Chapter One

         A beacon of brilliant light broke through the humid air, casting shadows from towering trees and mushrooms. Like a crack of lightning, it was gone as soon as it appeared. Nearby trees swayed in complaint and their leaves rustled aggressively. There was a resounding rumble across the landscape, and dust from the impact rose into the air along with hundreds of birds frightened by the sudden event. As the dust settled, a yellow light illuminated the darkness from within.

         The glowing countenance of a man rose from the crater, walking steadily as if he hadn't just fallen onto the earth. Long blonde hair flowed from beneath a silver helmet that resembled that of a Spartan helm. His powerful chest was covered with a silver colored metal unknown to humankind at the time, and glistened from the moon's glow and his skin's unearthly luminescence. A sheath holding a magnificent sword bumped against his leg at every step.

         His glow wasn't the only inhuman characteristic about this stranger from the stars. He towered at 10 feet, and sported immortal sized muscles. The most interesting peculiarity, however, was the immense pair of feathered wings that sprouted from his back. They gently swayed with the wind, and clinked from the many daggers that stuck out from their ends. With a wingspan of 20 feet, they were powerful appendages, and dangerous with correct usage.

         He stopped to survey his surroundings, his glowing yellow eyes pierced the shadows of the forest, and raked across any poor creature that happened to be there.

         Another pair of eyes met his, yellow and menacing. He didn't show any sign of worry or fear, he only maintained eye contact with the beast within the bushes.

         The creature growled and stepped out of the shadows, revealing a scaly snout with jagged, flesh ripping teeth hanging inside the mouth. A few tufts of feathers spouted from the head. It's body followed on two hind legs with its short arms held out. 

         It stalked low to the ground, maintaining eye contact with the yellow figure. The man kept calm through the few seconds in which this took place. Harsh light began to emanate from his palms, but the beast didn't care, it didn't know how to.

         He knew this type of creature was called a Behemoth by the locals, specifically a Ftero. They're vicious creatures, hunting the weak and young from villages. They usually moved in packs, but this particular one happened to be alone: unfortunately for it.

        A crackling growl rose from its throat as it zeroed in on its target. The man had always been interested in these creatures: their form, nature, and strategic mindset. He loved it, and was even inspired by these perfect beasts of death.   

          It's a shame he had to kill it.

          The Ftero suddenly launched at him with its jaw opened wide, as if threatened by his thoughts.

          He acted quickly. He lifted his palms up to the bloodthirsty creature and their light grew stronger. Suddenly, an invisible concussion blast shot from his palms and smacked the Ftero with such force it crushed every bone within its body. The creature flew into the trees without a sound, dead.

          He straightened and nodded in satisfaction. Though he loved the creature's strength, he hated how horribly primitive it was.

         With that he lifted his mighty wings into the air and swooshed downward rapidly, sending him flying into the air. Dust billowed after him as he sailed above the treeline. From here, he did another search, and found what he was looking for.

          A grin mixed with satisfaction, mischief, and determination spread across his face.

          "So it begins." Michael whispered to himself and shot towards a bundle of lights on the distant horizon.

Pandora

         Pandora let out a yipe as she stumbled into the dark, muddy street with a splat. She looked up with puppy dog eyes at the bartender standing at the door to the tavern.

        "This is the last time you'll be stealing from me, you little whore!" He growled before slamming the door behind him, cutting Pandora off from the light. Her innocent expression fell into a disappointed scowl.

         "I didn't steal nothin'," she whispered to herself, "You son of Cain." 

         She stood up on shaky legs and did her best to get the mud out of her rags, with little success. She groaned and trudged down the dark and empty street, only illuminated by lanterns set every few yards apart. There was no movement from the other buildings, the only signs of life being dull lights emanating from the windows. 

         She hugged herself close and shivered, but not because she was cold. The atmosphere was so dense and humid it was impossible for the temperature to drop below "uncomfortably warm", even in the late evening.

         She was actually shivering from the anticipation of going to Vilgal empty handed. Her job as his "pet" was to get him silver daily, by any means possible, and that included stealing, drug running, or worse. She shuddered at the things she has done in order to satisfy her master, it felt wrong and perverse. But she had no say in the matter, Vilgal talked directly to the great Abadoni, the god of prosperity. His word always came before hers. 

         She checked her pouch where she held her pickings, and found a measly 2 pieces of silver. Vilgal was going to beat her, or in a worst case scenario, let his cultist thugs use her in any way they please. She shuddered again, still scarred from the last time those brutes ripped the rags from her broken body.

