《Re: Death's Melancholy》Chapter 5 - Memories
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I briefly looked over the book and gazed at the cover. "The Complete History of Aleron" was a white leather cover with thickly bound paper that seen years of use judging by its condition. There were no superfluous pictures nor gaudy text stating the title. Curiously enough, the author chose to remain anonymous or more likely authors.
I could not imagine a single individual recording history such as this without some cooperation of another. It simply seemed too important. Francis had looked over the book as if it were his very own child.
I opened to the first page and read the opening words aloud as I do every book. How something is written is far more telling of its importance than the actual words.
"I, You, Us, We.
History is a form of time. Yet unlike time, History can be rewritten. Twisted, exaggerated, and forgotten.
It began with I and ended with We. Yet still time marches forward no longer with I but with You. History is for the living. But true time is remembered by the dead. With each second time is lost and is replaced with History. Though the dead are different, they always remember.
Whether lies and fallacies bring peace, whether truth and evidence bring war. It matters not to us. It matters to you. We no longer carry this burden.
It began with I. Renews with You. Time is no longer with us. We are free."
"You Have ENTERED ???????'s Memory"
Just as I finished those words I knew something was wrong.
The room was gone. It was replaced with a open field. Bloody. Ravaged with a struggle that left bodies everywhere sliced to a gory confectionery. Two different kinds of insignia's were upon the uniforms of the bodies that were around the battleground. One I did not know. The other was what had been brandished upon the corner of my forehead since the beginning of this life.
A crescent moon with sharp razor like teeth jutting from the inner crescent, while a broken dagger hovered over the teeth dripping blood onto them.
My gaze shifted.
One Man stood still in its midst. It was not a human per say. A man, maybe, it was something more. Something dangerous. It was the blood that made the mans own skin glow a vibrant shade of red. The lust that it exerted grew by leaps with every beat of its heart. I could feel the pressure even from where I stood 20 meters away.
He needed no introductions. It was his hand that done this. There was no weapon at its side no clothes on its body. Just a red glow over a bronze skin tone. Its hair a furry mane of pure darkness, while the face distorted to a degree that could perhaps been demonic, but its eyes were without pupils.Just dark black pits that seemed to scream no hope.
As I looked closer I realized I wasn't the only one observing. It was watching me. Watching my every move. Before I had even realized my body had began moving toward it.
There was a feeling of despair within me that I couldn't exactly place as my own. It was as if tears were flowing down my face and dripping to the blood stain earth below. They were.
That was when understanding of a sort was gained and another was lost.
"What have you done?" A voice spoke through my body but yet not my body.
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The voice had been low. Full of a rage so strong that it even overwhelmed the lust for that the creature had been giving off. The rage covered the sadness that I felt so strong within. It could be said I was a bystander now watching from the eyes of this body.
"What is this?" I thought trying analyze the situation.
The emotions were too strong. I was being swept into the being of this man. Held there as if a puppet. I was going no where until this interaction had been finished.
"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!" I yelled. An echo could be heard across the battlefield.
The monster just looked at me as if I was a mere insect in its wake. I though had brandished a weapon. It was in my hand our hand now as if an extension of our being. Despite the anger their was no loss in form. He held the blade better than I. His mastery of the long lightning shaped blade was beyond human.
"Who was this man?" I thought.
Before I was within five paces the creature had begun to laugh. It was deep roar of a laugh. One that children hear in the darkness of the night, one that you begin to recognize as your own when your blade became bloody.
I stopped. I just looked at it. I heard the man within me now. Heard his thoughts and anger and sadness completely.
"Why did I tell him to seek power so strongly? This man was no longer Gregory, HE was no longer my brother.
My brother was strong. Proud. Strong enough to save his friends and bear their grief. He was to be king. He was to be my king. I had no desire for it. No will for it.
I CAN"T.
I MUST.
I CAN'T.
I MUST.
WHY?
WHY?
WHY?
The GODS BE DAMNED.
I readied my sword in a stance that I could feel emanated death.
I could feel this man thoughts, goals, dream, desires and being transfer into my soul. His memories were mine. I could feel my world break and reform with new knowledge. His knowledge.
I looked back at the creature and then I something small caught my attention. Small but so important that all that happened next as I would find out years from now that this was what had cascaded evil to cover the land.
A head was severed at the bottom of the creatures feet.
"Cass?"The voice within the body whispered.
"CASSSSSSSSSSS!!!" He screamed.
The man was no longer sane. His mind had snapped.
It was but a second but the sword in my hand was already at the brothers neck. But the creature countered so smoothly that it was as if he could see the future.
Its hand clasped the blade with no effort. Then I heard its voice speak.
"What's wrong brother?" The creature spoke. "Why are you not trying?"
Its voice was indescribable. Maddening yet soothing. Insufferable to even the imagination of it. But I heard it.
Shatter.
Shatter.
SHATTER.
The mind screamed as if activating an ability of some sort.
I had always believed myself to be a very strong individual in my world. Stronger than all others. But the next action that this body did was beyond myself as of then.
