Conquest of Thanar-Parchment ☽

The journey through the portal to Thanar was not for ordinary beings. It was a journey between dimensions where time and space were as malleable as a thread under the fingers of a master weaver.

Nethrath and Arelon were getting closer and closer to their destination.

Nethrath: :«We are close, Arelon, the border of Thanar is marked by a rupture. We must cross this veil. »

Arelon: «If this veil resists us, we will reduce it to dust.»

As they rose higher, a time vortex formed in front of them. VROOM! It was a storm that tore through the fabric of the universe. The torments of time that bubbled in this abyss BRRRRZZZ! shredded space and aeons. The vortex could engulf anything that came close to it, shattering the linearity of past, present, and future in a single explosion of chaos. KRAAAAACK!

Nethrath manipulated the threads of time that wrapped around the whirlpool. SWWIIISH! His mastery of time allowed him to slow down the effects of the storm and twist reality in a way that would preserve them from the ravages.

But Arelon, without waiting, with a wave of his hand, sent a wave of pure entropy through the vortex. WHOOOOSH! The devastating energy struck the center of the whirlpool, and the wave tore through space, crumbling away from the chaos within. BOOOOM!

Nethrath: «You never change, Arelon. Always quick to destroy. »

Arelon: «There's no time to lose, my friend. Tanar's time is approaching, and any obstacle deserves to be... erased. »

They continued their flight by entering a space where the laws of physics were as unstable as the minds of mortals. Vrrrm... Plop! It was a remnant of a lost civilization that suddenly emerged before them. It was a sprawling structure, made of an unhealthy glow metal with a core composed of tormented energy.

Grkshhh... Krak! Chaotic creatures, half-human, half-interdimensional, guarded the station. They moved with unstable movements, with their forms constantly decomposing and reforming.

Nethrath: «This is just another temporal accident, a distortion of what time has engendered.»

Arelon: «A perfect target for me.»

Before Nethrath could react, Fwoosh!, Arelon turned one of his fingers in the air and released another wave of pure Entropy. Vrrrm! Boom! The air tore around him and the station began to decompose instantly.

Screeeee! The creatures screamed and turned to dust from degradation. The station's metal melted like ice, and the vibrating structures fragmented into a black haze. Crack! Fshhh! Entropy spread and engulfed the station in an abyss of destruction.

Arelon: «That's it. A quick and total defeat. »

Nethrath didn't bother to answer. Arelon's desire for destruction was a sight he was now accustomed to. They continued their journey through the portal, their destination within reach. Swish! Fzzzz... They were now traversing increasingly unstable regions where time and space were blending to create dimensional fractures. Pshhh... Boom!

The duo was approaching the border of Thanar. A dark and opaque veil marked the entrance to this mystical world. Thrum... The air in this world was trapped in a net of darkness, Whummp! It was a barrier that blocked intrusions and turned off the light. But this veil was not merely a physical barrier—it was also a membrane between the worlds, a separation imposed by the god Thanatos himself.

Nethrath: «So this is the threshold. This veil is the border between the world of the living and that of the dead. We need to cross that boundary before the guardians of this world show up. »

Arelon: «We don't need them to stop us.»

The veil widened before them as they entered this dark realm, but a strange sensation came over them. Vwooom... Time dilated, cracked, compressed, then ploc suspended.

They were now in Thanar's world. It was a world where death was just as tangible as air and the end of everything was within reach. BOOM! A drumming sound can be heard behind.

But they knew they couldn't go back. The journey continued, and the world of Thanar opened up before them, ready to be conquered.

The first thing they felt when they entered the world of Thanar was the heaviness of the atmosphere. The air was heavy and laden with centuries of history, agony, suffering and resignation. Every breath of this world was filled with the promise of imminent death. The sky was grey, opaque and the light, if it existed, diffused without ever managing to shine.

The two dragons on their arrival landed in a silent valley. Around them, ancient stone structures rose with their silhouettes distorted by centuries of wear and tear.

But everything was strange here, even the earth under their feet it was as if the earth was alive and absorbed the pain and lamentations of the souls that had been lost in this world.

Nethrath could feel the history of this world, where death was omnipresent and where it was neither feared nor elusive, but revered, idolized. There was no life here, just echoes of those who had crossed the final border.

Nethrath: «This world... is like a living tomb. » he says, observing the degradation of the stones.

