Diversity is Madness

By W.S. Klass

The first volume of the Dark Athyx series tells the story of the creation...
An ancient being is awakened when a vile god discovers a relic and steals it to empower himself. Armageddon is nothing compared to the destruction and horrors of the ancient being known as the Forgotten One...
He is the lord of madness and harbinger of horror. Gods fear him. The horrors of the Void spawn the birth of Athyx and its pantheon. Myth becomes reality, and reality becomes madness. The madness calls to the Forgotten One. Gods fall and heroes are made. Diversity between good and evil becomes necessary for the survival of the gods and their creations. This newfound diversity creates the topsoil for the Forgotten One to plant his seeds of madness. The Marble of Godly Doom is all that stands in the way of the Forgotten One and stops him from assimilating the last of the known gods and their newly forged seed of life.
The mythology of Dark Athyx is rebooted the way the author intended it to be released to his readers. Diversity is Madness begins the dark campaign with a touch of H.P. Lovecraft meets J.R.R. Tolkien.

• Language: English
• Publisher: W.S. Klass
• Release date: Jan 18, 2020
• ISBN: 9780463522516

W.S. Klass

An author of dark fiction, W.S. Klass has a passion for the creative elements whether in writing or in film. Dark comedies, action, cult classics, and a plethora of other genres catch his attention and inspire his own creative juices. The creator of the Dark Athyx Series, and author of Wrath, W.S. Klass enjoys writing reviews for books and films, alike. “I never apologize for who I am!”–W.S. Klass.

Book preview

Diversity is Madness

Dark Athyx Book One

W.S. Klass

Copyright © 2017 Kevin C. Davison

All rights reserved.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the publishers, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review to be printed in a newspaper, magazine or journal.

DEDICATION

The world of Athyx will always remember John Bradford and his unique quirks he added to each of his characters. His morbid sense of humor always brought smiles to the faces of his fellow gamers. He passed on from this world to the next on the fifth day of October, in the year of 2012.

Contents

Diversity is Madness i

Dark Athyx Book One i

W.S. Klass i

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Thank you all for reading my beloved series!

Prologue

Every story has a beginning, a middle, and an end. What mortals always have a hard time fathoming is that the concept of time only affects them, and not the divine. Time has no relevance to the immortals; therefore, a god can say things like, 'I have no beginning and no end,' because they have no concept of time without mortals. Worlds come and they go, but the multiverse remains, and so do the divine. Some things were never meant to be known to mortals…

1 CHAPTER One

There are few things ancient gods don't know about. It isn’t so much that the gods do not know of ancient times before their rule. It is simply that they rarely passed this information on to mortals for fear of losing worshippers. Before the time of gods there were titans! Titans are said to have been around long before the known gods of the multiverse. Unlike the gods, the titans do not require worshippers as the gods do to accrue divine power. Titans have an innate divine power over at least one type of domain or element. The Elder Ancients were believed to have had power over more than one domain and were the most destructive of all titans to the worlds of man and the planes of the divine. The last known time of the titans was written in the mythological dogmas of Olympus. There are even older tales that have been long lost through the passing of time and the changing of power between the gods. Places like the Void are known to the gods but there are places within the infinite Void that are not. One such place was a garden of beauty that attracted the attention of two angels that were guardians to a world. This same place was discovered by again by Viscus. Viscus is the dark god of wraiths, darkness and negative energies. He was born in the Void with his twin and opposition Enamor who is the god of life, light and positive energies. Viscus dwelled on his plane of negative energy but he wanted more power to help him extinguish all life from the multiverse. Viscus traveled from his divine realm to visit another god of undead, the Keeper of Secrets.

How can I become more powerful than any other god? Viscus asked his colleague of darkness. The wicked god was a mass of rotten flesh over exposed bone. He had glowing red eyes. He was a lich that had become a god long ago through his own efforts to have divine knowledge of the arcane arts and learn the secrets of the multiverse. The Keeper of Secrets fell into a trance and let his divine mind wander to find an answer for Viscus.

That which you seek would destroy all life. That which you seek is empowering to undead. That which you seek was forged by the Elder Ancients to destroy everything in the multiverse. It is darkness. It nothingness. It is the root of all undead life. The Keeper of Secrets came out of his trance.

