I awoke, but as I stretched out, I realized that I didn’t feel dirt or rock below me. I frowned and let my hands run over what felt like sand. This time, I wasn’t in the den like I had been in the past. I frowned and looked around at my surroundings, confusion running rampant. Wasn't I just in the middle of getting eaten by that damn bear? I was half expecting to wake up digesting in its stomach, where the hell was this? I sighed and looked around at my surroundings.
I was in a massive cavern, and before me was a field full of hundreds of thousands of bones, stretching out as far as I could see. As I allowed what I thought was sand to run through my fingers, I realized that it was bone powder, darkened by time. Dividing the ‘sand’, there was a wide, dark, and peaceful river that winded its way across the landscape, disappearing into the distance. Stretched across the beach, I saw the skulls of wolves, squirrels, rabbits, oglebons, zhaarsts, and many more that I had no clue what they had once belonged to. The edges of it silently lapped at the grey shores, every once in a while washing up another skull.
As my eyes scanned around, I hummed to myself as I noticed a tall, thin figure, draped in a black robe. They were lounging on a simple bone throne, tapping on a scroll absentmindedly as it stared at the river. Maybe they had brought me here? If nothing else, maybe they could tell me where I was. I started walking over to them, pasting a smile on my face.
As I got closer to the figure, my stomach started developing a deep cold feeling. Almost as if it was freezing from the inside. I shivered and went to take another step, but I struggled to even lift my foot. I frowned, and looked down at my feet, but there was nothing on them or in the way. Which was odd, because it was almost like I was walking through molasses, each step taking ten times the effort that it needed to. How did that make any sense? I hesitated but shrugged. Eh, what was the harm? I needed answers either way, and the figure looked like the only one who could give me any. I started walking forward again, each step taking an agonizingly long time as I made my way forward. I carefully made my way to the edge of the river, stopping about ten feet away from the throne. Now that I could look at it more clearly, I saw that there were various bones that made up the frame of it, but it was also decorated and made of white roses, vines, and silver. It was… beautiful. Not in a way like Verdant’s throne and realm, but a more ethereal, peaceful one.
I sighed and shuffled closer, but the figure still didn’t even look up. Instead, the figure just continued to mutter to itself and tap on the scroll in its bony hands. Hmm… Wait… Bony hands? I peered closer, but nope, I was right in the first place. How… interesting. I sighed again and shrugged. Well, I better announce myself, right? Doesn’t really matter if they have bones for hands as long as they didn’t try to kill me. I cleared my throat, and raised my hand to wave to the robed figure, but this time, they noticed my presence. They shot up from where they had been standing, and I froze in that same position as it slowly turned and looked in my direction. The figure seemed to be startled, which was odd since I was pretty sure they were the one that had summoned me… or wait, maybe they hadn’t? Maybe this wasn’t like it had been with Verdant. Huh, oh well, maybe they knew who had at least? Though… based on the surprised feeling I was getting from them, I wasn’t even sure of that.
I cleared my throat again and gave the robed figure a smile, “Why hello there! I am not exactly sure where I am right now, so I was wondering if you may have any idea? Could you please-”
Then, before I could say anything else, I felt a crushing pressure descend on me suddenly, slamming into me like I’d just gotten hit by an avalanche. I gasped in surprise, all of the air being knocked from my lungs as I was forced to my knees. I groaned and drug in a hard gasp of air, cursing inwardly. I tried to bring up a knee, but the pressure suddenly increased even more, and I fell flat, groaning.
As I was smashed into the bone shore, I grumbled to myself. Of course you had to go say hello, the hell was wrong with you? Odd figure sitting on a throne made of bones and skulls, yeah, just go and say hello! As if that was going to go well at all! I wiggled forward a little bit, but the pressure was unbelievably intense, and it made me tear up. It really reminded me of that damn tunnel at the bottom of Verdants realm… Ugh, I really hated that place. I preferred the wolves and their nonstop slaughters over it, and this. I could feel my bones and joints creaking and cracking, and then a startled thought occurred to me. I might actually die for good if this kept up. My Unending Vitality was strong, and it had kept me alive all this time, but there had to be limits. After all, how could I regenerate from becoming a human pancake!? I cursed again as the pressure somehow increased again. The tunnel in Verdants' realm had been overpowering, but that pressure was nothing compared to this. I honestly wondered if I really was just going to become a human pancake, never even knowing why I was there.
