The sun rising to kiss the sky, the waves rolling onto the sand. The solitary moon hanging in the night sky, or the plains stretching across the horizon. As Lin He laid on the forest floor staring at the sky, his mid was at peace. Through a parting in the trees he was able to see the moon hidden behind the clouds, the bright white light illuminating the clouds into different shades of grey, creating a scene as if it were out of a painting.
Lin He slowly and haltingly let out a breath, his body shuddering, and whispered, “The bright sun continues to shine, the rivers unceasingly flow, the mountains stand proud, and the plains spread wide. Nature is the beginning and end of all things, and I am just another drop, another speck of dust in this cycle. Neither significant nor insignificant, I am a part of a whole.”
Closing his eyes, the boy’s face showed a gentle smile as he prepared to take the last few breaths of his life. He could not feel his broken body; he could not feel his missing arm or his torn stomach. He could, however, still feel the humiliation and pain he experienced when his foster father abused him, when he was forced into selling his body for money. He experienced old hags and perverted men who conducted sick experiments on him.
Now, at the age of fourteen, Lin He was finally unable to satisfy a costumer. The costumer, in his great disappointment flew into a rage and found his newfound love of sadism. While cutting up Lin He’s body he became further excited, finding pleasure in more and more vicious ways. Sated from his session with Lin He, he departed, leaving Lin He lying in the forest.
While he lay on the floor, birds, squirrels, raccoons and many other animals slowly snuck forward and lay on his body, nudged him and licked his face. The many forest creatures knew Lin He, he had been here on many occasions prior due to other people abusing him, and they pitied him. They wanted to comfort him as he left his living hell.
Lin He felt their concern, and his heart was warmed by their thoughts.
Although Lin He was so understanding of his situation, he was by no means accepting. He wholeheartedly wished to have a lived a different life, to punish his foster family and all those who have wronged him. Just because he understood how the universe works does not mean he would just accept it.
He wants to fight back.
His stuttering breaths quickened; the end is near. Yet that wish for better, the unacceptance of his circumstance did not abandon him, and with every remaining living second it grew. Tears of frustration ran across his face, and his labored breaths came to a final end.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
There are many legends of where souls go to after they perish in the world of the living. Some believe in Heaven and Hell, others call the it the Underworld or Netherworld.
In a place separate from Lin He’s world, there stretched an endless grey called the Ouroboros Plains. This boundless field contained innumerable humanoid beings drifting to and fro. It existed under a sky of black fire, upon which a majestic palace stood.
The Palace itself was impossibly large, as one could not see the top or ends of the construct, and stretching as far as the eye can see was a line of humans leading up to the black gold tinted gates of the palace. Death Knights stood at attention beside the gates, wraiths flew in the air and, peculiarly, large humanoids with beast hides and a bulls head were directing the dejected humans, sending them through multiple doors leading into the palace.
The humans acted as they were told, and none moved out of their own volition.
Suddenly in this dark world devoid of any color, a blinding light descended from above and like lightning struck the black fire. The bull-headed creatures standing near were blown away and the light created a clearing before the palace, erasing the humans in its area. The blazing light faded, and an unconscious young boy appeared where the light left.
A Death Knight standing by the door, upon seeing the spectacle, immediately ran into the palace. Moments later a Being walked out with an aura of a god surrounding him, and all the creatures bowed in his presence.
With a bored expression he lazily meandered towards the clearing, and arrived at the foot of the boy. While the body of this Being seemed to be a mere 30 years old from human standards, his eyes exuded an ancient feeling of power and knowledge. These eyes which seemed to be disinterested with the world suddenly flashed in surprise as he looked down upon the boy in front of him.
He knelt and touched the boys head, turning the face towards his own. What he saw made him draw a quick breath of surprise and froze his body. The boy’s face was perfect. His skin was flawless and full of color, his nose petit, lips small and red like a rose, his cheekbones and jaw prominent, and long, black hair flowed from his head across the side of his face and down his neck to his back.
