Grimdark

Raphal leaped out of the bush, long claws pushing into the raven. Its wings flapped with the fervour of insanity, and even when Raphal tried to push the guts of its body into the tiny gaps of his teeth, it still struggled. Raphal had one row of teeth, connecting the bottom gum to the top, sealing his mouth shut. Wire pulled against his lips, making it so he never stopped smiling. Raphal liked this. It meant that everyone could see how happy he was.                The land of Grimdark was a land plagued by insanity. Humanity’s vices had been highlighted while their graces erased. Water rushed with intense vigour and the roots of plants and trees broke through the dirt and littered the ground, searching for its nutrients. Overhead Raphal, a woodpecker bashed its head against a trunk, with its beak shattered from the force of its pecks.                Eating was a difficult process for Raphal. He had to place small pieces of the raven’s innards into a small gap in between his teeth and push it through. This process was made worse by the raven’s furious fits, the last of its life force. It was very delicious.                He threw the remains, a mess of blood and feathers, to the ground, where roots shot up and pulled them underground.                It was night. It was always night. The moon kept knocking the sun back down before it could rise. A vicious cycle. A cruel constant.                Then Raphal saw light. It was the first time he had ever seen something so bright. Had the sun snuck past the moon? Had the sun snuck into the thicket of trees?                ‘Who is there?’ Raphal’s tongue clicked behind his teeth. The light was approaching, shining into his eyes. He stared at it like a dog, and the light stared back.                The light entered the clearing and Raphal discovered that it was more than a light, it was a woman with light in her hands. It was a curious instrument, a glass circle with wire coils. Raphal had never seen it before.                ‘I have come to give this world light,’ she said. She pointed to a tower in the distance. The inhabitants of Grimdark referred to that tower as the centre of the world. No matter how far you went, you would always find the pillar of darkness in the distance. It was believed that no one had ever reached the apex of the tower. Raphal had lived in Grimdark for many centuries. The tower has remained for many centuries more.                ‘You want to go there?’ Raphal said.                The woman nodded. She was small. Around half the height of Raphal.                ‘You look very delicious.’ Raphal’s claw like hand gripped her wrist and yanked it up to his mouth. Holding the skin against his teeth, he tried to push his tongue through the tiny gaps to no avail. ‘Let me peel off some skin.’                She pulled back her hand and nursed it with her other. She looked disgusted. Now that was an expression Raphal could understand. Grimdark was built on disgust of other’s actions while simultaneously acting abhorrent.                Raphal grabbed the hand again, pulling her entire body forward. He could feel her shake in terror. He was unfamiliar with fear and terror. He slid his nail into the back of her hand and scraped off a part of her skin and pushed it into the gap of his teeth. She did taste delicious. Raphel looked at her. She had these adorable and wide eyes, as though he was the most horrible creature to ever exist. It was amusing.                ‘Don’t touch me again.’ She looked at him with cold eyes.                ‘Why?’                ‘I’ll reward you. Just let me go to the tower in peace and I will give you a generous reward.’                ‘Like?’                ‘You can eat me,’ she said. She had been told by the denizen of light that Grimdark will be purified when the globe is placed at the peak of the tower. While her compromise for safety with Raphal was her life, she knew that she would not have to give it up due to the purification of the souls of these monstrosities. At least she hoped.                Raphal nodded. ‘That would be excellent.’ He could have just eaten her now, but he did not like sloppy meals. He might be able to have a dinner where the food wasn’t still moving. ‘I will come with you and protect you.’                ‘You don’t have to. I can make my own way.’                ‘And let the others get to you first? I won’t allow it.’                And that is how the monster Raphal and the girl Lyphe met. The centre of the world was ten days away, and it only got worse from here on out.                When they stopped for the first day, Raphal was surprised that Lyphe had to rest. Raphal never had to, he could charge for days before his body broke down and he needed to rest. Lyphe took out utensils and bowls that Raphal had never seen before.                ‘What are those for?’ His tongue clicked.                ‘I thought that it would be unwise to just make any old meal. A soup would be better. You can get it through your teeth.’ Lyphe had placed the globe on the ground, lighting the campsite. ‘Can you find any animals that you can bring back to me? I’ll make you something delicious.’                Raphal disappeared into the forest. He returned ten minutes later with a rabbit, kicking its feet into the air, and threw it into the boiling pot that Lyphe had set up. The blood from its neck wounds mixed with the water.                ‘What are you doing?’ Lyphe poked at the rabbit with spoon, ‘is it dead or alive?’                ‘Probably alive. It won’t die over a scratch.’                ‘A scratch?’                ‘The will to live is too strong here. I bet the raven I ate earlier has some part of it scratching at my stomach.’                ‘This is messed up.’ Lyphe fell to the floor, holding her head.                ‘Maybe for you. For everyone here, it is completely normal. Let me help you make this “soup”.’                Lyphe took a while to gather herself and speak. ‘There are vegetables in my bag, can you cut them up?’                Raphal had never seen such objects before. He picked an orange one so thick he could club Lyphe’s head with it and these red balls that leaked blood. Under Lyphe’s instructions, he placed it on the board, pulled out the knife, and began to chop.                He would raise his arm and slam it down with each swing. He had never been precise and accurate, and each swing would carry the chance of cutting parts of his skin or nail along with the vegetable. He snuck a taste of what Lyphe called the tomato. It tasted funny and he found joy in juggling it with his tongue.                He scooped the cuttings into one pile and tipped it into the pot along with the rabbit. Lyphe had taken the measure to fish the bucking creature from the boiling water and cut it so it could no longer squirm around. It was a difficult process, and despite her best cuts, there would always be one appendage determined the squirm around.                She took a sip of it and almost puked. There was so much blood that she hardly tasted the meat.                ‘Put the vegetables in, Raphal,’ she said as she grabbed a glass of water, trying to wash her mouth of the bloody taste. She would have to brave the taste if she did not want to starve in this hell.                She stirred the pot, added salt, brought out a pair of bowls, and split the steaming soup between the two of them. While she played with her food, reluctant to eat, Raphal grabbed the bowl, held it high above him, and titled it down so the liquid splashed into his teeth. He did not mind the heat, anything for a little sensation.                He had never tasted anything so good, and even though the pieces of rabbits and vegetables could not pass through his teeth, he relished the experience.                ‘What is this?’ Lyphe pulled out a piece of Raphal’s nail and threw it to the ground. Dinner was a long affair. Lyphe had never been a picky eater, but she still spent her time eating picking out all the mysterious objects that had found themselves inside her soup.                ‘Will we continue?’ Raphal said when Lyphe had stomached the soup. Lyphe nodded. Already, she wanted to return home.