The Search

Chapter I
The sound of tired footsteps echoed through the vastness of the Great Hall, as the dark cloaked figures made their way to the center of the temple. The black and cold walls, littered with grotesque images and daemonic visages stared down upon the zealots as they made their ever so usual path into prayer, for that is all they knew to do, and all they are meant to do.

For such is life within the walls of Ka'nibu'raam, the temple of the cursed path, shrine and fortress of nameless, the faithful of Tzeetch. The endless masses within the temple, shielded from the dark sun's kiss above them and the horror of the Screaming Wastes which surrounded the mountain into which the grim beauty of Ka'nibu'raam was carved into. Within it's walls, they were all equal, nameless servants of darkness and the forbidden teachings, devoting their whole life to prayer, but also the keeping of knowledge.

He was one in the mass, another nameless shade of dirty black cloth, obeying and serving as any other of his peers as he made his walk towards the center. Forgotten languages, or those so horrible to be spoken, reach his ears from all sides of the halls. Others crying in anguish, or reveling in exalted zeal, he could not tell, but it was natural for him, no longer horrible, as he keeps threading the path he chose for himself. There are no thoughts of doubt, even as a small voice in his mind might tell him otherwise, no, there was only wonder. The libraries filled with scriptures which oblivion had sealed eons ago, maybe even with a reason, stood open before those who called this temple home, and for what a small price? A mere life in devotion in return for knowledge which surpases the age of man? I is truly nothing.

He turned his head as the massive gates closed, hiding the cursed red skies and black clouds which engulf the world outside. The mighty rock and walls above and around him made him forget about the worries of the world, as anyone else there has. They are not to fear, neither what is outside nor inside the temple, not even what lurks deep inside the darkest corners of the mind or what the ages have hidden in ancient lore. They are to only seek, find and keep what ever discovery they can, to further understand that what man can not understand.

He kept going, ever forward as the praying echoes began mounting up the closer he got, until a cry erupted. A doomseer, they call it, going mad from the unholy visions and dreams, they begin screaming about the end, be it the end of the world, universe, galaxy or life in total. But this time, he felt different, the cries of his doomseeing comrade were of a kind he never saw thus far. Such conviction and zeal in each of the words he said, he stopped as his heart suddenly felt fear. The roaring thunder, the bloodthirsty giants and the extermination his brother in faith spoke of so fanatically felt so real, as if they were happening right now.

Taking a deep breath he continued along the path as the doomseer collapsed to the ground, as the others went on. Even as he thought he had defeated the fear once more, he too now felt a sense of impending doom, a sense beyond anything he could smell, hear, feel, touch or see, something which itself was far from beyond human reason. Had madness taken his mind too?

But as he got closer to his destination, above the great arch which ends the Great Hall, he finally remembered, he had dreamt about what the other said. He stood there in shock, and soon the rest stopped as massive roars were shaking the temple, and a part of the roof falling down after a great explosion. The once quite mass, erupted in panic in the sight of impending devastation.

As a massive iron coffin dropped from the sky, he felt drawn to it. He dreamt of it too, and as he got closer his dream came back to him in more and more shocking detail. Some brothers backed away while others came in awe to see it, and he was amongst the first. He had no fear no doubt, for he had seen it all in his sleep. The odd feeling in his gut became stronger as his eyes gazed upon the symbol. Upon the black surface of the coffin, marked in white, a human skull engulfed in flames. He suddenly knew what was going to happen, and backed away as the door where the sign stood dropped.

Fear had returned to his heart for a moment, unable to remember what happened next, as he could only remember darkness and nothing else. He looked closer, as his heart was beating like it hadn't in many years. And suddenly, he was calm, his heart stopped racing, as he finally understood the end of his dreams when his eyes were met by the red shining light of the helmed giant in front of him. There was no fear, only death...