C 21 / 12 part 2 - In good hands.

"I was under orders… It was do it or die. First royal spotted, had to meant something to the king. A warning for walking lands a human shouldn't." We have a chair brought down by one the damned servants for the young prince to perch on. I counted across my claws in calculations of the ratio of where the smells came from. I had concluded that it was due to 5ml of blood and  around 459ml of sweat and urine.

Not exactly what I thought a human could do to freak a demon out. Yet I guess there is damned illusions too… things I ignored seeing.

"The contractor paid in death coins and never gave any name or reason." It makes me wonder if the demon adapted so real to this realm due to having a heart attack. Like how damned can die of crying to much, the same sort of process.

"Poor business." I commented, "What assassin hunter doesn't record whom wants whom dead? I say, even with living folks involved that a big deal and had to be a big pay then that. Unless you a cheap, then you're a slim."

"I really should get you to make them talk." The young boy prince hummed very quietly, "Court hunter before?"

"Yeah. Around a timeline after twilight… or three. I just know the inner circles a lot better then this fella." I spoke in whispers to young Lords ear and he laughed about it. His uncle huffed in defeat of getting information from the demon he wanted. He backed away to circle this hunt around again in slow hard stomps. He stops around with looking to his nephew watching us both, peered darkly towards me a moment and offered that we join in too. The prince turned down the offer, staring at the demon. His uncle frowned with a shrug and continue circling about.

"If there was a sensitive part of the body, which part would you say that makes a demon talk?"

"Other then the core and without killing." I hummed, "a spin bone lower back area. Its confusing then ticklish then painful. Unless you want them to look you in the eyes, a lower ear drum. They have two sets of ear canals."

"You an expert on how to carve up demons?" his uncle asked me.

"I use to, it were a very long time ago. The devil back then was just a clueless fledging. I had an interesting conversation about the morals when they are peeled into their little nuts and bolts. He was very against the idea of making a prison for sinners back then."

"How old are you?"

"Does a number matter when I watched humanity from ape to contrite jungle?" that made the uncle frown a lot more, "Never mind, that was a outside isle term. From fish to rat then." He more confused, "I should shut up, right?"

"I find it cool that you been around with dinosaurs."

"They were the unpleasant types, always complaining about their stomach issues and where the fresh water is. I told that one to avoid to ocean. To not be ate by the whale but never listened and had the entire flock ate by it." I sigh, "Sharks and gators are still snappy as they were back then."

Ignored for a while these a change of tactic to get him to speak and it doesn't work.

"Hey twi, would you give him a gentle nightmare poke?"

"Really?" I mope, "I don't like that…" I offered a coin, "Fine, for a coin." I take it and jumped through the cage and shifted into a snake and coiled the ever daylights out of them, my tail slapped them awake a moment and I gurgled low demon pitching. They are scrambling in the pull of chain to try to not be in my sight. I smiled and peered gurgled with echo.

"The brothers! The devil's gambling pot." The demon snapped and I go to hiss with three rows on show and his out cold. I huffed and and altered to a corn… climbed the cage squaring to stare at the freak. My tail lingered and whipped them awake. They flipped about freaked and stated the same again.

"Someone's clearly running a assassin ring in hell, not at all surprising. Clearly folk whom know how to avoid gods and low paying." Prince chipped in and his uncle is stepped out with freaking over me, "Ever met a god slayer that spoke?"

"Your either mad or incredible gifted for something like that to be protective of you." Tries to stand up and just had to be helped by a damned the chair. The chair the prince stood and offered his hand to me. I climb around and looked to babbling demon begging. He waved the demon back to hell with shadow and walked back up out the dungeon's cellar. Blinked a few times with looking at those greeting us at the top; a wide range of gods and followers looking between each other.

"They trying to get you into a faith?" I asked and he nods in agreement, "Why not be to… well you know."

"They will figure it out eventually that I am already." He steps around ignoring them for now, "The universe will understand when I take things more seriously. This is it just the calm before the storm. Nothing loops around in circles." We muttered in the abnormal language that has anyone peering oddly in the use of it, "I could pretend to be a servant to you, as technically you're a deity by ageless and  speaking manner."

"It funny as I prayer to nothingness." He laughed with see we just prayed to each other really. He goes catching a dagger thrown beside him, with the not anymore injured side. He breathed in and shivered with his arm pretending it ached… maybe it does. I am offered the knife and I bite through it. Then swallowed it in two bites. No fingers. The thrower stepped forward sneered about how he just watched a dagger be ate by a abnormal corn snake on the shoulders of a young man.

