Gloom Rising (The Book Wielder Saga 1) (35 page)

The city wall was a strange mix of its normal concrete self and the serrated metal Gloom version and the World GOVT building was a hybrid of Omniosis’ tower and a modern skyscraper. The corners of the building were white stone blocks with floor-to-ceiling windows in between, and the protruding masks at the top of the building were now glass.

Completely outnumbered and overwhelmed, the remaining Inquisition and Trinity forces inside the city walls reluctantly surrendered to the Alternatives, Military Peace Keepers, and Shadow Circle Supernaturals.

Winston sat on the new white stone floor, in between four tall stone prongs that rose upwards from the corners of the rooftop, in the centre of a persistent pillar of hazy white light that punctured the strange blackish and dark purple clouds that covered the city and the surrounding grassland. With his tired eyes, he saw that from this circle of darkness, purple and pink clouds above veined outwards at random in every direction.

Veronica wiped the tears away from her face, and with Lewis’ assistance they helped Winston to his feet and through a new wooden trap door to the tower below.

- - -

Archmage Omniosis got up from his white marble throne that sat in the middle of the room on a circular platform that he could rotate at will. He placed his feet on the chequered floor and walked over to one of the glassy faces which protruded outwards from the throne room. He looked down upon reality for the first time in a millennia, and most of his faces smiled beneath their masks.

“Did it work okay?” the Mayor asked grimly.

“It did. Very well, in fact,” Omniosis replied, surveying the city. “I just need a make few changes here and there...”

He raised his armoured hands and sent his own wave of power through the city. Being back in his home dimension was invigorating, and the connection to the source of magic in the Gloom kept him fuelled nicely. He couldn’t wait to bring it over too and regain his rightful godlike powers.

Omniosis’ magical energy wave transformed all the buildings and streets into ancient styled but modern looking white and grey stone buildings, with big white glass windows, water features, and hanging gardens. The roads remained the same, but the pavements took a fancier turn with the same white and black chequered theme that the Archmage enjoyed using in most of his manipulation magic work. Streetlamps were replaced with green, blue, purple, and red magical orb and fire lamps that took an edge off the persistent darkness from the strange thick clouds in the sky above. The city walls transformed into a ring of white stone with black stone recesses and tall sharp blades spaced along evenly. The large World Banners that were painted on the wall were now black rectangles with a plain white mask in the centre, and Omniosis took extra care to replace all the existing Imperian and World B
anners across the city to his own personal one.

Satisfied with his work, Omniosis turned to the Mayor. “Winston is coming. Remember to be happy and enthusiastic.”

The Mayor nodded sadly, knowing it was pointless to resist. The Archmage was the puppeteer that held all of the strings.

“Congratulations, Winston! You have successfully taken your first steps towards your true destiny!” Omniosis said proudly as the three entered the throne room from the roof access. “Here, let me help.” He held his hands out and revitalised the group.

“Yes, well done my boy!” the Mayor said happily. “Well done indeed!”

“That couldn’t have gone better...” the Archmage begun.

“Yes it fucking well could have!” Veronica interrupted, before storming out of the room.

Winston went to follow but Lewis grabbed his arm. “Leave her, dude. She just needs to blow off some steam.”

Winston wriggled free and addressed Omniosis. “Sorry, but I’d better go check on her. I’ll be back later.”

“Not to worry, Winston,” the Archmage said kindly. “Go tend to your lover, she needs your support.”

“Thank you, Omniosis.” Winston left the throne room and he hurried after Veronica.

When Winston finally caught up with Veronica, he held her tightly as she sobbed into his shoulder. He was also saddened deeply by the loss of his primary protector, and he would miss his stern and fastidious manner. With Xavier around he always felt safe, and now he was gone forever.

Veronica went back to Winston’s room in the newly transformed Hotel Noir which looked even more lavish than before, while he broke the bad news to Lucius.

Lucius didn’t say much to the grim tidings. It was hard to tell what he was thinking, but he was obviously taking it hard beneath his composure. Winston suggested having a celebration in his honour that night with the rest of the gang, and Lucius agreed. He began phoning around, and Winston returned to Veronica. Omniosis could wait while they honoured the dead.

That evening, the Shadow Circle and Military Peace Keepers celebrated Xavier’s life along with the others that had fallen during the battle. The hotel was bustling with activity inside and out, and soon the party atmosphere had spread so that even the Alternatives and humans in the city joined in with the festivities, until the newly altered Capital City was alive with drinking, laughter, dancing, fornication, and drug and sugar abuse.

Kavarne and Lynette had returned shortly after the battle had ended. They were disappointed that they’d missed the action and even more depressed about the loss of Xavier, so upon their arrival they partied harder than most of the others put together. Alongside Winston, Veronica, Lucius, Alexander, Brooke, the Governor, and the Mayor, they stayed in the hotel’s gardens drinking, smoking, and snorting right through to the next morning.

“To Xavier,” Winston raised a toast with a glass of champagne, “and to the beginning of a new world!”

The other’s echoed his toast and clattered their glasses together before downing them in one go.

It was indeed the beginning of a new world, and it would also be the beginning of the end for the old one, and to all those who defended it.

Epilogue

“It is done, Omniosis,” Mortissa said, finishing her work in the throne room and letting her glorious stolen hair down over her shoulders.

“Will anyone be able to tell?” Omniosis asked.

“Do not insult my abilities, Omniosis. I am no amateur!” she hissed back.

“I meant no offense, Mortissa,” he said as softly and diplomatically as he could with his slightly distorted voice. “This has to remain completely secret for my plan to work.”

“No one will be able to tell as long as he stays covered up. I’ve gone to extra lengths to keep the stitches well-hidden, just as you asked. You will now have total control over him, and any last ounce of self-awareness has been purged, so I suggest you keep him in character and well-dressed at all times,” Mortissa advised in her scary distorted voice, before packing up her equipment and leaving the throne room.

“Are you ready to carry on playing your part, my puppet?” the Archmage asked.

“I sure am, boss-man!” Lewis replied chirpily as he got up off the chequered floor.

- - -

To be continued in the next instalment: Reality Falling

Acknowledgements

A big thank you to Charlotte, Shaun, Connor and Lee A at work for all your help and input, and a massive thank you to my darling Laura, without your love and support none of this would have been possible.