Chapter 41: The Darkening

It has never been this dark inside the forest. The rain was pouring and rushing through the madness of the land. It came crashing as the droplets piqued the soil's souls. The obscure trees were soaked up with the salty water from above. Smoke uplifting throughout. The wind breeze howled upon the downpour, sending verses of eerie in the surrounding.

The village was madly destroyed. Houses were burnt down and only wood was left of them. Hence, it was all ravaged and huge havoc was caused. Smoke was showing up as the droplets of the rain touched the fire.

Across the forest was trees fallen down by the huge blow Aranyani inflicted. Strong ones stood still but the weak ones? Never left a root down the land. All were against each other's collapse, one after the other.

And deep inside the forest, the same forest and land all the crisis occurred in, was a shallow place just below an average cliff. It was a cave, a huge cave connected to the grounds. A cave that will give you warmth when it's cold outside and cold when it's warm outside.

Ambroz, he was inside a cave. Residing as the goddess herself summoned it as his new abode. No escape and nowhere to run. His flesh belonged to the goddess. As it was a punishment for not only ruining and causing flames forth but the distraction itself spread through the land that he failed to address nor did he fix it.

The man blinked his eyes open. It was in vain and heavy to lift. His body was sore all over, his mouth and throat were aching, and his head was in haze. It was as if he didn't know who he was nor why he exist. He groaned and gripped his neck, clasped his throat, it was in pain. He then decided to let it go. With a little strength applied, the man moved his hands, supported himself, and brought his body to settle down and sit.

Groans were heard all over and echoed across the cave. His sight was still blurry when he saw his hands full of throbbing veins and scales. His nails turned pitch black and t'was very pointy. His brain ignored it and threw off a stroke on his forehead, rubbing the ache to it. He then realized that his hair has grown long, longer than it ever was before. It was past his shoulders; silky straight, black, and thick.

The man furrowed his brows and snarled. He did not even notice that his voice sounded odd and far more baritone. Nothing like a normal man but some sort of creature invading his throat. Nevertheless, he was more wary of his surroundings. Still, in a state of not recollecting his thoughts and memories, he stood up. Wobble his way out and saw the rain.

As his eyes settled, he saw the trees destroyed and crumbled down. He went out and droplets dropped on his head and suddenly he remembered all that happened to him before he was brought back to sleep.

Just like in the past, images flashed back inside his head and he saw what took place. He widened his eyes.

First, it was the witch, the evil witch who visited his room, told him things that manipulated his emotions and thoughts and made him swallow something that taste awful. Then, the flames and smoke from the houses, from his perspective, he knew he was the cause of all of it. He was the monster they were shouting at and pleading to not turn them to ashes. But it turned bloodbath. The image of his mother looking at him in the eyes filled with nothing but sadness then showed up, his heart thumped and a tear escaped from his eye. After that, he never knew where his mother was.

Witches came along with him and made him burst more flame to someone, someone as enormous as the mountains, it was the goddess. They were fighting against it, but he no longer has control over his body, not even way before.

Those images stopped flashing when the goddess gave the land a massive blow. Thus, reminiscing his memory ended and he panted harshly.

"Hah, hah," he gripped his chest and head as he chased for air.

All of it was marked inside his head, he blamed himself.

Now, with the rain still lashing down and reaching the soil, barefooted, he run and never stopped, his feet slowly had bruises on but he never cared, he never cared and was more anxious about what he will see when he reached back to his village. The village that he was supposed to protect, keep it safe, and further it away from trouble might just have to crumble in front of him and it was all his fault.

His father...

His mother...

His people...

"What have I done?" He asked himself amidst of running.

Like the man can not even tire himself, he came across logs, ponds, and pass through the shallow parts of the forest just to find the end of his run. The village itself.

While he was running, at the back of his head, he can not help but wished it was all just a nightmare. That everything was just the play of his imagination, the menacing part of his head, and the depths of evil lurking through his mind. Inside him, was a hopeful child wishing that it never happened.

His feet brought him there, at last. When his gaze landed on the village, he was stunned. Brought his body to a still as shivers ran down his spine. In front of him? Was an atrocity of madness. A will of evil, a legacy of destruction, and a grimace of the below.

Ambroz was frightened himself to see what he did. His hands trembled and his body went cold, even after the sweat he contained from running, it was still cold.

Suddenly, the child inside him slumped down and reality slapped him on his bare face.

Slowly, he walked towards the houses. Opening doors and shouting the names of his people. Hoping they were still there. But no one answered. Not even a glimpse of their soul was seen, but as he walked further, he saw skeletons; bones and skulls. He even tumbled as he backed up. He was terrified. The skulls were filled with ashes. It just so means that they die because of the fire. The flame he breathes towards these poor people of his.

He was shaken. "No... No... This can't be happening. They— they are alive. They must be!" He panicked with his eyes widened and shaking. Diverting his gazes everywhere. Their house was his last resort, he run over to it and discovered how everything was destroyed.

But, not until he finds their body he won't lose hope. He was lifting woods and furniture as the house was crashed down. There was no longer a roof bringing shadows nor to block the rain, smokes was still all around the village. He was already inside the part of their house where he last saw his mother, Maurelle. He was panting when he saw a bulge somewhere. He immediately run over to it and removed some of the planks.

His father, lying on the ground and blood was dried close to his head. His hands were trembling when he bent down to turn his father's body to his. When he already did, his father had a cut on its neck. As if a piece of sharp equipment pierced on it.

