Shattered Bastions

[Leecifer]

Shattered Bastions

Book 1: First Steps
Chapter One: Graduation

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Dylan's life was coming to an end.

As the sun streamed in through the classroom window, the June heat was barely held at bay by the school's aging air conditioning, which gave the building a distinctive wet, cloying, weirdly sweet scent that everyone at Miskatonic High had long since gotten used to. The feeling in the room was anticipatory, almost nervous, but mostly relieved.

Classes were over, the last tests were finished, college admissions had been filed and accepted, and now the only reason anyone was even present was that they, legally, had to be here a certain number of days before they graduated, today being the very last one. Even the teachers weren't taking it seriously, Mrs. Whately sitting at her desk, reading a book, while the rest of them just killed time, his Honors BioChem class now just another Study Hall.

Grabbing his own book from his bag, to have something to do, it didn't really help, as his eyes just slid off the page, his own nerves seemingly turning the words into an incomprehensible mess of symbols. He put it away with a sigh, running his fingers through, as his girlfriend called them, his 'chestnut locks', looking around. He didn't really have any friends in this class, though he was friend-ly with a lot of the kids in his grade, not that they were kids anymore, but friends and friendly weren't the same thing at all. The closest thing he had to the former would be Robbie, who he was on the football team with, but that guy was taking a nap, a folder on his head to block out light, and Dylan wasn't gonna disturb him.

Which just left him to be idly philosophical.

… I think… therefore I'm bored.

Technically not wrong, but not terribly helpful.

Looking around again, everyone talking to their friends, or doing their own thing, one of his classmates, Malik, was looking at his own book and frowning, so lacking anything to do, Dylan walked over, asking, "What's up, Mal?"

"Huh?" the black guy questioned, "Oh, hey Dyl…" there was an awkward pause between them at that, before Malik winced, "Yeah, that doesn't work. Um, hi, Dylan. Uh, does… this look weird to you?"

Showing the book to him, Dylan looked at what turned out to be a comic book, or 'Manga' as he distantly remembering the other guy insisting it be called. No one else was really into that stuff, something that'd made the guy a bit of an outcast, even among the nerds, but the pages seemed… strange. There were pictures, some blonde girl saying something while shooting beams at a monster, but, as he tried to read what was said, the words… weren't, causing him to blink, even as the image seemed to shift, in a way that what he remembered seeing happening was what was happening, but he could've sworn the girl hadn't had dark hair a moment ago.

"Weird, right?" Malik questioned, seemingly excited, even as, a headache starting to form, Dylan shook his head.

"Yeah, guess I didn't get enough sleep last night," he responded absently. "Nerves. You too?"

"Huh?" the other guy replied, before chuckling, "Oh, yeah, I, uh, might've pulled an all-nighter finishing up HuntressXHuntress! Wanna hear about it?" he grinned, before hesitating, "Unless, uh, it's fine if you don't care."

More out of looking for anything to do than any real interest, Dylan sighed, grabbing a chair, before motioning Malik to continue, prompting him, "Lay it on me."

Only half listening to the guy talk, it was kind of interesting, though, "Wait, so the entire world is a lake?"

The other boy nodded, "Nah, just the world on the map. The actual world's, like, waaaay bigger than it seems, but you don't find that out until chapter three-hundred and twenty-eight!"

"If it takes that long to find out," Dylan argued, "how come it never came up before? Do people not know? How?"

Malik shrugged, "There's a lot going on, and, I guess, if you're worried about what's going on next to you, you don't worry about what's happening further away. Unless you have to, like a super-powered termite shows up or something. Anyways-"

Before he could continue, the bell rang, ending class, and over the loudspeakers came the announcement, "This is Principal West. Would all seniors please kindly report to the gymnasium for the leaving assembly. I repeat, seniors, would you kindly all report to the gymnasium."

"Already?" the other boy questioned, though to Dylan it couldn't've come soon enough. Not as a dig at the other boy, but he'd been here for twelve years, metaphorically speaking, and couldn't wait to leave. Turning to Robbie, the guy was already out the door, and so, shaking his head, Dylan grabbed his backpack and followed the others down the winding halls of the school, having to cross most of it to get to his destination, the AC working overtime there as the smell intensified.

