==== ??? Pov ====

Endless darkness surrounds me, no sound, no taste, no nothing. Floating in the void, or what I assume to be floating, due to the missing sense of gravity or visual cues, I feel a little nauseous as I contemplate how I got here.

To say this feeling is... uncomfortable would be an enormous understatement. It doesn't hurt, but it's pretty damn irritating.

Irritation... the emotion triggers memories, reminding me of that damned cave, now tomb to those I slaughtered. It was also the place I met those weird people with the white masks.

Wait, I am floating in nothingness... THEY FUCKING KILLED ME.

The void I find myself in suddenly makes sense. The last thing I remember is deciding to take a gamble on that silver eyed woman after giving her a warning. Even though it was pointless as she probably didn't understand me, for some reason, I felt like I could trust her to some extent and finally allowed myself to pass out.

As I have my post-death rage/hissyfit, cursing them with every insult I can imagine, an old but young, male but female voice resonates from nowhere. "You're not dead... unfortunately it's not that easy to kill one such as yourself."

I vaguely hear what the voice is saying, but it's soon forgotten as I start remembering something else, memories from before the pit.

The voice once again spoke. "I said you're not de-"

SHUT UP… I’m… remembering something.

"You might want to hold off on that until your persona has formed a little. Your soul and memories are too old and powerful. If you remember all of them now, there is a high possibility you will lose your grip on, what you mortals call, reality and, more importantly, your ego," replied the voice.

Everything is ignored as images flash across my mind.

====

It's a bright, sunny day and I am walking through an airport; planes are taking off on the runway outside as my ears are bombarded by the incessant mumbling of hundreds of people. A tugging sensation on my hand draws my gaze down and onto the face of a beaming young girl with bright blue eyes and wavy blonde hair.

It is Fay, my daughter.

I return her smile. It's rare for Fay and me to spend time together, and I had to fight tooth and nail to secure this holiday from that bitc... my ex. Like anything enjoyable, the weekend away passed in a blink of an eye, and I can't help but feel a little sad that it's over and I won't be seeing Fay for some time.

This holiday was the first major reward for my rehabilitation or whatever the doctors wanted to call it. When we broke up, the ex, Larua, dragged every skeleton out of my proverbial closet, even the one's I didn't know about, in order to separate me from my daughter. Luckily, with a lot of time and persistence, and making some serious lifestyle changes, things eventually became more amiable.

Stolen novel; please report.

To be fair to Laura, I can't really blame her. I was a selfish, single-minded idiot whose pride and stubbornness was almost world renowned, mainly due to a little incident with me cutting the first joint of my little finger off to prove a point. Unfoturtnalty, it was recorded and went viral, ending up being the biggest nail in the coffin that was our relationship.

I guess my constant nightmares and anger issues didn't help either, but with therapy, they had eventually been brought under control. I still see things from time to time, strange grey orbs or shadows moving with intent but as long as I ignore them, everyone else is none the wiser.

The toughest was abiding by the arbitrary rules others set to give themselves the illusion of control, but if it's for my daughter, I would move a mountain. I have even managed to push the issue of everything seeming mundane and boring, as if I have done them thousands of times before, to the back of my mind and just live life for the moment.

====

“Oh, just ignore me, the God of Death. It’s fine. I will wait for the great and mighty, ancient soul to finish their little recap.” The voice interrupted my… vision? Memory? Whatever it was, it was distracting me from the emotions and gut feeling I was trying so hard to ignore.

Interrupt again, and it will be the last thing you do.

“You won't like the answers,” responded the voice, strangely with a hint of fear and anticipation mixed into it. "Take it from one who has experienced it. Some things are best left forgotten, especially for one so volatile and... unyielding."

====

Laura was standing next to the arrivals board, a large smile on her face but daggers in her eyes. As we approached, the air around us seemed to get lighter, as if everything was emitting a bright glow. Thinking I was having another one of my episodes, I decided to ignore it.

A woman to my right releases an ear-piercing scream drawing my attention. What appears to be woman's husband is laying on the floor.

As if her scream was a signal, screams and shouts erupt around me as people start dropping to the floor like wet laundry.

Not one to be phased, I immediately looked for the safest route to get my daughter... and maybe Laura if I felt like it, out of there or at least identify the threat. Spotting a security door, I was about to take a step forward when a sharp, numbing sensation ran up my arm, and I felt Fay fall.

I spin around and catch Fay before she hits the floor, her dead, blue eyes staring blankly.

NO!

I quickly check her vitals before vaguely feeling my hand being pulled upwards, as I hold onto what appears to be a grey orb.

My entire world shatters at that moment; I instinctively know that what I have in my grasp. and the things I have seen my whole life, are in fact, real. I wasn't crazy as everyone, even myself, believed. I could feel it. My daughter's soul.

Time seems to freeze as I am hit by an unknown, crippling force that tries to push me away, but I refuse to let go. I have no idea about what happens after death, but what parent would let their child go into the unknown.

In my peripheral, I spot similar orbs being sucked into black holes that had appeared just above them.

This isn't right; this can't be right.

No..no...no… no… have to do something, have to do something. I can't let this happen. I WILL NOT LET THIS HAPPEN.

Helplessness washed over me as I sensed my daughter's distress, unable to think of any way to stop what was happening.

====

Back in the void, the darkness around me violently warps and flexes as if reacting to my rage. I can't bear to remember the rest but I must. The memories from the cave, the deep anger and loss I am feeling, the desire to destroy everything, it's all starting to make sense.

I try to calm my mind before remembering the rest, knowing that I must burn it into my memory.