On an empty plain of winds and shadows, a hazy figure stood. Lonely and detached, her sole companion was the shadow at its feet. You could say the stars were ever-joyful companions, the crescent moon was a smiling friend, while the eternal night sky was a loving mother, who welcome all in its nightly embrace. Then again, the stars were little more than baubles on her garment, the moon was her unsmiling mouth, and the night was nothing more than her cascading hair. The figure spoke up, her melodious voice filled with irritation. “How long are you going to keep me waiting? You were the one who arranged for this, after all.”  

                At the cue, her long shadow suddenly rose up, slowly forming into a formless, ever-shifting black mass, like a living tumour. A fairly apt description, for that was essentially what it was. A mouth appeared on this… thing, with rotting, crooked teeth. Its raspy voice was even less pleasant than its appearance, a remarkable feat of its own. “Why the rush? Your presence fills me with joy, you know. How far have you grown and how much do you remind me of her!”

                “This is exactly why!” With a simple glare, the moonlight from high above turned harsh. The light burned the ‘tumour’, yet as the pain wrecked its soul, it could not help but smile in ecstasy, in remembrance of better times. The light turned a light shade of red. “Once, I found you sympathetic. Now, you are just pure pathetic.”

                Its tone turned cold. “You know exactly why I am like this. You must know. She must still be in there. CONTROL YOURSELF.” It stopped for a moment, looking at her still stone-cold expression. It added, “And for all your talk, you came here all the same.”

                “No matter my disdain nor distaste, responsibility is responsibility. But we did not come here for small talk – I for sure hope not. So, speak.”

                “I just heard some rumours from the gossiping winds, you know; some threads of fate flying along my way. What’s the grand occasion that gathered so many arrogant, willful beings into a tiny, cramped room?”

                “Do you seriously expect me to believe that you know nothing? That you truly had none to do with this whole situation?”

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

                “As I am? Ha. Good joke, but a bit disrespectful. I know the bare bones of it, about the transfer of some of Earth’s souls into our abode. A bit strange, all things considered. But I suppose that is how destiny functions, in all its beauty and cruelty.”

                “Destiny, fate, and all that. These things are losing their weight in our eyes. The most recent conflict showed us just how far things have changed in this brand new world, for better or for worse. No one’s going to outright ignore such a big prophecy, but few are taking it too seriously either. Our particular group is sending Hermes of all people to receive these new souls.”

                “That brat? You are seeking to antagonize them from the start? Where did all the lessons on the horror of hubris go?”

                A soft sigh rang out, rippling through the sky. “I suppose it’s simple resentments. Our souls had been shackled and weighed down by the bonds of fate from time immemorial. We had seen them break and shatter… is removing destiny entirely too much to ask for?”

                “I see where you’re getting from, but that does not really explain this sort of response, does it?”

                “Morbid curiosity. Misplaced hatred. We are, after all, still trapped in the memories of the past. You would know that best, wouldn’t you?”

                “Ah. Good to see that some things never change. Anyway, I got a request.”

                She did not even need to hear anything to know that this was nothing good, possibly something that would irreversibly change the world. This world they had suffered so dearly to gain. The world that held the promise of a brighter, glorious future. Thus, she contemplated.

                After what felt like an eternity, she spoke softly, “Go on.”

                With that, the black mass began to smile, its disgusting mouth splitting the beautiful starry sky.  

> I shall be uploading three chapters on the first day, including the prologue. Afterwards each day I shall upload one chapter for around two weeks. 

>

> The story will follow three characters, usually the story will switch POVs for every two chapter.

> Thank you for reading and I hope you will enjoy the story.