C21/ 12 - part 1 - drift of events

Hatched anew among dead in a dying realm; a place being leeched by outside realms. Sapped of magics, life and powerful materials. A realm creaking and soon to be discarded by the timeline branches. I took my powers by instinct, sunk my shell and scamper I go to find and exit out by pocket gaps. I were of no surprise to be through a doorway that appeared and disappears – that of damned that regret lives like might being sunk through a unforgiving realm. As of now, coiled as mocking stone on the between path. Hiding from things that would stomp me out.

"Alright, I think that is everything living out and every soul out." Gods overlooking the fall of this branch, "no stone with spirit left behind."

"Have these taken to the forest realms, as these rocks can co-exist as rock there." All lifted up as parts at a time… I too were mistaken and tossed among them of a hill side in a new realm. I came out my coils and go up the nearest tree. I loop around a branch and blend in once more. I play as the breeze sways. My skin like the bark of this tree and still as any twig can be. I do my part to no harm any of this tree of be of any imbalance for it and the wildlife that exist here. I spend my days only eating the fruits and insects; this was peaceful practices of eating here. How I watched the birds here pick only some fruits and what bugs were avoided by the other reptiles here. Hours I would hide around; learning from shadows of what those things do.

A forest of mythical living; mixes of beauty and terror. Tree's that eat men, plants that hug out life, the insects that hunt birds, birds and dragons at war. Unicorn and Pegisus at alliance to bow in greeting of natural goddesses. This is were those of druid practice find their ally of faith.

"Peaceful around here."

"As it can be, there must be a warding spirit keeping it all in check here."

"Or?" they all stop to the stones that glow in this light, "It be these new stones breathing like the trees."

"A new life, protecting the balances." The glow feeds the plants around them and kept away dark presence… no wonder there is flourishing life at peace at this part, "I have an idea of how to ward our temples. Only the small stones to be taken; nothing that breaks the balance here."

They picked hand full sized, they gently leave with only two stones. One person carried one. The stones were more then that, misunderstood they were for years to come. I guess… as I foresight that being.

"Hello?" a child wonders lost out from woods, a little boy in green ancient tunic… a scarf of badges sewn in is drapes around his shoulders, "Is there anything here?" this were a druid in student status, " I am lost from my mother, a nature follower." Oh, a human that should not be here. I glared about what this kid can't see, the things scheme for his soul.

"Child of man, lost little boy of a follower. Why so far from home and safety? Ways of this land aren't what they seem on glance. Lost child, just how far have you strayed from home?" I spoken as gentle a possible and spooked all so many from speaking first. I have now became a target too, "You don't need not tell me. You seem to belong to the land of the living, and this place is a land of souls after passing. You are at risk, and you will be fooled or temped by many."

"I was asked to follow a golden road and stepped off by mistake. I thought I was still on it for a while, until the path grow of trees in my way."

"Tricked by the mischief spirits that call this home. I understand. I will not lie in saying I don't know the way to get you back, not many will know. You must have been told something that would always help you and that will guild you back without help of any voices like mine."

"I was… thank you for reminding me." The boy looked to a ring he has and prayer… he were gone a second next to blink. I moved away from my place an go hiding some place else. Years have stretched me, only now a size of a toddler human. That boy were that of 12 by height. I were a cat comparing me to him. I have six limbs, of hands at the end of them… retracting claws and three small rows of teeth. Monster's gazing eyes; see the shape of the soul, the shape they hide as and the true shape they hold in shadows.

"Alright, you say this voice spoken here. Among these here." The goddess, his mother and the boy returned, "It helped you without cost. That is not normal, you know. Plus it spoke honest, much more abnormal." The goddess steps in ring around looking and is sure without doubt to find me, "You aren't from here."

"No my lady." I am picked up and in her tight grasp, "I were tossed here like stone. Like them stones." I pointed out, "That where I came from."

"You are a foreigner that didn't come here willingly. I see you are whom helped this lad of my follower." Her grip loosened, "What are you?"

"I am a rare among my kind. Unwelcomed by all for my nature… I love humans, as my pervious life would attest to. I helped out of love of humanity, despite my race and those holding stigma to me." She frowned darkly and I coiled around her arm so gently… she allowed me to whisper, "I will not lie in saying I am a god slayer and yet I am a vegan then the rest. I love speaking to things then eating them. The lost boy reminds me of what good can be without gain."

"So your asking for nothing?"

"I ask no burden on anyone, not even you or this realm. I have been here unnoticed for as long those stones have stood there."

"Whom took the two small stones from here?" She asked.

"A lady and a man. She spoke of using the glow of stones to ask as a warding practice. No names were spoken as they thought that they were the only beings here. Normal people they seemed, clothes simple and creamy white sheets. Around there necks were silver shiny leaves, sparkled of green emerald stones. I say worshiper types maybe."

"Good. And you watched them and do nothing?"

"I were smaller then your little finger then. I would have been killed and I were youthful unable to have speech then. I were new and unsure."

"I see." She pets me with equal gentle graces, "You are to be given a name and to protect this little boy." I bowed with graces of agreeing and held no objections towards the lad, "They will bring you to their home and you will be a new life there. Do you understand?"

"Yes." I am held as I shifted back to a status that will allow me to be among the living. Handed to the lad and held closely. Heart beats changed through time of walked from place to place, once more he does get lost again and I shifted as the serpent across his shoulders. Darkness and sadness; a Damned realm and his the only living thing here.

"What is this place?"

"Where those whom have great regrets go when they die." I tell him, "A sad place for being in sorrow and anger. Each is different and mostly have no wishes to play any harm towards us physically. Afraid of you as you are of them."

"I guess I can understand but I don't get it."

"Hahaha, still young."

"I am only 13."

"I am less the an hour old. The point is this place should let you just leave, your not one of them." I tilted around to stare at his expression, "Are you? These beings of masks and strange taste to scare beings."

"No. Not that I am aware." He step backwards and I was back an egg. He must have found people he knew as there seems a great joy about him, hugging around the arms of another. Asked about me, as a stone egg. I not much showing or shaping anytime soon.

This is the living lands, so I must wait to grow. Always in a pocket or held like treasure. I felt the feelings around me changing and grow with time; the day I awakened out from shell came the prolonged years of waiting.

"Happy birthday." I looked up to this grown lad, feels like a blink that I seen a 13 year old, "Welcome home." I got out and held a little towel that was offered. I wiped off the goos and feeling off. I twirled through it, soon clanged around a offered arm towards me. I give a little kissy to his cheek, a trusting eyes closed held moment, "I am glad your around but I may have to be the one to protect you, I guess." I backed my head to give a proper look about him and tilted. This child will be the grandfather of someone I knew and turn the one I promised to help. Being here has good timing, well not really. Times ahead for this family is either a bad thing passing or a strike of luck to be alive with them.

"What is it?" I heard asked by someone the mimic his age and sits on air, "Clearly not a typical thing among the living."

"Says you whom also was from the other side." I pass my sight on this shadow… that be the mask I stolen a long time ago… it held a crystal structured soul. I pass my look one more time over his lad… yes I am all to sure this is a precursor to this mask taking a grandchild of this one. The title isn't one to remember details as that the host that suffers that, "Are you really sure about this?"

