Things had gotten back to normal and had been relatively calm until a week after the entity appeared on that first night. I was outside smoking and listening to the wildlife during their nightly excursions. It was so peaceful and comfortable so I knew something was wrong when an instant later all the noises just vanished. It was like sound just ceased to exist anymore, that’s when I felt the soul freezing chill surrounding me.
I stood frozen in fear as the mysterious entity materialized before me once again. Its dark form seemed to emanate a sense of power and danger, but this time, instead of attacking, it spoke.
“I am Yiaeacho,” the entity boomed in a deep, otherworldly voice. “I have been watching you and I have come to aid you in your journey.”
My heart raced as I tried to make sense of this unexpected turn of events. The last time I encountered Yiaeacho, it had tried to attack me, and now it claimed to be here to help me? I couldn’t trust this being, but I also couldn’t take the chance of angering or insulting it somehow.
“What do you want from me?” I asked, my voice trembling.
“I have been tasked with guiding you through the trials,” Yiaeacho explained. “The Void has chosen you as its champion, and it is my duty to ensure you succeed.”
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. The Void, a realm of darkness and chaos, had chosen me? And this entity, Yiaeacho, was its servant? It was all too much to take in.
“Why me?” I asked, my fear slowly being replaced by curiosity.
“Because you possess a rare quality, Adam,” Yiaeacho replied. “You have the strength and determination to face the unknown and overcome it. The Void sees this and has chosen you to prove yourself.”
I couldn’t deny that I had always been drawn to adventure and challenges, but this was on a whole other level. The thought of facing the unknown both terrified and excited me.
“What are these trials?” I asked, my voice filled with both fear and determination.
“Their mysteries are beyond you.” Yiaeacho replied. “Each trial will test and torment the very fabric of your being and believe when I tell you there are much worse fates than death.”
I took a deep breath, steeling myself for what was to come. I knew that I couldn’t back down now. I had been chosen by the Void and I’m being guided by a primordial entity for a reason. Something is off though, I can feel it but until I know more I guess I have no choice but to follow.
“Lead the way, Yiaeacho,” I said, my voice filled with determination.
And so, with the enigmatic entity by my side, I embarked on the first of the 5 Trials of the Void. Fear still lingered in my heart, I doubted that I could overcome anything that the Void threw my way. This is leading up to what I’ve always felt deeply inside, I was here and I existed for a purpose. Whether that purpose is to complete these trials or doom myself for the rest of existence is still be to be seen.
Chapter 2: The Vanishing Whispers
As I trudged through the dense forest, the wind howling in my ears and the rain pelting my face, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of dread creeping up on me. My guide, Yiaeacho, had been silent for what seemed like hours, his gnarled fingers clutching tightly to the worn leather strap of his walking stick. The trees around us loomed like sentinels, their ghostly branches reaching out to ensnare us in their twisted embrace. I knew I should have been more careful, more skeptical when I’d first heard about the legendary artifacts hidden away in the forgotten corners of the world. But the allure of untold power, of immortality, had been too great to resist.
Now, as we approached the entrance to the first trial, The Vanishing Whispers, I couldn’t help but feel a shiver of fear running down my spine. Yiaeacho turned to me, his eyes glowing in the dim light, and began to explain the dangers that lay ahead. “In the darkest corner of the world, there exists a phenomenon known as the Vanishing Whispers. These whispers, barely audible to human ears, carry secrets from forgotten realms. But beware, for those who dare to listen too closely may find themselves slowly fading from reality, their existence erased with each passing whisper. The further you go in, the harder it becomes to distinguish between reality and the whispers. You must tread carefully human, for once you cross the line, there’s no turning back.” His words sent a chill down my spine, but I steeled myself, determined to see this through to the end. With a deep breath, I followed Yiaeacho into the darkness, the faint sound of whispers echoing all around us. “And remember,” he warned, his voice barely audible over the whispers, “once you begin, there’s no going back.”
As we ventured into the cave, the whispers were little more than background noise, but soon they grew louder, more insistent. I tried to stay focused and ignore the sounds slithering into my mind. It was like a thousand people were talking at once, yet it remained barley audible in a language I couldn’t understand. Suddenly I wasn’t in the cave anymore, the whispers were gone, and I was standing in an ancient temple. What’s going on, what happened and where was Yiaeacho?
