'The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown,'

H. P. Lovecraft

Prologue

Death. The final calling of any and every living being. There is no escaping it, no way of bypassing it. Death is fixed, permanent and - most of all - inevitable. It's the thing that dwells in the unknown, revealing itself to only those who have reached the end of their path. Whether it's hell or heaven, reincarnation or infinite darkness, whatever it may be - death is all around us, lurking in the shadows, ready to pounce, and taking advantage of everyone's deepest and darkest fears as it does so.

Death is fear, translated down into everyday terms. The fear of a spider, is really the fear of the tiny pincers, bathed in poison, ready to bite their next victim. The fear of the things that go bump in the night; is the fear of what they just might do to you in your sleep. The fear of flying, is the fear of the death that would follow if the engines of the airplane were to fail. People's fears, whether it's of insects, fairy-tale creatures, germs, war, or maybe even people with beards - the list that goes go on and on, and all have one thing in common. They are all linked to death.

Everyone has one fear, one fear that plays on the ancient and primal phobia of death. One thing that makes their heart heat double, that sends shivers down their spine, a feeling which creates an unhealthy churning-sick feeling deep within your stomach.

Well... everyone except Azelie Ryans.

Azelie Ryans did not fear anything, especially not death. Death was an old friend to her, someone she would greet as it came to clear out the old and make way for the new. No fear of death simply means no fear at all. Spiders suddenly look cute and cuddly, their poisoned pincers no longer any threat. The fear of the things that go bump in the night fades into the darkness; not fearing death means that you no longer fear the things that they might do to you in your sleep. The fear of the engine failing is no longer a thought, since you no longer fear the death that would follow as a result. Overcoming the fear of death, equates to the overcoming of fear itself.

They say that there is nothing to fear, but death itself. But what happens when you no longer fear death, what do you fear then? What is left to fear? If everyone has one fear, and there is nothing to fear but death itself, then what? What do you fear? What does Azelie fear?

That was the question dwelling on Colton Grey's mind.