(Written while listening to: "To Whom It May Concern" by Aether and Ink on YouTube)
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"To "Whom" it may concern…-" Laito scribbled a phrase on the top of the parchment with an ink dipped quill as a form of "address". He hesitated slightly, sighed and started to write:
"Im writing from the Dark. I'm still alive… somehow. I've fought battles far beyond my means, far away from the place I call home. An entire World's away to be precise. The unavoidable passage of time has managed to put a dent within my composure.
I confess fully with shame: I am tired. Tired of the constant pressure. Of fighting our own allies turned monsters. Tired of constant fear of Death, that's hiding behind every corner. Tired of everyone's suffering. Tired of the unending wait for help. Tired of constant uncertainty. I admit to "You" with shame: I feel at times the selfish compulsion to just let it all end.
Yet, we will keep fighting until the bitter end. No matter what it will turn out to be.
As such: this humble servant of "Yours" asks for a possibility of guidance. In "Yours" unfathomable grace I can only beg for even a tiny glimpse of mercy upon us puny mortals, unworthy as we are.
"Is there anything we can do?"
Is there anything I can do?
I have searched every possibility that came to my mind, yet I remain blind to the path ahead. In a scenario when even hope dies without any fanfare I am turning towards one last spark of Light.
Faith. In "You".
For it's sake I declare:
Here, I abandon my weariness. I abandon my hesitation, my complaints, my sorrow.
Here, I abandon my Fear.
And this letter is my offering…
To "Whom" it may concern." Laito finished writing the letter decisively.
He carefully pushed the filled parchment aside and took to writing an another precise copy of the letter.
After some time he had seven wax sealed envelopes with letters inside laid in front of him.
He looked in the direction of the Grand Altar. The golden flames burning ever brightly on top of it.
'I'm going to need a ladder.' Laito thought to himself.
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After some time Laito found himself a way to reach the top of a huge fire-filled goblet, it wasn't a ladder, but some magical levitating stone platform-lift that could ascend upwards by some thingymajingas. He took his letters, alongside with additional prepared sacrifices for each respective "recipient".
Once he reached the verge of the goblet, Laito fell on his knees in sign of reverence and threw his first letter alongside the attached offering right into the divine flames.
"For humankind's ever glorious patron: Goddess of War, I offer this Incense, Red Poppys, and Wine."
He had no idea what he was doing, so he just kept making shit up.
He took a second letter. "For the most gracious Guide of those who are lost: Goddess of Storms: I offer…"
And so on he continued to give his offerings to the gods he knew were dead…- but still "just in case" he did them.
He took out the sixth letter"For the Rightful Lord of this land, the grand and brilliant Sun God, who presides over our Order: I offer these items of precious gold, sunflowers and citrus fragrant oils." he threw the offerings into the flames and they disintegrated nearly instantly the moment they fallen inside, just like all the previous ones.
Laito was left with the final letter in his hands and seemingly no more prepared offerings. He stared at this letter with an unfocused gaze as if he was reminiscing on the past.
This letter was the main reason he did anything of this at all. He was not fooling himself that dead gods would answer to any prayers from basically anyone.
But this final letter was different.
Laito's gaze refocused back to the letter, his hand reached to his pocket, he took out of it a folded piece of parchment.
He unfurled said parchment and looked at its surface one last time.
It was a drawing.
A carefully made drawing depicting a two scenes one on top the other.
The upper one had a completely featureless extremely muscular "Man" holding two slices of bread over someone's ears with a text below saying: "WHAT ARE YOU!?!"
The lower one had the same scene, but focused on a person with their ears covered by said bread slices. That person had uncanny resemblance to Laito himself. There was also text below this part of the drawing. It said: "AN IDIOT SANDWITCH!"
Laito slightly shook his head, attached the drawing to the final letter and threw it into the divine flames without saying a Word.
He remained on his knees for a few moments with his head hung low. Then he slowly stood up and turned away.
In that moment.
The golden flames flared. Like if they suddenly came alive, they turned color from gold into pure white.
[Main Square, Ruins of Incandescent City]{Few minutes earlier}
Just recently, the entire ruins of Incandescent City were swarming with ugly insect-like abominations.
Dormant, Awakened, Fallen and Corrupted Beasts all around the place. Even a Great Beast could be found, silently circling around the golden dome warding the Incandescent Keep hiding within.
But then…- they were all completely slaughtered.
All because of one man.
He arrived without any fanfare. A giant cloak covered silhouette with a posture of a bear approached the place with heavy footsteps. Carrying a colossal axe on his back, once two winged, but now one blade was broken from the usage.
One of the beasts pounced at the cloaked figure from the shadows. The figure just raised his hand at the side and flicked his finger. That single flicker carried within the weight of the mountains. The tenth of the city(and it was a BIG city) and all the beasts within were instantly pulverized from the sudden explosive force of the pressurized air moved with that single flicker.
It was no Sorcery. No Spells.
Just a pure physical force that found its source at his seven fully saturated Soul Cores…- and the three lineages he has found over the centuries in exile. Beast, Sun and War, specifically.
If Laito was there to witness it, he would have said that this move looked eerily familiar, like he had seen something similar on TV done by a certain spandex wearing smiling hero.
The cloaked figure did not smile though.
The Great Beast that was patrolling the vicinity of the dome appeared in front of him, it walked up slowly and staring as if throwing a challenge.
It looked like corrupted, misshapen dark-colored mantis with a long crooked horn in-between its creepy insect eyes and toxic venom dripping from its maxillae.
The giant figure stood still for a moment staring at the Beast from under his brows.
"
From under the discarded garment the character looks finally could be fully visible.
As deduced from the shape of his silhouette: He was a giant of a man, built of mass of bulging muscles forged in the lifetimes of combat, covered in numerous scars. He wore the armour of a Savage Lord. His gray-bearded face looked aged, yet still filled with unending vitality. It showed no emotions outwardly, focused, with stoic disposition.
Yet, deep in his eyes one could see sorrow hiding beneath a sea of raging, savage wrath, while he looked at the creature.
He spoke slowly with a powerful, deep voice that carried insurmountable authority within.
"It's been…- a long while…- Tirabeth."
"My daughter."
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[3,5 years left until MHA plot beginning]
[Chapter End] The story is not over yet
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Author notes:
I posted pictures of the characters in the same paragraphs in which said characters they were introduced. That counts only for after Mc entered First Nightmare.(eg. chapter 8 and forward)