The sun rose over the ocean waves, a golden mist slowly settling over the sandy shores. Crashing waves drowned out by the shrieking seagulls circling overhead. A beautiful morning in a beautiful town.
A man lay, basking under the warm rays that peeked through the canopy above.
"Good morning, my love." A woman crooned, a soft smile gracing her lips.
"Morning." He spoke quietly, eyes still closed. Enjoying the tranquillity of the morning, listening to the ocean waves, feeling the warmth of his wife's embrace.
"Dad!" Children's calls stirred him from his peaceful state. The man grumbled, burying his head in the pillow, trying to hide from his responsibilities.
"C'mon darling. They are up. They wait to fish with their father." A gentle poke and an affectionate nuzzle encouraged him to get up.
Before becoming the reaper, Malphas was a humble fisherman by the name of Matthias. A loving wife, four kids, and a life at the ocean. Unlike his reaper form, his body was deeply tanned, years working under the blazing sun. Long unkempt blonde hair and piercing green eyes, muscles toned from labour at sea.
"DAD! Quickly!" Urgency in their voices brought the fisherman to his feet, running to meet them at the shoreline. He stumbled out of the house, nearly tripping over himself.
"What's wrong?!"
The children all huddled on the cliffs edge, pointing in silent fear. "Another one?" Matthias knelt next to his children, squinting as he peered over the edge.
"Another monster." A giant beast lay dead at the bottom of the cliff, purple blood soaking the sand. Its massive frame dwarfed anything he had ever seen before.
'...Another one?' He thought to himself.
"That's the third one this month." The eldest boy spoke with a mixture of awe and fear. He stood still, watching it intently.
"No fishing today; We will go to the market for today." Matthias commanded. The two youngest, skipped back to the house. Whilst the elder pair stood watching the horizon. "It's getting closer." The eldest pointed to the north.
Thunderous clouds gathered across the northern sea. Their presence had been felt for months, dark ominousness, signs of war at their doorstep.
"Come boys, back to your mother." Matthias spoke softly. Putting a brave face, his weathered features hiding his true fear.
The march to town was silent; the sight of the beast had shaken them all. For they all knew death was on the horizon. The main road to town had a few wagons passing by, women chatted with each other in groups. Despite the sightings of monsters, the residents still went about their daily lives. It seemed that normalcy and routine had kept them calm and peaceful.
However, the town itself was a stark contrast to the road inward. market stalls lined the streets, White gravel stretched out from one side to the other; stalls sparsely populated; the few manned were occupied by elderly faces.
"Ah, if it isn't our brave fisherman, Matthias." A white-bearded man sat in his stall selling fruit from the local orchard.
"Good morning, Damas; how are you today?" He greeted back. "Nothing exciting going on out here, I'm afraid. Shouldn't you be on the waters?" He asked in confusion.
"Another monster washed up along the cliffs this morning." The two youngest children spoke simultaneously, gesturing wildly as they reenacted the size of the beast.
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"Damas, can you convince our farther to let us fight? To join the other boys who have already enlisted." The eldest asked with a glint in his eye. The second brother smiled in agreement, his eyes pleading for permission to join the war.
The white-bearded man looked at the pair with pity.
"War is not as glamorous as it seems, lad. Don't throw your life away for a cause that isn't yours." He glanced between the children and their father. Body slumping forward in exhaustion, suddenly looking much older than his years.
"But our friends have all gone-"
"Enough! You will speak not further of this!" Matthias shouted, the glare cast, enough to scare them all into silence.
"Good day Damas." Matthias paid for the fruits and headed back home.
Atop the town stood an acropolis, marbled columns, and an immense dome. Matthias and the offering to the gods stared at each other from across the sea of gravel. Scoffing at the gods, Matthias led his brood home.
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The dinner table was as quite as ever, tension in the air like a thick fog. The children ate in silence, fidgeting nervously in their seats. No one spoke. Each kept their thoughts to themselves.
"Dad... you can't keep us from fighting. Our friends... our people, they're fighting for our survival." The eldest spoke quietly, darning not to look into his father’s eyes. Matthias continued to eat, refusing to acknowledge his son's mumbled pleas.
"Why won't you let us fight?" The second eldest asked with more force than his brothers’ plea.
*WHAM*
Matthias slammed his fists down on the table, startling everyone.
"You would not be fighting for the ones who sit across from you. You would fight for those who sit above, who live in their palaces amongst the sky. You would die for gods, who has never once lifted a sword or stepped onto the battlefield. Let alone sat by a fire with his kin." Voice like steel and tone resolute.
"Those beasts are just across our waters every day; the clouds draw closer. We must protect our home!" The eldest retorted.
Matthias got up from the table. The wooden chair falling to the floor with a clatter.
"Listen here boy, you will stay here. This fight is not ours!" He roared out, grappling the eldest by the shoulders. Shaking him back and forth.
A soft warm hand rested on his shoulder.
"Calm yourself Matthias. Breath." He sighed deeply, dropping his grip on his son's shoulder. Matthias left without a word, his wife's voice consoling the children in his absence. The door clicked shut behind him.
The night breeze along the ocean washed over him, waves crashing softly along the shoreline. The smell of brine relaxed him, to him it was home.
Slumping down in the sand, the field of stars reflects on its pristine surface. Rubbing his neck, Matthias sighed in frustration. Footsteps echoed behind him, kicking up sand as they drew closer.
"They are scared, Matthias." His wife sat down next to him, her comforting touch soothing his frayed nerves.
"They want to fight because they think It's their only choice. You would go to war too if you knew nothing else." She leaned into his chest; arms wrapped around him. They stayed silent for a long time, listening to the crashing waves.
"I don't want them to be soldiers." He finally spoke. "I don't want to send my boys to war."
She gently cusped his cheek. Turning his face to hers. "Your stress ages you so." She smiled sweetly, affectionately running her thumb across his jawline.
"We both have lived the consequences of war; I want a better future for them. So, they can live free. Free from the gods, free from war." Matthias whispered.
"I know you do, my love." Her head rested on his chest. Her body softly rising and falling with each breath.
"However, we cannot protect them from everything. Their lives will take them on different paths. You must allow them to make their own choices. One day they will leave us and embark on their own journey. As did you once, remember?" She gazed up into his eyes, peering deep into his soul.
"What do I do?" He asked. The wisdom of his wife; the only deliverance from his worry.
"Perhaps we could train them at home, all of them. A father’s guidance is greater than anything they would offer at the capital." Matthias nodded in agreement, any excuse to keep his sons safe was worth a try.
"You are wise as you are beautiful, my love."
"Careful now, with talk like that, we might find ourselves with a 5th child." Her voice spoke mischievously.
"Come let's go home." Matthias got to his feet, offering his hand to help his wife up. The pair walked back to the house, hand in hand. Stars painting the night sky above.
The ocean was quiet, waves now barley lapped against the shore. The sea is as if holding its breath, anticipating. On the calm surface stood a veiled figure, watching silently.
Death was waiting.