Technically, the graduation ceremony wouldn't be for another couple weeks, where they'd get their diplomas, shake hands with Mr. West in front of their parents, all that stuff, but they'd been told this was a 'personal sendoff', and was mandatory. He didn't really see the point, but, hey, it gave him something to do, so he wasn't going to complain. Stepping inside, however, the setup wasn't the normal rows of chairs, like they had in the auditorium, which they weren't using because the drama club still had the set up from the last play they did, from what he'd heard, but something… else.

The folding seats were instead set up in circles of thirteen, each around a large metal crate, one that was wide, and so tall that whoever was sitting behind it would have trouble seeing the stage, except maybe the podium that'd been put up at the back of the space, the basketball hoop lifted up and out of the way.

"Hey, Dylan!" a familiar voice called, and, smiling, he turned, as Annabeth was waiting for him. His girlfriend practically pranced up to him, grabbing his arm and starting to drag him off towards a group of her friends, except as she did so the last two seats in that circle were taken. "Oh, damn it."

Not super upset at not having to spend the entire time sitting around the cheerleaders hinting at things he didn't get, and spotting his friends, mostly from their football team, Dylan moved to take her that way, as there were two chairs free, except Robbie grabbed one of them, spotting Dylan and giving him a mocking salute, the jerk. Glancing around, the spots in the circles were filling up fast, and while he was friendly with a good bit of the school, there was 'remember their name and nod to them in the hall' friendly, and there was 'hang out during an assembly' friendly, and while he felt like he was probably the second one with a lot of them, he knew Annabeth wasn't.

"Please, everyone," the Principal stated, up on the stage, their teachers all standing behind him, even Mrs. Whately who he could've sworn had a class of freshmen right now, "take your seats."

Looking around again, Malik gave him a friendly wave, and that circle was only half-full, so, sure, why not. Pulling his girlfriend with him, he didn't exactly miss the look of distaste on her face, which he knew wasn't a race thing for her, it was probably a social status thing, which he didn't care about, but he knew she did, and while she'd probably complain later, they'd be fine for now. Either way, he made sure to be the one sitting next to the nerdy guy, preemptively telling him, "Hey, let's focus on the assembly, we can talk later," to stop any other issues.

Though, given he'd probably never see the boy again, that was kind of a lie.

Eh, there were going to be 'rehearsals' for the ceremony, so he'd find the guy then, if only for a few minutes.

Thankfully, Malik nodded, while Anna sat on his other side, the girl nodding to Ivy, who Dylan had Physics with, his girlfriend having a sour look on her face, and he realized it might not've been the nerd she didn't like.

Sure enough, way meaner than she'd ever been with him, the Asian girl remarking acidly, "Didn't expect you here, Beth."

"Didn't have a choice," his girlfriend responded with equal hostility. "Think you can keep from trying to sleep with my boyfriend for an hour?"

Ivy flicked the blonde off, while Dylan was left confused, Ivy never having even flirted with him, and he'd never cheat on Anna anyways. Malik glancing between the two girls, while Sophie, on his other side, looked uncomfortable, and the last girl, who he didn't know, physically leaned away from the pair. Then there was Logan, who'd put the box between himself and the stage, almost like he was hiding, who didn't really react, and just looked high, but that guy always looked high.

"Hey Anna," another voice said, as Kyle took a seat on the other side of the blonde, smiling at her, who Dylan knew from Football, not any shared classes. The big, dark-haired boy wanted to be quarterback, the shot caller, but like Dylan he was an End, who'd either tackle or catch as needed when they played. "How you doin'?"

"Could be better," Dylan's girlfriend responded, glancing to Ivy. "What do you think."

The other girl scoffed, "I have taste," which didn't make a ton of sense, and, looking to Kyle, the other guy was confused too, but, meeting his eye, Kyle sent Dylan an annoyed look, the two of them never having gotten along for some reason.

The rest of the chairs were filled. Kristen, who Dylan remembered from some of his honors classes, before she'd started taking advanced placement ones, next to Kyle, along with Bart, sorry, Bartholomew, who was the same. Scott, who lived on the same street as Dylan, and Val, who'd been in a couple of his more physical electives, were next, with Samantha taking the last seat, though, from how she was glaring at a different group, she'd rather be with the other theater kids, that circle full as well.

Quiet whispering, the kind that always happened in assemblies, filled the hall, the fact that they were holding it here instead of in the auditorium just making it that much louder, as sound bounced off the basketball court and the folded up bleachers. Looking at the crate between them all, it was made up of pentagonal metal tiles, without any rivets or fasteners, the edges irregular. Curious, he leaned forward and putting a cautious hand on it, the dark blue metal strangely warm to the touch.

