Part XIII: The Cradle of Shadows
Chapter 2: The Great Pyramid of Hyperborea
Timeline: A0 304
Chapter: The Grand Pyramid of Hyperborea
The Shard of Varysha pulsed in my grasp, its power reverberating through my entire being as I invoked its magic once more. The familiar rush of energy surged around me, warping the very fabric of space and time, until the world around me dissolved into a blur of darkness.
When the world came back into focus, I stood in the heart of Hyperborea, the land of the ape-men. The air was thick and humid, the sky a perpetual twilight beneath a canopy of dense, alien vegetation. The dark continent stretched out before me, its twisted trees and jagged mountains casting long shadows across the landscape. And there, towering above it all, was the grand pyramid—a monolithic structure that defied the very laws of nature. Even from this distance, its sheer size was staggering, an ancient relic that seemed to pulse with the power of the ages.
The Hyperboreans, those half-bred descendants of Adam and the wild beasts, were scattered about the base of the pyramid. They were a brutish lot, with hulking frames and thick, dark fur covering their bodies. Their faces were a grotesque blend of human and beast, with flat noses and piercing, animalistic eyes. I could sense their wariness as they caught sight of me, their primitive minds struggling to comprehend the presence of the one who had created them. One by one, they turned and fled, retreating into the dense jungle, leaving me alone with the ancient monument that loomed before me.
I moved closer to the pyramid, the very sight of it stirring memories of the Mylar’s golden age—a time when those little imps had actually ruled the world. The offspring of Lilith and Pan, the Mylars were the first to understand the true nature of Terra, the intricate web of ley lines that crisscrossed the planet, each one a conduit of the lumenarc Gaia’s energy. It was with this knowledge that these Children of Mu had built their pyramids, these massive structures designed to harness and amplify the natural energies of the flat earth. After studying them, I knew that each monument they built was a beacon, a node in their vast network, and this grand pyramid in Hyperborea was the crown jewel of their achievements. Its dark, stone walls were etched with intricate symbols, ancient runes that glowed faintly with an otherworldly light, their purpose long forgotten by the ape-men who now lived in its shadow.
I could feel the power emanating from the pyramid, a deep, resonant hum that vibrated through the ground beneath my feet. This was no mere tomb or temple—it was a portal, a gateway to knowledge that had been lost for millennia. I had no doubt that somewhere within its depths lay the clue I sought, a key that would unlock the next step in my quest for Dagaal.
The sight of its massive stone edifice, with its weathered surface still pulsing with the faint glow of ancient Mylar runes, stirred memories deep within me. The pyramid had always been a place of interest for me, a relic of a time. Like all the other pyramids on the planet, I’d explored this ‘grand’ one many times, seeking knowledge and power, but it had always been a dead end.
Yet, this time felt different. As I ascended the pyramid’s steps, I sensed a change in the air, a subtle shift in the energies that flowed through the structure. The pyramid seemed almost to hum with anticipation, as if it had been waiting for this moment, for me to return. I paused at the entrance, my gaze tracing the familiar carvings that adorned the stone—symbols of Mylar wisdom, cosmic alignments, and gateways to other realms. I’d studied these symbols many times, but now they seemed to shimmer with a new intensity, as if revealing something I had never noticed before.
I stepped inside, leaving the twilight world of Hyperborea behind as the shadows closed in around me. The interior of the pyramid was vast and silent, the air thick with the scent of decay and ancient dust. The walls were adorned with more of those glowing runes, their light casting eerie, flickering shadows across the stone floor.
Moving deeper into the pyramid, the familiar corridors stretched out before me, dark and silent, yet brimming with the echoes of forgotten eons. The air was thick with the scent of dust and decay, the remnants of the pyramid’s ancient grandeur. My mind wandered as I navigated the labyrinthine passages, recalling my previous visits, seeking something, anything that might further my ambitions. I knew the Mylars had been masters of cosmic knowledge, their understanding of Terra’s ley lines and the energies that flowed through them unmatched. Their pyramids were not just monuments; they were power nodes, amplifiers of Gaia’s energy, capable of creating portals and perhaps gateways to other realms. Yet, despite all my efforts, the grand pyramid had always been a mystery I couldn’t fully unravel.
