I. Paradise lost
This world is incredibly beautiful.
They had lingered too long in their Forest, confining themselves to the comfort of its familiar beauty and safety. They had forgotten how wonderful it was to feel the ground of the other lands with their own feet, getting in touch with these altered vibrations, and getting the new sensations pleasantly tickling with the freshness of the unknown.
That catastrophe, which forced all survivors to flee headlong from their native lands, escaping the horror that had flooded the Ellogos’ territories, was in some way a blessing for them.
A young Ljus, running swiftly in the crowd, abruptly stopped, signalling the others to pay attention to a pair of creature silhouettes spotted in the distance.
— Look! These… are visible! — it commented on its observation with surprise. — They glow a little. Just like normal Dims before.
The entire group of several ljuses, all that remained of the once great Ellogos race, simultaneously ceased running and stopped, peering closely.
The fact that had amused this creature instantly spread through the shared «field of thought», usually resembling an unceasing chorus of signals and sensations for those connected by this single invisible network. The ljuses could be at a considerable distance from each other, but still be aware of what was happening to everyone at once.
— So, it didn’t happen to all of them, — a voice chimed in the «Chorus» from a second creature.
The shared space, which had been silent until then, filled once more with the melodious voices, chaotic exclamations, and commentary of the whole Ellogos’ Community at once.
— Bet if we get closer and sniff, they’ll smell like ordinary ones, too. Just don’t feel like checking.
— Me neither. And I don’t like betting.
— But they really look quite normal.
— Even the grey noise inside them is the same. Looks… nice?
— If you say so. Besides, Evo said not all were damaged. In the settlement where it was quite recently, Vallos were behaving absolutely adequately.
— And Dims here also demonstrating pure adequacy, behaving strangely. Normally «strangely» I mean, not «deadly» strangely.
«Dims» or «dim ones» were what the Ellogos called people with low awareness, those who lacked witchy abilities.
Vallos, witches, in Ellish «bright ones», appeared brighter to them than the unknowing dims. The Ellogos usually preferred to deal specifically with vallos, as the only «sane» part of the human conglomerate. Perhaps because, in terms of luminosity, vallos were closer and a tiny bit more «understandable» to them. Some ljuses even considered Vallos and Dims different species, suggesting not to lump them together as one «human term».
But that was… a debatable point. The difference in luminosity between vallos and dims wasn’t as noticeable as the difference between them and more ancient beings — the Ljuses themselves, the Hellis, and the Viis.
Hellis lived predominantly in mountain caves, and Viis inhabited the boundless and beautiful Ocean.
The oldest ljuses could still recall times when a significant part of the Lesser Forest and the Wastelands were Swamps inhabited by even more archaic life forms — ghouls, gnats and gnashers… But all that terrifying diversity had sunk into the Aeonic Void of the Universe long, long time ago, along with the Swamps themselves, leaving only mentions of them in folklore and human curses.
But natural niches, apparently, don’t stay empty.
Furthermore, undesirable newcomers had just recently popped up on the Mainland. And as a result of their own being, they caused issues for all living things right away after practically barely emerging.
These were the Nejas, the «invisible.» Invisible to the Ellogos due to their almost complete absence of light. Upon closer inspection, one could see that instead of usual light, something unsettling, even terrifying, flickered inside the Nejas… a small Abyss.
The appearance of their kind on Ellogos’ Lands and their very acquaintance with the Ellogos themselves was staged quite dramatical