Then, right as I gave up on any hope of possibly surviving, hoping that the figure at least had some good syrup around, the pressure vanished. Almost as if it had never been there in the first place, and I gasped gratefully. Finally! Sweet sweet air! I rolled onto my back, and grinned. Oh my… now that had been intense! I stared at the darkness above me where the ceiling should have been, trying to recover for a moment. I absently allowed my eyes to wander, dully wondering what was going on, but I didn’t have to wait for long.
An incredibly rich and deep voice sang through the cavern, finally breaking the silence. It was soothing, peaceful, and unbelievably calming, and my wildly beating heart calmed down in moments. It almost seemed like it was promising me… peace, and tranquility.
I smiled and listened to it, still recovering from being crushed, “Ah… sorry little one, I am not used to many living visitors here in my realm. Especially ones unannounced, and bearing the mark of that one… what a troublesome goddess they are… I depend on their subjects you see? Everyone knows it, but not a single one of them ever seems to realize how much they depend on me… but ah, I ramble on. Welcome, new traveler, to the realm of Death.”
I sighed, and sat up, groaning as my body began to heal itself. I looked in the direction of the figure on the throne warily. They had stood up, leaning on a great scythe that had just appeared out of nowhere. It was a simple thing, with a pitch black shaft leading up to a simple curved blade, but a part of me realized that it was unbelievably dangerous and powerful. Something that could do great damage, but only if the user willed it so, and this user… was simply regarding me with curiosity. I sighed and rolled my shoulders. Well… I guess I might as well try this again, since they didn't seem like they wanted to crush me into a paste right now.
I spoke up, having to clear my throat when it cracked at first, “Hello there… ummm… ah I’m sorry, I’m afraid I don't know your name… well… hello there kind sir, thank you for the welcome, and thank you for not turning me into a pancake. Very much appreciated. If I may ask, why am I here? Last thing I remember, I was being devoured by a dire bear? I didn’t just die, did I? I thought I could definitely regenerate and survive that… damn, I was going to try stabbing the bastard from the inside once I got the chance!”
The figure's hood cocked to the side, and then I heard a deep rich laugh boom forth. “Ah, you didn't realize it from the scythe? You may call me… hmmm… lets see… Ah yes! You may call me Grim. little one. I am in charge of ferrying the souls of the living to the Afterlife they have earned. Your body is in fact back on the world of Zioln, in the stomach of the dire bear, slowly being digested. Though… hmm… your soul has been brought here, but your body has not given up yet. Now why…” The hooded figure peered in my direction, before straightening and slamming their scythe into the ground, causing the bones nearby to rattle and rumble, splitting the ground apart and creating a massive crevasse. “Neverending Vitality? Earlier, you said that you thought you were going to be able to regenerate? From being eaten whole by the dire bear? That troublesome goddess… bah! They gift you this ability and don't even think to inform me!”
Grim roared and slashed their scythe through the air, causing it vibrate and tear, before they agitatedly waved their hand, causing it to close once more, “Little one, I see this is not the first time that you have been on the edge of death. In fact, I can tell that you have been there on many different occasions. How often have you been forced to regenerate on such a massive scale? Can you even remember that many?”
My face paled, and I swallowed hard at their rage and annoyance. This… was not going how I thought it would. Shit, was I not supposed to be able to survive being torn apart? How fucked was I? This was probably some Death god, so if they weren't happy with my regeneration… Damn it… Was this really just the end for me? I sighed and shook my head, trying to clear my mind. I guess I couldn’t do much about any of that. It was better that I just told Death the truth now, I had a feeling that lies would just piss them off…
I took a deep breath, and put on a nervous smile, “Oh… I’ve probably been doing that for somewhere in the range of… a year…?”
