"You know stories are such strange things," He said. "You can never quite tell where they are going,"
He closed the notebook in his hand and looked down at the funeral. Many important figures were gathered here for the funeral of a man who had done so much.
"A shame what had to happen," He said. "That in the end he won't see everything that's coming, he would have had such an... Interesting reaction,"
"Then why'd you kill him?" Ma said.
He looked back at Ma. Their vaguely human form with cracked skin that looked in constant decay stared at Him.
"Of course Entropy wouldn't understand," He said. "You Personifications never quite understood everything that was needed,"
"I am trying to understand what led you to this course of action," Ma said. "Is that such a bad thing?"
"No but you'd never come to understand anything," He said. "You're too different from men to truly understand them,"
"Like you are any better," Ma said. "You still have humanity in you,"
"I am still quite human," He said. "And that's why i'll get what I want meanwhile you will continue to exist as you always have,"
"Why don't you just do what you want then?" Ma said. "Are there any who could stop you?"
He sighed, of course the Personification couldn't understand.
"There's no fun in a story that skips to the end," He said. "There must be careful preparation if this is to be good,"
"You're just like Him," Ma said.
He glared at Ma.
"I am nothing like Him," he said. "Do not compare to such a monster,"
"Is it so nice to call the source of your power such things?" Ma said. "You are an Arbeross of Him,"
"Just because I can draw power from Him does not make me like Him," He said. "He's a monster masquerading as a God,"
"You say such rude things about my creator," Ma said. "I'm half-tempted to kill you,"
"You could certainly try," He said. "But we know how that would end,"
"That we do," Ma said.
He watched as people gave speeches and cried for Galtz, poor Galtz. Who was dragged into this world against his own will, He still remembered the day Galtz was Reborn.
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To say Galtz had lived a good life would be incorrect. Sure he had helped his community and created many good things but he was a gangster, a man who did such evil while masquerading as good. It was likely the news of his city would say that a local philanthropist died in a terrible act of violence and sweep under the rug the most unsavory aspects of his life, those in future would not be so kind however. For all he had done none would truly forgive his crimes, some can try to justify them by his hard upbringing and the company he kept but there was still an understanding that what he had done was evil. The only question that they could truly ask was, if his evil was better than someone else's.
Galtz stared down at his own lifeless body, he saw the blood draining from it. His body tried to breathe yet it only choked as his lungs filled with blood, the dozen bullet holes that peppered his body killed any hope of being saved. He looked over to his killers, some of his own men paid off to lead him to somewhere secluded and gun him down. They grew blurrier and blurrier with every passing second. This couldn't be where he died, it couldn't be. He tried to force his way back into his body, to fight with everything he had to rise to life for even a second more but he couldn't. It began to grow more and more distant.
As the world finally faded into darkness he floated almost like he was deep in a pool, everything was so calm. Then he began to hear something and felt a tug. He heard chanting in some horrid tongue and the terrible snare of drums, he looked behind him and could see a hole opening to somewhere terrible. A gate that opened to a realm of brimstone and pain, Hell. He tried to swim away but he felt pulled ever closer, he reached out desperately to be forgiven. To go somewhere else yet he could hear no heavenly choir, he was doomed. As he finally gave in and his arm went limp he drifted ever closer, he closed his eyes and waited yet then something happened. He felt like he was being pulled somewhere else.
He felt a horrible tearing like something was trying to rend his soul apart, he wanted to scream but no sound escaped. It felt like something was picking him apart piece by piece and putting him back together. His body tried to draw in breath yet nothing came, he clenched his eyes shut tighter. He had to ignore it all, he had to-
Suddenly he could breathe again, he drew in sharp breaths and fell to his hands and knees. Despite being on his hands and knees he felt no ground, as he caught his breath he opened one eye.
He appeared floating above a massive desk with a stack of papers below, around it were bookshelves that seemed to go onwards into eternity. At the desk sat a Man Woman Entity Demon Author. This Creature Author wore a robe of strange color that hurt his mind to look at and the only visible parts of its body was the hands and face which seemed to shift whenever he blinked or looked away like his mind was projecting a human face onto this Being Author because his mind couldn't accept the truth of the thing. This Anomaly Author seemed to be typing away at a typewriter lined with strange letters, It The Author slid the carriage of the typewriter once more and placed the piece of paper on the top of the stack below Galtz. Galtz looked down at it and saw a horrifying truth, the exactness of all he had felt in those last minutes of life written in painstaking detail in a tongue he didn't read yet understood. This Devil Author then carefully bound the papers into a leather book and placed it into the shelves, as he stared at this book and the ones around it he saw flashes of people's lives, his and others. He wanted to ask so many questions yet he couldn't find the words to speak.
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This God Author then sat back down and turned to Galtz and waved a hand, the paralyzing fear that had gripped him seemed to melt away like ice on a warm spring day.
"Now if you're done admiring my work" The Author had said.
"What are you?" Galtz had said. "Where am i?"
