The Alphabet Superset: Week 5: Eldritch Abomination

Reference Link: https://www.istockphoto.com/photo/old-man-with-an-evil-look-gm692619140-127821487

    Barrymore Dorm is named after the teacher who runs it. Mr Barrymore is well known as the "Reform Teacher." Troublemakers are sent to his dorm and reformed into polite, productive students. No one is sure how the man does it, but he does. 

    

    Miguel is the latest of his students. His grades are slipping and he has been caught twice now skipping classes in favor of hanging with friends. Mr. Barrymore is the last straw before he gets in serious trouble with the school.

    As he enters the hall in the late afternoon, the doors close behind him. Miguel hardly notices as most doors around the school do so. What he does notice is when the lights flicker off not a second later, leaving the only source of light in the main hallway to be the setting sun shining through the glass roof above.

    "There are three ways to obtain power in our world."

    Miguel knows something is up. The voice belongs to Mr. Barrymore, but he can't see the man anywhere. On top of that, two students come out of doorways on either side of the main entrance. They are dressed in formal school uniforms. The one on Miguel's right looks like a normal student, but the one on his left has white scales in place of skin. They both have professional smiles on as if they were cashiers at a store. But their eyes were black and filled with stars.

    "You can be born with it, like the sorcerers or the human-divergent, with the magic you wield laced into the very fiber of your being."

    The boy with scales moves first, jumping at Miguel with terrifying speed. Before he can react, white scaly hands with claws instead of nails restrain Miguel in place. The hands are so cold that they hurt, sending shivers through Miguel.

    "You can earn it, like you and your classmates do, studying the ancient texts and the flow of magic to manipulate to your own ends."

    The boy on the right points at Miguel, blue light shooting from his finger and hitting Miguel in the center of his body. Miguel's whole body is now freezing and a layer of frost marks the front of his shirt where he got hit.

    "Finally, you can ask for it, allowing your body to become a lightning rod for powers most other users can only dream of."

    Miguel takes a deep breath and opens his mouth. Instead of a shout or scream, the sound of thunder fills the hall. The boy with scales lets go, staggering back while covering his ears. The other boy drops to his knees while gripping his own ears. Miguel takes the chance to run deeper into the hall, hoping for an exit that isn't guarded.

    "You might be wondering who one asks for power from. Well, there are a few sources. The clerics and paladins call on their god to deliver divine power through their bodies in return for enacting his divine will."

    Miguel's escape is cut off when a sword made of white light appears in front of him. He is barely able to jump back in time to avoid getting cut. That is when he notices a girl and a wolf come out of a hallway on his right. Both of them also have black eyes with stars in them. There is another hall to his left that is mercifully empty. Miguel takes the chance, knowing the other two could be coming any second.

    "The druids ask to be combined with the chaotic forces of nature herself, seeking to achieve symbiosis with the world around them."

    Miguel doesn't make it far before the wolf pounces on him from behind. Its claws tear into his back as it bites down on his shoulder. Miguel howls in pain as he falls to the floor, the wolf on top of him.

    "Then, there are the warlocks. They are not picky about who they ask. Demons, fey, genies, celestial monsters. They are even willing to negotiate with death itself. They have approached every known force in the universe to seek power."

    Miguel summons electricity to his hand. He then reaches back and grabs the wolf's leg. The wolf bounces off Miguel with a pained yelp. Blood seeps into Miguel's shirt and he puts a hand over the wound and tries to run again, the sound of footsteps egging him on.

    "But what about the unknown. Humanity fears the unknown above all else. Can you imagine the raw potential power that lies just outside of the purview of humanity? What entities lie in the great darkness outside of all known reality? What powers could they be capable of?"

    Miguel knows he can't outpace his pursuers without help. He can see a door at the end of the hall. He hopes he can gather his bearings there and maybe reach out to someone outside the hall to let them know what's happening.

    

    He stops and waves up with his hand, summoning a wall of earth through the floor to block the hall. He sprints for the door and barrels through it, slamming it shut behind him.

    "Well, no need to fear. I have found one."

    Miguel turns in terror as he realizes the voice that has been talking this whole time is now directly behind him. He realizes too late that the door he thought was his salvation is actually the door to the office of Mr. Barrymore himself.

    

    Mr. Barrymore looks to be in his 70s, though only his head shows above the hooded cloak he is wearing. What hair he has left is white with age. But his eyes are the most terrifying part. They are yellow with slit pupils. They are also glowing green.

    "You see, in the early 1900s, an author by the name of H. P. Lovecraft wrote a series of books that touched on deep primal fears he had. While the man himself is controversial, the movement he inspired has persisted."

    It is everything Miguel can do to not completely break down in panic. Fighting with one hand while injured is also not helping him out. He is almost positive adrenaline is the only thing keeping him on his feet at this point. But he has to escape. He doesn't want to end up like the others.

    Miguel summons a ball of electricity to his hand again. This time, he throws it at Mr. Barrymore. Miguel's eyes go wide when a tentacle erupts from beneath the cloak, swatting the ball away from the man.

    "The man unintentionally created a channeling point for all of humanity's greatest fears. In a world with magic, that kind of power can do some terrifying things. Like, create a being that personifies fear of the unknown."

    The cloak opens up to reveal a mass of eyes, mouths, and tentacles. Miguel probably would've screamed if one of the tentacles didn't shoot out at him. It wrapped around his throat and slammed him into the door behind him. His head spun and a fresh wave of pain emanated from his shoulder. Slime oozed off the tentacle, soaking into Miguel's shirt and making him feel even more sick.

    "I found it. Can you believe that someone trapped it? Doomed it to eternal isolation in the void. For what? Just because it was curious. But now, I can save it. It doesn't have to be alone anymore."

    Mr. Barrymore walked closer. With every step, Miguel fought harder and harder to dislodge the tentacle. His eyes grew wide as he flailed his legs in an attempt to kick the man.

    "No no no, please. I won't say a word, please, please let me go. I don't wanna die. I promise to be better. Please don't." Miguel pleaded.

    "Shhh. Be calm. It doesn't want to hurt you. It doesn't hate you. It doesn't even know you."

    Mr. Barrymore's hand latched onto the struggling boy's head. Miguel could feel the magic invading his head. It felt disgusting and foreign. He hated it. But the energy just continued to invade his mind and thoughts. His hands grabbed at the hand on his head to try to remove it, but Mr. Barrymore's strength was like that of an Olympic gymnast and it refused to budge.

    "You see, all it wants is to learn. It wants to know everything about you. Just let it in and know peace like never before."

    Inside Miguel's mind, he watches his entire life flash before his eyes. Then he finds himself in a dark room. In front of him is a round window that shows him what his eyes see. But he can't move his body. Instead, it seems to stand on its own. Miguels attempts to reach for the window but finds his hands restrained. That is when he finally looks around.

    The room's walls are made of gray slimy flesh that seems to constantly be moving. He is stuck to the wall opposite the window as the flesh moves around his arms and legs, keeping him restrained despite all the movement. 

    Miguel soon realizes a steady sound from behind him. It is a heartbeat. It is only then that Miguel realizes he is inside the eye of some creature and begins to scream.

    In the real world, Miguel's eyes take on the starry night look shared by those who attacked him. The teacher loosens his grip on Miguel's head, ruffling the boy's hair. Then he takes a step back to give Miguel's body room to stand weakly.

    "Do you feel its gaze upon you? Can you hear its voice? The more it learns about us the more it wants to know. That's all I want to do. I want to teach it like I teach all of you." Mr. Barrymore says with a soft smile.