OOC: Tags to
@DaGlobster !
What could be seen of her outfit were the wrinkles of her translucent garb, which twinkled like spider web threads against the silver light of the moon. Her skin, though not pale, though perhaps rightly so in Essyrni standards, gave off a faint glow and left nothing to the imagination. She was a creature bred of perfection, from one of the most beautiful women of all of Essyrn- and the most powerful man. And it was through this union she had been blessed with the blood to rule....
Except that blessing never came. And her own father condemned her entire family- except for her. She had been blessed with the mercy of priesthood, and though at the time she might not have fully understood just why she had been sent there....
But after watching the heads of her mother, sister, brothers roll....
She felt a new fire broil within her veins, one that no wind could put out.
Weeks had turned into months,a nd months into years, leading her to this very moment in time, where a strong wind from the west swept down from the Niafi river delta, that lay before her in a sprawling mound of veined paths of water illuminated by the crescent moon. And the night was so clear, the only clouds were streaked over top of the ocean, while the rest of the sky dazzled with specks of heavenly starlight.
And it was here she paused, just before the Delta spread open, like the top of a tree and spilled and fed itself into the ocean, where the sand beneath her bare feet was as soft as silk and warm as the long sleeping sun. And she dropped to her knees in fervent prayer, and began to receipt the foreign words over and over again upon her tongue, hoping that...
Perhaps this time, the mantra would work...
and that the hidden secrets in the scroll she had found, written in an unknown language and done so in blood.....
She could only hope that the pictures that described a man descending from the clouds in a wave of glory, and power...
That it might be through this enchantment that she could reach the next level- one to rival the Gods.
And one to uproot the poisoned blood that now sat as a pathetic, youthful beauty on the throne.
Persea....As far as this priestess was concerned, that throne was meant to be
hers.
The glens of coastal Serendipity were like a place of reverence for Varian. He went unrobed, walked through the shallow water around the mangrove roots. His horrifyingly alien body Looked almost natural in such a place of magnificient stagnation. the still murky pools felt like a second home to him.
He wasn't alone, either...
The water behind him stirred, and a creature rose up from the depths. A terrible mixture of man and fish, the thing's bulbuos, glassy eyes and tarnished scales gleamed.
Varian turned, and the creature bowed.
"Brother..." Varian said with twisted tenderness. They conversed for minutes.
Until he felt it. Like he was being pulled! He grinned wildly, felt himself sinking down into the water, which started to turn black around him.
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In front of the priestess who'd summoned him, the waters of the delta started to turn brackish, and then black. The section in front of her bubbled and frothed, the wind ceased to exist. The night was silent, save for the effervescence slowly building up. Clouds above rapidly gathered, thundering and roiling as a light drizzle began to come down.
Black tendrils and unseen shapes writhed in the water below.
"Who summons The Starchild?"
The voice comes from the stars themselves, booming out against the priestess.
Rain.
It was a strange, but not unwelcomed thing. A source of power, of death...
And also a signal from the Gods.
Her eyes wavered as she stared up into the stars, still awe struck by the voice that seemed to speak like thunder.
"It is I, Aïda Ah'nikh, rightful heir to the throne as ruler to all of Essyrn. I, but a humbled, holy child, seek the master to the scrolls of dark stars."
"Then may your desert god have mercy on your soul."
A crack of prismatic lightning struck the growing black cesspool in the river ahead of Aïda, and a hand, made up the same slime, shot up from the depths. The hand sprouted teeth, eyes, and smaller appendages, before solidifying into a proper hand shape.
It grabbed the shallower mud, and Varian began pulling himself up from the depths, eyes meeting Aïda's eyes as he was more or less halfway up.
His alien body was there for all to see, and he didn't care. He rose to his knees, dripping with murky water, and smiled.
"To what do I know the honor, Priestess?"
To say she wasn't afraid would be a lie, and her breath caught in her throat as she trembled. But even the alien appearance of the man, and the wicked power he portrayed in his entrance, she knew she could not look away or turn back now.
And that this being was precisely what she had been searching for.