“Until now.” I averred as I forged ahead to the central chamber.
I had visited this grand room many times before, yet this time something unusual immediately caught my eye. A faint glow emanated from a side corridor I’d never noticed before.
“That’s curious.” I turned and followed the light, the faint hum of ancient energy growing stronger with each step. The corridor was narrow, its walls lined with more of the glowing runes, but these were different—more complex, more intricate than anything I had seen in the pyramid before.
“It’s almost as if the pyramid itself is guiding me?” I pulled my robes up from a wet spot on the stone passage. “Well, let us see what may be revealed.”
I came to a path that had remained hidden for millennia and I was eager to follow it. The corridor led to a small, unassuming chamber, a room I was certain had never existed before. The walls were covered in the same cryptic runes, but there was an energy here that was different from the rest of the pyramid.
“This is older, more powerful.” I surmised as I looked towards the center of the room.
There stood a pedestal, upon which rested a stone tablet, its surface etched with symbols that pulsed with a faint, eerie light. I approached the pedestal cautiously, my senses on high alert.
“How could this room have eluded me all these years.” I was getting annoyed. “How had I missed it before? And why was it revealing itself now?”
As I examined the tablet, I realized that the symbols were unlike any I had seen before, even in the vast archives of knowledge I had amassed over the centuries. It was incredible to believe for it should have been impossible, and yet here it was. The runes were ancient, older than the Mylars themselves…and yet somehow familiar? I could feel the weight of the ages pressing down on me, the knowledge embedded in the stone resonating with the very core of me being.
“This is no ordinary artifact!” I realized. “It’s a key, a clue to something far greater than I’d anticipated.”
The room grew cold, the air heavy with the weight of time. Shadows soon danced on the walls, flickering in the dim light of the now glowing runes, as if the pyramid itself was alive, watching me, waiting. I could sense the presence of the Mylars or perhaps something even older in this place, the ancient wisdom lingering in the very stones that made up the structure.
“But there’s something else here, something that didn’t belong.” I looked around the room, tasting the air and drinking in it’s essence. “Yes, a foreign presence that’s somehow been woven into the fabric of the pyramid’s design. Fascinating!”
I wasn’t afraid so turned my attention back to the the symbols on the tablet. They were a puzzle, a code that required not just knowledge, but intuition and insight. I relished the opportunity to figure it out. As I studied the runes I could feel the power of whatever was in this room guiding me, but there was also resistance—an underlying force that seemed to challenge my every thought, as if the pyramid itself was testing me. The runes twisted and shifted before me eyes, the ancient language revealing itself in fragments, each piece of the puzzle leading me deeper into the mystery. It was exhilarating!
After what felt like days or even weeks, I finally began to piece together the message hidden within the symbols. The tablet spoke of a city, a place of power and despair that lay hidden beneath the waves—a city that should not have existed when the Mylars built this pyramid. The city was Atlantis, the legendary realm that was created by the people who I’d created by breeding Adam with the lumenarc goddess Alyssa.
“But this pyramid was constructed long before the Atlanteans had ever walked the earth?” I was confused at the impossibility.
How could the Mylars have known about Atlantis? How could they have foreseen the creation of a city that had not yet existed? The questions swirled in my mind as I felt a sense unease growing with each passing moment. There was something here, something I couldn’t quite grasp—a connection between the Mylars and Atlantis that defied logic, that bent the very fabric of time itself.
The room then seemed to grow darker, the shadows deepening as the truth began to dawn on me. This pyramid was more than just a relic of a bygone age; it was a beacon, a gateway to knowledge that transcended time and space – to knowledge that I needed! The Mylars had built it with a purpose, perhaps they had help from a higher power, perhaps now, yet it was a purpose that had remained hidden… until now. Somehow they had foreseen the rise of Atlantis, had known that I would one day come searching clues about Dagaal.