Grim slammed their scythe down, waves of cold power exploding out from them, but when they spoke, they were calm, “By all rights your soul should have been mine ages ago. Just as all souls become mine as they die. But…” Grim slammed their staff down again, and when they spoke again, their voice was a roar, “AN ENTIRE… AN ENTIRE YEAR!? WHAT IN THE NAME OF… WHERE WERE MY SERVANTS DOING THAT THEY DID NOT NOTICE YOU ON THE EDGE OF DEATH FOR SO LONG!?”
I kicked a bone, and averted my eyes. “Oh, I'm sorry Lord… Grim… but I’ve been in this cycle for almost as long as I can remember… I'm not quite sure why they wouldn't have noticed, but isn't that just part of my ability?”
“YOU’VE BEEN STUCK IN THIS STATE FOR AN ENTIRE…!” Death radiated waves of darkness, and the whole cavern managed to get even darker somehow. Without even realizing it, I had taken a step forward. I stared at the waves of darkness in amazement, and I watched the way they curled off of Death. It was… perfect… “To answer your question little one, THIS is not normal, and my servant should have noticed this ages ago! SYSTINE! I DEMAND YOUR PRESENCE, NOW!!!”
The crack that Death had created earlier, rumbled and shook, tearing open even wider than before. Mist exploded out of the center of it, pooling over the bones on the floor. It began gathering them and dragging them up into a semi human shape, tendrils of darkness whipping about. Upon its torso there grew about twenty arms, lashing about wildly, their claws grasping at the air, and then the bones, rearranging and placing them into different areas, until there was a massive frame. The still pooling mist moved upwards and then coalesced upon the messy bone frame that had been gathered, until it was almost like there was flesh and skin there. The new being shook and rumbled, and finally two glowing eyes appeared in the skull of what looked to be… a dragon?
The eyes turned towards Grim, and the figure that stood so unbelievably tall, bowed so low that their head rested on the ground, and then they spoke, their voice so silky smooth that I almost fell asleep on the spot, “Lord Death… You called for me?”
“DON’T YOU LORD DEATH ME!” The robed figure roared, slamming their scythe down once again. “YOU ALLOWED THIS POOR SOUL TO BE STUCK IN THE LIMBO BETWEEN LIFE AND DEATH FOR AN ENTIRE… YEAR!?!?”
Despite the creature, who I assumed was Systine, being at least four times larger than Death, I watched as they flinched from its verbal tirade, and finally noticed little ol’ me, on the other side of the river. It shook itself in displeasure, the bones within its frame spiraling and peaking out of the ‘flesh’ for brief moments. I could tell that they were upset, but not about my presence. No, they were sad.
Systine turned back to Grim again, and spoke, their voice filled with sorrow, “Oh Lord Death… I’m sorry this one took so long for me to notice, but the ability that the Goddess of the Wilderness bestowed to him was quite troublesome. Every time I noticed his soul come near to the realm of death, it would suddenly be ripped from our grasp, and it would explode with life… I've only recently been able to collect it, but I… lost… it. As soon as I grabbed hold, it just exploded and vanished. I was searching for it until you called me a moment ago, but it seems… that it ended up going to where it belonged.”
Grim turned to me, and to my surprise, suddenly bowed, their hood slamming into the bone floor, causing the skull mountain nearby to fall apart, and Systine in turn also fell to the ground, groveling before me. “Oh little one… allow me, the god of Death and the Afterlife, to offer you my sincerest apologies. Because of Systine and my own failures, you have been forced to stay alive in that world, suffering needlessly and terribly. As the guardian of Death and the Afterlife, it is my duty and pleasure to take the souls of those who are on the brink of death, and ferry them to a kinder alternative. No soul deserves to go through that intense of a pain once in a lifetime, and you… have gone through it countless times.”