"The desert God has abandoned my soul," Aïda told him, a fire in her voice. "And for it, I sought out you, in hopes to learn the powers and enchantments long forgotten tot his world." And she lowered her head, humbly. "If you feel I am worthy, star child."
"Do I feel you're worthy?"
Varian rose to his feet, easily clearing Aïda in height. He slowly stepped up to her, trailing the black water, staining the powdery sand ebony.
He looked down to the ground, and hissed slightly when he noticed he was walking on dry sand. The desert was certainly not his element, although it was the most powerful of his kin that made their homes there. He fell to his knees, took up a fistful of sand, and enclosed his fist. He held it silently for a few seconds before letting it go and rising back up.
He passed over one of Aïda's cheeks with his protoplasmic fingers. He looked her up, looked her down, and started to walk around her.
"Cheated priestess, illegitimate queen. Weeping sands and tears of dust. No more tears, winds are silent..."
He paused once he was behind her, and he laid his hands on her shoulder. His neck extended until he could look at her face-to-face from behind.
"Ambitious spells, Desperate, futile spells. No prayer, no chance. The Starchild..."
His body caught up with his neck.
"You have proven worthy of mind, but are you worthy of deed? Are you worthy of the acts needed to claim the black arts of the stars? To channel the will, power, and strength of The Old Ones?"
He got closer and closer as his spoke, stopping at quite the uncomfortable distance. He whispered to her.
"To regain your soul?"
The sight was gruesome and lamed her speech while her heart hammered away. It felt so surreal, like a dream- or perhaps a nightmare. But she knew the consequences long before she took up the scrolls, and she could not rest until that bitch was dead.
"I would do anything to take back what is mine," she told him, strongly, or so Aïda hoped she sounded strong. It was so hard when this being was so... strange. But she supposed other worlders would not fall under the same category as those of this world.
She did not shy her eyes from him, and in fact, sought them out.
"My soul is not what's lost, but the right of my blood," she corrected.
As it would come to be, Varian's eyes were quite possibly the most transfixing thing about him. His human eye gleamed a bright green, while his other eye was little more than a starry void. Alien constellations swirled, and something beyond Varian stared back through those eyes, some kind of horrifying alien intelligence to which The Starchild was linked.
Varian grins wildly, and stepped back.
"Then you have passed the point of no return. Fall to your knees. Accept me as your new god, accept my mark, and forsake all ties with what you thought was divine. Do all this, and the secrets of existence and The Old Ones will be yours."
Aïda was no fool, and though she could sense great power from this man, and read what she could decipher of the old scrolls, she still had to ask, "And to what guarantees can you make? If I accept your mark, accept your worship.... that it will be a binding scenario? Through and true?"
"Through and true..."
He stopped walking. The mouth at the end of his ropy tail hissed at Aïda as glowing blue spittle dripped from between its gums.
"Is my word not enough? I have no time for those who summon me only to doubt."
His eyes narrowed, and the earth shook, as if something massive beneath the sands shifted.
"Our pact will seal me to you as you will be sealed to me. I will become your patron and protector. You, my loyal servant and pupil. Is this enough for you, priestess?"
"It is not doubt, though truth I seek," she assured him. "I want to be as clear as the sun on what this will do. It seems you really are the answers I am searching for, but forgive me... treachery in the past has left me forever skeptical, even in the Gods."
Varian smiled.
"You are forgiven, priestess..."
He pointed to the sand in front of him, silently commanding her to resume kneeling.
Aïda did not hesitate this time as she knelt before him, studying his strange form and how he looked so other worldly, especially in the glow of the moonlight.
Varian's anatomy was chaotic, yet orderly at the same time. There was an alien symmetry in the way his body was structured, even with all his conflicting and clashing parts.
He cupped her head in his hands, the flesh wriggling against her skin. He looked down at her in an oddly paternal way, and smiled benevolently.
"By the blood of my fathers, from the Slumberer in The Sea to the Roiling Blackness beyond the stars, I christen you. Mer'Alak Ph'Nig'Nn Yh'Ha'Asq..."
He drew his hands back, and raised his tail. He grasped one of her hands, and held it up. Immediately, the mouth on his tail snapped onto her wrist, savagely biting it.
Not expecting that, Aïda cried out and tried to pull her wrist away.
