The myths and legends told by mothers to children as they sat around campfires, fathers to sons as they strove to instill morals, priests to their congregation to drive home religious values, they were all close. The teachings, the studies, all of the stories, they had the basic things right, there were two Gods originally. Cor and Shathari, Goddess of life and creation and her direct counterpart the God of death and destruction. They had to exist, for them to not exist would mean that nothing could be, and if nothing could be then what would there be? There had to be two, a balance to the order of everything, scales that were to be kept balanced at all times.
Cor had disobeyed this law and created a people, all in her likeness and blessed them with extraordinary talents. Giving a sliver of herself to each individual. She had created a world, filled with life. From the soil to the skies there was life unabated, grasses and trees. A free people that never aged, and never died. Shathari had watched, and knew what Cor had done, he had waited for her to finish and he took his time evening the scales. He found her world in the endless void and brought upon the life a rot. Grasses molded and died, flowers withered and fell, her people aged and grew diseases. They died and turned to unbalanced emotion, throwing themselves into wars and developing the tools to destroy their race. There had to be a balance, for where there is life there must be death.
Cor, however, was not to be outdone and struck a deal to allow her creations to live longer. Shathari agreed but was soon enraged when he learned she had given them the magics of the Gods. Contrary to legend, he challenged her and they met upon the great Northern Mountains. They fought and when Shathari had the upper hand, she sacrificed her being to trap him within her world. Using her essence to imprison him but shattering herself and parts of him. From their essence new creations sprang, Pigmen born of dark magic and Gods born of both. They roamed the land and fought for balance, each one finding a death in that life and waiting to be reborn. Many of the smaller Gods were forgotten over time, and scholars would never know their existence. The only thing that remained was the prophecy that Cor and Shathari would return.
History has a way of repeating, and with the second coming of the two original Gods, the smaller ones would return as well. Looking for revenge and searching for an endless life, the struggle of power and balance to be played out again. Minnow had seen all of this in his dreams recently, unfolding like watching a play and he was merely the audience. Since he had taken payment from a Brother of the Shadows to start a war against the Emerald Kingdom, the dreams had come at a more frequent pace, delving him deeper into something he was beginning to understand as more than just dreams. He had always had grandiose ideas of ruling more than just his province and being more than just a liege lord, and this was his opportunity. Though, he had also aligned with the Flame Sect and the possibly crazed King Lucan, his dreams might've been telling him he was a God.
Wake up.
The words cut through his dream's visions, a two headed God cleaving down a tribe of pagan witches with a massive one sided axe, like an urgent sharp whisper that faded gradually. It had an aggressive tone, almost as if giving an order.
No, you should sleep and see the wonders we could possess.
That was a second voice. Much different than the first, a different dialect, it was mushed together like speaking with a mouth full of food and not pausing at each word. This was the first time he had heard the second voice and he began to stir from his sleep.
There was a hand grabbing him, Minnow snapped his eyes open. Sunlight flooded his cloudy vision as he tried to blink away the brightness. He raised a chubby hand to his eyes and rubbed them. He faintly heard a muffled voice and saw a shadow standing in front of him, what was happening right now? He wasn't ready to wake up, he just wanted to sleep some more.
Wake up, you ignorant fool.
The first voice again, it cut through the fog and immediately Minnow's eyes snapped open. He drank in the scene in front of him. He was sitting on the edge of his cot inside of his Regal Tents, which was a congregation of tents inside of the Thanish war camp. Fine, checkered pattern red and blue tapestries lined the inside of this tent and a thick blue carpet covered the floor. The cot he was sitting on was a hard dark wood frame covered with dozens of wool blankets. Had he been sleeping or merely napping?
"Sir, we have an approaching wagon with prisoners taken from the edge of the Red Sand territory. I think...there's an interesting person of importance in it."
The soldier was dressed in plate mail of purple and brown, with an embossment of a snake on the crest of the chestplate. His long black mustache drooped to both sides of his mouth and moved as he spoke. The black standing in contrast to the pale, white skin of his pockmarked face. He was an ugly soldier, not attractive by any means, but his eyes were strikingly beautiful. An almost white, pale blue color that had a depth of harrowing experiences.
"A person of importance? Who of importance would be traveling this way?" Minnow replied back as he rubbed his eyes again.
Why was he so obsessed with the soldiers face just then? He had known General Palfrey for all of his rule, it was almost as if he was seeing him for the first time. A blur to his right caught his eye, it flashed and fuzzed into a man sized snake. It was curled up halfway, its neck sticking straight up and dark arrowhead shaped head only inches from Minnow's cheek. It was thick and obsidian scales lined it's entire body, giving it a black color that seemed to reflect dark green in the sunlight. Minnow froze, was this real? He was staring at his General and trying to only give the snake a side glance.