That surprised me even more than the whole tirade from before. I figured my ability was a little too broken, but the fact that Death itself would bow to me? How much had Verdant fucked with me? Though, it was sorta cool if I was being honest… Death itself bowing to me? Though… Did that mean that this was going to be the end of my life? Ugh…
I hummed to myself and then sighed, before responding, “Oh, don’t even worry about it Grim! I mean… I still had… have… stuff to do, ya know? I wasn’t necessarily ready to die yet, the ability that Verdant granted me has been incredibly helpful in that regard.”
Death and Systine straightened up, and then in sync, cocked their heads, looking at me like I was crazy. “Little one… You've been literally torn apart and eaten alive for the last year. Forced to regenerate and survive, only to go through that whole cycle once again. Even now, your body is actively being digested by a Dire Bear, and is merely a pile of bones as of now. Even if you were to return to life, you’d be forced to experience another slow, agonizing, painful death. The pain that you've been forced to go through… No mortal has experienced something like that. I offer you peace, tranquility, and comfort. No more agony, no more suffering.”
I laughed boisterously and grinned at Death, “I thank you for the offer, Grim! But if it’s all the same to you, I am not yet ready to move on from that world. There is still so much I want to experience and discover there! Sure, I might not be in the best situation now… but I do plan to get out of there eventually. The bear can't be invincible everywhere after all. And besides… I still have a score to settle.”
Death brought their skeletal hand up to their hood, and considered that, “A score to settle… Ha… I confess, this is quite an interesting experience for me, little one. There are so many that reject my offer of course, an almost innumerable amount over the course of the ages, truly. However… none of those souls have ever been stuck in a cycle like yours for so long. The last one who had been given such an ability as yours said something similar, when they eventually met with me. But when they had experienced the sensation of being ripped apart, devoured, and murdered over and over again, they had gone mad. When we had met again, they had gladly accepted my offer. Normally I would simply just take you by force… hmm… But you seem to be fine after a far worse experience… Hmm…”
Systine craned her neck down towards Death, and after a brief glance at me again, they started whispering to each other. I sighed and rubbed my temples, confusion and worry running rampant within me. This was a… problematic situation to be in, to say the least. I had seen what Grim could do when they were angry, and I had no doubt in my mind that they could kill me at any point they wanted to. Fuck… how badly had I messed up by taking on that Dire Bear? Fuck me…
Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
Death knocked their staff on the floor, grabbing my attention and snapping me out of my musings, “Little one… Systine and I have conversed regarding your… Troublesome… Situation. We have but one question though. Do you really not possess any desire to move on?”
I shook my head and faced them both straight on, giving each a bow. “I know you do not have to listen to the requests of a lowly mortal such as myself, but I would rather live on longer. I enjoy your offer, and it does mean a lot, but I do wish to travel in the other world and experience it more. I don't remember much, but… what I do remember is that my life was cut very short once already. Before I met my current circumstances, I get the sense… that I was happy. There were those that took that away from me, used me, and then discarded me like a useless tool. One day, I’ll make sure they pay, but not only that, I want to live. To experience this world and all it has to offer.”
Grim let out a long sigh and their hand went to their skull again. “Ah… You are an interesting one, you know that? Any other mortal I would just send on, even considering the unfortunate ability the goddess of the Wild has gifted you. However, you truly do not seem ready to die just yet. Systine shared with me how each of your… cycles… ended. It gave me a touch of perspective considering you, and your life. I must admit, it was very impressive to watch, especially considering that you seemed to always try and defeat at least one of them before they killed you once more.” Grim sighed and rubbed the back of their hood, “Neverending Vitality is definitely a strong skill, but it relies on a large amount of energy. Past users would devour very large amounts of food, mana, or health potions just to be able to heal from a sword wound or a lost limb. In your case though… you are not like the other past users. In this last year since you gained your ability, you have not actually eaten or imbibed anything. Especially not in the quantities needed in order to regenerate from such vital wounds. It seems that the energy the ability needs in order to work, has been acquired purely from the quality of your will, and from the wilds that surround you. That troublesome goddess… They must have changed the way that your ability operates. This is very much… uncommon to say the least. Very well, I do not decide this lightly, but I will give you the chance to go back to the land of the living.”
