The Abyssal Pits of Abyn’yakthul
The Gods Demand Sacrifice
A little late, but this is my story for Power up Prompt #4, in which the three elements were The Acolyte, the Abyssal Pits, and a Crisis of Faith.
Please enjoy…
Journal entry #1
From the moment I laid my hands upon that infernal relic, I knew I had set into motion events that could not be stopped. Not without unimaginable sacrifice. I should have feared the things that I invited into my dreams with that totem, but I didn't. After all, I was already shuffling towards death’s embrace.
The tumors in my body that ate away at my flesh and resolve would soon see to my end as well. I was a walking corpse. A member of the undead seeking to find meaning in a meaningless universe.
That acolyte, with his ashen skin and yellowed nails spoke of a grand purpose. A cosmic duty. A chance to truly leave my mark upon this nihilistic realm. He offered me the chance to do something with those final days.
I didn’t question him. I simply took what he was offering. He gave me an idol, carved from stone and overlaid with gold. An idol with an unfamiliar visage and a swollen head. Its body segmented like an insect. Its form turned and twisted in ways that defied the idol’s stony material.
A trio of emeralds laid in the center of the head, staring deep into the recesses of my rotting soul. Its cold gaze unsettled the very foundation of my being.
Just as quickly as he had appeared, that messenger of gods beyond comprehension was gone.
His final words referred to me as the new acolyte.
I was told that all would become clear when I laid my head down to rest that evening. I would soon be shown my new, glorious purpose.
I was eager to begin.
Journal Entry #2
Though one may question the veracity of my claims or the presence of my sanity, let it be known that every word upon these pages speaks to sights and sounds that I have beheld.
My words will no doubt fail me, as they often do, but I will endeavor to describe all that I have seen before the fractured shards of my mind finally succumb to the unknowable horrors contained within them.
That night, as my eyes closed, my mind opened to yawning seas of black infinity. I swam through a starless ocean and crossed countless eons within mere moments. Then, without warning, I set foot upon the far-flung realm of Abyn’yakthul.
It was an alien world beset by darkness and fog. A land peppered with unending abyssal pits across the entire surface. Lying beneath, in those labyrinthine tunnels, were the gods that I deigned to now worship.
As the acolyte, my task was simple. I was to ensure they were fed, so their great work could continue.
With the relic’s power, I could bring forth worthy sacrifices across that unfathomable distance simply by resting alongside them.
I stepped to the edge of a pit and looked downward into that twisting, winding blackness. I felt the eyes of something looking back.
Deep, endless, emerald eyes.
And then I woke up. Filled with a new sense of purpose, I went to work seeking out a sacrifice.
Journal Entry #3
I almost envied the sacrifices. They were plucked like fruit from a cosmic tree and spirited away to serve a purpose far greater than themselves.
Every night, I brought them an exquisite sacrifice, but I’ll never forget my first.
A priest, a man of the cloth. The kind of man who would condemn my gods as demons and declare their acolytes devil-worshippers.
A cloth soaked with chloroform was all I needed to send him to rest. From there, I took him back to my home under the cover of night. My frail body fought against me every step of the way, but the disease inside me could not follow me to Abyn’yakthul. Instead, it exacted vengeance upon me on my return like a jealous lover.
We arrived amidst fog and swirling dust. I could hear the excited shrieks of the things below. I stood at the edge of the pit, staring down at the sleeping face of the priest. His eyes started to open as I pushed him into the abyss.
His screams were drowned out by the chittering of ravenous gods. He fell deep into the pit, never again to walk the realm of the living or the dead.
For the insect gods of Abyn’yakthul left nothing remaining when they fed.
Not flesh, not bone. Not mind, nor soul.
All of it was devoured.
When I awoke, I went to work seeking out my next sacrifice.
Journal Entry #4
I have neglected this journal for many nights, for there was nothing to say. My work continued. I am here now, though, because something has changed.
I have sent countless souls into the abyssal pits. Not once have I felt the pang of regret. Not once has my conscience, sleeping dormant for years, stirred from its slumber.
And yet, that night, I hesitated.
I don’t know what came over me. I saw those glistening sapphire eyes, and I…froze. I couldn’t bring myself to send her into the abyss like I had so many others.
She cried for help and reached out to me. Against my better judgement, I took her hand. Her endless questions and cries for help fell on deaf ears as I carried her back across the black seas to the world we had left behind.
When we awoke, I sent her away, knowing full well the punishment for such a crime.
They will torture me for this. They will strip my flesh from my bones and restore my body so they can do it once more.
They will demand a reason for my blasphemy.
They will use all the tools at their disposal to wrench the secret from my grasp.
I’ll never tell them it’s because she reminded me of you.
When they are done, I will not be granted the mercy of a swift death, nor will I enjoy the pleasure of being devoured by my newfound gods.
No. A far worse fate awaits me, and yet, I am unafraid. I took satisfaction in knowing that the disease that ravaged me would never know victory.
Even so, for my crimes, I in turn would never know oblivion’s embrace.
Do not weep for me, though. I write these final words with a steady hand.
I see now that my faith was misplaced. When you abandoned me, I long believed that my life and my purpose had fled with you.
Now, I see that was not the case, for there was one more soul I was destined to save.
And, given the chance to repeat my actions, I would gladly defy those gods once more.
I will leave these pages in a place only you can find, then I will shatter the idol that bestowed this power upon me to cross eons in my dreams.
After all, it’s one of a kind. Just like you.
May this long trail of endless sacrifices for insatiable gods end with me…
Thanks for Reading! Here’s Your Musical Pairing
Listen to this after reading, like pairing a glass of wine with dinner.
You definitely matched Lovecraft! But even better :)
Holy wow! Chef's kiss.....wow