Posted on November 5, 2020
Discount Crystal Ball
Hi there, guys and gals. Got a little bit of a treat for you tonight.
Anyone interested in a sneak peak into the future of the Artifice series?
You are? Well then, sit back and enjoy.
Now, because we’re using a discount crystal ball, this little revelation could be the real deal, or it could be a false vision sent by a trickster. If it’s not a fake, it could happen in the next episode, or ten episodes from now. (Read: this is intended for the next episode, but I may find that it works even better in another one, or that it may just end up not working out at all. The latter two scenarios are highly unlikely, but just wanted to be transparent with you folks.)
Also, there may obviously be a few slight spoilers, so feel free to skip over this post. I won’t mind.
Now, with the disclaimers out of the way:
“From this point onwards, the path must be yours only,” the strange man said.
“Huh?” was all John could manage after numbly following him for what had seemed like hours.
“Take one foot,” came the reply, one hand extended to point into the darkness. “Put it in front of the other one. Repeat that a few times. Without me here, though.”
John looked toward the looming dark path ahead, “What? I have no idea where I’m go-”. He cut himself off mid-sentence after turning around and finding that the strange man was nowhere to be seen. “Wonderful…”
Further down, the endlessly winding cave finally looked like it opened up. Getting closer, John could see that it led into a dark chamber of indeterminable size. Figuring that there was no going back at this point, John tentatively walked in.
It was pitch black, even with the light from his tasrac torch. He could barely see five paces in any direction. It was as if the light from his torch was being eaten away by the darkness itself.
“I suppose a little illumination to see where I’m going is too much to expect,” he muttered.
As if in response, and without warning, the entire space around him erupted with a blue radiance.
“Welcome,” a female voice echoed from within the hollows of the chamber.
John couldn’t even begin to formulate a response, as the pervasive blue light seemed to overwhelm his senses. Staggering to one knee, he squeezed his eyes shut to try to recover some semblance of wits.
After taking a few deep breaths, he dared to open his eyes again. He found that the light, while no less vivid, caused him considerably less discomfort.
“Welcome,” the voice repeated.
Hope you enjoyed that. I know it’s a rather short snippet, but it (theoretically) takes place a little bit into the episode, and I wanted to avoid any heavy spoilers.
Anyways, take care and stay safe, folks!