"The practice of magic is a feared thing among non-casting folks. Take a large group of your kind and flee before the witch trails." There is flicked illusions, "Everyone fears something and humanity seems to fear the unknown. Humans become so obessed with trying to conquer that sense of fearing unknown. Either to explore it or get rid of it. There a larger some that want to be at peace with this unknown; as equals. Very wishful dream it is."

"Your on one of your rants again, mask." I am pet and guided around his shoulders, "If your so sure of this rare warning from you; then I take it well." My little lads packing a bag of everything important to him and has started packing bags with others like him. They all followed his lead, all of powers do there part with taking everything they wanted and needed to settle a new. Pocket gaps stored in literal pockets of the living moving towns. It will have seemed that over night was the making of a ghost town. Nothing to be left behind. All pets in arms of loved ones.

"Take us in our hands all of those that help us. Lead us a new place hidden from sight of the public that will take our heads and destroy or practices to you."

A proper repeated by all the hearts… walked on water and out on hope that all will have a new isle further away then anywhere could see. Beyond the reach of wood ships and past the eyes of disbelievers. Walked through pockets and back out from them; stopped back in the land of the living. On a overgrown jungle of land. It geography was a swirled lifted mountain… protected by sea all the ways around it. Looking back the path of sea they taken; it were the only safe way to get here. A divine intervention in guiding them here; the spirits of this new land came forwards and healed their weak and ill. Hidden lost gods that were beloved by magic folks. This isle was their way close to the living; now they gave it to them in honoring the prayer plead for help.

So as of now the isolation from the other humans has began; thus the laws these people follow will as always stay around the same way. Minor change will come with new seated kings… for now – the build of a new city over this mountain isle is required. Everyone was hands on; no matter status.

Their faith in these gods will be unchanged; keeping the lost faiths alive. My lad whom I no doubt to protect was not the one that became king in a day. In fact, there was no need of kings or power struggle during the building of the town they will love. This place is been built to last any unpredicted weather and the test of time itself. The faces of building mostly start unshaped surfaces along a face of mountain going up. Harvest of the forest held plenty of fruits and more safe eating tree barks. Nuts often being a delicacy.

"I bet there is a way to make that more delicious." The mask been hung around me more often since we been here on this isle. The houses are all made to same standards, everyone able to settle with what they have for now.

"I have a recipe in mind to use, but I have no ways of preparing it. It's not the season to collect all the ingredients either. I have to look through the bog for everything too."

"You're strange."

"We know each other from another life, lives… a time before and many of them between. I once took you player of host and now I have a fears that will not been accepted by you." The mask altered completely, "I were the soul of the thief that took you from imprisonment from gods. I kept up in my shadows for many years protecting you as you sleep. You may call me friend, but never host again."

"You made a promise to me, haven't you."

"I did and I have been keeping it, can't you tell? This place is the start of a nation; hidden from the ones around it." The mask glares through me, "I am scared of being the last; is that what you looked for?" it frowned with how I caught it, "I knew someone that would take you; they been snatched by the creation." It sneers, "They will be among this lot, branch off for a little while and then return again here. You will follow them; the bloodline. You test them, see how far they will go to completing you hearts goal. Fail they will and time creaks a little. You find the one you mean and it be when time most fragile; then it will shatter under your powers or by outsider means. You fix it and complain of it. So may horrors and each time only gets a lot more harsher."

Our conversation is at stopped with normal people walking into this cottage building; humans are unchanged. There comes and goes a thief, thus the started need for a more stable system; a ask between them with whom is going to be in charge.

This argument over whose in charge had split everyone into individual groups across the isle; mostly whom did what work. Bricklayers, food harvesting, the carpenters, the water control, the group with very strong spell casters and then jack of all spell family group. There several that stand back from the fighting and just continue by ignore it; this did include the jack of trades family.

The war that sweeps through had brunt down the work that had everyone as equals; that the last straw for those that stood out of the way; everyone was at arms with each other, chopping the population down between 9 main families. For about 10 years; the nine stays on set areas of the isle. Each section, it's own praise in different faiths and it will take a long time for these groups to come back together again. The mask and myself became split from or little lad whom brought us here. It doesn't matter since we know his on the isle and isn't leaving any moment soon.

"You're physically among them, aren't you?" the mask is on my back with some hatched plan to kill me again, "Why don't you go to the top of the mountain and build a home there?" That isn't a plan to get me killed nor was it a bad suggestion, "Come on, being around this patch of forest is doing nothing for either of us. Other then being hunted by the local family."

I take a slide slowly off from the branches; I had grown to be the height of man. More arms, more teeth and camo as always. Stomp my way up the hill side, claw cutting through for grip on the more sliding steep sides. Breaking through a patch of open field, sinking to the grass line and making another way up again… there seems to been this flat road I keep passing as the higher

I get up… the isle per laid out as a sphereical landscape all the way to the tip top. The very highest and most centre point… open flat nothing. They used to be a structure the gods had here; a temparory wood built place. It's ruined now… lay wasted in rotten poles over the floor.

"Not what I thought would be here." It disappears and appears around all the shadows about this place and caused a collapse of the roof beams to cave through. It snickers at the play of destruction then whimpered like it hated that reaction.

The acts of the mask unguarded of its emotions was more what I watched then anything else. All that keeps it from ruining the worlds no is that it still can't physically do anything of harm. It hung around a few spots, looking out to the oceans… the surrounding of this place so isolated.

Time to time it eyed down to the groups of families on there segregate areas; that hanged dead nothing expression is hard to ease of from noticing.

It stayed like that for weeks, while I were silent too. I began work at mimicking all the groups of people I met of this isle. I mimicked there work; first the foundation layers by the strong magic casting, bricklaying by the strong, the roofing and internal wood working by carpenter, smelting metals from my storage.

It became my own flare of works with decorating the inside… it's became a two floor manor… unpainted and blended as part of the mountains for now.

I choose to dedicate this place, the ground floor mostly, as the temple of the precursor gods I met three or four lifetimes ago. Each a panel that tells whom I spoken to them, each one suitable made by in color suiting traits.

Wisdom green, blue intelligent, yellow for the god of food and harvest, black silver to death and white gold to life.

The many small rooms all came of a corridor, of which I mimicked the between path of rebirth. Suiting to what sections looked for each doorway to a particular deity. I made the stairs up disconnected to any faith. All it held about it was mimicking of my reptile pattern scaling about it. Ending on the landing as this was then closed to only a door. This door if opened lead to a open plan living space. There being four bedrooms; the largest master being mine.

I am proud of my work. Enough to announce it; thus I painted the outside of this building white. It stood out day or night… enough for the mask to invite itself in and give gift to every deity in here. It soon build two extended areas. One to a nameless reaper; that whom is the mask itself. Then a room of my race, has me as the most highly regarded of my entire race. Flattery but I would think it that way. It picked small room up stairs and hung on a wall – back to sleeping for a prolonged time.

"Excuse me, but what family do you belong to?"

"No ones. I am not human." I laugh to this group of folks that walked all the way out the gentle sloping roadway up here. The alignment of this building meant the road ends facing the front of this building, "I am a shifting lizard lady." I see they lowered away weapons, "I watched you all go your separate ways, watched you build your new homes and then I too should go it alone and do that. I did everything here myself… excluding a few things."

"Oh?"

"I didn't to the extension, that was someone else and they are like me. No a human and don't belong to any group."

"Right… and you did all the rest?"