I let out a long sigh of relief at that, and opened my mouth to thank them, but Grim raised their hand, cutting me off, “I do not offer free passage back to the world of the living however. Much as how you needed to go through a trial to evolve in the goddess of the Wilderness's realm, I require you to complete a trial in order to escape mine.”
I smiled, and bowed to Grim and Systine once more, “I thank you for even giving me the opportunity. What would you ask of me?”
“Here in this, my realm of Death, there are very few creatures that can reside here. I normally take souls such as yourself to their next afterlife quickly, but it is not just because I care for them. In fact, I don't have much of a choice. If they were to remain here for too long, their very existence would be torn asunder. The death energies that I emit are much too strong even for Systine to reside here for long. It is a testament to your last year in the cycle that you and I are still conversing. This is not to say that there are no beings that can exist in this realm without passing on.” Grim sighed and lightly drummed their bony fingers on their scythe, “The creatures that reside here are similar in that regard. In life they were once powerful, destructive, and full of life. When they moved on to my realm, their souls, that were brimming with energy, twisted and morphed with my realm's energies, turning them into a new kind of creature. One such… creature… has been especially troublesome for me recently. I have tried to find and capture it, but whenever I try to approach it, the beast senses me and narrowly escapes, vanishing into the dark corners of my realm and hiding itself away. My very existence bends and affects this realm, alerting it, but a little soul such as yourself… it would not even notice, let alone think to flee. If you wish to return to the realm of the Living, I require the… end… of this beast. The one called… The Boneknapper.”
I bowed once more to them, “Of course Lord Grim. I will accomplish this task, no matter how long it takes me. If I may ask though… where will I find this… Boneknapper?”
Grim chuckled and waved their hand in the air, and I felt a sudden weight appear around my neck, “That amulet will pull in the direction of the Boneknapper. All you have to do is allow it to drag you there. I must make this very clear however, despite what I said, I do not expect you to defeat this beast. Even with your ability, you do not stand a chance. In fact, it is entirely likely that it would quite literally steal your bones where you stood, and even if you were able to regrow them, it would just do that over and over again. All that I need you to do is find it, and then call me. Merely, press on the amulet and call out draskonari, and I will appear to handle the beast.”
I cocked my head to the side and hummed, mulling it over quickly. Eh, seemed like a fair deal. Nice and easy job really, especially since I didn’t even have to fight the damned thing. Just let the amulet drag me to wherever the Boneknapper was, press it, say draskonari, and then I got to go back to the land of the living. Sounded like an easy vacation compared to last year in the wolves den, or even the last fight with that damned bear.
I bowed once more to Grim, which was probably a little bit of overkill, but I didn't want to get on their bad side now, “Thank you, I will not let you down Lord Grim. I’ll begin the search now, if that is alright with you?”
Grim nodded, and knocked their staff down three times, “Very well, you go with my blessing, little one. I have casted a concealment spell over you, there are other denizens here in my realm that you may encounter. Do not tell them anything, do not promise them anything, and be careful at all times. I have made an investment in you now. Make sure that you do not let me down.”
With that, Grim waved their hand and vanished with a flourish, taking Systine and the throne with them. I gave a little wave, and then turned out towards the dark, bone filled landscape before me. How exciting! A quest issued by a god, an unending realm of Death and despair, the chance to go back to the realm of the living, and I got to find and fight some mysterious entity! What a fun time this was going to be! I smiled and activated ‘sprint’, dashing off into the Death realm. After all, I doubted the Boneknapper would stay anywhere near a being as powerful as Grim. I’d have to travel a long, long way away.
