Page 102 of An Invocation of Monsters

Yes, I said. My people undergo what you would call mutations. Once upon a time, I looked like this.

I touched the carving as well, the man’s torso and head, the lower body that was a mass of tentacles.

When we come of age, or undergo a great trial, we develop this form. I touched my chest, lifting a clawed foot to emphasize. We are only permitted to become guardians once we have achieved this.

Her eyebrows knit as she looked from me to the carving. She pointed to it again, then me.

Ah. I understood now.

I underwent a trial, in waters far from here. I proved myself against a creature of the depths, a maw of unending hunger, and gained my Elder form. After that, I was named the guardian.

Elle cocked an eyebrow at me. I could imagine her question, and the exact tone of voice she’d use: “A maw of unending hunger, huh?”

It made me laugh to myself.

You would not have wanted to see this creature, I said. It was beyond mortal reckoning.

She rolled her eyes, but smiled and gave a little shrug as if to say ‘what isn’t?’

Come with me. The temple lies ahead.

We descended further into the Klee city, and I took great pride in showing her what my people had created.

Sometimes Elle paused, then shook her head for reasons I could only guess at. I wished I could hear her thoughts with more clarity.

One such time was when we finally came to the temple, in the deepest reaches of the lake.

Of all the ruins, this one remained the most intact to its original form. It loomed, watching with an ominous singular window like an eye.

The animals of the lake shunned this place; even they could feel the power that still emanated from it.

This is where I slept, I said softly. I led her into the darkness within. No other human had ever seen such a darkness; it was a living thing, remaining unilluminated even by my glow. For a thousand years, in this black, unbreachable realm, I slept alone. And when I awoke, I wondered what had called me from my dreams.

Elle glimmered at the edges of my vision. She looked paler than usual, her face drawn. I knew she was feeling the sensation that emanated from the temple.

I believe you were the cause, I said, leading her back out. Even I did not like the pull of the temple; it felt too much like an endless sleep, and I’d had enough of that. There was something written in the water, the waves bringing a message that it was time to return to life. After all, to sleep too long is a form of death; your arrival in this world was a sign to live.

Elle looked relieved when we left the temple behind, but at this she shook her head, her expression declaring embarrassment.

We all have a role in this universe, my precious one, I said, amused. She was so obviously born to enter the Void, it was entertaining when she insisted she wasn’t that special. When you were made, fate took notice and prepared accordingly.

A flush in her cheeks hinted at frustration.

Ah, but now you are in my realm, I teased her. You cannot speak to refute me.

We returned to the brighter ruins, where Elle swam alongside a school of fish for a moment. She watched them disappear into darkness, her expression now unreadable.

I wished I could enter her mind. I wanted to feel her amazement, to know what she was thinking when she looked upon this world.

I wish I could show you what it looked like in the long-ago, I said, musing over it. These remains were a pale imitation of what had been.

What would Elle think of a thriving city of Klee, where it was not silent with death, but bright with life?

But then I would have to fear another Klee trying to take her. I did not believe my Elle would go willingly, but there was a peace in this ruin that would not exist if the other Klee remained.

Elle had sunk to the sand, where she sent up a little billow into the air as she swept it aside. She picked up a polished nautilus shell, examining it with a frown, and then set it on the flattened top of a pillar.

That was once a trinket for a Klee, I said, examining it. Perhaps a child’s plaything.

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