Ephalon - Triumvirate
Chapter 1 - Desperation
Ephalon - Triumvirate
Chapter 1 - Desperation
Alexander Ceruleus, dragon-hybrid, and current CEO of the Ceruleus organisation, a group founded decades ago by his father, Falon, a pure-dragon. Alex had a troubled youth finding himself the occupant of a Melderra jailcell on more than one occasion; however, after he turned thirty, everything changed. The man learned from his mistakes and took up the mantle as successor. The subsequent years of intense daily grind prepared him for life as a company executive, or so he thought, as not everything turned out the way he expected.
One morning, in his family home, during a spot of breakfast together with his human mother, Daerah, the dreaded call came through, Falon had passed. The investigation into his death revealed that he had succumbed to a heart attack, an unprecedented way for a dragon to perish. Despite the many following months of re-examination, the cause of death remained unchanged. Reality could be a cruel mistress, and Alex's ascension to CEO was now thrust upon him, rather than delicately handed down.
Unbeknownst to the dragon-hybrid, however, there were more radical changes coming to his life. Almost a year to the day after his father's death, Alex arrived home from a late-night meeting at the Packet & Parcel warehouse, only to find his mother dead, murdered in her study. This event sent the young CEO down a path of discovery as he pushed himself to the edge of madness to track down the perpetrator of the foul deed. Along the way, he encountered a human named Rose Mary Haroldson, a history teacher at the University of Maya; a woman who just so happened to have unearthed the divine relic known as the Skull Mask of Arack.
Upon acquiring the artefact, Rose became the target of a criminal organisation as they sought the Skull Mask for themselves. However, her quick thinking and sharp wit enabled her to foil her assailants' efforts, culminating in a tense showdown outside the Enterra National History Museum. On various occasions amid her journey, her path intersected with Alexander's. Each subsequent encounter intensified a developing mutual admiration; however, despite these growing affections, the Ceruleus CEO still, above all else, desired to locate his mother's killer.
After coming across a vital clue, Alex determined the whereabouts of the one he so long sought. Far away from the city of Maya, on the continent of Erafar, in a place called Cindarian's Rest, his destiny awaited; however, the encounter didn't go as planned. Before he even located his target, Alex was knocked out in the woods surrounding the town, turning him into yet another victim of his captor's nefarious schemes. Clein was his name, a wretched, grotesque looking wolf-man who employed alchemy as his weapon of choice; he loved nothing more than watching his victims squirm in fear.
Alexander was lucky that day, the valiant rescue efforts of his friends dissuaded Clein from outright killing him, yet, it didn't come without a price. The man left Alex with a parting gift, a nasty wound spanning his left arm that even to this day refuses to heal correctly, an eternal reminder of his failure to apprehend his mother's killer.
After spending time rehabilitating from his injuries, Alex and Rose moved in together to begin the bonding process of an actual couple. However, as had become a 'standard', things weren't as straightforward as one might anticipate. The wound put Alexander in a state of perpetual agony, causing reluctance to dominate his choices when it came to intimacy. This hesitation put a significant strain on their relationship, until one day a common goal emerged which once more settled them on a path towards the unexpected.
Repeated viewings of local news reports surrounding the epidemic of the substance known as Sparkle, fuelled their mutual desire to ascertain the root cause. Along their journey, a vital truth about Rose's mother was unearthed. The once thought human, was, in fact, an Ancient. This revelation came to light during a Gnigenma company fielded expedition into a recently discovered cavern near the Ephalon Space Pillar. It was there that the field team obtained another divine relic, the Claws of Orythorn. Rose's direct contact with the artefact, caused her Ancient genes to activate and transform her from a human to a wolf-like creature.
This turn of events drove Miss Haroldson to confront her father about the truth of her ancestry. The combination of her plight and new wolven appearance evoked strong memories from her father's past; thus, he revealed that her mother was as assumed, an Ancient; a secret he'd kept from Rose at her mother's behest. Later, amid an encounter between Miss Haroldson and the legendary hero of yore, Riptor Stormwolf, she learned how to transform back and forth.
Alexander, together with his partner Rose, fuelled by their continued dissatisfaction at the Melderra law enforcement's effectiveness in apprehending the distributer of Sparkle, set out on a quest to get to the bottom of the mystery. A fated encounter with one Asura Bluestreak led to the discovery that Phaela Morrison, the CEO of Redstar North, was behind everything. With this knowledge in hand, the two, supported by their friends, devised a plan to infiltrate the Redstar tower building. They intended to expose Phaela's wrong-doings by way of secretly recording a confrontation with her, in the hopes of catching a confession.
