Lore & books

Once the first two Watched, who became King and Queen, open their eyes, they understand light, and in the true nature of things, they become inseparable as the royals of their realm, breeders, and leaders of their bands. That is the case with the world of the land of Black & white. Somewhere through the fabric of space and time lay another land, the Land Of Red. Almost mirroring that of the Black & White, with the inhabitants of both carrying similar traits with only the difference of which is dominant, you could practically see that they are all descendants of the exact origins, with some characteristics beating others in between. 

The Land of Red, although almost identical, had an eerie red sky that gave off a deeper crimson reflection to the otherwise white lands. There, just like the King & Queen of the land of the Black & White, the origins of the King & Queen came from two watched who braced and embraced, but there was quite the fallacy. When the realization hit it: that there was another creature before it the same as itself, the feeling of loneliness that it had changed to curiosity, and quickly a sense of greed, which pushed it to want to own the other creature. Instead of a slight exploratory touch, the mirror image of it standing in front of it was grabbed with force and brought forth to an otherwise aggressive embrace, forcibly causing the birth of the first King & Queen of Red. 

In contrast to the rulers of the Black & White, curious, respectful, glorious, and articulate, with a sharing and more generous nature, the Rulers of Red had a different approach. A Red King so vile, greedy, and altogether far from the idea of generosity, with an affinity for oppression that extends even to that forced Queen. The Queen of red, who stood in an almost mesmerizing image of red traits making her the fairest, most admired Queen of all the realms, was, despite her beauty and elegance, a victim to an otherwise selfishly entitled King. She was pushed and driven to breed and bring forth an army so grand in numbers to serve the Oppressor King. 

  The years went on, with an even more frightening growth in the Red Kings’ oppression. Heads flew, then sat on stakes at the entrance to the Royal Castle as though a warning to those who thought of rising in front. There is a degree of indecency towards those beheaded; not burning them was a form of clear threat, and what made it even more terrible, the heads of princes, princesses, and lords made up the majority of those lined up, as an expression of his greed, and fear of succession. A horrific image and gruesome atmosphere for anyone, especially a mother so fair and gentle as the Queen of Red. 

The Queen of Red, despite all she saw, kept moving on as though she saw a particular good in the King of Red, who she first met in the loneliness of the early days. She Barely remembered that from that first embrace, her partner showed his ways of feeding off others with his cruel ways. She kept giving in and bringing in more life, which she could place a degree of hope into to possibly be admirable and fair until one day, the Twins of Red were brought into existence. Two lights fell as she pulled them out of the fabric of space, who grew to be fine youth, a Prince and a Princess, with their mothers’ beauty, gentle, and articulate demeanor. She loved them with all her heart shattered pieces and saw in them the hope that the Land of Red needed, away from the Oppressor. 

A Drunken rage was not an unusual opera in the Red Castle where the Oppressor, after gluttoning on all the special fare of the red realm, would beat, whip, and scream at his Queen, but one dreadful day came to be, where the King of Red pulled his last straw. A Drunken rage ensued, where instead of bludgeoning his Queen, he sought to do more harm. His fear of succession caused him to unknowingly, in his drunken passage, enter the dormitory of the Twins of Red. Juvenile, young and helpless, barely extending to the waist of the oppressive one, were thieved of their light, the hope they brought to the realm, the love of their gentle mother, and the future of the Land of Red. 

The Queen of Red, who knew not of any of this, felt like an arrow took its place in her chest. She ran from her dorm to her children’s only to witness two young, small lifeless bodies on the floor, with the Oppressor standing, hands bloodied, screaming as if victorious in a great war. Something snapped. The Queen of Red, known for having a gentle eye, broke. A scream of animosity caused a shockwave so strong that it shattered the ceiling of the Castle they were in. Debris fell across the plain. The Oppressor stood in shock, quickly turning into a rage, attacking his betrothed as if trying to eliminate the threat. Still, the Malice the Queen had in her broken heart took over, and she could not be stopped. Her screams continued, and every time they grew stronger, destroying everything she laid her eye on as she had done it. A battle so sad and so frightening, causing the day to be dreaded, named Unblessing. 

In the distance, miles away from the red Castle, a Watcher of Red trodden its way. A sudden flash of fire shot past in front of it and a round figure landed. The watcher, slow and steady, came close to the round figure, and a shiver ran down its spine, a fear that no watcher had felt before. The head of the King of Red lay, bloodied and dead.

In the Castle of red, as red rains came down, the once gentle Queen laid next to the bodies of her two children, with short and small sobs and tears from her now darkened red eye, as though letting go of the last shred of her grace, with the passing of her hope the Twins of Red. Malice took over, and that was the day she then stood with a plain and evil expression, and made her conviction clear, Kill the King in as many iterations of his existence, all the realms, to avoid the death of hope and to feed the anger and malice she felt within. All hail Malice, the Queen of Red. 

Through the fabric of space and time lay a great and vast land. The Land of Black & White is inhabited by regal beings with different hierarchical structures and an enormous barren environment, so much so that it was called based on its colors. Before those beings existed, a dominion in that realm was formed by unknown powers. A Mountainous landscape, as though drops of paint on an otherwise white canvas, empty with no signs of life, except for a spread of snowy mountains, those with rivers, green mountains, and volcanic ones. All ingredients of what could possibly bring out an organism. One specific mountain stood taller than all of them, so high that it towered over the rest, and due to that height, it was surrounded by lightning-crowded rain clouds almost always. 

The only signs of activity witnessed were the falling of snow, flow of rivers, volcanic eruptions, and lightning storms, and that was enough to create a world. It started by being uninhabitable by any creatures, but a day would come, and that would drastically change. One day the activity stopped. Eruptions seized, rivers did not flow and lay still, the snow did not fall, and there were no clouds in sight, and suddenly a loud unzipping noise was sounded across the realm, where the skies opened, displaying somewhat of a gateway as if space & time itself is breaking through the world entering this dominion. Through that opening came across a bright ball of light, so fast with a crackle that usually comes with lightning bolts, only to hit the nearest mountain, the tallest mightiest of those towering mountains of the realm. Right after the ball of light hit the ground, a sudden change in the sky happened, like a closing of a heavy old book; the sky SHUT back together with a CLAP echoing across the realm as though it screamed it was the beginning of a new scene. 

After the such peculiar activity, an eerie change in the atmosphere took place. It was as though a new life had been brought to the otherwise active yet lifeless realm. The mightiest mountain of the plain started rumbling. An earthquake had hit, but with that rumbling came a formation of massive arms, a torso, a head, and legs. A Life HAS been formed. The creature that stood tall in place of that mountain, a towering giant who came to be known as the Golem King, stood powerful and massive, surrounded by the same clouds that used to wrap his mountainous form. A Commanding figure can control the weather, lightning, and rain, the ingredients that could destroy or give life. The Golem King looked up in the sky, as though knowing where his life had started from, and let out a Roar so great, an announcement of a new Era, and a calling to the rest of the mountainous range for right after that roar, the other mountains started rising, all becoming their own golems with abilities matching their previous environment. The day of rising, it was called, when the remaining golems came to be. They all stood first and quickly came down to a knee in respect of the one calling for their arrival. 

The once active yet empty land full of mountains flourished with the entry of souls. In a world formed with different towering golems with different abilities, the Golems of Nature made sure that the world had abundant trees and plant life as though painting a beautiful green scene into existence. Hand in Hand with their counterparts, the Golems of water, made sure that rivers ran across the greenery spewed by the Golems of Nature as a complimenting hand-in-hand process towards a more lively scene to the realm, and then came the Golems of Stone, who made sure that their boulders are set just at the suitable locations to make sure the land is balanced. Hills and canyons do make up an addition to the beauty of the realm, the Stone Golems are also are the builders of structures for beings that flock to the domain. The glue however, that binds all those creations together comes from heat, provided by the Golems of Fire, the ones that make sure everything is secured the right way, and the forming of new land and shelter is fixed in place along with being the most formidable line of defense towards any external threat. The Dominion grew significantly in a short span of time, with the Principality of stone just across the Water Golem Falls, The Fire Golem Dominion at the edge of the land, and finally Gaia’s sanctuary, the home of the nature Golems extending south of the Land.

The Golem King, the controller of weather, the bringer of life, and the conversing one, is what the Golem kin addressed him as,  he brought a pearl of wisdom packed by the millennia of the existence of mountains in the realm ever since the Day of Rising, along with a Godly ability imbued in him. He stood tall, laying his sight on a once deadly, scattered, mountainous range, now a flourishing land full of life and smaller beings that came to new homes of abundance. He then called his Golems to stand tall, the stormy clouds surrounding him settled to become beautiful calm clouds, emulating the beauty of a mild sun-kissed day out in nature, and with a deep yet warm voice, spoke those legendary words: “My children, life is the one where we together stand, and make sure another life is unharmed, yet flourishing, we are the beings that build, the beings that protect, and the beings that hope. This is the Kingdom of Golemia”.

With the emergence of the Great golems and their building capabilities, they managed to create a thriving kingdom that hosted a multitude of creatures across the land known today as the Land of Black & white. Among those creatures, the golems noticed that there were two very peculiar beings. Similar to how the Golems had arms and legs protruding from a Torso, these much smaller creatures had the same. They had one eye, looking so eerie, and surrounding them was the darkest of auras. A couple, Watchers from the Eye Kingdom, have strayed from their original domain in search of greener pastures and have stumbled upon the distant point of this thriving Kingdom away from the more immense desert plains of their origins.

Much life thrived in the Kingdom of Golemia and an abundance of creatures considered legendary in the tales of man. The Majestic, strong, and honorable Bicorn was one of the most mythical creatures. It was said that the Bicorns are creatures that lived for hundreds of years, and not many knew where they originated from. Some speculated they came from the south and resided in the black forests of the Land of Black & White, claiming that this was the reason for their dark coat and beautiful ashy hair on the back of their necks and tails. Others speculated they came from up north, From the Beyond, specifically the Mountain of Ascension, or even further because of their large stature and slightly heavier coat than other creatures. Little did any of them know that the Bicorns were an anomaly, just as is all Golems that existed. They hailed from a domain unknown and came to be from the exact origins where the sky split open and spat out this great beast.

