A gentle wind blew eastward, sending ashes of the Mountain Doom away from triumphing People of the West. The Dark Clouds, once sign of Sauron's presence, faded away from the lands of Mordor, finally allowing the blue sky and the bright sun to take back their rightful places.
Among these withering clouds, a shapeless spirit, once known by many names: Sauron, Mairon, Annatar, Gorthaur, the self-imposed "Lord of the Earth", was pushed back by the breeze and was forced to watch how his armies scatter, how the mighty forges he built and tall towers he raised, fall like houses of cards. How the empire he crafted for millennia crumble to ash and dust, and how the ungrateful, petty kingdoms of Easterlings and Haradrim he subjugated now tear down his banners from top of their castles and proclaim a new era, without the Lidless Eye ruling them.
He was forced to watch how his carefully prepared and managed order turns into chaos.
But Sauron felt nothing, the scale of defeat overwhelmed him. All he could do now is let himself get carried by the wind, to finally admit...
"No…" He tried to defy this fate, to move against the wind. "I will not cease!"
He felt how easily the breeze push him away. He was a formless shadow, he couldn't stop the inevitable, no matter how hard he struggled. The Fallen maia was like a fish caught in the fisherman's net, doomed to be taken away.
"I don't want to!" He tried to roar against the cruel world, but only a quite whisper could be heard leaving his immaterial lips. "I can't lose! I won't lose! Even if it means allying with the devil, I won't let myself perish!"
And the Devil listened.
All the sudden, he couldn't feel the breeze anymore. Surprised, he opened his "eyes" and turned around to see absolute nothingness. - There was no air, no wind, no light, only the void. Sauron took good look at his smoke hands, which now he could hold in shape.
"Finally. "The Dark Lord heard the cold voice behind his shadow form. The voice, he hoped, he will not hear ever again. "You made it."
Fearing his worst nightmares fulfilled, he turned around to see the large figure, covered by smoke and darkness, bounded by numerous chains made of shining metal. But through the shadows, he could see pair of eyes, glaring like a flame, that withers with heat, and pierces with a deadly cold.
"Melkor…" Sauron trembled, and the First Dark Lord laughed.
"It's been a while since someone called me by my true name, Mairon." Morgoth said, and heavy metal chains attached to his body, moved with him. Sauron watched how handless arm, cuffed to the shining metal, appeared briefly from the shadow surrounding the First Dark Lord. "Welcome to the Void, my "loyal" lieutenant."
Sauron feared that this day will come, that he will stand before either him or Mandos, and face the divine "judgement". And yet, when it finally happened, he felt only anger.
"Don't you dare being my judge." The Dark Lord hissed. "During my reign, I achieved more than you did in entire millennia."
"All your "achievements" are nothing more than a mere fight for a scraps I left." Morgoth stated, amused a little by the sudden argument.
"And yet it was I who cut Valinor from the rest of the creation. Forever."
"Enough." Morgoth's voice echoed across the boundless realm "I didn't spend so much time, effort and power in bringing you here just to argue, nor to deliver your punishment."
"You don't want to torture me?" Sauron asked, not believing his former master in a slightest.
"Oh, I still crave to obliterate you for your betrayal." Morgoth stated, his eyes glowed with unceasing hatred. "But it won't change the outcome of the War to End All Wars. It won't change the Dagor Dagorath. No, I have something special for you, something, which will put your skills to a gret use, and earn... how they call it? Redemption?"
"Which is?"
"Watch. And listen." Morgoth said, and at first, absolute silence fell upon them, but soon, Sauron could hear a whispers of life, of creation, just within his reach, yet so far away.
"For entire millennia of this imprisonment." Morgoth said with absolute spite. "My Brothers and Sisters forced me to listen to the whole existence taking place beyond the void. Creation, which I cannot corrupt nor destroy. To remind me that, for no matter what I shall do, no matter how much I will try, there will always be life, and the great song will forever exist. But they made a mistake." Sauron felt satisfaction in Bauglir's voice. "For the void is like a wall, separating me from the universe, and in each wall you can find a crack, too small for me to pass through, but large enough to listen, observe or exploit." Morgoth looked at his once first lieutenant. "And that's why I brought you here."
"You want me to walk into the unknown for your amusement?"