Arelon: «A world where everything dies slowly and eternally. Just my kind of place. »

They began their exploration. After a few hours of flight, whoosh... whoosh, they could see the first city. It was an imposing but moribund structure. The buildings seemed to have been built on foundations that were slowly collapsing.

The walls were decorated with bas-reliefs and depicted funeral ceremonies, rituals where shadows greeted death as a benefactress.

Inside this city, life-size statues were erected in honor of Thanatos, the god of death. Whoooom, a vibration came out of the sculptures, as if their stone had a consciousness. They had the impression that each figure kept an attentive and distant presence, as if the god himself were looking at every movement in this realm.

The town's inhabitants were few in number, but their presence was almost impossible to see. They moved with a particular slowness as if their bodies were impregnated with the fatality of the world around them. The inhabitants were dressed in dark robes and their faces were concealed by funerary masks.

Nethrath watched them with interest, analyzing every detail, every movement. These beings were believers, devoted in their worship of Thanatos. Here, life was an inescapable cycle that led to death, and every moment of their existence prepared their souls for the inevitable.

Arelon: «Look at these poor souls. They live in the shadow of death, but what beauty there is in this funeral setting. »

Nethrath did not respond immediately and preferred to observe. He felt attracted by a large mausoleum in the center of the city.

The mausoleum was a colossal structure, made of dark stones, in the shape of a human skull, whose entrance door was adorned with ancient inscriptions.

An aura of solemnity came from the building. He felt that this was where the power of the kingdom resided. Without a word, he walked with Arelon to the entrance.

Clang... Clang... The heavy metal doors released echoes as they slowly opened in front of them.

Inside, the mausoleum was vast and open with infinitely high ceilings. Torches fixed along the walls illuminated the ancient engravings.

Altars were scattered here and there, each marked with a symbol representing Thanatos: a skull surrounded by ethereal flames. The flames on the altars danced in silence. Priests dressed in black silk robes took care of the offerings, while others sang hymns dedicated to the deity of death:

*"O Thanatos, master of shadows,

Lord of the eternal veils,

You who guide souls to the horizon of mysteries,

Listen to our songs, resound with our prayers.

In your embrace, there is no pain,

But the repose of weary hearts,

You are the end and the beginning,

The guardian of souls forever delivered.

Glorious is your passage, silent and sacred,

Your breath appeases the ardor of the living,

O bringer of eternity, we invoke you,

Wrap our souls in your soothing mantle.

You who contemplate the thread of destinies,

Your footsteps resound in the darkness,

We sing your name, divine Thanatos,

Glory to you, guardian of endless paths." *

Their song was a melody of fate that guided every soul to the abyss.

Nethrath stopped for a moment and closed his eyes to listen to the flood of murmurs. He was imbued with the deep beliefs that animated this world. The cult of Thanatos, just like death itself, was omnipresent in this world. It was a religion that did not seek to escape the inevitable end but to embrace it as a path to truth.

He could feel Thanatos' energy permeating every inch of this place with his powerful yet distant presence.

Arelon, on the other hand, did not seem interested in rituals. With a wave of his hand, he cracked the air in the room: "CRAAAACK!" The torches flickered "fwouff-fwouff...", and the stones began to crack around them "crrr-crrr...". A few priests looked up, frightened by the aura of destruction that emanated from him. Nethrath was reciting a silent word to soothe the entropy around them.

Nethrath: «Don't mess with it too much, Arelon, this world is fragile, and the balance here seems much more... delicate. »

Arelon (with an amused smile): «Who said I was there to keep the balance?»

They were moving away from the mausoleum. Nethrath remained thoughtful with his gaze fixed on the depths of this world where death reigned supreme. As they made their way to a temple further away, the sound of bells echoed in the distance: "DONG... DONG...", which announced the beginning of a new ritual.

They sometimes came across groups of devotees who engaged in rather strange sacred rituals. The "slash! splurt...", the prayers "wall-wall-wall..." and offerings were daily acts for these souls dedicated to Thanatos.

Neither of them seemed to understand that the two dragons were not mere travelers but forces sent by a dragon king to reshape this universe. But it was not yet their time. They were only there to observe, to evaluate.

The last remnants of an ancient world lay before them, and they knew that war would be inevitable. But for now, they were content to understand the beliefs and feel the flaws in this realm and then set the stage for what was to come.

Nethrath: «This world is more powerful than it seems, my friend. There is a greater force here than entropy. »

Arelon: «We will see how long this force will last.»