The air of the mortal realm was dense. So gentle yet empty. My bare feet touched its soil, the ground taking in my shape, as my robe drags against the land and accumulates dirt.
I closed my eyes tightly and then breathed in the air that supplies human bodies with the essence of life. My soul reacting heavily, black tints slowly appeared on my pale face down to my neck, arms, and legs, as invisible chains formed around my ankles, trying to imprison me to the ground.
A pain that I almost forgotten resurfaced in my consciousness, which made me laugh, then open my eyes.
"The realm is the same as I remembered." I took a single step, dragging the heavy chains that were desperately trying to limit my movement. A huge surge of pain quickly filled my empty vessel, tracing all parts that scream death and replacing them with nothing but life.
My body that thrives on emptiness was now full, with no signs of stopping. The veins slowly bulged out of proportion as life stubbornly tried to revive my vessel that needs no reviving, and without consideration—life exploded in my deathly veins.
Cold sticky liquid dripped down from my eyes as my vessel cried in being submerged by life. It travelled down my face, to my neck, and then to the land, staining it with death.
Life was unforgiving towards me. The realm recognized my descent, which made my chains bigger and heavier with every step I tried to take. It felt as if both Heavens and the Mortal Realm were pleading for me not to take another step, and so, I looked up at the sky and smiled.
"Just for a while... just a while," I whispered.
The moon was nowhere to be found as my gaze, filled with void and death, set its focus on the towering sky. But as always, if death's gaze is on the heavens, the heavens' gaze is bound to look away.
And so, the Heavens have gone blind.
Bleeding out, my orbs flickered as total darkness quickly enveloped the mortal realm. Time grew slow, and all living beings immediately fell lifeless to the ground. I grinned and snapped my fingers, trapping all of the souls that dared to leave their bodies before slamming them back to their place.
All life was extinguished and returned within that time.
A chuckle escaped from my lips as it echoed throughout the forest, disturbing the balance of the realm. The time quickly returned to its usual pace, and all beings that died and revived in that small amount of time were put in a daze of confusion.
The war has been put on hold as all mortals remained unmoving due to the sudden change in the balance of the world. I can feel a flicker of Ferlon's soul not far away, sprinting from one of his allies to the next.
I blinked my bloodied eyes and took another step, the ground shaking in protest as the shrieks and cries of the forest fairies started to sound more of fear than of excitement. The realm has started to find a temporary balance again, and the mortals have started to regain their strength, all starting to flee away.
I can not see a single thing.
Once again, I inhaled the poisonous air filled with the essence of life. My blood boiled, filling my body after all veins have surrendered and exploded due to the air.
I felt my blood seeping out through my skin, painting my whole body red. And so, I breathed in once again... after all, my veins have already exploded, and my blood already seeped through.
The chains heated up against my ankles, and another pair of restraints formed on my wrists; however, I took that as a chance to take another step.
All life within the forest has now fled away.
"No...no. You cannot flee now that I am here." I muttered with total darkness in my sight as all living bodies unwillingly stopped on their tracks.
The blood that seeped off my skin slowly condensed into a thick black smoke, its coldness mixed with the mortal air as it slowly scattered through searching for the beings that tried to leave me behind.
I took another step, the chains tightened around my ankles and wrists as another one formed in my neck. My bones crumbled, and my body fell on the ground as my flesh slowly tore apart.
"Osiris, come," I muttered, and immediately a growl echoed from behind. Osiris took form from my flesh, and he looked at me with eyes sparkling brightly that the moon should've done.
I smiled and then raised my hand, causing the chains to tighten and grow even heavier, slamming my arms down to the ground along my body that lost all bones.
Playing with the mortals has always been painful. I breathed in again. This time, it was a deep and long inhale, ensuring all mortal air had been sucked inside my crumbling body.
The air of life was now overpowered by the smoke of death, enchanting all souls ahead. I could feel them crawling back in daze, craving for the air that I took inside of me as my body convulsed in pain.
My flesh, my bones, my veins, and even my soul were slowly burning due to coming into contact with the energy of life.
I chuckled as I coughed out blood and then pushed my body to stand up once again. The condensed smoke served as my bones, and flesh, as my blood continued to stain the land.
The war. They must resume the war.
I once again breathed in, knowing it would mess up my soul this time. However, I simply scratched my neck that had grown an itch. The chains have tightened so much that my neck's about to burst.
I scratched my face with my fairly long nails, letting more blood be shed. I followed with another deep breath as my senses started to go numb and dull.
The war? Why must you stop the war? I took another step forward and another breath in. I didn't stop until I had finally gone deaf and blind.
Only then did I finally smile.
My body was completely ravaged by life, and the only consequence left for me is death.
And, I do not die.
The sounds of chains being dragged against the ground echoed and filled the forest. Its noise was enough to call in the forest fairies that had been trembling in fear back to me. My body, which has been exhausted to the point of death, was moving exceptionally well through the manipulation of my condensed smoke, replacing the damaged vessel.
"Osiris, you shall serve as my eye and ear for today." My eyes were closed, stains of blood still on my eyelids, down to my cheeks and neck. And my ears have exploded as well.
Osiris fixated his orbs on me, letting me see my sorry state, which I chuckled at.
"Oh dear. What a poor god I've become." My gentle voice lulled the forest into a very calm and quiet state, as if it had lost all life and spark and was left with nothing but an empty void.
Osiris growled and simply looked away, which left me no choice but to see whatever had caught his interest. Not far from us, a swarm of forest fairies, followed by enchanted humans are walking back into the forest.
I smiled.
