Somnolent is the harvest's seductive venom—a bespoke elixir that promises eternity but delivers chains.
For the Obsidian Men, Somnolent began as survival. Their crystal biology starved under Earth's weak sun; children's theta-wave dreams provided the missing energy, distilled through ancient alchemy into a liquid lifeline.
But for humans, it's a weaponized gift: mild versions traded to the elite for youth, vitality, and addiction-fueled loyalty.
The process is arcane poetry. The Cartographer Map—the Vitruvian Man ledger woven from 12,000 years of stolen dreams—reads the client's essence. Biology, vanity, psyche—all scanned in the map's dream-threads. From the web, Lira Voss conjures a customized vial: swirling starlight black with faint purple glow, tailored to reverse time's toll perfectly.
One sip: wrinkles smooth, energy surges, relevance restored. The elite sip for mirrors that lie, thrones that stay secure. But the hook sets deep—withdraw and age crashes in like a reverse Dorian Gray: days devouring decades, empires crumbling with the flesh.
The addicts become agents, sowing chaos to ease the harvest. Vanity blinds them to the source: children's dreams drained, dementia seeded. Somnolent isn't just youth. It's control. The Obsidian Men ensnare the powerful without a word—loyalty bought with forever's illusion.
Yet the map's secret eludes replication. Zurvan tries and fails. The elixir's essence is beyond chemistry: chronal resonance, dream-soul alchemy only the Vitruvian core can brew. Lira knows this, but even she doesn't grasp how.
Somnolent whispers: forever is one sip away.
The price? Your soul, one drop at a time.
The glass is cold against my trembling lip
A sip of night, and time begins to slip
As youth returns in waves both dark and sweet
My eyes grow bright, my pulse a steady beat
It comes in vials of liquid starlight black
From Lira’s hand, the merchant none dare lack
One taste restores the bloom of twenty-five
Enhances mind and flesh, keeps body young
One with Somnolent
Youth blooms eternal tonight
We are forever
We are forever
From shadowed vaults beneath the holy see
The mirror beings deal their midnight key
To presidents and popes in secret halls
To titans, oligarchs, the siren calls
Narcissus feeds on every mirrored glance
Influencers pose in never-ending dance
Once hooked, no turning back, no cold escape
The monkey rides forever on their back
One with Somnolent
Youth blooms eternal tonight
We are forever
We are forever
You miss the dose, the heart in terror stalls
Emotion cracks, the body swiftly falls
No mercy waits, no dawn, no second birth
Just dust and echo on a youthless earth
You cannot resist
Once you're put on Lira’s list
Temptation too great
One with Somnolent
Youth blooms eternal tonight
We are forever
We are forever
We are forever
Lyrics and music by T Atkinson
Next:
Chapter 7: No Way Out
Copyright © 2025 T Atkinson. All rights reserved.