Desolation

Prologue

Prologue

The sun was setting in the distance, draping the empty forest's crown in a crimson red veil. The final beams of light were slowly twinkling out of existence, hues of fire contrasting against the trees' dark silhouettes until it all succumbed to the darkness of the night. A gentle breeze was sweeping through the foliage, a mere whisper in the vast stillness of the oncoming twilight as everything settled down for the night. The ensuing silence resonating through time and matter, accusative and admonitory.

The air was filled with the ripe scent of fire and fear, a terrible concoction of sweet yet bitter, mingling with the stench of blood and mangled flesh. It made every breath taste salty, a thick, thorny layer lingering on the lips long after the last exhale escaped them. The aftertaste quickly turned sour as fright continued to creep through the dense undergrowth, atmosphere tainted by terror and despair. Mortal agony was all-pervasive, it marked souls both present and long passed.

I could feel them. Cowering in the dark, a myriad of consciousnesses gleaming and glinting among the dimness. Some were still alive, the ragged gasps of their last terrified breaths piercing the otherwise silent night, only rivalled by the frantic beat of my heart. Soon, they would join their fallen comrades in the warm embrace of death. Most had lost their lives yearning for the end to come, bitter disappointment filling their last moments as the realization set in that dying was not quick. It was not an easy transition between the two states.

Life did not simply end. Death did not come wandering in with the last agonized breath drawn, the last contraction a desperate heart produced as its final beat. Things were infinitely more complex, forever out of reach of the mortal mind's understanding. Death climaxed in the last thought devoted to the deceased, the last mention of one's name until the universe erased every trace, dust turning to dust. The transition could span an eternity or simply a single moment.

I was there for it all, beginning to end. Accompanying souls while I granted the last wish some longed for, the relief many desired and the end of all. I did not ask for this task to be bestowed upon me, I simply existed to serve a need. My purpose had always been clear. I had been created to watch over the process and keep souls safe while they journeyed through to the afterlife. Most times, I fulfilled my duty swiftly and without regret, but the reign of war forced me to reconsider.

War did not discriminate. It did not care to abide by some preconceived notion of morality. It took everyone without a second thought, laughing in the face of terrified mortals clinging onto hope. Any age, any sex or class, many of them stripped from life long before their time. Yet nothing could ever satisfy that voracious maw. It kept on devouring even after the last battle had been held. A mind defiled by war and a body mutilated beyond recognition was all that was to be gained from this.

Here I was, left to tend to tortured minds, confronted with countless questions burning on their tongues while the demand remained the same. I still owed answers for I was not the one to give them neither did I possess the knowledge to speak truthfully. Who was I to speculate on the fates' motives? I simply carried out my duties and did not dare second guess my siblings for I did not want to be doubted myself. However, to infer a severe lack of deliberation on my part would be unwise.

While I would not have chosen this task or any of the countless burdens my siblings carried as my destiny, I was not foolish enough to disregard my purpose. I never dreamed of abandoning my position, not because I did not yearn for a different life, but because neglecting my duties entailed consequences of cosmic proportions. I did not choose to be created or how I came into this world, yet I was forced to endure, to serve a cause much greater than my mere existence.