Aïda's efforts were met with futility, if only for a few more moments. The jaw snapped off, and her wounds wept blood for a few more seconds before sealing up. He still held her arm, though.
It left a series of circles stretching across her wrist, connected by swirling lines.
"The mark of The Starchild... A very powerful mark..."
He nursed her arm, tenderly passing his fingers over the new scars to soothe it.
"It's the key to the power you'll receive."
Aïda was left mesmerized by the feat. And as she studied the mark, she remained in quiet wonder. Though it throbbed with the sting of the bite, she felt as if she already was accepting something grander than the small, deluded world she was limited to. Lifting up her gaze, she studied the man before him and said, "And I am ready to accept that power."
"Before you accept any power, before you learn any rites... you must learn..."
He let her arm go, and slinked to her side.
"... The truth. The maddening realities of the world, the true answer to the question of Man."
His form twisted and was veiled in shadows, until he reappeared, wearing his heavy clothing to disguise his form. He motioned down the river.
"Let us walk."
Such an interesting creature this man of the stars was, and at this uniqueness, she was disturbed yes, but now, she was more in awe. At his gesture, she nodded and followed, as any princess might, with her head held high and no hesitation in her steps. She was ready to learn, no matter the costs.
Over time, Aïda would no doubt grow used to Varian's alienness. Even now, as she accepted his mark, she also accepted his influences into her.
Truly, she may even come to yearn for Varian.
Varian looked to Aïda, appearing frighteningly human beneath his clothing.
"Tell me what you know of the world's creation."
"I know of the world and the stars, of the creators of their pulses, but I feel as if I know little. And my faith can only take me so far..."
Aïda's eyes followed him, her body still rigid.
"What is it I am to know? I came here as a student. And I am willing and eager to learn. Please... guide me, teach me. I want to know. I have to."
"The world is nothing but a speck, floating around in an endless void. A small, insignificant rock in a massive, uncaring universe. This is not the only world with life, it is one of an endless number. Your species has only existed on this planet for a mere couple seconds, compared to the races that have made their homes here. Your creation was an accident."
He stopped, and turned back to face her.
"Your world is filled with creatures hiding in plain sight, too horrible for human comprehension."
Sobering at the idea, she nodded at Varian.
"I am prepared to learn everything."
For what she had experienced, humans could be some of the worst beasts of them all.
"Many have tried to learn, as you are. All of them have found death, or insanity. But..."
He turned to face her, and extended a hand to cup her cheek.
"I have a positive feeling about you, Aïda. I think you may just succeed yet."
Though the man was strange... she felt a blush creep across her cheeks at the praise.
"Yes, of course. I must. There is no choice. My family... my mother, all of those who died. I must have my revenge."
"Your drive is commendable," Varian purred.
"We'll start with the simple knowledge, then. The ancient, still-hidden races of this world, how to call upon them, and how to utilize their magics."
"But what of them? What must I know? Before I can use... Those beings, shouldn't I learn of them first?"
"You will," Varian said, hating to have to repeat himself.
"In fact, you will have first-hand experience with them. Under my supervision, of course."
Varian wasn't the only one impatient. But she knew, beggars could not be choosers. Drawing in a breath, she released a long sigh before nodding.
"Alright." She was letting her own distrust get the better of her. Of course he had said he'd teach her...
She just....
She knew what she was meddling with was dark magic. And for it? Her soul might be forever damned.
She lifted her gaze to him then, and had a look about her that made her appear much more mature.
"I am ready and willing to listen to you, Being of the Stars."
"Come close, then," Varian said, opening his arms.
"Let me whisper the blackest secret of the cosmos to you..."
Her hesitation was brief before she took those few steps to cross the distance between them. Her eyes strayed to his body, slowly studying him up close before lifting her gaze to his eyes.
"I'm ready to listen."
Varian smiled, and he took a step closer. He placed his hands on her shoulders, oddly solid despite their semi-liquid nature, and he leaned forwards so his mouth was just a mere inch away from her ear.
Time seemed to stop as he whispered. He had so much to say, but for Aïda, it would only be a few seconds. Despite the information going too fast for her to comprehend, her mind would process it against her own will.
