Curse of Cognizance: Chapter 2 – More Appropriate Heroes

Chapter 2 – More Appropriate Heroes

While civil war rages across the land to retrieve the keys to the Flame of Cognizance, Tenebris rests and eats before heading back out again. He’s eating at a restaurant that’s been vandalized by a party. Clothes, blood, alcohol, drugs, and food litter the floor with some of the original party goers still here whether dead, alive, or Purposeless. Judging from the mess, it appears that the party was had since the Flame of Cognizance was being abandoned. Thankfully, some of the leftover food is still available and still edible after being heated in the kitchen for a bit.

After he’s finished eating, Tenebris gets up from the table and turns around to see a group of people enter. Them seeing him causes them to have an idea.

“You’re Tenebris! The black and white doves have been talking about you and how you got the first key to the Flame of Cognizance. Why don’t you sit with us and tell us about the big battle that happened?” one of them says.

This group of people appears to be a normal group of adventures with one who’s the knight, one’s an archer, another has short swords, and the last one is carrying heavy bags, but there is a certain thing about them that Tenebris doesn’t trust as if his guardian angel is telling him something that he can’t see, so he immediately draws his sword in a defensive way.

“What? Don’t trust us?” one says while the others casually walk around him, “We’re just a bunch of normal adventuring kids taking advantage of the situation given to us. We explore the world, take in nature’s beauty, help people we come across…take revenge.”

The group tries to kill Tenebris in one unified strike, but he causes an explosion with his black flame arm by striking it into the ground that ends up killing the one who was carrying the bags and injuring the knight.

“You bastard! You’ll pay for everything that you’ve done!” one of them says as she goes after Tenebris with her short swords.

Her form and speed are impressive, however, they’re nothing compared to Tenebris’ experience and he kills her. The archer tries to catch him off guard, but Tenebris manages to dodge the arrows and spray flames at the archer to kill her as well.

“How many more lives will you take?!” the knight says as he charges at Tenebris, “You’ve inspired so many to rape and kill for power! You must be put down before you can create more monsters! A devil like you keeping the Flame of Cognizance alive? What a joke! You’ve inspired parents to kill their children, and my friends and I were the survivors among an orphanage of children that you created. We should be the ones to put you down! We should be the ones to keep the Flame alive!”

What the knight says about his background causes Tenebris to not immediately kill him. Instead, Tenebris leads the knight outside of the restaurant while pretending to take the fight seriously.

“But…now that you’ve killed them. Now that you’ve taken the last of my loved ones away…I’ll carry on their dying wish!” the knight says in an exhausted but energized voice.

Tenebris dodges the knight's attack and knocks the sword out of his hand. Despite not having a weapon, the knight still fights with his hands. With no other way to stop the knight, Tenebris knocks him out and takes him away from the burning restaurant. He leaves him in the care of a nearby village and heads off without saying anything to them. Once he’s far away from the village, he starts punching trees to get the frustration out of his system until he calms down with a silent prayer. He then happens to come across a convey of soldiers on horses who are escorting a soldier with flames coming out of his body. The man has been blessed with powers from the Flame of Cognizance and is bearing the cost associated with it as his body and horse burn with an intense heat.

“Are you sure you’re okay with this, sir?” one of the soldiers asks the burning man.

“Don’t worry about me. My crimes against God have warranted this kind of punishment. I must bear this cross for the good of humanity,” the captain says.

“Yes, sir.”

The group comes across Tenebris along the way and appears to be unsettled by his appearance except for the captain.

“Your services are no longer needed, Tenebris,” the burning captain says, “My penance requires me to keep the Flame of Cognizance alive and your black flames will sully the Flame. If you have good intentions with the Flame, give up the key that you got and stop this quest for your own good.”

Tenebris shakes his head then holds out his hand as a sign for them to cooperate.

“My Flame allows me to see that you have a penance to do too. So be it. A duel it is then to see who God favors for this task.”

“Captain, is this truly necessary?”

“It is despite what you and I might think. The Flames tell me so.”

Both the captain and Tenebris ready themselves before dueling. Their flames are equal in strength along with their skills with the blade. Even though Tenebris’ blade seems broken because of the cracks and missing pieces, the black flames within it give him the edge to overpower the captain’s defenses at certain points, and eventually, Tenebris wins after cutting off a piece of the captain’s armor.

This ends the duel in the captain’s opinion as he bows then says, “I see that you are the superior warrior and the one that God has primarily chosen to keep the divine Flame alight.”

“But sir!” one of the soldiers say.

“Do not worry. I am going to complete my penance a different way. God has already blessed me with a second chance, these penitential flames, and the friendship of all of you, most of all and despite my checkered past. I am forever grateful for you allowing me to become your captain and your friend.”

