Baduff Baduff Baduff
Heavy steps reverberated through the darkness. A being, clad in steel, made their way through the grass. A glowing green substance was flowing out from in between the many cracks in the armor - a substance quite similar, but eerily different from a humans blood.
The steel-clad figure was shacking as they forced their feet to continue on. They where an arrow at the end of their flight. However, they had a goal in mind. Not a grand one. A simple one. They aimed to arrive under the big tree, just about a dozen feet away.
Baduff They continued on. Baduff Baduff
As they where just a couple steps away from the Tree, they stepped in a small Pit. It was so small that it wouldn’t normally even be noticed by them, but badly wounded as they were, it was like a pitfall, causing them to trip, slip and fall.
To their luck, they fell straight against the tree they so strongly wanted to arrive at.
Grabbing a rather thick branch they pulled themselves slightly up and turned around. Finally, they sat with their back leaned at the tree, looking upwards into its beautiful crown.
Beautiful, pink blossoms where blooming, overshadowing the green leaves with their fleeting beauty - the leaves that had kept the tree standing for so long. Their bloom would end and with that the life giving leaves will show their reliability once more to the world, but until then the flowers would capture the hearts of all those who see them. And as the cycles go on, the tall trunk will continue to show its reliability.
A small blossom fell from the tree and slowly drifted down. The figure of steel opened their hand and carefully caught. They delicately held the blossom in their cold hand as they looked at the it, lost in thought and with a slight smile clustering their face.
They liked blossoms. Blossoms reminded them of themselves in a way. They bloomed fleetingly, but as their days came to an end, they would birth a fruit, a spark of life that will remind the world of their existence for a bit longer and benefit those who come after them. Well ... maybe they where more similar to the blossom in their hand. Played by the winds of fate, to meet an early end, to be ever forgotten...
Sighing, the figure moved their head up. They looked at the sea of vague figures that had gathered around it. A spark of amusement appeared in the eerily green eyes of the metal clad figure as they mustered the ghost like figures.
“Couldn’t even wait till I have breathed my last breath, could you?” They scoffed.
The figures didn’t respond. They couldn’t. They had long since walked this world with no eyes to see the wonders of the world, with no ears to hear the changes of time and with no body to feel the warmth that the living where gifted with. With only a sense for where the living where and a distant memory of the beauty of life, they merely existed, striving for a body to call their own.
The steel-clad figure didn’t worry. For as long as the living are alive, no ghost will ever endanger them. And as for what happened with their dead body? They didn’t care. It wasn’t theirs anyways.
The green eyes of the steel-clad went over the ghostly figures in hope of finding something. It wasn’t there, so they had no choice but to wait. So they did. And they that can have patience can have what they desire.
Three clearly distinguishable figures appeared in between the sea of see through ghosts.
A golden ghost surrounded by an aura of infinite love and care. A red on that seemed to come straight out of the deepest layers of hell stood to the right of it. And in between those beings of great contrast stood a simple looking third one - a gray one – it was a gray that gave on the feeling as if all that is in the world is of no meaning whatsoever.
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In front of these Ghost Monarchs, the small ones parted and made an alley for the three of them to traverse and they used the alley and in front of the figure of steel they stood and watched them as they succumbed to their fate.
“I have been waiting for you.” The steel-clad chuckled.
“Oi, you making fun of us? How would you even know about our existence?” The red figure flared.
“Let them talk.” The gray one coolly cut the red one of.
“Yeah, I’m also curios.” The golden one threw in calmly. Then she proceed to look at the gray one, “But you gotta be more nice to others!”
The gray one gave a blank stare. Then it turned to the figure of steel again. “So when do you plan to die?”
The metal clad figure gave an uncaring laugh. “Don’t rush me so much, I still have some time left.” he said while underlining their statement with a wink of their hand. Then her proceeded to ask: “Why don’t you three introduce yourself to me?”
“Why should we?”
“Hey, don’t be so unfriendly to them! They are simply a bit curious.”
“But why does someone about to die care?”
“Does it matter?”
“… I guess not.”
“Right!”
The golden ghost turned to the figure of steel and in a kind and proud voice it declared: “We are the manifestations of Love, Rage and Apathy!”
The figure in steel nodded. “And you want my body right?”
“Not your body, the body you will leave behind in the world.”
“It is my body right now.”
“But not then anymore.”
“That’s true. However even then, it doesn’t change the matter of fact that you owe me something for leaving it to you.” They shrugged.
“I don’t think so,” Apathy shook its head, “Who are you even in the first place?”
The Figure of steel shrugged once more. “I am a passerby. I won’t be remembered in this world so I do not need a name.”
Apathy nodded. Love disagreed. “We will remember you, so please tell us as who you want to be remembered as!”
They where silent for a moment. Then with a shrug and a smile they said: “I wish to be remembered as whoever you see me as.”
Love confusedly nodded.
“So will you die now? We want your body.”
“No not yet.” They chuckled.
“Are you messing with us?!”
“Will you three promise to do me a favor in exchange for my body?”
“It is not your body once you die.”
“Respecting your predecessors is of importance. You will want those who come after you to respect you too.”
“…”
They smiled.
“Sure. If it is reasonable we will oblige.”
“Good.”
“So what is it that you want?”
“See this,” they said as they pulled out a small box from their pocket, “Deliver it to the mountains that are lost.”
“Where are they?”
“I don’t know.”
“You don’t?”
“Yeah, they are lost after all.”
“Are you messing with us!?”
“No, why would I?”
“You-”
“Fine, we will do it. Now die already.”
They chuckled lightly and with a last wink, the sliver of life left in them went out.
The three ghosts looked at each other. Giving each other a nod, they started to disintegrate. Their limbs slowly turned into bits and pieces of light. Then their torso. And finally when only their head was left, it too turned into a pure form of energy.
In a quick flash of the three colored energies, they moved right into the head region of the body, from where it quickly spread into the rest of the body. The body, receiving nourishment by the ghostly power, got healed and brought into a state where it could move once more.
Shacking their arms lightly to get a feel of the body, they looked satisfied at what they got. With a look around they took in all the great wonders of the world.
The wind brushing past them.
The fresh air to breath.
The slight movements of the trees.
The birds chirping through the air.
The soft ground on which they sat.
It was a world filled with magical beauty – a world that they haven’t gotten to enjoy in this way for a long long time. A time long enough that they had forgotten how much they had actually loved it.
The minor ghosts, not feeling the source of death anymore, had started to pull away. The metal clad figure looked at them. their golden eyes followed them with a look of pity. “Ay, I wish we could make it possible for them to gain bodies too.”
With eyes gray the figure proceeded to say: “We can’t help them, so there is no use worrying.”
“I know ... but still... Anyway, what will we do now that we have a body?”
“I don’t know. I suggest we fulfill our promise while exploring the world.”
“So we will be doing what they wanted us to after all?” with eyes red they frowned.
“It is fine. We owe them something after all. Also otherwise we will have nothing to do.”
“FINE!”
With golden eyes they smiled satisfied.
“Which way will go?”
“How about we decide it by throwing a dice?”
“And from where will we get a dice in your opinion?”
“Ah yeah, right.”
“Also I want to go that way.” the red eyed figure stated as they pointed into the direction behind the tree.
“Why?”
“I want to!”
“Fine by me.”
“If that’s what you wish to.” They answered with golden eyes and a smile on the face.
With heavy and unsteady steps they walked towards the distance, nearly tripping with every step. As they continued to walk though, their steps became more stable and fast and they quickly made their way into the distance.