The fairies were a lump of shadows trembling against my black smoke, and their cries were starting to irritate Osiris, who had keen hearing. However, what really made me frown was the complexion of the humans following them.
Deathly pale, blank gaze, faint beating hearts, and souls flickering, trying to leave their bodies... These mortals are about to die.
"What happened to their souls—" I didn't finish my words and simply pursed my lips tightly before raising my hand, touching the air.
Ah.
A huge and strong surge of wind quickly circulated back throughout the forest as soon as I breathed out all of the air that I contained in my body earlier.
"That'd be enough for them to recover, right, Osiris?" I laughed out loud at myself for forgetting to breathe out.
Osiris gritted his teeth and growled. He simply ran towards the swarm consisting of both fairies and mortals, and welcomed them on my stead.
I ran my fingers through my hair as I walked, following Osiris blindly. My chains were the only sounds that could be heard in the forest. There was no wind, no moon, and no Heaven to witness the war that I was eagerly wanting to participate in.
Now, where is the brave human I saw earlier? Osiris looked around and growled, signalling that the human I was interested in was not in the group of enchanted souls.
"Hm?" I tilted my head, and then Osiris looked at the left side of the forest before he ran once again, leaving me behind.
The forest was quiet and dull against Osiris' speed; it was almost sickening to look at. I yawned as my vessel started to feel 'sleepiness' as a last resort of restraint by the realm to tame me down.
With my eyes closed and the scenery so dull, my consciousness started to waver as I stopped walking and gently sat down on the dirty ground. I let my frail hands trace my long robe, feeling the mud and flesh that stuck on it while I was being punished for descending.
"Da~" A hum managed to escape from my bruised throat and mouth. My fingers tapped on the dirt as I leaned on a huge tree behind me.
"Da~ da~"
"Da~ da~"
Every tap of my finger sent shivers down the ground. Death crept into every soil, dispersing and crawling throughout the whole forest searching for the beings I've been searching for.
My head fell slightly as my consciousness drifted off, almost sending me to sleep. I scratched my head and then slapped my cheeks with an uncontrolled force that broke my jaw and teeth.
The pain awakened me, and so did the fairies that received ripples of my energy not from afar. I looked in their direction despite not seeing a thing and then yawned.
"Very well, I was planning on waking you up as well," I mumbled in a weak voice as their shrieks echoed loudly. "Stop Ferlon from escaping, bring that fool back to me."
I said and then lay on the dirt.
My cold body touched the wetness of the land, along with the grass and leaves that immediately withered upon touching my skin. I ran my fingers against the mud and continuously dug it up despite my nails breaking apart.
The traces of my energy finally found all humans and gods involved in the war. I smiled against the ground as my mind refused to be restrained by mere sleep. I chuckled, almost swallowing the mud of the mortal realm.
"Come back... You little fools. The war is...not done...unless I say so." My mumbles grew weaker and weaker as my consciousness slowly drifted in lapses.
I will sleep after the war. I will sleep after the war. I won't go back. I must. I must witness the war. How dare! How dare this mere weak realm try to intervene?
Hundreds of mortal souls slowly and cautiously walked towards me; their souls were heavy, cold, and full of doubts.
Hm? One stopped in front of me.
"Do not move, and answer my questions."
A sharp, cold blade was sitting right at the crook of my neck as I lay on the ground.
A mortal presence towering over me with his undeniable willingness to shed blood. My drifting consciousness awakened in glee as I opened my bleeding and blind eyes.
"I can not hear you, but I can feel your blade against my skin," I muttered and then slowly tried to lift my body and sit down, but his blade didn't adjust to my movements, and it simply wounded my neck.
I know you.
"H-How come you are inside the forest? Are you from Heroli? Where is the rest of your army?" The human's soul flickered both in fear and confusion. I tilted my head and then touched my bloodied ears.
"You... humans never... listen." I shook my head slowly as my eyelids gently closed, the realm lulling me to sleep.
However, as brave as he was, the human was also as stupid as he could be. His soul flickered once again, his energy convulsing, signaling speech. "Do not test my patience! Where did you come from!?"
Perhaps he is eager to die.
"Osiris, give me your eyes and ears for a while," I mumbled as Osiris' growl echoed loudly, which alerted the mortal in front of me as his sword suddenly wavered.
I blinked. My eyes now bear blue hues.
I grabbed his blade and crushed it gently into pieces before standing up. My stance was wavering, almost with no balance, as I wiped off the combined blood, flesh, and dirt from my robe.
I raised my head to meet the human's eyes. His eyes were dilated and trembling, and his broken sword still pointed towards me.
"S-stand back! W-Who are you?" He gritted his teeth, which made me look down at my body touching the dirty land. I looked at him once again and then took a step back as he requested, almost falling over as my consciousness suddenly died down for a moment.
The human's breathing suddenly hitched, and his hostile gaze softened in a flicker. I tilted my head to the side, then smiled genuinely.
"I am a friend of Ares... your God," I muttered and then looked up at the heavens and then pointed towards it with my finger.
"You were crying and pleading whilst you pray... I was listening." I then took a lazy glance back at him. He has at least hundreds of human soldiers behind him, surrounding me.
"I...came to answer a prayer...that the Heavens couldn't be bothered to pay mind to. " I took a step forward with my body and consciousness drifting away every moment, my legs trembling, and my eyes refused to open fully. I gazed at the mortal army that I chose to be my pawns in this game.
They hold no trust in their eyes. The same lack of faith I have seen from mortals for all the centuries that have passed.
"But before that, do you have anything that forbids one to fall asleep?"
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