"Yes. Foundations like you magic, bricklayer like you strong folks, I fell and chop trees like you wood crafters. I smelt my own ores that I had on me. Most of all, I did the interior decoration myself…. Excluding the extension. That were as I said, someone else." I tilted inhumanly and broke from and twirled out to three coils, pulled up to eye level, "You like to come in for a drink or say hello to deities?"

"Which deities?"

"Well the ones before they had religion and were left this wood temple behind. You see your gods in them, faces look alike. Come in and see." Slowly folks walked around the area and through the building.

They all marvelled to each master piece. Folks soon made their own prayers and offerings to these places, added small statues around of those deities related to the art worked walls. They filled each place of suitable offerings. This had official became a church and with it I were the keeper of the grounds. I were relished as their isle saint.

Domestic issues or what should have sorted by laws; flooded on my hands to listen to but never did I dare speak advice. I only needed to listen to the confessions they gave; it were often enough to give them strength to live another day. Marking the first year anniversary came funereal; 13 of them. Each bodies was sorted to the deities that they followed life but they all had one silver coin to pay death. A tradtion that stuck.

The gathering towards the top had drew folks to leave their isolated areas slowly; the road up was soon built housing shops of trades and soon recycled coinage from other counties were melted into new mint; gods on the faces of each.

The most expensive being life and death, gold and silver. The other god coins all made with copper tin mix, as penny worth.

Funerals held one gold and one silver; silver to death and gold offered over to the deity next in their meeting. I would bet this practice is confusing afterlife folks when random souls are showing up with plain faceless gold coins. The very thought of folks doing this seems humorous.

The establishment of nuetral ground across all families as brought everyone together to finally make a democratic vote of whom is leading for seasons over all this has been working out find; but long term issues are still being ignored. Yet this melting pot is finally bring trials to thieves and murderer types between them. As of so far, there still enough genes in a small pool of people for this to not be of any issue.

There been folks breaking off from groups to be minor little groups closer to the centre; slowly dividing people from marriage and children more in a isle management way.

"Saint keeper, we need a marriage by dawn." Looks like the traditional forced marriage deal with her crying at the alter and the grown to be eyeing up some other lady.

"A political marriage, right?" this is with a slow nod, "Then why not have signed wealth agreement and not a marriage of two unwilling souls. It means that the families are joined in binding but those doing the ceremony are free to marry more suitable suiters."

"I want these two wed and not a law binding…" he froze up a while in prolonged thought of what he was suggesting and looked at the two to be more closely, "I take the agreement biding."

This was to create a royal subset of legally ties of all families without them all intermarried to each other. This being so popular with the outer ring families that it dragged them to fit around the road edges. Son the road from shore to church above was paved over the decades and build more houses siting families. All respected the road from water to church above.

"Saint! I confess my sin of laying hand on my maid and her likely motherhood of being my fault." A prolong silence and then this juicy detailing about how things became like this and him being afraid of shaming the name he lives by. He leaves the church in stone cold worry.

"I confess that I pretended to be a maid and got myself pregnant with one the honoured guests." The next one of the night.

"I would go find him by the shore and tell him that. Do now or forever regret it." The first time I have ever broken my silence during confession to save two lives so well connected by the agreement ties.

Ironic that his from the family of strong magics and she is a jack of all trade spells sort. Both 2 or more generations away from sharing their common grandfather – the lad that brought me and the mask to this isle.

Yes, times been passing slow around here for me while you the reading seem to swim through this part so fast. That is the side effect of the afterlife peering don at the living. The living are making so much progress that it all blurs to fast to be kept up by gods above.

Death comes quick this life, it must have been all my magic use… I were a thing never to practice human powers. My body isn't built to hold it. These days the mask sleeps in the room dedicated to the faceless nothingness as I made my grave to the room dedicated to me. Into a glass box where I curled and slept my life away. Soul and skin into an egg.

A rather curiosity case for anyone that looked in here with no disregard to our rooms. Door closed and boarded up; both our rooms there but erased and hidden away. The church section or in fact the entire building redecorated and made into the royal palace. Now they rule the government of this isle.

"I don't honestly believe that there could be anymore rooms in this place." The door locking this place now spills over the dusted floor, "Wow, I lost my bet to you son."

"Look thee a door to the side that leads to another room from this one."

"There is…" they walked through, "This might be what was left untouched when our manor was converted out from the church grounds it used to be. A non-human saint built the foundation and earlier walls. The first ever extension was from another inhuman type. Then it was a church of a very long time; until ties of all were established. Converted this into the first kings house… we been here changing it since." The king picked up items around and back down, back hand spell to dust off the wall story, "The first serpent of fate."

He whispered a order that his son stayed as the king checked the next room, he peers in and closed it again.

"the masked nothingness… beliefs that held no need of religion." He scooted his son out of here, "Best you stay well away from these; they are naturally omen bringing beings. The rumours of them being to dark for you today."

The door is sealed temporary back. I would guess their conversation moved on like they had. No time to tell about in here.

The door opens to a much older young man now, walks in staring at all the things his father did and more. Does that spell of dusting over the walls and then my box. He plays about wonder ho it opened or not. Years of sitting still has melted the glass edged in place easy.

"Sire, there's a dark door." A crow of morphing silver metal flew to his shoulder from the door, "That's a god slayer in a glass case, sir. Is it wise to disturb the egg sealed in it?"

"Much like how we being watched by a mask on that door you just asked about."

"What mask?"

"I guess not then." Walked around the room to the door of the other room, there he frozen up at a touch of the door. Backed away all pale. He leaves out of here, but left it open.

Other people have came in visiting since, yet no a soul can see this back black door. Follower or not. All marveled over my corpse, punching arms on bets of how someone slayed me.

"This wasn't a slayed by anyone, it went in sleep." A death follower creaked up, "No marks on those bones, marks about the inside of that glass suggested the flesh naturally decayed, egg where we often joke of sex organs on them. Seriously; this is a slayer that had no harsh life of being attacked. The bones actually exist here; there no faking vitimin defeintancy and illnesses. That spin on the 12 along from the neck a illness marker for those that contract a type of plague."

"Are you saying this lived here once? Like, existed here on this soil?"

"Looking at them bones, yes." Out with a recorded of souls, "Let me see… Tess. Yes, a shapshifting cat human. This were once Tess, whom lived as the king suggested the time this place was a church during the first centuries of settlers here. Incredible for the egg to be so healthy looking from all that time ago." Book away and a moment of prolong pause, "That's a living soul in there."

"Excuse you?"

"There's a living soul in this coffin." The follower taps about the glass, "It can't escape maybe… or not got collected when the original slayer died." Stopped right there, "Oh, I guess that makes sense." He was interrupted by his god that came to inspect the corpse I used to be, "Saint Liz?" offered as name suggesting, "it died and need to be record." Death stopped him a while, "You're worried that it trigger it to hatch." Death moved through his own books to sort through souls… looked up staring at the black door, prolonged frozen and left shortly, "Ok, that wasn't like him."

"There another hidden door in here, dedicated to nothingness. This church that once was here wasn't dedicated to gods that were famous for their time.

This was a church dedicated to the precursor gods whom soon faded or became those later religions. Everything was represented here; life and death, all the elements, laws and order was one the precursors, wisdom and thought… other ideas like them but that never gained a god embodiment were that of the serpent monster. This was told in every original text and 'nothingness' titled book I nicked from here as a kid. The very thought of nothingness without care for either life or death, follows order and law like life and death. Existing to be the nothingness." The current king sighs, "the room next room hasn't been opened for a lot of reasons. As it the door the opens to nothingness… sealing away something trapped there. That being also nothing."