Tales surrounding the great Bicorn flourished. A creature that hosts an Ego worthy of their glorious existence and had anyone desired to ride a Bicorn or dare to have an attempt at "Domesticating" one, they needed to display a great degree of strength, power, sophistication, and ambition. The Bicorns could detect the potential of who stood in front of them. It is common knowledge that only the wisest and strongest beings could hoist themselves onto a Bicorn's back without enraging the beast. A being matching those specifications existed towards the east; A King believed to have befriended the oldest and strongest of the Bicorns, Ashdal The grey. Many of those beasts flocked towards the Kingdom of Golemia, precisely between the Principality of Stone, and the Water Golem Falls,  where abundant open grassy plains existed along with water. The Golem King took a specific liking to those beasts, for they had an excellent lifespan similar yet shorter than the two one-eyed creatures that moved to Gaia's Sanctuary. 

Many of the beings that now populated the Kingdom of Golemia wondered about those great towering mountainous creatures, and questions arose around many aspects, some silly surrounding the anatomy of how one of those beings would defecate. And others are a bit more puzzling as to Why they existed in the first place? Answers were rarely found as the Golems spoke a language that could not be learned by any other being, which caused communication with them to be near impossible, and those questions were left unanswered. The most curious of all creatures that came across the Kingdom, a particular half-breed that spoke with little glory and articulation, happened to reach the King of Golems and attempt a conversation. Still, as is with the nature of Mountains, attention was rarely given so far as no harm had been done to the surface. 

Questions continued to rise, and the most important one was, "what do those creatures feed on?". Little did any of the beings residing in the Kingdom know that the food of the golems was not of the exact nature of their frailty; preying on each other and the fruits of nature, no, for the Golems feeding was very frightening. Golems grew stronger with the existence of more creatures in their dominion. A thriving environment was one creator of strength for the Golems, and that was obvious by seeing how keen they were to take great care of the land they built, and that sounds like a noble method of nourishment indeed to those great beings. Still, there was more, a darker side. The nutrition from a thriving environment did not need creatures, so the question that sparks itself here, is why would they become stronger when more creatures existed in that environment? Was it because that would allow the environment to thrive more? What is the secret? What is it that they truly feed on? A very eerie aspect that even the Golem King was oblivious to in the beginning. 

Time would pass, and creatures that used to live for hundreds of years, including the magnificent Bicorns, would see that their lifespan was cut short dramatically. A typical lifespan of 500 years would be cut down to a mere 100, as other creatures with shorter lifespans saw that their regular years were cut down by half, even though the Kingdom of Golemia had an abundance of clean water, food, and beautiful weather. That wasn't questioned at all and thought of being natural, but it was as though Time was being drained. Despite that specific nature of the Golems, the Golem King was just and caring for life, for had he not been caring for life, he would practically be pushing away his and his kin's core sustenance, Time.

No creature realized their time was being cut short, for their lives were beautiful, peaceful, and abundant, although lessened. The difference in aging between all the beings that lived there was recorded by the two longest-living ones; the watcher couple. In this peculiar scenario, creatures that usually lived to be a hundred would perish at fifty, and animals that generally lived for 20 would die at 10. Bicorns were no exception. Although known for living for over 500 years, they were the biggest losers if this was a game. They lived a mere 100 before they succumbed to what seemed like death from old age. No one saw a single Golem expire, and no one thought anything of it except those two.  

Agram of Ice, and Fetya of Desert, were watchers from a bloodline of mysterious one-eyed beings roaming the Land of Black & White, mainly on the east. Although new to this world, by their usual age standards, thousands of years are equivalent to adolescence. Agram was a Night watcher, hailing from the frozen tribe of the Eye Kingdom. He stood at 7 Feet and 6 inches tall, the average height of a nimble night watcher, with a muscular build, and if viewed by the inexperienced eye, would seem as though he wore armor all the time and had a rare blue pupil to his single eye residing in the middle of his face along with a single horn that looked like it was touched by snow way too many times. Fetya was his partner, a native of the desert tribe of the Eye Kingdom. A day watcher standing at 7 feet and 2 inches tall, broad shoulders, with skin the color of sand, hosting the typical white pupil of a watcher, and hair that was longer than usual for the Eye Kin, also looked as though wearing armor, and carrying an axe almost always. 

Agram & Fetya's tribes were known for their constant duels and ruthless events in the Eye Kingdom designed to build character, and Agram & Fetya held the most entertaining and brutal of those duels with each other. A day came when they saw themselves growing tired of the constant dueling and felt as though it was time for them to seek solace. It was Fetya who spoke to Agram about the land she had heard of far away on the west of the Land of Black & White, a land with green pastures, multiple dominions, and creatures that lived peacefully side by side, a place they could achieve that unity in mind. Agram, who was used to Fetya's axe being swung at him for no reason, was taken aback and thought of it as one of those jokes two duelers would jest together about when they break bread post their gruesome fights, but the Look on Fetya's eye was more severe than that in a battle, and to Agram's surprise, he saw himself succumbing to a certain beauty he saw in her eye that he had never noticed until that very moment. It was then an easy decision for him to make. 

Although indifferent to the concept of time, the Eye Kin lived truly long lives. That is why they were called by many other beings, Timeless ones. Agram was 2023 years old, and Fetya was 1986 years of age. They decided to move to the Kingdom of Golemia, and after they had, they chose the most beautiful and moderate of all its dominions, Gaia's Sanctuary, the greenest of all the land on the west. There, they saw a stone golem build a mansion worthy of a Royal of the Eye Kin as though a special welcome to the Timeless ones. 

Years passed, and journeying away from their home was a norm. Using the speed and swiftness the Eye Kin are known for, and with their never-ending abundance of time, during their 33rd Year in the Kingdom of Golemia, they stumbled on a dominion full of beings they hadn't seen for quite some time. They were used to seeing Bicorns in open stables at the bottom of the Royal palace, but here they were free, beautiful, and as majestic as they could remember, if not more. Agram said to Fetya: "Do you recall how the King once descended to speak to our tribes on Ashdal the Grey's back?" to which Fetya responded: "Raises the hair on my neck every time I recall it!". Agram then approaches the Bicorns, who lift their grazing heads up, and a single one of them, the biggest one who towered 10 Feet up even on all fours, comes closer to Agram & Fetya. As the Bicorn came closer, his horns shifted colors from black to a fierce red as though drenched in lava, with smoke starting to come out from the tips of the horns. Agram, who was versed in handling those grand beings, immediately bowed down to his knees and spoke in Bicorn-tongue, A clicking sound that translated to "Dignified & glorious one, respectful thy visitors be must we run?" to which the Bicorn responded in the same clicking sound "Eye Kin, your visit we hold within, our glory meets your potential, our friendship is essential." 

That was the day, Agram befriended Altive the Proud. Altive was a Bicorn blessed by wisdom older than his age, such are the Bicorn kin. Mounting a towering Bicorn with its consent was a feat reserved only for those who were capable and had the potential to ascend. Even with the Eye Kingdom, it was rare to be able to hoist oneself on the back of a Proud and Gallant dark Bicorn, let alone the leader of a Bicorn faction such as Altive the Proud. Many adventures were trodden, and exploration was achieved when  Agram and Fetya road the back of Altive across the Kingdom of Golemia. End to end, they managed to scale the entirety of the Kingdom, witnessing the great King of Golemia in his stationary and peaceful position assumed when there be no need for his movement, and even reaching the northernmost part and seeing from a distance a population of new watchers descending into the Green Valley just outside the Kingdom of Golemia.

For 40 Years, their friendship continued, and Life seemed infinite with the union of Agram & Fetya and the fellowship with Altive. Agram even dared say once: "I feel like I'm the King of this dominion!" to which Fetya responds: "His wisdom is not one you have, and his strength is not something us watchers can fathom," to which Agram responds with a jesting smirk while looking at Altive for any sign of approval, and Altive as he attempts a response, falls. 

Agram & Fetya know how long a Bicorn should last, and their friends' death to them was not right, for Altive was only 102 years old, entirely in his early days, and yet to be great. That sparked their search to extend, and it is precisely that event that triggered their investigation to dampen and see how Life, although peaceful and green, for other beings than themselves seemed short. So they Brace and commence a search. What is the secret of the Kingdom of Golemia? Where does that extra time go?

"Why would the Kingdom ruled so justly require protection?" A question that rose on multiple occasions between Agram & Fetya. After the death of his friend the Bicorn, Altive the proud. This interest & curiosity, so similar to that of the first watched to tread the Land of Black & White, kept growing, and with every revelation, the couple couldn't help but notice that it gets eerier and eerier. 

Around the same time this whole journey was commencing, Agram, a Night watcher, would wake from his slumber on a nightly basis, noticing a sweat had been broken as if he had returned from a journey. Fetya is entirely inactive at night, and her sleep is so heavy that Agram jests with calling her the sleeping rock of the desert tribe, for nothing, can move her or wake her but herself when she slumbers. These nightly wakes would usually follow a deep dream. One surprisingly quiet day in Gaia's Sanctuary at the time of their daily investigative commute, Agram would relay to Fetya some of his hard-to-decipher visions: "Fetya, I had another one of those dreams that caused me to wake with heavy breaths and a broken sweat as though I was on a long run across the woods.." Fetya then responds: "what is it you see in your slumber Agram? Is it a duel? Or is it a sinister vision?" Agram says: "I always see... visions of myself sitting on a throne, speaking with lords as though they were my subjects, and then a sudden flash of me running across the forest of black & white…." Fetya Interrupts: "How would you know it's that particular forest when you're surrounded by another one?" Agram responds: ".. well, I can tell from the smell! Yes, I actually can smell it in my dream, and you know how the trees of that particular place seem like they're staring at you.. in any matter, I see myself then running across a particular pathway, reaching a certain village, and entering an abandoned house in that village, full of old scriptures and scrolls, only to pick one scroll up, and open it only to be blinded by a light so bright I can't help but wake up!" Fetya, with her hand on Agrams shoulder, says: "Don't overthink it; you're probably missing the thrill of the hunt. Let's go on a hunt now to take your mind off it". Agram, although still skeptical about what that vision may entail, hesitantly nods and proceeds with Fetya on their hunt. 