It was revealed that Yiaeacho, once the powerful shaman of an ancient culture, he had made a bargain with the force known as The Void. In exchange for knowledge he would oversee the sacrifices of countless innocents. All around me were people chanting and bowing. An altar lay further ahead with a giant figure shrouded in robes standing before it, blood running down the stone. Something was laid on top of the altar before the figure, it was small but it was also moving. The chanting stopped all at once. No I thought to myself, please no. A baby crying could be heard coming from the altar. The sacrifices were meant to sustain his power and feed The Void, but over time, the rituals became less effective and as it did Yiaeacho slowly started to die. The Void claimed him and gave him a new purpose, to find the one that could complete the 5 trials. Giving the Void access directly to our reality.
I was brought back to the present moment as I heard Yiaeacho calling to me, his voice muffled by the whispers. There was an excruciating pain, and as I looked down, I could see my fingers slowly being eaten, atom by atom fading away. The whispers had me all along. “No!” I screamed, struggling against their insidious grasp. “This can’t be happening” I reached out with my other arm, trying to grab onto something solid, but the world was slipping away from me.
In a last-ditch effort to save myself, I focused my remaining energy on reaching out to Yiaeacho, the only one who could help me now. I was grabbed by icy fingers, it must be death and my soul was ripped from my body. I see my body standing frozen in front of me, “The Whispers cannot be heard while you’re not in your physical body.” I was catatonic, I was fading from existence one second and the very next im torn from my physical link to the world. “I cannot keep you here you must return to your vessel, focus NOW” Fuck I thought wincing from the chill in his voice. Weird I could still hear Yiaeacho, then I saw something standing in front of my frozen body. It looked like a floating torso, there were what looked like tentacles branching off of it in every direction. The entire thing was wet, like it was covered in a dark sludge. Thin membranes of pulsing energy ran over it’s entire body and at the end of each of its tentacles was what looked like a mouth. One of them was swaying inches away from my hand, opening and snapping shut repeatedly.
“What the fuck is that, was that thing just eating me? It was fucking eating me want it?” I screamed, still not comprehending what I was seeing. “What is it you are seeing?” I turned to look at Yiaeacho not believing what he just asked me. “The God damn tentacle porn monster that was eating my fingers” The corners of his mouth turned up into a smirk. “Describe the creature, it has not made itself known to me, otherwise you can die in agony” I looked at the thing again, as it swayed from side to side. I think it was pissed, the mouths at the end of its appendages moving faster and getting closer. It was desperate for me to hear it so it could continue to feed.
“It’s a floating torso, covered in dark sludge and energy membranes. It has tentacles all over it, with mouths at the ends. They look like they’re made of the same stuff as It is, all slimy and gross. It’s kind of pulsing, like it’s alive.” I said, trying to focus on the details. “It’s definitely not from around here.” The monster seemed to calm down a bit when I spoke about it, and the mouths at the ends of its tentacles retracted back a bit. “Clever, Clever parasite” Yiaeacho said, his voice stern. “I’m going to join you with your vessel. When I do, scream these 3 words as loud as you can.” It sounded like gibberish but the confidence he had made me feel more at ease. An instant later and I was Back, I could feel the earth under my feet, the cool air on my skin, and the whispers growing louder. I screamed the words that Yiaeacho had taught me.
As soon as the words left my lips, there was a flash of light, and the tentacle monster was in front me flesh and alive. This is it, I thought, eaten away from existence slowly by a floating Medusa head. I closed my eyes and accepted my fate, but nothing happened. I opened my eyes slowly, the creature transformed into a cloud of black ash and floated straight into the pendant I wear around my neck. It’s nothing special, just an obsidian pendant in the shape of the Buddha.
The whispers were gone, the nightmare was gone, and 2 of my fingers were gone. “First Trial Completed” Yiaeacho whispered causing me to jump. I rounded on him shaking as he smirked and made his way out of the cave. What the fuck have I gotten myself into? There is no way that I will survive this and even if I could after what I learned from the whispers about The Void and Yiaeacho could I even continue? That a million other things were swirling through my mind as I hurried to get out of that God forsaken place.As we ventured deeper into the trial, the whispers grew louder, more insistent. At first, they were little more than background noise, but soon they began to reveal secrets about Yiaeacho and his life before.