"Every god you asked must have told you not to." This death follower lives up to being a seeker for dying… knocked around the glass and the walls of the room, "Room beyond is a thin wall away."

"Gods today have all named the nothingness something and gave it form; cursed time to it." The whole group of folks lift up in interested, "They say never name it as it will hear you speak in the seconds that you do, it uses a judge to check you and then chooses to murder or help you in a abnormal ways. After any deed is done, it sends a stranger to ensure that your bargain is withheld by you. Like death he may swing a blade but this being a more dishonest and cruel sort… judging by the voices of souls."

"You had someone spilt beans for you."

"I had a expert on the subject bore me to death with what it constantly talks about." This king glared on the bird to his shoulder, "I am not giving you permission to speak." He may look mad for talking to a bird and will continue to seem mad with constant glances with it. The scared glances from over shoulder with glaring at those not entering here, "I wanted just your opinions of what you see here and not about anything else."

"Opinions of what our deities would say about such art going all the way around the room and the little items on the tables." Some other spoken in checking, "Everything here sits to the myth of the serpent. Some say it many serpents and other think it were one serpent that was praised by others of its type. The damned sure warn anyone around the area of a slayer serpent – many across all realms. It's this one here that the most intriguing – laws of all things state that creature to exist among the living must be born into it."

"Saint Tess, as inscribed on the gold plate. Here." Tapping of the glass box above, "This fooled people into thinking it were human and lived among folks. Records even say it looked after and maintained the church grounds. The one that started neutral ground for the founding royals to start with. Tess's name signed on every family bond agreement. No joke really."

Someone goes trying to lift coffin themselves, heaving several attempts and giving up.

"That not glass." They try smashing it through and only dented the item used, "That's clear crystal stone."

"Out of realms maretials." Muttered by the silver bird, "She did travel a lot, cleaning up and final touches." Bird shifted to a sword and sheathed away.

"How about I give you a new name and see where that gets us both?" the king steps around breaking folks away from the coffin case, "Clearly your not really gone, are you?" knocked on the surface four times, "You would know what's keeping the other side away from me."

That's not a normal comment I expected to hear. The strength to hatch, has me poking one eye about the young lad. University sort, but being on a isolated isle in the middle of no where… yeah – schooling going to be different.

"Now, quite playing around." I rolled the showing eye and break from the shell fully. I stretched and shifted to a normal long corn red snake, coiled several times through the bones of my previous life. I break down the structure with pure strength. Collecting bits.

"I come back to when you done messing around." His elder tones does suggest that his aware of lifetimes and restarts, "I guess I have everything I can get from the rest of you."

"What? What is with the change of tones, prince?"

There a lot of folks backing off from him. There the some set that had see it coming and are of to shocked to really take in there realizations. Then you have this odd ball out among them than busted out laughing, taking out a silver sword of their own.

"You're not our prince are you?" the madness has consumed this follower, "You're here to steal these things from our noses and use us for blame."

"I get that you would think it that way, Magnus but that isn't what going on. I came to those locked section of the house in search of some… thing, that I would consider safer in my hands then in the grasp of other royals. Such people with the actual plans to bath the place in blood, while I just making sure that stays here and no where else." He turned back to the case and gives another few knocks, "What is wrong with it this time? I know you know." He isn't bothered in the slightest about himself, "Would you please just talk to me?"

I clicked out the last few moment of stretching and then sunk through shadows of my older skull that is left, with that I rose much to large for the box and snapped the panels. I coiled around the room four times in stacking myself, and then twirled across the ceiling to be head to head height with everyone here. I necked clicked a few times and study their reactions first. It were the instinct of running away baring the 'prince' king and the lunatic ally. Now joined in three gods too; A god of wisdom, another of omens under the crow feathers and the last being death himself. Playing around pages in a book.

"For the last time, Death. It often page 542." Death froze and glares across, "Just saying. We been at this before… and before that." Death closed the book and opened to the page mentioned and looked. Scans through, closed and places away for a moment. Brings out a different book.

"I not the type of thinking to be eating anyone in this house anytime soon. Please reframed from it." Death puts that book away too, in hearing my voice, "Good to see you well, Sires. Better then last few times." I hummed, "I don't really get what up with them either but they have been sleeping. A lot. They seemed to spend the majority of time sleeping. Not handing over to other fools, hung around me the moment it final gained some sentients. I say, what seems more wrong is this particular threading of time. That's what seems wrong. You know I would be here if the universal laws kept it."

"For once, you rather open."

"And you're the human side. The side that actually is aware of chooses compared to the robot side. Just saying."

"It dues have that inhuman one track mind deal often. You been around front the very start then."

"Yeah, busy actually. Keeping history similar and rounding up lost precursor gods and whispering legends that created humanity. Things like that."

"I wasn't around so I don't really want to believe you."

"She's mostly right through. I can tell. But what I don't get is what this arguing is about."

"a lack there of the inhuman side puppet." I pass and the scythe final gets it and the gods all look at each other with arguing who broke us, "Broken is you lot, not us." I hissed towards them, "Just how many times did it take for you to behead that one fella, death." This was a not god personal matter to the soul in question. The person one top doesn't understand the question yet the soul does, "Yeah, I thought you give that answer. It doesn't take that much to behead a person if you cut between bones and have a sharp blade. There is a backed off notion about his death is slowly being aware of me reading him like a book.

"Someone punch the trickster." The scythe into a bird glaring over at a hidden extra, "I would." The beak closed for the duration of prolong disgusting words. I curled back to shadows and shirk down into a mock of a cat.

My shadow's hold of my real shape, used to grasp things back to storage. The gods put there backs to each other, watching my shadows flowing around taking things. I am picked up as a cat, and held like any pet would. Treated with a soft warm hug and gentle petting. I purred loudly, and kept ease on the prince.

The Silver metal crow on his should; together to watch wall crumble down and the bowing greeting of the mask returned back to the owner. Knocked the prince flat through into a coma. Servants had came on the order of his scythe to take him to bed. I did everything in healing. He is going to be out of it for a long while.

"Someone in deep sleep must have gone somewhere right?"

"Maybe there more to it then I had realized; time I go dream hunting."

"Dream hunting?"

"I don't remember those lives that well but I recall knowing where and who to speak to. Nightmare Dwellers and Dream figures… where their realms used to cross over. The damned are not going to help with this one but the manifestations of we dream to fear." I pondered for a very long length of time, "His likely gone to punish itself, right?" I asked the scythe and the bird nods, "His going to start a fight with beings with control of the realm or fight the existence around it."

"I stay with him here."

"Alright." I placed a few stones around that helps protect in dreams and heals soul. I take one glare over to a nightmare muttering and hand signed demand of crossing.

It would not ignore the demands of a proxy master order. I altered into my newest shape for nightmares and walk through curse jumble of bones, dripping false blood and reptile eyes. I clattered in echoes of which sent chills and avoided folks from my path.

The cloud path of dreams was always subjective as a path or not. Flowing right into the centre dream areas. Mostly all the good folks here and all the lovely dreams… some of these lot are omens. I take a glance with guessing the omens here. None have my answers.

"Excuse me." A child in a white mask… I do hope this isn't the prince, "I can't wake up. I been sleeping to long, I need to wake up." I picked up the child guessing it weren't the prince but it could be the mask title, "Where are we going?"