That same evening, Agram woke from his sleep, only this time, he woke and saw that he was at the mansion's entrance, just at the door. He opens the door and walks in, and this time goes to Fetya and tries to wake her, but Day watchers are heavy sleepers, it is known, but he had to wake her up for this time, it was different, so he grabs Fetya from her waist and lifts her up and shakes her until she opens her eye realizing she's up in the air, starts scrambling as though she was falling from a cliff trying to grab hold of something to break that fall. Agram puts her back down, raises his hand, shows her a scroll, and says: "I've had another one of those visions; this time, I woke at the door! With this scroll in my hand, I have not opened it yet!" Fetya responds: "DON'T YOU EVER PICK ME UP LIKE THIS AGAIN!!.. show me" she pulls the scroll from his hand and opens it, and stands next to him to read it together, and it says just 1 sentence: "I see through you, and you can see through me, the threat is a reality, golems are a calamity." 

Both Agram & Fetya dropped the scroll and moved back a distance until hitting a wall together almost simultaneously. "Who is this?!" Fetya asks, ".. I think... I think it's the King.." Agram responds, stuttering. "Can it be? Is he the one moving you in your sleep?!" Fetya asks softly. "Is he listening now? Can you feel him in any way?" Agram looks at her with the blue in his eye glowing and says, "I honestly do not know, but I am both honored and scared as to the fact that the King saw through me.. do you know what this means, Fetya?! It means we were right! He says it... The Golems! There's a secret.. otherwise why on the Realm would they have Fire Golems protecting borders?! It just does not seem right for a place as peaceful as this, Altive died too early from old age.. that made no sense, and the King just said they are a calamity!" He moves back to the scroll picking it up, and continues, "That must mean they are the reason for this significant loss of time. I am sure of it now; thank you, my King! Thank you!". Fetya, with a concerned look, asks: "What now? What can we do against those mighty beings all alone? Agram looks at her with a night watchers' almost sinister smile, and his blue pupil brighter than ever was, and says: "It seems we are not all alone. Our dear King is with us, Fetya, Brace.". 

That evening they decided to call it and head back to their slumber, and in that said evening, both Agram & Fetya dreamt, and this time it was clear for they had given in, and in their dream, they saw the King, and his roundtable of lords, with the Prince lurking in the background. The King welcomes them: "Children, my kin, I am glad you can see me within, your dreams for there is a sin, in the Land where you reside, and we must no longer hide from you that you have been thieved, of life and time never to be retrieved, but your sacrifice will serve to become, a beacon for us to soon come, and make sure this calamity is gone, although you are timeless ones, that longevity is in danger for other beings if you dig deeper, a little deeper than feelings, you will find that your physical age is now twice what it should be, and I noticed a direct descendant of Ashdal my steed who should live for a thousand years, has perished naturally so it appears, but you are right to doubt, these words I don't just spout, thank you for your assistance although unbeknownst to you, your King and Kin doth love you, now run as far as you can, they are coming after you. Brace.".

The sudden shaking of the ground causes Agram & Fetya to wake from their dream drowse, only to open their Eyes to the sky. The ceiling has come off their mansion and peering in 2 Golems, one with Fiery red lines across its head and the other clearly made of nothing but stone. They heard but one word being repeated surprisingly in a language they understood saying: "THREAT! THREAT! THREAT! THREAT!" and that is when they both jumped and, with their natural instinct to not back down from a fight, attacked the Stone Golem fiercely cutting off one of its arms, and lunging themselves off of its torso meters away from the Golems. The Stone Golem, almost unphased, picks up his now fallen arm, attaches it to his torso as if a toy re-attaching its own fallen limb, and proceeds to chase. Agram & Fetya ran, something a watcher does not do as it is deemed dishonorable, but they took to heart the King's word and continued their sprint without stopping for days until they saw themselves in a cave, going deeper and deeper. By then, the golems had stopped following them, but with their safety in mind, they kept moving until they arrived at a city hidden within the caves, only to find Eye Kin living in that city, and a Lord appeared in front of them and says: "Welcome to Scavengers Dominion, My King sent me to receive you, I am Lord Krats, I will dispatch some of my men to help you settle back in, with your own kin, the King sends his regards." Lord Krats then walks away and vanishes into thin air. Agram & Fetya are back home with the knowledge they managed to bring back to the King and the Eye Kin. Little did they know that they had become the first domino from a series of events.

With Their presence in the Scavengers Dominion, not a little land by any means, Agram & Fetya felt unthreatened and very welcomed, similar to what they had when they first arrived at the Kingdom of Golemia. The only difference was a feeling of being much lighter, faster, and more aware of their surroundings, as though their senses had been numbed all these years they spent there without knowing.

After Lord Krats welcomed them and gave the Kings' regards, two Daywatchers who wore dark unaffiliated capes, and both with Aristocrat helmets on their heads had been ordered by their Lord to take Agram & Fetya to a nearby mansion that lay just at the outskirt of this relatively extensive city dominion they were in. The Scavengers Dominion had always been a large cave that resided between mountains as per Fetya's Knowledge based on stories of expeditions that were usually told to the Desert Tribe by their Tribal Leader - King Torab. 

Although it was supposedly a cave, Fetya, as she walked next to Agram behind the two appointed as their escorts, saw an open ceiling to that said cave and a beautiful image of a night sky and a crescent so clean as though it was an artists' doing and as she looks up she says: "Agram, when did the Eye Kingdom expand all the way here? And in such a short period, they populated this place. What of those nasty, unruly scavenger creatures that used to reside here? And what about that ceiling!? This was supposed to be a cave; I just do n…." Agram Interrupts: "Fetya silence! Look who's waiting for us at the mansion.." Fetya brings her eye Down again to see straight ahead, and she could see a figure she remembers seeing lurking in the background of their Vision with the King & His roundtable; when she realized who it was, in a state of shock, she says: "The Prince – Light!".

His name was Light. The King's oldest and most formidable child stood at 8 feet tall and was known for being the fastest, most formidable of the Eye Kin, only surpassed by the King himself. Light always walked with a single sword floating behind him and a belt of daggers carried on his waist, both royal traits bestowed upon those with the potential to ascend. He always walked with little to no sound, as though in a hunt, so silently that many truly believed he was floating and stepping on air.

He was known for not being as articulate as his wise father and for a severe lack of patience, especially when it came to a fight; he enjoyed dueling so much that he partook in the glorious pits almost daily, never to be defeated yet, and is now in constant search for more formidable opponents. "To what do we owe this honor, Prince Light?" Agram speaks, standing straight ever the soldier – "I don't mean to intrude, but I keep hearing about them Golems, and this fire just burns inside me. I couldn't wait another day before speaking with both of you. What are they like? How many are there?"... His eye opened wider "What of their King? Is he strong? How tall does he stand? Does he carry a weapon?" now walking closer, holding Agram by both shoulders – "Does he have thunder clouds surrounding him as father states?! Does he…" 

Light was then interrupted by what sounded like a familiar voice to Fetya "Master Light, a future ascender and son of the King of all Dominions himself, came to welcome our dear kin folk, what an honor," King Torab of Desert & King Glacier of Ice appear followed by Lord Frigidus of Ice, and Lord Jaaf of Desert."My Kings" Light slightly bows his head, lifts it up with an innocent smile, and asks: "Shall we duel?" Lord Frigidus grabs his Long sword, and Lord Jaaf grabs his battle axe; King Glacier lifts his hand up as though stopping the lords from moving and says: "Your jests are always out of the ordinary, Master Light. Please give our regards to your wise father, the King of the Land. We shall excuse ourselves into the mansion with our dear Agram & Fetya to have words with our Kin Folk in privet" Both Kings walk away. Their lords walk towards Agram & Fetya as if guiding them towards the mansion to enter, all while the Prince of Light stared at them from a distance heard, saying: "I just wanted to know some shit.. not pick a fight.. ugh," and walks away with the previously appointed escorts to Agram & Fetya who were no longer needed at this point.

King Glacier has a tall 8 Foot 3 frame known for having the coldest heart and sinister nature of all the Kings of the Realm that follow the King of Black & White and for being a ruthless and aggressive berserker during a fight. His Dual Frost Scorpion blades are known to leave damage the equivalent of frostbite on his enemies. He rules over the Sub Kingdom of Ice, the closest state to the beyond known to be the protectors of Ascension. He remained standing while King Torab, a slightly shorter stature of 8 Feet, the ruler of the Sub Kingdom of Desert at the south of the Kingdom of the Eye, dry Land with abrupt temperature changes, sat down and gestured to Lord Frigidus and Lord Jaaf while saying: "Run along now Lieges, we wouldn't want a rogue entrant to come to hear us talk about grown-up stuff, please do guard the entrance" known for his Light hearted, but politically wise speech, King Torab addresses all his juniors as lieges, to make them feel their importance despite him being their overlord, Lord Frigidus looks to King Glacier, and King Glacier nods, both lords then exit the mansion to protect it from potential intrusion. Agram & Fetya are still in shock, for they've seen way too many royals in such a short time, and they have just arrived at Scavengers Dominion with no rest. It all seemed overwhelming.