“Sir, it’s our honor to serve alongside you. You’ve earned everything that you have now because of your bright and noble spirit.”

“Thank you. All of you,” the captain says as he gets back on his horse and as his loyal soldiers cheer for him, “Tenebris, we will go ahead of you and clear whatever dangers we can. God bless you in your journey and let’s meet together again in better circumstances, possibly in Heaven.”

The burning captain heads off with his soldiers with Tenebris continuing on his own way. Later down the road, Tenebris finds a village that’s being burned to the ground by black flames. He tries to see if anyone needs help only to find Divinus that are consumed by the flames. They are more beastly than human with some crawling on all fours or flying in the air. These Divinus attack Tenebris who fends them off until one last man approaches him. This man in light knight armor appears to be Purposeless with how he moves at first with slow and unenergetic movements. The man’s energy then seems to shoot up as he goes on the attack against Tenebris. His skills with the blade are almost as good as Tenebris and the ferocity with which he attacks is nearly blinding.

Because of the past few fights, Tenebris is exhausted and almost has his head cut off and limbs dismembered at certain points, but Tenebris manages to slash the man’s arms and legs to bring him to his knees. Tenebris has to take a breath before he lifts his sword for the final blow.

“What are you waiting for?! Finish me off!” the man says.

Since the Purposeless hardly if ever talk, this catches Tenebris off guard and stops him from finishing the man off.

“Kill me! I deserve it for burning down my home and so many more things that you yourself would know. I thought I could gain the power to do more with my life and tried to do something similar to what you did when you lead your cult. It was an insane idea. I know your story and the regret you felt, but I’m not strong enough to repent like you are doing, Tenebris. Please, end my life. I can’t stand to live in my own skin anymore.”

Instead of doing what the fallen man wants, Tenebris puts his hand on his shoulder then hugs him while whispering encouragement that made him change his mind. The man’s want for suicide begins to slowly disappear as he starts to cry. Tenebris then leads the man to a church along his path that is taking care of the Purposeless, injured, and needy. He himself rests at the church for a bit before heading back out on the road. After a long trip, Tenebris makes it to the next city where the next key is located, and the city is burning because of civil war and a war between kingdoms still going on within the city.

The new and redone A Sacrifice for the Family is out today!

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There's a tradition that sacrifices their third child every generation for the continued prosperity and happiness of the family. Sakae is the next in her family to be sacrificed, but she won't let them take her life so easily even though she's trapped in a dimension that seems inescapable. She teams up with a boy she meets to find a way to escape and possibly stop this tradition of mass murder. This author's edition contains redone art, Behind the Story details, and concept art for those interested in seeing all the work done for this light novel-esque book.

Curse of Cognizance: Chapter 1 – Black Flame of Redemption

Chapter 1 – Black Flame of Redemption

The Flame of Cognizance was lit when man first sinned and confessed his sins to God. If man wanted to continue to know what was good and evil, then he had to keep the flame alight with acts of sacrifice and penance and let the flame burn away the sins from his soul. Without the flame, man is unable to know the truth and why he should care about it. A man once called more devil than man whose name is Tenebris seeks to stoke the flames to keep man’s capacity to know truth alive. He’s been blessed by the new head bishop for this task, and even a holy man like him has no clue why Tenebris has been put on this task.

While traveling, Tenebris stops at an abandoned farm to find whatever edible fruit that he can eat. When a person loses their capacity to know the truth, they become humans known as Purposeless. These Purposeless will stand, sit, or lay around doing nothing like the people who owned this farm Tenebris is at. On the other hand, the Purposeless will kill themselves, unconsciously do the routines they did when they had their senses without any deviances from it, or do whatever makes them feel good. It is not known why certain people turn into the Purposeless faster than others though those who don’t see a purpose in life typically turn the fastest. For the family at the farm, they sit together starving while holding each other’s hands. This sight makes Tenebris remember his wife and children. He goes into the house and tries to feed the family their crops, but they don’t even open their mouths to eat. They just stare blankly at one another while ignoring Tenebris as if he is not there.

Seeing that there’s nothing he can do for them, but fulfill his vow, Tenebris heads off to a city known as Ecclesia where all the buildings appear to be various cathedrals of different sizes with statues of different angels and saints decorating the squares, parks, and street corners, however, the original beauty of the city has been destroyed by what seems to be a battle that is still going on between those who are for and against the continuation of the flame. Tenebris heads to one of the churches in the area and finds Purposeless people attending mass in a loop. In another one of the churches, he finds a single man talking to himself while repeatedly bowing and hitting his head on the floor.

“Penance, penance! Keep the flame alight with penance!” the man says, “Penance, penance! Let not our sins quench the flame!”

