The grand magician looked into his orb of sight and glimpsed his targets mind. For it was important to test the waters of this new realms guard. To see what type of work he’d be spending his sleepless nights preparing for. While his king’s focus fell upon the one with the enchanted eyes and for good reason there was another whom his personal attention fell upon. 

Call it a feeling. An inkling. He needed to prod this individual to be sure. Something seemed amiss from the peering. Elves were gifted with sight of the realms. Able to open their third eye naturally and peer un phased by the limits of honed and practiced. Many decades were spent in meditation. Hundreds of years scrying the infinity of themselves and the realms. He himself, a master of it all, the pinnacle of his school. The highest mage under the Diamond king’s command. 

He’d observed Feralis and her intentions to slumber and whispered words of peace to the lord in the time of turmoil. He had seen the demon lurking in the midst. Let it weaken the weed for us make our job easier. Was the thought. He had seen the reptilians under her perch, a secret army ready to burst forth to slay anyone so foolish to fully commit. 

It had been his own hands that defied the goblin fire and forced the retreat of the Olcan and Fire Stone tribe. Defeat is in the eye of the beholder. It was enough to expunge what was rotten rather than sacrifice more than was needed. No elf should needlessly be asked to die for a cause that could be pushed away and allowed to fizzle on its own accord given time. Elves had all the time in the world.

That is to say his confidence was unending when he thought to pear deeper into this peculiarity before him. For there stood these hairless apes walking on two legs. Shorter than elves, shorter ears too, stumpy, rugged, brutish both in nature and stature it seemed. Four of them each uniquely different. Each the same. 

He would not let arrogance shame him. He would not let his pride defeat him. He was eternal in time because he took precautions and he was the mightiest of sorcerers because he inspected every last step. So this oddity he felt when glancing a chance to see this creature standing beside the other. His lord’s fancy caught on the enchanted blue eyed mare. The brown eyed one caught his attention. 

A ripple. A distortion. Almost unnoticeable. Almost invisible yet plainly he knew he saw it. Sloppy but effective. The tell-tale signs of someone like himself. Which begged investigation. How could a sorcerer ever find themselves entrapped into a summoning binding? Like some simple imp? Was it just that or was there more to be seen? He would not chance a moment of weakness before his king. His king was perfect and perfection he would emulate to stay in his grace. 

So with his orb of searing and his third eye in focus and with the aid of enchantments and a spell circle of power he abated his investigation. To peer into his adversary and see what obstacle it would be…

A connection is made, as the target dreams, sleep has always been the weakness of all things mighty. Their minds are a flight and unaware. It is the moment one like himself can strike and find information and ideally it will all be forgotten by the time their target wakes. He could be brutally forefront. Interrogate them in a time looping torture. Trap them in a nightmare or loosen them through thoughts of joy and happiness. 

No, this time he would be silent and allow his adversary to open themselves up to him. He had to be cautious first. This creature is unknown to him and all was too important to risk any chance… Corin it called itself, slumbering it fell deeper into sleep. Deeper into their chasm as deep as they’d allow themselves to fall. Now, nudge them to think of their power, their hour of experience… let’s see what they’re made of.

Oooooooooooooooo

I was laying upon the chair when it happened. I was listening to Gershwin’s Blue Rhapsody with headphones staring into the star filled night sky. When they started to dance for me. They dropped like rain and swirled to the rhythm of the symphony. They danced so brilliantly. I couldn’t believe it, how they danced for me. I felt as if I was committing a grave sin. Allow them to do whatever they wanted. What catastrophe could result when I allowed the stars to break free and summersault?

Oooooooooo

“What is this nonsense…” The archmagi, sorcerer supreme demanded. The stars do not dance they do not do anything but what they are. Points of power in the heavens. Looking down upon us bathing us with their light. Their light is power a gift. They do not move. They are a stone in the ocean against the waves of the void…

Ooooooooooo

“I saw it today, following me… I know the sun is monitoring me a bit more than it should be. I’ve its attention. I didn’t mean it. I didn’t know. I was confused. I apologize.” Corin thinks to themself. “It followed me today and was angry. It moved across the sky in such a way that was impossible and yet nobody could see. I was hallucinating. I must have been… I said I was sorry. I thought it was going to come to me. I did not want the star to get too close to Earth. If it got too close it’d of burned us away and ran into our sun. It’d of been a catastrophe. I told it to stop it wasn’t listening to me. So… I ate it… forgive me.”

Ooooooooooo

“What?” He exclaims as he pulls away ever so slightly. Flinching at the thought. You ate a rogue star?! I must see… Show me.

Oooooooooooo

The night is here and they’re back again. I can see them from my balcony. Everyone has fallen asleep but I can feel their presence. It’s an army of some sort. I know not if it’s my imagination or a hallucination but I see it clearly. They are moving upon this city. Invaders of unknown origins. Always, attack on my doorstep.  I’ve a trick for them. I will create a wave and send them away back to were they came. Goodbye. Land in pillows and fluff. And all kinds of good stuff. No harm no foul. But begone.

I picture their mechanical creations coming down the streets but I’ve built a bubble that’ll pop and when it pops they’ll be pulled into a space with comfortable accommodations but they will be stolled away. I say that but with a wave of my hand a whisp of air the size of a mountain cuts through them and then I imagine a boat stomping them into the ground. I hope they’re okay. I don’t want them to be too hurt. There are pillows for them and anything they need to recover… I’m sure if they aren’t hurt nobody can be mad at me when all this is discovered….

Ooooooooooooooo

The mage shakes and his belly aches. He’s just seen the human slay an entire army with a flick of her fingers. She had done it reluctantly and even tried to keep them alive. Entrapped them somehow. She hasn’t let them go… no…

Ooooooooooooo

“I said I’m sorry, I didn’t know you weren’t attacking me. You’re a star and you were moving weird and it felt like you were coming towards me what was I supposed to do allow you to come close enough to destroy my world and everyone I know and love on it? I don’t understand… I didn’t mean to see you. I just saw you.” Corin complains to the sky as she lays in her bed. Brown eyes peering into the white ceiling of an unassuming complex. “I said I’m sorry.”

“I…. Feel something…” Corin states and suddenly the mage feels a tingle rub through them. “Who are you?” 

Those brown eyes become orbs, globes, before him. Two yet six yet a third somewhere. 

“Are you looking at me?” It evokes.

The mage is now terrified. What has this creature done? Yes I see stars and our world has a sun but who would do those things? He turns his head and sees the abyss run deep and the cliffs and edifices the stars congeal into. Men and women in form of titans layer upon layer as if an onion.  The cosmos is deep and infinite but he was not prepared to see this. For he was trained to control and maintain. To find power in the minute and muster as much out of as little as possible. 

Here it was unbound. Haut iron, pure infinity. They’d been glimpsing into infinity directly. They’d been staring into the void directly. For how long? For how long? For how long?

“Interesting.” It declared to the mage. This human creature. Corin.  “I’ve an invader, finally. Someone I’m allowed to eat.” 

With that the void scape opened as a maw and clamped down onto the mage….

He fell back from his now shattered orb screaming. Whaling. Shrieking… 

“What is this?!” 

“The abyss! It’s alive!”

“It’s seen me!!!”

Obstacle 33. Forbes