Chapter 2: Plot Uncovered

Aurora approached her shop’s window. Her eyes darted back and forth, watching countless people rush towards the center of the kingdom. There were no festivals planned for that day, and the faces of the people were a mix of panic and confusion. Aurora’s curiosity got the best of her. She grabbed the three health potions she made and headed out the door. 

Aurora kept pace with the others around her. Any question she tried to ask was drowned out by frantic murmurs. Rumors spread through the streets like a flood. Questions of who, what, and why were met with empty answers and blatant lies. The closer she got to the circle, the darker the sky became. The growing shade of night only strengthened with new black clouds. Aurora soon arrived at the center circle and nestled herself into the large crowd. Shadows swirled around the once bright and vibrant mosaic. A ghostly figure stood atop the stone sun. The spectral image of an old man was in the middle of giving a grand speech, cast in a haunting purple glow, the sun hanging behind him. 

“Decades of ignorance shall be your undoing, Solstya.” He grumbled. “Your undying faith has left you blinded by hubris. Arrogance is in your blood, and it bleeds into every action you take. You refuse to acknowledge and accept the truth, and now you have forced my hand in accepting it for you. In exactly one year’s time there will be a solar eclipse with complete totality. Once the moon is in position and the sun is blocked out, I will use my magic to lock the moon in place. From then on the eclipse will be eternal. The moon will never move out of the sun’s place. You will be cast into a perpetual darkness. The night will never cease and my associates will roam free. If they don’t kill you, then the starvation or cold will.” The crowd became restless. A haze of whispers filled the air. Aurora stood in shocked silence. Her eyes twitched and her mouth was held agape. 

“One year… until the world ends??” She softly trembled.

“And don’t think you can weasel your way out of this.” He continued. “I will not be looking for some cheap redemption or repentance, not that you people would even commit to that. The only way you can stop me is by killing me before I kill you. You’re welcome to try, but when you’re left bleeding on the ground, begging for mercy, just remember that you did this to yourself. You brought upon this sunless sunder.” With a burst of colorful flame, the specter disappeared. The shadows dissipated and the dark clouds dispersed. Lamps magically lit up across the kingdom as the sun set and night arrived. 

Aurora stood still as the crowd began to quickly leave the scene. But while her heart raced, while she shook with fear and anxiety, the other citizens smiled. They laughed. They joked. 

“Block out the sun? Yeah right.”

“Nobody is strong enough to do that!”

“It’s probably some big publicity stunt for a new play or something.” 

“Glory to the sun!” The people shouted. Aurora looked back with utter disgust and disbelief. How could everyone be so calm? How could they be so jovial? She only caught the end but she still felt threatened by that speech, so how could they not? Aurora slowly trudged back home. Her mind raced with questions, concerns, and worries. With every step she took her thoughts shifted. Shifted away from the entity that promised extinction and shifted towards her kingdom’s people. She couldn’t wrap her head around their nonchalance. Aurora eventually brushed it off as denial to put her mind at ease. Surely the kingdom will do something.

As Aurora approached the halfway point of her walk she stopped. Something caught her eye. A small body wrapped in tattered clothes lying inside an alley. The flesh was yellowed and rotted. Most of the body was exposed bone. The hair was long, black, and greasy. It had buck teeth like a rodent. The whole thing reeked of disease.

“Hello…” it spoke. Its voice was raspy, decayed. The body slowly sat up, its arms shaking under its own weight, sludge sliding off its back. Aurora stumbled, taken aback by the speaking corpse. Before she could really react, it spoke again. “I’m sorry…” it said meekly. Suddenly the sludge around the corpse lurched out. Slimy, black tendrils wrapped around Aurora’s ankle and pulled her to the ground. She yelped as she fell. The sludge dragged her into the alley, further wrapping around and covering her. “I’m sorry… I’m sorry… I’m sorry…” the corpse repeated. Aurora tried to scream, she wanted to scream, but the sludge covered her mouth. It drowned out her words and started to suffocate her. She could feel the tar drip down into her throat. Aurora cried as she was forced to swallow mouthfuls upon mouthfuls of thick, sticky, sludge. Was this the end for her? Was this where she was going to die? Trapped in an alley with a living corpse, choking on liquified flesh, watching people walk by like nothing is going on. Forget her worries earlier, she wasn’t even going to survive the night. Aurora’s vision started to fade. What was once blurred by tears now started to go black. 

Aurora then felt a cool breeze blow past her forehead. The blade of a halberd swung over her head and severed the sludge behind her. The goo relaxed and began to melt off of her. The corpse screeched as it recoiled in pain. It scurried away, retreating into the night. Aurora coughed and wheezed as she freed herself, spitting up tar and slop. 

“Are you alright?!” A voice called out. Aurora recollected herself and looked up. There, standing above her, arm outstretched to help, was Ulric.