The Beginning After The End
1365 Words
Myles opened his eyes and slowly rose to his feet. The ground beneath him was a rough, cracked patch of barren hellscape, surrounded by jagged hills and volcanic peaks that spewed smoke and molten rock. The air reeked of sulfur and poison—a noxious mix that made his eyes sting.
Myles surveyed his surroundings unimpressed.
“ If this is supposed to be much looked forward to afterlife then it's worse than life itself.” He said
“ Welcome to the underworld mortal” a sultry voice said behind him. Myles spun around and saw a hooded figure in a dark robe—an old man with an ageless face.
“ Wait I know you, aren't you the grim reaper?” He asked. “ Close, I go by the name Hades the god of the underworld” Hades replied then gave a frown. “ What are you thinking?”
Myles frowned. “I was expecting something more dramatic. Scythe. Shadows. Maybe flaming eyes. You just look… normal, besides I thought there'd be demons in hell”
Hades didn’t flinch. “Looks can be deceiving. As for demons—you’ll meet them soon enough.”
“ That was why I brought you here, I want to offer you a chance at redemption as my vassal, you will live as my avatar and my powers shall flow through you as my enforcer on earth.
“ You will be far stronger than any mortal has ever been and you shall possess a rare gift of partial immortality” Hades said.
Myles stared wide eyed at Hades offer. “ Wow it's actually honoring to be made such an offer but think I'll pass” he said and turned on his heel.
“ I can help you find your long lost twin sister” The god said. That made him pause he turned back to him in shock. “ What did you say?” He asked. “ What do you know about her?”
“ Well I can tell you that she isn't dead and since I'm a god I'm omniscient which means I know everything about everyone, but. But only the living can reach her.”
Myles just stared on while he tried to get his head around the whole situation. “ You have only one shot at this Myles” A voice in his head said.
“ I'll take the offer” Myles said. “ Good this shall be your new beginning?” Hades approved.
“ But may I ask why you need me to be your vassal, what are you trying to achieve?” Myles inquired in curiosity.
“ There's a dark force coming up and I will need someone more than a mortal to take it down, you will know the details later” Hades said and extended a hand.
Myles took it hesitantly, Hades’s hand felt icy like it could imbue frostbite and yet an otherworldly energy pulsed through the hand into Myles body.
A force bore Myles suddenly and threw him through a portal…
In reality…
Myles woke up with a start in his bedroom, his illumiscent bed side clock, ticked 12:36am. The muffled sounds of thunder and the heavy downpour outside seeped into the room through slight gap in the windows.
“ Argh it's only a nightmare” He sighed and paused, gripped tightly in his hands was a two edged sword; a black blade with glowing purple runes etched into the steel.
The light brightened and dimmed in sync with his heart beat, slowly he removed his hand from it's hilt and raised it to his face.
It had been the hand he'd used to shake Hades, etched in the middle of the palm was a symbol which glowed faintly in the darkened room.
…Meanwhile
[ Paragon branch: Undisclosed Location]
Rain battered the facility. Guards moved in shifts along the perimeter, umbrellas in hand. One guard approached the gate just as a flash of lightning lit up the sky.
Up in the skies thunder cracked and boomed while below a guard strode towards the perimeter fence’s gate.
An overhead crack of lightning made him look up briefly he faced his earlier position only to jump back upon seeing two dark cloaked figures front of him.
“ Who the hell are you?” The guard barked his hand on his AK-47. The guard's voice attracted four other guards to the scene.
““I go by many names,” the man said smoothly. “But you can call me Kaelin.”
He and opened his hood revealing an handsome face with a chiselled jawline.
A single scar marred his right eye and protruding from his forehead were two black horns which curved backwards parallel to his head before gently lifting it's tips upwards.
The guards immediately levelled their guns at the demon.Kaelin sighed. “Typical humans. See something you don’t understand, and the first instinct is to shoot.”
“ I only came here to take what's mine” his voice was firm now. “ There's only one way you getting into this building and that's when we're dead and gone!” A guard shouted back fiercely.
Kaelin gave a wry chuckle. “ That can be arranged”
The figure beside him tore off its cloak. Seven feet tall, muscular, and bull-headed, it was a demon—a walking nightmare.
The guards stepped back immediately and opened fire but not before the demon picked up a guard and tossed him like he was no more than a kid's action figure.
With a quick flick of his wrist, the demon summoned a large one edged serrated sword broadsword “ Sound the alarm!” A guard growled at other who ran immediately into the building.
In one fluid motion the demon spun sword in hand, tracing a wide arc that cleanly decapitated all three guards.
Inside klaxons wailed. “Infernox,” Kaelin said coolly. “Let them know they’re already dead.”
The demon barreled through the building like a war machine. Blood splashed across walls. Screams echoed.
Heaps upon heaps of soldiers were killed savagely by the demon which was like a living tank, most of their ammunition couldn't penetrate it's tough torso.
Kaelin walked gracefully behind him and scanned his surroundings with an expressionless mask slipped on his face.
Kaelin followed, unfazed, stepping over bodies like they were trash. He headed toward the vault marked Demonic Artifacts.
He twisted the doorknob but the door was locked. A swift kick exploded the door into a shower of sawdust and chipped wood.
“ Let's see if you have it” he murmured and stepped into the room filled with artifacts that were either useless or fake.
He searched for only a minute before spotting a box in a darkened corner, within held a sword.
Kaelin gently closed his eyes and extended a hand. “ Come on, come on” he muttered.
Inside the box, the sword suddenly came alive vibrating suddenly it bursted out of the box and landed directly in Kaelin’s hand.
“ There you are? The Fury of Arcturus” he grinned. Some guards charged into the room at that moment. “ Drop the weapon!” One of them barked.
“ How did you manage to get past infernox?” He inquired with a chuckle. “Drop your weapon now!!” The guard repeated in cold menace.
“ Oh well this is where your graves will be dug, you tried to escape the demon but you have just met the devil” He frowned.
“ Reduce this motherf- to smithereens!” The guard barked and opened fire. They were shocked when they saw Kaelin expertly used the sword to deflect their bullets.
He laughed while he fed on their shock till the fire seized momentarily for them a slot in new mags.
“ My turn!”
In a flash he dashed past them at the speed of light and materialized at the exit of the room behind him, the evidence of his slaughter showed a few seconds later with the dismemberment of the guards bodies.
Kaelin laughed ominously while he slipped on his cloak’s hood “ see you at the apocalypse humans”
- Writer