"You got any silver with that?" I asked with a tongue flickered towards them, "Or an apology to the prince?"

"What?"

This particular person was dragged backwards and given a harsh conversation about throwing knives in the presences of royal Glader. I gave to prolong study of the expression dropping and their bow.

"It's fine. I don't need a an apology. It not like it was poisoned."

"Well, it was."

"With slayer venmon." The prince continues, "If anyone was totally serious about trying to kill me, you would have to try much harder." They all pale, "What's everyone around here for?"

"Prince, your well." A bird follower and a strange enough to peel me off him and play around with my snake shape, "I like the snake pet that talks."

"Try slayer and not drop her."

"Slayer…" he looked at me and I have my legs shifted to climb from out his hands and coiled around the neck and back to snake. In a silver colouring, "A afterlife reptile known for their uses for murder or harvest for poisons to kill even gods." This black feathered man smells of human, plains of the dreamlands, afterlife crossing, a long of mixes of contact with relating gods and bird. Very bird, dusty and huff fluffed. Clean bird at that.

"In spite my race and of all their murdering ways; they weren't around long enough to understand. They are nothing more then children learning boundaries and lack the human thinking. I am unique for my humanity and my loving care towards humans like you or the young prince. I have been around for a very" I gave pause to rethink how to say things, "unmeasurable long length of time. I love humanity of their orders, norms and quirks. You lot are just the right mix bag needed to keeping this realm ticking."

"You talk very strangely for a Slayer that thinks like a human. Don't you still eat meat?"

"I have a very strict diet, I don't ate anything that moves. It's often makes me to guilty for eating a child." There is more to it then that and I wasn't really sharing, "I hunt away from the living too, as no place in this realm would I find anything native to eat here. Unless already cooked by humans; that makes a alright substile for the time being. I not around to kill it."

"Anti-murder?"

"I guess you can put it that way." I hummed, "Not many things hurt me so why would I hurt them?"

"How come?"

"Slayer's aren't just harvested for their poisons and antidote counters. The very bones, skull and skins of one are precious god armour materials. The scales are used for many omen traditions, dark magic crafts and the occasional nut case from hell." I have a arm take one and place it to his hand that he had offered out, "You can have one mine, you're a good fella and kind of heart. You're deity is also a lovely man too. We go hunting in the early days together, good times then." Purring to the memories and looked at the scale and glared at it a while, "He wears his on a necklace, you mistake it for stone. I bet that's what has you all confused."

"You gave me something more worth then gold." Ah, apperaction, "Are you wanting nothing in return?"

"No. I need nothing and want nothing. I will stay among folks of magic to kept my promise, that is all."

There a muttering passive conversation around with Sean and the prince; there being comments over what they watched and their confused expressions. I slide off from this follower and to the floor, altered into a hawk… fluttered up to the new area I haven't paid any attention whatsoever.

A sort of meeting room and it is full of visitors; the prince sits away from everyone hidden in the shadows watching over all of them. Sean's with hidden as a liquid silver over the princes mask and skin. I can hear them separately, even when they are together. Mixed of people and minor titled holy men.

I fluttered to a new separate area, landing to one side of a vase and stepping out a lady. I was veiled completely over and thickly glamoured with pretend gemstones and thick leathery cloth. I aged myself to be around the human age of deceptive 40; looking 20. Pretty, sure but I am to well covered to be given any sense of beauty of shape. The only trait that makes me different is that I hold a mask of no face to see through; it character the 'god' I follow. My shadow acted as part of my clothes, netting through the floor – attached like threads.

None took any notice of my stepping through to overhear conversation; the one whom does gave me the approval nod. Shifted to play my counterpart mock, I am more the mock then he is. We seemed sepreate for our walk to together was a long more independent glances over the others.

"Attention!" We came to stand side to side and looked onwards to the call out, "The banquets of the festival happens once every 20 years; this one is for the Princes first public appearance." there is so much pressure on this feast, "You all will be at hand to help decorate the halls to the satisfactions of the deities. I hear that the prince follows no faith as of yet; as the rumour goes. This will maybe how to change the future thoughts." The crowd is became wary of those standing around; folks had even looked at myself and the prince playing pretend with frowned strange expressions. The turn of everyone went to the Follower of true death; he came around silent and stepped to the other side of the prince.

"You're both not death." We agree, "Two similar gods?" Disagree and I gestured one, "How come there is two followers?"

"There isn't, actually there would no need for be a follower. We here as face for this mysterious type yet were not their voice or anything at all."

"You're vague, creepy, and quite types. Are you sure that your not damned or something?" I play snicker and I see the prince moved away, "Clearly not a true title."