"Where are my manners" The Author had said. "I am The Author and you are soon to be in Shale"
"What is Shale?" Galtz had said. "Are you the Devil? Is this my eternal punishment?"
The Author seemed to chuckle to himself.
"You're in my realm now, not the one you came from" The Author had said. "Now if you don't mind i'd like to get to the questions"
"What questions?" Galtz had said.
The Author picked up an empty piece of paper and a quill pen then wrote a few things on it in that strange flowing language that the books were written in.
"Now, do answer truthfully" The Author had said. "It will make it a lot easier for both of us"
The Author then wrote another line on the paper.
"What is your greatest fear?" The Author had said.
Something creeped into Galtz's mind, the memory of every single thing in his life that scared him. He remembered when the dark scared him as a child to the endless paranoia of his later years. All of it assailed him at once and his body began to feel hot, his breathing accelerated and his heart beat faster. Why did Fear itself scare him so much? He had become so unafraid of anything that now the very idea of being afraid of something scared him.
"An interesting choice" The Author had said. "And would you like to Embrace this fear, Understand this fear, Change this fear or to Overcome this fear?"
His mind raced, what did this mean? What was the meaning behind these choices? Was there meaning? He had to know.
"What would Embrace mean-" Galtz had said.
"Good choice" The Author had said.
Before he could react the Apparition Author wrote something down, folded the piece of paper and stuck it into Galtz's chest. He felt his body twisting and changing and he swore he felt some hungry fearful entity latched onto his soul.
"Do so, enjoy Shale" The Author had said. "I have written quite the tale"
With a snap of their ever-changing fingers Galtz was cast into darkness and felt himself falling. In fact it almost felt like he was drowning.
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He chuckled slightly as he recalled the Rebirth, so many Reborn ended up the same way. One would think in all of infinity there would be so many who could understand what was happening. Of course his wasn't much better but he had learned much more than most.
"Finally out of your little world?" Ma said. "What's next?"
"We begin the next part of the plan," He said. "There's still so much that needs done,"
He took a deep breath in and looked into the blue sky, it reminded him of home. If only, after all these millennia, he could remember more about it. He slid a hand into his pocket for his pen then stopped and glanced at Ma.
"Head on without me," He said. "Someone's here to see me,"
"I can't continue your plan without you," Ma said.
"I'll only be a minute," He said.
Ma glared at him, he didn't like that a Reborn ordered him around but he complied. His form decayed into dust on the wind, it would reform where he wanted it. After all, Entropy was everywhere. He turned around and faced the door to the roof, it opened a few seconds later and an old friend stepped through. He was dressed in grey robes with a single bit of fabric hanging from his waist giving a streak of purple, he had ten rings of Fearstone with one banded in gold. His skin was petrified and smooth with cracks around his grey eyes revealing dark skin beneath.
"Tages," He said. "Just in time, I was about to leave. I see you still have the ring, does that mean you're back with Ueki or are you still running from her?"
"Why are you here?" Tages said. "You should be dead,"
"That's quite rude, you know," He said. "I came here to see the funeral of our good friend and you insult me,"
"It was you who caused his death," Tages said. "Did you think I wouldn’t notice that his body was remade by you?"
"Not my best work," He said. "But it worked well enough,"
"That still does not answer my question," Tages said. "Why are you here?"
"Just coming to see how things are," He said. "I don't see the little Archon here, where is he?"
"That is none of your business," Tages said.
"It is quite my business," He said. "I am worried for the little guy,"
"He is an adult," Tages said. "Despite his immaturity,"
"Ah, yes," He said. "The youth, always such hard things to control,"
"They are not to be controlled," Tages said. "Just guided along the right path,"
"Sometimes that can't be done," He said. "And when that comes you need more... Forceful measures,"
"What are your plans with Arnimos?" Tages said. "Tell me or i will Destroy your Dichotomy,"
He lightly laughed to himself then sighed.
"We both know you aren't strong enough for that," He said. "We could fight if you'd like but i don't think you want that,"
Tages grabbed the Fear-Made weapon at his hip, He grew a small smile.
"Do you want to try this, Tages?" He said. "Or would you rather I just leave and this city be left on the map?"
He and Tages stared at each other for a moment before Tages relented.
"Do not return to this place again," Tages said.
"You couldn't stop me if I wanted to," He said. "Now i will be going, there is just so much to do,"
He drew out a folded piece of paper in his pocket and unfolded it then looked at Tages before reading it.
"Do say hi to Ueki for me," He said. "She does know you are here,"
"And I'm assuming it was you who told her," Tages said.
"I just want you two to make up," He said. "You know, between friends,"
"We aren't friends," Tages said. "Not anymore. Now leave,"
"Always so rude," He said. "Toodeloo,"
He read the Page and vanished from sight leaving Tages alone on the roof. Tages stood alone on the roof for a moment before turning around and leaving back to the funeral, there was certainly much that must be done in the upcoming days.