Gao Jie
This greenskin is one of great strength but little glory. He could not tell you where he came from for he originated on a planet where he was the sole survivor. He had been alone for millennia on his planet, sitting alone in his meadow, complimenting his existence and the lack of others. His story is one of complete loneliness and great focus. He could not remember much of earlier life when his people still roamed these lands but he could his strength. It is raw, powerful and pure in its simplicity. It is a constant in his life that grew and stagnated but still ever present. He could remember his mother, a look of surprise on her face as her child lifted a tree from its roots. He could remember his male peers looking on in jealousy as he impressed the females of his species with his greater musculature. He could remember the blood spilling onto the ground as he crushed his enemy's head with a mere flick. He could remember the world dying as his strength grew too great, the mountain's rumbling with his every footstep, great plains cracking on the surface, the ice poles splitting in half. He remembered his banishment, sent to the forest mountain to live the rest of his days away from society, levitated there by ancient and powerful magics. For he was a mere mortal with great strength, not invulnerable by any means.
It was there Gao sat, cross-legged and defeated. He was shackled to the ground, cursed to never move his feet and to never leave the forest. In his first few days, he became frustrated with his people. In those few days, he vowed vengeance against those who wronged him. Those who damned him to be away from his family, his loved ones. His rage was fierce and it was said that his rage almost broke the bonds themselves, causing earthquakes around the planet. In one year, his thoughts became consumed by fierce, consuming anger at those who wronged him. In the next five years his frustration was so great and his strength so mighty that his planet's combined population of shamans sacrificed themselves and the way of the magicks to keep the bond firm. In the next half-century, he began to cool, realising that his mother must be dead by now. It was after 100 years of loneliness that he realised he was living well past the average lifespan of his people and an emptiness took hold of him. After 1000 years, when his tale became myth and the magicks became fairy tales, was he consumed by sadness. His bloodline was dead, his enemies were long gone and the world has moved on. He mourned their loss, the loss of everyone he knew, from traitor to loved one. He mourned his memories, as they slowly drifted away.
After two entire millennia, Gao came to true terms with his situation. He felt no sadness, no acceptance, no happiness, only true neutrality. He concentrated within, meditating on his state and the state of others around him. He focused control, controlling his immense passive strength and his turmoil. He came to terms with everything and everyone, even as he begun to forget his mother's name. Did he have a wife? Did they have children? What did they look like? Why was he here? These were questions that became difficult to answer but he always remembered his own name. Gao Jie. Confession. He began to study the intrinsic details of the human psyche, studying his emotions as if they were real objects. He explored his subconscious like it was a location, like it was physical. He became so spiritually inclined that in this thousand years, he never woke up from his meditation and thought.
It was not until the rockets first left the planet that the greenskin's eyes flew open. He had stared at the mass of metal and machine leaving his planet with curiosity. Was that his people? Why were they leaving? They left in droves, as if in a hurry. He could feel the panic in the air, it was potent and powerful. But, after a mere few years, the rockets stopped flying and he felt alone once more. Left out from the world, alone in his forest with nothing to do. He started to contemplate once more as to why he hasn't died like normal but chalked it up to the potent magicks which restrained him to this spot. It explained why he was still so full of youth and why his musculature remained massive. It was after ten thousand years that he remained completely still, unmoving and meditating with intense concentration. He made no noise except for steady breaths, thinking on his great strength and control.
It was on the first day of the 20,000
th year that the magicks broke. His eyes flew open to reveal a horrible red. Deep, dark and menacing as if they ached constantly. His arms unfolded and his fists clenched and opened again. Gao looked down at his toes. He wriggled them. He took a tentative step and the ground sunk beneath his foot. No earthquakes. No ear-shattering screams. Just a mere rumble that extended over an area a mere dozen meters in circumference. His strength had diminished and his goal had been achieved. His passive control had overcome his raw power but even now, he had to focus incredibly hard to prevent himself sinking deeper into the soil. But, for the first time in millennia, he allowed himself to smile. On a lonely mountain in a lonely world within an unimportant Source dimension, Gao Jie was reborn.
