Cheshire Grin

Daily Writing Challenge 2021 Day 25 - Immortal

The concept of immortality was difficult to grasp when one had only been ‘alive’ for approximately a decade, if that. This body that The Construct occupied had clearly been alive for longer, and all of the pieces lovingly put together were those of adults. As with all elves, age was near impossible to discern. If he had to guess, The Construct would assume that his soul, souls plural, or whatever it was that gave him life within this body was that of an adult as well, or perhaps that of some immortal being with their memory wiped clean or safely stashed away. There were times that this brain or this ‘soul’ within remembered instances of past lives, but there was never much there to grasp onto, nor was he all that interested in seeking out his origins any longer.

The Construct was an enigma, not only to those around him but to himself as well. Much of his early life he had assumed he had been risen as a Death Knight, but the differences were glaringly obvious now. Gaebral had not shared much with his creation, other than naming him his ‘ultimate masterpiece’. There had been no others like him afterwards, leading C to believe that perhaps he was simply a lucky accident, unable to be recreated. Or maybe whatever it was that ultimately brought him to life had been some ancient being in search of a new refuge that Gaebral had managed to coerce. The possibilities were endless and the inquiries went largely unanswered.

At some point, The Construct had given up seeking direct answers and instead devoted his time to pushing the limits of his unconventional powers. There was no purpose in trying to categorize himself, and he decided that he must be something new, something yet known to the world and written about in their books - or he would have discovered it by now. 

An anomaly contained within what appeared to be a normal elf’s body.  It really was the perfect hiding spot.

Daily Writing Challenge 2021 Day 7 - Soul

“I wouldn’t go out there, Mister. Not without an escort, and uhhh, maybe some ‘proper’ attire.” The young soldier quipped towards The Construct with a half-amused, half-boggled expression. Seeing a man in The Maw donning a three-piece, glen plaid suit was not something one witnessed every day. No doubt they all thought him to be some eccentric noble. This wasn’t the first time he was given such a warning, nor would it be the last. Mortals: Always so assuming. They had more to worry about than he did, even in this ‘hidden’ location. Ve’nari’s Refuge was deemed safe enough and where the majority of the military and mercenary camps had been located, but that was of little interest to The Construct. He could be around mortals anytime he wished, but he had yet to explore a realm such as this one.

A realm that housed the most vile and irredeemable souls that the world had to offer, so naturally he found himself drawn here out of pure curiosity. What would one had to have done in their life to deserve this as their final resting place? Not that all the souls currently housed within the Maw were reprehensible. For years The Arbiter had been dormant, and every soul that had passed through since would end up here, and would continue to end up here until that issue was resolved. If it would be resolved. C didn’t care one way or another, it didn’t affect him. This simply presented another opportunity for exploration, knowledge, and a plethora of souls to deliver to his Master. 

He ignored the soldier’s warning and stepped out of the refuge to survey the fiery wasteland, wandering down a worn path to take in all the sights like a tourist on vacation. He had been promised ‘a hopeless maze of torment chambers and endless despair’, and thus far he was quite pleased. These Mawsworn were decent at their jobs when it came to the torture of souls in their capture, although many of their methods The Construct deemed rudimentary. He supposed with the multitudes of new victims constantly entering through the River of Souls that it was difficult to give each individual the special attention they deserved. Still, it was fascinating to watch the others work.

They didn’t seem to pay him any mind, in fact, at some point The Construct became convinced that both the Mawsworn and the souls were unable to see him at all. They never looked his way, even when he was within mere feet. Naturally, this presented more questions than he already had, and there seemed to be no way to get answers from any of the Maw’s inhabitants if he did not exist to them. Perhaps some form of natural defense system to keep him safe, or maybe it was Gaebral’s doing.

Or just maybe he himself did not possess a soul. 

