Once In a while, people need to take a step back and examine the situation. I found myself doing this, albeit right after being kidnapped by a God whose attitude reflected bad intentions. The world as I knew it was a fractured mess of Hate, Disgust, Lust, pain, and fear resting on the greedy hearts of powerful people. If only I knew the true story of how it all started.
Then like a flower blooming, a voice started to tell a tale none had heard before—the story...of Life.
"A long time ago, two sisters lived, Life and Death." The voice was gentle and calming like a mother's telling a story, it made the dark abyss of sleep all the more comforting.
"Life and Death were happy...and alone. The earth was an empty place, with no trees or animals, just land for the two to play in. " A light burst into my vision and showed the two faces, the two girls running around the empty world. No flowers, no trees, no animals, the only sound of life was the laughter of the two girls.
"Then one day, Life had the Idea to make a flower, for color and life. Death agreed and they both tried to make a beautiful flower. " The voice saddened, a tear must have fallen on my face because it felt wet as well. "Life made a beautiful flower and called it...a Lily, Death's flower was called Nightshade, The two loved the flowers, and exchanged them. Unbeknownst to them...Nightshade was poisonous" The voice continued as the picture changed to a beautiful young woman handing the other a purple flower.
"Life then said they should make some animals, Life created a bunny, its snow-white fur was the purest around, she also crafted a Deer. Death tried to create a creature as well, succeeding in making two, A bat and a Wolf, the Darkness of the bat and the Hunger of the wolf displeased her greatly, she felt slightly disappointed that her creations never matched her sister's"
A wolf and a Bat flew past my vision, I thought I saw them change into people but the image changed before I could confirm it.
"Finally, Life created people, her humans, she treated them as her children, blessing them with long lives. Death, however, saw the Dark side of these humans. Death entreated her sister to not let them have dominion, pleading for her safety. Life ignored her." The voice had an ugly tone again, the Image changing to Life creating Humans and Death standing by, a look of anger on her face.
"Death then looked at her creatures, the wolf and the bat, and made them like the humans."
The creatures changed, The wolf becoming a man draped in animal pelts and with sharp teeth, The bat becoming a man with pale skin and red eyes, fangs protruding from his mouth.
"She then beckoned them to hunt the children of life, the creatures eagerly set after the humans, tearing them apart like the deer and rabbits they enjoyed feasting on. Life was in tears, watching as her precious children were torn apart by the creatures her sister had made." The voice stopped, choked up for a moment.
I almost screamed from the images flooding my mind, people running and screaming as they were hunted down, fire ripping apart houses as the Wolf-like creatures tore their prey apart. Red covered my vision until nothing else remained, a sad testimony to the ending of man.
"Then Life called on her creatures, the deer and the rabbit, she asked them to protect the humans by separating them from the wolves and bats, the two took on their human forms. The Rabbit became as pure as snow and created a barrier by running from pole to pole, separating the world neatly in half. " The voice faded a little as the images showed up, a girl with white hair and white eyes running back and forth, her only clothing a white tunic and a pitiful pair of shoes.
The other was the deer, it transformed into a boy with golden eyes, black hair covering his face as he bowed before a frail-looking life.
"Life then asked the other, the deer, to protect and represent humans, gifting him with beauty and intelligence, and a staff gifted with her great love for mankind." The boy accepted the staff and led the humans across the barrier.
"The Creatures tried to follow only to be trapped by a barrier made from light and goodness. The world was separated and the two societies grew as Life weakened. Death then visited her dear sister, she had changed, she now carried a sickle, which she used to reap the souls of humans"
The image changed to Life, wearing a white dress, her blond hair now white and her blue eyes dull, The purple flower still standing beside her. Death appeared wearing a black cloak, her beautiful appearance changed to a gaunt one, her black hair still long and held by a black hood.
"Life lamented that when she died her children would be left without the light they needed to guide their lives. Death only ignored her, readying her sickle with tearful eyes, to see the flower she had given her, put in a place of honor." The voice seemed tearful again, The image showed Death hesitating with her sickle, staring at the flower, then collapsing on the floor in tears.
"Death could not do it, so Life got off her throne and embraced her sister, this final action caused life to disintegrate into flowers and then be blown away by the wind, Death wept in the empty throne room, then gazed upon a child left behind"
Death lay on the floor weeping until a red-haired child with pure white eyes walked up to her, the golden flowers lay forgotten in the room until the red-haired child collected them all and made a flower crown for her.
"The Child was the light, the one humans would need to save and protect them, in response Death wept until another child was made, one with blond hair and eyes black as night. This child was Darkness in its purest form"
A small child which looked suspiciously like Charlotte stood in front of death, her smile was twisted as Death's sickle disappeared from her hands and The child held it.
"On that day it was decided, One day the purest form of Light would battle the Worst form of Darkness for the dominion of the world. Until then the children would live full lives before being reborn to start the cycle again, an endless pattern of pain and love to help them learn what true darkness and light were."
The images displayed were Charlotte being born to her two loving parents and Robyn being left at an orphanage. Robyn was beaten for crying and Charlotte was hugged, Robyn was tortured and ignored While Charlotte's happy childhood flashed before my eyes. Robyn then met Emmett, a smile breaking out on his face, a light shining from above as I saw the two hug.
Then it flashed to Charlotte at that party, the green dress she was wearing as we looked at each other, my whispered confession as she simply kept talking.
That was the final image before I was jerked awake by Robyn, his panicked Green eyes told me he saw the same thing, we were both stranded in a garden of sorts. Beautiful flowers bursting from every tree and bush, blooms of every color decorating the beautiful greenery.
"You're...the Purest form of Light..." I said slowly, looking at Robyn, his green eyes filled with panic.
"That he is." A familiar voice said, I walked down the path and then saw something all too familiar. A gaunt woman with pale skin and black hair, her black eyes focused on the strings looped around her hands. "Welcome, Light Wielder, and Welcome as well...Akira." Death fixed her eyes on me and I felt chilled to the bone.
"This is The garden of death, I assume you perceive it as such, it is different for every person." Death stood up and put her frail hands-on Robyn's face, he flinched as she examined him.
"Now I assume you have large amounts of questions, I will answer them as soon as 'Apollo' arrives," Death said the name 'Apollo' mockingly as if she hated the very name. I saw Robyn shiver as Death suddenly walked back to her patch of grass and sat down, a smile pricking her lips as Lilies started blooming around Robyn's feet.
"It'll just be a moment"
I felt that she was lying, for how could you tell the time in this Idyllic paradise?
Then again who would want to?
Only a Fool who wished for nothing more than what they left behind.