"Sir, it's the Club Hand, Draxx. It's him and three others."
The snake snapped it's jaws at the soldier and recoiled into a full coil with only it's head showing. It watched Minnow and flicked it's tongue.
"Three others that were with Club Hand, or just three others in general and they aren't with the big oaf?" Minnow replied.
He was sure that the snake wasn't real now, General Palfrey hadn't reacted at all. What was happening, exactly? Was he still sleeping and this was just a really odd dream? Was he losing his shit? Hopefully not, he was finally in a position to be someone grand and that would certainly suck.
There was confusion on the soldier's face as he spoke, "I'm not sure, sir. There are two little boys with him, and a man who says he's a tool smith."
"Why did we take prisoner of not one little boy, but two? Do they possess the magics? Please say that they do." Minnow said in a greedy tone.
If these boys were young enough and had the magics, Minnow could steal it from them, the way Lucan and his army had.
Why do you need to steal magic when you have us?
Minnow ran his stumpy fingers through his patchy, shoulder length, charcoal colored hair. He was sweating, God's above...could Palfrey hear the voices? This was the second one, the mush mouth. Palfrey was speaking but he had zoned him out.
"Listen, I'm having a rather hard time right now. I feel...sick. Do they have magic, or no?" He snapped.
General Palfrey straightened up, "Sir, we haven't checked. I will send the order immediately. Are you in need of assistance?"
Palfrey was so orderly, so obedient, and so damned annoying. Minnow just needed to be alone.
Fools. Why would they not check, first? Oh, I'm glad we found you...
Found you? What did that mean? Maybe he really was going crazy? He could pull this off, he had to, he was a Lord. A land owner and a ruler, people looked up to him because he was the best that his land had to offer.
"Sir...what do you mean by found you?" Palfrey asked with genuine concern.
Minnow snapped his attention to his General and grabbed him by the breastplate, pulling him face to face. Minnow's sloping nose inches away from Palfrey's upturned nose. He searched Palfrey's eyes, was he messing with him?
"Can you hear them?" Minnow spat out.
Palfrey stared back into Minnow's speckled brown eyes, "Them?"
Minnow let go of the breastplate and spun around pointing at the wooden cot he had been laying on. The massive onyx scaled snake hissed and raised it's head.
"There! The snake, and the other voice? You can hear them?"
Minnnnnowwww....he can't see us. He can't hear ussss.
The snake uncoiled and began to slide down the cot and slid between the two men, Minnow following with wide eyes. He looked back at his general who was staring back with furrowed eye brows and confusion.
"Sir...I only hear you. You speak then you mumble in an odd voice." Palfrey said as he took a step back.
Minnow reached down to touch the snake and could actually feel the hard stone scales, the sharp edges and the thickness of each. They were cool to the touch and smooth as he his hand glided over. Minnow smiled up at Palfrey as he felt the scales.
"You can't see this snake?"
Palfrey shook his head, "No...no sir." He stammered.
Minnow smiled and stood back up, "Shame, really. It's quite beautiful. Run along and find out about the boys. They might be quite important to the cause."
Palfrey raised an eyebrow, "Sir, are you sure you want me to leave. I'm rather concerned-"
"You fucking leave when I say leave!" Minnow yelled.
Palfrey stared back and took a step away. Gods above, what was that? That didn't even sound like his voice.
It wasn't your voice you pathetic fool. It was mine, powerful and direct. Something you've never been.
Don't be so hard on him, brother. He's a mere mortal.
The second voice had come again, did it say brother? Were there two snakes? Minnow turned around, oblivious to General Palfrey watching in horror. As he completed his turn a second snake snapped into existence crawling over the black onyx snake. This one was a brilliant yellow and orange that were separated by rings of black. Minnow stared in amazement and then remembered he wasn't alone. Palfrey was standing in the flap of the tent, hesitation on his face.
"I only jest with you, General. Please, do go on and find about the boys what you can. Have the Club Hand delivered to me as well." Minnow said as he smiled his best normal smile he could muster.
This seemed to work as General Palfrey noticeably relaxed, his shoulders seeming to drop. "You had me concerned, Sir."
"All is fine, I was just in a mood."
Palfrey raised a hand to salute and exited the tent, Minnow took a shaky breath and turned towards the snakes. The two were slithering over the other and flicking their massive tongues. The new one coiled around and leveled its eyes on Minnow.
We are the Twins. Not alike in looks, not alike in thinking but we share a singular body.
Minnow looked down and pointed at the two, "No you don't. I clearly see a black snake and an orange and yellow snake."
What you perceive is not always what things are, Minnow. We may be two visibly, but together we share your body. Your mind, your soul, your thoughts, your actions. We share.
