Well folks, this is it. \u00a0The final story in Tales of Tellest, our first big push for this literary universe. \u00a0Now don’t you fret or anything, we’re already hard at work with some follow-up material\u2014including sequels to the five novellas from Phase One.<\/p>\n
Keeper of the Void, this last story, is meant to be a pretty big deal. \u00a0It subtly connects all the stories that we’ve produced for Tales of Tellest, and gives us a golden opportunity to explore different places (among other things) in this world. \u00a0I don’t want to say too much more, so give this tale a shot. \u00a0Hope you enjoy it!<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u00a0Keeper of the Void<\/strong><\/p>\n A Story by Michael DeAngelo<\/strong><\/p>\n -Part One-<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The orbs crackled with energy as he drew near, each violet sphere resonating a low hum that echoed through the place in every direction.\u00a0 Mist hung low against the floor, obscuring every footfall, but he was sure he would remain upright.\u00a0 Above him, an array of lights hung among a mass of pinks and purples, swirls of black drawing everything closer together.\u00a0 It was beautiful\u2014and terrifying.<\/p>\n A strange man stood before him, his attire made all the more expressive by the light of the constellations.\u00a0 Golden armor sat upon cobalt skin, more ornate than anything.\u00a0 His broad muscles and imposing stature were foreign, even to the visitor, who had seen much war throughout his lifetime.\u00a0 Held against the stranger\u2019s hip, he saw the mirror that was rightly his, its pearl frame shimmering in the darkness.<\/p>\n \u201cWhy have you brought me here?\u201d he asked the fearsome fellow.\u00a0 \u201cWho are you?\u201d<\/p>\n A mighty, bellowing laugh erupted from behind a wicked, toothy grin.\u00a0 \u201cPeculiar questions, considering the circumstances.\u00a0 You would think you ought to first question where here<\/em> is.\u00a0 But it takes much more than this to surprise someone like you, Rhys Oberon, doesn\u2019t it?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSmoke and mirrors,\u201d Rhys said.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ve seen it all before.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou know places of power exist within the darkest corners of Tellest.\u00a0 What makes it so hard to believe that\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLet\u2019s drop the formalities,\u201d Rhys interrupted.\u00a0 \u201cYou obviously want something from me.\u00a0 You\u2019ve already got the mirror I went out of my way to\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLiberate.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe can call it that.\u00a0 You could have taken that and disappeared, but you didn\u2019t.\u00a0 Why?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cTurn around.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not going anywhere without that mirror.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAppease me,\u201d the hulking, blue-hued brute said.<\/p>\n Rhys pivoted back on his heel, but when he saw the nearest orb, all covered by violet mist, he couldn\u2019t sate his curiosity.\u00a0 As the billowing smoke cleared within that ball of light, the image there could be seen more clearly.\u00a0 His lips parted, and he reached out to it.<\/p>\n There before him, within the orb, was a replaying of events not an hour before.\u00a0 Rhys could see himself walking beneath a stone bridge\u2014inverted on its underside, suspended by manipulated gravity\u2014while guards patrolled above, completely unaware of his presence.\u00a0 Only several meters away, the mirror sat upon a marble pedestal, just waiting to be plucked.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat is this?\u201d Rhys muttered.<\/p>\n \u201cSmoke and mirrors,\u201d the stranger echoed.\u00a0 \u201cThough not altogether mundane in their presence.\u00a0 I am Vedas, a sort of\u2026 caretaker of this place.\u201d<\/p>\n Rhys turned about, his eyebrows arched.\u00a0 \u201cAnd what is this place if it is no mere trick?\u201d<\/p>\n Vedas wore that disarming smile again, though he shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cPerhaps we had better save that explanation for later.\u00a0 The keeper has plans for you.\u201d\u00a0 Without further urging, he strode through the mist, deeper into the unknown.\u00a0 When he heard the muted steps behind him, he pointed to the other orbs they passed.<\/p>\n \u201cThese all represent events in the history of your world.\u00a0 Some you may recognize from myth and legend, others might have been written of in letters to your lords from far-off places.\u00a0 Some of them may even have been seen before your eyes.\u201d<\/p>\n Sprinting to catch up, Rhys turned and backpedaled before the caretaker.\u00a0 \u201cYou said events.\u00a0 So these aren\u2019t just places.\u00a0 These are times?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat is correct.