"We looking for someone whom went to sleep searching or getting lost…" I sighed and looked at the shadows this child has to them and I pulled out from it the second child I was about to go look for. Both of them in my arms, I take out extra to check over them booth; eyes peering about them.

"You were looking for my host?"

"We were looking for you." I corrected, "He choose to go the opposite way through. By taking the same root as you." I poke the mask side and huffed, "Now why are you here? Do you remember what exactly you're here for? They both looked to the omens of death relating, "A warning dream, I see."

"Dream?"

"Yes children. Welcome to the dream and concept lands; where nightmares and omens live to exist. Here you find every manifestation of fear. Anything a sub concise mind makes; exists here."

"So like real walking corpses."

"Yes, your just not in that part of town. I don't really want to take you there either."

"What are you?"

"I used to be the fear among fears. There this loop where nightmares can become so real that they create nightmares of their own. I so happen to be the throne of the demon that controls half the laws here, the rules among them and not actual laws of dream nature." I walked them both around, followed every step, "Since you been here, have you asked for anything? Helps anything? Gave or rid of anything?"

"Can we go see our nightmares?"

"That's up to you both, I don't know whom they are." I speak very to soon as the rise of corpses of family these children knew came forwards. They all whispered their dream words and then broke in my sight of notice. They all peer to each other and backed away… allowing one forwards. One not afraid of me. This would best put as the may deaths nightmare. Every blink is another way to die.

"Lady Dreams, Welcome home. Welcome for your first visit, I should say."

"Manny, I haven't spoken to you since I had to ask if you plague Loki during the 9 hell pranks."

"Oh, not your first."

"I was here as a serpent and I told you to plague the gods to stir up a little more creative juice in them."

"First nightmare… the God Slayer."

"Yes yes. I know." I altered into that shape out of the natural order of things and still held these two children dazed of the corpses that haunt them, "You're doing a amazing job for these two; these two being the last reaper and the title end. Corpses of loved ones is a hard hitter."

"I wasn't aware of these two being those titles."

"Early days and still in a coma." I pointed out, "I have been to the waking side and I know them there too."

"You're the stuff of nightmares to us all, how come your not their fear."

"The end's a tough one." I looked to the gathering of omens peering around shoulders of the corpses, "Death keeps following and I only hope that the real god stays out of it."

"He fears himself being mutilated too. These children fear the people's reactions towards whom he is." Manny tilted the many figures of mock dead people around here, "What about you?"

"I fear being alone… that's why my dreams are full of the nothing edge worms."

"Not those things."

"They are good money but not the risk if you have no means." I state, "Say, I just got an idea to get these two awake." nick them by the scruff of there neck and stare them to each other, "You would have to share a fear to be a single soul – end and repear alike. Wouldn't it be great…" they both faded away from this dream lands, "I was right. Thanks for the little talks, Manny. My dreams are always staring out to the abyss of nothing or the paths between."

"How come?"

"Oh darling, you wouldn't understand… Also… sweetie." I touched that jaw, "I am here physically and not a dreamer." That flees everything away from my sight. I altered into a cloaked up no one, danced my way around to the gate out of here. I step on through the between, sunk into the damned and opened my door over to the prince's bed side. The three of them talking about the dream they held. I altered to a lady in a simple red dress and with a mask mimicking the skull of the nightmare I am. I purred warmly with sitting at the bed end.

"So we now know the place of nightmares is a realm reality that a slayer can enter."

"You know about the urban legends like slender and Z." I voiced and they all turned at me, "Well whenever you learn of them, then that place is connected to the dream lands. So as any story universe. There all connected, they are all realms of living ignored by this reality. When you do diving out of reality of this realm; yo often fall through many others. I did that."

"Your our experience, created into a third being. Not insane due to being within natural law to make sense." I frowned with the suggestion and try to see it, "You crystalized our souls."

"You all asked it, to help the dust." That cleared up everything for the mad side and shifted into a mimicked plain damned and hands to my top shoulders. Hugged around me, loved me and I wasn't going to betray this. Tapping the head with a extra arm, "It the others around us that will insist that we lost our minds; when the truth is that everything around us has no sense at all. Best to not force a understanding and just go with flow… until it seems wise to change it."

"Thank you for stealing me from them." Hugged tighter.

"Your welcome?"

"Thanks you for waking us up." The prince get out of bed and changes behind a screen. The scythe bird stares at me for a long time, "Sean, would you not pry her soul out."

"It's just… this seems wrong."

"Time is always and has been many times shattered; so many versions of the end have became and passed. For this timeline to be seamlessly unbroken." I sigh.

"Them gods broken all four of us, shattered s to dust to see what would happen. We created a void of soul they didn't understand; I were the first broken and when time broke – history had to do several varations of repeating. You were next, sean. They finally poured you into a scythe and made you the sane judge to a already insane being. We lacked humanity, this is where our little host comes in. Yet humanity is fragle and the insanity is more fit for a monster… they unwittingly feared a god slayer, thus the god slayer is our fourth that is the expreinced insanity reality breaker."

"Now you put it that way," The prince hummed, "It makes a lot of sense."

"Not really but I am able to judge us."

"It forfills something were all over looking." The three stare at me, "Fear of being alone, right? It be between us three whoms the last." They tilt in all manner of ways, "But it will not matter in reality or not."

"Sure…" the mask thought about it, "How did you know that?"

"I did just drag you both out from the dreamlands and now you ask me nonsense questions." I had the mask peeled off me and I give it a check over of things… mostly looking at the crystal shaping of soul… as I though, a shard containing dusty soul.

I gave Sean the scythe a look over, a metal dust soul with diamond flex through it. The human prince is a bottle of dust, crystal being the bottle itself and easy to open up and pour. I looked to myself and how I ama dust becoming solid, gift wrap in crystal.

"Healthy." Sean agrees, "Sticking around?"

"I had been stuck in a back sealed room for as long as that mask been asleep, I might just be a cat among us."

"You play cat, I play bird, mask is mask and here we have a prince. Whom seems to be plotting something behind everyones back."

"I guess it has to do with this situation… whatdatte do you think it will take place?"

"The birthday… one of mine. But had been screwed up a few times as of late. It were ocne it didn't happen at all and that made thigns werid. But so was that time."

"Well I can help now. You looking to take up the throne in the future?"

"Well, government route."

"Play shadow minister." I nod getting it and this unsettled the mask, "I have been around four creaks of time… shards that made time callospe in a moment of things happening. I watch reruns of many timelines… as it trying to grow back up again."

"Time like a tree, growing form faulty roots."

"Yes, best way to see it. But then think of it as many copies of the same videogame; faulty in programming that not every copy runs smoothly." The mask gets that too, "the start up codes keeps glithing and we just start again from scratch." I sigh, "I make up for all those glitchs that didn't let humanity born." The mask clicked with finally getting it. Goes cloaking the prince's shoulder, the silver bird jumped to shoulder too. I was offered a hand, a moment as my mind lingered with how many rare times I been given a hand… this time I took it and not bite it.

"Let us go fetch a few things we need." He summons a door and it opened into Death's realm, among his tomes. We walked through, I watch the door fade away and my colouring alter into this realms normal. The prince looking nothing changed but still, "Core!" He called and a book throw itself at him, "Good, need this?" he took out his own soul and pours a few dust to it and altered the book to the core soul names books. It sinks through him and his soul, "We should visit death if his around."