The Ceruleus crew managed to pull it off; however, an unforeseen intervention by an unknown mutated creature, one created by months of horrific experiments involving Sparkle, put an end to Phaela's life. With a recording of the encounter secured, Alex and Rose managed to escape the ordeal with only minor repercussions.
However, despite their successes, Clein still walks free, and even worse yet, his grand scheme draws ever closer to fruition.
Two months have passed since the incident at the Redstar tower. Lord Delvion Eridescent, the president of Redstar, has since taken command of the Melderra headquarters. He now executes his day to day tasks from the office of the former CEO, Phaela Morrison. The Sparkle epidemic is officially over as the number of reported incidents has dwindled into the single-digit range; no further kidnappings have happened since either. The police incursion into the Redstar tower, resulted in floor B-three being dismantled, and all research therein seized as evidence.
Good news for most, however, for Alexander, there was still some unfinished business; the small matter of Clein walking free amid the populace. The Ceruleus CEO had exhausted all avenues of investigation; no more clues remained; it was as though his nemesis had vanished off the face of Ephalon. Regardless of this setback, his relationship with Rose had grown strong, stronger than ever in fact, as they now shared the same bed, and together managed to circumvent the impediment his everlasting wound brought with it.
Alexander stayed home alone this week as his partner Rose was requested to join an ongoing expedition located on the Orythorn continent. One which held a supposed connection to the underground temple where she discovered the Claws of Orythorn. With all typical methods of determining Clein's whereabouts exhausted, Alex, in his desperation, felt it was time to try something more unconventional. The man found himself unable to focus as his mind ever wandered towards the cautioned words spoken by a particular curio shop owner regarding an object known as the Tome of Silence.
During one of Alexander's previous visits, Mishiro explained that the book granted its user the ability to converse with the Tahwri, entities who dwelled in the Realm of the Forgotten. Despite being cited as dangerous, and not to be trusted, they could very well possess a means to find any person one desired. With this notion at the back of his mind, the Ceruleus CEO once more stepped forth into the curio shop known as Mishiro's Reliquary. His entrance, as expected, caused a small bell attached to the door to ring, which attracted the attention of the shop owner.
"I'll be with you in a second; I'm just cleaning up a few pieces."
"No need to rush Mishiro, I'm just browsing for now." The voice sounded familiar to the proprietor, bringing strong associations to the forefront; however, as there was no urgent desire to be assisted, Mishiro continued cleaning the last few trinkets from the shelves on the far side of the cramped shop, five rows over.
"Ah, I knew I recognised your voice, Mister Ceruleus. It is a pleasure to welcome you to my humble establishment once more. How are things?"
"I'm doing well thank you, as is Rose, though she's away on an expedition at present." The mention piqued Mishiro's interest.
"Well now, if you would pardon my curiosity, where have her legs taken her?"
"Orythorn, if you can believe it. Supposedly, they have unearthed something that has relevance to an underground temple she was in a few months back."
"A most fascinating divulgence. I hope it yields significance." Mishiro hesitated a moment before asking a follow-up question, as he knew it was a touchy subject.
"If I may indulge my curiosity a second time, have you concluded your dealings with regards to your mother's killer?" Nothing but silence followed the inquiry, not unexpected; however, the length of the stillness prompted Mishiro to ask if Alex was still present. Once more, there was no response, until the sudden sound of shattering glass echoed throughout the shop.
The sharp noise coaxed Mishiro to rush towards its source. However, in the second of reaching the cash register, the shop owner heard the doorbell ring and recognised the silhouette of Alexander as it disappeared out of view. Upon closer inspection of the nearby area, it became evident that the case housing the Tome of Silence had been smashed open, and rather than containing the aforementioned book, it now showcased a hefty stack of one-hundred entar notes.
Mishiro, in a fit of panic, ran out the front door and to his dismay saw the final few moments of a black sedan as it turned the street corner. The dragon-man stood paralysed in place, staring towards the spot where the car disappeared. His entire person was inundated by a feeling of dread, as all he could do now was pray and hope that nothing disastrous would come to pass.
