- Heaven's Last Breath -

Plague in the Darkness

- Death -

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Alone, I wandered the empty hallways of the Palace. As expected, I became isolated from the others the moment I stepped foot over through the gates.

Feeling like Aaron for a moment, I shoved both hands into the pockets of my cloak, letting out a slight huff as my feet took the lead. With nothing but my thoughts to entertain me, my mind flashed back to when I first met the wine haired boy. I never could have imagined that I would be wandering the corridors of the greatest Palace in history only a few years later.

After that, I had met Jade, all the way back at Rosewood Town. Over the course of our journey, she had become someone I could call a sister. She was reliable and strong and much like my blood sister, Amenet, she was very protective of those she cared about.

The last person I had forged a deep bond with was Ariel. At first glance, it didn't look like we had too much in common but underneath her bubbly surface, there was a girl who wanted only to be respected as an equal. Over time, we had grown closer and as one thing had lead to another...

Before my train of thought could continue, a heavy pungent stench filled my nose. With nothing else to follow, I turned the corner to find two huge black steel doors waiting for me at the end of the hallway. Thick iron bars made two windows in the doors and I could visibly see the disgusting scent wafting toward me.

Realising that this was the only way for me to go, I pushed forward, arriving at the doors. I forced one of the doors open, a wave of pure redolence washed over my body as I sputtered for air.

The scraping of chains along the floor in the darkness caught my ear and as I drew for my scythe, I stepped forward. My eyes had already adjusted to the blackness of the room but with every step I took, I only felt the room becoming darker and darker.

I waved my right hand over the blade of my scythe, casting a bright yellow flame as it illuminated my surroundings. Immediately, I noticed the skeletal remains of more creatures than I recognised, all scattered on the floor. The layer of bones was so thick that I found myself almost wading through the remains and they only got deeper.

Once again, the clanking of chains rang out in the darkness, as if to beckon me forward. I heard a skull shatter under my foot as I took another step but I wasn't deterred.

"And so it's you who stands before me, Grim Reaper."

An ominous voice called out from the darkness, chains dragging over the skeletal remains. From the blackness beyond, a tall, humanoid figure revealed himself.

The man's limbs were long and lean, his skin tight across his bones, enough so that I could see the outline of his ribcage. His skin had rotted away in patches, revealing his infected wounds and his insides.

Standing at just over nine feet, the man's wiry black hair had been tied into cornrows, a red collar hanging around his neck, golden bells jingling with every step he took. Shackles had been tied around his wrists, chains dragging along the floor behind him.

His skin was unhealthily dark and the skeleton of his face appeared more like a tiger's than a man's. Though his mysterious smile shone through the darkness like a flashlight. A loose loincloth had been tied around his waist and as I looked closer, the man's spine extended out of his body, revealing his unhealthily coloured bones.

I kept my guard up, holding my scythe in front of me, ready for anything that could come my way.

"Ha, I know why you're here so I'm not surprised that you're so cautious." He took a slow step forward, "But we are the same, are we not? Everywhere you go, you have to hold yourself back or else everything will perish around you."