We disappeared literally. His action left no trace, no movement, no sound. No condition that could be met. It was if we had gone so fast light itself was trying to find us.
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The blade in my hand was shivering holding up as if there were two. One in each hand. Slicing at the creature at every spot. But it was defending itself. Not so easily anymore. It was not as fast but it made that up with its unimaginable strength. Each slice we made was at the cost of the blade. It would not be long enough to hold out on this any longer.
I was shivering. Or maybe the body itself was shivering. I could feel everything that ran through this mans mind. Every hope, despair, and fear.
The man had never encountered one such as this before. His brother was not this strong. No man god or creature had ever lasted and been able to keep up with his blade when he used this ability. An ability that transcended comprehension.
"Look at the power I have been bestowed brother. Isn't it wonderful? Death cannot even reach me now. Aler." The creature said.
The mans name was it was. It was Aler. Aler. Aler. Aleron?
The air around us became unnaturally quite. Death still. It was the quite that is told in story books. Told in valiant of tales Good vs Evil. But this was more. The wind didn't breath. The earth didn't smell of anything. The sun seemed to dim.
I could feel the body that I possessed begin to become distant almost.
I felt it as the mind began a hymn at first. But he spoke aloud.
A grief filled hymn one that I would never forget. Never could forget.
"I am death.
The fallen are my brethren.
The living are my children.
The dying my birth.
I come now in loss.
I come now in grief.
A soul offered.
A soul lost.
Death has descended."
I could feel myself be kicked aside from the body. I didn't see from the body any longer. I also saw something else be kicked aside with me. It was the soul of the other man in the body. His body. Aler. I wanted to ask him something.
But my eyes saw what had given me chills throughout my last life. The embodiment of death.
The body was no longer that of Aler's. It was no longer of that of anyone.
There was a cloak of darkness that surrounded the body. The swords that had been ours hands were now on the ground cast aside.
I saw the body of the women being watched by Aler. He didn't look towards Death, towards his brother, towards myself. He just looked at the body of Cass.
What happens when death descends?
I look at darkly cloaked figure. At his side was a scythe that was ice literally. It was as if carved from water but blood could not possibly stain its blade. I was stunned. No hand held it at the side of the figure. It was like the scythe had a will of its own.
The monster roared.
"Aler. I had always known you were the incarnation of death! Your strength to the average mortal is without peer. But Death cannot hold me." It spoke.
Alar didn't give no heed to the words of his brother. He was still looking at the body.
Death moved slowly towards to the creature raising the scythe above him in an almost reaping fashion. The monster also produced a weapon now. But it was one of pure darkness. A long straight blade without a hilt, malice oozed from the blade as if a fountain.
He brought the blade towards death and began to slash. The blade passed directly through the body as if it hit only an apparition of the mind. He swung again and again. But his blade hit nothing.
"What is this?" The creature roared.
"Its to late brother." Alar spoke. " Death isn't something that can be defeated."
He swung again and again but to no avail.
Then it happened. Death swung his scythe and it passed through the body as if it were mist. The body of the creature had no scar. No wound nothing to show of deaths action but it no longer moved.
I could see the mans spirit be forced outside of the body. Pushed into the realm I now inhabited. But death was not done. He still stood at the body when something else happened. Something more malevolent than the darkness that had been there.
The sword dark energy pushed itself into the body. Ravaging it becoming a part of it as if a soul. Death stood by the body and watched it as if began a type of transformation.
It changed into the same form as the soul that was just thrust out of it. A man that could be said to have a great beauty. Black curls cover his hair falling to his neck, feminine almost but the face was so hard in its features that it appeared rather handsome. His body not covered would be consider sculpture. It was a surprising change from the previous appearance. I could not understand what was happening.
"Death." the body spoke in clear hard voice.
Death itself changed into an appearance that gave me shivers. Into an appearance that would be mine one day. Long blond hair, blue eyes, pale skin. The reaper held no expression. Emotionless, the eyes held no depth just gave almost a reflection. Scythe to the side, and cloak around the body.
"Vix" Death said.
"Leave there is nothing more you can interfere with now." He said.
Death smiled an eerie smile. Whether it was in irony or sadness I couldn't tell. Death turned just briefly but I knew he could see me. Whether I was truly here I knew not but he knew I was there.
"For now." Death spoke. Disappearing into nothing. Leaving the body of Aler falling back to the ground.
I could see the soul of both Aler and his brother, Gregory both standing there watching me. Not speaking. As if they were rooted in there place.
I saw the being named Vix take the body of Aler into his arms and walk away from the battlefield.
Aler spoke to me for the first time. The battlefield disappearing beneath my feet.
"I leave you my memories of this day. A hint at the truth. It is up to you now. Save Death. Save this world."
" Aler's Memory Ended "
"Memories of Death obtained "
The room came back into focus. My body was once again that of a child's.
"Memories of Death?" I spoke aloud.
The white book that had been called "History of Aleron" Changed into another. A black book that had pages and pages of nothing. No words. No pictures. Nothing.
"What is this?"
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