Meanwhile, in the Ceruleus company car, Alex raced towards Burchin Street. The otherwise hushed interior of his vehicle, now housed a plethora of eerie voices, all of whom emanated from the Tome of Silence. They spoke to him about his desires, whispering sweet promises that they could help him locate his mother's killer. The offer was beyond tempting, strengthened by his forethought to steal the book for that exact purpose. The prolonged company of the voices amid Alex's drive home caused a melancholic state to overwhelm his mind, focusing his attention on a single end-goal, to relieve himself from his mental anguish.
The dragon-hybrid arrived at his home around five p.m. and hurried inside with the heinous book held tight to his chest. He'd prepared for this event, having researched as much as possible through the internet. Resources on the texts contained within were sparse, to say the least. Most scholars surmised that the tome was written in an old dialect of Shay-ling, the language of the Cenebrians. The calligraphy style of the lettering was similar to modern-day Shay-ling, but not a single letter was the same. No official direct translations existed of any of the Tomes of Silence, only snippets attempted by eager scholars over the years; all of whom mysteriously disappeared in the weeks following their transcriptions.
With all his research printed out on his computer desk, Alexander began his perusal of the book. Frustration set in almost immediately, since despite his preliminary efforts, nothing appeared intelligible. However, the eerie voices guided his hand with subtle hints, ushering him towards a particular page. There were many overlapping inflexions of which the most alluring tone managed to overpower the rest and win Alex's attention.
The Ceruleus CEO gazed upon the proposed page, becoming light-headed the longer he stared at the lengthy strings of text. In a fascinating turn of events, the letters started to dance around the page, rearranging themselves to form a pattern with five prominent symbols. What was once sentences and words, now revealed an image which the enticing voice instructed him to draw upon a large flat surface.
Without giving his altered state of mind a second thought, Alexander proceeded to move all the furniture and carpets in his living room to the side, creating a wide-open area of exposed wooden flooring. The now more distinct feminine voice whispered to him to use his own blood to recreate the image from the book on a larger scale. The request brought a moment of pause to Mister Ceruleus' actions, as he began to realise how absurd his undertaking was.
Despite every fibre in his rational mind telling him to stop, his unrelenting fervour to locate Clein clouded his judgement, and thus he continued unfettered; first, removing his shirt, then to ease the acquisition of his own blood, Alex flexed his scarred arm causing the weakened veins near the surface to pop open and release their precious life essence. The man quickly grabbed a nearby bowl rife with fruit, emptying its contents, and filling it with blood.
Once a sufficient amount was collected, he bound his arm with his removed shirt, making sure it was nice and tight. Mister Ceruleus placed the bowl in the centre of the room alongside the book and began to draw the depicted image; a five-pronged star, with a circle around it, and in the spaces between the star's edge and outer ring, five symbols of Shay-ling design. Upon completion, the entity whispered for Alex to stand outside the circle and recite the newly formed incantation depicted at the bottom of the page.
Without hesitation, he stepped back and held the book in front to read the text out loud. The now provocative voice muttered into his ear the correct pronunciation of the depicted words.
"Ki keems ej, neel em ej thcark ne egidnieno sinnek." The reading of the first sentence, caused a strange hum to permeate the surrounding area; however, its origin, remained unclear. Alex disregarded the unnatural sound and continued his delivery.
"Ki keozrev ej diehgizewnaa ni njim tietilaer, tnaw ki beh nee negnalrev eid nednoveg teom nedrow." After recounting the second line, more obvious signs of his proclamation incurring a real-world effect became noticeable. The air within the circle became distorted, and the surrounding lighting grew dimmer.
"Ki pjirgeb ed nedroow tein eemraaw ki keerps, moraad prewredno ki jim naa wu lirg ne diehginniznegie." With those words spoken aloud, he came another step closer, leaving only two more sentences to recount; however, doubt began to enter Alexander's heart. An important question now lingered at the edge of his mind, were his actions wise? A visible otherworldly congregation of dust particles filled the area above the blood-drawn star, creating a nebulous region of space.
"Ki beh ezed lekric dierebroov sla nee laanak roov sno mo et netarp, tfeilbejsla, mok tot em." Regardless of the extreme spatial abnormalities he witnessed, Alexander, even with every instinct in his body telling him to halt his course, continued undeterred.