"Not quite." Melkor smirked. "I want to send you to world, which I observe for a long time. The world demanding… divine attention. The world, which will be a perfect place for my plans."
Sauron thought for a moment, now considering the opportunity Morgoth presented to him. A chance for a new start, a way to finally get away from Valar's attention. For some time at least. But, most importantly, he got a chance to avoid the fate worse than the death itself.
"What I will get from it?" Shadow asked, and Morgoth laughed.
"You still want more? Now that's Sauron I knew." Morgoth said, and his stare yet again started to pierce through the Sauron's shadow. "Although weakened, I am not as powerless as you are now. As long, as you fulfill the tasks I bestow upon you, I will fuel your essence, and you will slowly regain what you have lost."
"Tempting, but for it to work you must remember: We work together as equals, not master and a subject."
"Equals?" Morgoth almost spat venom at the fallen Maia.
"We both are in very pathetic state." Sauron pointed out, feeling the Morgoth's growing ire. "And even in this form, I won't serve you. I will work to further your goal of breaking this prison, but I have control over the situation. And I have my own goals to achieve."
Minutes have passed in absolute silence, both dark lords analyzed options laying before them. Then, Morgoth spoke again.
"As long, as you make progress in breaking my chains, you can do whatever you wish."
Sauron's shadowy lips smiled in triumph.
"I take you already thought about that, no matter where I go, I will always be a shadow?"
"Oh, don't worry about that." Shadows around Morgoth rose like a wildfire, and soon fell upon the Gorthaur. "Your form is already arranged."
Sauron felt like his essence was being sent through seemingly boundless void, towards the dim, gray light at the end, from which he felt life.
"To our next meeting, my 'equal'." Were the last words Sauron heard from the fallen Valar.
Suddenly, a pool of black liquid started to shake, causing gathered beowolves to turn their attention towards it. Alpha growled, sensing a danger for its pack emerging from their breeding ground, and his pack also showed teeth. Soon, bubbles of hot air started to emerge from it, and whole black liquid now violently boiled like water. Grimm backed off, not sure what is going on, or how should they react. Soon, large bubble started to form in the middle, like something big was making its way out, only for it to explode, revealing the infernal eye which set the entire pool, and few unfortunate beowolves on fire.
The Lidless Eye stared at the Grimm, further scorching many of them before they run away, making them screech in absolute terror while beasts tried to avoid this fiery death. Only Alpha stayed near the entrance of the cave, it's face half burnt, peeking inside and growling in rage.
The Eye landed at the rocky surface, and new being started to construct itself from the flames, pulling the black liquid from now half-empty pool, covering its essence inside. Then, Color started to change from coal-like black to more… human like.
"Human" with white hair opened his eyes, which were like molten metal, blinked few times, and looked at his body with a amuesment and joy.
"How long I mave missed that form." He said, examining it for any potential defects, and, to his dismay, he found one - a lack of one certain finger. Sighing in disappointment for this obvious mockery, Sauron turned back to look at the pool he emerged from, now a deep crater filled with molten stone and glass.
When his back was turned, Alpha quietly pounced at him, angered over destruction of the breeding ground, but it also felt the newcomers soul - strange and powerful, shining like a miniature Sun. Clearly a threat which must die as fast as possible, while he is unaware of the danger.
But while Alpha was mid-air, Sauron suddenly turned to it, vicious smile welcoming the attacker.
"I see you." He simply said before unleashing an inferno.
Sauron walked out from the cave into the large forest and looked at the blue, cloudless sky. He took a deep breath of a fresh air, finally not feeling this subtle, yet omnipotent influence of the Valar. Suprisngly, Morgoth didn't lie - this world was free from their presence. Ripe for a taking. A bright new start.
Sauron started to walk forward, first goal simple yet crucial - to find any form of civilization. He only wondered what kind of creatures beside that animals the great song spawned here. In worst case scenario, he will just work with creatures similar to orcs, but he can manage that.
He always did.
Authors note
I had this idea brewing in my head for a while now, and I hope once I get enough time, I will expand on this in the future.
And necessary disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters.
Edited: 13.01.2024
What changed: The format of the whole story, some grammar mistakes, few added lines etc.
Art is done by Alvaro Fernandez Gonzalez, he posts his work on the artstation.
You should check him out, he is very skilled!
See you later!