"Come now, lieges, have a seat no need to be formal. Let us have a word," says King Torab to Agram & Fetya, who reluctantly move towards the organized Davenport seating that happened to be in the middle of the foyer. As they sit down, they see King Glacier seated next to them. Fetya lets out a small shriek: "eek!" and says: "He was just standing by the window!!" Agram calms her down and says: "King Glacier is a master of short distance teleportation, Fetya; you will get used to it eventually; I apologize, my King for Fetya is not familiar with your ways" Agram then turns to King Torab and asks: "King Torab, might I ask you as to why you refer to your underlings as lieges? I feel honored and confused as a mere night watcher of the Ice tribe to be called liege by the King of the Sub Kingdom of Desert!" King Torab laughs out loud: "hah hah hah... That is precisely the point, my liege, for what better way to demand respect than to give it? Hah hah hah" A Sudden change in atmosphere as King Glacier interrupts: "That dreaded small talk never ceases to get on my nerves, Torab. Can we cut to the chase? I believe the old children are tired" Old children in reference to their double age due to their time in Golemia, yet they're still considered children in the standard of Kings. "True, dear Glacier, well lieges, we are here to speak to you and not fish for any information. Our Beloved King of Black & White has shared with us what he saw, and the fact that he communicated with both of you in your dreams truly is an honor." King Torab takes out what seemed like a tiny scroll, lights it using a spark he made with a snap of his long fingers, and proceeds to draw breath from it, releasing the smoke with a long sigh; the smoke gave a pleasant grassy aroma Agram could not help but smile. "Let us speak to you of origins.."

Agram & Fetya's Eyes open wide, jaws drop, and Fetya stands up abruptly and asks like an excited child who had forgotten how tired she was in excitement: "King Torab! Origins!? The tale that is reserved for royals only!? The rumors said that the Prophet who burned was the only non-royal who knew of it! That Origins!?" King Glacier says with an eerie voice, "Silence.. did you forget the pillar of patience while you were out in those Golems' lands?" Fetya sits back down with a shiver running down her back in fear from the cold-hearted King of Ice. "I apologize, King of Ice."

"Not the full tale lieges, just the part that speaks of those darned golems, for the rest may cause your demise." He takes another breath from that burning scroll, lets out a cloud of smoke with a louder sigh, and continues: "Eons ago, a particular deity had troubles with the other eye gods, particularly around the creation of beings without her consent, and due to that trouble that Deity who held power to create beings of her own, decided to wage war. The problem was, how can you slay a god? Deities cannot die, she thought to herself; what could she possibly do to relieve her anger? And as she roamed across realms, she walked through a particular land called the Land of Sprout, a realm far from where we are and identical in structure to where we roam. The difference was that the Land of sprout was lush & green all across. It was ruled by Eye Kin, such as us. Those Eye Kin were particularly favored by the Eye Gods, hence gifted that greenery and life.." - The Door suddenly swings open, interrupting King Torab, and both Lord Frigidus and Lord Jaaf fall into the foyer. It seemed as though they'd been eavesdropping. The storytelling of Kings is always something all the Eye Kin wanted the privilege of "Out, or I shall have your heads," says King Glacier calmly while an aura so dark appears around him "we apologize, King Glacier!" They stand and exit swiftly "Anyhoooo" says King Torab in a jesting manner after a quick laugh followed by a cough and another breath of that pleasant smelling scroll "The Deity had witnessed their King, and learned that the Eye Kin in that realm were truly wise and honorable beings, hungry for duels similar to Glacier here" He chuckles "Jealousy was sparked, and she decided the proper route towards soothing her anger towards the other gods, was to create a being that instead of being timeless like the Eye Kin, they had to feed on time to remain thriving, she headed towards the largest mountain in the Land of sprout, Lifted her staff with one hand towards the sky, and split it open drawing in light from her original realm into her other hand moulding it into a great being, filling it with wisdom, and kindness, and an oblivious state to how destructive it will become, only to throw that ball of light with all her might into the mountain she stood near causing the birth of the Golem King." King Torab mimicked the throw and took a final breath from the pleasant scroll. Breathing out the pleasant smoke and finally eating the remaining bud from the scroll and continues, "That Golem King with his might, grew lonely, so the Deity gave him the power to bring more life, a part of her scheme to increase the number of time-consuming golems so much so, that the time of all living beings timeless or not would perish in due course, and that is exactly what happened in the Land of sprout. It perished." Agram & Fetya looked terrified, while King Glacier had a blank expression as he listened. Agram then asks: "King Torab, does that mean.. our time can end? Like the great Bicorn Kin and other beings?" King Torab smiles and says: "of course not, lieges, but the reason the Eye Kin there perished was a lack of preparedness. The Golem King had spread his Golem folk across that entire Realm, the Eye King of that Realm saw nothing of it, and by the time the Eye Kin took notice of the potential danger, they were swarmed by the sheer number of mindless Golem folk, for the Deity with her cunning only gave the Golem King wisdom. His children, though, were task-driven beings that did not think matters through; they proceeded to destroy the Eye Kin, their main source of nourishment, ultimately overpowering their Royals with sheer numbers, and only by overwhelming them were they able to make them perish, for the only way the Eye Kin can die is by force especially royals." Fetya jumps up: "What about the watchers & watched!? Did they do nothing?" King Torab, with a more serious look, now replies: "They had no watched, but the watchers who were significantly weaker than royals, had futile attempts to take back the land, the water Golems had a specific ability called 'water imprisonment' and with it, they managed to imprison all the remaining watchers of the Land of Sprout to feed on their time forcefully, but the watchers ever the proud & honorable beings could not allow it. They took their own lives, completing the destruction of the Land of Sprout." King Torab stands up, walks towards Agram & Fetya, and says, "That is their Origin, a jealous god, a destroyed realm, and an uncontrollable hunger for time, and that is why they are too dangerous to stay." He then taps Fetya on her shoulder, walks past her & Agram towards a standing King Glacier, and together head towards the door; and just as they are about to leave, King Glacier, as though noticing something, stops and looks at a specific wall in the foyer, and then turns around to the couple and says: "Agram, your tribe thanks you for indirectly you may have saved us all, get some rest, for there's much to do, and as our great King says Brace.".

Agram & Fetya, both tired from their long travels and overwhelmed by the origins of the Golems looked at each other and could not help but gently embrace. "What will become of this? Will it be war?" Fetya asks worried. Agram pulls his head back, looks at her with a smile, and replies: "I never knew the mighty axe-wielding Fetya of Desert to be worried about a little war.. Come now, let us slumber, for the days ahead will be eventful.". As Agram & Fetya head towards their dormitory within the mansion, a small oval-shaped light shined on the wall across the foyer and shuts as if an eye closing and disappearing. 

As Agram & Fetya were resting and building their new lives and were visited by many who now deem them as holders of stories, and with the curious nature of Eye Kin, it was no easy task for the couple to try and keep as much of the information to themselves, for if they shared everything, they could possibly be saying too much and upset the King of the Land of Black & White. Meanwhile, back in the Kingdom of Golemia, in a land called Withamberia, south of the Fire Golem Dominion, a gathering of creatures so diverse from across the map, previous residents of Mallardia, and a few half breeds from Darklaf, and even those who came forth from Gooch island. The gathering addressed the unnatural deaths that have been happening within the Kingdom of Golemia.

A half breed, an inarticulate cross between an Eye Kin and an unknown being, not found commonly in the Land of Black & White, stood on a small pedestal with his short 5-foot stature holding up a large head that seemed unfit on its body, and dressed in oversized Eye Kin wear. He addresses the gathering of thousands and, in a loud audible comedic sound, says, "YoOoOo!" after capturing the attention of the beings there. He said: "I am a descender of the Eye peeps D'names' Bear Eye de Fable! Me n my peeps, we usual not death at old age, but me sees me bro's dyin one after one, whatcha say be Da reason? I knows, I knows! I hearrrrrrd it from me Papi's peeps the Eye Kins, dem Golems are cool, but dey be eatin our time ye hear?! OUR time! Ye and me and m'siblings and our peeps!" many voices are then heard saying: "hear here, gotta stop gotta stop!" a chant ensues: "hear here, gotta stop, gotta stop!". 

Although inarticulate and short on language, all the creatures living in the Kingdom of Golemia started taking notice, and with the words of the Eye Kin half-breed, the masses of beings gathered in one place. That gathering caused Golems to notice a significant portion of the scattered flow of time across the land was focused in Withembria, causing the Golem King to send the Fire Golems to investigate, and just as the Eye King was capable of seeing through other creatures, the Golem King could do the same exclusively through his children. Restlessness is bad. He had learned from the Land of Sprout. If more of these words were spread within the Kingdom of Golemia, then their sustenance would be at a shortage, definitely something the Golem King was not going to let happen to him & his children, so he ordered the first Golem-led massacre that sparked the Great War.

Fire Golems walked through in a stampeding fashion across Withembria, destroying over 10,000 precious lives to keep the information away from the remaining inhabitants of the Kingdom of Golemia. Corpses were rendered unknown. If it weren't for the difference in the color of their blood, no one would've been able to tell which corpse belonged to which type of creature; indeed a gruesome scene lacking any emotion. After the massacre, Stone Golems flocked to Withembria and Water Golems to clean up what had been done. They sprayed the land clean and then placed massive boulders across it as a layer while the Fire golems applied heat for the newly formed surface to settle and seal. As the day ended, it was a new land with no trace of life. That day will always be referred to hereafter as the Trampling of Withembria.

The population of Withembria was 10,001, and the 1 remaining fled east only to be lost in the Barren Land. Bear Eye the Fable was walking through the Barren land thirsty, cold & hungry; fleeing the Kingdom of Golemia was the only thing he could do, and as he dragged himself across the cruel Desert, he fell, closing his Eye, fainting from the famish.

As he slumbered, the risk of his demise grew. Low on time, sustenance, and places to go, all he could dream of was his homeland, a distant land called Darklaf, known to be a land awarded by the Eye King himself to the 10,000 strong half breeds, and as he dreamt of walking the narrow streets of the village they all resided in, Bear Eye saw a tall 8 Foot 8 Figure standing in front of him, extending his hand and saying "Come Child, you're tired, Brace."

