Deities- A Tale of Woe and Destruction

Chosen

  Mark's bedroom exploded with light as the sun rose on a warm, summer morning. The traffic outside his large glass window was booming with the sound of people yelling and honking their horns, waiting for a spot to clear on the busy, Los Angeles roads. Mark was used to the city being this loud. It always was, since he moved here. The young YouTuber laid in his queen-size bed, sound asleep. His arms and legs were spread out across the messy black sheets. The matching comforter was already knocked off the bed, because of his frequent tossing and turning. Tangled strands of black and red hair were pointed in every direction, most of it being nearly matted to Mark's scalp. A line of drool escaped his open mouth as he softly dreamt.

~

   It was just like any other day. Mark was making another video to upload to his YouTube channel, Ethan and Tyler were planning the next comedy sketch, and Amy played with their energetic golden retriever, Chica. In the recording studio, Mark was only just finishing the editing of footage he recorded the other day. He sat in his large red gaming chair, concentrating carefully on designing a thumbnail for the video. He dragged an oversized photo of his face onto the workspace as his headphones began to play a familiar melody. "Caterpillars of the Commonwealth" by Will Connolly was sounding through the red iPhone on his desk. He slowly bobbed his head to the upbeat music.

   As if he had snapped out of a trance, Mark jumped as his computer screen lit up: A Skype call. He quickly paused his music and answered.

   "Heya, Mark!" He was greeted by a familiar green-haired Irishman on the screen.

   "Hey, Jack! What's up?" Mark replied, his face lighting up due to his escape from the clutches of boredom. He tabbed the Photoshop and put his friend on full-screen.

   "Nothing much... I haven't talked to you in a while, so I thought I'd say hi!" Jack said, smiling widely. "How's life?"

   "I'm living, of course... Ethan and Tyler are coming up with some more comedy. You interested? I'll pay for your flight!"

   "That sounds nice! Of course, I'd have to talk to Signe first... She hates it when I'm away for too long..."

  The two friends continued their conversation, unaware that a shadowy figure was beginning to sneak up on the red-haired vlogger. It slithered around the wall, hiding in the darkest of corners. When it was certain that the coast was clear, it soared through the air and clung to the back of Mark's chair, waiting for the right moment to attack.

   "Well, it's settled! I'll pack my bags for the week! I just have to bring back some art tools for Signe. It was the only way I would be able to go." Jack almost yelled.

  "Sounds good to m-" Mark's sentence was cut off by the shadowy sprite leaping into his body, sending chills down his spine. He looked at Jack in fear, unable to speak as his eyes glowed a bright pink. In an instant, flashes of images soared through Mark's mind, until everything went black as the night sky.

~

   Mark sprung up from his bed, sweat and tears dripping from his face. He wiped the droplets off his forehead with one of the wrinkled sheets. Standing up and stretching, the YouTuber walked to his dresser, unaware that something was knocking off the objects that were placed on his bedside table. He quickly turned around after hearing the objects make contact with the vinyl floor, but only discovered that his collection of fan-made pillows fell off the dresser. Mark then remembered the images he had envisioned in the dream: Burning cities, pink wings, and a bright green eye... That was uncommon for his dreams. He scratched his head as he walked to the mirror, only to reveal that two equally large, fluffy, fuchsia wings were perched upon his back. The prophecy was true, and Mark had been chosen.

   "W-What the hell?" Mark yelled, shocked as he rubbed his eyes. Unfortunately, he was not dreaming. He reached out to touch one of his wings. It twitched, spreading outward due to the sudden contact. "The prophecy... The deities... It's all true?"
  
    "Correct, but I'm no deity."

     "W-Who was that?" Mark jumped from the unsuspected voice joining his self-conversation. He looked around for someone, making sure not to knock over his belongings with his massive wings.

   "Oh, sorry... Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Dark. I'm a demon from what you humans call, the Underworld." The voice sounded like an echo, as if it was in a cave of some sort. "I'm sorry that you cannot see me, for I have been cursed to never be seen by anyone again."

   "How can I hear you then?" Mark said curiously. "Are you like, inside my head or something?"

   "Yes. Wasn't it obvious? I mean, you have wings now! I embedded my soul in your body. I have access to your functions, see?" Dark made Mark open his window and soar outside it, his body hovering in the air, thanks to the pink embodiments. The utter strangeness of the actions quieted the commotion on the streets.

   "O-Okay! I understand!" Mark screamed. "T-Take me back inside, please!" Dark agreed, taking the YouTuber back inside his bedroom and closing the window. "So... I'm a 'Chosen One?' Cool! Although... I have one question for you..."
 
   "And what would that be?"
 
   "If you're the good one from the prophecy, how come you're a demon? Why are you named Dark?"