Killi's Couple: A Short Story

After a five day journey through the barren desert, Killi had arrived at the temple to Rashe Ghul, dark god of the magician 's cult. Preventing their profane ritual, and halting their operations was of the utmost priority, for they sought to bring their dark god into the world of men, and if they succeeded, all of civilization would be snuffed out, like a lit candle caught under the waves of the ocean.

Killi, wisened from his years of adventuring, hid behind one of the sand dunes that littered the area around the temple, and when he was sure he had avoided detection, surveyed what lay before him. The structure, carved into the side of a mountain, was immense, and even while the sun was still casting it 's rays upon the sands from high

"Consider yourself honored, interloper. You shall be the first of the uninitiated heathens to bear witness to our saviors beautiful form!" The high priest shouted.

Before Killi could respond, he saw the idol on the far side of the room shutter, and then be obscured in a sudden darkness. Out of the blackness, a beast like a great winged snake slowly emerged.

Upon it 's length were great scales, and upon those scales, Killi could see the reflected lives of countless civilizations, from their birth as simple settlements or union between great warleaders, to their eventual demise at the hands of invaders, famine, plague, and rebellion. Upon it 's tail was a star, which all at once was born, grew, and then died before being born again. In the beasts eyes, Killi could see the birth of his world and numerous others just like it, and in it 's teeth, he saw the countless dead of the universes many eons.

The beast 's wings rose and Killi felt his life slip away. They fell, and he felt as if he had just awoken from a long rest.

Such was the nature of Rashe Ghul, dark god of magicians, as Killi now perceived him.

"So, interloper, what will you do now? Will you stand before my god and make a vain attempt to overcome his immanence?!" Cried