The End Story

Chapter 3: Chamber Door

Jeremy bolted upright in his bed, heart racing as if he had awakened from a nightmare—but the memory of the previous night loomed like a fog, fragmented and unJeremy bolted upright in his bed, heart racing as if he had awakened from a nightmare—but the memory of the previous night loomed like a fog, fragmented and unclear. His room appeared undisturbed, sunlight streaming through the curtains as if mocking his disorientation. Tossing aside the covers, he swung his legs over the edge of the bed and stood, brushing a hand through his unruly blonde hair. The strands fell messily into his eyes, a faint reminder of normalcy in an otherwise fractured morning.

The sharp beep of the microwave and the pop of the toaster snapped him into motion. Jeremy bound out of his room, hurtling down the stairs into the kitchen. There was Alice, her movements brisk and practiced as she buttered toast, seasoned eggs, and retrieved bacon from the microwave. She seemed utterly composed, her focus squarely on breakfast, as though the world hadn’t turned upside down the night before.

“Alice,” Jeremy called, his voice uncertain. She didn’t look up. His call barely rippled the steady rhythm of her preparations. A knock at the front door interrupted his thoughts. It wasn’t loud, but insistent—enough to command his attention. Jeremy’s brow furrowed as he glanced toward the sound, only to realize something was wrong. The window by the door didn’t show the usual morning light. Instead, an unnatural darkness had swallowed the outside world. His pulse quickened.

Ignoring Alice’s indifference, he approached the door, but as his hand reached for the handle, a vertiginous force yanked at him, pulling him in every direction at once. He couldn’t scream, couldn’t resist—it was as though his very being was unraveled and rewound in a heartbeat.

When his senses returned, he was no longer in his home. The damp air and musty scent told him he was in the basement. The oppressive dark pressed against him, broken only by faint shafts of light filtering through cracks. He stumbled forward, brushing through sticky cobwebs, when a voice called down to him.

“Blondie, get up here!”

Jeremy flinched, recognizing the sharp tone of Bloodmancer. Climbing the stairs two at a time, he emerged into the ruined front room. The door, splintered and hanging off its hinges, bore the scars of the previous night’s chaos. Bloodmancer stood at the threshold of the kitchen, her arms crossed and her expression unreadable. She gestured to him to follow.

Inside the kitchen, another figure sat at the table, scribbling furiously in a weathered journal. Jeremy’s gaze settled on Grey, his silver eyes sharp and focused, his hand moving with meticulous precision. Bloodmancer shoved Jeremy into a seat opposite Grey before taking her place nearby.

Without looking up, Grey spoke. “The bloomer infestation was proof enough. You were right, sister.” He snapped the journal shut, binding it with a leather strap before slipping it into his bag. His gaze finally lifted to Jeremy, his eyes cold and assessing. “Now, what are you? Are you certain we didn’t bring a nuisance, Blood?! Well better start talking, Goldie, or I will set you ablaze and scavenge the truth from your dust.”

Jeremy’s mouth opened to protest, but Grey’s scrutiny froze the words in his throat. Bloodmancer’s firm hand on his shoulder kept him seated.

“I wonder,” Grey mused, his tone laced with suspicion. “Have you been… born recently?”

“Born recently?” Jeremy sputtered, confused and defensive. He tried to rise, but Bloodmancer’s grip kept him in place. “What are you even talking about? I’m not a threat! I don’t know anything about last night except—”

He faltered, the memory hitting him like a wave. “A dream. I saw my sister die. I saw it happen, but she’s—she’s still alive. How is that even possible? What’s happening to me” he held his head down questioning all he has seen.

Bloodmancer and Grey exchanged a glance, their silent communication brimming with hesitation. Finally, Grey leaned forward, his voice steady and deliberate. “Your sister will be fine. Our eldest he will need to see you, and Tel will take us there” He paused, studying Jeremy intently. “You’re caught in something bigger.”

Jeremy leaned back, his head spinning. “Explain,” he demanded, though his voice trembled. “All of it.”

Grey exhaled. “Bloodmancer and I are called Powers. Currently we are a watchdog for rifts opening and bloomers escaping.” He paused, gauging Jeremy’s reaction before continuing. “As I said before Marcus created a hole in existence where bloomers poured through from. They attach themselves onto the living overwriting they’re very being. And our brother Coul he birthed an algorithm to line up time and space for channels to locate such divergence.”

Jeremy barely followed the mythology Grey recounted, his mind instead flashing to a vivid, horrifying memory—a pod. He was trapped inside, suffocating as the abyss of space loomed outside. His vision blurred, and the memory gave way to a sharp, painful reality: an orange cat pouncing onto his lap.

He yelped, falling backward out of his chair. Bloodmancer was at his side in an instant, pulling him upright as he clutched at his pounding chest. “Are you okay?” she asked, her voice softer now.

Jeremy shook his head. “No. I—I saw something. A pod. I was trapped inside. It felt… alive. Like I was being buried alive.”