Bear Eye Woke up! With a sudden surge in energy that had him stand straight to his feet, it was as if he was being moved against his will, and he started running with all his might; and as he ran, he spoke to himself in a loud voice: "Why me runnin?! Why me Can't stop!? Where me is?" he couldn't stop himself, and it was as though his Famish has been satiated. This continued for a few hours until he had arrived at a land called Drodzokh, a land known to be 2 days away from Darklaf, his home. Bear Eye could stop at the sight of a tall, dark figure standing 7 feet 9 inches, in white attire, a lord, and not any lord, but an Enlightened Lord. Bear Eye fainted.

He then woke at a mansion. It was a pleasant aroma that had him wake up to find on a table a tray of fresh catfish and a tall mug of what is known as celestial milk, both delicacies of the Eye Kingdom. As he dug into the meal, the door to the dormitory opened, and walks in the same Enlightened lord, known as Lord Myst of Black & White, a lord of the roundtable known for his ability with words: "You've woken sire Bear Eye, Our dear King has sent me to receive you, as he guided you to Drodzokh, where I have been residing in my most recent creative hiatus." Bear Eye, with a half-eaten piece of fish in one hand and the mug in the other and a dumbfounded look in his Eye, says: "M'peeps.. other peeps.. Dem Golems killz dem all.." he drops the fish, and the mug falls from his hand and starts weeping "m'siblings, dey flattened on eart.. dey under d'ground.." Lord Myst then gently speaks, "There is no fear when we all hear, what time will bring, we can but all sing, to our lives our glorious King, bring surprise to soothe the sting, of loss and love we shall bring" Bear Eye felt a sudden calmness he had not felt for quite some time and said: "be it magic?!" Lord Myst smiles gently and says: "Words, they are my magic" he then taps the shoulder of Bear Eye and walks out of the dormitory, saying: "War is nye. You have survived with the grace of the King, for the precious blood of the Eye Kin flows within you. Tomorrow you may continue your journey to Darklaf, as the other lords and I are heading west" Bear Eye opens his Eye wide and says: "NO WEST! DEM GOLEMZ!!" In return, Lord Myst says, "It is they who must fear the wrath of the Eye King for what they've done.".

The Turmoil that was brought to silence was the last straw, for when the Prince of Light heard of this, he hastily prepared his lords and, without the consent of the King or the Queen, marched to the Kingdom of Golemia, and on his way, he let out a royal shriek followed by the most articulate words he was ever heard to say to announce his intent: "It is time for ascension! GOLEMS WILL CEASE TO EXIST BY MY HAND! FOR WHAT THEY HAVE DONE IS DIRE!"

After the triumph of the Eye kin in the Paramount War, the once lush land was riddled with destruction. The ground was not unfixable, and indeed not all of it was destroyed. It required a degree of labor built on the effort of all those residing there. Within this destruction lay the seeds of opportunity for many of the beings populating it.

King Light of Golemia’s first order of business was ordering all remaining Golems to rebuild the land they had contributed to destroying, and with that, was able to restore the beauty of Golemia to what it was before. Without their king, the remaining Golems were falling one after the other, as though there was a finite amount of time remaining  for them to use. But feeding on new time was impossible, since their king was the only one that could do it on their behalf. A new Round Table had to be set, to form the pillars of the Kingdom of Golemia. This Round Table would create a support structure that was much needed by the Prince, turned King. 

Once the tasks given to them were complete, the remaining Golems were driven towards the Beyond, where they lay to rest among the mountains, as mountains themselves, forming a much more extensive array of cover to the unknown areas of the Beyond. And even with that cover, they were still unable to populate the immediate surrounding area where the Mountain of Ascension lay. 

👁

It was the end of the sixth moon cycle when King Light summoned Agram  and Fetya to his castle. Agram and Fetya, who now resided in Scavengers Dominion under the protection of King Pike of the Crafts tribe, did not know what the newly-anointed king wanted from them. 

"What do you think he would call us there for? The war is over. We gave as much information as we possibly could…" said Fetya, as she picked her axe and hoisted it on her back. 

"Well, knowing the Pri.., I mean King of Light, he might ask for a duel with the mighty Agram of ICE!" responded Agram, with a grin on his face. 

"Shut it, Agram. We both know a Night Watcher wouldn't stand a chance in a battle with a royal, let alone the newly anointed King of Golemia… who, might I add, was able to bring down hundreds of Golems on his own, and manages to release attacks of LIGHT FROM HIS HANDS!" lashed out Fetya.

"It seems our journey has taken away your sense of jesting, dear,” said Agram. “I still see this on a positive note. He's king to a new dominion, which we are most familiar with, especially among all the Eye kin; he's probably in need of more of our knowledge." Agram lifted his swords as he walked towards a carriage that was being prepared by two Watched of the Land of Black and White. They stood at 6 feet tall each, with hands lightly bound with enough room to move comfortably. 

"The Watched do seem to be decreasing in numbers recently, don't you think?" said Fetya, as she entered the carriage. 

"The curse seems to be no longer at its strongest, and that seems to cause their bounds to become much more convenient for their movement. Am I right Kodo and Doko?" said Agram, addressing the Watched assisting them. Kodo nods, and Doko moves his hand up and points at Agram’s head, only for Agram to hear in his mind, "All hail the King, for his kindness is soon to open our eyes." Agram smiled and said, "It never ceases to amaze me how you can speak to our mind directly. May your route to ascension be swift. Yel lel wope i gokhru." 

Fetya looked straight at Agram and said, "I haven't heard these words spoken by anyone but royals of the Ice tribe. Whatever does it mean? I never seemed to ask you this before…"

The carriage started moving. Agram looked back and said, "It's a greeting and goodbye in Sightell, the language of deities and royals. It's about as much as I know of Sight.” (Sightell is natively referred to as Sight.) “The exact meaning of the words is a warning -  'do not tread the beyond', I believe." 

Fetya turned her head to look outside the carriage and said, "You Ice-lings and your Beyond…" letting out a small sigh.

The carriage was a part of a convoy King Pike had decided to send with Agram and Fetya. It held supplies to the Kingdom of Golemia, as it is customary for kings of the sub-kingdoms of the Land of Black and White, to trade amongst each other. Agram and Fetya's carriage was at the front of the convoy and was pulled by two junior bicorns. As they passed through cities along Treasure Bay, lying north of Scavengers Dominion, and along Chistone Path, all sights were new to Agram and Fetya, since they hadn't passed through these densely populated port cities before. The convoy arrived after a five day trip to where the newly dubbed ‘Light's Landing’ was established. The sights were even grander than they remembered. 

“Sir Agram and Madam Fetya!” a voice called, waking Agram up from an unplanned nap on the carriage. 

"YES! YES, SIR!" Agram said, as though called to arms in his military days. Fetya laughed. 

A lord, standing 7 feet and 9 inches tall, greeted them and said calmly, "Welcome to Light's Landing. King Light is looking forward to speaking with you. Follow me to the Round Table dorm, as our dear Watched help with your belongings." A dormant face with no expression, held by Lord Josh of Light, previously known as the Lord of Knowledge of Black and White. Lord Josh had been appointed as the newest member of King Light's Round Table. Lord Josh wore a cape that was known to turn to hardened wings, allowing him to fly and hold a solid defense in battle. He walked while gesturing to Agram and Fetya to follow. 

Fetya, with her curious nature, opened her eye wide as she saw the changes and couldn't help but ask, "What happened here!?!" 

Agram looked at what she was viewing, realized the tremendous difference in the place, and said, "Good of the Deities.. this is… grand, beautiful… no words in my mind can describe..." 

Lord Josh interrupts, "It may come across as overwhelming, but after the Paramount War, and with the blessing of the King of Black and White, his final attack tearing in half the time eater, the King of Golems, allowed for a new valley to be created - the one that you are walking through right now - and what you see across the two mountains we are between are all homes to creatures and beings new. What I'm sure captured your eyes the most was the glorious castle of Light's Landing, where our new, young King resides. Truly a work of art, crafted with the help of Ashdal the Grey himself, the people of Bear Eye, the half-ling, and the last remaining Golems, before their demise in the Beyond. The single most magnificent structure in the Land of Black and White, bested only by the King's Heaven itself!" 

Agram and Fetya's jaws dropped and they kept silent in amazement as they followed Lord Josh to the entrance. They entered the foyer - the biggest they'd ever seen or stepped foot in - and walked towards a door worthy of being called a Paradox Gate, due to its massive size and inscriptions of the historical Paramount War. They entered a room that hosted a Round Table made of cherry wood, with gold engravings of a single eye in the middle, surrounded by eleven chairs. And there sat King Light, with both hands on the table and a broad smile.

“AAAAH! YES! You're finally here! Shall we duel?!?!" King Light still had that duel-crazed sense of jesting to him, which scared Agram. 

He looked at Fetya, as if to say ‘I told you so’ and said, "Sire, I'm sure the King of Light would beat me to a pulp in a fraction of time"

King Light stood up and walked towards Agram in haste, while Lord Josh took a step back, bowing to his king. Agram and Fetya both saw Lord Josh bow and they followed suit hesitantly. "Lift your head up, you two!" King Light pushed both their heads up to allow them to stand and embraced both of them. "Two heroes such as yourselves must not bow! If it weren't for all your sacrifice, we wouldn't have been able to beat those big boulders… ha ha ha ha." He lets go and grabs both their hands, pulling them to his right and left side while walking them toward the chairs. "Lord Josh! Bring the King's blessing, the holy scrolls!" 

He ushered Agram and Fetya, rather forcefully, to sit down on the chairs. "King Light… I… we… don't understand? The King's Blessing?" said Fetya, as King Light walked to his seat and sat down. 

His smile got wider, and he responded, "Ha ha ha, yes! A scroll that Dad generally draws, allows for the ascension of members of the Eye kin. I told him that I want both of you on my Round Table, and we cannot have anyone who's not a lord, or at least a knight, join the Kings' Round Table, now can we?" 

