[Archalen Andares]

Falling....falling, and falling. The thane of Imperia dropped through a void of nothingness, a strange womb of darkness. Spiraling out of control he fought to stop the descent even though he knew he was powerless to do so. And then suddenly slamming into what felt like hard bricked flooring. He could feel blood, hot and heavy, pouring out of his skull pooling gently on the bricks around him. This was it, this was the end of the once promised Esh'lahier.

He laid there motionless, dead, and incomplete for days before anyone had found him. Then suddenly he heard a noise. Footsteps and a door opening. The next thing he knew he was being dragged, although he was still very much dead. The dragging seemed to go on forever but finally someone had hoisted the body up and propped it on a chair. Then the feeling of cold water hitting the face. It was here that the gray orbs (although now slightly darker, had he been able to see his own eyes) flickered open. It was misty and hard to make out but the Shadow elf recognized the body of small child before him.

The child....oh, but how could this be? The child was him! As sure as the morning stars a younger...but different Archalen Andares stood before him clutching a water basket. The child was pale, even paler then he had been at that age. His hair was weirdly black and streaked with gray throughout and heavy black bags shadowed his familiar gray orbs. He was thin and frail, much like the Thane had been back then, but something was different entirely. Something emanated from the curious boy a feeling of unnerving despair and darkness. They sat there in complete silence, looking over each other for an eternity. The room was small and barren save for the two Andares.

Archalen spoke first. "Speak boy....where..am I?". The boy continued to look at Archalen, unphased or unrecognizable from the question. And then Archalen noticed for the first time, the younger Archalen looked not at the Thane, but through completely. It was as if the young boy had no awareness. What magic was this? And where was he? Growing angry he spoke to the boy once more, desperately trying to get information. "Why have you...brought me here? Who are you?" The boy again, only looked through its older twin.

Frustrated Archalen tried to stand from the chair, but his legs held the weight of a thousands columns, and he fell down crashing into the stonework once more. This however, caused the boy to snap his attention toward Archalen. He did so with a precise and almost, un-natural way. "Speak boy! Tell me the answers I need! Where...am I?" Archalen yelled at the boy. The boy took a shuffling step forward, and tilted his head weirdly. As if he heard the words but didn't understand them. Something about this was very amiss. And the then boy spoke, the voice seemed like a thousand voices speaking at once. Female, male, childern and whatever else answered the Thane finally.

"Blood will fall from the sky
All above, Must die
The truth, Must be this
They will meet the Reaper's Kiss"

Archalen scrambled backwards at the nightmarish boy, trying to put distance between them. "What Madness?" Archalen asked himself in confusion, as the boy continued its fearful answer.

"The time is here to start anew
Not all, Chosen few
Those selected, Must suffice
Not to be chosen by the dice"

As Archalen scrambled away backwards from the thousand voiced doppleganger, the boy slowly took un-natural shuffling steps foward. It lurched its whole body forward and then a leg, as if its legs were broken or worse. The light grew dim in here, and heat rose dramatically. This was all wrong Arhcalen told himself. Still though, the demented doppleganger pressed on, forcing its maddening poem toward the un-willing (and now, very much frightened) thane. "Leave me! Go!" Archalen yelled as the boy continued to speak with the voice of thousands. And it was here that Archalen heard that in the background of the voice he could hear crying, screaming, pain and all manner of frightful things.

"Wings will receive Red dye
Beautiful scene, Meets the eye
The deed, Is signed
For this is what has been divined"

It was here, that Archalen could retreat no more having hit the wall behind him. Still the demon advanced before him slowly. It continued to look through Archalen. And then to Archalens right hand brushed a small stone. Picking the pebble up he hurled it at the boy, although such a thing was surely futile. It the boy, and caused a gash but otherwise failed to stop the macabre prophecy.