Tenebris leaves the man to his penance and continues walking through the city. He arrives at a blacksmith who is hammering away at swords.

The blacksmith sees him and says, “I’m not Purposeless yet. I still have work to do and it looks like that sword of yours needs work. Let me take a look at it.”

When the blacksmith takes a better look at Tenebris’ sword, he remembers who Tenebris is. Even so, he works on it and tries hammering out the bugs and black flames from the broken blade.

“Ah, I remember you, devil. I’m surprised that you didn’t become Purposeless or like the Divinus out there making your own truth out of nothing,” the blacksmith says while Tenebris says nothing, “What? Nothing to say? That’s fine with me. Word has already spread that you vowed to keep the Flame alive, which did give me a laugh when I first heard it. Those who vow to keep the Flame alive when the Pillars have abandoned their post typically become saints, but someone like you, heh, you’ll be lucky to burn as cinders in the Purgatory of the Flame until the end of time.”

The blacksmith turns to Tenebris to see his reaction and is disappointed to see that he didn’t get any kind of reaction.

“Whatever your reasoning is for your vow, you should watch out because the Pillars will not give up the keys to the Flame easily. I better not hear soon that you died or gave up. Also, watch out for the Doves. The same messengers who spread news around the land could also be allied with the Divinus and the Pillars. Here’s your blade. I could barely do anything to repair it with those damned bugs and flames on it, but if you could get some blessed holy water and pieces of the cathedral he resides in, I could improve the blade.”

Tenebris takes his blade, bows, then heads off.

“I don’t need your silent thanks. Crazy fool,” the blacksmith says as he gets back to work.

Tenebris continues to wander the town and goes towards the sounds of screaming. He hears evangelists speaking of the Divinus on street corners.

“Bow to he who gives truth and nourishment! We worship at the altar of the One Clothed in Crimson and Gold! He who was beyond our comprehension was given flesh and now dwells among us!”

“Give your bodies over to the Woman in Black! She who gives bodies and warmth to your desires! Become a master if you are willing to enslave yourself to the goddess!”

“Do not listen to the squabbling of these fools! These Divinus can hardly defend themselves, so give yourself to a man who can. The man dressed in the blood and viscera of his enemies!”

The evangelists fight and argue over the Divinus that they’ve chosen to worship while Tenebris takes advantage of the chaos to slip through them. He doesn’t get far until a group of people dressed in light armor and who wear black dove masks ambush him from the rooftops.

“Go no further, traitor,” one of them says in a muffled voice with their blades out, “Leave this city or we’ll cut your cursed flesh to pieces.”

Choosing his own option, Tenebris uses his arm that burns with the black flame and unleashes fire from it to burn the doves. Most are burned to ash while very few manage to escape with few burns on them. Tenebris quickly gets rid of the ones closest to him then finishes off the last one while narrowly dodging the last one’s attack. When this is done, he sees more doves on the rooftops watching him, however, these ones are wearing white dove masks.

One of them applauds him and says, “There’s that swordsmanship that’s common to the black doves. Here I was thinking that you’d rejoin them and that your skills would be rusty after being in jail for so long. I’m glad that you proved me wrong but know that we will be watching you and will strike you down if we think that you’ll turn against the Flame.”

The white doves walk away from Tenebris but not too far. Finally, Tenebris makes it to the central cathedral in Ecclesia. This massive church is where all roads of the city lead since it’s the place where one of the primary pillars, Fidem, rests at. Sitting on his throne is the archbishop who abandoned his duties with his followers and priests around him who are giving him homage.

“Ah, you’ve come, Tenebris. I see that the black doves aren’t with you, so I assumed that you’ve made your choice in where your loyalties lay”, the archbishop says as Tenebris approaches him, “Tell me, why have you chosen to stay loyal to the old traditions when you know a better way exists?”

Tenebris bows when he approaches the alter and crosses himself.

“Ah, so you still show God and me respect? I’m pleased to see that, but why chose to try to keep the Flame of Cognizance alive when the time of the black flame has arrived? I’ve read your research and testimonies and was inspired when I saw that the black flame was a superior direction for man to take than keeping to the Flame of Cognizance, not because of the black flame’s power, but the idea of it. Because humanity will no longer merit Hell and punishment for its actions when it submits itself to a childlike ignorance.”

Stepping off his throne, the archbishop makes his way to Tenebris while continuing, “The Flame of Cognizance keeps humanity aware of good and evil. For a soul to merit eternal damnation, it must sin and sin mortally, but no one can sin if they are not aware they are sinning. They will be like the animals and plants of the world, and from here on out, no one will go to Hell anymore. Is this not the right thing to do?”

Tenebris shakes his head and points his sword at the archbishop then to the door.

