The Child of Death

Chapter 1

The sun was slowly rising into the sky, its burning rays peaking in through the palace windows. Retreating into one of the many shadowy corners of the palace him and his brothers called home, Death sat playing with the bones of a dead rat he had found earlier that day. He assembled the bones to once again take the form of the rat, using his powers to make the bones come alive. He allowed the creature to run across his pale arms and rest in his dark hair. It was then that one of Death's many brothers, Inferno, walked past him, his ruby clothing matching his shockingly red hair. Death could feel the heat coming off of him even from his distant corner, and knew he was angered by something. He  watched as his hair started to smoke and eventually burst out in an all out fire, until Inferno swatted at it and it died away. Death stood up "Hey Inferno..." Death said. The brother whipped around, his eyes momentarily glowing red. "What do you want, freak?" Inferno smirked. "I..." Death tried to get out the question he was about to ask, but the words would just not come. "What is it with you?" Inferno continued. "Its no wonder everybody hates you. You sit around making freak pets," He indicated the rat skeleton nestled on his shoulder. "Instead of talking to real, live, people." A  circle of embers began to form around Inferno's feet, raising the temperature in the hallway rapidly. "Ever since HE vanished..."

"YOU SHUT UP. YOU SHUT UP NOW.' Death roared.   

"Hit a raw nerve have we?" Inferno smirked.

"He's your brother too!"

"He WAS my brother you fool, he's gone. Why cant you understand that? He. Is. Not. Coming. Back." With each word the temperature climbed, until sweat was visible on both brother's skin.

"He will." Death retorted. "I'm going to save him. I'll find him, and I'll bring him home." The two brothers face's were almost touching, the heat climbing into the hundreds.

"Hm. If you say so. In the mean time, have fun playing with your freak pets."   Inferno grabbed the skeleton's tail and flung it against the  wall, causing all the fragile bones Death had spent all morning assembling to break. "Whoops." Whispered Inferno, his breath feeling like fire on Death's face. "You would do well," Death began, "To not play with forces you do not understand." He quickly seized Inferno around the throat and lifted him into the air, the temperature immediately plummeting to sub zero. Inferno's normal warm and tan skin began to drain of color, slowly coming to match that of the hand that was wrapped around his throat. "Let's see your pretty little fire tricks now...brother." He strained the last word, tightening his grip as he did. To his amusement, he felt a dull warmth spread through his hand. "Ah, Inferno, you must learn, you can not burn a shadow." Death stated, staring into the eyes of his struggling brother.

"Perhaps not." Came a voice from behind Death. He did not need to turn around to recognize the high pitch of Riptide, the brother with control over the oceans and rains, the rivers and lakes, and not to mention the powerful storms of the sky. "Put him down Death." Stated  Riptide. Death continued to stare into Inferno's dull amber eyes, seeing his own jet black ones reflected in them. "And why would I do such a thing?" Death eventually answered.

 "Because your quarrel with him is meaningless. Life is gone, he has been taken over the oceans that surround this kingdom, that much I can feel. And beyond this kingdom, there is nothing to protect you, and the tales that come back are of monstrous beasts and barbaric peoples. You cannot hope to get him back, it is a suicide mission even for Death itself."

Death lowered Inferno, who immediately broke away from his grip and fell on his hands and knees gasping for air. He turned to face Riptide, visibly trembling with anger. He merely stared back, his sea-green eyes rippling with anticipation. "Please, Death, be calm." He used his most soothing voice, mimicking the sound of gentle waves lapping against the shore."Do you know," Death began "What its like to lose a half of yourself? To be missing the very thing that causes you to live on, Life itself? I need Life, Riptide, you must understand. I'm sure he feels the same way, werever he is. We need each other to have balance, we are darkness and light, evil and good, Life and Death itself. And I will destroy anybody that stands in my way." He continued, his voice becoming hollow. A shadowy puddle began to form around his feet. "Inferno, no!" Riptide yelled, looking over Death's shoulder.

Death felt the heat behind him the same time he saw the immense wave surging towards him. He quickly melted into the shadows, emerging again in a courtyard on the other side of the palace, vacant except for a man sitting in the middle of a garden, cross-legged.

Back in the hallway, Riptide's wave collided with Inferno's fire right were Death was standing. The entire area erupted into steam, momentarily blinding both brothers. When the steam dissipated, were Death had been a moment ago sat a single black crow. It looked at both brothers in turn before flying out of an open window.  

"Ah, my son, come, sit." Said the man, without turning around. Death immediately strode over to his father, the king, and sat next to him as a black crow swooped down from the sky and landed on his shoulder. The bird affectionately pecked at his ear and nestled into his hair. "You are yet so young, and must grow up so fast."  His father said, looking at a dragonfly that had landed on a nearby flower. "Death, as I'm sure you know, my life is drawing to a close."

"I had a feeling." replied Death, his face emotionless.

"You know what you must do then?" The king looked at his son, his eyes warm and sympathetic.

"I have to bring Life back."

"Yes. It is written in texts that date back before this world's creation that Life is to be the next King."

"He is stronger than all of us, isn't he?"

"Indeed. He is the first born, the bringer of life, as you are the second, the one who will eventually extinguish it."

"Father, I'm scared."

"My son, there is nothing for Death himself to be afraid of. You must leave when the sun rises next, for soon, I will shed this mortal body. Now listen closley. Fate states that you will not return in time for my death, and hence, there will be chaos in this kingdom as your remaining brothers try to take the throne for themselves. You must not concern yourself with these matters, for your only  purpose is to find your brother, and bring him back, for he will know how to restore order to this place. It is the only hope we have, and it is your burden to bear."

"Do you know where I am to go?" Even as he said it, he realized the answer. He could feel it in his chest, not an exact destination, but a general direction.

Seeing the realization dawn on his son's face, the King did not say anything for a while. "You must follow that feeling you now have, and it will lead you to your brother. And my child, remember, the journey is in fact, the destination." With that the King got up and walked back inside the palace, leaving his son sitting in the garden.

Death sat without moving for a while, simply looking at his surroundings without really seeing them. The crow stirred on his shoulder and gave a screech before kicking off of his shoulder. Death watched the bird fly higher and higher into the sky, until it dissapeared inside of an approaching storm cloud. Hearing thunder booming in the distance, he got up and followed his father through the palace doors.