“Randal…” Archaios Enas whispered into his mind as she’d done for turies. “...Look at them, all c in fear of yreatness. They beg and plead like they are afraid of dying…” Archaios Enas soothed her nightstalker further, “...But iy..don’t you hear it? Those pleas are ones of delight and reverenbsp; It’s your job to teach them the meaning of your wrath, before you settle and rule over them. Show them what you do..lovely Randal…ohat wants so much more than just nightly blood.”

  -So easy. So much to feed upon. The soury release.-

  Archaios Enas sighed and relived the feeling of power c through her being, before letting the remaining thoughts tinue.

  It took a few years of Archaios Enas’s sweet words direg Randal along with piles of human bodies before Randal learned enough to establish himself as a leader and god among a small group of people. Once Archaios Enas stopped telling her shell how to act, Randal’s weak mind and weaker personality caused the people once devoted to him to revolt within a year of his assion. Like tales of old, they came in force with fire, stakes and pitchforks and invaded Randal’s undefended ir. Reeling from the glory of power from the chaotic masses bined with their lingering fear and massive worry from Randal, Archaios Enas felt her shell weakening.

  -The fool asked me for help. When I was the ohat led him to that point.-

  Archaios Enas snickered to herself and pushed the vision on.

  Only after Randal had a stake in his chest did Archaios Enas feel the flurry of paniing from the captured nightstalker. Archaios Enas felt her own misty form for the first time and began to ugh in Randal’s ears. “That’s right, Randal. Beg..plead for my help. Help that will never e. Some God, you ’t eve a flock of these primates…and now you will burn for it.” Archaios Enas’s vile raspy voice flowed like water, “Your st sight will be me floating away as you burn..a brief swirl of inky bck smoke and the gre from a set of white eyes, mog your madness.” Fire became the catalyst that weakened Randal’s body and allowed Archaios Enas to break free of her host with a wail that sent shockwaves of fear through the group of peasants, f them to run and cower in fear.

  Letting the remains of her fond memory subside, Archaios Enas thought to herself,

  -My beginning was inning. It all traces back to that fool Randal. I should have foreseen that htstalkers would be pleased to be rid of us. Free of their torment, which freed us for our vengeance.-

  Jumping from Elle’s bed and going to the drawer with her body’s underwear, Archaios Enas stepped into and pulled up a set of bck pahen found another set of jeans hanging in the closet.

  -Why am I thinking about Randal? Where is this leading?-

  Mildly fused with her thoughts, Archaios Enas finished getting dressed and made her way bato the kit, p herself a small gss of water. Refreshed by the cool and cucumber-enhanced water, Archaios Enas figured out what she’d been seeking within herself. Finishing the crisp drink in one final gulp, she walked across the living room and peered out of the dark window, admiring the twinkling lights below.

  -That’s it. The sourbsp; When the nightstalkers were purged of our temptations, they were free to think and develop unhindered. They evolved, just like we did. The ones freed developed their blood magic beyoy. Dryods…they koo many of us would…-

  Uo tain her joy any longer, Archaios Enas felt a series of humaions pass through her. She ughed and hopped with excitement as she figured out the puzzle.

  -We’d destroy their precious lies and illusions. We are the superior evolution, so they o trap us beyond our influenbsp; The portal with its sweet song, the lure…Send us to The Harsh Expanse.-

  Witnessing firsthand the pull of the Dryod portal, Archaios Enas had tried to keep her faithful shadewraiths from crossing to the other side.

  {“They are the same sweet words we used against them, ’t you tell? Their blood-magic is tempting you… we are the temptation, not them.”}

  Archaios Enas recalled the small battle and gave orders to the remaining Shadewraiths that engaged with the nightstalkers. Although she'd figured out that she was immuo the effects of the song, Archaios Enas quickly decided to ehe watery metallic pool and joihers on the far side in their battle with the nightstalkers.

  {“The rest of you, stay ahe portal open as long as possible! Sacrifice yourself to do it. The nightstalkers must not trap us oher side. I will ehat the other shells will perish in torture and pain.”}

  Upon her appeara the back side of the portal Archaios Enas saw what she sidered a mirror of a youh. Huge trees with long shady opies absorbed sunlight with their wide and rounded leaves dotted the nd in packs of dense forestry. Lush vegetation grew without hindrance across the ground where some of the vines had crawled and overtakerunks to take their fair share of light. Beyond the heavy green packs of woods, Archaios Enas saw nothing but miles of untouched grass that had grown to the height of stalks she’d seen oh.

  -What is this pce? Where are the others, the nightstalkers…my faithful?-

  Moments ter it dawned on Archaios Enas what happeo the blood-shells that passed into what they thought was nirvana.

  -They perished instantly in the sunlight, the fools. That still doesn’t expin where my faithful, why ’t I sehem?-

  It was as though the answer flew right into her face the moment she asked the question. A small metallic disk seemingly came out of nowhere and hovered in front of Archaios Enas’s bck mist. It raised a small antenna and chirped a couple of times, before it sent a blue beam across Archaios Enas amorphous form.

  -An automaton. It cks aion that I manipute…what did it just do?-

  Archaios Enas floated upwards a few feet before she heard the object speak, “Earth-based phantasmal anomaly detected. tai protocol engaged.” Suspeg that she didn’t want to know what the tai protocol was, Archaios Enas dropped and melded into the shadows of the trees hoping to fuse and avoid the flying disk.

  -How many of my faithful did these objects take?-

  A loud thundercp came from the portal and lightning criss-crossed its opening for a few seds, then the pool Archaios Enas had traveled through disappeared.

  -Those initial years were the hardest ones. One by one I found my faithful, my brethren who hadn’t been captured and used them to survive.-