"Ki peor ej po, Vulpolus, ed regeigrdeb Tahwri." The fifth and final incantation was uttered, removing the option of turning back. Alexander recognised the word Tahwri as it left his lips, suddenly causing the severity of what he had done to sink in. He had summoned a creature from another dimension.
Whatever regrets he felt in that moment, held no meaning anymore, as the area above the symbol flooded with a thick grey mist, obscuring whatever stood within. The dragon-hybrid placed the book on a nearby table and peered into the fog, every so often observing a shimmer of a shadowy figure. The mist dispersed ever so slightly as time went on; however, it never wholly vanished, leaving whatever was within, hidden.
"Enterran... you summoned me, what is your desire?" The seductive feminine voice from earlier sounded much more defined now, without a doubt belonging to whatever stood within the circle. Alex couldn't believe he heard the entity speak to him, in Common no less. Shaken and nervous by the scene in front, he replied.
"I seek the location of my mother's killer, Clein. Can you show me the way?" An eerie silence ensued, confusing the dragon-hybrid, as he was sure he relayed his desire correctly. A series of unnatural movements occurred within the mist, which very briefly showcased the true form of the Tahwri in front. It appeared to be an anthropomorphic creature, fox-like in appearance, and in possession of at least, by his count, five tails. The entity had a slender feminine figure, and if the tone of the voice wasn't already a dead give-away, no doubt gendered female.
"Foolish Enterran, it is easy to discern you do not understand the nature of whom you summoned." The sudden shift in tone and belligerent connotations of the Tahwri spurred Alex to take a few steps back. His movements inadvertently loosened his shirt enough to unravel and fall to the wayside. The reveal of his cursed wound intrigued the entity, tempting it to step closer and show itself at the edge of the circle. Alexander's earlier assessment was quite accurate; only now, he saw the creature in better detail. It's white-fur covered body had numerous black stripes running across it in a zig-zag pattern. The strangest thing about the design was that it seemed to drift and flow over its form.
"I like your wound, someone with incredible malice towards you gifted it. Ah yes, I can sense him, this Clein. His desire for your demise has waned somewhat as he now finds himself amid appreciated company, a most intriguing individual." Alexander stared at the creature mesmerised by the fluctuating lines covering its person; however, their hypnotic effect failed to dissuade him from asking a few key questions.
"Tell me where he is! And who are you?" The Tahwri took a step back towards the centre of the summoning circle and snickered.
"You bore me Enterran. So, I will make your life more interesting." The proclamation felt like a threat, but the nature of the implication remained a mystery, though not for long. An extraordinary light arose from within the circle, revealing the outline of the fox-creature. The radiance coalesced into a solid object in its hand, taking on the form of a spear. The instant the supposed weapon solidified, the Tahwri threw it into Alexander's wound, causing the light to disperse upon impact and slither into his body.
Mister Ceruleus stumbled backwards, though not from the impact, but the bizarre sensation that he felt ripple across his person. Each passing second it grew more intense, and when he looked down at his left arm, he observed it expand and liquify. The sight disturbed him so much, that his brain released vast quantities of suppressant into his system, causing a trance-like state to subdue any ensuing panic.
With his mind no longer properly registering visual and physical stimuli, all Alexander could do, was 'enjoy' the ride of his euphoric state. However, in actuality, what was happening to him was that his body was shedding another person. This new entity slowly came into existence by unmerging itself from Alexander. The grotesque process dissolved any and all clothing he had on, including his glasses, and resulted in a revolting mess of sludge at his feet.
After an unknown length of time had passed, Mister Ceruleus snapped out of his daze and with his blurred vision peered into the room. The mist above the circle had disappeared along with the Tahwri who stood within; however, Alexander was not alone. He felt a nearby presence, which sparked an instinctive reaction to run towards the nearest desk and retrieve one of his many spare pairs of glasses. To his surprise, whoever this person was, had the same idea; thus, the two found themselves reaching into the same drawer, from which both retrieved a pair of spectacles.
"Who are you?" Alexander asked to which he received the exact same question. In front of the naked Ceruleus CEO, stood a woman wearing as much as he was, yet her species appeared to be identical to his own, down to the intricate placement of scales. Both peered at each other in bewilderment and noticed that their left arms shared the same cursed wound. This revelation, out of everything else, shocked them the most.
