Liquid Souls: Dark Rising

Where I grew up there were two kinds of people… Those who could handle the Elixirs of the Gods and those who could not…

The elixirs were found by the elders many moons ago and became one of the main staples of our kingdom. They brought life back to those who seemed distant and sad. Warmth to those who were cold and shaking. Strength to those who seemed weak and unable… While not typically given to children, occasionally elixirs would be used to help them sleep when they were in pain or had high fevers... or misbehaving and their parents needed a break… They were used in celebrations to lift the human spirit just a little higher to the Gods… In funerals to keep us closer to the dead until we were ready to let go… and in rituals that called for sacrifice… as we must always offer our spirit to the Gods first before receiving any of their blessings… For upon consuming any elixir, one could feel their spirit briefly intertwine with the Gods’… scattered among the stars… The elders believed that these elixirs were medicine in moderation to the human body and with their help, created a civilization of hope and joy, spreading the message that the Gods were aiding us through these powerful liquids.

However… there were those who started to develop a different sort of spirit from the elixirs…

The elders tell the story saying,

“At first, they seemed to become superhuman upon using them. They became faster, smarter, more attractive to those around them… They were capable of things that normal human beings did not seem to be when they consumed the ever-glowing liquids. The kingdom celebrated them as heroes for their feats in battles, negotiations with foreign lands, and almost miracle like performances in everyday life… Then, after some time started to pass and their consumption of the elixirs continued, these once reveled, seemingly supernaturally beautiful beings started to crave the elixirs more and more… Their cravings turned into acts of desperation and evil to quench their thirst. Soon their eyes started to turn red, and their skin became dry and flaky, almost translucent, as they moved like ghosts through the cities… Their once luscious hair became dull and matted. Their spirits became mean and demon like… They regularly picked fights, stole, destroyed property in their effort to obtain more elixir… The powers the elixirs once gave them started to turn inward on their own spirit and mind… They would talk to themselves in the streets and appear to be seeing things that were not there… Many of them lost their way and wound-up dead… Some managed to find hope in dark holes where people with big hearts would still feed them the elixirs they so craved and needed to survive… Some disappeared, never to be heard from again… What was true for them all was that they could not consume the liquid of the Gods and thus, were no longer trusted to be a part of society.

So, now, many moons later, we are careful to watch humans as they grow… See how they react to the elixirs at young ages and make the decision if we believe they will become a burden to society in the future… If we do believe that possibility exists… Those we are in fear of are sent to a different kingdom where they can be watched over and no elixir shall ever again pass their lips… for if all those who had this unwanted aversion to the elixirs were able to unite and obtain their desired object of affection… no city would be safe against their collective power…”

As young ones start to grow and get their first taste of the elixirs, some of them do not show immediate signs of their tainted souls… Some are able to lead what appears to be a happy, healthy life… while secretly they gobble up the elixirs behind closed doors… In time though, the elixirs still take their toll on these individuals and eventually they out themselves in some sad, sorrowful way, whether by hurting someone they love or destroying themselves…

It is told that even though parents and elders alike watch over the young when they do start to consume the elixirs at whatever age… Some of these humans that have been labelled defective have found ways to control their thirst and walk among us as normal humans… Hiding in plain sight so they can live normal lives and not be sent away to places that they would never return from…

This is the story of the one who was chosen by the Gods to lead them all…