Agram and Fetya's eyes widened and their jaws dropped. Agram said, "Sire, but as lords, we will have to give up on emotion! We're partners, and we intend to copulate! We intend to hold emotions towards each other! This would be blasphemy and will not allow us to serve you well." 

King Light got a more serious look on his face and responded, "I do not care for such stuff. Besides, I think you two can be an exception. And if you ever go berserk, you're just going to be another duel for me, ha ha ha." He followed by asking, "Do you not want to be Lords at my Round Table?" 

Fetya responded, "It would be rude of us to reject, but might I suggest that only one of us join the Round Table?" Agram looked at her confused as she continued, "I am with child, King Light, and I'm afraid I would not be able to perform any lordly duties." 

Agram jumped out of his chair and stepped towards Fetya. "With child?! Breeding?! How is that possible?! What!?!" 

King Light smiled again and responded, "Mother did have a prophecy around this, a Night and Day Watcher copulating after sacrificing time... well, there you have it... it is done! Agram, you will be ascending to the status of Lord Agram of Ice... or Light... you can choose what you please. Now, where is that Lord Josh with the scrolls?" 

Lord Josh walked in with the scrolls at hand. "Here I am, Sire, the scrolls." He handed over the scrolls to King Light, who took one of them and pushed the other back towards Lord Josh. He said, "Just one of them will do, Lord Josh. Fetya here is with child."

Lord Josh, with almost no emotion, responded "Aaah. Queen Claire’s prophecy is fulfilled. Well, we can't have a mother join the Round Table… you all do realize that only royals are breeders, this is a tale to tell for sure." Lord Josh took Fetya's hand and helped her up, guiding her out of the Round Table dorm. "Come now, you shall be taken to your prepared dormitories to rest while Agram here gets his official anointment." Agram still in shock, lets go of Fetya’s hand as she was guided out of the Round Table dorm, both with eyes locked the whole way - his look of shock turned to a smile, and her smile turned to a shy one, as she leaves and the door shuts behind her.

"Now now, you can go back to her, let me just get this shit sorted with you. Now, what does this say? My Sightell is a bit rusty… ahem," King Light said, as he opens the scroll and reads out loud, "I thew is bestowing, khyuw grand sho glowing, thas bus khyuw bnel na i lakh, li myud meny kkhi blat not, ascend bus lordship, deities kkhi ll hibo."

A light released from the scroll and flew towards Agram, who sat there in awe. The light struck his single icy horn, and a sudden surge of energy drove through him. He felt it soar through his body, feeling a new horn form. With a change in his mouth and a growth in his fangs, Agram grew taller, standing 8 feet tall, as a lord of the Round Table of the King of Light. 

"Damn, being a lord suits you! Well, as Dad usually says... welcome to the fray, Lord Agram!" 

Agram, now a lord, walked to his dormitory, while looking at his hands and how they changed. He opened the door, and saw Fetya sitting in the foyer of their vast dormitory. She turned around to see who stepped in and stood up in shock, saying, "I'm sorry, my Lord, it seems you've got the wrong dormitory" 

Agram smiled and said, "it is I." 

Fetya opened her eye wide, and said, "Agram! No… you're Lord Agram now?!" As she walked towards him to embrace him, she said, "I wouldn't have thought this possible, two deserters of the Kingdom of the Eye, to be back into it with such great standing." 

A tear falls from her eye. Agram rubbed away her tears and said, "Fetya of Desert, your tears are far too precious to be lost over some thoughts. Together, with King Light, we will find glory. And I do believe it is not the end of our ascension, for, with my new lordship, I feel like I can see a glimpse of a brighter endeavor for us all." 

Fetya looked up at Agram and said, "You even speak like a lord now. Even speech evolves, good of the deities."

Agram responded, "The Child will be named Chron of Light. And he will bring forth something we all cannot fathom."

👁

Back in King’s Heaven, news hadn't spread yet. A coup had been attempted by the so-called ‘Renegades’ who believed that the pillars of the Eyeverse - Generosity, Patience and a Helping Hand - were far too weak and, due to their lack of Sight, believed was the reason creatures like the Golems had existed in the first place. Such a farce. The Renegades had managed to infiltrate King’s Heaven, entering the royal dormitory of Queen Claire, who sat on her chair reading through a book. In silence, the leader of the Renegades, known as Lord Serpent, a rogue 7 foot tall member of the Clan of Sand walked up to her with his weapon at hand. Claire lifted her head up and said without moving "Do as you must child, this has been foreseen." 

The King of Black and White felt a stab in his chest, which pushed him to travel at the speed of light to his royal dormitory, only to see Claire on the floor, in a pool of her own blood, breathing her last breath. He ran towards her, and held her in his arms. "Claire! My love! What has happened?! Did you not foresee this?!" 

She responds, weakly, "Wareth, I have foreseen it, and it must happen. The world is becoming." She coughed and smiled, with blood dripping from her fair mouth. "I shall meet you again in time, my love." Her eye closed, the light escaping from her body into the King, who lifted his head up and screamed, "Why!? DEITIES, WHY!?" He looked down at Claire's hand, and in it lay a book titled ‘Watched who See, a Prophecy’. The open page read, ‘Chron will bring, to all of you, one thing, power and more through marriage, Ice and Sand no miscarriage, open the new realm, a champion to a Promise of Gold’.

Deep in the Forest of Black and White, a dark cave led to an open space, with enough light to clearly show the stalactites hanging from the ceiling, as though a group of snakes were raining down and frozen halfway towards the ground. For that reason, the cave was dubbed Serpents Stead. It was two moon cycles before the paramount War of Golemia, where a seven-foot tall lord, known as Lord Serpent of Sand, met with a Day Watcher named Shok of Craft, standing seven feet and one inch tall, with a sinister snake surrounding his green torso and a thorn halo covering his head. Along with a seven feet and five inches tall Night Watcher, who held a muscular build, wearing fury swipe armor, a single horn protruding from between his short spiky hair - his name was Cray of the Fishers. 

"Lord Serpent, in the Serpent's Stead... how very fitting," said Cray, with a smirk, and a deep voice, as though speaking underwater whilst eating what looked like a piece of dried catfish. 

"Know your place, Cray…" responded Lord Serpent, with an almost hissing sound, while sitting down on a nearby rock, like a makeshift throne. 

Cray swallowed, bowed his head, and said, "Surely, I jest, Lord Serpent." 

Like all other lords, Lord Serpent was known to be ruthless and capable. Despite his shorter stature, he still held all the power a lord would typically have. 

"To what do we owe this pleasure, Lord Sssserpent?" asked Shok, while petting his sinister snake, as though toying with the end of a scarf. 

"Well, you are all dull, so I assume you haven't noticed anything, but I'll ask anyway," responded Serpent. "Golems, time being lost. A demon born from a royal, not the queen. Curses hitting the Watched, blinding them. Having to kill a member of our kin many years ago, just because he ENJOYED things, just to name a few things." He stood up, moving his hands as he gesticulated, "this is not normal…" 

Shok responded "What are you ssssaying, Lord, forgive my lack of intellect…" Cray nods his head in agreement with Shok. 

"Think, you imbeciles," said Serpent, with his hand on his forehead. As he removed it, he pointed at the two Watchers and said, "what could the reason possibly be!? Something must be happening with the King and Queen causing this shit…"

Just before Serpent could complete his words, the cave shook for a second, and on the wall behind the makeshift throne appeared a large, vertical golden line. 

The line split open with a motion that caused air to hit the faces of the three in the cave. Lord Serpent instantly bounced away from the throne, faced the wall, and held his weapon, ready to defend himself. Shok and Cray stood behind him with their hands on their weapons too. "What in the deities is this Golden Eye!?" said Cray, shocked. 

Serpent responds, "If I knew, I wouldn't be prepared to defend, you moron..." 

The eye moved around as though examining the cave and then centered, looking straight at the three. Another rumble occurred, causing a stalactite to fall right between them, separating them from each other. Then, under the eye, another line formed horizontally, and it opened, and uttered the words: "i we Lilira na I yakkhis realm, i goddess na Wants, BLINNYU ya!" 

"What now?" replied Shok, confused, "Is this Sssssightell?!" he said.

Cray commented, "I knew I should've paid more attention to King Fisher's lessons, dammit…"

"Shut both your mouths, fools!!" said Serpent in anger. "Be you a deity? My sincerest apologies - we do not speak with the Sight tongue, another thing we're not casually taught for some reason…" 

The golden eye blinked, smiled, and responded, "I am Lilira of the Golden Realm, the Goddess of Wants, BOW down to me!" 

Almost instantly, as though someone had thrust them from above like a sudden change in gravity, all three were moved down to their knees, with their foreheads touching the ground.

Lord Serpent lifted his head with difficulty. Whilst shaking, he responded, "Deity Lilira! My body…and… time… doth… serve… you. I… humbly… ask… for… permission… to converse…” 

The atmosphere changed. They all felt the pressure pushing them down being removed, and they could breathe normally again. "Shok, I think I soiled my…" 

Serpent slapped Cray behind his head and said, "Shut it!" With his head still bowed and kneeling, he addressed Lilira. "Deity, you heard us speak and appeared. You must have some knowledge you can bestow?"

The mouth under the eye moved and said, "I do know, and I will tell. Still, you MUST do what I say if you wish to make this world survive." Lilira's voice echoed as though speaking in the biggest of foyers. "A task I can only entrust to those who question the unnatural, such as yourselves" 

Serpent’s green eye glistened as he responded, "It would be my honor, as your humble servant, Deity of Wants, but might I ask for two things in return?" 

Lilira replied, "Ask. It shall be given only if you complete the task."

Serpent then said, "The story of origins, how? Where did we come from? Also, if we complete the tasks, I want to be the King of the Land." 

Lilira's mouth grinned on the cave's wall, and she replied, "Why, the first I can answer you now, since I enjoy a good story-telling. But the second will only happen if you complete the task." 

Serpent nodded, "A story from a Deity is something I would be dignified to listen to."