As I raced through the wastelands, I couldn’t help but admire everything. Sure it was mostly just bones and darkness, but there was an interesting beauty to it. The bones that had been around Grim had seemed to be just randomly thrown around, but the farther that the amulet pulled me, the more that changed. The fields upon fields of bones were arranged in various different shapes and forms. There were glorious spires, explosive archways, massive towers, ancient and beautiful walls, and even more architecture that I could never have imagined. At one point, I saw a cathedral hanging upside down from a stalactite made of pure shadow, the bones that made it slowly shuffling and rearranging themselves. There was a moving Castle, its spires and walls constantly folding in on themselves, and then revealing massive bone legs that stabbed into the bone ground and dragged itself forward. I saw a statue of a great falcon, though it possessed 4 pairs of wings, each of them seeming to be from a different mammal, insect, and reptile. Of course there was also every manner of mind defying skull, and as I ran by some of them I realized that they were easily larger than the wolves' den.
It was amazing, and I laughed as I dodged around each magnificent creation. This was… not something meant for living eyes. I leaped over another massive femur bone and shook my head. No, this wasn’t something for mortal eyes. I couldn't believe Death would just let me run around freely, with fundamentally no holds attached. This Boneknapper… it must have been a huge pain in the ass for Grim. Still… Even if they wanted me to discover the Boneknapper, there was no way I would just be allowed to see all of this. But… here I was anyways, racing through this crazy realm, witnessing castles that seemed to slowly phase out of existence, upside down floating spires, and cathedrals that split in half, revealing another, more amazing cathedral within.
I didn’t even know how long I had been running, just examining and bearing witness to this glorious realm. It was seemingly endless, and as I pushed further into the darkness, I just kept on unveiling more and more of it. After I had left Grim, it had also become extremely apparent how much this realm was not made for the living. It was bitterly cold, the frigid temperatures seeming to get colder and colder with each step I took. As the cold would bite through myself, I was forced to push harder and harder in order to create some little bit of warmth, my whole self recognizing that if I didn’t, I’d die within moments. For real this time. Running was the only thing I could try to keep myself warm and still moving, and the steam from my heavy breaths puffed in front of me. The whole time, that amulet pulled me along, dragging me further and further into this truly ethereal landscape.
Grim hadn’t been wrong when they had mentioned there were very few creatures that could exist here, but every once and a while I would catch the faintest little bit of movement out of the corner of my eye. Each time I would try to catch it, but by the time I would turn my head, it was too late. Whatever it was would have vanished, leaving behind no trace.
I let out a sigh and shivered. I hadn’t even noticed, but I’d slowed down a little, and that ever present cold had crept up, chilling me to my core. I needed to keep on moving, freezing to death wasn’t going to help anyone. Still… I know that Death had mentioned that I should avoid all of the creatures that existed here, but I was just so curious. What kind of being could exist in a realm such as this? A realm where the very god’s existence that was in charge of it, demanded that you move on to the next life? Damn it… I just wanted to see one!
Honestly though, I was sort of amazed that I was still able to move. I know that those other beasts were incredibly strong and powerful, but I was like a bug to them. I guess I should thank my Undying Will for that. It was like a never ending source of energy and endurance. Every time I felt like my ‘sprint’ would run out, I just had to reach into the void, and it would grant me another burst of energy. It was intoxicating, and gave me a little more pep in my step, another wave of fresh air in my lungs, and a refresher, making it so my legs and lungs would stop burning, even if it was only for a few moments. I was glad for the gift Verdant had left me… I knew without a doubt that I would have been dead a long time ago if it hadn’t been for it, but sometimes I wondered where I had gained my Enduring Heart ability. Since I had a growing suspicion that it wasn’t that damned goddess Malxonus.
Though, I guess I could worry about that later. Right now, I had other problems to worry about. I scanned the dark horizon, a heavy feeling developing in my gut. Something was off, and as I heard a screech in the distance, I realized I was very right. In the distance, there was an absolutely massive dark shape, looming larger than even the dire bear, which had been the size of a small house. It was the first creature that I had seen since coming here, and curiosity ran rampant within me.