It was revealed that Yiaeacho, once the powerful shaman of an ancient culture, he had made a bargain with the force known as The Void. In exchange for knowledge he would oversee the sacrifices of countless innocents. All around me were people chanting and bowing. An altar lay further ahead with a giant figure shrouded in robes standing before it, blood running down the stone. Something was laid on top of the altar before the figure, it was small but it was also moving. The chanting stopped all at once. No I thought to myself, please no. A baby crying could be heard coming from the altar. The sacrifices were meant to sustain his power and feed The Void, but over time, the rituals became less effective and as it did Yiaeacho slowly started to die. The Void claimed him and gave him a new purpose, to find the one that could complete the 5 trials. Giving the Void access directly to our reality.
I was brought back to the present moment as I heard Yiaeacho calling to me, his voice muffled by the whispers. There was an excruciating pain, and as I looked down, I could see my fingers slowly being eaten, atom by atom fading away. The whispers had me all along. “No!” I screamed, struggling against their insidious grasp. “This can’t be happening” I reached out with my other arm, trying to grab onto something solid, but the world was slipping away from me.
In a last-ditch effort to save myself, I focused my remaining energy on reaching out to Yiaeacho, the only one who could help me now. I was grabbed by icy fingers, it must be death and my soul was ripped from my body. I see my body standing frozen in front of me, “The Whispers cannot be heard while you’re not in your physical body.” I was catatonic, I was fading from existence one second and the very next im torn from my physical link to the world. “I cannot keep you here you must return to your vessel, focus NOW” Fuck I thought wincing from the chill in his voice. Weird I could still hear Yiaeacho, then I saw something standing in front of my frozen body. It looked like a floating torso, there were what looked like tentacles branching off of it in every direction. The entire thing was wet, like it was covered in a dark sludge. Thin membranes of pulsing energy ran over it’s entire body and at the end of each of its tentacles was what looked like a mouth. One of them was swaying inches away from my hand, opening and snapping shut repeatedly.
“What the fuck is that, was that thing just eating me? It was fucking eating me want it?” I screamed, still not comprehending what I was seeing. “What is it you are seeing?” I turned to look at Yiaeacho not believing what he just asked me. “The God damn tentacle porn monster that was eating my fingers” The corners of his mouth turned up into a smirk. “Describe the creature, it has not made itself known to me, otherwise you can die in agony” I looked at the thing again, as it swayed from side to side. I think it was pissed, the mouths at the end of its appendages moving faster and getting closer. It was desperate for me to hear it so it could continue to feed.
“It’s a floating torso, covered in dark sludge and energy membranes. It has tentacles all over it, with mouths at the ends. They look like they’re made of the same stuff as It is, all slimy and gross. It’s kind of pulsing, like it’s alive.” I said, trying to focus on the details. “It’s definitely not from around here.” The monster seemed to calm down a bit when I spoke about it, and the mouths at the ends of its tentacles retracted back a bit. “Clever, Clever parasite” Yiaeacho said, his voice stern. “I’m going to join you with your vessel. When I do, scream these 3 words as loud as you can.” It sounded like gibberish but the confidence he had made me feel more at ease. An instant later and I was Back, I could feel the earth under my feet, the cool air on my skin, and the whispers growing louder. I screamed the words that Yiaeacho had taught me.
As soon as the words left my lips, there was a flash of light, and the tentacle monster was in front me flesh and alive. This is it, I thought, eaten away from existence slowly by a floating Medusa head. I closed my eyes and accepted my fate, but nothing happened. I opened my eyes slowly, the creature transformed into a cloud of black ash and floated straight into the pendant I wear around my neck. It’s nothing special, just an obsidian pendant in the shape of the Buddha.
The whispers were gone, the nightmare was gone, and 2 of my fingers were gone. “First Trial Completed” Yiaeacho whispered causing me to jump. I rounded on him shaking as he smirked and made his way out of the cave. What the fuck have I gotten myself into? There is no way that I will survive this and even if I could after what I learned from the whispers about The Void and Yiaeacho could I even continue? That a million other things were swirling through my mind as I hurried to get out of that God forsaken place.