"The Land of Black and White is a single realm at the bottom of the seven that reside under the Golden Realm, my home. It just so happens to be the one closest to the golden realm in nature, if its potential is sought correctly." Serpent, Shok, and Cray were all seated now, as if they were children listening to a story, yet staring directly at a wall that talks - a scene so comical, yet very serious. Lilira continued, "The rest of the lands and realms looked identical, but each had a specific affinity to them, making them unique and their inhabitants the same. The Land of Black and White had no smart creatures until the Eye Kin arrived." The face on the wall smiled and continued, "The fourth realm, the Land of Sprout, the lushest in greenery, had a lake which, like the Pilgrim's Lake of your land, hosted golden fish."

Lilira's mouth, although on the wall, mimicked the licking of the lips, as though she craved those fish as food. She continued, "The golden fish hold powerful souls of the Eye Kin, and beneath each seemingly bottomless lake is a gateway that connects to the top of the Mountain of Ascension of the realm below it." Serpent;s eye widened, as though crazed with this knowledge, listening intently as Lilira kept speaking. "You and all the Eye Kin were once deceased beings, with your King being the previous most powerful King of all the realms - Wareth of Sprout - and his wife, Clairvoyant of Sprout, the two Eye Kin most favored by all the deities. Except myself, of course. The funny thing is, you were all fish in a lake - delicious, delicious soul fish - and the Land of Sprout, due to a miserable existence of a creature called the Golem King and his kin, perished." 

Serpent jumped up and interrupted, "THEY ARE IN OUR REALM, NOW!!!?"

Lilira responded “SIT! You forget yourself in my presence, timeless!" 

Serpent felt the pressure forcing him down and said, "I apologize, deity, forgive my insolence." Cray and Shok sniggered behind him. As Lord Serpent turned to glare at them, they returned to a respectful posture, and all listened to Lilira as she continued. 

"With the perishing of the Land of Sprout, the lake with the soul fish leaked into space and time, except for the two fish holding Wareth & Clairvoyant. They were conveniently guided to the bottom of the lake, landing on the Mountain of Ascension of the Land of Black and White precisely, only to find each other again, embrace, and become the King and Queen." Shok raised his hand, and Lilira smiled and said, "Well aren't you polite, Eye Kin - speak."

Shok, now bashful, responded, "But what about uSSss?" 

Lilira said, "Good question. You have been brought into this world by Wareth and Clairvoyant, who were able to open a rift in space and time and pull your lost fish souls from there, dropping you into the land to blossom into the timeless beings you are now."

Shok and Cray looked at each other, and then back at Lilira. In unison, they both said, "We were… dead?!" 

Lilira responded, "Well, sort of, yes, some of you. Originally, you were all made to look just like us deities. However, quite a lot smaller and less powerful. And your souls were within a repository, which was the lake. When breeding happened, and a body was formed, a soul from the lake would be picked and deposited into that body by Doo, the Deity of Formation, my younger brother." 

Almost unable to comprehend what was being said, Cray faints. "Now that you know where you came from, I must tell you about your task, children." 

Cray, now sat with his back to the cave wall after Shok had slapped his face awake, and Serpent, fully attentive to Lilira, said, "Anything, almighty deity." 

Lilira then said, "Kill Clairvoyant. And with that, you destroy Wareth. And only then, I make you King, Serpent of Sand." 

Lord Serpent's eye opened wide, his jaw dropped and shivers ran down his back. He responded, anxiously, "They're… but… I… they're… Clairvoyant?!... our queen…” This lord, although rebellious, was still bound by his sense of duty to the King and Queen, and an innate fear of their power. "They're too strong…." 

Lilira smiled, "I've planted a seed, in a book, through an old deceased Watched you call a prophet, and I call my messenger - quite the dumb one, if you ask me, but still he did my bidding, and it will be much easier than you believe. Now go!" 

The face on the wall blew a gentle wind on the three, and with that wind came a courage they had never felt before. The Renegades were created, and their sinister plan had begun.

After the death of Clairvoyant, Shok and Cray stood at the door of her dormitory, waiting for Wareth, the King of Black and White, to stand back up. Holding the book of prophecy, Wareth stood, and was silent. He had gone into a hushed state - it felt as though he had begun mourning the loss of a significant portion of his soul, quite sooner than anyone would think.

"Come now King, let uSssssS guide you in SsssSilence," said Shok, anxiously. Shok knew that if Wareth had been his usual self, he would have destroyed both him and Cray, along with King's Heaven, in an instant. Wareth walked quietly in the direction Shok and Cray pointed with no questioning. 

Lord Serpent passed, saw King Wareth, and said, "It had to happen, King. You were too kind. You are why we're cursed! It had to happen. Lilira said so herself! It's no longer the age of giving. I'll be KING. I'll make things right! The way you couldn't!" He spoke as though full of guilt and crazed by the notion of what he had done. It almost felt like he was terrified. Wareth, without uttering a word, looked up at Serpent and, with no emotion, looked back down and continued walking towards the exit of King’s Heaven. 

The Renegades took King’s Heaven, imprisoning the King of the Eyeverse far out in the forest of Black and White, in Serpent's Stead cave, where the Renegades built their plots. At least, they thought he was imprisoned. After the demise of Claire, the actions that came to be were ones that no ordinary world was destined to witness. Although the mightiest being of the Land of Black and White, King Wareth allowed himself to be imprisoned by Lord Serpent and his accomplices, Shok of Craft and Cray of Fishers. He could have easily found his way back. Still, he sat on the floor of the cave silently, with his head looking up to the ceiling of the cave full of stalactites, noticing one of them was missing. Instead, there was a hole, letting through a trickling light from a bright crescent moon that leaked into the foyer of the cave, unexpectedly lighting the entire cave up. As he kept looking up, a single red tear fell from his wide-open eye down to the floor beneath him, and he suddenly felt as though a message was being pushed into his mind - a vision. He closed his eye, only to see in the darkness of shut-eye, a green flame with an image that looked similar to Claire's but more obscure… as he focused, he saw it was Princess Sana, his daughter, the Mother of the Demon. "Father, it is not the time to mourn! Father! LISTEN TO ME! The Renegades are misguided Eye Kin, and they must be stopped. My so… I mean, the demon, told me that Lilira, the Deity of Wants, is behind this, as she was behind our previous land's demise. And the Golems. You must go to the Paradox dungeon and speak to the demon! I will stand in King's Heaven and defend it from the inside, along with our magnificent community... I love you, father. You're stronger than this, King Wareth - the most powerful king in the seven realms. Brace."

👁

Wareth opened his eye, and as though a pressure had been lifted, he started weeping like a little child. "My love, my Claire… My love, my Claire…" He then noticed a red blossom rise beneath him on the ground, where his tears hit. The blossom grew into a plant, reaching his waist in a matter of seconds, only to display a flower that bloomed. And out of the blooming flower came a flying Golden Eye, along with a pleasant aroma that filled the entire cave - so lovely that Wareth's tears stopped, and he smiled. The eye grew wings and grew into a more significant round body, with a single eye and a mouth. "An Eye Fairy, this… I recall reading this… Deity of Harvest… Pludem!? Deity, is that you?!" said Wareth, almost shocked. 

"It's been a while, Wareth. I haven't seen you since the Land of Sprout!" The Eye Fairy, which now was clear to Wareth, was a manifestation of the Deity of Harvest, Pludem. "She's right, you know. Your daughter, Sana - her child, after all, is the child of Doo, you know, and he speaks based on his father's wisdom to her. To all of you." The Eye Fairy landed on the ground next to Wareth and continued, "Our jealous sister is at it again, with the amount of strife she's put the Eye Kin through. Starting from MY land of Sprout ‘til here, I wonder why she's dubbed the Goddess of Wants and not Strife? Poor Harsh is much gentler than she is…" Harsh is the Deity of Strife of the Eyeverse. However, his name says otherwise - he's one of the gentlest gods of the Eyeverse. "Stop feeling sorry for yourself. You have time to mourn. In fact, you may not need to mourn at all because there is a way to be reunited with Claire, a long and tiring way…" 

Wareth lifted up his head and looked straight at Pludem. "There's a way to get my beloved back!? SPEAK TO ME, DEAR DEITY! HOW?!" 

Pludem looking straight back at Wareth. "Calm down. Don't interrupt me, I was getting there, son… You need to get rid of those Renegades first. I'm afraid they have been corrupted to the bone by Lilira, and there's no way back besides burning them." 

Wareth sat back down and said, "I don't kill my children, Deity, there must be a way…"

The fairy slapped Wareth behind his head with its wing, "Listen to yourself… I, the Deity of Harvest, am telling you, they are long gone. It’s best they burn than put them through an eternity of servitude for the likes of Lilira. What does that silly child of yours say… pick your balls up and go get your shit sorted!" 

Wareth chuckled, "… a Deity quoting Light, I never thought I'd see such a spectacle." 

Pludem's fairy smiles and said, "There you go, smile. And now go, protect Sana, take King’s Heaven, burn the Renegades, and with them this darned farce of a prophecy book. Then come back here and I'll show you the way. I kind of like this cave, I'll stick around… but be quick!"

Wareth stood up, and with a sudden flash of light, disappeared.

👁

In King’s Heaven, Lord Serpent had taken a seat on the king's throne, surrounded by Shok and Cray, and was quite surprised as to why the other lords had not shown up. They had amassed a small following by force - helpless Watched who had to obey their commands or lose their lives. 

"BRING ME CELESTIAL RED! MORE GOAT MILK!" screamed Cray at the Watched serving them. They scurried towards the door to leave the throne room and fulfill the order, but as they tried to open the door, it was pushed against them and swung open, throwing all the Watched back at the feet of the Renegades close to the throne. 

And in walked Princess Sana, bow and three arrows nocked in hand pointing directly at the Renegades. "GET OFF MY FATHERS' THRONE USURPER!!" 

Barely moving, Lord Serpent responded, "Well, I was keeping it warm for him, Princess. That's no way for someone as fair as you to behave. Calm down." 

