Faraway in the back of the mind of mankind there is knowledge of a world beyond ours, not transcendent but adjacent, the invisible world, the fey world. This is a world of beasts and beauty, of Wonder and magic combined that remains hidden and shut off to man's scepticism, violence and aggression. Among the various races of these fantastical beasts there is none more so awe inspiring that the fey-kind. To us they would be the modern interpretation of fairies but, unlike ours, they are much taller than we would give them credit. They are roughly human sized and possess thin membranous wings upon their backs. Their frames unclothed in garments for modesty has no place in an Eden such as this.
However, there was one such fey kind that is unhappy with paradise, Jolene, a slender woman with hair like woven charcoal smoke trailing down her back, looping over her black rimmed wings and a constant benign smile on her face, the look of curiosity. The fey kind has taken to not venture too far out of their cities built high within the treetops of the forests. For outside these woodland reserves lay dangerous forms hiding in the shadows with intents both malicious and despicable. As such the fey kind remained a largely isolated race.
Jolene was born with the wanderlust inside of her, a deep desire to walk the un-walked and see the unseen. For this, her guardians kept her indoors and at bay for as long as they could muster. However the immeasurable clock of fate ticks away along a predestined path and her foray into the borderland wilderness was inevitable. It was a cool spring evening when she found herself alone. Overhead darkness was creeping in like a hungry wolf casting its purple shadow over treetops and mountains, blanketing them in night and leaving only a small crimson strip of daylight over on the horizon, the setting sun deep on the horizon casting an auburn glow across the landscape, a giant setting tangerine.
Far off to the point the eye can no longer see Jolene found herself being pulled, like an invisible tether attached to her waist. A voice was beckoning her to join it in the night. It was different to the delicate and cultured tones of voice of her kind her hears were used to hearing. It was coarse and raspy but endearing all the same. Having no knowledge of the intentions of the voice or even the speaker that mastered it she felt herself being pulled towards it. She slinked down corridors, down paths and stairways, down the ladder of her habits oaken trunk and out into the open reaches of the ground of the forest. This was the first time she had truly felt the grass beneath her house, it was wonderful. On and on she walked, through the dirt, through the reeds through the grass and through the trees on and on through rock and stone and lake and gulley and further still.
It was late in the evening when Jolene found the speaker of the unspoken calls. All around her giant stones lay around like monolithic watchmen standing guard of an imaginary fortress, ever standing and ever noble, captivating and intimidating. However the voice still called her, but it was true now, it had the form that true words can have and it resonated in her ears in raspy monotonous repose. It beckoned for her to come closer so that she may know another being. A small tingle approached the back of Jolene’s neck, she ignored it. The voice called again and she approached towards it. From the rocks around her shapes shifted in the darkness. The creature came towards her, padding on webbed and clawed hands and dragging the bulk of its scaly serpentine body behind it. Its head was crested with a crown of horns and its face a perfect triangle, tapering to a thin point. The creature looked downhearted, sorrowful. Its motion echoed pain and age.
'I am Shamat, the first and last of my kind' the being spoke. Jolene was captivated by its fiery eyes, as golden as hers were sapphire. 'I am dying'
Jolene gasped, she reached out her hand to embrace the creature and comfort it, but it turned away sharply, 'I am cursed, should you touch me your skin will burn and I will know death sooner' it hissed. She stepped back from Shamat as he told her of his curse, how he fell befoul of an immortal warlock from the times in which humans could transcend the barriers between this world and ours. How he was cursed to the ground from before being able to soar through the sky, the clouds serving as his domain. When he had finished his story Jolene was kneeling down she breathed a deep and sorrowful breath and spoke gently, 'Poor thing of misery, is there any way to break this horrible curse laid upon you?'
'There is one way...but I cannot ask it of you' he said turning away from her as he did so.
'I would do anything to see you fly again, I dream of walking in the sky, all I may do is glide.' she cooed regretfully. 'so I wish to help you so that I may see the stars that shine like jewels on nights pretty dress, ask me to do this one thin and you shall have it'
'You would gladly cure me? No matter the price? The creature said.
'Yes, any price under the sun'
'To this you swear till the end of your days?'
'I do'
‘The curse may be broken...with a soul, your soul' he smiled, sharp teeth lining his scaly lips.
'You want my soul?' Jolene was scared, she had no idea of what a soul was and her companion’s intentions felt all the less pure
'You promised, you are honour bound to give me your soul' hissed Shamat.
'But I did not know that would be what you asked of me, I do not even know if I have a soul' she stammered.
'it does not matter, you have one, it is what lead you to me, all prey eventually finds its way to the predator' with this his benevolent facade faded, his scales reared up on end and a collar of frills extended from his throat, his jaw extended to ten twice its size so that all that was visible was a black hole at the back of his evil throat and his eyes blazed with unholy greed. 'Foolish little fey, your time has come and I shall eat again'
However he did not count on the guard of the tree cities, one of whom had followed Jolene and hid swiftly until he was needed, he proceeded to swiftly impale the serpent upon a spear and watched as it writhed in agony, tainted blood spewing forth like a river. It flailed and thrashed three times and then collapsed and melted away into nothing.
The guard scorned the young Jolene but his abrasions fell onto deaf ears. For Jolene had learned of something truly terrifying that night. She had learned of the existence of evil in her world, she had come face to face with it and almost lost her life. This knowledge replaced where there was once was blissful ignorance. And nothing in their world or ours could ever hope to return the innocence; she would find nothing to regain the bliss she knew before that night. Yet as all who rise must fall harsh lessons must be learned by all so that we may protect ourselves from danger.
