Prologue: At the Crag of Time
He stood at the cliff, looking over the vast and graceful scenery, mountain peaks jutting out in the background of the valley below filled with springing life, animals of all kinds, trees that lined the rivers, a sight to behold. He took in the scents of pollen in the wind, the ice from the peaks, and an Acrid smell of death; coming from himself.
His six arms, bulky and gray, hovered at his side. His two eyes were darkened in some solemn tone, it was obvious that he was in deep thought. His chest rippled up with a six-pack, toned since he was created. His hair was long and unkept, with black and red streaks running down it. It hung down the back of his head and swayed in the wind.
Booldar… Xi… Vul… the being thought.
"Aizo?" A voice came from behind him. He turned back to see a much slimmer being with pale skin. His eyes were a dark green and his hair was long, yet it had bangs.
"You knew I was thinking of you? How… mindful." The man said. Aizo stood in front of him, someone similar in stature.
"Zagura, why are you still here?" Aizo asked.
Zagura looked back at the view and took a deep breath in. "It all started when you created the planets. The idea that we could form material from our minds inspired me. Leaving me to wander the cosmos was the best you could do. I had a lot of doubts then as to how things would turn out, since Xi had told me of something ominous coming my way. Maybe he was wrong." Zagura looked up to the blue sky and gazed.
"We still have a long road ahead of us brother, the cosmos has only just begun to form." Aizo said.
"Maybe so… but I wish it would come quicker." He looked back down at Aizo. "Millennia are morose with us, yet for all of the other creatures, Millennia is a killer."
Aizo looked into Zagura's sorrowful eyes. "You seem troubled by something more, what is it?" He asked.
"Oh, yes… it really isn't just a difference between the lives of us and others. It's more… on how much our lives will be spent looking for answers."
"Then you came here to remove yourself from that?" Aizo said.
"Yes, but something is missing, and now I have more questions." Zagura breathed deeply.
"Oh, like what?" Aizo asked.
"Why does everything I touch… die?" Zagura looked at Aizo in deep confusion, which touched him. Aizo could tell that Zagura's heart was swollen in grief.
"I… can't answer that." Aizo replied.
"Look." Zagura pointed out in a direction.
Aizo walked forward and gazed down at what he thought fear would look like. A field of animals, rotten and burned, and a man in a cloak stood in the middle. "What… happened?" Aizo could tell the damage had been caused by something devastating.
"It was me… It all happened in an instant." Zagura doesn't look over the ledge.
"Who is that?" Aizo stared down at the hooded figure.
"What…? There's someone there?" Zagura stepped forward cautiously, looking across the scorched landscape. He scanned it, seeing no one.
"There, in the cloak." Aizo said, pointing down at him.
Zagura followed his finger, but there was no one there. "Who… Do you really see them?"
"Yes… There next to the dead tree in the center of the field." Aizo was certain.
Zagura looked directly at the tree, yet there was no one there. "There's… no one."
Aizo looked over at Zagura in confusion. "Do you really think it was you that caused this?"
"What do you mean? Who else would've-" Zagura was cut off.
"I know you wouldn't have done this Zagura. You're not that type of being." Aizo looked at him sternly. "From what I can see… someone's been following you, and you can't see them."
"Why!?" Zagura didn't understand.
"How about we go ask him, together." Aizo turned back to the figure, who was still standing below the tree.
Zagura looked down at the tree, then back up at Aizo. "Ok." The both of them jumped down onto the scorched plain where a foul scent met each of their noses. Aizo gagged, but it seemed to not affect Zagura.
They walked towards the tree slowly, seeing the destruction that this being, or Zagura caused. Death seemed to lurk around the corner, as charred bodies lay across the ground. They stepped forward, now standing in front of the tree.
The hooded figure stood there for Aizo, yet not Zagura. "Who are you?" Aizo asked.
"Death." The figure looked up.
"There is no such… Why are you following my brother."
"There is no reason, I am just looking for a home."
"A home? Then why do you conceal yourself from him?" Aizo stared into the void underneath the hood.
"Because he was the perfect one to help me find one. Yet he seems to dislike my presence. Why is that?" The being talked as if it was a child and an ancient being.
"You bring death and destruction in your wake, you kill everything in your path, how can any being enjoy your presence."
"Oh…" Death lowered his hood to expose a small, scrawny child with pale white and blue skin. His eyes were deep in its sockets and his cheeks were pushed in like there was no difference between his bone and skin.
"Wha…" Zagura stepped back. It seemed that Death taking off the hood allowed Zagura to see him.
"I am sorry Brother of Aether, it is my fault for this destruction. I am Death, born from the gravels of mortified perfection."
Zagura stood astounded. "Why…"
"He wants a home brother, and I recommend that we give him one." Aizo told him.
"A home… Then you are like me. I'm sure that we can do something…" Zagura pondered for a moment before a different voice came from above the three of them.
"Hahaha! Zagura! Aizo!" A beefy and hard-throated voice came from above them. A figure smashed into the ground separating Death and the two brothers. In front of them stood a large and bulky red figure, with two spiraling horns that stuck out the sides of his head. His face had a large, wide grin that seemed to extend a slight too far.
"Who… Ighth?" Aizo took a step back in surprise.
"Your damn right haha!" His hulking appearance dominated over the three of them. "It's good to see ya!"
"Ighth, brother of Fire." Death spoke from behind him. Ighth quickly turned around to see Death's small and frail face below him.
"Oh… There's a new one?" He looked over his shoulder down at Aizo with a confused look.
"Ighth you interrupted us." Aizo gave him a look.
"Oh- Sorry…" He stepped back so that they could all see each other. "My bad. Anyways, who's the little guy?"
"I am Death, scourge of life."
Ighth looked over at Aizo and Zagura for a moment, then back to Death. "Don't look too much like a scourge."
"He is." Aizo said, "and we have to move him somewhere so that he doesn't cause any more havoc, or mess up Zagura's head."
"Oh… I have a place." Ighth said.
"Where?" Aizo asked.
"It's a little place of my own… I can take him there if you want." Ighth replied.
"Why… nevermind." Aizo didn't want to know.
"Why would you take me?" Death asked.
"Because… I think you'd fit right in." Ighth looked over at Death with a surprisingly heartwarming smile.
"Really… Thank you." Death seemed to smile a bit.
"No problem little buddy." Ighth smirked, then opened a portal. It rippled forth in front of them. A spiraling red swarm opened up and past it, an empty, seemingly infinite space.
"How…" Aizo stared into it.
"Hey little man, you can go ahead, I have to ask these guys something." Ighth gave Death a thumbs up.
"Mhm." Death walked into the portal with no arguments. Ighth and the two brothers watched him walk in, then Ighth turned to them.
"Do you feel it?" Ighths face went stern and serious.
"Yes, it seems that Booldar has been up to things." Aizo replied.
"He… created something, didn't he." Zagura responded.
"It seems he did… I'm not sure what, although it does seem that it may contain some part of our powers." Aizo speculated.
"It does… I know what they can do." Zagura replied, seemingly afraid.
"How? What have you seen?" Ighth questioned.
"They… they will be the first of many. Thousands… no much more than that. They will cover worlds in masses unbeknownst to us. They are… souls." Zagura fell to his knees.
"Don't you want to wander with me?" She asked me, but I walked away. I'm sorry. I'm so… so, sorry. Goodbye, Sophia.