She would know, no matter how hard she tried to blot it out.
He told her the horrifying truth about reality, the universe, and man's insignifance in the grand scale of the universe. He told her that the universe she knew was only a bubble in the frothing ocean that is infinity, and that mankind's primitive perceptions and willful ignorance are the only thing keeping them from madness.
Such powerlessness, such fear had Aïda's heart pounding inside her chest. It also aroused her on so many levels that she couldn't list, nor contain. Fingers traced along his strange form, before she released a trembling breath and looked up into his eyes and whispered, "Thank you," before the world around her began to spin as she collapsed against his form.
Varian caught Aïda as she collapsed, holding her loosely as affirming that she had, in fact, fainted. He looked down at the limp weight in his arms, tail swaying idly, and smiled.
"Aïda?"
Her only response was a soft murmur, but she had yet to open her eyes.
Varian raised a rock from the ground, shaped vaguely like some sort of seat with a backrest, and he set Aïda down on it.
And waited.
Aïda eventually came around. The knowledge had been so overwhelming that it ceased her body and forced her to digest a universe worth of information-
and also a colossal mess of emotions that followed. Unwittingly, she found her eyes wet when she tried to look at Varian, and she moved to sit up as she wiped at her tears.
"That...... I....... was not expecting the world on such a grand scale. It makes one think ones worries so... insignificant," and her eyes went distant as she pondered over this bit. She wondered if that was really this Star Man's aim, and she looked to him curiously, but felt too exhausted and unready to truly ask.
Varian chuckled, and stood before her.
"In spite of this, are you still willing to pursue your goal? Does the throne still allure you?"
Sobering at such a question, Aïda simply nodded.
"Yes. Despite the insignificance it might be to the outside world, here.. in this world, it is all that matters."
"Ah, then a dedicated disciple you will make," Varian said, and offered her his hand.
"What do you know of the dark arts?"
She took his hand and moved to stand, but she still felt a bit tipsy after all of that, and didn't try to move much beyond that. She felt lucky she hadn't swooned a second time, though her head still felt disconnected. Blinking owlishly up at him, she thought over his question.
"Only as much as I have read, and I do not believe it is much. My.. people only believe in learning the magics blessed by Hakeshna."
And in part, her research had felt like sin. But it was a necessary evil, was it not? To ensure that false 'Goddess' could be ursurped and a rightful heir to rule.
Varian smiled.
"Hakeshna cannot help you with this. But I believe the banks of this river are hardly the proper place to begin your teachings. Have you a home?"
"I live with my other sisters at the temple. But its far from here, back in the city."
Varian looked at her, and then extended a hand towards her.
"Take my hand."
Her hesitation was brief before she took his hand and looked up into his eyes.
"Will this also make me swoon?" she asked, jest dancing in her eyes.
The mirth in her eyes was answered by the subesquent twinkling of the stars in Varian's odd eye. His mouth curved up into the faintest of smiles.
"Perhaps."
And with that, they were gone. Varian slipped the both of them through time and space. They stood still, yet the immaterial fabrics of the universe zoomed by, almost like they were traveling at the speed of light. Tendrils of nonexistence whipped by like seaweed caught in a current. The air felt like it was charged, and it would give Aïda both a sense of warmth and accpeptance.
The whole thing was both beautiful and horrifying in its own special way.
The whole experience lasted only two seconds, after which they appeared in Aïda's room.
The moment left her breathless, not even giving her a chance to cling to the strange man's form when the small moment melted away. She hadn't even the time to register what had happened, but when she noticed they were in the common sleeping area together, she gasped.
Without thinking,s he pulled Varian further back into the drapery that sectioned out the sleeping quarters for a place of her own, but all around them came the gentle sleeping sounds of all the other priestess of the temple.
She hadn't expected he'd take her there of all places, and her hand remained tensely around his as she held her breath until she felt safe enough that their presence had awoken none. Only then did she exhale.
"We... should not be here together," she explained, voice low as she eyed him. But she gestured for him to join her as she sat upon the bed. "We will have to be quiet if we remain. My other sisters... should not know about you." At least not yet. After all, what she was conducting was blasphemy on a whole other level.