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd you can go back and forth as you please?\u201d<\/p>\n Vedas laughed and tapped his shining breastplate.\u00a0 \u201cNot without some assistance.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd that time we just came from\u2014my time\u2014was that your time as well?\u00a0 Or was that event somehow important enough to venture to?\u201d<\/p>\n Vedas chortled and continued forward, nearly trampling the visitor.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re asking all the right questions, boy, but don\u2019t think yourself more important than you are.\u00a0 You\u2019re just a thief, a means to an end.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m a treasure hunter,\u201d Rhys protested.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re a scoundrel, through and through.\u00a0 Even a thief has his merits, however.\u00a0 And with your\u2026 ability\u2026 you managed to steal the mirror out from under the noses of those who would guard it without spilling a single drop of blood.\u00a0 You made my job infinitely easier.\u201d<\/p>\n Rhys cast a scornful gaze at the cobalt guardian.\u00a0 \u201cYou expect me to believe you came for the mirror and that alone?\u00a0 You could have left me there to be captured.\u00a0 You wasted your time digging a pit you would have known I could have easily escaped from.\u00a0 No, you wanted me to follow you here.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat I want<\/em> is not what is important,\u201d Vedas said.\u00a0 \u201cAfter all, I answer to a higher power, just as you do.\u00a0 In time, you will meet them both.\u00a0 Let\u2019s hope you meet mine before you meet yours.\u201d<\/p>\n As the strange being proceeded further into the void, the miasma seemed to crest over the path.\u00a0 It carried with it more of those spheres, images dancing within them.\u00a0 The nearest one danced toward Rhys, rocking this way and that on invisible waves.\u00a0 When he drew his focus toward it, the orb slowed, almost as if it were looking back at him, observing the observer.<\/p>\n A girl inside the orb looked about.\u00a0 She searched for whatever otherworldly visitor was watching her.\u00a0 The girl shrugged and reached out, and the thief extended his arm to meet hers.\u00a0 The orb pulled back, and when it did, her hand landed on the black cat that had leapt atop her desk.\u00a0 She slid a book before her and swept it open.\u00a0 A bright emerald light cast out from that book, stealing away Rhys\u2019 vision.\u00a0 When he blinked away that discomfort, the orb was trailing away, back to the mist.<\/p>\n Alone then, he couldn\u2019t dismiss the sensations that loomed within the void.\u00a0 His hair stood on his arms, and he was unsure whether the blame was to be placed on the aberrant cold\u2014a frigidness that seemed to be collecting inside of him and radiating outward\u2014or the absolute vastness about the place.\u00a0 The void seemed endless, and even standing still, he felt as though he had traveled for miles.<\/p>\n \u201cVedas?\u201d the lone human asked.<\/p>\n When no response came, he started forward, even as another wave of miasma was cast over the formless surface Rhys walked upon.\u00a0 More orbs spun about, each displaying a moment in time he was unfamiliar with.\u00a0 A warrior stood beside dwarves, lightning jolting outward from his fingers.\u00a0 In another orb, an elven maiden hid from ferocious goblins, ready to pounce from her cover at a moment\u2019s notice.\u00a0 Still another focused on a young man on his horse, traveling furiously across an open plain.<\/p>\n Every time they drew close, Rhys reached out to touch them.\u00a0 And every time, they bounded away like bashful children.<\/p>\n Alone once again, the visitor to the void narrowed his eyes.\u00a0 \u201cEnough!\u201d he shouted.\u00a0 \u201cEither tell me what you brought me here for or send me back.\u00a0 No more games.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI assure you, this is no game, Rhys Oberon.\u201d\u00a0 It was not Vedas\u2019 voice that reached him, but a rich, deep, feminine voice, that filled the void.\u00a0 Her voice came to him from every direction, a whisper that held in it the power of a shout.<\/p>\n Before him, the mist shifted, parting way for the remarkable figure.\u00a0 She was tall and lithe, swirls of color etched into her smooth, pale skin.\u00a0 Rhys couldn\u2019t determine her age, for the stranger had a youthful enough form, but in her amber eyes belied untold wisdom.\u00a0 Even more striking were the adornments about her.\u00a0 She wore a feathered circlet, the dark plumage flanking a trio of gems: two sun-speckled garnets and a bright ruby in the center.\u00a0 Her dark outfit swayed with an otherworldly presence as she drew nearer to the visitor.<\/p>\n Rhys couldn\u2019t mask his feelings.\u00a0 She seemed familiar and gentle, but he was unable to halt the shiver from rippling up his spine.<\/p>\n Behind her, Vedas reappeared, his bold azure skin seeming somewhat duller in her presence.