"Tea?" I ask and he nods. I guided him along through the elevator and to the office floors. Death himself seems frozen a prolong time, turned towards this little band of things, "Tea, Sir Death or you to busy for us?"

"I don't understand."

"If you did, you have a headache. She well… should have died a few timelines ago, and I have yet to take the title properly. You know the bird and the title itself consice." He directed about each, "I don't know which bites worse."

"I would kill him and you mask would paralized him into the death lands, so… take a pick." I commented and was pecked by the bird, "Ouch, just saying."

"I thought I might just." The mask it crushed into dust a moment.

"Insanity is the new living for me. I hope I find a friend with you death… unlike this gaggle of weridos. Even Silvers been acting up as of late." Bird goes bitting him too and took his hand out the way in time, "I am the one among this lot to actually not want to end life."

"You what?"

"Well, I like watching them suffer through time then end time." The mask is shattered by me this time.

"It better to have memories to live by then start with nothing." I more soundly corrected.

"I still do understand how this relates to me."

"You're Death, you ensure the cycle of life keeps going. When someone else goes breaking that system, we tear it all apart and try to spark life again. You went you are gone; really." The mask keeps talking and it we keep shattering it. It comes back laughing about it, "The legacy that your title as a god leaves; when the title comes to the end of duty… falls on us." Shattered very harshly and ate by me… I smile like nothing inhuman just happened. The jaw line fixing back to human slowly.

"We prefer that your job, life and system keeps going; so we don't have to for you." The prince has finally creaked something out of death, a tilt with a look back to the books he been writing, "And we exist now becase someone or something is about to shatter that… again."

This dropped everything from Death. He stood to leave with action to find where and what we just warned of.

"Don't worry about Death, now he knows." I told our little group, "there a good soul in him this time; we might be able to move on from this god war coming."

"Would that be nice." Sean sighs, "Which war?"

"Humanity collapse of religions and eye open to the sfterlife as a reality." My words unsettled them, "It happened twice now, so you tell me what you think causes that."

"My uncle for stater." He turned a full damned and sinks into the shadow concail. The pull of shadow was of many threads of netted made hand, crawling at him to sink him through the Shadows corridor.

I altered into a damned of myself and hung from the ceiling (due to sizing issue). The crowds in here gathering for a meeting about the activation of the title of end. On cue all of the prince's uncle side of the family take seat; laughing about times they were end.

All I had to do was his among them softly to off set their emotions about the title. They focused on front of the row of people waiting to be choosen by the title mask. The mask from openly and picked out the prince, swallowed whole and converted to the god-like title I met them as. Moment froze to adjust and then the dust off. Hand to Sean converted to a scythe.

A gentlemen walking in full sounded steps between people; squared his uncle in the face and backed away.

"Time we left for the next event, follow along Slayer." He formed a door to the chamber I hung down and slide through. My tail whipped the door of shadow closed, I coiled around the end to hid him a while. The place turned silent with seeing I arraived.

"Whom sent a slayer here?" there a minor fight among folks and all was boomed into quiet again.

"Lady scales, this be the frist ever time you came here. I thought you didn't know this place existed." A egyptian god frowns, "You were around before even the precursors, why now have you arivered?"

"This of it this way, if I had been around since the start…" I revealed most of myself and travelled up to the highest floor, "Then I should be here to the very End." They all looked to the empty space I left and all eyes were following my slow climb up. His busy being werid with peoples clothing and lack of items.

Including goddess huntress replenished of her arrows, as I altered into a thing from the dawn of time; scaled bird, took flight to land on the highest railing.

I hop on my way to the one chair they avoided talking about. The end faded into existence sitting here too; scythe in full balance beside. Humanity in them eyes and a veil of insanity to cover that face.

I break form and into more comforting god slayer shape, head around his shoulder.

"Now I am around since the start and last moment of time; what do you think caused that?" He asked among those here, "The final moment of something become the new existing start of something else. What does that tell you lot about your jobs?"

"What got your rob in a twist…" the goddess of knowledge freezes, "You're not death."

"No. I am like him but I should never be the start of anything." He pointed towards a few possible curpits to start nagging… yet he only pointed at them and moved on, "I was never meant to be anything. My very seat here among you was to be the nothing."

"Yet nothing has something. It's both the end and start of something." The knowledge lady spat, "What is wrong with that?"

"I like that new lodgic, not all timelines, realms or even universes get it." I commented and the end sighed, "So maybe its just more harmless for now and a headache later."

"Must be. I think being here has done what what was needed, time to go back." He stand and collected himself. I blocked death from trying to scythe us, "I am among the living, not the dead."

"Keep it that way, don't be breaking order."

"Your funny." I commented to death and fluttered to the sare shoulder of the end, "No wonder you're a friend." Death took no stance in trying anymore and left us be.

We fade back to the prince's room. This shadow snatching is getting unnerving for me. I hope he doesn't do this all the time.

I hop off and shifted to a cat, sycthes the silver bird and the prince lets his mask run around the afterlife boundaries. Just in time with a maid to knock at our door for bed sheets changing.

"Good morning sir, Everyone down stairs for your brothers cornation." I froze with that and looked over to the prince with how he gestures we follow with him. He is confused too.

The maid is a fake and goes dropping the things and out with a god slayers knife. Through his shoulder. I jumped into form and peeled the attacker off. I licked the posion of the antidote.

Knocked the fake out cold; placed in ropes tied to the back of the door. Prince gets up imdeiatly with taking out a frist aid kit and cleaning up the graze… Sean's sewing it closed. We all altered to a living normal look, until the late arrival of the father and uncle. Both glared at the tied up sucker at the door and the arm in a wrap. Making us use the split moment to alter into forms these living people will accept.

"Son, are you alright?"

"Other being grazed through the left shoulder, and well… whatever that is being knocked out cold."

"Silver!" Bird fluttered over to the king, "What are you doing here?"

"Watching over your son, like you asked last night."

"Was I that drunk?"

"Must had been." The uncle fails to walk through.

"Ah, there's barrier of magic over the door." Sean tells, "He was walking out the room when he got attacked… with the thing pretending to be a maid."

The Family of people around here gather with gods and are invited over for this time. My eyes watching them all, acting a laying comfortable cat. I am hoping to go unnoticed, if at all.

"I like the pet cat." I would react but that is a god voice and I must act unaware until given, "Anyone here own a cat." I am picked up and loved by the prince, "When did you have the time to get a cat?"

"I picked it up during a nightwalk." The reasoning is the more confused the uncle and the father of this equation, "What's wrong with picking up a pet to stay with me on my way around the paths?"

"Ok, there's seems to be a lot of questions needed to be spoken about yet what is more important now is…"

"How are you alive after taking Slayer vemon?" A god interjected and for once the end isn't sure.

"I say we don't need to worry about that." Sean voices, "Theres still the point of why there was a face changer assain sent here." Sean nearly muttered loud enough about this being 12 to his memory. But this would mean that 12 in this one life time means a constant sending of assassins.

"Say does the cat speak?" The gods are about to poke my fur and backed away with the prince.

"I wasn't going to hurt them." I whispered.

"It is them I was more worried." He muttered back, "The cat has a proper name and it not really a cat either." I give him a look with wondering where this was going, "It's more a befriended creeper from somewhere not open to the ears of gods." I flat ear with taking that, "We have a agreement that we still working out. I got interuppeted rudely by whom I thought a maid when I walked out of my room. Said something about you needed me for something." Ok there is a lot of lies in this and he speaks it so well it convincing enough… but not entirely.