It was moving over there… which was not that far away really. The cloak also seemed to be working, and it hadn’t seemed to have noticed me or turned in my direction. I glanced down at my amulet, and frowned. It didn't want me to go in that direction… But what could that be? Was it finally one of those elusive creatures that could live here in spite of Death’s presence? What if this was my only chance to see something like that?
I felt a smile come over my face as I really slowed down for the first time since I first activated ‘sprint’. I could feel the chill creep up inside me, and I glanced in the dark figures direction and narrowed my eyes. Oh alright… Just a little detour! I would just take a peek and then finish Grim's quest. I didn't have a time limit right? Grim hadn’t mentioned anything like that, just that I needed to find the beast. Yeah, that’s right, I just needed to find the creature to stay alive, but they hadn’t mentioned any other constraints… As long as this creature's presence didn’t wipe my soul from reality, I would be fine… The Boneknapper and other creatures could exist here right? I should be fine, hadn't I been in the god of Death's direct presence already and been all good?
I cracked my neck and activated ‘sprint’ again, charging in the direction of that dark figure. Alrighty, let’s fucking go! I stopped paying attention to my surroundings and zeroed in, bobbing and weaving around black and white pillars, until finally, I started to catch glimpses of the creature. I felt deep rumbles pulsing through the ground as I got closer to the massive figure, slowly being able to make out more and more of it. Then, as I rounded a spiraling staircase, my jaw dropped. There before me, was an absolutely baffling creature, and as I hid behind a spectacular watchtower, rings of bone encircling it in layer after layer of rings, I examined it.
The creature was absolutely massive, and it towered over even the spires and cathedrals around it. Its head was lost in an impossibly deep hood, the edges of it sprouting from its very flesh. I couldn’t even see any of its features, but there were eight tusks that sprouted from the darkness. Its wide barrel chest was clear, showing a large amount of colorful skulls within, floating about and pulsing with light. It was balanced on top of six towering legs, and as it took a step forward, there was a massive explosion of color, the vibrant hues and fireworks of light brightening up the dull bone white and dark landscape. Its whole body rippled and morphed, creating tendrils that reached out around itself, grazing the pillars and architecture. Wherever the tendrils touched, the very material exploded into light and color. It was like a beautiful flower blooming, creating a glorious mosaic that came into existence around it. It was… beautiful.
“Couldn't help yourself, could you?”
I jumped at the voice, whipping around to see Grim standing behind me, leaning on their scythe. Their hood was turned towards the great creature, seemingly watching it with great interest, just like I was. As it took another step forward, causing another explosion of color and light, they tapped on their scythe, curiosity seeming to emanate from them.
I cleared my throat and turned from Grim to the beautiful beast, “Ah… I’m sorry, I just couldn't help myself. I heard its screech and I was curious what could have made the noise. This might be the only chance I have to see your realm after all…”
A deep, warm chuckle emanated from the robed figure. “Calm yourself little one. I am not angry with you, if that was what you were worried about. I would have done the same thing in your place. Have you enjoyed my realm so far? I don’t get the chance to ask many others that question you see? So I’m rather intrigued by your response.”
I nodded, and turned back towards the glorious creature. “Yes… I guess that my response would be rather interesting in that regard then. Well, I must say that ever since I left you, it has been a truly amazing experience. Once in a lifeti- well, I guess I can’t call it that eh?” I laughed and watched another explosion of color from the beast, humming to myself and the wonderful beauty of it. “How long have I been running anyways? I feel like I’ve been here forever!”
Grim didn’t reply to that for a while, their hood continuing to silently watch the massive creature. I’d almost given up on a response, and was just enjoying the warmth that they provided. I hadn’t seemed to feel cold when I met them, which was actually quite nice. I had been worried about freezing to death when I had stopped to observe the creature.
