The Dawn of the New World

And no one could really blame them for reacting this way. That completely normal-looking helpless little newborn had been transformed into something else entirely in a matter of minutes.

Its fingers and toes curved at the end like talons and even though it stood there in silence, just one look at its wretched face was enough to churn their collective stomachs.

Eurig smiled at the creature before nodding lightly. Whatever command or instruction he needed to communicate to it were telepathically conveyed and the next second it jumped into action, scaring the others.

It jumped off of the bed and landed directly on one of the sidewalls. It began crawling on all four like an animal which only increased its movement speed further.

It could traverse the completely smooth vertical wall as if it was solid ground and moved about without a care in the world. And yet there was something so unnatural about it that it would send shivers down the spines of any sane person.

It started laughing and giggling like a normal baby would and even though they could see it clearly, it was difficult to pinpoint its location just from the voice alone. It was eerie just being in its presence.

"What kind of a monstrosity is that?!" one of them inquired.

Eurig shook his head as a matter-of-factly, "Not a monster but a gift."

"A...gift? From whom?"

"Ah, now that's the right question," he chuckled and sat down on the edge of the bed, preparing to tell them everything, well, almost everything that had happened to him. He put on as earnest an expression as he possibly could before continuing.

"I'm sure you all remember my situation before 'everything' began," he looked to them for confirmation to which they all nodded.

"I was hunted by the barbarians to the ends of our world. Wherever I went they found me, sooner or later. I spent the better part of the last decade hiding in caves and forests, living off of nothing but scraps. Most of the time I didn't even know I was human."

"They killed members of my family, almost wiped off my entire bloodline until I met him."

"It was almost a year ago now. I had just come out of some hole in the ground looking for food when I saw a man waiting for me. It was out in the middle of nowhere so obviously I thought he was related to the barbarians somehow but...I wasn't scared. I actually felt relieved that it would be all over soon."

"Dressed in clean white robes and accompanied by an aura that could placate even the most wicked of hearts. One look and it was enough for me to understand he was something else, something MORE."

"He told me a great many things. Things that were going to happen to us. He said I would have a big role to play in all of that even if I didn't know it just yet. He was the one who told me about the surface world and how to get there. He also gave me this marking and told me where to go, what to do, and when."

"The more we talked the more I realized his powers were....mystical. The more I saw the less sure I became of myself, of our own reality," he paused for a short moment to take it all in. Just speaking about it again made him smile like a fool because how arrgorant he was back then.

The others however were still skeptical. To them he looked like a nutcase, an ardent believer in a cause that didn't exist.

"He also told me about the invaders long before they ever stepped foot on this world. Every single thing he told me came to pass. He told me I should meet with them and should pretend to surrender to their overwhelming strength while gathering my own."

"We can stand here today in these new bodies only because of him, our 'savior'. He told me how to go about achieving such a feat and more importantly, that I should not keep it to myself. That it needed to be shared with others. So I chose all of you and in return, he gave you your own powers as well," he finished by gesturing towards the marks on their chests before looking over to Arnett.

"Everyone has a role to play, no matter how small."

With knitted brows, they also peered towards Arnett, "Even him?"

"Mhm, especially him. Through his suffering he will bring us to the promised one, the one who will set us free. The savior is waiting for him."

"Is that....why we are here? To meet someone?"

"That is a part of it but, before that, there is work that needs to be done," he looked back at them, "We need to bring down Argham. Destroy the magic that protects it and make sure it can never be used again.. That is our reason for coming here."