On a beach on the opposite side of the globe, a solitary figure sat quietly staring at the sea. The old man was still, his face set in a peaceful smile as he watched the faintly lapping waves. His skin was the color of mahogany, and the only clothing he wore a simple clout. The sand behind him had a single man-sized divot, as if he'd been lying there earlier. The sand on his back and side made that seem even more likely.

The beach showed the signs of passage of hundreds, even thousands of human feet, but other than one old man there no people populated the beach now. No seabirds flew above the strand, no scavenging animals wandered the sands. The only sign of life other than the single old man was a huge raven that hovered in an updraft that rose from the heated sand.

It cocked its head as if considering him for a meal. After a moment's pause, it stooped, almost as a raptor might, pulling out of the dive just before it hit the sand. Power flared, and a woman settled to the sand where the man had lain. she spoke in a wheeze, the result of a hole through one side of her chest.

"I didn't expect to find you here, of all places."

The old man never turned, but he acknowledged the woman with a nod and a slow blink of his eyes. His voice muted, as if he were loathe to disturb the tranquil silence of the beach, he spoke. "I come to experience as my Children do."

"I'm surprised the locals aren’t throwing a fit about you being here."

The old man deflated a little at that, and his head twisted back and forth in soft negation. "Perhaps they are wiser than you?"

"You've never directly offered violence to anyone."

"No?"

"I watch. When someone tries to harm you, your Host comes along right quick. They’ve done all kinds of violence in your name, but you? You didn't even raise a hand when your firstborn rebelled against you."

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"Second. Before there was Light there were Words."

The woman settled to her knees in the sand. She reached out a hand, as if to touch the old man, but stopped before her skin contacted his.

"Touchy about that, aren't we?"

A sad smile touched the old man's lips. "Would you spar with me, Raven?"

The woman's eyes shot open wide. "With anyone else, I'd say only with words. With you? Not even that."

"You cannot lie well enough to fool me, Raven. Even now your mind spins out plans and plots."

As quickly as it had appeared, fear was gone, replaced by calculation. A moment later, a flash of surprise raced across the woman's face.

"I suppose you're right. Still, I'm not afraid of you."

The old man straightened his shoulders, looking out to sea once more. The ocean receded, leaving a host of sea life in its wake. His words carried a slight hint of disbelief, but his face remained serene.

"Why then will you not lay hands on me? Why do you sit beside me awaiting apocalypse?"

"Your Host, I fear. They're... the word my youngest would use is trigger happy. You, on the other hand, care too much. If I am truly other, you have no hold over me, and will only harm me if I harm you. If I am part of your creation, you want too much for me to join you to destroy me. Here, in your presence, even if I am your enemy, I am safe."

A frown creased the old man's face, even as distant thunder sounded from the direction of the sea.

"You are arrogant, Raven."

"But I am also right, especially about your desire for me to suborn myself willingly to you."

"I would have you return to my fold. Join me."

"Oh, I don't know if you would believe me, even if I did."

The old man smiled. "Raven, I know when you lie, I know when you speak the truth. I know your inmost heart, and I know your heart's desire. Your protestations cannot fool me."

The woman bowed her head, "Perhaps I really am repentant, then?"

"If you are, it will bear fruit. If you are not, your deeds will forward my plan whether you will it or not. You know this, yet you persist."

"Are you saying I'm obstinate?"

"You are as you are. You are as you will be, unless you choose to change."

"And if I do choose to change? To become your... loyal opposition, rather than your enemy?"

At this, the old man finally turned away from the sea. His leathery face creased into a wide grin, his eyes twinkling. "If you are not set against me, you are for me. If you are for me, the fruit of your labors will prove it. Still..."

"What?"

"I find it hard to believe you are truly repentant, truly desirous of change."

"How about I show you?"

"That will be an interesting trick, Raven."

Then there was no more time. The sea rushed in, the tsunami obliterating each and every trace of man, woman, and beach.