Trial by Fire

[SageofSixPaths]

Mazorel

Something moved within his hand. It was as if a worm crawled beneath Alex's winter-white flesh. He only barely noticed it out of the corner of his eye, so quick was the movement of the worm. The writhing would've been missed and ignored had it not been followed by another shift, a soft click sound of a bone popping - painlessly and almost silently - and moving itself.

Alex pulled his hand back and clutched it, staring at it with wide eyes. He stared for seconds that crept by as if they were hours, but his hand was still and normal. With a start Alex realized his hand hurt from squeezing it so tightly. Slowly and reluctantly he released the death grip and, still shaken, picked up his pencil again.

He'd only gone three lines of notes in the silent study hall when a watery red flash drew his eye. Red scales pulsed under his skin and slid just beneath the surface. Light, like that seen underwater, illuminated the rough bloody red scales under the skin.

"Alexxxxxxie," a voice hissed and breathed into Alex's ear. The end of his name ignited into an amused growl at the end. Alex spun his head, searching for the sound's origin. The cafeteria was empty. Absolutely empty. Not the sound of a refrigerators hum nor the sight of the other high-schoolers who should've been there greeted him.

Alex pulled out his phone - and nearly dropped it. The screen was black now, but a moment ago Alex could've sworn a face, bloodied and burned, filled the glass. Soft growling chuckles rose and fell around him, circling his head as if right by his ear but always just behind him. Alex spun again, facing the tall windows letting weak sunrise light through into the cafeteria.

The slate gray clouds seemed frozen in the sky, the sun barely crested the horizon, trees stuck still bending to a harsh wind. Fat snowflakes hung midair. Alex himself felt held in place. His surroundings blurred and twisted; the building around him disintegrated to flying ash before Alex. His muscles were tensed to run but he was held in place by an unseen hand. The cafeteria and surrounding school burned away without flame until an entirely new setting came to being.

Alex stood at the crossroads, in every sense of the word. . Smooth black asphalt that could've been paved yesterday spread in four directions at perfect right angles, the sun and the moon at two ends midway on the horizon, caught midway on the horizons, rising and setting. The roads seemed to stretch forever in the grey-brown dirt. A sparse and gnarled oak tree grew stunted in the distance. An invisible clockticked endlessy.

The clock struck the hour, the bell tone was not over-loud, but it was deep and resonated deeply through the twilit place.

"Alexxxxie," the same hissing, growling voice called.

The unseen clock struck another deep bellow. A man's form flashed standing in the midddle of the North road but was gone before Alex could make out the details. To the South another man appeared - an angel with a glow emanating from it - it stayed just long enough to be seen before disappearing again. West; a tall old man, strong and whitebearded but looking at Alex firmly. Eas; a medium blonde man of about the same age as Alex, a pencil and notebook in his hands.

the third strike. the images of different forms - most couldn't even be called people - flashed all around Alex. A demon with red skin; a black winged angel; a lava skinned man with eyes of flame; a figure like a lizard and a man; a dog faced human; a imposing black bearded figure wielding a thunder bolt; a thousand different forms and people. Evil showed more than good, but both come in the neverending tide of figures. Light and darkness twisted together and sped faster until Alex couldn't tell them apart.

The fourth strike shook the world. Alex fell to his knees as the figures stopped instantly. Ice slid down his spine but he couldn't bring himself to stand, his eyes slowly opened to a nightmare. The monster Alex saw could only be from a nigtmare; as it spke its skin, scorched with fire, cracked and oozed black blood.

"You are chosen." the monster growled, its hand pointing toward Alex, revealing clawed hands caked in blood and blackened the same as the rest of him.

The fifth strike. The creature dissolved into a cloud of greasy black smoke. Icy wind blew from the South, finger of burning cold tightened on his neck. From the corner of his eye Alex saw black. His vision spun and twisted and then ground to a halt. He found himself staring into the black soulless pits of the demon. "You have been chosen to protect your world," so close, the voice sounded like a thousand in one. It still had that hiss and growl though...

The sixth strike. The demon dissolved and reappeared three feet away, still staring into Alex's eyes. Its eye sockets glowed like embers in a dying fire, it's torn skin cracked fresh and more blood dripped from his mouth as he spoke again, "Know that your world and everyone - everything - you know and love will be destroyed if you fail." Despite the worlds it spoke the amusement that was hinted earlier was gone entirely; nothing remained. No emotion colored the creature's voice as it told Alex of the the end of the world.

The seventh strike. "Know that despite your best attempts, even if you succeed your world will never be the same, it will be forever changed. For good, or for worse..." Before Alex's eyes the monster healed. Fresh white skin spread from the cracks in the old, leaving the devil - that was the only way Alex could describe it - with gaping wounds across its body. Somehow this gruesome juxtaposition was worse than the previous form.

The eighth strike. "From my creation you may choose any creature - real, imaginary. Anything."

The ninth. The sound resonated through his ears and it came to Alex that they were each growing progressively louder.

"For one month you will be forced to become the creature every night when the sun fades beyond the horizon.. beyond that month, you will be hunted."

The tenth strike. "You will be hunted by creatures from all of my creation. One per month... Know that this is not arbitrary; these creatures are to prepare you... Prepare you for a threat from beyond the stars. Only the strongest will survive this.. trial by fire." His voice ignited at the last, and as his voice ignited, so did he. The cracks spewed fire, blackening his skin once again. The fire was so bright Alex shielded his eyes... "Choose" it growled as its skin caught fire.

The eleventh strike. Alex spoke before he thought it through, the answer seemed pulled directly from his mind and right into his mouth. "Dragon." Immediately he regretted it; the creature laughed. It's laugh rung throughout the ethereal crossroads, deafening Alex. It threw its head back and laughed harder.

The twelfth strike. The beast continued laughing. Its insane cackle dug under Alex's skin like the worm from what seemed like an eternity ago. Alex's anger rose like a wild fire and he jumped to his feet, diving for the monster. It exploded into a cloud of ash as he collided with it and Alex landed hard on the other side.
"What are you! Who are you!" Alex screamed, clutching his head and the laughter mocked him. Suddenly he again found himself staring into the dead eyes of a demon...

"You may call me.... Mazorel." The thirteenth strike, and time shattered.

[center]

[Talos]

Seems interesting. I cannot really comment with just one chapter but I shall certainly be looking forward to more.

[Kool Kat]

That's a cool beginning for a horror story. You had me picturing that in my head.

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