"The blood will spill at my hands
Ultimate chaos, Expands
Truth, Finally known
Pages of history, away blown"

And here the boy stretched its arms out slowly, reaching for the Thane. A hunger shown behind its eyes and a maddness that would surely liken Aeternians. It came towards Archalen and the still defensless Thane could do nothing but kick at the thing. Its mouth opened wider and wider, and suddenly it recieved such a burst of speed it overwhelmed the failing kicks of the Thane and broke almost toward his face, hungry and full of death.

And then, a horn sounded in the distance. The creature/boy stopped and stood, looking straight ahead. Archalen did nothing but watch it warily as it stood just before his face. Then suddenly, it turned around and ran off and it was there that Archalen saw what perhaps he would remember for all time. As the creature ran off, Archalen saw the whole of his backside. The back of the skull was missing, and inside oozed a black tar that ran down the back. The skull looked as though it had been broken, and deep cutting lashmarks marred the back. The red blood from these lashmarks still flowed slowly and contrasted greatly on the pale skin. Black spots like leeches slowly swirled around the skin as some spots on the body held no skin, but only exposed muscle and bone. Truly, it was a sight that he would remember always.

Archalen sat there for perhaps three candle marks, so un wanting to move that he only stared at the empty doorway on the other side of the room. He thought here, of what this all meant. If it meant anything at all. What were the words the demon boy had said, and what did the mean? Finally Archalen willed himself to raise, and headed toward the doorway.

Outside the sky was dark and ominous. Stars jetted overhead, sometimes crashing into each other and other times passing unharmed. Snow fell, but not white snow. This was black like ash and wholly un-natrual and surreal. And he noticed he was in Imperia. The market block, to be certain. The familiar gray bricked buildings, the dirty streets and the faces he had seen before wandered the streets before him. But something was different indeed. Everyone seemed....preoccupied. Vendors still hawked their wares but the inventories were macabre. Skewed rats and captured fae lined the food vendors baskets and cages. A tall katta in red dirty robes sold dwarven slaves that he claimed could work for weeks on end without a proper meal over on the corner. What seemed like a school teacher passed, holding a line that her frail and stunted students held onto less they get lost. And on the line they held, where shackles upon which every malnurtured student was tied with.

What place is this? Archalens mind screamed. He walked up toward a obese human that sloppy was eating a leg of beef. Dribble of saliva and juice fell down his big lips, spilling on his already stained a dirty shirt. His eyes were wild and hair thin and unkept. The man regarded Archalen with a wicked smile and bowed mockingly. "....ssssirr?" the obtuse man asked. Archalen noticed the mans free hand dangled dangerously near his dagger. (of which Archalen didn't spot since it was on the other side of the large man.) "What place is this? Where am I?" Archalen asked cautiously, ready to flee.

The man kept eating greedily, lips smaking meat and he answered while he chewed with is mouth open spitting small chunks of meat and juiced toward the Thane of Imperia. "Whhhhere am I?" The man said in a laugh. "Whhhhere am I? Ha ha" he yelled as he built himself in laughter, making his large stomach wiggle and bounce. Those that overheard and were nearby stopped and turned toward the Thane and laughed as well, pointing and covering their mouths in the absurdity of the question. Archalen looked around and saw fingers pointing and bystanders whisper the question to each other in amusement. The large mans lips sucked down more meat on the leg of beef and wiped his mouth with his fore-arm before winking at Archalen and offering him an answer. "Immmmperia of Courssse! Era XIV of the Regentttt Calius Xirorussi." he said, laughing all the while. His amusement being sated, the large man turned and waddled off, throwing the bone behind his back.

It is there the Archalen saw that the bone wasn't from livestock, but rather looked like it belonged to a small child. Mayhap human or elf, defiantly not dwarven though. The crowd that laughed at Archalen now saw his disgusted look at the bone and curiously eyed him with a sense of paranoia and distrust. Feeling rather then seeing the eyes on him, Archalen turned and began to walk quickly away, looking back to see if the people were still watching him. Which they were.