\u00a0 When he noticed Rhys\u2019 intent focus, his lips drew back into that wicked grin.\u00a0 \u201cI present to you Nyrshia, the keeper of the void.\u201d<\/p>\n The human swallowed away his tension and dared a step forward.\u00a0 \u201cAnd who are you?\u00a0 Was it you that brought me here?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI am everything that never was and all that will come to pass.\u00a0 I am the advocate of time, the physical manifestation of infinite realities.\u00a0 I am the keeper of the void, and in many ways, I am the void.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd can I expect the same enigmatic presence from you as I received from your henchman?\u201d\u00a0 Vedas flashed a toothy grin.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019ve brought me here for some reason, yet I am still unaware what that is.\u201d<\/p>\n Nyrshia arched a dark eyebrow.\u00a0 \u201cYou are brazen and bold, Oberon.\u00a0 It makes you dangerous.\u00a0 It makes you worthy.\u00a0 You are here because you have been recruited.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t remember signing up for anything you have to offer.\u00a0 All I want is the mirror, and then I\u2019ll be on my way.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat you want is irrelevant,\u201d the keeper said, her voice resonating with a rich timbre.\u00a0 \u201cThis is not an offer.\u00a0 It is not a request.\u00a0 You have already agreed to lend your skills to my cause.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cEnough,\u201d he spat.\u00a0 \u201cEnough riddles, enough cryptic whispers.\u00a0 I want to know why I was brought here, or I want to be dismissed.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHold your tongue, boy,\u201d Vedas challenged.\u00a0 \u201cWe find you humorous to a point, but know your limits.\u00a0 I could crush you like an insect, and that only pales in comparison to what the mistress could do to you.\u201d<\/p>\n The keeper of the void raised her hand to placate her champion.\u00a0 Rhys could see the subtle violet sparks that seemed to leap from her fingers.\u00a0 \u201cVery well, Rhys.\u00a0 It would be only fair to tell you what is required of you.<\/p>\n \u201cVedas is a capable advocate.\u00a0 He is dependable and loyal, which I find are good qualities\u2026 most of the time.\u00a0 Despite his presence and his ferocious capability, he can be a bit too focused.\u00a0 That is where you come in.\u201d\u00a0 Those sparks on her hand gave way to a powerful flash of energy.\u00a0 In an instant, a dark sphere was hovering between her fingers, a single fleck of light visible there.<\/p>\n \u201cTime is infinite.\u00a0 There are more possibilities to an event than you can comprehend.\u00a0 But there is also a narrow line that exists that was once the truest expression of fate\u2019s trajectory.\u00a0 It was stable, and it kept your world safe.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAlong with countless other worlds,\u201d Vedas spoke, a scowl etched upon his face.<\/p>\n \u201cPermutations of the timeline have ebbed and flowed like waves on the shore, and many of these possibilities are considered acceptable.\u00a0 Sometimes, however, an inconsistency makes all time unstable.\u201d<\/p>\n As Nyrshia spoke, the fleck of light within the orb grew at an exponential rate until it filled the sphere.\u00a0 The image displayed showed the violent crash of an island descending into the sea.\u00a0 A shift in perspective presented an elf, drenched and weary on a distant shore.<\/p>\n The contents of the orb swirled about once more, finally settling on a woman with pleasant features and a disarming smile.\u00a0 Rhys\u2019 widening eyes deceived his stoic observation.\u00a0 He remained quiet while the image transformed again, that time to a foreign land filled with golden statues and ornate arches.<\/p>\n \u201cThese events are all in jeopardy, you see,\u201d Nyrshia said.\u00a0 \u201cOne of those inconsistencies I mentioned earlier.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd you expect me to help piece them back together,\u201d Rhys said.<\/p>\n Her golden eyes narrowed as her lips curled upward.\u00a0 \u201cI know you shall, child.\u00a0 I am offering you the knowledge that could assist you in that inevitability.\u00a0 Perhaps it would not be unwise for you to familiarize yourself with the various points of history in your world that could be at risk.\u201d<\/p>\n Rhys harrumphed and crossed his arms over his chest.\u00a0 He cast his gaze at the orb once more and watched as the images continued to cycle through.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Well folks, this is it. \u00a0The final story in Tales of Tellest, our first big push for this literary universe. \u00a0Now don’t you fret or anything, we’re already hard at work with some follow-up material\u2014including sequels to the five novellas from Phase One. 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