The ashes before Strife

Episode 0 : Awakening to new moons ; (1)

"What was it those kids called me? Ah right... the mad chronicler."

Leonis often spoke of how I did a better job of being a king than him when I offered advice in my visits. Saying I was doing a better job of being kind than him.

"I wonder... Just what kind of king could I have been if I truly wanted to rule? Should I have taken Reyla's offer back then?"

Letting out one last long breath I wondered what it would have been like if I ever did become a monarch.

"Perhaps... if I was so ambitious Alice and Jed wouldn't have died because of me..."

As the last breath of life fled my mouth my hands fell, no longer gripping my bleeding wound falling onto the gutters stone floor and at last embraced the darkness that was devouring me still holding the books words in my mind.

"Conqueror... taken... stars..."

My vision turned into blinding darkness

My eyes felt as if they were open yet all I could see was a dark swirling abyss taking me down a black river.

The darkness held the warmth of a mothers loving embrace making me quick to accept it despite the alien feeling to it

Embracing the darkness that enveloped me I felt my mind slip away, it was daunting and suffocating, yet so peaceful.

Not trying to resist it I decided to embrace it instead, leading to my mind becoming empty yet full of daunting soundless wails allowing me to feel anxiety-filled peace through the ebony black river of unknown depth trickling slightly as my body drifted down it.

It was a restful yet agonizing experience.

It was the first time I had allowed myself to rest since I killed my brother.

I tried to rest as a storyteller but it never worked. It only made me envious of those heroes that lived happily ever after.

I wonder, are my friends also in this abyss? I attempted to move my body clearly there, feeling it yet it was also nonexistent.

The darkness gushed over me and all thoughts of resistance immediately crumbled being replaced with serenity.

I guess there's no escaping then.

***
Flowing through the darkness for what felt like a millennium yet had only been a few seconds, but out of nowhere I heard an agonized scream tearing through the abyss.

I tried to turn my body to look for it but couldn't, but the screams became louder, it was a woman's scream filled with pain.

My thoughts raced as to why I would be hearing a woman's scream in this abyss of nothingness and only one thought came to my mind

I was heading towards hell.

It would have made sense with all the wrong choices I made, is this what I get for never believing in God?

I chuckled aloud in the darkness slightly

Good. I am not qualified to have peace or rest.

But then a scorching flash of golden light appeared further down the black river guiding me towards it, more voices could be heard but were muffled yet were slowly becoming more and more distinct and understandable

"Mrs. Barbaten keep pushing were almost there! Just one final push!"

I was baffled when I heard this but before I could think on what this meant I got yanked out of the darkness by two colossal hands emerging from the light grabbing my supposed waist and was hoisted into the air of a wooden room.