138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPT9CP8VDPP
-When I was young I never understood why we hid from them, from mortals. Even the weakest warlock or witch had enough power to summon a storm that could destroy a whole city, we could defy death, our lifespan was of centuries if not more, we were all powerful, beautiful and to the mortal eternal.138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0eOOqNul4A
138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡatAw4ZlAVI
Myself and many others back then though that we were at the very least better if not wholly superior to the mortals. A not to small number of our generation openly considered them to be an inferior race that we should rule over, as a master rules a slave.138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbnNGBYpg7Q
138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsEKGKuG4wS
Then came that terrifying night in the Forests of Calliope.138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKpBfX0U2Hz
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There and then I knew why we feared mortals.138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXYOIgqvD9o
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- Arch Bishop Philippe 'The Wise' of the Church of Hecate.138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA0z0Ay46s5
138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlQm87J1ghJ
Taken from the Documentary 'The Anarchy and the Peace.'138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBhENcMFTBI
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Book 1-Ch 3-Nevermore beyond my pane138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGbMQCA7fld
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He heard it, smelled it, felt the rotten feeling that warned of its danger before he actually saw the wall of Blue flames.138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVzRF2bZsCg
138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQdXgObOqRf
Ross did not have a deep knowledge of physics or chemistry but he knew that the more blue-ish a flame was the hotter it burned, this seemed to be Hellfire itself, this was fire so powerful that it felt like it could burn Ross's very soul.138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSZegcQlV8D
138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhyhDif0DrD
But no matter the universe A is still A.138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxc3YmOMQCD
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And fire is still fire.138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkPyzpfDQsA
138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ6S4sp1Xxl
And the blue flames was still fire and any fire needs oxygen, so when Ross pulled out a canister filled with Co2 the flames diminished enough for Ross to jump pass the wall of Hellfire.138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9pgiNq50Oi
138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzV8VFqhdKW
Then came the beasts of the forest, more savage versions of wolves and bears, built to hunt across realms and nightmares, built to track their prey to the worlds on the other side of the mirror.138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6aHBKgZknh
138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUKAvEx2B7O
Creatures that even those with magic, light or dark, would fear.138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRHEY4Zsyzz
138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8zJOpDhDZJ
But they are still beasts, so Ross pulls out a bag of dog treats throws at them and the dire wolves and fell bats all swarm around it, this is not the first time Ross had brought food with him in the forest.138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhGZPwRO0K0
138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyUSSp6hrB1
After the demonic hound affair he always came prepared and had to use his treats a few times to escape the demonic animals in the forest, and these ones where laced with sedatives.138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2ece2tEAR4
138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCWSp5sBhS4
Ross was not innocent, but he drew the line at killing animal needlessly.138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTvhb7WWSyb
138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfNaVeerrEo
Then came the fell bats, their screeches on the wind and shapes that flew in an out of the little light that Ross had on his person to see through the darkens surrounded him, forming a twister of fang and claw, wing and teeth.138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeClKwZODPr
138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgb5QirVd5Y
These where the locust of the Demon Realm, a wave of devouring mouth that could swallow all flesh that they swept over.138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5odtcBRkEf
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But they were still bats, still animals, and they had sensitive noses and ears.138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0dLjWVW17l
138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡszuUoZmrNT
So Ross took out a canister that was filled with a substance that had one of the most foulest stenches known to man.138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4Lgq11VKW7
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The twister of flying dark creatures immediately increased the distance between itself and the scarred mortal.138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYFOPolyLbY
138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ24gukrHqHk
Then came the subsonic flute that was connected to a small hand cranked pump, with that it was too much for the ears and noses of the fell bats as they flew away.138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnXWpnnsNEK
138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHGaPbSK9QR
Ross fell to his knees there and then as the terror momentarily overwhelmed him to such a degree that he had to stop and recover, this temporary pause in the horrors ahead gave him the necessary time to recover.138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKyy5lvMGmK
138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ81ncu6H5bx
Temptation whispered in his ear there and then. Temptation to give up, go back.138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6KlVWEJiou
138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw40e6bbzLX
Ross looked back to the path he had walked upon and he knew that all that was behind him was darkness and beasts, in front of him lie the unknown that send shivers down his spine.138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkA8MH5aZ99
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So he continued on, despite every muscle in his body, every brain cell in his head, every fragment of his soul shouted for him to go back as the whispers continued to say the same.138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGZLl7KQC4P
138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiOOOQXmwwM
"I'm not stupid enough to listen to the reasoning of a crazy man, especially my own." Ross said to himself as he treated forward.138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQpRzgpOqvc
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His feet like they weighted a ton, his lungs like concrete, his vision blurry as his body reacted trying to protect him.138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuPVUUYIwcW
138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3Nl6RUAp5z
Yet still Ross trudged on, this was the crazy things about mortals. They would march forward in the darkness, and why? Why did they marched into what seemed to be the Belly of the Beast?138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf5wrrD4PRr
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They did it because it was the unknown, where untold horrors lay, but also wonders.138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKmLaZptOvU
138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8inQQwIMQI
It could be the biggest mistake of his life, but also the best decision he ever made.138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDWlijA3WhU
138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPczbnAsIj0
And as long as that small threat of hope remained. That single weak ember of a better tomorrow burned, then that ember could light a fire and even the weakest fire could banish the dark.138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡClDZT4qUrF
138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUdLI6AlwGg
Some say you'd have to be mad to live like that. Fortunately Ross was.138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGnlDLtNVkA
138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJIfYkFEmPK
So he took his heart in his teeth and marched forward.138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4DvsEJ5y5H
138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2vwlmsIltr
So he marched forward, with each step his feet became lighter, his lungs softer, his vision cleared.138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJRWtqfNUla
138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRnAWT8lwqF
He conquered his fear and used it to fuel his resolve.138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtG2s2RfUuZ
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Ross walked past the beasts and now before him stood a golem made of earth and rock, with a skin so thick that no blade or bullet could pierce it.138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf1rkTw6tnZ
138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF6GE9BFORE
Yet unlike the curse of before, or looking at the deep dark woods, or the hellfire and beast that he faced, it's not fear that grips him138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp5grBFzo85
138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR7mbsDhee2
"Turn back now or suffer my wr-" The Golems words where cut of as Ross, used not a blade or bullet, but threw a small bag of salt into the Golem's opened mouth.138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWESk9oyRaP
138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp2zDXF0XYU
The Golem collapsed to its feet as Ros moved to run past the now coughing construction of rock, soil and magic, but a great caught his leg and hoisted Ross upside down.138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsVFL7FTGwo
138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO2mWdjbhHQ
The Golem growled at him, but like before when it wasted time with words or deeds it was struck by Ross's quick counter.138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFypoF5hSSo
138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡepCsMVwRzm
This time Ross threw the bell from his belt right at the Golem's face.138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9m8N5Yj4Hx
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BANG.138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLi6PFikQ7q
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The golem let go of Ross as it cradle it's head both from the force of the blow but also from the bell's holy sound.138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ85ruOkrHh6
138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfsbYVf57xM
Ross fell to the ground and quickly grabbed the bell and attached to it a rope that he had for climbing and then swung the bell around and over his head once to gain momentum before striking the Golem once more with the bell.138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpAJL9wwDhx
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BANG138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUzbwYeknOv
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The Golem now shielded it's face and crouched down against Ross who was half the Golem's size, yet was now Ross was the one on the offensive.138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS8xkyzxp41
138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCSx7qaTdbN
BANG138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlTUcqZvYa3
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Another blow from the whip like weapon as this time Ross aimed at the Golem's right leg, making the creatures topple down, then Ross struck again.138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKvqsb5NTWM
138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGAAbsOYNpq
BANG138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmeavOsRGfX
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The Golem disintegrated into a flash of energy as Ross took a breather to regain his strength and vigor. His leg ached like it had been a slightly stronger squeeze away from being broken, Ross was certain it would swell like crazy and be as purple as an eggplant tomorrow.138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ642KZGMDEy
138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ30bIx4d9L4
Only the painkillers he took in advance before entering the woods helped. For not he managed to avoid using the stronger ones like opioids and he hoped that the worse was behind.138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoGg48ln8F0
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A man can dream can't he?138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjpFYPw8oBo
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"Needs something sturdier, perhaps a chain and something on the handle if they get into close range." Ross said out loud as he studied the whip like bell tipped weapon and it's surprising effectiveness.138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfL7e5NrPhV
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When the flash dissipated in the Golem's place was a great red orb, one that Ross looked at in disbelief.138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeyLVNvYtgD
138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ49ayj1h7G4
"Well now, here's hoping that brute strength is the answer here." Ross said as he instinctly whipped the red orb, smashing it.138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA5ZLrJeXOx
138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4botLLw2dJ
Immediately in front of him a curtain of energy flashed and reformed itself like the image of waves crashing into white foam on a beach.138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUb2G6i9oz5
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It seemed like the forest, reality itself, was distorted in front of him as an illusion was broken.138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrrfMD6JOmf
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And in front of him was Hexen surrounded by other witches and warlocks and standing over a bound and gagged woman, with a knife at her throat.138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8VVcdKNJiP
138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPFur6h5rsi
There, Ross's closest friend, a flawed yet kind and caring person who had come to his aide many times before despite danger, stood over another ready to kill her in cold blood.138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbczaq1JtU9
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Yes, truly an illusion had been broken tonight.138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMFxembq2vI
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Ross froze at that, he was tired, scared, lost in the woods, exhausted and from the brief touch of the Golem his leg was close to making him limp, only the shock of the sight before him was what made his brain ignore all of that and focus on the image of Hexen.138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGyLNtC8MBO
138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJwayagXLTy
Kind Hexen, sweet Hexen, always there for him Hexen, who called him so many wonderful things and made him laugh so often, brave and noble Hexen who always rushed to protect him when this mortal was in mortal danger.138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkAwtlYU9LJ
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That Hexen was a step away from committing a murder most foul.138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd608LBEF3c
138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbXEdN2WOvp
"Ross, there's something I have to tell you. I'm a witch." Hexen said awkwardly and gave a smile belonged on the cat that caught the canary. Which in Hexen's case was the poor struggling girl at her feet that was the same age as Hexen.138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzctZZVGHju
138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQx4Tw97jvF
Ross still speechless then and there realized why the Myr had affected Hexen for that Hexen was not just a witch, but a dark witch.138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ6guBAJd8c
138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡphowP5zRmV
A very, very dark witch. Dark enough to be affected by the Myr like full blown demons and Ross had just interrupted a human sacrifice.138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4KE4Q2MjFm
138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1cMD0xMb4k
Yes, an illusion was broken tonight indeed138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNZBZ2l5GID
138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAi7TMWaS9N
"I always thought you to be an elf." Was his reply as a confused Hexen and the other witches and warlocks presented looked at him in surprise.138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3RySQdtUhA
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"What?" She said, the knife still at her sacrifice's throat who also looked surprise by the events.138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbT5GGZikIB
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And with that the clock struck 3.138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡltd3hdYeYI
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The witching hour, a bell whip, two illusions shattered and confusion reigned supreme now.138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtsnzmgrhIQ
138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7IqlPHrfpi
Just another night in the town of Calliope.
