The Revenant: From the Ashes

Chapter 2: Ghosts

The fire before him shone brightly in the dark, grim world he was stuck in. It served as the only warmth that he'll ever get, and as the only form of protection that he'll ever receive against the darkness that slowly ate away from his world.

The sky was bloody red, and the clouds were pitch black. Corpses littered the land as the blood of the innocents ran cold like a river, corrupting whatever sense of beauty the land had left. Fires raged from a distance, burning away nature itself, as a symbol of the wrath of those who attacked his home.

The young warrior closed his eyes, trying to distract himself from the hellscape he was in, but all what he saw in his mind were the same pictures of  the hell that he had to endure.

Mangled corpses, both innocents and comrades, as blood and organs were scattered across the grass.

Demonic blades being driven through his people's hearts as they gave their last cry of anguish and despair.

And the prisoners suffering under the persecution of their captors. 

He opened his eyes once again as wrath and anguish overwhelmed his heart. His grip on the stick strengthened, threatening to break it.

But then his grip relaxed, and his anger withered away; leaving behind only anguish and despair. He mournfully sighed as he kept the fire alive, accepting the bitter reality that was presented to him.

There was no fighting them, if the best of the Ghosts fell against the Oni Baba; then what chance did he have against them?

All what he could do is survive, as he did with the past 4 years.

At least if he survives, the legacy of his comrades survives with him.

Or so he tells himself.

Guilt gnawed away from his heart as his stomach began to turn. He remembered how the Oni-Baba viciously slaughtered his friends and family. One by one they picked them off with extreme prejudice, while he desperately tried to protect them with everything he had.

Alas, he was powerless to do so.

He was too weak.

Was he even worthy to carry on with their legacies?

Can he even call himself a Ghost?

The wind picked up its speed, leaving its cold touch on the skin of the warrior. He slightly shivered, but it did not stop him from the task he busied himself with.

His eyes began to shut, and his breathing became slower. He yearned to rest, to bring himself into whatever alternate reality his mind would create.

For how long was he awake?

He turned his head in two directions, to see if the area was safe, and he sighed deeply. He let go of the stick, and he brought his makeshift matt and blanket. He removed whatever dust and insect remained on them, and he laid down on the matt; bringing the blanket above his body to protect himself against the cold.

Darkness soon enveloped him, bringing him to whatever reality he wished to see. His fears and anxiety about being attacked slowly eroded into nothing but a temporary peace as he finally yielded to the exhaustion that he suffered from for days.

(......)

His eyelids slowly opened.

The battered warrior rubbed his eyes to clear his vision, then he got up from his sleeping position. His eyes darted everywhere as he observed the new area he was in, and he was immediately met with confusion.

Why was he in an empty, vast space?

And most confusing of all, how was he still conscious? Aware of what was happening even though he was asleep?

"What is the meaning of this?". He thought to himself.

Footsteps echoed throughout the empty space, and it caused every single strand of his hair to stand. His pupils dilated and his heart beat erratically as he quickly reached out for his sword out of instinct, but he did not feel its hilt.

The warrior looked towards his hand, and his eyes widened.

His sword was nowhere to be found.

The young warrior slightly panicked as he desperately looked for his sword, then his eyes landed on the source of these footsteps.

It was a tall, skeletal figure whose eye sockets were empty, save for a shining blue light acting as its pupils. It had two scars going opposite directions from his empty sockets, and his body looked like it was about to melt; like ice sitting too close and too long to a raging fire.

The young warrior's heart dropped, assuming that it was an enemy, but he prepared himself for a fight nonetheless.

"Is this some kind of nightmare?!". He thought to himself as he prepared himself for a fight, one he wasn't even confident in winning.

The melting figure rose its hand, and it cleared its throat.

"I am not your enemy". It said. "You have nothing to fear, I didn't come here to hurt you, even if I wanted you; I wouldn't be able to do so". It continued.

The young warrior scowled as he remained in his fighting stance, every muscle of his body tense with his heart beating heavily against his ribcage. "What is the meaning of this?!". He exclaimed. "Who are you?! Where am I?! And what do you want from me?!".

The mysterious entity sighed. "Listen closely, because I don't have much time". It said. "I am Gaster, the forgotten warrior of the Omniverse, and we.....are within your mind".

The young warrior widened his eyes in shock. "My....mind?". He said.

The entity, "Gaster", nodded. "Yes, we are. How are conscious otherwise?". He said. 

For a moment, the warrior's face softened, but then his scowl immediately resurfaced as his suspicions returned. "Then what are you doing here?! What business do I have with you?!".

"I want to help both of us". Gaster said as he patiently looked at the warrior. "I've observed your world, I've seen everything that happened to it, and then I ran into you". He explained. "The Omniverse, as previously mentioned, needed protection, and there is no one else who can protect it". He continued as his expression changed to a mournful one. "Many have tried, and they fell".

The tension within the young warrior eased as he slowly retreated from his fighting stance, but his scowl still remained; as his suspicion.

"What do you mean by the Omniverse?". He asked. "I heard talks about a Multiverse from my previous comrades, when I was in my early years of being a Ghost, but an Omniverse.....".

"It is a system of multiple alternate realities co-existing". Gaster explained. "In other words, there is more than one system of Multiverse that currently exists; each with its own original universe and said universe's alternate realities".

The warrior's eyes widened. "How is that even possible?". He asked.

Gaster shrugged. "Even I do not hold that kind of knowledge".

A moment of silence passed as the warrior concluded what this entity wanted from him, then he  sighed to himself as he looked at the entity once more.

"So...you've entered my mind so you can ask me to protect this "Omniverse"?". He asked. "How can I be so sure that what you're saying is the truth? How can I even trust you?".

Gaster sighed. "The only way for you, or us should I say, to actually serve the Omniverse is through means of fusion". Gaster said as he lifted his palm towards the sky, revealing a small white fire dancing on his hand. "We have to become one, our souls have to fuse should we hope that you can use my abilities".

The young warrior shook his head. "This doesn't answer my question". He said. "You invaded my mind, and now you propose fusion? I need a reason that I'm not giving myself to a malevolent, lying spirit". He said.

Gaster looked at the young warrior, irritation evident on his face though he kept at least a semblance of  patience. "What if I showed you a portion of my memories?".

(AUTHOR'S NOTE: Ghost of Tsushima and Ghost of Tsushima: Legends rightfully belongs to Sucker Punch and Sony)