In a village in the black forest...
Zahra sat back in the shadows watching her brother and people dance and sing around a big bonfire. The sweet smell of roasted fruits, vegetables and herbs filled the air and made her stomach growl with want but she did not get up to eat.
It was her turn to be the look out. The girls flocked to her brother, each trying to get his attention while the boys kept asking him to judge their strength. Zahra looked at the runes on her arms. They glowed lightly and she could be lost for hours just trying to understand their mysteries.
Before meeting the mysterious man in the forest who killed the noble on the horse, this village of wood elves had only forty members.
There were no huge fires in fear of attracting the interest of humans and animals in the forest.
The fruits and herbs they now enjoyed were impossible back then because they grew deeper in the forest guarded by many beasts.
That day, that encounter changed everything. Zahra and her brother did not look like wood elves anymore.
Their skin had grown fairer, their eyes were as blue as lightning, their hair had turned so golden, it was as if it were made of strands of sunlight and their bodies felt indestructible. They healed faster. Their magic was stronger and even their thoughts were clearer.
With them protecting the village, many other wood elven clans had asked to join their village. These new additions took them from a group of forty to a small town, over two hundred strong.
"To the Aasim!" A drunk wood elf toasted. Instead of being ignored the other wood elves humbly responded.
"We humbly thank His bountiful blessings."
The "Aasim" is the name the village elders had given the mysterious man who had bestowed the powerful gifts on Zahra and her brother.
Zahra looked out into the night. "To the Aasim. May He continue to protect us." No one heard her. No one except her brother. He turned his gaze to his sister and hoped that one day she would be as happy as he was.
*****
Jack's hooded figure solemnly moved around his palace. As he passed, many Oni soldiers and maids bowed their heads as he passed them.
To the inhabitants of the Underworld, he was Lord Hades, the Primordial god of Death and King of the Underworld but he never forgot his true name and purpose.
He was Jack Reaper, the fifth Prince of Abaddon, a knight of the Seraphim Order of Valeris and a Lord of Ordered Chaos.
To him, his identity as Jack Reaper was far grander than being the ruler of the Underworld.
Jack missed his Creator but there was work to be done. Jack had been collecting Traveller fragments from the moment his Creator went into His slumber.
Even then Jack's subordinates were searching for the remaining fragments. At least those that had not fused with hosts.
"I need to see you soon, my Lord." Jack said in a raspy voice. "Your servant misses his master."
Jack, being the youngest of the Seraphim, was doted on by Valerian. He was given the most one on one time and away missions.
Unlike Gabriel who lead the armies, unlike Lilith who was at her best researching knowledge, unlike Asura who was a war expert and chief strategist, unlike Uriel who could educate civilian masses, Jack got to experience life outside the Crimson Empire.
He was the best assassin and money man. The best collector of souls. He also generated mineral wealth. The earth did not deny him anything he asked be it metals, gems or food. He was one of the most versatile knights under his Lord.
"I should go see Him but how? The other gods got lucky when the Traveller fragment that possessed Loki ripped open a tear between planes. How can I go now though?" Jack questioned himself, a plan began to form, and he began to move.
*****
A hundred shadow figures stood in a dimension patiently waiting. A new figure entered the dimension and looked at the sixty before him.
"Welcome all of you." He said in a joyful tone. "Our last mission was quite the success."
"You call that a success? One our most powerful members was destroyed by the Betrayer!" one of the masses responded.
"Exactly! We should be gathering our strength and waiting for the main body. Attacking the Betrayer is not in the main body's interests!" another figure shouted.
"I understand your concerns but I am the most powerful fragment. I decide what is done and what the best interests of the main body are. Do not call him the Betrayer, his name is Valerian. If we wait in the darkness to grow our strength, he will be out in the open, rapidly rowing his own." the Leader stated.
Seeing that the other fragments did not disagree, he continued.
"The main body was wounded in the last fight but it is healing. I hear its voice. When the main body heals fully it will return. Valerian is poisoned. He cannot heal himself. If we impede any progress he makes, turn the world against him and decipher his plans, we will be able to make sure that this time, the main body wins."
Cheers of agreement and celebration rang through the dimension. The largest fragment revelled in the atmosphere and did not notice that there was one that seemed unmoved. In truth, the one was not even convinced.