“I’m not going back to that duty that I once had. My true duty as the head of the church on earth is to ensure that my flock makes it to Heaven, and I will do that no matter the cost.”

The archbishop’s skin falls off as he grows horns of black flame and more black flames burn out from his mouth, eyes, the top of his head, and his swords. One of these swords is as cold as the shadows while the other burns with the intensity of the black flame. More black flames burst from the archbishop’s back that are like the wings of a devil. All the congregation bows and praises the archbishop for this display as they proclaim him as a good shepherd while Tenebris readies himself to fight him. Immediately, the archbishop flies into the air then strikes down to create an explosion of black flame that Tenebris manages to dodge while the congregation is incinerated.

“I am not like the Divinus who create their own truth. Do not worry about the people around us, Tenebris. They are Purposeless and will not go to Hell for their sin of idolizing me,” the archbishop says.

Not wanting to hear the archbishop’s excuses for killing his own flock, Tenebris uses his black flames to burn away the archbishop. The archbishop thinks he’s invincible because he has the black flames, however, he starts to feel flames burn him away.

“What is this?! Why are your black flames burning me away?! What’s different about yours?”

An arm and then a leg fly off as the black flames bring the archbishop to his knees. Tenebris then leaps into the air and cuts off his head. His body then starts to explode and burn down the building. Seeing that their idol is dead, the congregation flees from the cathedral in fear. That is until they see arms and eyes made out of black flames come out of the cathedral as it comes to life.

“I am reborn!” the cathedral says with a voice that sounds like the archbishop, “This is the true power of the black flame! This is the power of humanity!”

This gets the Purposeless to abandon the Divinus they worship with some of the Divinus even worshipping the archbishop. The white doves from before approach Tenebris from behind and take out cannons from the rooftops.

“Look at the mess that you started,” the white dove from before says to Tenebris who gives him a dirty look, “You’re right. We can’t blame you too much for an archbishop who’s supposed to know better, but thanks be to God, we have cannons on certain rooftops of the city that were meant to repel attackers. I’m sure these cannons will do fine against this beast.”

The defense cannons fire at the cathedral and it appears to be defeated until it gets back up and shoots out fire from all the windows and broken part of the cathedral that sets the city on fire.

“I’ve been proven wrong today, so why not once again. Do you have an idea?”

Tenebris nods and clenches his fist as the black flames within his arm strengthen. He then crosses himself before heading into the cathedral while spewing fire from his arm to get the attention of the monster who runs toward him with its large mouth open. Tenebris’ black flames beat back the black flames of the archbishop, and once inside, Tenebris stabs the black burning heart of the cathedral, which collapses the building. The white doves are sure that he is dead until he comes out just fine with the key to the Flame of Cognizance that he needs along with a piece of the building, some holy water, and an artifact.

“I see now that me being so wrong today is God humbling me and not to bet money on anything because I’m horrible at predictions,” the white dove says, “Fine work. We couldn’t have done it without you.”

Tenebris silently nods to the white dove and heads off while the Divinus in the city become Purposeless and the Purposeless within the city seek new idols to worship or just fall to their knees or stand still as if affected by a petrification curse. Word of what happened quickly spreads and stops some from becoming Purposeless with groups of people being blessed and starting to head out to where the other Pillars are to get the rest of the keys. Meanwhile, Tenebris gives the blacksmith what he wanted much to the blacksmith’s surprise. While he is working, the blacksmith is surprised to see that the holy water doesn’t quench the black flames and strengthens them instead.

“I don’t know why your black flames are so special. Typically, the black flame is the flame of sinful humanity that not only smothers the Flame of Cognizance, but also the flames of our consciences. Yours is different for whatever reason. I can see sparks of the divine Flame of Cognizance in it. Because of this, the improvements that I’m making to the blade are small. You’re something else that I can’t explain,” the blacksmith says.

The blacksmith then gives Tenebris’ blade back to him who gives him an artifact from the destroyed cathedral.

“I don’t need payment for doing so little work. Besides, you’ve done so much already by getting the first key.”

Ignoring what he said, Tenebris leaves the valuable artifact on one of the blacksmith’s tables before heading out.

“Haha, foolish as always. Now don’t be getting any more foolish by getting yourself killed!”

Tenebris takes this advice to heart as he heads out from Ecclesia to his next destination, which is in a state of constant civil war, bloodshed, and self-destruction.

Curse of Cognizance: Prologue – More Devil than Man

Prologue – More Devil than Man

After being convinced of what they heard, the authorities go out to arrest a man named Tenebris who is said to be sacrificing his wife who was forcefully impregnated and another child of his. Tenebris has been on the authority’s watch list for a while because of the cult that he started called the Way of the Black Flame. The authorities raid the cult’s hideout and find that they are too late to rescue the wife and two children as they are torn apart in a sadistic way that sickens the officers in such a way that fills them with disgust that makes them want to leave while also being filled with a hatred that makes them want to see justice through. They enter into the room as Tenebris is finalizing the ritual and is being lit from the inside by black flames that periodically light up from his body.

