Challenge 6: Smoke, Fog, and Haze

[IsabellaRose]

The Challenge: Write a short piece inspired by the words: Smoke, Fog, and Haze.

Word Limit: Try not to exceed 2,000 words (over by a couple hundred acceptable, more than 300 over and you'll be disqualified)

Deadline: 23 Nov 2020, 5:00pm EST (entries submitted after this time will not be judged)

Prize: 1,000 EcchiCredits

[Xeed Deactivated]

How did it all began? What brought about this insanity? The whims of a single man condemned his entire tribe to servitude. Was it his fault though? His own judgment fogged by the illusions cast by a fleeting entity. It all started as a dream. A calling from a distant realm. A warm existences beckoning for his soul to reach out. Every time he woke up, the memory of each dream left him in a haze. At first he ignored it. He was a promised leader, a man in line to take the lead of his people, as small of a tribe as they were, they were the proud guardians of a celestial gate. A path between the soaring world, and the realm of mortals.

 

One night, it wasn't just a voice beckoning him. The dark fogs that sheltered his mind cleared, and he could see a temple ... THE temple that housed the forbidden gate. But the sound ... the siren song came from the reflecting pool that laid before the temple itself. He woke up, out of breath and out of his wits. Dawn was still an hour away, and sleep would not find him back. Or perhaps he feared to see that empty scene again?

 

On the seventh night, his dreams shifted. And the most gorgeous creature was standing at the edge of the pool. However ... That creature saw him as its reflection. It made no sense. She was ... out of this world. It was a dream, so ... she manifested as how he desired a woman to be. The long emerald green hair ... The bewitching blue eyes ... curves that may rouse the dead from their eternal slumber. A magnificent being, staring right back at him while he drowned in the depth of his dreams.

 

He could not unsee that vision. And his reasoning lasted less than an hour after he woke up, that it was just a dream. Just a desire manifesting in the depths of his mind. Long before the sun grew warm, he made his way into the temple. To the forbidden grounds that his people were supposed to guard. Once he reached the reflecting pool, he stood by the edge, and stared at his own reflection ... nothing. It was his own visage looking back at him. Rage consumed him. Was it just a ploy? Or was he so desperate to find that which he hoped to have ... a beautiful creature by his side?

 

As he dwelt on his own stupidity to believe a dream he'd seen, the air grew damp. He was too lost in his own thought to have noticed, but now fog was all around him, rising from the pool itself. As he stood up, ready to draw his dagger, he felt a gentle hand upon his shoulder. He froze, and as he tried to look over his shoulder, a kiss welcomed his cheek. He could barely make out the shape of her, but he saw a strand of her hair. Green as emerald, sparkling with life.

 

He dropped his guard, threw caution to the wind, and forgone his inhibitions. This is what he wanted to find. And even when she spoke, inviting him to lay with her within the pool, it was the same voice that beckoned him. But it did not matter. Not when she was naked ... wet ... and beckoning him to do with her as he pleased. And he did ... He became a primal being and ravaged this beauty. And how could he not? The mere act of lunging his desire inside her, felt like a continuous orgasm that did not stop.

 

He had her every which way. And she was always ready to sate his every whim. He fucked her until his mortal body could not move a single muscle. And yet, she came over him, laid against his weary body and kissed his lips, allowing him to savor the haze of his last climax.

 

When he came to, nothing was there, except for the rancid smell of smoke. When he stood up, he saw an ominous pillar of smoke rising from the valley where his tribe was. And rather than the howls of death and misery, he heard the faint trail of laughter coming from behind him. When he turned, his eyes went wide. The gate was open, and the world beyond it cackled with unforgiving laughter. This was not a celestial gate, or rather ... nothing beyond it was celestial.

 

When he wanted to run back to his home, he felt a shackle keeping him in place. Yet his arms and feet were free. When he tried to move again, he felt a manacle deep within. Gripping on his soul. Upon that realization, the whispering laughters grew louder, and closer. The one who held the invisible chain was a grotesque creature. A sinister smile welcomed his confusing gaze ... and a pair of blue eyes that looked familiar ...