Grey’s expression darkened as he stroked his chin. “A pod, you say?” His voice was measured. “There’s a myth—of a brother betrayed by his sister, his body cast off a ship to ensure his death. The sister was caught, tried, and imprisoned in an ageless crypt. A prophecy spoke of a return, but we assumed it referred to the bloomers.”

Jeremy’s stomach churned. “What does that have to do with me?”

“You,” Bloodmancer said, her tone grim. “You resemble the brother from that legend.”

Grey cut in. “Which might mean the prophecy has been misread. If true, the End may truly be at hand.”

Jeremy tried to rise again, but his knees buckled. “You’re going to kidnap me now, aren’t you?”

Bloodmancer’s hand on his forehead was the last thing he felt before the world went black.

He woke up, but the air was dry and his eyes salty when a whirlwind swung at him. Some kind of aircraft Jeremy found himself on. The oppressive heat of the desert shimmered through the cockpit windows as the rickety aircraft hummed under the skilled hands of its pilot. Jeremy sat uneasily in the back of the craft, glancing out at the endless expanse of sand below. He peered out a window to see a rather circular pointed end and front. An obsidian color wraps around the sleek zeppelin like craft. However, there wasn’t any propellent keeping the ship in the air. Instead, it seemed to float perhaps from magnetism. The cabin was cramped and smelled faintly of oil, dust, and something vaguely metallic. Bloodmancer leaned casually against the bulkhead, her arms crossed, the picture of calm. Grey, seated next to Jeremy, was flipping through his worn journal, muttering to himself as he cross-referenced notes.

The pilot, a wiry haired kid with sharp features and a perpetual smirk, introduced himself as Kade. His laid-back demeanor belied his reputation as one of the best aeronauts in the region—a reputation Grey had vouched for. “Relax, kid,” Kade had said during takeoff, his voice carrying the easy confidence of someone who’d flown through worse. “You’re in good hands.”

Jeremy wasn’t so sure.

Suddenly, the plane jolted violently, the cabin shaking as alarms blared. “Uh-oh,” Kade said, his tone still maddeningly calm. “Looks like we’ve got company.”

“What’s going on?” Bloodmancer asked, already striding toward the cockpit.

Kade gestured at the controls. “Magstorm ahead. Bigger than I thought. We’ve got to land—now.”

Jeremy felt his stomach drop as the plane banked sharply. Outside, the clear sky was consumed by swirling clouds of shards. Kade’s hands moved deftly over the controls as the engines roared in protest. The ground below seemed to rush up to meet them, and then, with a bone-rattling thud, they were down.

Dust and debris filled the air as the group stumbled out of the plane. The sandstorm loomed closer, its ferocity a tangible threat. Bloodmancer was the first to spot it—a nearly perfect circular entry in the nearby rock formation, though its insular jagged edges like the mouth of some ancient beast.

“This way!” she shouted, leading the charge.

The cave provided immediate relief from metallic edges spun into a vortex onslaught. The group ventured deeper, the air grew cooler, and the walls began to take on an unnerving, metallic sheen. Jeremy’s unease grew with every step. Something about the place felt alive, as though it had been waiting for them. A stream of low light sprung from the floor in a streamline lending illumination toward a labyrinth of paths.

“Where are we?” he asked, his voice echoing in the cavernous space.

Grey examined the walls, his silver eyes gleaming with fascination. “A relic from our ancients first home.”

Jeremy opened his mouth to ask more when a familiar orange streak darted past his feet. “What the—?” He turned to see the cat—the same one from the basement dream—bounding deeper into the cave.

“Wait!” Jeremy called, chasing after it.

“Jeremy!” Bloodmancer shouted, but he was already gone.

Jeremy surveyed the cat through a maze of corridors until he stumbled into a vast chamber. The walls were adorned with crude drawings, seemingly carved into the metallic surface. They depicted a group of people traveling across what looked like a desert, with one prominent figure pointing toward a distant mountain. It wasn’t just art—it was a map. Jeremy traced the carvings with his fingers, a chill running down his spine. The figures seemed familiar, though he couldn’t place why.

“It is good you tailed me here, Jeremy” a twist the ghastly humanoid form floated as the cat drained into the it. Orange strands expanded into hair toppling over her sleek body as the atmosphere became chiller. A pale pink color covered her body underneath a misty gown. A cloak and hood concealed her eyes presenting mystery.

“I’ve seen you before. Are you helped me save Alice, thank you” Jeremy gave her a grateful bow.

“Your trust is welcomed. But your sister is still not safe. A coming choice will be made sending you into the heart of conflict.”

Jeremy thought about all the information centered around bloomers and decided to ask “what are they? The bloomers?” The icy woman set her foot to the ground and bounced toward Jeremy as he flinched from the rush of cold air directing to him. A chill ran up his spine as the ghostly woman reached to feel the warmness of his cheek.

