Prologue
"Don't do it!"
Despite the cry, laughter rose up from around a large oak tree with branches jutting out in all directions. At the base, four children of various ages stood around staring up into the tree. High up in the branches, a black cloaked teen gripped one branch, hoisted himself up and leapt for another one.
"And he's supposedly the oldest of us," said one of the females with a smirk, her thin arms folded over her chest. Her skin as dark as coal, her eyes as brown as chocolate, her black hair a lovely waterfall of tight curls. Her cloak was made of bright vibrant red. At her side, another female simply shook her head, eyeing the teen, who was only so many years older than her, yet similar in appearance from her dirty blonde hair to her dark eyes, but whereas her sister was slender and trim, she was big-boned and sturdy. She wore a pale blue cloak.
"Let him have his adventure," their brother said from beside them, grinning as he put his hand up to shield his eyes while gazing up into the tree to admire the bravery of their eldest sibling. He was on the small side, stocky, his skin a shade lighter than that of the sister who'd spoken, his dark curly hair trimmed short, his eyes a piercing shade of blue. His cloak lay discarded in the grass, a fierce shade of orange.
And in the shadows on the other side of the tree, a pair of vibrant green eyes glowed in the darkness and gazed up into the tree, black hair falling in long silky tresses over his shoulders, his body cloaked with a thin green cloak that matched his siblings'.
"You are all infants," called their brother from the tree as he hoisted himself onto yet another branch. He sat for a moment with his legs dangling over his thick perch, reaching up and throwing the hood back from his face to reveal long dirty blonde hair and bright dark brown eyes glittering with mischief. He smiled with all teeth before looking up into the tree.
"What say we make a bet that should I reach the top, I get to sleep in the same bed as father tonight," he announced, looking down. His sisters wrinkled their noses.
"You always get to sleep by him, Death, that's not fair," his blonde sister snorted.
"Yet we are the infants," his dark-haired sister drawled, turning to her brothers, who grinned at the comment. Death stuck his tongue out before he rose to his feet again. In the shadows, those glowing green eyes tracked each movement. Watched each hand reach out, grip the rough bark, and heaved his weight up. Every so often, he would leap for the branch over head, hook his arms around it and swing himself aloft.
He moved like a monkey, he thought with a smirk. He'd always admired Death, like his siblings, Plague, Famine, and War. They tended to spend the most time together. There were certainly others, but some of them preferred solitary and some of them were simply too mature to be spending time with the so-called naughty ones, as Geara had often teased them.
"Be careful, Death," Famine called out, narrowing her dark eyes on the branches, "Should you fall, you will break a bone." Plague grimaced at that, rubbing at her arms, as if the very thought made her skin crawl. War glanced at them, then shrugged and looked up.
"That which does not kill us will only make us stronger, is that not what we always say, brother-mine?" He called up. Death's laughter.
"Are you not to say something?" Famine asked Nhyt, who remained in the shadows by the trees. Nhyt shook his head and lifted his eyes back to the tree. Famine sighed.
"Nhyt, you cannot agree to every which thing he says, lest his ego become bigger than Joxeia's," she said, to which Nhyt smiled sheepishly. He liked their uncle, Joxeia. He was incredibly smart, devastatingly beautiful, and adored just about everyone he ran into. He didn't have an inflated ego; he just knew the truth, of himself and others. Nhyt could never hide a secret from his uncle.
Well, except for one.
And his smile faded as he cleared his throat and looked back up into the tree.
"Almost there," Death called down to them.
"I'm not watching this," Famine said, reaching up to cover her eyes, though she parted her fingers to peek through out of habit. Plague actually covered her eyes and War shouted one encouragement after another while Nhyt watched with utter fascination.
He's actually going to make it, Nhyt thought in wonder. No sooner had the thought crossed his mind did it happen.
Death stood upon a rickety branch, reached his arms up over his head and leapt for the branch. At the same moment, the branch beneath him cracked and gave way. He grasped for the branch over his head, but his hands only scraped the bark and he went sailing downwards, smashing branches on the way down.
Famine screamed and Plague covered her eyes while War immediately shouted for their father without a second thought. The seconds passed by at a crawl, Nhyt remembered in horror. It seemed to take forever for Death to go crashing through the trees and smashing into the ground, and oh that horrible sickening crack as Death landed directly on his outstretched arm.
His wail of agony broke through the air and in turn, made everyone else cry out. Famine ran to him and Plague broke into tears while War nervously looked around for their father. Nhyt watched, his eyes wide in terror. His instinct was to race to his brother, to help Famine calm him, but his feet were planted to the ground. He could do nothing, but watch as Death sobbed in pain as Famine rolled him over. Another cry left them at the bone jutting out of Death's army, blood so brilliantly red gushing to the green grass and staining it.
A ripple of power pulsed through the air in a matter of seconds. As the smoke cleared, their father was revealed in all his powerful glory. He towered well above not only all of his children, but his siblings as well. His skin matched War's in shade, but his hair was like Nhyt's, silky, long, and black, and his eyes the same piercing shade of blue as War's. He was a muscular male, rippling with raw and magical power, and one would immediately be intimidated by such a creature, had they not known the demon deity personally.
So it came as no surprise to Nhyt and his sibling when their father's blue eyes filled with tears and he ran to Death, dropping down beside him and cradling him close to his chest.