"Ah, but your wrong there. It is a true top title, yet what it is to the universe is nothing. Nothingness. A god like that would be faceless, creepy, and almost like death yet… unknown. Nothingness as a personification; a unknown stranger with the least expected name. Feared for being mysterious and unpredictable, apparently." I play another snicker, "You're a honest follower to death, I call. I am no mind reader but your sure have a loud heart." I step away, leaving the Death's follower to shiver a moment and question everything he just hear.

I see that the prince had to add or say something with walking by; muttering to them. Left the follower to turn to nothing behind. I tilt, with watching and danced around the moving. I came to be helpful in setting up around; helping everyone around me. During a moment I am pat to ther shoulder with a wisdom deity's follower.

"Why are you helping everyone?"

"Ever heard the phrase; 'nothing ever seems to change', sure it is vague and at a glance everything looks the same. I have a sense that maybe it not a true fortune of what could happen. I sense a lot of change that might happen; and just maybe that change was always going to happen."

"Nothing ever seems to change." They laugh with agreement, "When someone seems from nothing; they always know everything needed."

"I guess so. I didn't think of it that way." I hummed with that thought and continue helping around. Dressing and setting the flower displays. I place flower that weren't in season but of the gods not mentioned to be around. I sneak the few tributes to gods forgotten and past time. I came to be laying a holy branch over the back of each chair for protection; to be stopped by someone doing this exact thing, "Omen follower, your thinking is like mine today." I snickered, "What gave you the impression to warding the place, do tell? I am just curious."

"Lizard?"

"I would be doing anything like that here, this is the land of the living. You have unspoken laws about that sort of stuff." I whispered, "In any case, I don't blame you. The collective mix of many sided deities nd their followers… not all hearts are speaking the same language, you know? Yet its why like I said, I am glad were on the same page."

"Lords, how are you doing this?"

"I don't think you want to know." I muttered and helped with the last few together, "Today seems like history never changes." That is an odd stare from him and settled with putting a little extra around for sure. I did step back to the end of the feast hall for a final look around; I see that the collective of spirits of the other realms give their approval to everything.

There be the extras making a proud visit, smiled to seeing that I remembered them. They knew it were me and that I respected them on a traditional day of celebration. They all gave blessing towards all other deities – making folks have divine moment of awe.

The cooks now do their part with filling the empty spaces of food offerings or sacred passed down recipes. I play a sneaky taste on all the new stuff or new take of a classic. I showed no change in hovering spot to spot, being that of nothingness among things. Someone unfocused had walked through me, for that I snickered.

"Twilight." I looked on with folks officially taking seats and I had been offered a spot among the royals, close allies only often. I bow in greeting all folks on my way and sit lightly purring bellow the pitch of a hum, "There you are. You're quite a great help to everyone here, how did you learn of everyone private practice?" The king's adviser maybe or a god in hiding, "Did they teach you?"

"No, I have met the gods myself before. I have been around the realms a long while. Age to you humans is very different to me. You live age and die in this lovely vibrant land, move on in peace to the next realm to start that again. I don't really fit in that system, I live. I somewhat age according to the realms laws and die like you… yet. When I come to start again, I remember what had happened before. In thought, it like being immortal with all the pain and suffering of mortality. I knew when this land was lava and rock floating in it. I knew those whom lived and died here; personally and now forgotten by current time events. Nothing seems to change overall, centuries will pass and things will think alike." A playful snicker before add on, "I love that about you lot, you all are considerate for those around you. Not a animal for kill on sight. I learned that from watch all of you in all that time passing, grown to love humanity for it." I sigh, "I have ranted a bit to long and a bit to complicated. Nothing was ever so simple."

"Wow, so… you a damned?"

"Partly, but not in ways you think. Not like the typical mutes among the paths." I snicker, "Nor am I damned to hell. I can be to scary for that. The last few visits I gave something a heart attack."

"I remember that for when that is important."

"I am not a pawn in anyone plans, child. If you all started that, you only make my words more real. That history never changes… and that can be pure torture to the unexpected." The strange brow lift about my comment and I fold in waiting.

I stood like everyone else for the arrival of the royals. Took a seat like the rest. I knew from smell that someone already gone around with poisons… I am glad I ate before they did that. 

There goes a speech out to prayer for all gods in celebration; a toast of drinks and the lower folks dropping like flies frist. The smarter set go helping them or looking to their gods for other answers. A death threat is made over by the trickster types and the worse war folks picked up arms and pointed blame on all. The king stood and shouted to all; silence falls.

