Hagrode A Short Story

Hagrode

I remember when the light first came, the maddening light that changed all those who looked at it. Their bodies withered in less than a minute, decayed not to bone but to dust. I was one of the chosen ones, selected for their dedication to the light, the truly devout. It has been seven years since I first donned these robes. My oath has of course been tested. I have seen the bodies of those that the light has spat out of its maw, those bodies not acceptable enough for the thing’s palate. I was summoned today by a fellow brother of the light. His letter seemed to be rushed, the ink smeared and the contents brief. I gathered my belongings and headed for the caverns, the place where the light had made its home. 

Climbing down the aged rope into the narrow entryway always fills me with dread, admittedly I am not the most slender of men, my portly body never did me much help before this. As I let go of the rope I went over and lit the lamp. Whenever I descend down here the lamp would always await me, a bronze casing with four scratched glass lenses. The handle was makeshift resembling the rope that brought me here. With the light illuminating my surroundings I started to walk forward. I could feel the moisture of this underground world upon my skin. It even seemed to seep through my robes. I let my feet and the light guide me forward, towards the altar of the light. 

I came to the first of many ladders, scaling it up to a quarried piece of stone. There were more structures here once, all rejected by the light, now they lay in ruin around me. Chiselled decorative stone expertly crafted but what almost feels meaningless. Then there were the effigies said to have been created whilst the light took hold of the minds of brothers, revealing to them the creatures that it had encountered and possibly even conquered. They had always disgusted me, there was something uncomfortable about their unearthly form. But I have never felt fear for them especially not like how I have today. I look into the jewel-encrusted eyes of one of the things and feel hagrode. 

I kept walking soon coming to the altar but I was horrified by what I discovered. Fellow brothers, their corpses are a twisted mess of flesh and bone. Their robes were drenched in their own blood. I went to my knees to examine them further but it felt impossible to identify the individuals. Why had the light rejected them? They were devout and pure. I felt queasy but I knew I had to carry on. So I went forward, and with every step, a sharp sudden pain intensified in my left hand. A slit opened up and from it, an eye appeared. Its pupil looked around and then looked at me. The light had taken hold of me and was staring at me. My end finger crunched forwards at the joints and the end melted off, revealing the bone. 

A voice manifested in my head and ordered me to approach the light, it was the light speaking to me. I had been chosen. I didn’t know if I should be honoured or angry that I was next. I couldn’t take my eyes off my freakish hand as my body was dragged towards the light, I was not the master of myself anymore. The light had won. The light was a type of flashing mysterious energy that spat out embers of a wide spectrum of wonderful colours. I bathed in its light and let out my last scream, likely the loudest I have managed. My robes and my soul disintegrated. The light was pleased, I hadn’t joined my brothers as a reject. I was one of the fortunate ones.