At the end of the world.

Swirling lightning, formed from the very concept and amalgamation of death itself piled itself high atop a throne, where it waited aimlessly.

The rain poured on, as the thunder could be heard within the distant horizon.

Cracks outlined the entire sky, as a web of lines stretched from the land to the sea.

The end was nigh.

It was the final gambit.

Two creatures looked towards each other.

Both born of the earth yet couldn’t be entirely more different.

The King was one who rejected the earth; while the boy embraced it full heartedly.

Even though they shared the same blood of red, they were too different creatures to even be compared.

“I am the winner.”

The boy looked at the throne.

“Give me that.”

The King stared, unable to speak, but filled with vile contempt and hatred to one who would usurp the seat.

“Is that so? Then you should know that at the resolution… There cannot be two kings on the chessboard.”

“So let us began anew.”

Even as nothing remained, those connected towards the outcome of the previous game were drawn in, brought back from hell itself, for one final match for control of the throne.

As the laws of the World dictated.

A scream echoed within the battlefield.

An angry child waved their hands at the boy.

“Who the hell decided to wake me up for this shit!!?”

“Ah… I believe it would be that.”

An intelligent sounding child pointed towards the king.

The angry child tilted their head. “And the fuck is that? And why is that I am getting the sense of deja vu?”

A deep voice from a floating pile of guns responded. “’That’ in question being a homicidal CLOWN?”

“I’M DONE, JUST KILL ME ALREADY.”

The angry child slumped to the ground.

The intelligent sounding child put a finger to their lips and sneered. “If you can even die.”

“I’ll sure by HELL try!!”

The boy interrupted the argument. “I don’t believe that would be happening.”

The angry child looked up to the boy. “So it’s you.”

The deep sounding voice from within the cloud of guns grumbled. “Hmph, you’re ALIVE.”

The intelligent sounding child questioned the boy. “Then I would assume this being equivalent to a Raid Boss?”

The boy sighed. “Well I suppose.”

The intelligent sounding child laughed as he clapped his hands. “Heh, good loot, good exp, good killin.”

A dark laced sound quietly emerged from the darkness, as a brooding child came from within. “Ah I have been awoken from my punishment. Into this false world. Ah the colors are as bleak as my soul.”

The floating guns shook and clattered. “Oh lookie here it’s ANGST.”

The angry child could only look to the boy. “Is this God’s way of making a contrived plot?”

“There has never been any plot, nor will there ever be any plot.” The boy deadpanned.

The angry child began his shouting once more. “What the hell are you talking about?”

A cackling sound emerged from a small stage with headlights as a caped child flew from the skies. “Here lies a wretched corpse, of wretched soul bereft! Seek not my name… a plague consumes you wicked caitiffs left!”

The angry child looked towards the floating girl. “This ain’t theater anymore, Drama Queen.”

A confident child screamed, as he emerged from a crack in the sky, breaking the fabric of reality in the world. “We are not afraid! We are not alone!”

The angry child shook his head as he shriveled in fear. “Uhm… I think I’m pretty fucking afraid!!”

The floating guns laughed. “And when has your opinion ever MATTERED?”

The angry child thrust his hands towards the group. “Screw it, I died once, I might as well die again!! You only live once my ass!!”

The boy shrugged his shoulders. “Well since the beginning we’ve always been in stuck in this shit for the long run. Let’s end it nicely with a bang.”

A cocky sounding child drove through the cracks in the sky, as he rode a sports car that flew in space. “With swag. All that swag.”

The caped child shuttered. “If he swaggers, let him not come here: no, by my faith; I must live among my neighbors; I’ll no swaggerers: I am in good name and fame with the very best: shut the door; there comes no swaggerers here: I have not lived all this while, to have swaggering now: shut the door, I pray you.”

The angry child could only look towards the caped child in utter confusion. “Erm I think you’re in the wrong time period here.”

A girl’s voice called out to the group, as she walked along the broken sky and came next to the boy. “So you all banter nosily as usual? Though it seems like it is content to let us waste our time like this.”

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

The group turned to looks towards the… thing.

The thing stared back.

And so too did they respond.

The confident child grinned. “Bitch please, move out the way.”

The cloud of guns laughed. “You’re UGLY.”

The brooding child looked towards the King with determination. “You are one that was born to be slain by thy blade.”

The girl shrugged her shoulders as she sighed. “To be honest, you’ve kind of been a prick. I wouldn’t bet on you living this one.”

The cocky sounding child giggled. “Sorry not sorry.”

The angry child stuck a middle finger towards the King. “Fuck you.”

The intelligent sounding child held up their glasses. “Die so I can level up already.”

The caped child looked solemnly towards the floor. “Thou know'st 'tis common; all that lives must die, passing through nature to eternity.”

“…” The boy looked awkwardly towards the group. “Erm.. well then.”

The cloud of guns made a gesture that would somehow resemble the rolling of eyes. “You have called us LEADER. Do to us what you MUST.”

The brooding child nodded. “We will follow you, even if this shalt be our last dance. Into the darkness we shall follow, devil as I may be.”

The girl laughed. “What the Emo Boy said, though I’m in it to win it. I’m going broke baby.”

The intelligent sounding child could only drool as he looked on the King. “Heh, I hope this boss gives some nice exp…”

The angry child cracked their fingers. “It’s time to wreck his shit.”

The caped child had the figure lights on them, as they waved their hands in a wide gesture. “To thine own self be true, and it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man.”

The girl smiled. “Well you can see that we’ve got your back. I’m not the type to usually put everything into a stake like this, but this time I’ll put everything I got into this roll.”

The boy nodded.

“You know that I’m not for explanations or long inspirational quotes, so all I have to say is…”

“Let’s win.”

The group drew their weapons and let their symbols awaken in the battlefield.

Their desires.

Under the absolute form of death, where even God would die, the group stood their ground.

And so they called onto their powers---

...

Once upon a time…

A very, very long time ago.

This is a tale when the world was void, where there were no colors to fill the skies.

It was the Goddess of the World who sparked the fires of life.

The Goddess who sat upon the highest throne, who oversaw a world Briah, spiraling beyond the dimensional infinity.

She filled the skies with vibrant blue, touched upon the earth with the green of life, filling the night with the blackness of the ever-present, and the white from within her soul.

Many things from the fire were born, and they were able to live side by side.

The rich and the poor.

The strong and the weak.

The good and the evil.

All were quelled by the garden of Desire.

Nothing was ever said. Nothing would be ever said.

Nothing was ever loved. Nothing would ever be loved.

There was no need for words. There was no need for love.

Men and women danced joyously around roaring campfires that sent smoke towards the heavens.

They feasted and ate every day, and there was simply no concept of the thing called conflict.

And so the men and the beasts of the earth thanked the Goddess, content and carefree in their own little pleasures.

And so the Goddess was happy.

It was there that nothing ever changed. And nothing would ever change.

And so time passed on endlessly.

However it was the creation of one child that would spark change within the eternal garden.

The child was strange to say the least.

He never danced with the others, never ate and feasted around the joyous campfires, and stayed alone to the books within the Goddess’ library.

The Goddess questioned herself, wondering why this would be so.

Why was he not happy?

She continued to ponder this question, not knowing that a small seed had sprouted within her heart.

The seed called fear.