"No one eat or drink anything until we can figure out what has happened." The queen has her nose bleed and shivered… she is next to go. Someone walking by tried to prick me and everyone passing; I licked it in reaction. It held no affect, the prince was protect by Sean from his prick. Sean's not human, but a silver blade with a soul – no poison for a humans going to work there. The king is still stood, looking at the room of people dropping one at a time.

"So how many would today in this room be?" I asked across to the prince by shouting his direction.

"same amount as before." He stated, "Your right with that history never changes, even between variations." This moment of where his father looked at us both speaking openly without surprise, "I do think it were planned by my father this time… yet we figure that out when death arrives."

"Good old fashion grim repear of honesty, old bones he may seem. You be interested to know although death may seem like one person with a title, its actually a bit like how the title remembers us but the host isn't aware. Its why he can seem honestly clueless between times." That prolonged a strange look from the prince, "Their realm is about age backwards, so it be no wonder deaths always never the same person each time."

"Oh, that is interesting. I didn't know that."

"Another one those things that you would never know unless humanity isn't around to keep the order of laws."

"Why are you two still alive?" the king sounds disappointed and looks mad, "How are you both alive?"

"That's not human and I have to much on my mind not to eat or drink anything."

"129?" I asked Sean.

"I say around there for me. Whom knows with… you know."

"I gathered." I sigh and stood with death arriving, "Hey, new face. I was right, you find names of followers in the… whatever sections."

"94 of the followers sections. The how range really this time." The prince voiced knowingly, "I was going to write but I haven't the heart to at the moment. In a grief sense…"

"right, and you would be the end." Death gets on with his work, "I do how the seamstress isn't to mad with your meddling."

"Why would she? I am here, and that a scare thing too." I altered to the full reptile and coiled around folks  many arms to fold folks. Close eyes, and place them a coin each. I weren't the only one, damned and even the end mask… they are at words of what is happening and what they need to do to move on. The mask insured death missed no one. Not even queen. His uncle and father are as alive as the prince and myself.

"Only four folks living in this manor… all the rest." Death leaves unfinished with speaking. Suiting for these folks all with damned masks and unfinished with life. I coiled to the middle of the room where is it a empty space, play dead for the uncle to walk in physically. He steps around my back around to my head and tries lifting my jaws, I soon growled and grasped around.

"Ho…" He looked about his ways to get out of my grasp and I stare right on him, "Let me go."

"Yes, do let him go." I looked to the king with one eye acting independent, "He has nothing…" I looked to the prince whom stood back blankly unsure and both eyes on this uncle.

"Say little living damned, you're a descendant to something I used to hunt among the animals here… many many lifetimes and timelines ago. Hollow we call them. Them whom seemed damned among the living. You're bloodline is cursed to it…. Because without it, there wouldn't be a lot of things now." I  nose him, "Now you all more human then hollow, managed to not eat souls and get by like any damned does. I for one am not the soul eating type… which what made hollows so good. That were soulless creatations of time anyways." I purr, "Yes… you have souls now, not my appitate." I bunk the head back through a damned door to a place of nightmares and back to see his expression, "Mmm… yes, they exist there now. A place no living can exist, the fact you can be there and look at them. You're one them, in a distant way." I dropped him all in a mess on the floor, "Yes, that comfirmed why I seems so highly sensitive of you folks, you royal types of dark edge." I stomp my way around  to the prince, "Is it time to go or are you staying around? I want to stick around with you; I made a promise with you and now your mother. I wish I were able to have my own children but I once had and I know… I know I want tp protect them. I nly able know to protect those wil souls now."

"For humanity to not exist at all, it must be terrifying enough for my mask to fear your words."

"I love humanity and the order it brings; it be like the bones of the body. Sure things without bones can still function and live and continue… but all the realms becom monsters and mixed things. You then get the very wrong… wars between the one sith souls and the monsters that ate souls. I a terrifiying war. Yes, humanity existing knowing gods like friends and realms like doors… but they all crumbled in fear of the soulless."

"You are one scary vetreain." I am pet, "I see why you around. We that egde timeline between to collapsed threads." I nod, "I understand. We lucky to exist." I nod well again. We faded from the land of the living… all end parts together.

Human, mask, blade and pet. Made home a realm over from the living… watched and played around ith the living and the minds of gods. Played up the fears and shattered the fears. Prevented and started key wars. At the end of the all books, our collective name was what was left of us; and we collectively died as one. Not alone. A fear prevented and tied over neatly for now.

It be when in contact of a new timeline would we be alive to restart the books again.

To carry out time through to forfill fixing it again.

As we maybe the end…

But

The end of nothing is just a beginning to something.