Whispers, he followed them here not quite sure why, although, there was an opening on the ground and the dreary rain left him soaked.

He followed because of the feeling of wanting to end it all, to finally be free, to get rid the hurt. palms sweating in anxiety, trembling from hurt, breath stuttering in agony.

"Why have I reached this point? Hope?" He stared back, remembering the lifeless husk of his friend he had left behind.

'Power~freedom~knowledge.' The whispers spoke not in words, more ideas, and feelings, but with a masculine overtone, he felt there was something there that was just outside his understanding, an important distinction in gender.

There was one word it kept repeating, and it was a promise, a feeling of certainty, somehow deep in his subconscious he knew: whatever it was, he would keep it, it drove him crazy to believe it, to the point of overriding his rational mind.

'COME.' It promised him freedom, an escape from despair.

He wandered endlessly through green mountain landscape, he had left the destruction in Santa Ana some time ago, he had no one there, not alive.

He had been so excited, at first, he had powers, magic powers, who didn't want those? But his power had not been enough, staring at the entrance he wondered if he would die, then he wondered if he cared.

The monsters here ignored him, he had simply walked through the woods, and nothing had attacked him, the same could not be said for the idiot who followed him, a friend from life before.

Leaving behind his life, he entered the cave feeling empty, he just wanted that emptiness to go away if the whisper could take it all he would not care.

He had not spoken, nor eaten in days, a normal person might worry how he was still alive as if something gave him strength.

He did not watch the scenery in the cave, the lighting soon became too dim either way, though if he did perhaps he would notice the carved

'Release. YOU. Come.' It was in the air, following through his body, it gave him something, a drug, and he followed uncaringly, his death would be release, life was just suffering.

Blind, he was soon blind and he was wandering down tunnels, he tripped, skinned his hands on the rough ground, but he followed the whispers.

It guided him, his insight was strong enough, he had opened the gates of his mind, he had passed the limit his parents had birthed him to.

He had been so proud of it, Ashley had been overjoyed, sharing in his excitement, their son too young to understand, he thought...he thought a great many things that would not come.

The burn, there it was again like a weight crushing him from his shoulders to his chest, he felt wetness, not from the rain, wiping them, he cursed, then spat snot.

"AHHH!" His pain echoed from him, he heard skittering from deep within the tunnels.

He stood, staring at nothing, his power radiating from him in waves, it fed him an outline: a wall there, a branching tunnel, the rain flowing down deeper in the caves, everything but life, nothing living was here.

"Why am I here! A trap? If that's so, HURRY UP!" He broke off as he tripped, falling to scrap his knees and sob.

'Come.' The voice was steady, patient, as though he could wait eternally for him to come.

"What do you want!" He screamed, he had come all the way here on vague promises wondering at his sanity the whole time.

'To. Gift. Come.' It went silent.

He was beyond doubts, he didn't care anymore, so he got up despite being sure he was bleeding from multiple cuts.

Even in the darkness, he could sense he was descending, enhanced mental capabilities had many uses, touching the walls gave him faint impressions and from those minuscule impressions: he clued together the tunnels.

With his mental map aiding him, he followed something in the air, a thickness, difficult to describe but something ethereal was here, physically it sent shivers and made his hairs stand on end, static.

Through the static he could hear the whispers, the call, he followed, curving through winding tunnels branching off endlessly.

Touching the walls he could piece together that it was recent, everything was recent, yet devoid of life, if something was alive near him he would sense it.

He heard noises, skittering, clicks, and scraping rocks, but they came from tunnels he was not traveling, and he didn't care enough to venture there.

Despite it all, he somehow was passing tunnels filled with what he was sure had monsters, but to approach: they did not, it went against everything he had come to expect.

An eternity in darkness it felt, but he followed, a growing urge of desperation to escape Despair and soon he sensed something in the distance: A presence.

There was something, he could feel a tangible weight, a presence with enough discipline to move mountains, and it was patient, eager but retrained.

'Come.' This time fear twisted his heart, despite believing himself beyond such things.

He could feel...'eyes' on him, and not just sight, but knowledge, this thing could see him in his entirety, from his body to mind to spirit, down to his soul, everything that was himself this thing knew.

The sense of left him uncomfortable, similar to being seen as a pig, or an item on display at a supermarket, there was a hunger in its gaze, not hunger as he knew it, but a powerful urge.

"Will you kill me?" The question was stupid, somehow he knew the answer, but the rational part of his mind was ever present, asking stupid questions.

'Your. PAIN. Be. Free.' The promise was there, and he felt it was true.

Trembling with emotion, he hobbled forward, the presence looming, growing larger in his mind as he descended further along the curved passages.

At last, he could feel the presence, he was in the antechamber before it, and yet when his physical senses told him nothing, only his insight let him glimpse at what was not there.

He swallowed, feeling nervous, sweating from exertion, and shivering from adrenaline, he rubbed his hands, hesitating briefly.

This was it, one way or another, the end was in sight, he took some time to clean his face, rubbing away excess grime from his wounds, more out of nervous habit than necessity.

"Come." The voice was physical and raw, unused to the speech in his language, he could hear it all in that one word, the being could say so much with so little.

Entering the chamber, he felt the presence, utter darkness loomed, and so he could not see, yet it did not move, he could hear only his own breathing.

He felt the Being stare at him, measure him, and then it spoke.

"YOur PAin. A Gift, bring it. Come forth." The tone was strong, but cautious, controlled to not surprise nor frighten him.

A step forward, and he felt something rub against his cheek, he recoiled but stopped, then he forced himself to remain still as it happened again.

"BLInd MeDdleSome children." Disgust lined his voice, so strong it was a mental slap on the face.

"What?" He looked around blind at the darkness, reeling from the backlash.

A feeling of a tap to his head, then his chest then his stomach."Here. Here and HERE. Defiled you, Unnatural. ORDER." IT spat the word 'order,

"Is that a problem?" He wondered what the creature meant, not understanding fully.

"NO. Must BReaK." Then he gasped as some changed, agony flooded him and he fell to the floor screaming.

Shock. He jolted awake at a current. His eyes opened and he could see. Truly SEE. Despair was gone, just gone as if he had never suffered and he looked around.

"Complete. A gift for a gift." His benefactor said, and he gazed at his form.

Its horrifying form loomed, its torso comprised of interlocking plates like insect-carapace which segmented into seven large sections, from there random several miscolored eyes stared, while appendages and limbs hung and moved.

A short while ago, the visage would have sent him fleeing, but now, he simply knelt in gratitude.

Death, it was not something to despair, everything ended, life was to be enjoyed, to seek, explore, and change.

He could not live burdened of others, his mind was opened, freed from the shackles of useless and invented thoughts.

Aiden lifted his eyes, a changed man and a servant, as his benefactor trembled, a face emerged from its center, a mimic of his previous-self, it twisted in grief, crying.

"GO. My enlightened. MY creation. Lead the lesser." Tn'Ygloth spoke his will, it wanted to grow and it was his task to bring it more.

Aiden opened all seven eyes, smiled showing his needle-sharp fish teeth and his barbed tongue-lashed a meter into the air.

"YEss. MaStER." Aiden bowed, chaos had freed him from the useless notions, more would need to see the way.

The skittering of thousands came, Aiden howled maniacally, a joyous task, life was to be lived, his master's benevolence need be boundless.