CHAPTER FIVE

The Void or Universe is endless. The Forgotten One enjoys tormenting his foes and breaking their wills and hopes before ending their existence or assimilating them. He is a dark force of evil that preexists all other evil gods known to man. He can take any form he likes but prefers nightmarish forms that defy reality. Nightmares are just horrific nightmares until this ancient god is present. Then the horrific nightmares become a reality of madness. The Forgotten One adds the taint of madness to the nightmarish horrors he creates. He has caused mighty gods to go mad. His mere presence inflicts a taint of madness that even greater gods cannot resist and have either fallen to his power or even abandoned their own worlds to save their existence. The gods that stayed to fight only slowed the expansion of the Forgotten One for a short time. The gods that ran lost power as they did, and over time they were nothing more than demi-gods.

The Forgotten One slept until he sensed another world to assimilate. While he slept, seekers which were assimilated gods and titans, continued to perform the 'will' of the Forgotten One. The Forgotten One did not require the power of worshippers to empower him. The power of an Ancient God just was!

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One hundred years passed since Creation of Athyxian Universe. The seekers had still not found the hidden seed of life created by Enamor and Viscus. Life was flourishing and the world was growing. The gods had begun to awaken.

Elves had existed for one hundred years without guidance from Viscus or Enamor. Their guidance came from the Tree of Life and the elemental demi-gods. Religion had not found its way to the elves but rather the influences of the demi-gods aided in the elves making their own discoveries and evolving into five different sects.

The High Elves maintained their composure throughout the one-hundred-year period without any influence to change them. They discovered magic on their own and followed common practices that showed respect to the world, nature and one another.

The Druids served the Tree of Life and nature. Their practices were not so different from the practices of the High Elves other than the practice of preserving nature and either destroying or banishing creatures not of their world, especially those that were considered alien.

The Elemental Monks kept to themselves within their monasteries. Little was known about them other than they were quiet and peaceful.

The Grey Elves were an evolution of the High Elves that had chosen to serve the lawful devils for the promises of power. The first generation sold their souls and their skin pigment turned gray. The absence of their souls was just the beginning. Their knowledge grew and somehow, they knew things that only gods should have had knowledge of giving them the feel of ancient beings.

Elves had lived for hundreds of years now. They had seen a few different variants of their kin but never treated them any different. An elf was an elf after all! Publicly, they were one population but behind closed doors they were segregated. The elves with jet-black skin didn't come out until nightfall. They had adapted extensive night-vision along with a sensitivity to light. One particular dark elf, as they were often referred as had become the leader of her kind.

"The Vermin-Trinity comes with their armies to crush us all! You need a goddess that will remember you and protect you from gods that medal with mortals." Na-Dene roared. Her kin were only a few thousand. They met underground beneath the city in secret.

"We believe in you as a leader, Na-Dene but you are no goddess." One dark elf said. Na-Dene eyed him dangerously.

"Believe in me—worship me—and I will ascend. I will defeat our enemies. I have seen them marching towards our city. Will you run? Will you fight with your kin? Will you trust in me to defeat the Vermin-Trinity?" Na-Dene yelled.

"I believe in you!" Several dark elves shouted from the crowd.

"As you all should… I have an ally that has already ascended. He has shown me the secrets of divinity. He is a demi-god and will aid me in battle. I will defeat the Vermin-Trinity and I will become a demi-god but only if you worship me." Na-Dene barked.

"NA-DENE, NA-DENE," the crowd began chanting. Ne-Dene left her podium and began donning her battle garments and weapons. The crowd silenced when the demi-god Bolnarg appeared. They fell to their knees in awe. Na-Dene resisted the divine presence of the demi-god just to show him how powerful she already was.

"I am ready," Na-Dene assured the demi-god.

"You had better be! There are more gods in this world than I care to have." Bolnarg barked.

"We will change that soon, my friend." Na-Dene said devotedly.

"The gods that created this world are waking up. Most I fear do not like non-humans and will try to hunt us down and destroy us. We need to forge an alliance of evil gods to stand stronger." Bolnarg said firmly.

"As soon as I become a god, you will have my alliance." Na-Dene reassured.