“What power do you hold over me now? I have just made the ultimate sacrifice and killed the most innocent of people and yet you have not intervened. I have shown that not even God will interfere with my desires! Today, the Flame of Cognizance will yield to my black flame! What I call will be good, will be good, and what I call evil, will be evil!” Tenebris proclaims in a voice that makes everyone in the hideout afraid even his followers.

Tenebris’ black flames make him grow two long black horns made of black flames on his head as he feels power welling up inside of him. Fighting against their fears, the authorities try to arrest Tenebris and end up starting a bloody fight with him and his followers. Though his followers fall easily, Tenebris is a different beast entirely as he leaps from the ground and walls to avoid being hit. It takes the death of twenty guards to injure Tenebris enough to arrest him especially since his horns couldn’t be cut off or extinguished. He is immediately given a life sentence and thrown into a solitary jail cell.

During his time in jail, the guards reported Tenebris yelling and screaming about his wife and angels terrorizing him, but they do nothing to help him since they think he is getting his just reward for his offenses against God. Tenebris goes from panic, to anger, to sadness, to begging for mercy, and finally to silence. This all happened over the course of half a year and when it became silent, the guards could hardly believe it. They even try to get Tenebris to act up again because of how much they enjoyed him acting crazy, but Tenebris would hardly respond to him even when they denied him food for several days. Tenebris ends up as a silent prisoner who prays and talks to his guardian angel, wife, and children. It’s as if he’s become a different person entirely.

Some speculate that this is a trick of his so he could get out of prison or at least his cell while others say that he’s performed some kind of ritual that makes him appear to be holy. The events outside of the prison make other people think that he’s stealing other people’s holiness as the Pillars of Cognizance abandon their duties and leave the Flame of Cognizance to fade without anyone to make sacrifices to keep it burning. They lock the doors and run away with the keys to it so no one can stoke the flames. Because of this, people’s perceptions of good and evil are blurred and they start acting like purposeless animals rather than humans. Few held their grips on truth and one of those that still does is Tenebris. While the events on the outside happened, he was left praying as the guards died quelling a riot in the prison or joining them. This riot happens while a civil war between those who wanted the Flame extinguished and those who wanted it to burn brought the city to ruins. Once the violence settled, the roof of Tenebris’ cell collapses as if unlocked by divine providence.

He escapes his cell, finds his old outfit, sword, and food then heads off to a church where crowds of people are wondering about who will go out to get the keys to the Flame of Cognizance. Everyone is surprised to see Tenebris among the crowd and even more surprised when he vows to get the keys and keep the Divine Flame going. The remaining bishop blesses him before he heads off since he seems genuine while everyone doubts that he will stay true to his vows.

My collection of dark fairy tales is out!

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This collection of dark fairy tales doesn't give their characters a happy ending until they go through some kind of horror. From a princess discovering the decay and maggots within herself, a beast becoming human after true love's sacrifice, and war between two singing lovers, no one gets a happy ending without overcoming some kind of darkness from within or outside of themselves.

Love's Song of War - (Song/Poem Attempt #92 - From Horror Before Happily Ever After)

Vulcan and Eira were two lovers who fought and began to hate each other to the point where they took their preferred children and took over their own kingdoms in the land of the dead. At first, they thought they could raise their own family in peace, but the bond between them that existed because of their marriage made them constantly think about each other as their damaged relationship torn at their very heart and soul. To sever this bond, they began to rose up armies to fight against one another. As he watched his army and children arm themselves and train, he sang in the same way that helped him take his kingdom so that his army will be more energized to fight.

 

Ready your weapons

Ready your guns

My daughters and sons

 

Our enemy is coming

There is no running

Our vengeance will be swift

Death will be our gift

 

Our gift to the vile queen and her slaves

Let us help them dig their graves.

 

Vulcan’s army was filled with a sense of anger and hate that fueled them to craft better weapons and train harder. They made weapons of fire and heat that some would say was made from the fires of the sun. On the opposite end, Eira crafted weapons of ice that were said to be inspired by the icy feeling of her heart. Her army and children trained and similarly armed themselves as she sang for them to continue on.

 

Do not falter

Do not waver

We have a victory to savor

 

We will overwhelm them with might

They will not be able to put up a fight

 

Justice is on our side against the crooked king

Join me and let us sing!