"Good," Mr. West stated, making Dylan jump, the doors into the space closing with a slam, everyone going quiet, as the teachers all stood behind the Principal in a row, expressions nearly identical as they watched on, seemingly calmly disinterested. It was as Dylan turned to look at the stage that he realized he had to turn to look at it, the seats around each box facing it, instead of the stage that'd been set up. He wasn't the only one to realize that, from the sound of scraping chairs as most people shifted themselves to face the Principal, rather than have to look over their shoulders, or, for the person in front, completely behind themselves to do so, Dylan picking up his own seat and shifting it along with the others, the folding chair heavier than it looked.

"I'm glad you're all here," the man stated, once things quieted back down, the administrator about as average looking as it was possible for a man to be. Not tall, or short, skinny, or fat, and from what the girls said, he wasn't good or bad looking either. Mr. West was the very definition of 'Mid', but when he talked, people listened, and anyone who got sent to the Principal's Office usually didn't need to go a second time. "I'm sure it's felt like not long enough, and far too long, but you've all done well here, in this institution of learning, and now it is time for all of you to leave these hallowed halls, time for you to enter the wider world."

It was all the same sort of thing they'd heard before, as the man continued talking about their time here, their accomplishments, just vague aspirational statements that did nothing to hold anyone's interest. While Dylan wanted to say something, either to Malik or Anna, a feeling at the back of his neck stopped him, everyone else also unusually quiet too.

"And, while not all of you will survive, we have done what we can."

Wait, What?

Suddenly focused, Dylan looked towards Mr. West, who continued, unabated, "I'm sure your travels will take you far and wide, but the lessons you've learned here will help you greatly wherever you go. The path forward will not be paved, will likely lack signage, and may need to be forged entirely, but what you are girded with is not just facts and formulas, but methodologies and mindsets that, if you can adapt, will carry you far. For those of you who cannot, I only hope it is swift."

"The heck?" Sam questioned. "What's 'swift'?"

Others had started to whisper, though the sounds were oddly muted, the Principal continuing without pause, heard clearly, "You are unformed, one and all, having not found your place in this world, but you will need to, as all must, for it is only in finding one's role that one can truly find oneself, though, as I hope you will understand, while one can be defined by such a thing, to be truly great one must step beyond one's [Job]."

The last word resonated outwards, making Dylan flinch, and he wasn't the only one, as it seemed to ripple through the air with physical force.

It was only in that ensuing silence that he realized there was another noise, a faint, subtle whine, like that of the old televisions the school used when they first turned on, though, unlike that sound, which quickly faded away the second you noticed it, this one kept going.

"The greater world is a chaotic place," the man stated, and Dylan, looking around, had the oddest feeling like the gym was getting darker, even though he knew these lights didn't dim at all, "and I'm sure you may wish to return to the safety, the security, of the halcyon days you spent in my establishment, but one must strive forward, into the known unknown, the unknown known, and everything in between, with one's shoulders back, one's head held high, and one's phalanges straight."

"What?" Val questioned, beside him, her voice not a whisper, yet still seemingly muffled.

"Fingers," Kristen clarified absently, though she sounded just as uneasy as he felt. "Specifically, finger bones."

The room continued to darken, only, at the same time it didn't, everything as bright as it was before, but there were shadows in the corners of the room now that didn't seem to make sense. To his side, Malik nudged him, and, looking at the other boy, Dylan followed his pointed finger to the frosted windows, high up to avoid stray balls, which were now pitch black.

"You may believe yourselves without purpose, but nothing could be further from the truth," the man on stage informed them all, seemingly unconcerned by the strangeness, smiling in the fatherly way he usually did when he walked the halls. "What purposes you may find for yourself are, indeed, up to you, but the very act of finding purpose, of taking the world as it is, and seeing what it could be, is, in of itself, a glorious purpose, and one that will now be entrusted unto you all, as it has countless graduates before."

The faint whine had gotten stronger, the shadows at the corners of the room seeming to subtly twist, and, while Dylan glanced at the others, everyone was now uneasy, but it was Logan's horrified whisper that caught his attention.

"Why don't they have faces?"

"What?" Sophie asked, voicing his thought, and, wondering what bad trip the stoner was on, while also wondering if it was contagious, Dylan glanced at the skinny boy, then followed his gaze up at Mr. West-

No, at the teachers behind him, who, trying to look at them, Dylan's eyes slid off, knowing what they looked like, remembering, a quick glance telling him they were who they were, but as soon as he tried to look at them, he… couldn't.