Varian walked up until he stood at the edge of her bed, but he did not take a seat on it. His many eyes scanned the room around them.
"They cannot perceive me, for they are unenlightened. My voice, my scent, even my touch. It is the mark I gave you on your arm that allows you to freely sense me."
He eyed Aïda curiously.
Aïda studied his face, then looked down to the mark on her wrist.
"Oh?" she smirked. "How convenient for you. But what about me?" Her voice was still low as she spoke. "I suppose it appears as though I speak to myself?"
Varian sat halfway onto the bed, one foot still on the floor while he laid the other knee sideways on the bed.
"It does. At least, until you learn how to speak with the mind, and not the tongue."
Her eyes danced as she smirked.
"Another thing to teach me, yes?"
"Yes, another thing to teach you."
Elaros peered into her eyes, curious to see why she was so playful.
"If I learn this... this ability to speak without a tongue.... can I... am I able to use it on others? ANd with them?"
"You will, and there will be nothing they can do to stop it. The mind of one of the uninitiated is like a castle left unguarded with the gates wide open."
"Ah.." her eyes lit up at the realization. "So it is something powerful..... Can you tell me more? Like... is there more to it? More... powers one can know that are in a similar nature to this?"
"A sizeable portion of the dark arts I will teach you involve the interaction of minds. Of course, most of them are designed to terrify and obfuscate any opponent."
Varian chuckled.
"Soon, you will be learning how to strik your enemies with nightmares and visions of their worst fears."
The priestess was mystified.
"And this... power.... it can grant me what I desire?"
"If used correctly, and with enough skill, this power can grant you that, and more. This isn't mere magic, my disciple. When you work these dark arts, you are weaving with the true fabrics and geometries of the universe."
Varian smiled.
"You will sit the throne, and so much more."
An idea at such power after seeing the world, so vast, made her tickle all over with excitement. Her smile was unable to be contained as her green eyes sparkled.
"So... what's next?" she asked, eager as ever.
"You must prepare an altar," Varian said.
"Somewhere secure enough that you could erect a shrine. It will be pivotal to your learnings. That shrine will be both your classroom and your greatest tool."
Varian reached over, and put a finger beneath her chin.
"Make it spectacular. It will serve as your throne in the future."
Aïda was taken back by such a request.
"Altar?" She frowned and tried to think it over before nodding. "I shall try my best." She knew not much could be afforded to a priestess, but she had been discrete thus far in her endeavors, she supposed this wouldn't be that much difficult than getting to this point. And it would serve as her throne? Then she'd make it the best shrine Varian had ever seen.
"Are there many other altars like this around the worlds?" she inquired, curious.
"Many. Some erected by me, some erected by those who followed me in the past. Many, erected by those hidden races I whispered to you about."
"You need not worry about making it too extravagant in the beginning.. It will evolve and grow as your power rises."
"I see."
She grew quiet and contemplative.
"Then I shall not be ashamed to start small, too."
She smiled up at the man, how strange he looked only seemed to charm her in the moment as she moved to step near to him.
"Thank you." And Aïda dipped down into a respectful bow. "I am forever grateful, forever in your debt for allowing me the chance to learn of your blessings, your skills."
"No thanks are necessary," Varian said, lifting a hand to Aïda's cheek. His other hand reached down, and held her other hand by the wrist. His thumb passed over the mark he'd left on her wrist, and he looked down on it.
"Prove yourself a worthy disciple, and learn. That is all I ask."
She gave a nod, eyes never once yielding.
"Just tell me what you want of me, show me what knowledge to seek, what magic to practice. I will do it all."
Without looking, her other hand moved to touch over the mark he had left her and Aïda smiled.
"I will treat each day as a new beginning, and a journey in its own right."
"For now, you must sleep," Varian said, and he motioned to her bed.
"The dreams I give you will help you internalize your knowledge. They will also be your greatest lecture hall."
Varian blinked.
"The Dreamlands are a place even the most enlightened mage has no knowledge of. It is where you will practice, apply your own theories, and, most importantly, it's where you will receive my direct tutelage."
His hand slipped away from the mark, and he just held her hand. He leaned in, tail dusting agianst the side of Davina's leg.