She stepped closer. "DON'T BE FAMILIAR WITH ME, SERPENT!" letting go of two arrows, one hitting Shok in the foot, another Cray in the shoulder, keeping hold of one arrow pointed directly at Serpent's head. 

"OOOOUUUUCH!! SHIT SHIT SHIT!! MY SHOULDER!!! BY THE DEITIES! THIS BETTER NOT BE POISONED YOU CUUUNT!" yelled Cray in pain. 

Shok writhed around silently, holding his foot up as though crying. "SsssSSsss" was all he could say. 

"Princess Sana, come, let me explain…" Serpent stood up, moving his hands around, gesturing in a way that seemed off, as though pointing for someone behind the Princess to take action. Sana turned around with her bow and arrow pointed behind her, only to see no one there. All the Watched had fled. When she realized, it was too late. Serpent grabbed hold of her bow, pulling it away from her hand, and a fight ensued. "You fell for the oldest trick in the book, although known to be the strongest pit fighter after Light himself!"

With an angry look, Sana responded, "You treacherous SNAKE!" 

Serpent chuckled. "Well, I'm not called Lord Serpent for no reason." He circled around her, pulling out his dagger. 

As Sana pulled out her short sword, she let out a Royal Shriek, expecting Serpent to fall in his place… but to no avail. "Why aren't you affected by my shriek?!" 

Serpent chuckled and responded, "Did you think we weren't prepared for encounters with so-called royals?" He lunged at her with his dagger. She jumped above him and landed behind his back, kicking and shoving him far enough to hit the wall at the end of the throne room. Serpent stood up and said, "Ouch… you are as strong as they say you are. But careful now, look to your left and right, Mother of Demons..." 

She smiled. "I won't fall for your tricks twice, fool." Suddenly, she was held down by Cray from the right and Shok from her left, forcing her to drop her dagger. 

Lord Serpent chuckled again and said, "Well, I did warn you, didn't I?" He then pointed his finger to the ground, and a slither of twenty constrictor snakes appeared from behind the throne room's furniture. The snakes surrounded her, wrapping around her and holding her in place. "You know, I will need a queen when I'm made king by Lilira, and I don't mind my queen being dubbed the Mother of Demons… such a strong name." 

Sana spat at Serpent's face, and tried to let out another shriek, but the snakes were already squeezing her with enough pressure, that she wasn’t able to let out a scream, let alone a royal shriek. "I... Will... Never... Yield!"

👁

The Renegades moved out to the balcony of the throne room of King’s Heaven - a large open land that seemed too big to be a balcony, with the sound of running water and an abundance of blossoming flowers forming many beautiful pathways. 

"We can enjoy all this together, Princess. What do you say?" Serpent picked a flower and went closer to her, rubbing it against her face. "All you need to do is say ‘I consent’, and that's that! I'll even speak to the Deity Lilira and have her make you ascend to become my Que…" 

A sudden thunderous crackle stopped him from finishing his sentence as he looked up in the sky and saw a light so fast descend towards him. "Lord Serpent! MOVE!!" yelled Shok from a distance, and Serpent rolled out of the way of the landing light. The light hit the ground next to Sana, causing a circular fissure on the balcony floor.

There stood King Wareth. With one finger, he cut through the snakes constricting Sana and they fell to the floor, turning to ashes. He said, "Sana, my dear child, thank you." He then turned to face the Renegades. A ridiculous amount of pressure was felt from Wareth's aura alone. "As for you… you will burn ruthlessly by my hand this instant or be laid to rest, executed, and burned later. Choose your poison, and choose carefully." He stepped closer to them. 

"Shok, I think I soiled myse…" 

Serpent slapped Cray around his head. "If only you could control your bowel movements, we wouldn't be in such dire straits!" 

Lord Serpent put his hands up. "Lilira! We have done as you said!!! Strike King Wareth down to complete the destruction!" 

Silence. Only the sound of slow footsteps from King Wareth approaching the Renegades. 

"Why have you forsaken us?! We've done as you bid!!" yelled Serpent. The footsteps came closer. 

Shok and Cray pushed Serpent down to the ground "King, it was him. He was responsible!! He's the one." Wareth reached out, and Serpent's face was pushed down next to his feet. "KNIGHT! COME FORTH!" 

A sudden smoke appeared, and from that smoke stepped out the infamous No Code Knight, closest confidant to King Wareth. He was bulky in nature, with heavy armor, standing at 7 feet 7 inches. He was known to be so strong that damaging him would be virtually impossible for anyone besides Light or Wareth, or perhaps the other Kings of the Land. "Your Grace, leave these usurpers to me." Knight knocked all three of the Renegades out with a quick thrust to the back of their necks and carried their limp bodies to the execution grounds.

👁

"I'm so glad you came back, father… I found myself in a bit of a situation, as I'm used to winning in the pits in a straight-out fight, but they had treacherous ways..." said Sana, as she walked next to Wareth, now heading towards Clairvoyant’s dormitory. 

He responded, "My child, you've grown into a fine Eye Kin. Now leave me with Claire." Sana bowed her head and left. 

Wareth opened the door to Clairvoyant’s dormitory. He nodded, instructing the two Watched attending to Claire to leave, and moved next to her bed. Her lifeless body lay dressed in a white gown, sleeping as though blessed by angels. She had a soft smile on her lips as if she was having the most beautiful dream. "My soul mate, my truth and precious one, your King cannot accept what they have done. You are gone now, away from vision, but that just makes clear our mission. For we will not stop, and we will charge, and more growth and success that's large, will surely come with your demise, I truly will miss your clairvoyant eyes. Until we meet again." 

Wareth bent to touch his forehead to hers. He stood up and walked out of the dormitory, towards the throne room and onto the balcony. He lifted his hands up, turned to light, and jumped into the air, moving at the speed of what he turned to, heading towards Serpent’s Stead. 

👁

Wareth landed at the entrance to the cave. He walked in and noticed that the cave was now full of lush greenery, different flowers and a beautiful aroma lingered in the air. There was now a small pond with a few bunnies hopping around and the sound of birds. Next to the pond stood a bigger Eye Fairy - almost a whole golden body, broad with golden wings, resembling the Eye Kin, standing at 8 feet - attending to a small tree. Pludem said, "Aaah, Wareth! You've returned. I was working on my botany skills, as you can probably tell…" 

Wareth interrupted, "I was gone for a day, Deity Pludem. This is impressive." 

Pludem chuckled, "Don't be surprised now. We all have impressive sides to us." Pludem gestured for Wareth to come and sit next to him by the pond. Wareth walked towards the place pointed out by Pludem, and as he sat, a chair made of shrubs and bushes and flowers blossomed beneath him, elevating his seat as though a makeshift couch, with enough space for both of them to sit side-by-side, facing the pond. "Now, let me tell you how you can see Claire," Pludem announced. "You are familiar with how the realms are connected, Wareth. I need not repeat that the bottomless Pilgrim Lake of each land is connected to the Ascension Mountain of each realm, and it's easy to trickle down but almost impossible to go upwards." 

Wareth turns to Pludem, "Almost impossible?" he asked. "It is impossible. What do you mean, almost?!"

Pludem smiled and responded, "Wise and attentive, Wareth. Well, there is a way to ascend, as the old legends have said, but it's not an easy task." 

Wareth, now faced Pludem completely, "Do tell, dear Deity!" 

Pludem responded, "Patience, son! It starts with you going to Pilgrim's Lake and immersing yourself in it. As you're down in that poisonous lake, you must catch and consume 333 Golden Fish…" 

Wareth opened his eye wide. "Are you trying to Kill me, Dear Pludem?" 

Pludem chuckled. "If I am, you wouldn't be seated next to me this instant, son. Listen closely. After consuming those fish, you must, at the speed of light, appear at the top of Ascension Mountain, at the unknown gate. And with that, simply because of your sheer power and this whole strife you will go through, you won't ascend to the land above you, but ascend straight to the Golden Realm of the Gods. Harsh was having fun with this one!" Wareth stood up. "Where are you going, Wareth?! I'm not done." 

Wareth looked at Pludem and responded, "I must go quickly. Claire must be waiting for me." 

Pludem put his hand on Wareth's shoulder and pushed him down to sit. "Listen! It will not be easy, and when you arrive at the Golden Realm, you will have to go through many ordeals there, untold and unheard of. You must complete the most grueling task of them all, the Promise of Gold." 

Wareth stood back up and responded, "I don't need to waste more time, Deity Pludem. Thank you for your guidance. I'll see you in the Golden Realm." 

👁

Wareth traveled at the speed of light toward Pilgrim’s Lake, jumping straight into the water, capturing as many Golden Soul fish as he could and consuming them. With every fish he consumed, a shocking amount of pain ran through his mind, and blood fell from his ears. But his commitment to meeting his betrothed kept him going. He just about managed to consume all 333 required fish. He sauntered out of the lake, feeling as though the entire land was on his shoulders, pushing him down, with hundreds of voices and memories running through his mind, causing him to feel discombobulated. He stood up straight and jumped in the air, more slowly than usual, traveling towards Ascension Mountain. As he flew, he fell to the ground several times along the way, writhing in pain, standing back up, and attempting again. He would reach a particular high point along the mountain range, fall back down, and stand up again. What would normally have taken Wareth mere seconds took twenty hours. With four hours away from possible demise, he finally reached the Unknown Gate - an opening in space and time, purple and gold, an image of the Milky Way, a black hole… it was confusing, but now in Wareth's mind, all the voices and memories spoke one word repeatedly, ‘Ascension, Ascension, Ascension’. He could barely walk towards the gate, but with one last push of effort, he lunged himself into the entrance, where he lost consciousness altogether. 

👁

"King Wareth… King Wareth… Wareth…” Wareth slowly opened his eye, seeing a blurred figure in front of him. "Phew! You had me scared there, dear King! Welcome to the Golden Realm. I am Zest, the Deity of Fun! Congratulations, you have completed your ASCENSION!"