DEATH DAWN — Part II: The Silence After Thunder
Zeus ran.
Across torn skies.
Across shattered clouds.
Across the broken edges of reality itself.
But Death does not tire.
And Nemur was Death's shadow.
For ages Zeus hid between storms, slipping through cracks in the heavens, masking his presence inside thunder so no silence could reveal him. He disguised himself as lightning, as wind, as rain, as prayer.
But Nemur was not searching for a body.
He was searching for an ending.
And endings always leave a trail.
The Final Hunt
It happened when the sky refused to storm.
No thunder.
No rain.
No wind.
Just stillness.
Zeus sensed it immediately.
Silence meant one thing.
"H-he found me…"
A voice answered from behind him:
"I never lost you."
Zeus turned—
And Nemur stood there.
Not descending.
Not appearing.
Just there, as if he had always existed in that exact spot.
The sky darkened out of instinct.
Zeus roared and summoned the greatest storm ever born. Lightning split the heavens in a thousand directions, thunder cracked like collapsing worlds, and the air screamed with divine power.
He hurled it all.
Every bolt.
Every storm.
Every last drop of godhood.
The attack struck Nemur.
The universe flashed white.
When sight returned—
The storm was gone.
Not faded.
Gone.
Erased like it had never existed.
Nemur stood untouched.
Zeus' breath shook. "Why… can't you die?"
Nemur stepped closer.
"I am not alive."
Zeus attacked with his fists, lightning blazing around them. The blows could shatter planets. Olympus itself trembled from the force.
Nemur did not block.
He let the strikes land.
Each impact slowed Zeus more… and more… and more.
Until finally—
Zeus' fist stopped inches from Nemur's face.
Frozen.
Not by power.
By absence.
His strength was disappearing.
Nemur raised his hand and placed it over Zeus' heart.
Golden light burst from Zeus' chest, pouring into Nemur like sunrise being swallowed by night.
Zeus gasped.
"Wait—!"
"It is finished," Nemur said.
The light vanished.
So did Zeus.
Not falling.
Not burning.
Not fading.
He simply—
Stopped.
The King of Gods was dead.
And the universe felt it.
The Slaughter of Heaven
Far above, the remaining gods watched in horror.
"He… did it," one whispered.
Another trembled. "Call him back. Dismiss him!"
So they summoned Nemur.
He appeared before them instantly.
The eldest god forced a smile. "Faithful creation… your task is complete. You may rest now."
Nemur tilted his head.
"Task… complete?"
"Yes," the god said quickly. "Zeus is dead. You have no more purpose."
Silence.
Then Nemur spoke:
"My purpose is death."
The gods froze.
Understanding came too late.
The first god tried to flee.
Nemur touched him.
He vanished.
The second god screamed.
Nemur looked at him.
He ended.
One by one, heaven went quiet.
No battle.
No war.
No struggle.
Just endings.
Soon…
There were no gods left.
The Discovery
For the first time since creation—
Nemur was alone.
No orders.
No voices.
No purpose.
He drifted through existence, wings trailing darkness across empty heavens.
Then—
He heard something.
Soft.
Irregular.
Strange.
Heartbeats.
Thousands. Millions. Billions.
Below.
He descended to Earth.
And saw them.
Humans.
Fragile creatures of bone and breath. They laughed despite knowing death existed. They built despite knowing time destroys all things. They loved even though loss was certain.
Nemur watched silently from the shadows of clouds.
One child pointed at the sky.
"Look! A dark angel!"
The crowd laughed.
They thought it was imagination.
Nemur felt something new inside his hollow chest.
Not command.
Not instinct.
Interest.
He watched wars.
He watched peace.
He watched betrayal.
He watched kindness.
These creatures were weaker than gods…
Yet more dangerous.
Gods relied on power.
Humans relied on mind.
They lied.
They dreamed.
They created.
They defied fate.
They even tried to escape death.
Nemur whispered,
"They are… more."
The New Purpose
He no longer wanted to kill them.
Not all of them.
Not yet.
Instead—
He chose to watch.
To haunt.
To test.
To stand beside their souls when fear crept in.
To whisper into their silence.
To see which humans would break…
…and which would stare back at death without trembling.
Since then, legends say:
When you feel watched in an empty room…
When your shadow moves a second too late…
When your heartbeat suddenly grows loud…
Nemur is near.
Not hunting.
Not killing.
Judging.
Because after ending gods…
The Angel of Death found something far more fascinating—
Humanity.