I already have my godly realm on the plane of negative energy where our brethren also dwell. Viscus groaned.

This place is not the same. This place I saw is the grandfather of the negative energy plane. It is a dark universe where only bodiless undead can survive. If you hurled your enemies into its gates they would be forever destroyed. They would be obliterated into Oblivion. The Keeper of Secrets whispered with an irresistible inspiration.

Where is it? Viscus asked suddenly interested.

It is lost in the infinite Void. When you find the garden of dark gases that writhe with madness then you have found its resting place. Deep at the center of the dark writhing garden of dark gases you will see a vortex. That is Oblivion’s Gate. The Keeper of Secrets answered. Viscus nodded his thanks to his colleague and vanished from the divine realm of the Keeper of Secrets. He wandered the Void for centuries. He became a forgotten god on the plane of negative energy and his power began to wane. Viscus became frantic. He was beginning to lose that which he wanted to empower. The wraith hated all life including his twin brother. He knew that he could never kill his brother himself because their bond was too great. If either was ever in need the other would always help even if it was the opposite of what they stood for. Viscus knew that his brother could sense him and did not fear his own destruction. He knew that his brother would find him before that ever happened. Centuries became millenniums and the dark god was no more powerful than a demi-god. His faithful worshippers had apparently found another to worship in his absence. Viscus had roamed the infinite space of the Void knowing that he had little to no chance of ever finding what he was looking for. If he went in the wrong direction then he would only move farther from his goal without ever knowing. A voice in his divine mind whispered to him that he was moving in the right direction. For some reason beyond madness, Viscus trusted the voice. He eventually came upon a vast nebula of dark gases that writhed with an otherworldly or multidimensional shudder. Reality was distorted here. Even his divine mind was no match for the madness he stared at. It’s yours! The voice whispered in his mind. Viscus moved into the dark nebula and towards its center where he found the vortex. The light and dark gases of the nebula were constantly spiraling into the void of darkness but the nebula never seemed to shrink. It was as though the gases were also infinitely supplied from some unseen source. Viscus felt his power grow suddenly as he grew closer to the vortex. Viscus entered the vortex and disappeared into Oblivion. His power multiplied. He had the power of Oblivion at his fingertips.

IT’S MINE! Viscus roared. In the blink of an eye the vortex vanished from the nebula. Viscus had become one with the new plane and made it his new divine realm. He moved it to the center of the negative energy plane and there he rested as his power grew.

2 CHAPTER Two

Worlds began ending abruptly. Armageddon, Ragnarok, the end of ALL mortal worlds was upon the universe. It was utter chaos and madness throughout the universe. Mankind was at an end. Celestials, demons and devils warred furiously to protect mortals. Their unity began the Divine War. Devils and demons wanted to collect souls for power.

Celestials were guardians of the mortal soul. They found common ground when the divine prophecies threatened their purpose in existence. The end of all things had begun. Gods warred with other gods and devastated worlds in the process. Celestials, Devils, and Demons alike battled to stop the feuds of the gods. Their numbers dwindled fast. Celestials that turned on the gods were cast from the upper planes and dubbed ‘Fallen.’

After a hundred years of war, the Divine War seemed to be nearing its end and only a few mortals remained under the protection of Celestials, Devils, and Demons. The gods seemed to have forgotten about the mortals during their wars and they were weakened from the loss of worshippers. The Divine War ended worlds, ended lives, ended many other things, but what it awoke was the beginning of the end for all.

On a distant plane rested the severed head of Kronos. His body was severed into many parts and scattered across the multiverse eons ago in hopes of preventing his return. The return of Kronos was long overdue. His eyes opened. A titan who turned on Kronos and aided Zeus was cursed to stand watch over the head of Kronos. Every thousand years his eyes opened and every thousand years the titan drove his mystical spear through the skull of Kronos. This time was different. Reality wavered and rippled. The titan was distracted and did not see the open eyes of his former ruler. Serve me and I will make you more powerful than you ever were. Serve me and I will grant you your opportunity for revenge. An otherworldly voice spoke in the mind of Kronos.