It would explain why the Mawsworn had no reaction to his presence. Could the souls only sense other souls? Did the Mawsworn have souls? His brow furrowed in thought, mimicking an expression he had seen many a mortal do when they were in deep contemplation. All of Gaebral’s other ‘children’ seemed to possess a soul, it was like a source of energy that was needed to ensure the creation would not become a mindless ghoul. It was the reason The Construct’s resurrection of Daryia, Gaebral’s beloved companion, had failed so miserably: He raised her without a soul. But he was much younger then, and had since learned so much. So of course he had to have a soul, it was unreasonable to think otherwise; not that it would stop that thought from occasionally crossing his mind. Gaebral had never specifically told him of his origins or what he was, and The Construct was beginning to think that perhaps not even his Master knew the answers to those questions.

He would eventually find an explanation, but for now his new surroundings kept most of those restless thoughts at bay. He had a job to do. The small lantern-like device that had been dangling from his belt was removed, and within it placed an icy blue soulkeeper crystal that he had acquired from some ‘Maw Walker’. The nearly white light projected out in all directions, immediately absorbing any trapped souls that it touched. 

This was almost too easy. Gaebral will be so pleased.

Daily Writing Challenge 2021 Day 1 - Afterlife

The Construct’s designer wingtip boots clacked against the hard stone of Oribos’s Ring of Transference as he paced in circles. By this point in his journey, he had explored the available Afterlives, including The Maw, and while they all were fascinating in their own ways, he found himself…restless? Was that what this feeling was? Wanting more, but not being able to attain it? It was a feeling he experienced often, as if the world could not keep up with his curiosity. Now, not even the Shadowlands could.

Like a wild beast trapped in a cage.

The Brokers were of little help in answering his questions regarding other realms. Their knowledge came with a price, and The Construct was not adept at unintentionally swaying energy beings…yet. As with everything, it was a constant work in progress and harming or destroying them wouldn’t secure him their extensive knowledge, but instead probably gain him many enemies. That was not the objective of this particular expedition. 

The Brokers were able to move freely among the Afterlives, and previous conversations led him to believe that they were able to roam much more than what Azeroth’s occupants were allowed. But The Construct was unlike Azeroth’s typical occupants, wasn’t he? He didn’t need to follow the same rules, nor the same laws of the natural world; that much he had learned in his previous bouts of restlessness. Why couldn’t he navigate through the In-Between to explore new realms just as they did? He only had to believe he could do it, that seemed to be how things worked for him thus far.

He had been told of infinite Afterlives, a concept he couldn’t even fathom at the time; but the more he speculated, the more it made sense. This was not a place just for the inhabitants of his current timeline on Azeroth, this was meant for those from all corners of the universe within the infinite planes of existence. Life and death was so beautifully, but terribly vast.

He held onto those thoughts as icy eyes fluttered shut, pondering what the other realms may look like, what types of creatures, beings, and souls they may hold. Wondering if they too were in peril, and why they were not a part of this collective effort to stop something that must be affecting them as well. He thought of sandy beaches and deserts, cascading mountains and choppy seas, and never-ending fields of…

Eyes flew open as a sudden breeze kissed his cheeks, “…wildflowers.” His dulcet whisper was carried off into the wind as he turned in place, arms outstretched to graze his palms overtop of the brightly-colored, foreign flowers that spread out in every direction as far as the eye could see. Delicate footsteps carried him through the unfamiliar flora as his gaze drifted towards the sky, or what he assumed to be a sky. White wisps swirled around in irregular patterns set against the luminous light of whatever was up there. The longer The Construct observed, the more the frame of a massive flower became prevalent, constantly shifting its structure as if it were a living being. 

He was fully enraptured by the celestial phenomena, but a sudden jolt within his mind brought him back to where he previously had been wandering in Oribos. A nearby Broker watched him, clearly hesitant about approaching before eventually deciding to swiftly rejoin their Cartel. The Construct smiled to himself, and in tandem to his Master Gaebral, knowing fully well that he was the one to have retrieved his creation before any harm could befall him. 

Even the prettiest of flowers could carry the deadliest of poisons.

Had he done it? Had he just experienced another Afterlife? That was the assumption; whether or not he could duplicate the experience was another story. For now, his curiosity was sated and he had questions, or at least some information to trade.