The silence of the night and the deep crimson hue of the moon were the only things that filled Victor and Alex's spacecraft.
"What went wrong? We shouldn't have left them behind..." Victor cried out. Guilt filling his throat.
"We had to leave. They were going insane." Alex reasoned silently and with reluctance.
It all started when they gathered two samples from a passing asteroid.
The first was a tenebrous substance that reacted adversely to light. It was like a shadow given form. Some speculated it to be a drug like an aphrodisiac. As men and women alike experienced 'excitement' after exposure.
The second was in all definitions a fragment of a piece of brick. Except when they had examined it's molecular structure, it was disorderly. It's component had no structure whatsoever. We doubted how it was able to maintain shape.
But in actuality their insanity didn't start with the samples. It started with the moon.
At a random night the moon started glowing crimson. Our astrologers were in a frenzy to determine its reasons. Frantically researching for nights on end.
They committed suicide in the days after.
Perhaps that was the first blow to our psyche. We were hesitant to continue research on the moon yet orders from NASA and our respective governments made us continue.
After the suicides were the prayers. At night you could hear the whispers. Chanting names both he and Alex had never heard.
"Mother Tree of Desire;
Perpetual Blatherer; Heartless God"
"Son of Order;
Bridge of Light and Darkness; Interstice Between Black and White; Ever-Uncertain Mist; The Truth that Oversees All Things"
Both of us could see it. The madness in their eyes. They're unusual piety and worship of unknown gods.
So we did what we could. Going through all possible means to return back to earth. Pulling strings with the higher ups and even faking injuries. Anything.
And now here we are charting a course near South East Asia.
"Why did we have to bring those two samples? And... The corpses?.." Victor questioned.
"It was a request from NASA apparently. We have no choice but to bring them." Alex replied.
Victor sighed and then continued.
"Nevermind then. I'm just glad we got out of that rotting space station."
"Also, are you sure we're on the right track? We should be landing around Indonesia right? I'm from the Philippines and you from Australia."
"Of course! I'm a licenced physicist you know? I've taken the initiative to calculate our path myself. We had no room to ask NASA for it because I'm sure as hell those mad idiots won't let as leave." Alex answered self deprecatingly.
To that Victor remained silent.
Unfortunately to their dismay the shape of the earth began to rapidly change during their descent. Some continents fused whilst others mysteriously disappeared altogether.
The earth they once knew was no longer.
They only noticed this right when they breached the atmosphere.
"Victor we've got a problem."
"Don't tell me we're landing in a completely different ocean??"
"Even worse. We're heading straight for land."
"..."
"Jesus, Buddha, Allah, Zeus, Jupiter, God... Any God please help!" Victor began to piously bow and pray to every God he new.
This piousness was no help however as their vision was filled with crimson. They're aircraft landing directly in an unknown museum.
Their deaths were in all matters certain, however the two samples in their aircraft buzzed and began to move on its own.
The disorderly piece of brick hovered towards Alex. It shown with a sharp black light causing the surroundings to ripple. It seemed as if there was a loophole in time, fate, and history as Alex's body began to show signs of life. His frame became hunched and smaller and black fur began to grow from his skin. Adding to this a long tail grew from his bossom. Finally as the end to his mutation a strand of curly hair grew from his head.
As for the tenebrous substance, it slithered towards Victor. It formed hands and chains. Containing a terrifying visage that resembled the embodiment of all vile curses. These hands and chains reached for Victors spirit body that was about to drift to different realms. Placing it in a nearby set of armor.
After these processes the disorderly fragment of brick carved itself into Alex's brain. Bridging a connection with a world of Entropy. Whilst the tenebrous substance nestled itself into Victors heart. Blooming along with it a gate to realm of Desire.
Their fate as normal humans were rewritten. Now mutated into angels of disorder and desire.
These machinations were beyond there understanding. Perhaps they were merely pawns in a game of Gods.
Yet perhaps this was to their advantage? In some cases, a pawn has more freedom than a king, after all.
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Stay tuned for the next episode of the Shenanigans of Victor and Alex!