Order of the Black Sun

by daOtterGuy

Somnus

Thick mist enveloped him, lulling him into a false sense of ease. He fought back the urge to sleep. A difficult task, even with the talisman around his neck warding off the worst of Somnus’s influence. He could hear the screams of villagers as they succumbed to Somnus’s lies, the agony of having one’s organs shut down one by one. That was the danger of simply being around the Corrupt Pillar Mage Meadowbrook.

He pushed forward, his mind focused on the singular goal of reaching her. He could feel her through the mist, her magic a powerful beacon to him. Only a few more exhausting steps and he would be close enough to do what he needed to do.

“Doesn’t it hurt?” A feminine voice whispered in his ear. He shivered. It was so painfully comforting, like a parent singing a foal to sleep. “Why keep fighting this? Isn’t it tiring pushing onward for decades with no end in sight? Just lay your head down. Let go.”

Ignoring the voice as much as he was able to, Stygian continued his trek, his pace significantly slowed down by drowsiness that grew with each step he took.

“It’s okay to rest, Stygian. To take a moment for yourself.”

Internally, he admitted that the statement was true, but he knew that any form of sleep within the confines of Meadowbrook’s domain would be his last.

“You shouldn’t push yourself so hard.”

An outline in the mist. He felt renewal as the end came into sight.

“No one will blame you for wanting release from your burdens. You’ve been fighting for so long. There is no weakness in admitting you need sleep.”

The hazy outline took the rough shape of a cloaked mare. He could see her eyes through the mist, two bright blue irises. There was a wreath of flowers entangled around her head.

Stygian formed a blade with his magic.

“Just let it—”

He lunged forward. A quick swipe of his blade, and he cut off a flower from her mane. A pale blue flower that glowed softly in the mist.

Meadowbrook screamed. A horrendous, scratchy sound like cats and foals crying at the top of their lungs. The mist thinned as the chorus increased in volume. With it, he felt a surge of energy.

His mission accomplished, Stygian galloped away from the Corrupt Pillar. Flowering vines tried to grab him, but were cut by precise shots of arrows streaking through the night.

Stygian’s breath was ragged, but he pushed himself forward, racing toward the exit. The mist clung to him, trying to hold him back until, with one final burst of speed, it couldn’t. As the mist receded from his flanks, he continued to run away.

Despite being the avatar for the God of Sleep, Meadowbrook could move really fast when she wanted to.