"What's going on here?" They both asked simultaneously. The copied responses confused them further, as did the repeat of the earlier question, again doing so at the exact same time. Alexander, hoping to get ahead of the curve, declared his name, and although the female performed the equivalent act, the response was different. She stated that her name was Alexandra, a minute difference, but a difference nonetheless.
Both felt a sudden chill run across their spine as standing around naked in the living room for any length of time was not something they usually did. However, given the situation neither were eager to let the other leave their sight. Thus, they agreed to utilise the spare couch covers located in a nearby drawer. Alexandra being the closest, opened it up, however, rather than retrieving the sheets, she pulled out a concealed pistol, one that only Alexander knew about.
"How did you know that was there?" Mister Ceruleus yelled.
"Because I put it there! Now, cease with the mind games, who are you? And why are you in my home?" Alex shook his head in disbelief at what he heard.
"Wait, wait, wait. What did you just say? You think this is your home?" The woman affirmed the question and told him to hurry up and answer hers. In response, an idea, although unconventional, formed inside of Alexander's head.
"Your mother and father wouldn't happen to be called Daerah and Falon, right?" Alexandra scrutinised the man, wondering if he was serious.
"Yes, that's right, but anyone could know that. It's public knowledge." Given her response, Mister Ceruleus contemplated something that only he would know about.
"During the meeting at the Atlas towers a few months ago, the one following the destruction of the Packet and Parcel warehouse; I saw a sixth person enter the room, even though everyone else only saw five people." Alexandra, baffled by how this man could know such a thing, lowered her gun.
"How do you know that?"
"Because I think, against my better judgement I know what's happened here." The woman raised her hands, gesturing for him to go ahead and share his theory.
"I think you're me, or rather, we are the same person, a clone of me?" She glanced at his groin in response, and given his species there wasn't much difference there; unlike the chest area where there assuredly was; furthermore, her hair was much longer than his.
"Why don't you have breasts then? If you're supposed to be a clone of me, why are you male?" Alexander shook his head and spun his fingers around to indicate it was the other way around.
"That's not possible; I mean, I have a life, I have friends who I remember and care about. I have memories of my first time being in heat. None of what you're saying explains any of that!" The growing frustrations caused the woman to raise her pistol to its prior position, aimed dead centre at Alexander's chest.
"Whoa, whoa, hold on. It's pretty obvious you're as confused by this as I am. How about we try and retrace our steps before we found each other?" The idea was deemed as good as any.
"Sure, fine, but you first, stranger."
"Alright, well this might sound weird... actually no, I doubt it will, considering the circumstances. The last thing I remember was using that book over there, to create this circle and summon a, I think, a creature known as a Tahwri." Alexandra stared the man down, becoming more nervous by the second. Her eyes betrayed her supposed position of power, as Mister Ceruleus discerned that his recount affected her significantly.
"Go on, what else?" she urged, waving the pistol about.
"It worked, but the creature never told me the whereabouts of Clein; instead, it struck me with a strange light. The last thing I remember after that was my arm growing in size. Everything beyond is a blur." Alexandra lowered her weapon and paced around the room before falling to her knees, breaking down in tears.
"Why do we have the same memories? I don't understand any of this." Alexander wanted to comfort her but felt it awkward given the idea that it was, as far as he was concerned, a clone of himself.
"Do you have a partner?" The Ceruleus CEO suddenly asked; a question which halted her tears as she got back up to her feet.
"Yes, Rose Mary Haroldson. She's my girlfriend and lover. We've been through thick and thin together. She's on an expedition right now, and should be returning later this week." No sooner than Alexandra had finished her sentence, the front door lock clicked open, revealing the very person she revered so much.
"Rose, you've returned, and much sooner than I expected." Miss Haroldson heard her name being spoken, but the voice was unfamiliar. With her head still facing down as she'd just dusted off her shoes, she stayed quiet; however, the instant her eyes peered into the living room, she was overwhelmed by the madness in front. There were numerous things wrong with this picture, and it felt like she'd stepped into a bizarre alternate reality.
"Alex, why are you naked? And who are you? What's going on here?" Both beseeched her to remain calm; however, she wasn't having any of it and repeated her previous question at maximum volume; yet, before either could reply, Rose, confessed that there were a variety of scenarios she expected to come back to; for instance, her partner watching television, perhaps browsing a website or just plain old sleeping. Whatever this was she walked into, wasn't even on her most outlandish list of possibilities. Therefore, Mister Ceruleus had some serious explaining to do.