         Her mind was so lost in thought that she tripped and fell face-first into the mud, clogging her beautiful red hair with dirt. She growled in anger but lost the will to try and get up again. Instead she laid herself onto her back in the mud and stared into the pitch black sky. She knew she looked like a complete idiot, but she needed this time to smooth her worries. A distant memory of her mother stayed with her through the years, and has always been her way of dealing with the events of her life.

       Her mother was an amazing singer, a voice that was boasted by her father to be like the voice of angels. Every night, she sang to little Pandora to calm her down after a long day and get her to sleep. The verses have been locked in her mind, becoming a way to keep her mentally stable. She closed her eyes and hummed it to herself, bringing a small grin to her muddy face.

         But she knew she needed to get back to Vilgal to report, what else could she do? He has been like a father (a murdering cult leader of a father) since he killed her parents. But he's always taken care of her, and is the only reason she is alive. She has a constant fear of him, but she knows she will risk her life to save his own in a heartbeat.

         Pandora understood that it was unhealthy. After all, who would be devoted to a man who supported her after being the one who crippled her in the first place? Fear and love both played a part, but she was beginning to wonder which part played the biggest role.

         After wallowing in the mud mixed with her self pity for about 10 minutes, she decided to stand and face the music. Another scar will just have to do. Pandora always made it out alive, no matter how badly she was beaten. "You are more useless to me dead" he would always say. Didn't exactly take the pain away.

         As she went on imagining all the ways Vilgal will exact his revenge, a bright light sailed across the sky above her head with a crack. She gasped and fell upon her knees, in the mud once again. Her eyes shot up and looked around the sky, searching for the origin of the event. But there was nothing except inky black and white pinpoints of stars. 

         She felt as if her heart would burst from her chest, and stood up again in shock. 

         "The gods must be upset…" She whispered, lost on any other possible explanation for the phenomenon. She knew what the gods were capable of, seeing Abadoni with her own eyes. Perhaps it was their anger at her disobedience, which wasn't all too good to think of either.

         Even more shaken than before, she decided to find a place to hide out until morning. She looked around and found a suitable area between two buildings, occupied by a cart. She slid past the cart and rested against a wall, letting herself slide down it until she made contact with the ground. It was drier here, and much more comfortable. She let her eyes close and she drifted into a fitful sleep, the rhythm of her mother's voice echoing in her mind.

Shem

         Woosh

         Thonk

         "Yeoow! Hey!"

         Japheth gave a bark of laughter and fell to the ground in tears. His long hair covered his face as he clapped the rocky road in glee.

         "Reeeally mature there Jav" Ham said, rubbing his head with a painful groan, "but you forgot something."

         Japheth sat up and rubbed the tears from his red cheeks, still holding onto a big smile, "And what would that be, little brother?"

          He fell with a thump onto his back as a rock ricocheted off of his head too. He laid back dazed with a confused scowl on his face. Ham roared with laughter and slapped his legs, "You're big head is hard to miss!"

         Shem was watching from the sidelines, a big grin on his face. He loved his brothers, and especially loved it when they got playful. Poor Ham was small, and was always picked on by the bigger and older Japheth, though he always found a way to get back at him. These little skirmishes were never violent, their father raised them too well to get violent. The brothers maintained respect under God, and stayed cool headed, for the most part.

          "Why you little twerp!" Japheth growled playfully, "You're gonna get an earful of gravel for saying that!" He leapt to his feet and jumped after Ham, who, with a yipe of surprise, hurried to evade him. They chased each other in circles around Shem, who laughed all the while. 

         Ham broke off and hid behind a tree off trail, and as Japheth followed, he changed his location to confuse him. Japheth growled and huffed as he kept leaping from one side of the tree to the other, before finally choosing a direction and reaching for the runt. 

          Ham laughed with fear and sprinted back to Shem and grabbed his shoulders to use him as a human shield, "Save me Shem!" He yelled with a laugh to his voice.

          Shem chuckled and stood tall against his rampaging older brother, who was leaning on his knees to catch a breath. 

         "Y… yeah! You... better hide! You coward…" Japheth said between ragged breaths. He finally stood up and ran his hands through his long, brown hair, "Phew, that killed me." He laughed out.

         "You've been working all day Jav," Shem chuckled, "Of course you're tired. Now let's get going."

         Japheth and Ham nodded in agreement and the three of them continued heading down the trail. The sun was high, their break from work. Every day, they went to town and ate at the tavern to rejuvenate their energy before returning home. Though it was a welcome break, it was their least favorite thing to do. The town was evil and dark, like the rest of the world. It also meant people, something all three didn't like at all. 

