Kax's Nightmare (Kolora: Modern Powers)

He was born a tool, bred to be the best, and the strongest magician to ever live. Centuries of research, forced marriages, and constant training had made him what he is today. His name was Kax. He has the build of a half-orc, the lifespan of an elf, the magical potential of a mermaid, the magical flow of an elemental sorcerer, the cleverness of a halfling, and the loyalty of a dwarf. Kax's daily routine was pretty simple: wake up, train, shower, eat, train, get briefed on an upcoming mission, prepare for the mission, eat, continue prepping or training, shower, eat, train and prep more, shower, go to sleep. Then when he was on missions, he was the infiltrator. His sword gun allowed him to accurately hit targets from close to medium range. The way the weapon would work was by having Kax cast Magic Missile and the sword would load the magic and store it until fired whenever Kax pulled the trigger. Kax also would wear a dark camo hoodie and pants as his battle uniform. He would wear sunglasses that had a radio transmitter, several scanners of various types, and an enhanced lens that were his bicolours. This made him really good at stealth missions, recon, and assassinations.

Yet none of that could have prepared him for the recurring nightmares he started having. He would find himself in a room surrounded by huge well-lit tubes filled to the brim with transparent fluids. In them were clones of him floating, unconscious, and unbothered. Kax would then walk to the very end of the room where a clone of himself floated. Its magical aura radiates from its tube until Kax gets closer and is jump-scared by a monstrous horse-like head that slams into the glass from within the tube. Kax would fall down, pull out his gun sword, and point at the tube ready to fire at whatever it was. He would then slowly stand up and turn around only to find that the rest of the tubes were now broken, the fluids escaping from the tubes and the clone bodies nowhere to be seen. Then a scythe would be stabbed into his chest from behind and he be raised from the ground. He would then be flung all by the creature and slammed into the walls. When Kax gets up he is then charged by the creature and is eaten.

Kax would wake up from nightmares covered in cold sweat, breathing heavily, and tears would come down his face. The scanners in his room would send a message about abnormal heart rates, brain activity, and any other things symptoms caused by the bad dream. The scientists on night watch duty began ignoring the signals and alarms. However, to make sure things were fine, a guard would open up Kax's door and check up on him. After confirming that things were back to normal, Kax would go back to sleep peacefully until the morning. This time it was different. This time when Kax went back to sleep the creature appeared to him in a black vast void. The creature had silver shiny armor, and a red cape draped on his back, his horse head was a black stallion with purple mist coming from his eyes which were green with red pupils. "Kax." said the creature in a commanding voice yet gentle voice. "You must realize that you have a higher calling by the one who made you, the one who knows you, the one who is your real king." the creature continued talking with the same tone. Kax was confused and didn't understand what the creature was, what it was talking about, not even why it was there. "I know you're scared, but don't be. I am here to purify your soul. I have to do it several times already. You must remember who you are and break FREE!" said the creature as he raised his scythe, and slashed Kax across his chest. Kax woke up from the strange encounter with the creature. Kax put his hand across his chest. He felt his heart racing even though he hadn't been running at all. "What's wrong, now?" said the guard who seemed tired and annoyed. "The creature. The one that has been in my head for the last several days, it spoke to me, it's the first time it has done that," answered Kax trying to calm his heart down and panting. "Ok, well I'll report this to scientists, just go back to sleep. You still have another hour before you're supposed to. Unless you feel like you shouldn't." said the guard as he began to walk out of Kax's room. "Wait. Can you ask the scientists who made me?" asked Kax. "Made you?" the guard asked confused and smugly "No one 'made you'. You were born in this lab. But sure I'll ask around, just for you kid." said the guard in a much kinder tone. Kax stood up from his bed and began pacing back and forth. His room was nothing more than a bed attached to the wall, a small desk, and a window that took up a third of the wall and overlooked a vast stretch of ocean. Kax stopped pacing and placed his hands on the windowsill, leaned into the window, and watched the ocean waves crash along the shore. It was the first time he felt peace, calm, and tranquillity. Despite the horrors, the creature did to him. He felt like a burden had been lifted, like a block of stone that he didn't realize he was carrying had been smashed off his back. Is this what the creature meant by "purify"? and what did he mean by break free? Break free of what? Kax needed answers but didn't know where to go or who to go to. Then the guard came in again. "So, I did as you asked and the scientists think you could be having a mental break caused by trauma on your missions. So with that they are suggesting you sit out of a couple of missions and not train. They plan on doing a couple of tests on you soon, and if I remember correctly they said that's supposed to be around the hex or hep-hour. So yeah, just be prepared to be tested and try to remember as much as you can about your recent nightmares." said the guard he then closed the door once again. "Great, so I won't be able to distract myself. How wonderful. How...wonderful" said Kax with a heavy sigh. Even though he was beginning to feel physically better, mentally he felt like he was invaded and given a threatening cryptic message. Was a magician causing these things? Surely not, such magic is impossible. Unless some terrorist group found a way?

Kax went through his daily routine only instead of training or prepping for a mission he began reading books on dreams, visions, and psychology. The scientists did several tests, they drew blood, they had him do a urine test, they had him tested for drugs and alcohol, and they had a psychologist come and see what might be wrong with him. When Kax described the creature the therapist whispered "It's not a demon, not an angel, Sombres? No, wait. Oh boy." When he made his realization the therapists asked "Did the creature kill you multiple times? Like did he force you to go through your past and had you watched him for lack of a better term "kill" such memories? and did you happen to feel any pain, like actual physical pain?" Kax was perplexed. "Well, he said he purified my soul multiple times and that I had to 'break free' but before that, he talked about how a person who knew me had a higher calling for me. Do you know what he means by that?" asked Kax. "I don't have anything definitive answers, but with what info you have given it would seem that Sombres is trying to tell you something. Most likely around your soul." said the therapist. "Whose Sombres?" asked Kax. "He's the one many call the "Monster of God" or "God's Wrath's " god of course referring to the god of the Chrisstens." He carries a scythe that allows him to purge the sin out of a person's heart and even has the power to kill demons and ghosts and stop them from walking around the world." answered the therapist. "Wait Chrisstens? Aren't they just crazy zealots?" asked Kax. "I will not say. That topic is not for today's session. Anyway, I think you are being visited by a spiritual power, as to what it is I can't say for certain, but I say it could be Sombres. However, you must be wary as demons can also be pretending to be angels or God. However, you must understand who Sombres is if we are to figure out this mystery. I'll see what I can find and try to see if you can also figure it out yourself. Also, let me give you my number in case we find anything. Got that?" said the therapist as he pulled out a business card with his phone number and email. However, Kax didn't own a phone or computer. Any and all electronics have been loaned to him for a limited time by the scientists as a reward for complying. However, he still had tons of books he could read and take notes so the task could realistically be done.

So with his task given and books ready to be read. Kax started his journey, hoping he could find his way, to 'break free' from whatever Sombres was talking about. Only to realize he was lost, and be lost for a long, long time.