Faraway in the back of the mind of mankind there is knowledge of a world beyond ours, not transcendent but adjacent, the invisible world, the fey world. This is a world of beasts and beauty, of Wonder and magic combined that remains hidden and shut off to man's scepticism, violence and aggression. Among the various races of these fantastical beasts there is none more so awe inspiring that the fey-kind. To us they would be the modern interpretation of fairies but, unlike ours, they are much taller than we would give them credit. They are roughly human sized and possess thin membranous wings upon their backs. Their frames unclothed in garments for modesty has no place in an Eden such as this.
However, there was one such fey kind that is unhappy with paradise, Jolene. A slender woman with hair like woven charcoal smoke trailing down her back, looping over her black rimmed wings and a constant benign smile on her face, the look of curiosity. The fey kind has taken to not venture too far out of their cities built high within the treetops of the forests. For outside these woodland reserves lay dangerous forms hiding in the shadows with intents both malicious and despicable. As such the fey kind remained a largely isolated race.
Jolene was born with the wanderlust inside of her. A deep desire to walk the un-walked and see the unseen. For this, her guardians kept her indoors and at bay for as long as they could muster. However the immeasurable clock of fate ticks away along a predestined path and her foray into the borderland wilderness was inevitable. It was a cool spring evening when she found herself alone. Overhead darkness was creeping in like a hungry wolf casting its purple shadow over treetops and mountains, blanketing them in night and leaving only a small crimson strip of daylight over on the horizon, the setting sun deep on the horizon casting an auburn glow across the landscape, a giant setting tangerine.
Far off to the point the eye can no longer see Jolene found herself being pulled, like an invisible tether attached to her waist. A voice was beckoning her to join it in the night. It was different to the delicate and cultured tones of voice of her kind her hears were used to hearing. It was coarse and raspy but endearing all the same. Having no knowledge of the intentions of the voice or even the speaker that mastered it she felt herself being pulled towards it. She slinked down corridors, down paths and stairways, down the ladder of her habits oaken trunk and out into the open reaches of the ground of the forest. This was the first time she had truly felt the grass beneath her house, it was wonderful. On and on she walked, through the dirt, through the reeds through the grass and through the trees on and on through rock and stone and lake and gulley and further still.
It was late in the evening when Jolene found the speaker of the unspoken calls. All around her giant stones lay around like monolithic watchmen standing guard of an imaginary fortress, ever standing and ever noble, both captivating and intimidating. However the voice still called her, but it was true now, it had the form that true words can have and it resonated in her ears in raspy monotonous repose. It beckoned for her to come closer so that she may know another being. A small tingle approached the back of Jolene’s neck, she ignored it. The voice called again and she approached towards it. From the rocks around her shapes shifted in the darkness. The creature came towards her, padding on webbed and clawed hands and dragging the bulk of its scaly serpentine body behind it. Its head was crowned by horns and its face a perfect triangle, tapering to a thin point. The creature looked downhearted, sorrowful. Its motion echoed pain and age.
'I am Shamat, the first and last of my kind' the being spoke. Jolene was captivated by its fiery eyes, as golden as hers were sapphire. 'And I am dying'
Jolene gasped, she reached out her hand to embrace the creature and comfort it, but it turned away sharply, 'I am cursed, should you touch me your skin will burn and I will know death sooner' it hissed. She stepped back from Shamat as he told her of his curse, how he fell befoul of an immortal warlock from the times in which humans could transcend the barriers between this world and ours. How he was cursed to the ground from before being able to soar through the sky, the clouds serving as his domain. When he had finished his story Jolene was kneeling down she breathed a deep and sorrowful breath and spoke gently, 'Poor thing of misery, is there any way to break this horrible curse laid upon you?'
'There is one way...but I cannot ask it of you' he said turning away from her as he did so.
'I would do anything to see you fly again, I dream of walking in the sky, all I may do is glide.' she cooed regretfully. 'so I wish to help you so that I may see the stars that shine like jewels on nights pretty dress, ask me to do this one thin and you shall have it'
'You would gladly cure me? No matter the price? The creature said.
'Yes, any price under the sun'
'To this you swear till the end of your days?'
'I do'
‘The curse may be broken...with a soul, your soul' he smiled, sharp teeth lining his scaly lips.
'You want my soul?' Jolene was scared, she had no idea of what a soul was and her companion’s intentions felt all the less pure
'You promised, you are honour bound to give me your soul' hissed Shamat.
'But I did not know that would be what you asked of me, I do not even know if I have a soul' she stammered.
'it does not matter, you have one, it is what lead you to me, all prey eventually finds its way to the predator' with this his benevolent facade faded, his scales reared up on end and a collar of frills extended from his throat, his jaw extended to ten twice its size so that all that was visible was a black hole at the back of his evil throat and his eyes blazed with unholy greed. 'Foolish little fey, your time has come and I shall eat again'
However he did not count on the guard of the tree cities, one of whom had followed Jolene and hid swiftly until he was needed, he proceeded to swiftly impale the serpent upon a spear and watched as it writhed in agony, tainted blood spewing forth like a river. It flailed and thrashed three times and then collapsed and melted away into nothing.
The guard scorned the young Jolene but his abrasions fell onto deaf ears. For Jolene had learned of something truly terrifying that night. She had learned of the existence of evil in her world, she had come face to face with it and almost lost her life. This knowledge replaced where there was once was blissful ignorance. And nothing in their world or ours could ever hope to return the innocence; she would find nothing to regain the bliss she knew before that night. Yet as all who rise must fall harsh lessons must be learned by all so that we may protect ourselves from danger.
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