The Village: Part 1

Lavernius woke before dawn. He hung Owen around his neck. The necklace was made of leather and the orb was woven in very neatly. He packed up his stuff and continued his journey. The trees were dead and leafless. The grass was brown and decaying. The wind got colder and stronger. Before he knew it, he was standing before an abandoned village. The houses were all intact, except for a few windows. The architecture was beautiful and unlike anything he has seen before. The village was in the center of a forest. He walked around and noticed something. There were bodies. Dead people in the streets and in homes. Their skin was rotting and it smelled awful. His stomach turned. He felt dizzy and faint so he sat down on the ground and rested against the wall of one of the buildings.

"These people... It looks like something drained their soul right out of their bodies." Owen said

"What is this place?" Lavernius asked

"I don't know. It is extremely old." Owen said

Lavernius stood up and walked through the town. There was a giant library, inside were many bodies. Lavernius closed the door and continued walking down the street. He passed a pawn shop, an inn, and a church. He walked inside and investigated it. The arch-ways were incredible. The stained glass windows were beautiful. He walked up to the altar and felt it.

"Spider silk. This probably cost a fortune." Lavernius said

"A very rare cloth indeed." Owen said

Lavernius looked at the statues and his jaw dropped. They were poorly made, but he could tell what they were. They were marble statues of the two gods Kryptonick and Kayotic.

"When was this faith founded?" Lavernius asked

"Around the time of Carter Shard by Prophet X." Owen said

"These marble statues are the gods, right?" Lavernius said

"Yes, from the looks of it." Owen said

"Church of Fate..." Lavernius said

"Yeah, it must have started here." Owen said

Lavernius walked around and stumbled across a spiral staircase. He carefully walked down the ancient steps and into the basement. The basement was dark and dusty. Lavernius used fire Energy to light the way. There was a bed and some bookshelves. There were many scrolls and manuscripts on the shelves. He opened a book and read the first page. "The Church of Fate, when a prophet named X brought forth a new religion that worshiped the gods." Lavernius read aloud. He looked up and saw a small statue of X with his hands spread wide.

"So this man, X, who started this church, did he ever find the truth?" Lavernius asked

"No one knows. He said a lot of things, some which made sense and others that didn't. He was wrong about many things, but the things he got right are really profound." Owen said

Lavernius put the scroll back and climbed the staircase. He exited the church and walked west, back into the village. He took his time and searched every building that he passed. Most of them held nothing more than dust and mold. He went to the library again, he gathered courage and walked past the bodies. He entered and looked at the shelves. There were many different stories and books that he had never heard of.

He spent hours in the library reading these tall tales. It talked about creatures and gods that were unknown to him. He was fascinated by the vast number of books. One book caught his eye though; it was a collection of short stories and poems. Some were funny, while others were tragic. One story stood out above the rest: A story called The Dreamer. The story described how a young boy named Damian had been kidnapped by a Titan. He spent his whole life becoming stronger so that he could kill it and return home. At last, after many years, he returned home only to see his family dead and the city destroyed. He wandered aimlessly until he came upon a strange looking tower. He climbed the tower and found himself face to face with a giant monster. It told him that if he would defeat the titan, then it would grant him one wish. He wished for freedom and the monster granted him that wish. The end of the story was left unfinished. Lavernius read it over and over again as he sat on the floor of the library. Lavernius fell asleep in the library. Lavernius fell asleep in the library. Owen woke him up a few hours later.

"You should leave that book here." Owen said

"Yeah, you are right. What time is it?" Lavernius said

"Sunset. I figured you should sleep in a bed and not on the floor." Owen said

"Yeah." Lavernius said

He searched for a house that had no bodies inside. It took him a while until he found a small house in the center of town. The house was messy but cozy. He sat on the edge of the bed and looked out the window. The moon shone in the dark sky. Trees swayed in the wind. Lavernius laid down in the bed and closed his eyes.

"Hey, you asleep?" Owen asked

"I was trying to be." Lavernius said

"We should be wary of this place. We don't know what did this to those poor people." Owen said

"It has been nearly a hundred years, I doubt it is still alive." Lavernius said

"What if it's a Titan?" Owen said

"Then we probably would have seen it by now." Lavernius said

"Not exactly. It could be sleeping in a cave or something." Owen said

"If it comes out, I will kill it. Leviathan was weak and he was the strongest Titan." Lavernius said

"The thing about Leviathan is, he wasn't trying until the end. He didn't even use Energy that much." Owen said

"Yeah, that's true. He was more difficult when I first fought him in the temple." Lavernius said

"He liked to show off. He underestimated you vastly when he was fighting you. Dagon is physically stronger than Leviathan, but can't use Energy. Azazel is physically weaker than Leviathan, but can use Energy easily. Leviathan was number 1 because he was strong and could use Energy." Owen explained

"How come no one talks about Dagon and Azazel?" Lavernius asked

"They like the godly realm more than this mortal plane." Owen said

"What's that place like?" Lavernius asked

"I don't want to ruin the surprise." Owen said

"Fair." Lavernius said, "Good night."

"Good night." Owen said