"It's also where I will reward you..." he whispered, voice filled with forbidden promises. Because indeed, he'd caught on to the fact that there was something about him that caused Aïda to be attracted to him.
There was some form of attraction, but then again- this man promised her so much, and her eyes could only remain starry.
"Then sleep I shall," Aïda replied. She bowed her head deeply before leaning in to kiss softly to each of his cheeks. "I suppose until then, this is goodbye." She gave another bow.
"Seek me out when you rise," Varian said, and he let go of her hands.
"Find a secluded place for your shrine, and reach out to me with your mind."
He stepped back, and a tear in the fabric of space opened up behind him. An abyss lied at his back, and he stepped in. It disappeared, and she was alone.
With Varian's abscence, came a feeling of emptiness. The few truths he revealed to her were horrible indeed, and now, she was alone with her thoughts to contemplate on.
Despite so many truths revealed, Aïda's heart still burned over the anger inside her heart. True, how insignificant she was made out to be had deflated her will, the longer she festered over it, however, helped the heat simmering her revenge to grow.
She had not slept well that night, thinking over and over again what Varian had to say, before long she realized the sun was rising and the other priestess were waking for the day. Though exhausted, it aided her in going about through the dull rituals she had to partake.
It was hard to pray to Hakeshna now, for her faith did waiver, she was uncertain now if she should even continue on that path. Internally, she was thinking of Varian, and when she had time to herself, she slipped away to the back of the temple and peered up through the star window-
and thought about the world he had shown her-
and the time and lives beyond what she felt within.
Somehow, looking up at the stars would bring warmth. Where before, the stars might only have provided something to look at, knowing just how big the universe was, and all the life it contained, might bring her some degree of happiness.
If she didn't feel it on her own, the mark on her arm, combined with Varian's corrupting influence, might have done just fine instead.
Whispers came to her from the stars, creeping in through the small draft that came in through the window's aged creases.
"Does something trouble you, my disciple?"
At his voice, Aïda shivered.
"Much troubles me," she whispered, and glanced around, but saw no one.
At first, Aïda's glancing produced no results, but then, just when she was sure she was alone, Varian was there, standing right in front of her. He looked different. His clothes and heavy coat were still but rather than legs, a mass of tentacles protruded from his lower body.
He took her hand, and the mark on her wrist wriggled.
"What troubles you?"
He heart leaped into her throat, and a hand had to cup over her mouth to stop a scream. Releasing a breath, she looked at Varian.
"Did you come because you worried for me?"
"Of course," Varian said, and the tentacles all morphed into a human pair of legs. A reminder that is human appearance was only a facade.
"I'd make a rather poor mentor if I didn't care for my disciples."
She breathed a little easier at his words.
"Revenge," she told him, truthfully. "The way it burns inside me... I feel as if it's trapped there, and I hunger for one day... one day that revenge will be real." And she found herself was shaking, and then realized her voice had grown loud and she looked around to make sure no one had heard her, or could see them. Then Aïda looked back to him.
"Have I upset you?" she worried.
"No," Varian said, and he smiled. He reached out, and put a hand on her cheek.
"It's this hunger for revenge that will make you strong."
He stepped closer to her, and his hand went from her cheek to her shoulder.
"Do you remember your task?"
Aïda stared at Varian for a moment before nodding her head.
"Yes."
But even then, she still was uncertain how to make this sanctuary he spoke of. Things were hard when you were a priestess. It wasn't like she had any true possessions or claims to areas within the church to set aside for herself.
Perhaps she'd take a look into the library later, or outside, in some nearby rock formations-
But the chances of her being allowed to simply go outside all alone were minimal. The library offered a few places she had not quite ventured into yet and hoped the possibility of a secret sanctuary for her could be there.
Varian read her mind, her concerns and doubts. He smiled at her.
"Perhaps your journey of revenge starts not with an altar, but with a throne," Varian said.
"The high priestess surely has private spaces all to herself. Replace her, and you will have the secrecy, the position, and the power you need."
Varian's eyes lit up with excitement.
"I will teach you incantations during your dreams. Dark, forgotten words of the old ones to bring your enemies to their knees."
