Skip to main content

Shadow of Intake Day

Shadow of Intake Day
Originally Published by Jason Cochrane on May 25, 2016 at 08:13 AM


Shadow breathed deeply. She sat calmly in lotus. The Zen garden surrounded her. It’s delicately raked sand was dotted with manicured miniature trees.

Clear the mind.
Release your grip.
Become nothing.
Be nothing.
Hold nothing.
Become an empty vessel.
Be no one.

Shadow continued to breathe deeply. In her mind’s eye Shadow could see a cloud of swirling lights biting at her. Their constant nibbling away at her sense of self, her very soul.

Breathe.
Release.

As Shadow become nothing the spectral gnats slowly dissipated. The echoes of others, traces of personality if you will, calmed and shed.

Breathe. What was once Shadow sat in meditative peace with the universe. The sound of a gong reverberated. Awareness returned to the vessel that was once Shadow. Shadow was gone. Simone was once more simply herself.

A paper door was gracefully opened. A delicate woman in a jade green kimono glided to Simone and presented her with a cup of steaming green tea. Simone nodded in thanks and inhaled the pungent smells.

“I am pleased you have returned to us Ms Simone” the jade clad woman purred. “The Mistress feared you had become ensnared in the claws of Sheut and Lord Anubis had cast you to Ammit.”

“Thank you for your concern Ruri.” Simone sipped the tea and felt it’s refreshing heat spread through her weary body. “Sheut did not take me. Although I concede that remaining Shadow that long was perhaps unwise.”

The juxtaposition of ancient Egypt and ancient Kalapa might seem jarring to some but Simone found it to be an oddly comforting fusion. Both cultures were steeped in ancient mysticism and wisdom. Egypt’s spiritualism was legend. Kalapa’s restraint and focus were of similar stature. If Simone was to avoid the fate of her predecessors she needed focus. She needed restraint.

To take the power of Sheut, or the Egyptian Shadow Soul, grants immense power but at the risk of one’s own self. As Shadow, Simone could imitate anyone. As Shadow she could telepathically copy personality, mannerism and surface memories. As Shadow she could change shape to match physical form and, to a limited extent, utilise power replication. In short, the power of Sheut allowed a person to subvert their own soul and replace it with a facsimile of another.

The difficulties associated with such power were many but one danger loomed larger than any other. The longer a person uses Sheut the more their own self fragments. Little pieces of other personality, memory, habits, even physical features snuck into the host. It was deceptively easy to quickly lose who you were and become simply a composite of what you encountered or copied.

Simone wouldn’t be the first to succumb to the dangers of Sheut. It is said that Anubis sit in judgement of a Sheut. If the jackal god finds the Sheut wanting he is said to cast that soul into oblivion or Ammit. In Simone’s mind the destruction of self fit the bill of Ammit and it was something to avoid. Since “inheriting” the power of Sheut from an errant soul fragment of her unknown predecessor she had received cryptic guidance from “Anubis”. Despite these instructions Anubis neglected to provide any way to starve off the Sheut.

Fortunately for Simone, an avid “collector of antiquities”, she had crossed paths with the incorrigible part time sorcerer Thomas Rhymer. After some negotiation Thomas provided Simone with instructions to seek the Mistress of the legendary Kalapa. The journey to Kalapa and quest for acceptance were long and arduous but Simone had succeeded.

Breathing deeply she once more gave mental thanks to the Mistress and her techniques. Simone had purged the lingering soul destroying traces of Sheut and could once more carry on her life.

Simone rose, bowed deeply and returned to her room. The Spartan room contained a few choice anachronisms. One was Simone’s digital tablet which lay on it’s solar charger. She gracefully removed the device and opened the calendar. AEGIS Intake Day was fast approaching. She would have to commence her journey today if she was to make it. Director Thorne would be most displeased if Simone was tardy.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

The Ark of Worlds

We exist beyond time. Beyond space. Even beyond reality. Our founders came to the Terminus and found this place abandoned. We do not know who built it or for what purpose. Our founders made it what it is today: an archive of what was but now never was. The three founders. A genius in any and all realities. She is able to quantum compute her own brain; able to harness the processing power of her other selves. Her brother, one of the most powerful reality manipulators since the time of Unas. Constantly bombarded by possibilities only he can see, his mind struggled to focus upon any given reality. The final founder is an anomaly. Something that should not exist but does, replicating as an impossible fractal across worlds. Most her kind perished long ago; only two others remain and they have not witnessed a new of their type since time immemorial. Is she the last of these beings or the first of them reborn? All three of the Founders tap the very fabric of the Omniv...

Location, Location, Location: The Ordway Observatory, Southside District

Location, Location, Location: The Ordway Observatory, Southside District Originally Published by Jason Cochrane on Sep 23, 2016 at 01:41 AM The Ordway Observatory; Home of the Wicked Witch CafĂ© “Serving you the best brew since 02” The Ordway Observatory is something of a local icon being over 130 years old and with a colourful history. The Ordway Observatory (often simply the "Double O”) commenced construction in 1880 during Arcadia’s 250th anniversary. The Observatory was constructed through 1880 to 1883 in the District of Southside by John Ordway and was designed by famed architect Jerry Bolton (Ref: Comic Artists Jerry Ordway & John Bolton). Prior to construction local legend had the site as being in the immediate vicinity (if not the actual site) of a late seventeenth century battle between Inquisitor Grayve and the “Witch of the West Forest”. At the time, what is now Southside was simply wild woodland to the west of the Settlement of Bayside from which Minister...

Trouble in Paradise

"Ready love?" Adrian called deeper into the quarters. He juggled his squirming three year old daughter in one hand and his guitar case in the other. "Just the final check dear," Tara's voice approached.  She emerged from a side room with a rucksack over one shoulder. "I'm going to miss this place." "Yeah." He steered her towards the door. "This was fun but it's time to go home for a while." "You know we can commute you lunk. It's a single monkey-hop. No traffic at all." The spun to face him. Red hair twirled after in a wake. "It doesn't work that way." He sidestepped the small woman. The child in his arms reached for her wild hair. "They expect us to be on Campus." The child happily snagged her mother's hair and Adrian released Jennifer in smooth well practiced move. Tara again spun and hurried after Adrian. "I guess... it's just..." Adrian stopped to face T...