Heliopharos

The spear missed my face by an inch.

A successful dodge.

I stumbled back, expecting another strike.

But the Cultist who attacked just nodded and moved on.

He was just testing me? For what?

The girl next to me wasn’t so alert, the teleportation still had her dazed.

She looked lost.

The man struck again and this time his spear easily cut into her cheek.

Before I could rush to her, before she could even scream, two armored Cultists grabbed her and threw her out of the magical barrier.

She passed cleanly through it into a thick, swirling mist.

I could barely see a few paces past the barrier before it was just a grey-green haze.

Her eyes were wide.

She tried running back in, but she was floored by more people being thrown out.

An old man with his walking stick, a woman with a cast on her leg.

The girl barely got back up before shark-like monsters flew out of the mist.

All three were snatched up in an instant.

But some monsters were too slow.

Instead of getting a meal, they slammed nose-first into the barrier.

I winced as they let out a shriek of pain.

Even the armored Cultists flinched.

I recovered quickly and got a better look at them. They were scaled, flying sharks, with even bigger teeth. The barrier had burned their noses.

Frustrated, they swam away.

But they kept close.

I could see their outlines, stalking the length of the barrier.

They knew more would come.

“No!” a woman screamed.

I whipped my head around and was relieved to see her dodge just in time.

She passed too.

I let out a breath. Thank God.

Though it didn’t seem like He was intervening any time soon.

I looked around and saw dozens of faces. Some were defiant and angry, but most were just confused and terrified. Some were pressed shoulder-to-shoulder. The only warmth available here was with each other.

We were all on a large black stone circle, with red veins of light spreading from the center to the edges. The barrier formed a glassy dome around us.

The Cultists all wore heavy gasmasks, with double filters. Their black armor was lined with ruby accents, they glowed softly, as if enchanted. As they moved from person to person, their heavy armor clanked above the noise of the crowd.

One by one.

Step by step.

They checked limbs, hands, shoulders, legs, searching for defects. Any at all.

Those who weren’t near the edge of the barrier couldn’t be thrown into the mist as easily. They would have had to be dragged to the edge kicking and screaming.

So, they were just speared on the spot.

One Cultist walked through the masses with a clipboard, pointing at people and judging their fates like a Roman emperor.

Too old? Spear.

Coughing uncontrollably? Spear.

Protesting or starting an argument? Spear.

Their bodies fell to the ground with a thud.

Each person that fell seemed to make those left standing more obedient.

A chill ran down my spine as I saw people being double checked and even triple checked.

Why were they so thorough?

What was the point of teleporting so many people only to get rid of them?

Maybe their teleportation magic was flawed?

I thought dodging that spear was the only test, but I was wrong.

Just because one Cultist gave you the OK, it didn’t mean another would agree.

No Cultists argued amongst themselves.

If one of them saw a defect the other didn’t, it was simply accepted.

They didn’t have any time to waste, not with the monsters lurking meters away.

But at least those monsters only killed for food.

The Cultist with the clipboard drew closer.

She wasn’t wearing any armor. Instead, she wore long black robes, which also had glowing ruby accents.

Were those enchantments? Was she a mage?

She wore a hood, with a bob framing her face. A few strands of red hair fell loose, swaying as she moved.

Her mask wasn’t heavy like the others...

It was thin and snug across her face. It left her sharp red eyes free, they darted around, watching everything and everyone. As if she was trying to solve a puzzle.

She finally walked up to me.

Her eyes lingered, before pulling out a bright yellow crystal with her gloved hand.

She waved it in my face, sliding it close to my skin, inspecting me.

I squinted and pulled back a bit.

The crystal was letting out a foul, corrosive air. It was rank.

My eyes watered.

It hurt to breathe, it hurt so bad. It set my throat and lungs on fire.

But I didn’t cough or move back any further.

I didn’t want to fail an inspection.

After some agonizing seconds, she pulled the crystal back and tilted her head.

A man, with a similarly light gasmask and robes walked up behind her. “See anything you like, Ravenna?” He chuckled.

“He could be a candidate… We’ll see…” She murmured and walked off. Her voice was soft.

“What’s going on-” I began but a booming voice cut through the platform.

“SILENCE!” A Cultist on a raised pillar addressed everyone. He wore armor that could barely contain his bulging muscles. “You have been harvested to serve Vhelo Hedekos. Consider this your greatest honor.”

He paused, expecting interruptions.

But any who would’ve been brave enough to speak had already been cut down.

He continued. “The obedient and competent may join the ranks of the Hedekoi. The rest shall be purged. We don’t have enough to feed the useless.”

With that, I heard the rattling of chains and shackles.

Someone lightly tapped me on the arm.

It was Ravenna.

She circled back, her movements fluid and graceful.

“No sudden movements, now.” She said as she expertly bound my arms, linking me to the person in front.

She moved onto the next person without pause.

Ravenna was one of many, linking dozens of us in a single line.

All chained together. A chain-gang.

“Move!” the commander boomed again. "NOW!"

A new barrier had formed as an exit out of the dome.

It was a narrow tunnel being maintained by robed Cult Mages on either side.

As I entered the tunnel, I saw the mist brush against the walls.

I could feel a light corrosive sting, as some of the mist managed to seep through the barrier.

No wonder they wore masks.

The back of my throat was dry and itching. I wanted to cough, but again, I restrained myself.

I didn’t want to give off the slightest idea I was defective.

We walked on, and some of the shark-like monsters decided to follow us.

One of them got really close.

It looked like it wanted to make an attempt at the barrier.

Could it feel the barrier’s fragility too?

Quickly, an armored Cult Warrior raised his spear. The tip lit in a red ruby glow.

The creature hissed in response and turned away.

“The Ketoi only get more restless with each cycle,” the Mage said to the Warrior.

He grunted. “The platform might not be enough. We might have to let a couple more loose... They’re getting braver.”

I guess these Ketoi are smart enough not to dive into the barrier. But what if they all tried diving at once? Would it hold?

As we walked higher, we climbed out of the mist.

There were steps carved into a cliff face.

Those at the front had already begun climbing them.

My eyes were drawn up the cliff and a sense of wonder began to fill me.

I saw that we were walking in a huge cavern.

As if a giant spent its life hollowing out a mountain.

Jagged stone pillars rose up to support a ceiling that couldn’t be seen.

The grey-green mist had been replaced with a cold-blue haze.

I shouldn’t have been able to see anything, this deep underground.

But a brilliant light shone from behind the cliff.

Its long rays of light saved the cavern from being plunged into complete darkness.

As our line snaked across the cliff steps, and I risked a glance back.

Many were still left on that circular platform, crippled by the cult.

The top of the barrier could still be seen, poking out from the mist.

Looking down into it, I could see movement inside.

Then the platform lost its protection.

The barrier dome collapsed in a crack.

Circling Ketoi dove in, though the mist was a step ahead, obscuring the horror.

I heard brief screams.

Then silence.

I shook my head and continued the climb.

- - -

We had reached the top.

What I saw took my breath away.

A shining city in the distance.

Built on a floating island, in an endless ocean of mist.

A stone tower at the center rose high above anything else.

Its peak unleashed a light that filled the cavern.

Smaller islands and ruins dotting the ocean of mist.

At the far edges of the cavern, only a cold-blue haze remained.

Who would build something like this?

And why?

But for all the questions, running through my brain… One fact was clear.

This city was unassailable and inescapable.

A fortress, with an ocean of mist and monsters as its moat.

“Welcome home,” Ravenna whispered into my ear.