I serve no one.! Kronos roared. The titan heard him and spun round ready to drive his mystical spear through the skull of Kronos. A massive tendril appeared from a ripple in reality. It wrapped around the titan, squeezing him tighter and tighter. The spear fell to the ground and the titan struggled to free himself.

What madness is this? The titan barked as he fought to free himself. The tendril squeezed tighter and tighter until the mighty bones of the titan began to break. The titan roared in pain until his lungs were empty and collapsed. Kronos watched how fast the titan was killed. It was no easy feat to kill even the weakest of titans and Kronos knew that whoever this being was had to be more powerful than any god he had ever faced. I can see into your mind. You want power. You want revenge on your children. The otherworldly voice spoke again to the mind of Kronos.

Who are you? The head of Kronos asked. The tendril flung the lifeless body of the titan to the ground and then writhed about the head of Kronos. I am ancient. You may refer to me as the Forgotten One, He Who Sleeps in the Deep. The voice replied. The tendril gently wrapped around the head of Kronos.

What is it you want? Kronos asked curiously. To spread madness. I am the darkness that surrounds everything. The Forgotten One answered.

Titans existed long before the gods. We should rule again! The gods must fall! Kronos barked. Titans, gods—they are titles. The ancients’ ones would be considered both titan and god. We are the gods of titans! The voice declared.

I have no god! Kronos scoffed. Then you will die by my—for the lack of a better term, hand. But this time you will not regenerate. That is the power I wield. The voice of the Forgotten One said.

What do you want from me? Kronos asked. I want you to be the general of my army of madness against the gods and all that serve them. I want you to spread my madness across the Void, across the multiverse, and assimilate every ounce of reality into my madness. The Forgotten One answered. Kronos was a titan of chaos. Chaos was akin to madness.

I will be restored? I will be given my revenge? Kronos considered the offer. Yes! The Forgotten One replied.

I will serve you for now! Kronos declared trying to maintain his dignity. You have always served me! The Forgotten One laughed. Kronos was made whole in an instant. The tendril still coiled about his body.

What is this? I am ready to hunt down Zeus and his allies. Kronos roared. No! I am making you stronger. I am making you a minion of madness. The Forgotten One said. Power surged from the tendril and into the body of Kronos. Kronos felt his strength grow. His innards began to writhe inside him to prevent mortal wounds from killing blows. His face sprouted tentacles like those found on an octopus, eight in all. He had new abilities that would serve and empower him.

I am the Father of All Titans! Kronos roared with a thunderous voice. You are that and so much more. You can forge an army of titans that will serve you to their death. They will grow in power and at your discretion be destroyed to prevent them from usurping your authority. They will be your children but my minions, my seekers. Any being you find, be it mortal, titan or god will be assimilated if possible and made a seeker. If it is not possible for you then destroy them. You are the Devourer of Gods. The Forgotten One declared.

3 CHAPTER Three

Olympus was on alert after Zeus felt the death of his kin that watched over the head of Kronos. The plane of Olympus shook and quaked. A great crack split up the awesome mountain and lava emerged. The reality of the plane waned and wavered. The power that Zeus and his companions had over their realm seemed to be stolen. A rip in the plane appeared and a massive tendril pierced through it and impacted into the said of the great mountain. Seeker-titans ran along the massive tendril down to the mountain. The alarms of Olympus sounded.

It’s the return of the titans! Apollo shouted for all to hear. Zeus hurled massive bolts of lightning at the approaching mutated titans. A second tendril ripped through the fabric of the plane and pierced another side of the mountain. Apollo fired his legendary bow at their enemies. The great White Eagle of Zeus emerged into the sky and swooped down upon the army of mutated titans, knocking them from the massive tendril and causing them to fall. Every Olympian god appeared to defend against the titans return. Hades and even Hecate appeared from their lower realms. The seeker-titans were formidable against a lone god but the Olympian gods worked together, even those that hated one another. A third tendril ripped through the fabric of the plane and pierced the mountain. The sky of the plane of Olympus was once a beautiful blue with magnificent white clouds. Now it was turning to an apocalyptic purple. Zeus felt the power of the otherworldly presence invading his home. Whatever or whoever it was wielded threatening power beyond any titan or god that Zeus knew of. Ares appeared behind a group of seeker-titans and cut them down savagely.