@talessculpted semi-plotted, for Spring.
The demon's monolithic shadow crept ever-closer to the perimeter of the Valley of Thorns.
The field in which he stood stirred with a breath of wind from the North. Leaves twisted past him on the breeze, and so too the faint scent of wet Earth; it had recently rained, and these impulses carried far from the adjacent forest. The Valley of Thorns is quiet and dead, a stark contrast to the ever-flourishing lifesource hidden — no, imprisoned! — deep within.
Shortly into his self-described ascension, Aku had familiarized himself with the mythos of several Earthly cultures. After all, it behooved a young God to know those who might impede his reign of Evil. And one such deity he'd learned of, who had up to this point eluded him, was supposedly imprisoned here... The Goddess of Spring, whose responsibility was the rejuvenation of life after the Great Death of Winter.
According to Legend, she had had to be contained for her over-enthusiasm. It was possible to have too much of a good thing, and her unchecked freedom had resulted in a cancerous outgrowth that very nearly choked the life it had meant to encourage. Seeing this, the other Seasons combined their whims and imprisoned her here — where she could still work her magic in a limited respect, but where she herself was leashed.
It was... a kindred story, in a way. Aku could relate to the sentiment of being caged by the Gods, for destructive tendencies. But far be it for him to free her without some kind of give-and-take.
No, what had interested him about her was the infinite well of life she could provide him. All Gods relied on mortals in some form or fashion, and Aku was no different. Most deities would use the prayers of their followers to bolster their powers, but Aku's methods were a bit more... direct, shall we say. He fed upon mortal souls to fuel his powers, and to grow stronger. Thusly, a source of infinite life would in turn mean a source of infinite power. She could run amok, and he would just clean up the mess she left behind — gorge himself on her creations until he were nigh upon omnipotent. He only hoped she might find those terms agreeable, and that the other Gods — upon seeing this accord — wouldn't see fit to once again impede them both.
With an sigh of resolve, the Beast's form destabilized and shivered, receded upon itself grotesquely, and he momentarily reemerged from the liquid essence in the guise of a wild boar — better suited to push his way through the encroaching bramble in front of him.
He gave a piggish snort and trotted forward. The bramble pulled and ripped at his flesh like a living thing as he forged onward, as if it were trying to impede him from reaching his prize deep within its heart — rather than keeping said prize from the world without. Perhaps, thought the great demon with no small amusement, it was a smidge of both. Still, his essence simply parted like water round the thorns and he passed ghostlike through their midst.
Now, in the thick of vines the only sound is the crunch of them beneath his hooves, for no other living things were in this dead place. Indeed, the vines themselves hardly seemed to be 'alive' — rather, they felt like projections of the Earth, almost like rocks. Placed here, whim'd here, rather than grown naturally. So much like himself, when his essence was stricken into the Earth and he had sprouted forth like the great roots of a burned tree.
He walked deeper into the thorny labyrinth, sensing intuitively that the vines were thickening like an impenetrable wall around what he perceived to be the middle of the Valley. Here and there at his feet, bright green grass sprouted and then just as quickly died when it met his touch.
So then, there was some basis of truth in the traveler's legends.
At last, he pushed forward into an open clearing, and he was keenly aware of the transition from black, clutching thorns to soft, tender and young plantlife. The light seemed to shimmer and waver before his eyes, like the essence of Life was in the very air itself.
The demon threw his head back and emitted a terrifying sound, something which hybridized the scream of a falcon, the hoot of a monkey, and the snarling bark of a dog. The shimmering air receded, as if shied.
Now all he had to do... was wait.
izzy806
turnnoffyourmind
theartofmadeline
janainaart
yousharknotpass
andulkaphoto
vaporwave
