bizarre was the wildlife.  Birds flew backwards, before turning into apples, or exploding entirely, all while they barked like dogs.  Smaller woodland animals grew wings, before burrowing underground, only to emerge, skipping through the earth like fish, while larger predators ran from frothing, twisted creatures that would otherwise be their prey.

Truly, it was as if someone had taken the concept of chaos and had made it real.

It was then that I made my second mistake of the day.  With wonder and trepidation, I stepped through the protective barrier, if only to get a better look at the confused terrain and the creatures within, all while trusting that my magic would keep me hidden from any danger that might have lurked just beyond that shimmering curtain of light.

Almost instantly, I felt myself lifted into the air, all while a mad cackling filled my ears.  Something then whizzed around me, too fast to see at first, but as it came up to look me dead in the eye, I finally recognized the face of the demon from my nightmares.

It had a long, twisting, serpentine body, whose brown fur abruptly gave way to scales as it reached its tail, before terminating in a large, white tuft.  Its limbs were equally confused, with wings from both a bat and a bird, while its four legs were assembled from seemingly random animals.  I recognized a bird talon, a paw from some mighty predator, a lizard claw, and a goat’s hoof, with each part just starting, with no gradation between them and the rest of the body.

As alarming as this all was, it was nothing compared to the creature’s head.  It looked like that of a goat, or a horse, with mismatched horns, ears like those of a donkey, bushy eyebrows, a goatee, and a single fang jutting from its wide, malicious smile.  However, all of that was tame compared to the demon’s eyes.  They were bright red, and seemed to glow with an inner evil, while the surrounding sclera was an ugly, putrid yellow.  Finally, both eyes were of different sizes, only hinting at the depths of madness that lay behind that insane gaze that seemed to pierce my very soul.

It spoke to me, the words spilling from its mouth in a language I couldn’t understand, all while it laughed about some grand joke it had played.  I could not understand it, to which it just rolled its eyes at me, before placing a single digit of its yellow paw upon my forehead.

It was then that my mind shattered like the flimsiest of glass.