         At the age of 98, Shem was the middle child, but usually the deciding voice in everything the brothers did. He was the peaceful one, always willing to work problems out with kindness, but will not hesitate to fight for what he sees fit. 

          Japheth was 10 years older, and the eldest of the trio, standing at 7 foot. He was hot-headed and aggressive, the one who would fight off a whole army in order to protect those he loves. He was devilishly handsome and powerful, with which he used to make the other boys his age jealous. His long hair was braided, giving off a rugged look.

         Ham was the youngest by 30 years, standing at only 6' 6", and always hyped up for an adventure. He was skinny and small, and spoke so much you'd be willing to toss him into a Behemoth cage to shut him up. But he was always loving, and always cracking jokes when the atmosphere was bleak.

         The men joked and laughed all the way down to the town of Jallova, about 5 miles from the brothers' place. It, along with the rest of the world, was filled with corruption and murder, for the people have all thrown God from their lives, and turned to false gods of bronze and gold. The streets smelled of alcohol, sidewalks choked with prostitutes, and dead bodies lying within dark corners. It was always dangerous, but the men had faith in their Lord, so they risked their lives for a good eating. 

         Prostitutes dressed in an alluring lack of rags leaned against buildings, tempting any man who passed to spend a few pieces of silver on a good time, not that the brothers worried. Most of them have already tried on all three men, unsuccessful every time. They eventually accepted defeat and ignored them for the most part.

         But some prostitutes held on to a shred of hope every time they came through town, "Hey boys," a woman catcalled from the corner of a tavern. She pulled down her rags to show more skin, "Wanna give this little woman a chance?" She winked and hiccuped, obviously being heavily sedated with something.

         The brothers kept their brisk headway through town, not even remotely acknowledging her presence, resulting in a disappointed growl from the woman, who crossed her arms and huffed.

         This happened a few more times, each with the same result, before reaching a clear street devoid of temptresses. 

          "Music to my ears." Japheth grumbled when the shrills from the prostitutes faded into nothing. But the noise of sirens were only replaced by a louder sound of a bustling town. This was the inner part of town, with dirty merchants ripping customers off and tax collectors beating up yet another debt holder. The streets were clogged with wagons drawn by behemoths of burden, all carrying goods meant to be sold. Due to this, the streets were never in any good shape, rugged and muddy and full of puddles. 

         The brothers had no problem dealing with this either, being taller than most in their area, they could simply push themselves through. If others were wise, they would quickly get out of the way, especially if Japheth was in the lead.

        As they made headway through town, a sound stood out from the groaning and chirping of the behemoths. Shem picked it up and listened closer. It was of a woman screaming for help, not uncommon in a sinful town, but nothing Shem liked to hear either.

         The others noticed it too, but they were hesitant of searching, made clear when Japheth motioned for Shem to continue walking.

         "We can't do anything about it Shem," He whispered into his brother's ear, "We can't save everybody."

         But Shem ignored him, "Go on without me, I'll catch up with you." With that he dove into the crowd towards the cry of help. The brothers groaned and hurried after him.

         Shem followed the sound and found his way to a dark alley blocked by a hay cart. The screaming was definitely coming from here. He leapt onto the cart, tailed by his brothers, and fell into the alley on the other side

         Two burly men were pushing a redheaded woman against the wall, laughing at her feeble attempts to escape. They both wore hoods that masqued their features. One of them had the woman by the neck, while the other was sliding his hands down her body slowly.

        Shem's anger rose as he speed walked towards the men, followed closely by Ham and Jav. 

         "Let her go!" Shem roared as he approached, gaining the attention of the men. They turned to look with confused and angry faces at the approaching men. Now Shem could make out their faces. Both were bald, and had a large amount of tattoos that spanned over their heads and faces. 

         "Oh yeah?" Said one with a gold filled grin, "and what are you gonna…" He was interrupted when Shem threw a fist at him, sending him back and into his accomplice. He let go of the woman to grasp his jaw, and she hurried past the brothers and out of the alley.

          The man Shem punched stared at him with angry eyes, "You're gonna regret that, boy!" He growled, and stood up straight. His buddy came alongside, and they readied into fighting stances.

          They were quickly overrun when Japheth came roaring from behind Shem and slammed into them with his shoulder, sending them both into the dirt. He brought his foot up and crashed down onto them both, knocking the breath from their chests. His kicking didn't cease, and it turned into a massacre as he relentlessly beat them into the dirt.

        Shem had to drag Japheth away from the bruised and beaten men in order to keep him from killing them. He was huffing from his efforts and cracked his knuckles with satisfaction. 