 

Her army and children sang alongside her as the music and chanting empowered their vitriol against their enemy. Both Vulcan and Eira felt the power of each other’s singing despite the vast distance that separated them. They looked in the direction where each other was and sang against each other’s song.

 

Heartless lover

Shameful mother

Do you love no other than yourself?

 

You were a princess

Your kingdom was your business

Wealth and products were your sword and shield

Your work was where your true nature was revealed

Your workers were your slaves

You punished those who misbehaved

You even got our children involved

The promises of power and success enthrall

 

Man without honor

Shameful father

I did what I had to

 

You played politics

I fixed the system with tricks

You were loyal to your party

While you left poor people starving

 

You pretended to be a struggling hero

You and your useless bureau

You fooled many including our children

And made me look like the villain

 

I talked with kings and queens

I could’ve accomplished it all by any means

But you had to go against the system

You and your friends with your self-righteous mission

 

I will set things right

And bring your deeds to the light

The time is now approaching

So cease your pointless boasting

 

I had strings in all kingdoms

They paid for my wisdom

Many kings and queens were my puppets

This is why I will be triumphant

 

You influenced minorities

I inspired majorities

Victory will be mine

And all you will be able to do is cry

 

With their armies readied, they set off to battle. One entire kingdom with its allies faced another on a battlefield of roses. Vulcan’s army had a two headed dragon with one head on both ends of its body while Eira’s army had a black dragon with grey flames that danced across its body. Both dragons looked like musical notes and smaller dragons that looked closer to musical notes followed behind them as both the king and queen sang against each other as their armies clashed.

 

Off with their heads

Cover your blades in red

 

The queen takes her final bow

Such is the fate of the filthy sow

 

Put all these wretches in the mud

I want to see you covered in their blood

 

Revenge is mine today

Do not have mercy on our prey

 

Eventually, Vulcan and Eira met on the battlefield and clashed swords. Vulcan used a brutish great sword while Eira used an elegant rapier. Both cut at each other with their blades without being able to land a killing blow especially since they were already dead.

 

Killing you over and over shouldn’t be a chore

But you are making this such a bore

 

Die already so I can be with my family

You’ve caused us too much agony

 

Their fighting continued until they see both sides of their families broken on the ground as the armies continuously fought even as they lost their heads, arms, and legs. Heads, arms, legs, and bodies hit each other over and over violently with seemingly no end in sight. Seeing this, woke up Vulcan and Eira from their blood fueled hatred as they now sang sorrowfully.

 

What have I done?

Why did I think this battle would be fun?

 

I’m a failure of a father and leader

I should’ve been less of a speaker and more of a healer

 

What have I done?

I’ve pitted my daughters against my sons

 

I’m a failure of a mother and lover

How can my sins be covered?

 

It’s this land of the dead

In which we were wed

 

We were supposed to change this place

Oh, how we have fallen from grace

Eira, my love, I am sorry for not doing what I said I would

To you, I am no good

 

Vulcan, my love, it is I who should be sorry

I’m the worst person you could’ve married

 

After a make up kiss, Vulcan and Eira broke their song spell that they had over everyone and confess to their crimes. They are each put into jail, but every day, they sang to each other across the great distance to comfort the other. This singing brought tears to the eyes of people from both kingdoms who then allowed them to be together as long as they promise never to use their singing to take control over people’s minds again. They made this promise and sung songs of joy and stories to brighten people’s days and to improve their lives and minds for the better. This brought the land of the dead to life and though some may say Vulcan and Eira broke their promise by changing the land with their singing, there are those who don’t mind because they used their God-given gifts for what they were meant to be used for.

 

The End

The Boy Who Tried to Erase the Truth (from Horror Before Happily Ever After)

There was one boy who had done something so shameful that he didn’t want anyone to know what he did. He didn’t want his parents to know even though his parents could fix the problem. He didn’t tell his priest because he’s confessed this every week. He didn’t want his guardian angel to know so God wouldn’t know even though He already knew. The boy knew that he couldn’t travel through time to erase what he had done so he decided to erase the truth itself so that no one would know if what he’d done was true or not.

Secretly, he entered his parish and went to the tabernacle. He went inside it where he heard the truth was, went through a small, veiled tunnel, and entered into Heaven. The light of Heaven was so intense that even the intensity was felt in the shadows that were cast by its inhabitants that appeared to be like temples to the boy. They wondered what he was doing there and prayed to God for him to make the right decision. After much struggling, he made his way to where the light was strongest and found the origin of truth.

With the eraser that he brought, he tried to erase the truth but found that no matter how much he tried to erase, the truth would not be erased. Instead, he saw that he was erasing himself. Who was he? What was his personality? Was his mistake part of him or apart of him? His capacity to understand truth felt as limited as that of an animal or a plant as he could hardly comprehend what he was thinking, why he was thinking, and how he was able to think.