"What happened?" Their father demanded, looking up at his children tearfully.
"The tree," Plague whimpered.
"He fell from the tree," Famine filled in.
"The branch broke," War said quickly.
Nhyt said nothing as he watched their father look back down at Death, who continued to sob in his arms. And Source above, the pain in their father's eyes as he watched Death writhe and cry in pain. It was as if the injury itself had been inflicted upon him. And he wasted not a moment as he took Death's arm gently in his hands, making Death cry out.
"Ssh," Xiphrus murmured, using his free hand to stroke the hair back from Death's face, "Ssh, mine sweet son, ssh. I will heal you, but it will hurt, so you must be brave, okay? But for only a moment." Death just nodded tearfully. Xiphrus took a deep breath and sent a blast of power into Death's arm. Death screamed in agony, arching in Xiphrus's grasp. Xiphrus shut his eyes, tears running down his cheeks as he rushed to heal the injury.
And in seconds, the injury was healed and it was as if no harm had come to the deity. The only proof was the broken branch that lay at Nhyt's feet and the blood in the grass.
"Ssh," Xiphrus whispered, struggling to calm Death, who still sniffled and hiccuped, "You are safe and well, my sweet. Look, see? No more. Come, let me take you home, yes? I will get you all the candies you want." Death's sniffling quieted and he simply nodded. Instead of letting Death down to walk beside him, Xiphrus picked Death up as if he weighed nothing more than a feather, carrying him toward their home that towered in the distance like an obsidian blade.
Nhyt stayed behind while his siblings trailed after Xiphrus, trying to further cheer Death up.
He watched, still frozen in place, his heart clenched painfully tight in his chest.
My fault.
He could feel the weight of it inside him, especially as he dropped his eyes to the branch that lay splintered before him. He swallowed as tears rushed to his eyes and he slammed his eyes shut.
"Curses are a painful thing, are they not?"
Nhyt stiffened and snapped his head to the side to see a male standing beside him. He hadn't even heard the approach of this male, something that was very rare for him given that he controlled the shadows.
The male beside him was exquisite. Tall, nearly as tall as his father, with velvet black hair he wore wavy to his shoulders, his eyes such a hypnotic swirling liquid silver. He was beautiful, draped in various red robing that fell around him like a cloud. Nhyt had never seen this male before, but then, that was common with the Source occasionally creating new members of their society.
But what frightened Nhyt was that this creature knew about him, knew about his curse, and his throat closed up as he stared at him fearfully.
However, the male did not glare at him or accuse him of anything. He simply smiled sadly at him.
"I, too, am cursed, young one," he said, making Nhyt's eyes widen.
"For truth?"
"Aye. Tis a sorrowful existence," the creature murmured, "Especially the curse of misfortune." Nhyt swallowed nervously.
"Is there a cure?" He asked. The creature smiled.
"If only such a thing existed for curses," he said, making Nhyt deflate and look down at the branch, "How long have you known?"
"Since I was created," Nhyt said softly. The creature nodded, then looked down at the branch as well, frowning slowly.
"It has already begun," he murmured, making Nhyt blink and look up at him, "Your curse. The longer you are with someone, the more likely they are to be affected. And the worse the effects. He's lucky this time it was only a broken bone. Soon, the injuries will become dire, perhaps even lead to death itself." Nhyt felt a lump form in his throat, panic rising in his chest and drawing it tight.
He couldn't imagine his siblings or his father, his family, dying because of his curse. He'd done well not to join his siblings on all their adventures, sticking to the shadows that kept him company, but he couldn't stay away. He hated being alone. He needed to be around them, needed their love and support and affection. What would he do without them? Where would he go?
"What... what am I to do?" Nhyt whispered.
"There is only one option," the male said, turning to face him fully and Nhyt turned to face him in turn, "You must leave."
"L-Leave?"
"Leave the realm. Do not get close to anyone. Should you form any sort of relationship, it will fall into ruins because of your curse."
"B-But where am I to go? I have never left this realm. I have never been truly alone. I-I don't know what to do," Nhyt managed, tears rushing into his eyes. He didn't want to leave. He didn't want to leave his family. There had to be another way, some other way.
But the sorrowful stare on the male's face told him otherwise.
He reached out and wiped the tears from Nhyt's cheeks.
"Come now, child, do not weep. There is an entire universe beyond this one for you to play in. There are adventures to be sought. Perhaps one day, you can find a way to beat this curse, as I, too, wish to beat my curse soon. You are brave and you are strong, just like your brothers, your sisters, your father."
"I have to say goodbye," Nhyt sniffled, but the male shook his head.
"Goodbyes are so painful. Do not leave your family with a bitter taste in their mouths, but with the hope that you have found happiness."
"A-Are you sure?"
"Aye, my child. This comes from the Source itself."
"For truth?"
"Indeed."
Nhyt sniffed once more and stepped back, closing his eyes. He'd known for a long time he couldn't continue to be here. It was more than just the curse. He simply did not fit in with his siblings. It was as the creature had said; they were adventurous and brave and strong. They sensed weakness in him. It was why they never invited him along. Well, save for Death. Death would always love him the most. And with that, his resolve was made and he swallowed, looking up at the male.
"Thank you," he said at last, and the male inclined his head, "Tell me, what is your name?" The male smiled, reached out and stroked the black hair back from Nhyt's face.
"Atlan, my child. My name is Atlan."