The Weaving Mists of Atlantis

Fractured Relics

She collided with a towering bronze automaton, its eyes flickering with sentience. The machine warrior steadied her, its voice reverberating with ancient authority. "Kaelina, the city falls. The priesthood will not relent. Is the relic secured?"

"Secured?" Kaelina’s amber eyes narrowed, a streak of defiance glinting beneath her calm exterior. "I stole it from the High Chancellor’s vault under the noses of those sycophants. If this isn’t secure, nothing is."

Her emerald tunic, bordered with golden thread to symbolize her rank, was drenched from the rain seeping through the cracked temple roof. Her boots, crafted from serpent hide and dyed a deep jade, clung to her calves as they carried her closer to the heart of the unfolding chaos.

The Weight of Betrayal

Behind her, distant explosions rattled the city's crystalline spires. Kaelina dared not look back. She had seen the horrors wrought when the priesthood unleashed their war engines—hulking machines sculpted from volcanic glass, powered by the broken souls of traitors. She had no intention of becoming their next fuel source.

Her mind flickered to the confrontation in the council chamber mere hours earlier. She had been accused of heresy for daring to suggest the truth: Atlantis's power was waning. The priesthood, blinded by centuries of complacency, had refused to believe the great Mists—the barriers shielding the island from the outside world—were collapsing. But Kaelina had seen the signs, studied the Orb of Aetherium, and uncovered a prophecy older than the city itself.

A prophecy that foretold Atlantis’s doom, and her key role in the salvation—or destruction—of its people.

The Eye of the Storm

Kaelina reached the platform at the temple’s apex, where the Orb could finally connect to the celestial lattice. The howling wind tore at her silks, exposing the intricate tattoos that spiraled along her forearms, symbols of forbidden knowledge etched during secret rituals. Her hands trembled as she placed the crystalline orb into a pedestal lined with golden inlays.

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The storm's fury paused, as though the entire world held its breath. The orb blazed, casting kaleidoscopic patterns across the darkened sky. And then, the voice spoke—a voice not of man but of the ancients, reverberating in tones that twisted and coiled through her mind.

"Kaelina of the Emerald Flame," it intoned, "you have awakened the Seal of Ages. Choose wisely, for destiny bends to your will."

Kaelina clenched her fists, her nails biting into her palms. The choice was hers—to release the island’s energies as a signal to the gods for intervention or to embrace the more dangerous path: a bridge to an unknown world beyond the Mists where Atlantis might wither... or thrive anew.

The Arrival

As Kaelina hesitated, voices surrounded her. The priesthood had caught up, their crimson robes flapping as battle chants echoed around the chamber. But something else stirred. A glowing rift split the air, portals to the unthinkable. Figures were emerging—impossibly tall beings, clad in armor glimmering like starlight.

The Orb pulsed violently, sensing the convergence of realms. The swirling figures turned their radiant eyes upon Kaelina. The leader, a woman crowned with a helm resembling radiant suns, spoke in an authoritative yet melodic voice.

"You summoned us, mortal. The gates to the Other Realm are open. Choose your higher allegiance: your doomed isle, or the infinite void beyond."

The Last Secret

“No,” Kaelina whispered to herself, her vision blurring. “This isn’t destiny. This isn’t fate. This is... enslavement.”

The Orb pulsed in agony or ecstasy as Kaelina, shaking off her fear, pried it from its pedestal in defiance. A wave of raw energy burst from its core, obliterating the emerging figures but sparing the city. Atlantis shuddered, fragile yet intact once more. But Kaelina knew: she had postponed their doom, not eradicated it.

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She turned and ran, clutching the now-dangerous Orb. The priesthood roared in pursuit. And with one final glance at the collapsing skyline of Atlantis, Kaelina leapt into the ocean far below, disappearing into the abyss as the storm swallowed the city whole. It was only the beginning.

The Source...check out the great article that inspired this amazing short story: AI News: SINGULARITY Approaches, Grok 3 Update, o1 Model Leaks, Nvidia Stuns, New Humanoids

storybackdrop_1737046291_file The Weaving Mists of Atlantis

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1 comment

Battlestar
Battlestar

omg just read this and i’m low-key freaking out about the whole singularity thing. what if we’re not just talking about AI here but like actual cosmic entities trying to take over the world?

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