As he kept erasing, the origin of truth offered him a different eraser that was part of the truth itself. Using this eraser, he found that he could erase his mistake. In the blink of an eye, the boy saw that he was in the confessional. The priest gave him his penance and told him of his good confession and to not worry about the mistakes that he made.

“It doesn’t matter how many times you fail. It only matters how many times you get up,” the priest said.

Feeling confident, the boy thanked the priest and headed out with his head held high and a thankful heart after his penance. Even though the truth of what he’d done still existed, it was crossed off and forgotten by his penance. Mistakes are made by everyone and everyone goes against their true nature sometimes, but the difference between a saint and a sinner is their willingness to admit their faults and truly be sorry.

 

The End

Our Princess of Sorrows (from Horror Before Happily Ever After)

There was a princess back in the times of lords who took for granted what she had. As far as she knew, the only thing that mattered was the power, wealth, and influence of her country and the strength of its army. Because of this, she favored laws and political decisions that enriched her land. When she visited the people, she listened to those who gave themselves entirely to the kingdom while ignoring those who opposed her decisions in any way. This princess thought that she was doing the right thing as she saw her home prosper and her people become wealthy and happy. Her kingdom became so wealthy their advancements in technology made them appear to be a kingdom from a future age.

Her view of the world was kept because of what she chose to ignore and approve of just like any other biased fool. Corruption slowly began to creep into each and everyone in her kingdom and became stronger in those who were already corrupt. Even though she would approve of so-called evils to do good, the princess’s eyes were opened to what she was really doing after so many cases of corruption and self-abuse came in. She saw the nobility cause fights and abuse their workers for a set amount of time with the excuse that they were doing it for the good of the kingdom, and she saw her people killing themselves with too much work and hating those of other kingdoms because of their love for their home. There was no way for her to fix the mistakes that she’s done in any meaningful way as she has stacked the deck against herself. Her allies weren’t going to change their minds any time soon either since they were as blind as she was.

Seeing that she had no chance of making any lasting changes, the princess prayed and cried in penance for so long that she cried tears of blood that became black tears that made her eyes dark because of the sorrow and guilt that she felt. Then a Divine Queen from Heaven heard her pleas and interceded on her behalf to help her make her penance even truer. This lady of sorrows. This queen who was more mother than ruler undid the knots of evil that strangled the princess’s heart. The princess was then given a way to open the minds of the guilty as the skies pour rain wherever she walks. This is no ordinary rain as it can find its way into any building and melts corrupted possessions as if the rain were a burning acid. When the rain fell on the guilty, they realized their faults and cried uncontrollably even if they didn’t repent. Some would even cry their eyes out and become blind.

 Not much is known about the princess’s kingdom from then on either than them becoming more charitable for a time then disappearing as if they didn’t exist. It is said that those of the kingdom threw away their possessions and offered up the rest to Heaven. This would explain the very few pieces of physical evidence left of the kingdom. In the present day, this tale of the Princess of Sorrows has spread among royalty and peasants alike. It is even said that those afflicted by sorrow and blinded by greed are visited by a princess who is dressed in black, with black eyes, and crying black tears while a harsh rainstorm plagues their lands. This princess will comfort them in their afflictions and opens the eyes of the guilty with her tears just like the mother that inspired her.

So when you see it rain and the storms of your life shake you to the core, realize that the angels of Heaven are crying for you and a caring mother is not too far away to aid you. For those who are dealing with corrupted individuals and those who are themselves blind to their sins, realize that you are never too far away from redemption and a helping hand that will guide you from Hell to Heaven.

 

The End

Sanctified by Blood (Horror Before Happily Ever After)

There’s a kingdom of slaves, of beasts that are men shackled by their sins. Each part of the kingdom has a place for a sinner of every kind and the more the sinner submitted themselves to their sin, the greater crown they earned or rather the greater shackles they gained on their souls. In opposition to their rule, there was a king who was not of this world that tried to free the slaves. Many slaves were freed by this king, but most refused the freedom he gave. The kingdom sent many to eliminate this king and submit him to sin and failed many times. This has not stopped them from trying since they have an abundance of slaves and control over the entire world.

Another hunting party is sent out after news of the king traveling with a party of traitors is heard. Luther, a slave like the others, is sent out with the other beasts guided by their masters who keep them on short leashes. While hunting, their masters are ambushed and killed by the traitors. The beasts scatter in all directions to kill the traitors with few going out on their own now that they’re free. Luther hunts after a specific person that he heard is going to be here and finds her.

“There you are, traitor of my heart and soul,” Luther says.

“I didn’t betray you. You betrayed yourself and your love for me. Can you really call yourself human with how you look and what you do?” she says.