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
“Haha!” The Being whipped his head back and laughed, his laughter booming and resounding throughout the world. With an expression that could barely contain his excitement, he looked back down at the boy.
“I never would have thought something like this would occur! The Laws and Truths are truly unfathomable and hold too many secrets. I must bring him to father immediately.”
The Man gently scooped the young man in his arms and carried him like a princess, swiftly retreating back into the palace. After hurrying through multiple hallways he arrived at a door and called, “Father, it is I, your third son. Please allow me to enter; I bring important news that could potentially help us.”
After a short lull, a rasping voice reached the Man’s ears, “Come in.”
Immediately he barged in and, when he saw the contents of the room, a tragic glint appeared in his eyes. Sitting on a modern office desk, a man of greying hair and haggard face held a picture in his hands, staring at it.
“Father, please look. This person has just arrived from the world of the living, just look at his soul! This could be our hope!”
Raising his pitch black eyes from the picture he held, he stared at the boy in his sons hands.
Silence.
After a few seconds a twitch appeared at the corners of his mouth, hinting at a smile.
“Show me.”
The son quickly gave the boy over, who was then intensely stared at by the Man in who’s arms he found himself.
A chuckle sounded, “I never would have guessed. Is this It trying to help me? Whatever the case, this is the first soul I have ever seen be so powerful, at least since that old woman.”
The silent son exclaimed excitedly, “Exactly! Do you believe he could control that thing?”
The old man’s brow twitched irritably, “Your mother died because of that.” His tone did not betray the fury rising in his heart.
“You know what will happen if we keep it! They are probably on their way right now! That thing should not exist, its inheritance is simply a cheat, and it was by my mother’s unlucky Fortune that she happened to be the one to find it. But us keeping it here is a ticking time bomb, and not only will we throw ourselves in its blast radius, but simultaneously will we unbalance the foundations of this universe! We have to get rid of it, and what better way to fuse it with this child and send him to one of the countless Lower Planes!”
Suddenly the old man laughed heartily, “I know. But there is a secret about this boy even you did not see, Aidoneus. He has an incredibly powerful inheritance of his own already. We will do as you suggested, but it will be interesting to see what becomes of him. Such a perfect existence is already going against the Laws, but combined with this Curse he will become something that that old woman herself could not imagine. At least this way we can escape our Fate.”
He held his hand out above the boy, and a rock appeared out of thin air. Grasping the ordinary rock his heart trembled and he held it to the boy’s chest. In an instant the rock slipped into the body of the boy, disappearing again.
Suddenly the old Man looked to the side towards the picture again. He sighed, and took the picture in his hand.
“Aidoneus… your mother was truly a bright star. She shined as bright as no one ever had before, and was as close to perfect as anything I have ever seen.”
Slowly a look of disbelief and horror crept upon Aidoneus’ face, “Father…”
“It’s time to say goodbye. Remember everything you can now.”
“Father!”
The old man held the picture to the boys head.
“I hope you can carry on her memories and do her justice.”
“FATHER!” Aidoneus’ face was full of outrage and had tears streaming down his face in disbelief at what his father was doing.
As the old Man held the portrait to the boys head, the universe seemed to stop for a single miniscule moment, and a wave rippled across everything in existence, non-existence, material and imagination. This wave was so powerful yet so negligible, and in the next instant everything continued to be as it was, and only a single consciousness noticed the change.
Within the room Aidoneus was on his knees, his face shocked and his body jerking in pulse with his tears, yet was also colored with confusion.
His father then spoke, “I shall send him off now,” and the boy vanished.
He suddenly looked up, his eyes seemingly seeing the sky above the towering palace, where it was torn apart as armor-clad warriors slowly descended into the realm.
A small, true smile finally appeared on the Dark Lord’s face for the first time in an eternity as Hell itself was thrown into chaos.