Major Payne’s Pet Menagerie: Lesser Voidcaller

When I was a boy, I used to have a recurring nightmare where I was in a dark room lit only by a sliver of light that leaked in from beneath the door. It would take me a few moments for my eyes to adjust, at which point I would go from sensing a presence to seeing the silhouette of a shadowy being against the far wall. “Who are you?!” I’d cry out. “What do you want?!” But it felt like my words were entering a vacuum, as if the creature was drawing the air out of my lungs. Standing idly, the menacing figure eerily emanated a subtle swirl of noise, as if it was sucking up all the hope and happiness from around it. It was utter sadness, I say!

Then, the lanterns hanging from its shoulders would begin to glow, and it would hiss in a voice that pierced my very soul. “Cannot resissssst”, it would say. Resist . . . resist . . . my mind would become a flurry of fear and instinct. I must resist!

Every time I’d have this nightmare, I’d reach for my sword and try to lunge at the creature, hoping to scare it away. And every time, a cold, lifeless cloud of darkness would overwhelm me . . . and I would instantly awaken.

For years I wanted to confront this beast, and it wasn’t until after I enlisted in the military that I finally got my chance.

When I was a boy, I used to have a recurring nightmare where I was in a dark room lit only by a sliver of light that leaked in from beneath the door. It would take me a few moments for my eyes to adjust, at which point I would go from sensing a presence to seeing the silhouette of a shadowy being against the far wall. “Who are you?!” I’d cry out. “What do you want?!” But it felt like my words were entering a vacuum, as if the creature was drawing the air out of my lungs. Standing idly, the menacing figure eerily emanated a subtle swirl of noise, as if it was sucking up all the hope and happiness from around it. It was utter sadness, I say!

Then, the lanterns hanging from its shoulders would begin to glow, and it would hiss in a voice that pierced my very soul. “Cannot resissssst”, it would say. Resist . . . resist . . . my mind would become a flurry of fear and instinct. I must resist!

Every time I’d have this nightmare, I’d reach for my sword and try to lunge at the creature, hoping to scare it away. And every time, a cold, lifeless cloud of darkness would overwhelm me . . . and I would instantly awaken.

For years I wanted to confront this beast, and it wasn’t until after I enlisted in the military that I finally got my chance.