        The men were still groaning on the floor, making no move to fight back, so the brothers left them. They jumped into the crowd and were lost from sight. 

         They stopped to look at each other, all with big grins on their faces. Sure, they could get violent, but they justified it if it was protecting someone else. 

         They're fight had worked up an appetite, and they headed for their favorite tavern at the center of town. They pushed themselves through the door and were greeted by glares from those already seated. They all took their seats at the counter and ordered a meal for each of them. The bartender glared at them but took their order. 

        They sat and chatted for a while while they ate, making most of the break given to them. But it was cut shortly off.

         "Well well well, if it ain't the town loonies!" Jeered a voice from behind them. 

          The three of them exchanged dirty looks and turned in unison. Four men were laughing mockingly, slapping each other on the backs. One in particular stood out, and had his arms crossed authoritatively. He had several missing teeth and an eye patch. His long beard was always dirty, and full of crumbs.

          The brothers turned back around and kept eating, making it clear that they weren't going to take the bait. 

          "Don't be rude boys, we just want to hear some more of your stories!" The man jeered, "Water falling from the sky, some god wanting to destroy us all…" He was air quoting with each one he listed, rolling his eyes. 

         "You're old man is a looney! Your whole family is! I mean, who in Cain's name builds a boat on land?" He cackled at this, followed by his cronies. 

          This was a normal incident, being picked on by the locals. It was just the side effect of being the sons of Noah, the town madman. Everybody knew of the religious nuts in the wilderness who were building an "Ark" for the impending flood. Floods were non-existent, and water had never fallen from the sky before. It was a ridiculous thought. 

         The brothers were good at keeping themselves under control, but Japheth was already riled up from the fight earlier, and was losing his patience. He squeezed his hands together in irritation. Shem noticed his brother's emotional state and tried to motion for him to calm down. 

          "Aw, are you getting upset ya little baby?" He prodded again, "You need your little brothers to keep you under control?" He walked forward and shoved Japheth roughly.

         Bad move. 

         Japheth's face grew bright red and he stood up from his seat. The haggler watched with a grin as Jav faced him. He towered over Eye Patch, who in return shrunk into himself.

           Suddenly, a surprise to everyone in the tavern, Japheth belted out laughter. Shem and Ham glanced at each other in confused worry while Eye Patch gave an uneasy grin and laughed with him. Soon, the rest of the hagglers were laughing in unison, though they had no clue what was so funny.

           Japheth rubbed the tears from his eyes and smiled down at Eye Patch, "You're a funny little man." He said smugly. 

            Eye Patch's laugh was cut off abruptly as Jav's fist met his jaw with a crack. His buddies' giggles cut to silence as their ring leader fell to the floor with a thud, out cold. 

            Japheth rubbed his fist and glanced at the others, "Who's next?" He growled. Their teasing mood instantly left them, and they shuffled out of the tavern quietly, dragging their unconscious friend with them.

          Nobody makes a move as Japheth turns and sits back onto his stool and continues to eat. Shem and Ham do their best to hide their smiles as they follow suit. They were left alone from then on.

Pandora

            Pandora watched the ordeal between the men and their tormentors with a blank expression. She was sitting at a table at the back of the tavern, with a good view of the place without drawing attention to herself. She was still undecided whether she liked them or not. Of course, she was thankful for her rescue, but being someone so independent, she hated being helped. It would also only mean a harsher punishment from Vilgal. 

            She watched as the cronies dragged the man with the eye patch out of the tavern. They were silent, and only looked up from the floor when they opened the door to leave. Pandora couldn't help but grin as she watched the bloody face of the eye patch guy disappear through the doorway. 

            She glanced back over at the men, specifically the one in the middle. He was comforting the bigger guy, who was still caressing his fist. But they were all grinning ear to ear. 

            Pandora, being a runner for the strongest man in the region, heard a lot of talk. She knew drama from every corner of the city, and would know if a new person arrived. The story of Noah's family and the Ark was infamous in nearly the entire country. They were always referred to as the crazy folk in town, believing in water falling from the sky and one, all powerful god. She was never completely sure of who they were until now, and her original biases began to dissipate. When she first heard of them, she was expecting unkempt beards, long dirty hair, and rags hanging from their bodies. But they were nowhere near that image. They were formal, with well tamed locks of hair and neat beards. Their clothing was the typical work outfit, but clean and smoothed out.

            Pandora looked down at herself, still muddy from last night, and her clothes ripped in several places, showing too much skin than she wanted to. She could feel judgmental glares and prying eyes from those in the tavern, so she decided to leave. She took one final look at the trio of men, laughing and patting each other's shoulders, and slipped into the crowd.