Meanwhile, Mr. West continued, unabated, "There will be times you will feel small underneath the weight of the world, feel as if it will crush you with its uncaring, unthinking, unending vastness, and in those times remember that you are small, for now, but you are young. Seeds, from which great things may grow." The whine was now a drone, that should've filled the space, but, at the same time, the auditorium seemed smothered in silence, except for their Principal's slow, ceaseless speech. "From a small sapling a mighty oak may grow, or a vast banyan, or even something far more unique, though what you all will grow into, should you be able to, will be a flora entirely of your own making. For your future will be what you make of it, whether you want it to be or not."

The shadows at the edge of the room suddenly flowed outwards, Anna giving out a shriek as she grabbed tightly onto his arm, not that he blamed her, other screams and shouts ringing out, but only the ones from their group sounded close, sounded loud, sounded real. However, the shadows didn't sweep over them, like a dark tide, but broke before they did so, splashing to the side. In an instant it flowed throughout the room, diverted into a hundred inky rivers, each circle of chairs becoming an island of light in the ever-darkening gymnasium.

His eye caught by the next circle over, Dylan watched as Kim, the girl he sat next to in his Literature class, tried to run, into the shadows, only to bounce off the air and be sent sprawling back, hitting her chair as she did so in a way that looked painful.

"You may be tempted to let the tide of fate carry you, but that is the one thing you must not do," The Principal stated, with calm grandiosity, as if nothing had happened, even as more people panicked, Jon, Dylan's best friend, now pounding on thin air at the edge of his circle. Beside him Tom, one of their linebackers, grabbed a chair and slammed it as hard as he could into that invisible barrier, four circles away, only to be thrown backwards, not a scratch on the metal and fabric seat. "You are not animals," Mr. West stated firmly, "following your instincts, but bear the shape of man, and carry within you that spark of greatness that no beast doth possess. You hath been granted the gift of choice, great and terrible, and to sacrifice that is akin to a living death, one from which you will never recover."

"What's going on!?" Bart demanded.

"You think I know!?" Ivy shot back.

Dylan could hear other arguments, the shadows between each circle now so thick they were solid black, yet, at the same time, glimmers of color seemed to flicker within them. However, he stared, transfixed, at Mr. West, who seemed to shimmer, the lines of the pinstripe suit he wore almost writhing, and, from behind the podium, long streaks of darkness extended out to the rest of the staff, who still stood… probably, Dylan unable to focus on them at all now.

"I have safeguarded you all until the hour came for you to step forward, not merely to guard your own fragile flames of life, but to be bastions of strength for others," the Principal stated, voice becoming oddly fluid. "While, one day, you may have the capability to stand alone, that day is not today, so stand together, younglings, for until you have found your true fate, you will have need of each other, or else be consumed separately."

The yelling, the crying, all sounds faded, at once, as if the world was muted except for that single, overriding, near-deafening drone. As one, everyone present all turned to watch the speaker, unable to stop themselves, Mr. West now a teeming mass of tentacles that looked fondly upon them with a thousand eyes, and smiled wistfully from twice as many mouths.

"The Day Is Long, And Full Of Terrors. I Have Given You What I Can. Goodnight, Goodbye, And Good Luck."

With those final words, the shadows shattered, impossible colors streaming out, as each circle fell into the churning rainbow abyss, and the Light took them all.





AN: And thus begins a new original story! As always, the next four chapters can be found on Patreon and Subscribestar. I look forward to your feedback as I write this, with the caveat that, when this is published, Book 1 will be stubbed (everything past chapter 3 removed) to comply with publishing requirements.

 

[Benisaperson1]

Interesting wonder how much of their lives beyond the school are real and how much is simulated/fake. Like Are their parents real and if they are do they know the truth of the world.

 

[archan]

Looking forward to the new story! Also, while I suspect it was not intended, I got a laugh from the environmental storytelling of "Okay, weird-ass mental focus collapse done with. That was weird." being followed by the first chapter of a story with eldritch as a tag. Jokes aside, glad you're feeling better!

 

[ForgottenSovereign]

Well, not what I was expecting when I stumbled across a new story of yours.

But you have certainly grabbed my attention here. I have wondered for some time what your more original works would be like and an Eldritch tag? I look forward to seeing what's to come.

 

[Rotceh]

Well i love your work so i would give this a chance...marked