"My body, my soul...what? Am I losing my shit, am I honestly, true to the Gods above, losing my fucking mind?" Minnow barked as he sat heavily back on the cot.
It groaned over his enormous weight, as he was a short and heavy set man. The new snake slithered beside him and coiled up to his left as the black snake coiled up to his right. Minnow glanced back and forth between them.
Mortals, such weak minded things.
This is what we have been given to work with, brother. A lordling, someone of power. We have a leg up on the others.
The black snake began to slide around Minnow and inspect him as he sat stiffly. Could he be hurt by this thing? They talked as if they were real but apparently only Minnow could see them.
If we are here then the first two have been born again.
The second snake said as it began to inspect Minnow as well. He was growing uneasy, feeling as though he were just a hopeless rat being dangled above a hungry snake cage.
"Born again?" He managed to squeak out.
The black snake hissed, showing forearm sized fangs that gleamed in the peaking sunlight.
You mortals are always so oblivious to the things that don't directly involve you.
The second snake hissed back at the black and they wound themselves partially around Minnow. They hissed back and forth for a moment before the yellow and orange snake stopped to regard Minnow, who was tense and rigged.
We are Gods. Born of the originals, blended by birth and created for ruling. You have been chosen. You are welcome.
You're welcome? Minnow thought. For what? The snakes weren't real, why was he sitting on the cot in such paralyzed fear. He had thoroughly freaked out his General, imagine if his wife had been in this war camp. What a mess that would've been, Valencia was already a suspicious woman and this would only add to her theories.
Minnow tried to stand up but his arms were pressed in at his sides, the snakes had tightened their grip around him, but how? They weren't real, they were a part of his mind, his imagination. He strained again, but to no avail.
Believe me, puny lordling, we are real.
The black snake moved to position it's head directly in front of Minnow's gaze, it's tongue flicked out and he could feel the movement. He tried to move his arms again but still they were pinned. How was this even possible?
"What are you? What is happening? How was I chosen?" He stammered.
The second snake moved into Minnows view as well and they blurred together. Combining to become one briefly, then separating again. In unison they both hissed and then darted into Minnow with a quick bite. It happened so fast Minnow couldn't react, and he didn't feel any pain. He paused, they had bitten him, right? They both pulled back and flicked their tongue. Suddenly, there was a searing pain that rocked Minnow. He threw himself backwards and tumbled out of the cot. His shoulders burned and throbbed, his neck muscles strained and twisted from the agony. His arms shot out straight and his fingers curled in on themselves. Foam began edging out of the corner of his mouth as he writhed on the floor.
The two snakes slithered and crawled over him as his body continued to bend and convulse in a disturbing manner. A pain so intense that he couldn't even scream had enveloped him, his mind raced and panicked, as his vision blurred in and out. The snakes continued to slide around and over him.
Not long now. We shall become one again and you will know the powers of the Twins.
Mere mortals could never know our power before, now they shall quake in the shadow of us.
Yes, brother, now we shall be reborn and claim what was ours for the taking all along.
Minnow heard the voices but couldn't make sense of the words. His body twisted and strained as the...poison...was it poison? Coursed through his veins. The pain was so intense and the snakes had bitten him. Of course it was poison, but if the snakes weren't real how could it hurt so much. Nothing made sense, hells, he had never even heard of the Twins.
His body kicked and stilled the pain beginning to subside slowly. He had wet himself at some point, not surprisingly, but he wasn't ashamed. He was relived to finally have the pain stop. His body was almost numb, more like a tingle with pins and needles. The snakes were still there but they seemed to be fading from his vision. They were almost transparent, as he could see sunlight through them and even some of the tapestries.
He tried to roll over to his side and he immediately threw up, a green bile that was foamy and smelled wretchedly exited his lips. He took a shaky breath and looked to his side again, the snakes were gone now. Were they gone for good, had they hid somewhere? He looked around as he moved to his knees, still catching his breath. There was no sign of them.
"Hello?" He called out in a hushed whisper.
He prayed there would be no response, and he held his breath as he waited. Nothing came, and he exhaled slowly. Maybe all of this really was a terrible dream? He grabbed the cot and hoisted himself back up to his feet and looked around at the disheveled room. He had thrashed and writhed about the floor, managing to knock over side tables and fruit bowls. He bent to pick up a silver bowl that once had apples, spittle had covered the bowl from his throes and he wiped it off with his frilled white shirt sleeve. He caught a glimpse of his reflection in the bowl and sighed. He looked so terribly tired, he moved the bowl to fix his hair and dropped it immediately. In the reflection he could see the two snake's heads next to his. He grabbed for the bowl with a trembling hand and closed his eyes as he held it up. He took a steadying breath and reopened them.
We are the Twins. Now, you make us whole again.