"Have you heard the news, gods?" Sean piped in, "The top title named End is alive and existing. Some say there claim living being literal and possible humanish."

"That does make any sense bird." I huffed and stayed in the princes arms as they are dragging out this assassin down stairs. I am looked at deeply by the prince with folks back turned. I altered into a mimicking crow of Sean / Silver and pose as if resting on there. He sighed and looked at his arm.

"Slayer vemon has a natural counter. I gave you the counter… better then having no arm and life." I whispered, "12 hours of life and walking around rottening like a corpse… I didn't want that on you."

"How kind and abnormal for anything to be so generous."

"His not used to folks with being aware still continue being kind."

"There a big difference between humanity actually being here and what I had to put up with – gods constantly walking the living plain like they owned it. Played souls for toys… the timelines I know are what make me a slayer to them." I shut up with the glare back of someone looking to the prince, "Now, are you still feeling worse for ware? Fast acting vemon and a even faster antidote – doesn't mean you should be walking around or doing anything rash."

"I think I take your advice on that." He leaned to a wall and looked to those looking at us, "I really shouldn't be walking around, like my friends say."

"You're so called friends must be whispering because not even us as gods can hear."

"Just makes you more deaf." He shot back that comment and slides down to the floor. Someone goes helping him up and does healing practice. Sean stares over in great worry.

I hop around to a window looking out to the medieval town bellow – full of morning folks. I could smell the barkers sweat and the butchers blood from here. Sensually, I was mentally walking among those streets taking bites of all sorts of smells. My ear's pitched for the entire manor home around us; kitchens worked, the gardens signing, there is wood mites eating at the ceiling… I faintly hear the arguing of brothers (the king and 'uncle'). I heard the gods at muttering match about what is happening.

"Bird at the window, a creeper in shapeshifting forms." I listened to the one thing right behind me, "We need to think of a name for you."

"I had many names, but I am not handing the one name out like candy. There was once a race of things that enslaved for just speaking a name." The voice behind me cold think of any way to follow after that comment, "Who are you to ask of my name when I should ask yours?"

The spirit or god playing mind games is caught by others and dragged out of here. I peered back to watch them be dragged out, my gaze fell over to the prince still fighting, finishing at my feet around this window.

I flew shadow and dived through to place no human would ever be aware of… often passing through realities… just to circle back around and walk as if a mimic shadow. I carried him back to his room, back to bed.

The back hand feels the forehead… to hot. A cool stone place there and the back of the neck. The wound is unwrapped. The cut is given a few better handed stitching, a curing leaf, a crystal freeze over and lastly clean wrapped once more.

Tighter and soothed in antiseptic honey. I brush the finish gentle and turned into a bird… I stayed around a side not taken by anything.

I watched as his mother came in and also checked on him, gave her powers to heal him too. She spoke a wordless prayer – any prayers for him will never be whispered in any god ears. She would not know that.

"Lady queen, he will wake and heal. I promise that as a god-like thing. I have do all that I could for him, for now." I whispered in mimicking a goddess voice, "I am nameless and no one; but I believe in healing this soul. The other gods will not see or understand why his so special. Yet as mothers, we all do in every child." She cries with understanding I wasn't her god yet enthralled that I answered her. She weeps a little and I spoke again, "I promise to watch over him, I will be at his side. I am not alone to either; misunderstood we maybe but there is many that will stand by him. His very important just just to you living but to use of the dead too… We all prayer for him and his gifts."

She was fully silent and placed a few protective wards on him and prayers made with this unknown lady's voice she hear speaking to her. She burshed his cheek and see his colour of living fade back in him.

He sigh changed his breathing from unease and then to healthy. Slowly blinked thoughtlessly, looked and smiled to his mother… drifted back to sleep again. She stays here at his side, fell asleep in a seat beside. I blanket over everyone with something warm. I fluttered about a a big bird; doing this gesture a quite as possible… I took up a wall and shifted to a black scale; hide in the darkness sleeping.

"Mother?" Morning comes around quick when drifting asleep, the prince is fully aware and awake. His mother also woke up hearing him speaking.

"Good morning, How are you feeling?"

"A lot better then I expected." He must of meant that beyond the surface of what he could say to her… he felt his arm and look at his healthy working hands, "Wasn't I poisoned with a god dagger?"

"Yes and something heard my plead." She picked p the stones, "Clearly these aren't from here."

"I never seen any stone like this before." He must have really meant that, his tone change is the give away, "Were these helping me?"

"Yes. I didn't do it. I came in to wrap your dressing but… someone or something beat me to it. Said some very strange things. Yet, maybe where they came from isn't known or shared knowledge with gods."

I altered to a normal hawk and fluttered to the top of the door, my foot opening it wider.

My head peering down on the listener. They didn't see me but had moment of sighing and walking in. It happened to be the king… maybe froze about the whole weird visitor healer thing.

"Son, you're well."

"Unnaturally. But given that my wound was from the unnatural source. I have to guess a miracle or anti-divine intervention." There a prolong pause with staring at me and then back down to himself in thought.

"How is interrogation going with the failed assassin?" Sean hops around as a bird distracting everyone. I give a bit of a shake up and fluttered to the prince free shoulder… pretend resting.

"Sent from a radial god to punish practice of magic." The king slides a seat over to join the queen, "Now I think we can talk about what you mean by night walks."

"This is curse talk, is not?" Sean asked.

"Well, is it?" The king asks, "there isn't many beings to trust out among the world of the damned." The king is at loss for how and what to say.

"We should break a few windows, right?" The prince asked Sean then me. Both nod and gesture small, "There being a afterlife with many realms off it has to be a small window, right?" Sean sighed deeply in that not being small enough and I was of the thought it were pale in the other facts his finding.

"Well, we count our blessings that death isn't here to talk to us." His uncle steps around the end of the bed looking at us, "I have a feeling that you have made friends with a damned while during your night walks. Always finding yourself in depressing or fear heavy areas; right?"

"It's…" I nod with agreement, "a damned but not how we met. I have been around the 'safe' places on recommendations of high noble types. I haven't met anyone else in the family, thankfully. I was lucky to caught myself and be wary from when I started feeling the affect."

His saying the curse of being a living damned was caught on early and control self-taught. He goes through the normal standing spots damned do and mostly acted plain to hide his identity. Asa living damned, he played it out to worry if anyone would notice him or not. This sort of sigh of relief through the darker folks that knew and a frowning mother.

"Any preference?"

"Haven't a clue."

"Next then from noble shadow truth aside, come with… whom have you told and whom are these friends."

"I told Sean and her." Directed at me, "She's homeless and is quite a mute so far. In spite that I know she can speak words and shapeshift into mimicking forms. She very…." I get that strange look from everyone of mixed comments, "human about? She's not a typical damned, since it more a creature then a person. A lot like mother with her plants. Protective and human act about her."

"Does thing have a name?"

"No, Sire. I do have many names and mostly nicknames from other passers of the paths. I mean well and rather your prince alive and healthy. Unlike whomever sent a assassin with a dagger; my interest lay with the future our prince will be making." I bowed with respect, "I don't often tell other's of my ability of being part damned. It only stirs nice folks away. I only seek to help anyone wounded or misplaced. I whom is damned, try to help damned flow back the cycle. You would understand if you were a dead damned – which common one are. I stumbled in a chance meeting with your Son, thought it was to protect him away from places that eat life away."