She was shocked at his proposition.
"But how....? I.. I would not think to take such a position."
Her desire was never that sort of rank. This position in the church was meant to be limited, and she felt herself growing more anxious with each passing day.
"Then perhaps my assistance isn't for you," Varian said.
"If you want to destroy The Shah, claim your throne and your vengeance, you must be willing to go all the way. Do anything. Is this not the desire that burns in your throat?"
Varian lifted a hand, and the mark he'd left on her wrist started to itch.
"You signed a pact with me, Aïda. Remember that."
Aïda's eyes moved in thought and she was quick to reply,
"I made my oath. I will abide by my promises, my vows." Her eyes burned with determination.
"I will take down any and all who stand in my way of my rightful throne. Be it here, with the priestess, and then in the future, All of Essyrn."
She closed her hand and closed her eyes, feeling the itching burn of the mark, feeling his power, feeling the connection.
"I'd have to kill her."
The high priestess.... The Shah.
"I'd have to kill them all.
Varian grinned at Aïda's sudden return of determination, and he took her hand, passing the other hand over the mark to soothe the itching and actually spread a soothing feeling through her.
"And they will die, Aïda. Your enemies will all end up at your feet. Whether they are bowing or dead is for you to decide," He said.
"Your first target is the high priestess, but her guards and servants form a high wall. So, if you cannot attack her body, Aïda, what is the remaining target?"
She was glaring at Varian, but not at him directly, more at the trick or idea he had opened.
"Is.. this a trick? I.. suppose we'd have to eliminate her guards somehow." But even she sounded just a tad more deflated at the thought.
"Your primitive thoughts betray you. There are more viable targets than someone's body..."
Pressure would start to build up in Aïda's mind, sort of like a sudden migraine. The air around Varian seemed to compress as well as he exerted his psychic force.
"You will target her mind. Her sanity. When her terrors drive her off of the throne, you will be ready to sit on it yourself. Any who dissent against you will meet the same fate..."
With a gasp, she swooned at the sudden pressure, and found herself nearly losing consciousness as she managed to catch herself on her knees when she dropped. She clung to the sides of her head, the world spinning. But as it calmed, so did she as she slowly lifted her gaze to him. And a smile was drawn across her lips.
"How?"
Varian stepped up to Aïda, so that when she looked back up at him, he was right there in front of her, her head level with his hip. He reached down, and cupped both her cheeks in his hands.
"You will use the sorceries I will teach you. Before you can learn how to evoke the universe's true geometries to destroy your enemies, you must learn how to weave the tapestries of the mind."
Gently, he passed a finger over her cheek. His touch would soothe her, not only reversing the pain of the migraine but also bringing forth a loving warmth.
"Everything you see, everything you touch, it is all an illusion manufactured by your eyes. Humans do not percieve the world as it is, they percieve the world as their senses interpret them. Even the most brief glimpse into the truth can cast the uninitiated into madness."
Her face felt flush, as did the rest of her body. Resting her hand over his, she looked into his eyes.
"I have so much to learn."
As usual, she'd find that Varian's starry eyes twinkled with promises of the unknown.
"So much to learn... so much to conquer," Varian said, and he smiled. One of his hands moved to the back of her neck, and he motioned for her to rise.
"Once you have secured the seat of the High Priestess, you will have the privacy to construct your altar and advance to the next stage of your teachings. For now, listen closely, for I will give you your first incantation, The Curse of The Stone."
Varian's hand went to Aïda's temple, so that even as he spoke, the vivid and horrifying imagery of the beyond filled her mind and made sure the knowledge was burned in properly.
"You must acquire a small stone tablet, no larger than your hand. Etch your target's name upon it, her greatest fears, her weaknesses. Bury the slab in the sand with a poisonous plant and a smattering of blood upon it. Chant..."
The following words were indescribably potent, every syllable charged with the malignancy of the void. When he was done repeating them, he brought her in even closer.
"After this is done, you need but to see the high priestess and repeat the final word. Her eyes will deceive her, she will be plagued by phantoms and illusions, and she will be brought into horror. After the initial horror passes and her senses return, she will be haunted by them every night until her sanity finally breaks."