Meril's Parting Glass

An Old Man's tale

In a bustling town center, she was. The crowds passing as if she were nothing. The soft spring weather providing a soft breeze that passed through the trees as if a fairy danced her way through the air.
Out of the corner of her eye she spots it, a crowd of people. The crowd was comprised mainly of children, who were sat egerly listening, with some adults who had stopped to listen in too. Gradually, over time it increased in size.
The girl could see a man who, upon closer inspection was very old in looks. The man sat on a tree stump, his cane leaning against it. The grey hair that he wore looked as if snow had gently dusted him.
"Miss!" A girl called, pulling Elizabeth out of her thoughts. "You should come listen!" The girl exclaimed tugging her towards the crowd. After a few moments Elizabeth followed the girl, joining the crowd. Weaving to the front. She studied the man carefully, his soul too.
His soul looked old, much like his body. No. It was older, this soul was worn, it had done so much over its lifetime. The crowd chuckled softly as the man giggled, pulling her out of her thoughts.
"Shall I tell another?" The man asked, wearily. The crowd cried in agreement. "Very well" he nodded "I'll tell you a story. A story of gods, daemons and angels. Perhaps you've heard of it? The most famous tale of all! The tale of the slaughterers." Proclaimed the man. This tale was not new, every since that happened, this tale had been told many a time, changing ever so slightly as it were told.
"Our world is comprised of many different dimensions and universes within them. In one specific dimension were the slaughterers, a title given to the strongest being of a universe. These slaughterers were the tribute to their respective god." The man pauses, his eyes sad almost. "Within these slaughterers were the three God-class slaughterers. The three most powerful slaughterers, who could rival the gods in power. These people were spectacular. One an engineer, the last of his kind, pilot of the Starship Masadon, Ballator he was called. Another a battlemage, the youngest of them all, the second most powerful, Valerie was his name. A young lad, indeed. Lastly we have Meril. Leader of the inter - dimensional peacekeeping army known as The Falcons of Terendith, or Terendith for short, as well as the slaughterers Advance." The girl jumps as she feels a drop land on her hand. She raises her hand to her cheeks as she confirms the cold droplets were coming from her, her eyes wetting in the memory of her, now lost, friends.

"They held many adventures, fought, destroyed but most of all: protected. Until one day when the civil war of the slaughterers started." The old man pauses for a while, perhaps too long. Taking a few deep breaths the man continued "They had captured Meril and his triggers. Right in front of his restrained eyes, they executed them; one by one. What they wanted to do is create a force which the slaughterers on the side of Meril would have to deal with. An insanity break, where the daemon soul would take over the body. But what resulted was an unstoppable force that nobody could have predicted. Everyone joined forces against Meril's daemon form, Lucius, but it was not enough. Lucius destroyed galaxies and universes one by one, defeating the gods. And with the last of his power Zeus, leader of the gods, translocated as many beings as possible into scattered dimensions. As the dimension fell, the stories of what happened emerged rose, as people would wake up in unfamiliar worlds with nothing but the knowledge they came with. Their tales of the war, echoed throughout the populace. Their hatred towards Meri-"
"But it wasn't Meril! He couldn't control Lucius, it's not his fault." She interupts, tears streaming down her cheeks.
"Oh? No one could know that, my dear. There was only one possible survivor and that would Death as she cleaned up the m-" The states, interupted by Elizabeth.
"I know what I had to do." The girl replies quickly, the sadness in her voice audible. The man studies her closely for a seconds. After sometime he gets up slowly.

Using his cane to stabilise himself, he bows slowly, carefully and with a weary smile on his frail face he speaks. "Hello, Elizabeth." The water running from his eyes, pouring down his cheeks.
"Nobody blamed Meril for what Lucius did, not the Terens, Not the Garuk-Salis, Not the humans, Slaughterers or gods." The girl stated, wiping the tears off her cheeks. The crowd watched silently as this being, Death incarnate, conversed sadly with such an old frail man.
"You know, they say no one but you survived. But what if that's not the case? Many people are starting to believe the latter. What if he survived? Living with what he did, amongst the people? He could be anyone, he would be oh so old now. Maybe the old man became a baker, maybe he still still fights or perhaps tells stories?" The man questions, giggling. The spring breeze blowing through the crowd, their clothing rippling. The old man's clothes ripple in the wind, his collars and trousers blustering about, revealing four large networks of purple scaring, running on his ankles and wrists. Elizabeth's lungs lose breath, her eyes wet. The man studies the clouds forming, carefully.
"C'mon" he claps "Time to leave before it snows."
"But it's spring, mister" A small child questions.
Pushing his finger against the side of his nose the old man replies to the boy "You never know what may happen." He says leaning over to the doll sitting on the stump, taking it by the hand. "Come along Aipa." He calls, sadly.  His cane clinking against the floor as he walks away, doll dangling from his grasp.
The mention of Aipa bringing Elizabeth out of her thoughts, her feet begin to move. "Aipa...?" She repeats slowly, rushing after the man, "Don't go! Tell me what happened!" She calls after him.
The old man raises his hand slowly in a backwards way. "Goodbye, old friend." He calls back as he turns the corner.
"Wait!" Elizabeth cries, her feet pacing one after the other, rounding the corner with such desparation.
She stops dead in her tracks. Her mind silent as she stares at the pile of clothes topped with an amulet and the doll.
Falling weak, her knees give way as the grief washes over her. Her tears puddling beside her. Her hands clutching at the rags of cloth on the ground. The amulet clinking against its chain. Her watered eyes drift around the pile of clothes finally settling on the doll he called Aipa. Her thoughts drifting back to the Aipa she once met.
Her mind forcefully dragged from its misery as she watches a snowflake melt slowly into the doll eyes. Following its path she looks upward as the snowfalls, heavily across the town, and eery silence falls. Her heart torn in two marking the passing of once beloved her friend.

Author's note:
I appreciate you reading this. I know it's got mistakes and needs improvement but it's the first time I've written anything like this in 3 years.