Archalen didn't know where he was going his feet were on auto drive. He passed through the familiar streets of Imperia, as the black ash grew stronger from the sky. He ended up in front of a building that resembled (at least geographically) the Office of the Thane. The trees that were usually well kept now stood there twisted without leaves or buds. Like skeletons of a darker sort, the branches twisted and reached out sinisterly. The grass was also different, being blood red and shaped like blades. Only wanting escape Archalen pressed fourth to enter the place, to find answers hoping that Lir'anna his secretary was in. She would have answers.

And she was, but was not as well. He passed through the doors to the office (which usually held the standards of the Empire and Imperia, but now were adorned with black flags with red skulls on them.) Lir'anna sat at her desk, her counternace much like he remembered. She bowed to Archalen and spoke, her usually silken voice now ragged and short. "I trust those...offenders did not beg for your Lordships mercy to much?" she laughed greatly. "I know how you hate that so, my dear Thane. Come....I imagine you need a bit of....refreshing after such hard work." she laughed with a knowing smile and led him by his arms toward the familiar bedrooms where he spent so much time before.

She led him to his bedroom, which a young elf was frantically cleaning. The boy looked in shock as he saw Lir'anna and cowered over in a corner. Lir'anna took a dagger out of her belt and approached the boy. Archalen could only watch, as if his body was unresponsive. His mind was overwhelmed. Was he dead? Was he indeed in the abyss? "Please, Mistress Lir'anna. I tried my best. Its too much for just me...I need help to finish cleaning the mansion. Please...I'll do better next time."

Undettered Lir'anna approached the boy with dagger in hand. "I told you Orthis, a candlemark. I'm not paying you to take your time....am I? Perhaps my payment is too generous for one such as you?" The boy shook his head, revealing small cuts on the back of his neck. "No Mistress..." and the boy now seemed confused or perhaps regretful of his words. "I mean yes, I am not worthy please...don't". His words however, fell on deaf ears and Lir'anna walked over to the one who crouched in the corner, and sliced a gash on his midsection. Blood immeaditly fell, staining the cleaning boys dingy green shirt. He ran off past her, clutching his midsection. "And let that be a lesson to you Orthis!" Lir'anna yelled after him chuckling. She then turned toward Archalen and smiled widely. "Its so hard to find decent help...." She approached Archalen and laid the dagger on the bedside table. Proceeding to climb on the edge of the bed she started to undress, smiling at Archalen.

It was here and now, that Archalen had enough of this. He needed to escape, and leave this wicked place. It was all too much for him. Such a vile and wicked place! The cannibal man, captured fae, slaves, and slave children. Such brutality and un-holiness. Everywhere around him the taint of evil so stronged, it threatened now to pull Archalen in. How could he live here? He had to escape, had to leave this place. He looked down to Lir'annas face, who had now got her top off and thrown it playfully over Archalens head and through the still open door behind him. Archalen had to do something. Had to correct something. He looked in her eyes and saw nothing, no trace of emotion or regret over what she did. He had to do something.

And it would start with her.


Without another thought Archalen grabbed the dagger off bedside table, and thrust into into Lir'annas throat. A look of surprise fleeted across her face, before she fell backward on the bed, half dressed. The blade warmed in his hand, wanting more. He watched the blood pool beside her on the white sheets. Turning quickly, he ran downstairs and around the desk of his once secretary and walked quickly toward the closed door of the Thane. Inside he knew he had a secreted bag of coins which would be enough to pay for a carriage away from here. As he turned the handle and opened the door though, one last surprised waited for him.

Right before his face stood.... himself. Archalen Andares, Thane of Imperia met himself in the doorway to the office. Time seemed to slow now and something strange happened to his stomach. Something warming him. Looking down slowly he saw a sword half directly in front of his stomach. How odd? he thought, only to slowly realize that the sword was also inside his stomach. He looked back toward the face of himself, who stood right before him and noticed it smiled. Blood started to foam up in Archalens throat and he noticed that when the dopple ganger smiled, blood slowly poured from its mouth as well. With the sound of the croaking frog the being, the evil Archalen said only a word.

It would be the last word Archalen ever heard, as his eyes slowly closed and a final sleep took him over.

"Welcome."