“You may call me Frost-Cat; it is the name assigned to me” she slowly drifted back into place. “The bloomers are non-existent beings who came after the Tri-Gods attempted creation. These Gods were eventually followed by other non-existing beings they too would become other concepts like time or space. Existence is where light expands and covers but then returns after it goes out” Jeremy listened intently conceptualizing the light meaning the pillar or the Sun of this world. Could it be really a concentration of all light. “When refugees first came here, they did not understand only after becoming the Powers did we acknowledge the dangers of bloomers and their activity. Bloomers simply put are those who choose not to return to the light and fall into non-existence. They will seek light but not from the source and seize those bearing their own radiance. Bloomers hunger for it because they actively starve themselves from it” Frost Cat gently blew through Jeremy leading him once again as an orange cat. He observed the four-leg critter travel out and into another narrower hall. This cramped space of rock rusted through metal down a fork in the path. He lost track of the cat only to glimpse the albino siblings searching for him calling out ‘blondie’. The cat meowed, drawing his attention to another corridor. Reluctantly, Jeremy followed.

The next room was a surprisingly spacious circular with a centered spiral staircase leading to the very depths of the ruins. Many rooms guided around the interior and a quick look into one reveal dormitory living. There seemed to be unnatural stone smoothness on the tops surrounded by smaller irregular shaped stone. The dome ceiling gave significant height to the commons. Light gathered from the ceiling. The rays pooled around the room, reflecting from metallic material spread across the tops of the doorways creating a ring. Jeremy followed Frost Cat into the underground as she trotted down the spiral. It wasn’t long before the enveloping darkness entrapped them, leaving Jeremy feeling his way downward. He could feel the softness of Frost Cat brush up against him as he tried the next step. Something was different, his foot felt the step sink as the ground beneath crumbled away. Frost Cat jumped on his back as Jeremy plummeted to what he thought would surely be his death. He let his eyes close, picturing Alice smiling waiting at the front door for him to come home. But his vision turned elsewhere. A darkness enveloping around him as Alice faded. A sudden chill ran down his spine when he saw it. He did not know what it was at first. The metallic pyramid floating in the void with two sides of observation a lone figure laid. Jeremy could tell right something was wrong. The person inside had their arms fixed at an angle and pressing up against the triangle window. They were scrawny almost skeleton like. The skin was as pale as the undead bloomers and its face, the eyes of one who knew precisely when life support will fail. What horrified him the most was the likeness in facial and body, Jeremy was staring at a mummified version of himself. Jeremy tightly closed his eyes wishing for the dreadful vision away like a child covered under a blanket hiding from a monster. A warm touch tightened to a vice around his forearm dragging him up. Jeremy relaxed opening his view to the astonishment of Grey, but more so for the grand tree sprawling branches and roots throughout a dome like theatre. Grey motioned Jeremy over to Frost Cat was sitting on a rock before fading into mist. A gut-wrenching pain followed Jeremy as he hobbled his way taking a seat. Grey looked at the enormous tree.

“That tree is a bloomer. It’s been grounded here since the first landing. Bloomers as you know are undead, but here in the land of light a chance of many bloomers merging together create Yggdrasil’s.”

“There are more of these trees?” Jeremy tried to follow what the bloomers would be like as a community. “Why would they come together” he asked.

“Remember bloomers want to extend their existence and by doing so steal another’s. This however is not the extent of what bloomers can do. They may also see the light from those who choose to worship them. Tree, you see here are my distant ancestors, but they have gone silent after the last generation died off and migrated to the two homes. One of an arid climates and the other forested. Once at headquarters you will meet with our close relatives in the divine Umbra Woods” Grey informed. Jeremy could see through the context. Two factions of bloomers exist with different ways of staving off the eventual return to the light. The zombies eat and plunder what light they can find. The Tree is supported like a godly icon. This world keeps getting more intriguing he thought. And he wondered how right now if he may not also be a bloomer. There is no way he could have survived the fall. May be Frost Cat slowed his descent into darkness, but what if this tree here allowed him to live. He tried to focus back on the vision. A sudden realization hit him. The cave has been a vehicle for someone to reach somewhere. If the Tree bloomer was Grey’s ancestor, then perhaps Jeremy contended he too may be a descendant.

“Grey, Jeremy gets over here now!” shouted Bloodmancer standing out from under a tunnel. Grey extended an arm to Jeremy who waved his hand away and jumped back on his feet. A new energizing consciousness took him over. This home of mystery may lead to a way to deter his fate and get him back to his sister yet. The tunnel lit when they approached it, guiding them along a long and narrow path. On the other side there is a chamber with an empty-looking pod not too dissimilar to the cryo-pods from Marcos’s tower. Bloodmancer pointed it out to Grey as the one taboo shielding her own view from it.

“This is her coffin, nothing more to be said” Grey moved away and started heading back the way they came. Bloodmancer stood there before following him with Jeremy catching glimpse of her glaring at the cryo-pod before shifting the heat on to Jeremy. The area was cramped with caves in debris and broken machinery. Indeed, nothing more can be said…

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