Rule 9

Where am I? Who am I? What am I? I only knew I was in a dream, yes my name was Edemus but who was I? I was falling, falling, falling, in a never ending dive through nothingness. All that existed, was the void, and I embraced it. I was forced to embrace it. But there was something ahead, a small planet. I sped up and the planets gravity reached out to embrace me. Welcome. I’ve been waiting for you.” Was Alloues talking to me? No, his voice was sweet and strong, this voice was thinly veiled by false compassion. Under the veil was an endless pool of pain and hate. What do you what? You Edemus. I need you to unleash my vengence. Alloues is nice to you but all he offers me is banishment from paradise. He calls me terrible names. Infidel, heretic, murderer, demon. He thought the last word with so much acid that I could hear the fury in my mind. Where are you? Waiting for your arrival dear Edemus. I looked back at the planet, it was mine but I hardly noticed. A large abyss opened up beneath me and I plummeted through it. As I fell it got darker than brighter as an orangish red glow came from the molten surface of lava below. I landed kneeling on a long ebony walkway overlooking an endless sea of lava that bubbled and flowed lazily around. I looked up and saw a tall shadowy figure, his eyes were pale violet and he had to be at least 12 feet tall on a throne of solid gilded gold. He wore an obsidian crown with diamonds forming a ring around the black glass band decorating his head. He stood and raised his hand palm up and without thinking I stood too. He lowered his arm and smiled, as soon as the grin appeared on his face a thousand luxuries appeared around me. All this could be yours you know, all you have to do is come to my realm and join the cult of Nazoram. I can’t, to join you is to forsake Alloues. Who is Alloues? Who is he but a false prophet on a false throne? He rules my subjects as if it was his mission, yet I was the one meant to lead. You see way in the beginning I was chosen to be your leader on the first of the nine worlds.Yet the council of the eldar beings chose HIM over ME! I should be king ME! Why did they chose you if it is as you say and who is the council of the elders? I was the chosen one and was Alloues’s leader! yet they told me I was not fit to lead and chose him instead! Why I have no idea, so I waited and waited, until you came, my sacred lamb in the new garden of eden. Who are the elder’s? Ah yes... the elder’s, the biggest secret kept from the mortals. You see I am the knower of all forbidden knowledge, yet it is forbidden by who? The elder’s for they are the gods of the gods and govern the deity’s themselves. They condemn me and my knowledge claiming it to be forbidden. Why because knowledge is power and they fear that with too much knowledge I may overcome their tyranny and start a world governed by the way I see fit. That is who I am, the forbidden fruit of knowledge in their garden of lies. If it is as you say and you have all this power, why not take all the land? You are wise to ask such questions and I shall hold no secrets from you. I need someone on the inside of my enemies to know they’re weakness and strength. Why, you claim to be stronger than them so you could easily beat them in a war. But they have the blessing of the elder’s. Since the beginning of time the elder’s have aided they’re champions. They give them divine power and wisdom so they may overcome all odds for their gods. For me to wage war would go against their laws, so I seek an advantage. I suddenly began to wake up and still felt like I was talking. Was I actually saying my thoughts to this sacred being through thoughts? Did I just call him sacred? Am I waking up or falling asleep? One things certain, when I wake up I must speak to...

“He’s waking up.” I heard Alloues say. He said out loud which deeply troubled me. I tried to remember where I was. In a house I think mine, where was... what was her name, Sabrina? I think that was it, why did Alloues talking trouble me? He normally talked but this was different. More... loud, and verbal. I looked around the branch woven room and spotted someone familiar. Sabrina I think, she looked at me as she entered the room and relief flooded her face. She ran to me and enveloped my body in her warmth as she sat me up and pressed my body to hers and she sat on the bed with me and kissed me again and again barely stopping to breathe. I saw Alloues behind her, although he still looked troubled I could see a faint smile on his face. She took a deep breath and then pulled my mouth closer to hers and kissed me deeply and lovingly as she ran her fingers through my hair and her hand pulled my chest to hers. I realised why she seemed so concerned suddenly and noticed I wasn’t reacting to her in any way. I wrapped my arms around her and began to kiss her back as if I hadn’t seen her in ages and as she ran her tongue across mine I realised that something was wrong. Of course I loved her, but I seemed to have no desire to hold her or hug her at all. Finally we both came up for air breathless. I looked at Alloues and knew he had uncovered my secret thoughts as his concern grew ten fold and he snapped his fingers. Instantly a goblet of gold nectar appeared in his hands. He handed it to me. “Drink.” he commanded although it sounded more like he was doing me a favor. I took a small sip and warmth spread through my body with amazing speed. This was strange for I hadn’t realised I was cold. In fact it was even a warm day and Sabrina was still covering me with her hug and I realised she was probably trying to warm me up without making me worry about my state of health. Nevertheless I had realized how cold I was compared to the room around me. I grabbed a blanket and wrapped the linen around me and Sabrina. Alloues spoke then “Edemas, I need to talk to you, alone please.” Sabrina hesitantly stood beginning to leave the room. She then rushed back to me leaned over and lightly kissed my neck then cheek and lastly my lips tenderly touching the inside of my mouth in every place she could reach with her tongue. “As soon as you're done I want you to come straight to the living room understand.” She looked at Alloues then back to me and added “alone.” She then walked out the room. Alloues smiled as someone might smile at someone to reassure them they’re not dying. “Edemas? How was your dream?” “It was... different. Am I dreaming now?” I wasn’t sure, but I thought I saw a flicker of fear in Alloues’s eyes. “No, you’re not.” He began to pace. I saw his mouth move as if he was talking but no sound came out. He stopped and looked at me with a grim expression on his tanned face. “come with me.” He walked out of my house and from the window I could see him holding out his hand to me. I walked slowly outside and looked back at my house. “What about Sabrina? She’s going to want to know where I’m going.” “Don’t worry, the elders have frozen time so I can show you something.” He looked at me and as if he had read my mind answered. “The elders are a race of unimaginably powerful beings and to know of them is a need to know thing. Based on the fact that you already know they would like the council to tell you who they really are.” “Why don’t they just meet me themselves!?” It came out without me thinking about it and the deep spiteful voice didn’t sound like mine. I knew Alloues had noticed but he pretended it was really me who asked the question. “They are what holds the universe together. For them to leave their palace in the heavens would be to condemn many entire solar systems to death.” I opened my mouth but realizing I had no more questions and that Alloues palm was still held out to me I held his hand. The moment my hand grabbed his we rocketed up into the sky at impossible speeds. I got dizzy, then sleepy, then everything went black...

"Hello Edemas." I heard I looked up and saw, I saw... heaven on earth...