"Glad to know you one those types; a fey or spirit. You're not here for yourself."

"No. never will I. I am here to protect as I promise." The queen stares with that comment, "I meant in a lot of things I whispered, my lady. But don't take it as a bad thing. All is good even when light isn't there as guide."

"Light in the flesh of a damned burns. I am guessing this meaning well meaning might hint that your much wiser and more complicated."

"Yes, I am a myth and written in may books. A creature mostly shuns for my truth much like the damned are too. Damned are people like you and your son. I am a creature with human sensibility and complex thinking; my true skin makes any gods shiver and slay me."

"You're the god slayer." The uncle worked out from it, "I can tell by your words and that you healed his wound. Slayer poison cure requires the liver or blood of a slayer to counter."

"That's how the gods harvest my ability… I have no interested on harming any among the living, laws are laws." I am lying about being a living too and the prince uses that to advantage.

"You would be the one that took these." Offering the cooling stones, "They should go back to where they belong." I placed them to storage for now, "See, I knew about your nature as a reptile but not that you could slay gods with a bite."

"Well… it's the claws that do the poison. My bites more a cure, in spite the many teeth." Folks got up and pace around in long thoughts.

"Nothings really going to change, I am damned in nature as well as living. Having a pet around that understands laws and will protect me; nothing bad about it."

His mother didn't mind at all, she was going to make sure I keep my word on protecting her son through anything. She does this strange rune over the air and it split in two; a side to him and a side to me. The king looks mortified of this while 'uncle' joking about the day I eat them to protect their son.

"I know not to eat loved ones. They are there to help not just you but good for the mind and soul for when times are harsh."

"See, you talk like a mother."

"I do consider those of my kind my children, in spite of their lack of humanity and misunderstanding of friend and foe. I have tried to teach them, stubborn big babies… dangerous at that. But children to me." The queen laughs with getting it.

The queen treats many with care, no matter whom or what. Plants of her inner manor garden count in her mind as misunderstood. Talks aside and I as back to mute. There was move to what to do with this assassin downstairs, I sensed that the end's mask has gone down to peer.

"You better ensure it doesn't leave a mark on the guest." The prince asked and I bow nod. Fluttered into shadow, came back through mimicking a typical servant around these parts. Change faces to not be asked questions. Put myself on shared watch duty, but I kept an eye on the gloom that tilted about me. I do this hidden magic trick with a feather of a hawk.

The gloom tilt, I gave a eye change and it understood. Goes back to playing with the prisoner. Mostly pick pocketing while it's still out of it. Took a beating order from the king or uncle. Does some magic soul poking and just finishes. Leaving them enacted for now; soul back in and just fine. Mask comes sneaking over and grabbed me thorough shadow.

In the damned corridor, I altered to a cat… peering in question with what the end was going to get from that. I am hugged and held caringly. Brought around to where they were waiting for the prince to change clothes. I played about with knowing the arms around me are the same wrapped ones getting changes. My tail sinking the shadows skin to wipe clean the rest this would. Leaving the bandage hung loosely.

"Twi, would you leave my arm alone?" spoken from the screening and glared by his mask. I gesture that he should take a look. Both side messing around with that arm. He fixed the bandage back to no scare anything with how the wound didn't leave a mark. Steps around all changed, that side being the one carrying me all of the sudden, his mask hidden on him, "I know that's an old name you once used." I nod, "May I use it?" I nod again, "Then there was have it, a suiting name."

"The shroud over humanity, twilight. Quite never but did story." I mutter and he raised a brow to me, "I do hope death doesn't think of my old past. You understand, don't you?"

He sighs with following the king and his uncle; those two at try to ruin a plot going to happen. They peered about them as they are thinking of clues on whom to reach out for help; putting a list of beings together that are allies. A really collective of people that exist.

"What's of any news?" Spoken in damned, "Anyone has any clues to whom took the title of end?"

"This End is as allusive as it appeared when it also disappeared." A servant shadow bows in whispers and peered at the prince the listened to them. They tilt.

"Anything else?" The prince asked in damned, "No wars between unsuspecting realms?"

"other then the Greek Brothers at each other, the blind sight of Erebus and this mysterious End gone from any existing known realms… there isn't much different." The prince was satisfied with that.

"What of the Creepers?" I asked in damned.

"The town of creepers are having a re-election of the next to that mayor and I don't know about these bridge ways."

"Well, it that you don't that is good." I snickered with a purr.

"You would know where the End is?" I am asked by the king.

"I have a clue or three but it means upsetting some very delicate people… well… reptiles. Worse would to have them upsetting the dragon hells. We don't want that, quite a deadly place to be asking stupid questions." I get strange looks, "Dragons are among the more wise in the animal belief – forefathers types to bird and reptiles alike."

"Right, it be like asking a clueless god about something they don't understand either." The uncle piped in, "Best that we don't make it wide knowledge that we enquired. We don't know them or understand if they are clueless too."

There walks finish to taking seats around a table together, having breakfast. I am sat to a seat at random and told I was free to go ponder off. I left to go meat hunting; as my hunger for soulless flesh is back, like addication for it. I have plenty of places beyond to go yet those are to far for me with being linked to protect the end. I take my fill in the dream lands and returned as a cat.

Sat at a window looking out to the town; senses floating around the place again. The breakfast in the kitchens – servants all eating meals too. Nothing is off about anything, not a sip of poisons other. There isn't anything with the royals table wrong. I don't let myself be crowding over everything here; they don't need me to. I ease with staring out the window, watching the living run around.

"Cat, What is this?" I am shown a cloth of damned and I study the one asking… not the end. Not anyone I knew, "Come on, you must be a super sniffing type. You would direct me to whom this belonged to right?" I peered deeply through them and they backed away in a freaked out fashion, "Your not a cat… not a cat. Backing away." My tail of shadow whipped them back forwards and tied them to the floor underneath the window sill. I purr in waiting, holding them.

"Twi! Let the god go." I flat eared and let them off, "Looks like she didn't trust you, Loki."

"You control this not cat then?" getting up and brushing off.

"She's her own. Insulting someone that could kill you. You must be temping fate." Shows the damned cloth, "What about it?"

"Is it anyone's here?" I tilted towards and I took it for smell, a extra hand being used from the shadows. I knew whom and didn't know if I should be accusing anyone.

"You're Fathers or your uncle… maybe. Not yours. Maybe from that side of the family." I spoke in damned and hand it over to the prince. He felt the cloth and sighed.

"She said it wasn't anyone's here. She isn't sure or familiar with them. I don't know either."

"Ok, then what is that cloth made from?"

"You really don't want to know." Both of us spoke Norse and exact words. Loki looked at the material and frowned deeply, asked for it back but folded and pocket slide.

"You should have provided a award or something when you do demanding random things around here. Normal people don't mind do bidding for a any god, even for you. Yet you find royals or their friends to be a little more aware."

"I could hear you walking here." I said and that backed Loki away from me again.

"It just furthers the point." Loki left confused and cloth no longer to hand. Not tricks of slight of hand to steal it back would fool anyone here. I am given a strange look again and I don't get it. Did I do wrong, "Come along, Twilight. We have folks to poke."

I hop down from the window and walk next to him. My eyes looked at how both the mask and human side was acting, humanly normal for now.