Death Comes

The night was pitch dark and the air was heavy as I walked amidst that familiar path that only the elf-friends could see. But it wasn’t friendship that brought me there this night. The closer I got the more the rage grew inside me and the visions of what was once my home burned to the ground flooded my mind. The night was silent, not even the animals stirred in this accursed night and only the soft clink of my armour, as I moved, broke the silence.

As I got close to the village I was greeted by an arrow that burrowed deep into the ground between my feet.

‘What is the meaning of this?’ I called into the night.

‘What brings you here in the middle of the night wearing your armour Sepheron? There’s nothing here for you anymore, kindly leave this place.’ a voice, somewhere from amidst the trees replied.

‘I will not. I request a meeting with your lord. Would you kindly fetch him for me?’

‘You know very well we cannot do that. We will not ask again, leave this place and never return.’

‘Then you too shall perish along with your precious lord.’

The beating of huge wings echoed in the silent night followed by a terrifying roar, green flames rained on the forest and the screams of pain and terror from the elves, hidden in the trees, were deafening. The flames danced all around me but they did not burn my flesh, not these flames, and as I looked up a ghostly dragon prowled the night sky proudly, a gift from Samael himself.

‘Together we shall avenge her... and you shall be known as Despair for that is what you will bring to those that cross our path.’ I spoke into the sky and, as in answer, the dragon roared once more.

I drew my sword from it’s scabbard and resumed my path slowly, memories of her invaded my mind and made each step a torment.

Just a bit longer and then we can rest... This body won’t be able to hold much longer, but please allow me just a few more moments. They shall burn for what they did and their souls shall know no rest...

My path was cut short by a volley of arrows but they burned midair before reaching my body which emitted a ghostly green aura that made the air shimmer around me. I laughed into the night, an empty laugh full of hate and rage.

‘Is that all you can do? Petty little creatures... Show yourself oh great lord of the forest and atone for your sins!’

An old elf stepped from the shadows, he wore his silver night gown and walked slowly leaning on his staff, behind him two guards came with swords on one hand and torches on the other.
‘Is that you Sepheron? I barely recognized the man standing before me, when did your hair turn silver and your eyes red? And that dragon in the sky, I recognize her as one of Samael’s pets. How much more can an Archangel fall? And yet I can feel an angelic grace about you... What have you become?’

‘Fall?’ I laughed loudly then ‘I have ascended my old friend. I’m not an angel or a demon, I’m no longer just a werewolf either. I have both the blood of demons and angels running through me, gifts from Samael and Gabriel.’

‘A Nephelim? Have you gone insane? You have accursed your soul to eternal nothingness, you shall know no rest as your soul is unable to enter heaven or hell! And if Gabriel has helped you, he is doomed as well!’

‘A price I am willing to pay to bring you the same fate old fool.’

‘As for Lucifer, or Samael as you call him, what did he ask of you in return? I highly doubt your dear brother gave you power out of goodwill.’

‘Revenge... You made one big mistake old man, Layla was never my daughter to begin with. She was his daughter, I only took her as my own.’

‘Lucifer’s daughter? Then our call was ever more right, she needed to be killed and locked away for eternity.’

‘She was just a child! She hadn’t even awakened to her powers!’ memories filled my head ‘A loving child that used to play in the grass all by herself and hide behind her mother’s skirt when she was scared. She had a beautiful smile and was such a smart girl...’

‘She was a menace! A creature of sin that could not be allowed to exist. The three twins should never have been able to conceive in the first place! But Selene broke the rules and the child needed to be dealt with. Selene however was an unfortunate casualty.’

‘An unfortunate casualty? You kill the woman I loved and for whom I fell from grace and you call it an unfortunate casualty?’

‘I am so very sorry Sepheron...’

‘Do not call me by that name ever again, you do not have even that right! To you and your kind I shall only be known as Death from now on.’

Despair rained fire once more but this time she aimed at the village itself. Screams of agony filled the air as the residents burned along with the village itself and ever louder as they realized the green flames could not be put out. The lord of the forest turned around to look at his village while it burned, he knelt down and tears fell from his face.

‘Why? Why would you do this? What have the children and women ever done to you do deserve such a fate? Your quarrel was with me not with anyone else, I gave the order and they had nothing to do with it.’

‘Now you know the extent of my despair... now you can begin to understand the pain I felt and still feel. Their souls shall know no rest as they burn eternally in limbo, for these flames don’t burn only the flesh. As for you...’ I walked slowly towards the elder, he got up and faced me. My body ached all over, I was near the end of my strength.

Just a few more moments... please, allow me just a few more moments and then I will pay the price of our pact. Just a few more moments and then we can rest.

The guards stood in front of my path protecting their lord, but I quickly cut them down with my sword and their lifeless bodies fell to the ground without a sound.

‘I have no reason to live anymore, do what you will with me and let me know torment amidst my brethren then and may the Gods have mercy on your soul.’

‘The Gods won’t listen old man, they have left this place and forsaken me long time ago. As for you, I will not take your life. That is your atonement, you shall know the despair of having lost everything until you wither and die and when you do, then and only then, your soul shall join the others.’ I took a dagger from my belt and drew a rune onto the old man’s arm with it. He screamed in pain, when I was done the rune shone eerily green for a moment and became just a scar, no blood came from it. ‘This is my mark, you shall remember me as you go about your remaining life. Every day as you look at it you shall remember this moment and when you finally die this mark will make sure you meet your destiny.’

I turned my back on the man and started walking away, the green flames still flickering in the distance.

‘Sepheron! I take back my words, I hope your soul rots until the end of time itself!’ the lord of the forest shouted ‘And to make sure of that, I’ll give you a little curse of my own! May you never find peace or be able to call home to any place ever again. Be it in this life or any others that follow. May you walk in torment eternally and never find happiness. Be you marked forever as an enemy to the elves and our descendants. And with my own life I seal this curse, may it find home in you and fester.’

I turned quickly and as I watched the old man slit his own throat. Silvery red blood spilled onto the grass, the man knelt and then passed away amidst it. A dark smoke came from the open wound and invaded my body. I felt my whole body burning from within.

You old fool... Your curse was useless, I had already damned myself to all of that. You just wasted what was left of your life. And now my body can rest even if my soul won’t be allowed to, I am too weak to even stand and I embrace my destiny. Come Despair, claim your prize.

I fell to the ground unable to stand any longer, the world begun going ever darker as I lost my senses. The last thing I heard was the dragon’s wings beating ever closer as she descended to pick up my lifeless body.