“This is what it means to be human. Let me remind you since you’ve forgotten.”

Luther and the other beasts tear the traitors limb from limb until the only ones left are Luther and the one he loves.

“Don’t make me kill you, Luther. You can still change,” she says.

“There is no change. This is who I am,” he declares as he fights her.

“Then let’s see who the king favors. If I must take your life to save you, then so be it.”

“I’ll rip both your heads off and hang them as decorations in my castle.”

The two estranged lovers fight until Luther manages to slash her throat. As her blood pours on Luther’s body, he feels a clarity that he never experienced before. He then holds her as she slowly died while holding her throat. Even in her dying moments, she smiles at him and caressed his face that was slowly turning from beast to man. Regret and sadness begin to slowly creep into Luther who tries his best to keep his emotions back. These emotions are like whispers that make him question everything that he’s done and everything that he believes.

Before he knows it, the king that he was hunting for was behind him robed in red, crowned with thorns, and appearing already to be scarred by battle. Despite his master being killed, he is still compelled to fight the king and takes a slash at him and is covered in blood again. This blood is similar to the one that his lover bleed but more potent as if the soul of the king were inside her in some way. Blood and water gushed from the side of the king and seemingly removed Luther’s beasthood along with stains of evil on his soul.

Turning to the king, Luther asks, “Who are you?”

“I am the one you persecuted for your kingdom. Your chains are broken, your master dead and rotting. Be free and sin no more,” the king says.

“But what purpose is there for me to live for now? I’ve killed my wife and I can’t go back to my chains like this especially after what you’ve done to me.”

“Live for me who freed me. Live for your loved one. Live for love. Your wife wanted the slaves to be free and did what she did to free them. Do the same as she has done. Do the same as I instructed and showed.”

Understanding what must be done, Luther heads back to the kingdom specifically the part that he’s from. This part of the kingdom is fed by wrath. Ascending up the ladder as easy as defeating the person above you in battle. Assassination and complete ruination of a person’s life and integrity is rewarded by the masters who oversee almost everything that the slaves do. The only real law is that everything is legal and right as long as you aren’t caught. Sin is rewarded and virtuous acts are perverted by the selfish motives behind them and give both slaves and masters a feeling of godhood since they justify their actions by making themselves arbiters of truth.

The mere sight of seeing people commit the sins he committed and wanted to commit makes Luther sick and not sure if he even wants to save them, but his wife’s sacrifice and the king’s command compels him to move forward. Humans with no fur on their bodies aren’t welcomed in the kingdom, so Luther has to go through the shadows to not attract any attention to him. Regardless of his discretion, the masters of the slaves detect Luther and use their abilities of mental manipulation to tempt him to sin and become a slave again.

“You can have the most glorious crown in all of the kingdom, if you listen,” they say.

“We can get you a new wife.”

“You can kill whoever you want.”

“Think of the power you’ll have.”

“You can be a king of kings greater than that king you met.”

When they see that Luther isn’t giving up, they send their slaves after them who strike and slash at Luther. Just like before with his wife, Luther’s blood opens the mind and cleans the souls of the slaves who touch his blood. On one hand, his blood wakes up the chained minds of the slaves while warding them off and Luther strangely seems to be unable to die despite all the blood that he is bleeding. On the other hand, there doesn’t seem to be an end of slaves, the pain of being slashed at doesn’t numb, and the masters continue rattling on about giving up. This task is starting to weigh heavily upon Luther to the point where he feels like he could be crushed into mush any second now.

Nevertheless, Luther continues on energized by the sacrifice of his wife and the king, and even though he falls three times on the way up, he makes it to the top of the hill of the kingdom before he makes it to the top and seemingly dies. The masters think that they’ve won before they realize what has happened. Luther’s blood is flowing throughout the kingdom with a countless number of people affected by it. In a desperate attempt to get rid of the blood, the masters tried to use their slaves to get rid of the blood and kill everyone affected by it, but the blood only caused more people to become cleansed by it.  The masters try to remove the blood themselves, however, touching it burns them and their powers are useless against it. The blood then continued to spread as if it has a mind of its own as it begins to spread through the rest of the kingdom. This is the plan Luther had in mind that came from the king’s and Luther’s wife’s inspiration.

In his last moments of living, Luther sees and hears the king say to him, “You have done well. What is it that you wish from me?”

“Remember me,” Luther answers in his last dying breath.

With this request and his actions, Luther saves his soul and opens the eyes of many sinners that were like him. More powerful than true love’s kiss is true love’s sacrifice because there is no greater love that a man can have than when he lays down his life for the ones that he loves. For his wife who sacrificed herself for him. For the king who opened his eyes with his blood, and for the other sinners who he wanted to free from their chains.

 

The End

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