The realization sent a shiver down my ancient spine. Although I’d created them, because they lacked stellarone souls for me to control, the Mylars had always been a mystery to me, their knowledge vast and unfathomable, but this—this was something else. They had seen the future, had known of events that had not yet come to pass, and had woven that knowledge into the very fabric of Terra. This was a power that even I could scarcely comprehend, a force that transcended the boundaries of time and space.
“This cannot be!” I was horrified to admit my impotence.
As I stood in the center of the chamber, the tablet began glowing with ancient light, as if in warning. Yet I knew that I’d found what what I was looking for. The Cradle of Destiny—or perhaps the Crypt of Death’s Horrors—was hidden in the ruins of Atlantis, or at least the next clue to finding it was. But there was still so much I didn’t understand, so many questions that remained unanswered. Why had the Mylars left this message? What did they know that I didn’t? And what role did they play in the grand scheme of things?
My thoughts were interrupted by a sudden, sharp sound—a faint rustling in the darkness. I turned, but there was nothing there, just the oppressive silence of the ancient pyramid. The unease that had been gnawing at me since I entered the chamber intensified, the weight of the ages pressing down on me. The shadows seemed to shift and swirl, the walls closing in as if the pyramid itself was alive, watching me, judging me.
Yes I had what I needed, but something told me that this was only the beginning. There were forces at work here that I didn’t fully understand, powers that had been set in motion. The Mylars had left their mark on Terra, and now, millennia later, that mark was revealing itself in ways that defied explanation.
“I can’t solve it today.” I gathered my robes and turned away from the tablet to exit the room.
As I made my way back through the labyrinthine corridors, the walls seemed to close in around me, the shadows growing darker and more oppressive. The pyramid was alive with ancient power, and I could feel it pulsing through the very stones that made up its structure. It was as if the Mylars or something more sinister were watching me, waiting for me to take the next step in my journey.
Emerging from the pyramid’s entrance, I could immediately feel that the air outside was thick with tension. The once-silent landscape was now alive with movement, as a mass of Hyperboreans gathered at the base of the pyramid – their numbers swelling to the hundreds. They had returned, emboldened by their primitive instincts, their crude weapons clutched in their massive hands. Their growls and roars filled the air, a cacophony of rage and defiance that echoed off the pyramid’s walls.
They charged at me with a ferocity that would have been impressive, had it not been so utterly futile. Their spears and clubs, sharp stones and jagged bones, were all they had to throw against the might of a god. I let them come, their crude weapons striking my form but doing little more than sending splinters of pain through my flesh. Pain was nothing to me—it was fuel, it was power. I fed on their rage, their hatred, letting it build within me until it became a tidal wave of darkness.
And then, I unleashed it.
The ground beneath their feet erupted in a storm of shadows, tendrils of dark energy that lashed out, tearing through their ranks like a scythe through wheat. Their screams filled the air as the darkness consumed them, their bodies twisted and torn apart by the force of my wrath. Blood spattered the stones, the ground soaked in the lifeblood of the ape-men, their primitive lives snuffed out in an instant.
But I was not done. I wanted more. The souls of the Hyperboreans, crude and untamed as they were, held a certain primal power, and I craved it. I reached out with my mind, drawing in the essence of their beings as they fell before me, their souls ripped from their bodies and absorbed into the abyss that lay within me. It was intoxicating, the sheer volume of power that coursed through me as I harvested their very life force.
As the last of them fell, their bodies littering the ground in a macabre display of carnage, I stood amidst the chaos, my form drenched in the blood of the fallen. The pyramid behind me pulsed with an ominous light, a testament to the ancient power that had been unleashed within its walls.
I had the clue I needed, and now it was time to move on. But before I did, I cast one final glance at the massacre I had wrought. There was no satisfaction in this slaughter—only the cold, calculated resolve of one who had a mission to complete. The Hyperboreans had been a means to an end, nothing more. Their existence, like so many others, had served its purpose.
With the Shard of Varysha pulsing in my grasp, I stepped over the bodies and into the shadows, vanishing from Hyperborea and leaving nothing behind but death and despair – some things never change, eh?
The Apocrypha of Azazel 