Then, finally, Grim rustled, tapping their scythe on the ground. The bones around them rustled and shifted, spinning and moving until they started flying through the air. They formed a small cyclone, before the ground cracked below it. From that crack, dark mist spewed forth, and I watched as a new bone spire erupted from the ground. It started growing upwards, wildly spiraling into the air towards that dark ceiling overhead. As it grew taller and taller, it split at the top, and half of it kept on splitting, branching into more and more tendrils, black darkness and bone combining and weaving themselves together until another great structure was formed. The other half just seemed to continue to spiral ever upwards. The newly created structure was made of elegantly intertwined bone platform after bone platform, each of them connected to each other in a spiderweb of thin pathways. After a moment it almost seemed to glow, and then with a shudder, the new structure suddenly settled.
Grim spoke up, breaking the silence as they tapped their scythe again, “Time… it is not something I often consider here in this realm of mine. You see, in the grand scheme of an eternity of endless nothingness, what is a year, a decade, a century, or even a millennia? This realm is seemingly just a never ending stream of soul after soul on their way to their great afterlives. All as I am left here to watch. To bear witness. As each little soul leaves me behind in this lifeless world.”
I hummed and watched as the creature turned towards the new structure and screeched, its roar causing the air to vibrate. The structure quaked, and then color began to blossom across it, somehow making it even more glorious. As I watched the color spread and cover the whole structure, something occurred to me.
I turned to Grim and cleared my throat, speaking up after a moment, “Lord Grim, just because you may be eternal, does not mean you have to be alone. Each of the souls you have transported and ferried have lived their lives in their own unique ways, haven’t they? Well, why can’t you? You may be a god, but you are still something that carries your own feelings and emotions. Don’t you have your own hopes, dreams, and desires? See, even this great creature is trying to do what it wants, creating color and light in a colorless realm such as this. Why can't an all-powerful god of Death do the same?”
Grim tapped their scythe and cocked their hood to the side, looking the new colorful architecture up and down. “I can see why that troublesome goddess of the wilds gave you such a strong gift. You are a… special soul. You know, they have said much the same to me before? As such, I’ll give you the same response that I gave to them back then. I must always be true to this, my realm of Death. I cannot just abandon this place, and all of the souls that rely on me to ensure their journey to their respective afterlives are a smooth one. The land of the living is full of hopes and desires, but also pain and misery. I must be able to provide the peace and tranquility those poor souls need. As such, I must always remain here.”
I sighed and looked back at the creature, “I can't even begin to hold an argument against a literal god, but try to see this. Try to see how even here in this cold land, there are still creatures that can exist. Creatures that even though they are not some form of god, are able to do amazing, beautiful things here. These creatures are not only able to live here, but are able to bring their own desires, hopes, and dreams to this land of the dead.”
Grim chuckled, but didn't say anything more. Merely tapping on their scythe as they observed the beautiful creature. I stood there for a little while longer, watching the creature in silence with them while I considered our conversation. What a thankless existence that Grim had… The god of Death had to be unbelievably powerful, but at the same time, they were chained to this realm, unable to leave or do anything else. It made me wonder what I would do in a similar situation. Forever forced to carry out my duty, perpetually standing watch over everything and everyone's souls as I was left behind in a dark and cold land.
I let out a sigh as the beast roared once more, dousing its entire surroundings in color and light once more, “What an interesting existence… I will complete your quest Grim, Lord and God of Death. I eagerly await the next day that I meet you.”
I bowed once more to Grim, and then tapped the amulet again. It had stopped pulling as hard while I had been conversing with Grim, but it still seemed to be pulling far into the wasteland, just like before. I clenched my teeth and glared into the distance. This Boneknapper… it was making Grim's existence worse. An existence that was literally just them helping other souls move on to their afterlives. An existence that didn’t even allow them to be by themselves. I couldn't just sit here and let it keep on happening, right? I took a deep breath and reached into the void once more, calling upon it and activating sprint again. Power surged through my legs, and I dashed off into the cold wastelands again, leaving behind the lonely god and mosaic beast.