The Days Of Hellfire

Prologue (count.)

With shaky hands, he handed over The Scroll to The Brother of Light. Kaos understood that since he was Dark, the priest would not want to speak with him. He found that, over these many, many years, the guardians tended to look to his brother rather than him. They enjoyed his brothers easy going smile, and his warm, gentle eyes, as opposed to the darkness he himself portrayed. It was understandable. He did not enjoy looking at their desperation, their old age, and their nose hairs, which always seemed to protrude at odd angles from their nostrils.

And then the priest was gone, shuffling away like his life depended on it. Kaos was already beginning to forget what he looked like.

"Let us make haste to see this done," Kaos said. His brother nodded once in agreement, now in full business mode. They stepped closer to the statue of Athena and placed a palm against the base. The statue immediately began to glow, knowing that Gods were calling upon her aide, to enter the deep trenches of her hidden Temple. Together, they recited the words to a spell that would open a portal that led underground. It was there that a secret room was stored, solely for the purpose of them discussing the business of the souls for the next two hundred years. It was there that they decided if these unsuspecting souls would belong to The Brother of Darkness, or to The Brother of Light.

.....

Many many years ago, a plague was brought down on the world. It struck everywhere. It embedded itself into every corner of the earth, from ocean to ocean, and left no place, no continent, and no city or town unscathed. The outbreak was so sudden that the accusations of its origins flew from everyone everywhere as fast as it was fierce. Most believed that it was the work of witches. Others, predominantly Christians, believed that it was God's wrath raining down on everyone from the heavens for all of their sins.

But it was neither of those things.

It was Kaos and an experiment gone wrong.

So, to try to amend his wrong and take a grab at the opportunity presented to him, he journeyed to the Sustainable level and made an offer to all of the hurting and sick and dying people. He proclaimed that he and he alone could end the plague-but only with the families that agreed to swear their loyalty and souls to him and all of the souls of their future children, and their children's children until the end of time. But once the Brother of Light caught word of what Kaos was up to, he travelled to the Sustainable level and demanded that Kaos put an end to the plague and leave the mortals alone, contract free.

Naturally, Kaos refused.

So they bickered.

It took a whole week for the brothers to work out a deal; the deal that if Kaos would lift the plague, they were to divide the souls equally and decide fairly where they should go after death. It was to be an alternative to just being sent to the Lower level for all of eternity, and that the highest amount of families collected could only be one thousand. No more. Kaos agreed to these terms.

.....

The room was the picture of opulence. The couches were a fine creamy color of white, flagged around a large oak table. The floor was wooden and bare, save for an Old Persian rug lying dormant under a large glass table. On the opposite side of the room was a monstrous fireplace, with a tame fire roaring proudly inside of it. Lounging greek-style on the couch opposite of the table was The Brother of Light, arms folded behind his head and face contorted in what appeared to be bliss. Kaos knew, however, that he was feeling anything but.

It had been two days since he and his brother arrived at the Parthenon and entered the deliberating room. Two long and tiresome days. Kaos had reached the point where he felt as though he would drive a knife through his heart; or, more likely, through the heart of his brother, if he has to endure this for much longer.