He had no strength left. He snapped. All of the hopes he had embodied was shattered into millions of pieces. And he had this mourning feeling inside him.

As how birds feel when their wings are cut off of them. How the trees were incomplete with the leaves falling out of them. When species had no habitats. How the forest is not a forest without the wilderness.

Altogether was what he felt. Inside his heart was an ache. The sadness engulfed his entirety. The man, who was considered brave, strong, and reliable. Was as weak as a thin paper in the water. Ambroz, holding his father in his arms shouted in grief.

"No!!!!" Tears raced down to his cheeks and shivers spread throughout his body. "No... No... Father no... How could you leave me like this?" He bowed down his head buried his face on his father's chest. Kept shouting endlessly.

"I killed them all..." He mumbled. "I slaughtered them mercilessly. This was all my doing. I let that witch do this to me, to us."

He kept cursing and hitting himself in the chest. The pain never went away. It stayed there. It was keeping him hostage. His emotions took control over his head.

Abruptly, a robust wind breeze blow across them and he heard someone speak somewhere. Without even looking at her, he knew who it was. It was Aranyani.

"Now you see, this is what you've caused not only to your people but to my land. Your treacherous kind has brought grime on my creation. Now you'll see what I, will do upon you!" Exclaimed by the goddess herself.

Ambroz stayed beside his father. "My mother... What happened to my mother?" He asked her a question.

"Hmm, let me see. Those witches, they killed your mother. Well, I end their evilness and turned them into blistering souls of nature. As for your mother, she died along with the sea." She answered still with a tinge of anger in her voice.

Despite all she said, Ambroz blamed himself for that. No matter who's who, it was his lack of awareness towards the surroundings and future that turned everything into nothing. It was all his fault, he failed to cover up the crevices of his negligences. All could have been avoided if he were to think this would occur. But he did not. So, he had planned it. He has decided.

"Kill me," he whispered.

Aranyani could not catch up to what he said. "Did you say something, man?" She inquired of him.

"I said, please do the honor of killing me! I have none left, my family died and as well as the people that I had to protect. I'm left here all alone. So, please! Please kill me!" He begged as his punishment. With all his doings, giving him a chance to live was never inside the choices.

He then heard the goddess laugh, it laughed with a blank emotion to it. As if mocking him. "Do you know what those witches did to you? You are no longer human, they used evil sorcery to turn you into an immortal being. Casted spells inside your body and made you into something that I myself have not seen before!" She responded. "Nevertheless, I can not kill you just like that. You are filled with a work of heinousness, touching your fate might place dirt on my hands. But I will surely punish you. For as long as you live, you stay inside this land. As the serpent. If you ever tried to escape, you won't like what you're receiving." She exclaimed with vigor in her voice.

Ambroz Slowly placed his father down. Stood up and turned his back around, he face nothing but air, he knew she was there even so. His eyes filled with taunt.

"What? No! I can never stay alive. I will die, even so, that should be my fate. Death should be my fate. Granting me life? What if that curse come again? What would I do if I affect people's lives in the future?" He panicked and asked the goddess.

"Then, I should punish you all over again. Shouting at me won't help fulfil what you say is your fate. This is your fate, man. Embrace it!" Was her last words before she disappeared.

"No! No! Hey, where are you? come back! You need to kill me..." He was shouting his heart out but his knees weakened, he was left on the ground gripping his chest once more.

The pain won't go away, huh.

With a numb expression, numb feeling, and numb body. He carried his father. He was now dressed in white fabric, he found it inside the houses that were half burnt, there were still clothes lingering around, it was soaked up by the rain but he made use of it.

He was heading towards the vast sea. He did not even feel his father's weight on him, it was as if he is carrying woods. When he arrived, he placed his father down on the sand; covered him with white cloth and carried him once more. He walked towards the water, when the sea level reached his waist he decided to let his father go and mumbled these words.

"Father, may you rest together with mother." Pushed his father through the waves of the sea and it drowned away.

This poor man walked back with tears in his eyes as he gritted his teeth in sorrow. He slumped on the sand and placed his hands on his forehead, heaved a sigh and let out his frustration.

How could he have let this happen? When did he fail? When did it start?

"What did I do for it to end up like this? My people died, they all died in my hands." He was confused, he started blaming himself again until he fell back to vengeance, he muttered horrible words towards the witches. "It was all those witches fraudulent doings, casting me spells that forbid me from dying? How would I go on with this life? I want to die, I want to end my life! Arg—" he whacked his hands towards the sand a couple of times.

Nothing stopped, not the pain in his chest, not the ache in his head, nor the tears in his eyes.

He was running back, back to the goddess's lair. No matter what, he has to ask for he forgiveness.

"Ha—ah, I h-have to ask for her forgiveness, g-granting me death should be a m-must. Living? That's even worst than death." He spouts while tracing back to where his instinct gets him.

He remembered his father saying that the goddess resides somewhere deep in the forest. If he can find her there, that would be enough.

He stumbled his foot to a rock and it made him fall over, he rolled over while grabbing that foot. "Bloody hell! That hurts!" He cursed and rubbed off the throb on his foot.

He slowly arise his body and walks with one foot on. He was persistent. "T-this is nothing. I should get going."

He arrived somehow at a huge tree. He roamed his eyes around it and realized that it was exactly the tree that his father had explained to him before. Observe the size of it, how it looks like, and the form. Definitely the goddess's dominion, Arayani's Dominion.

He kneeled and bent over the root. He kept digging with the use of his hands, but nothing showed up in front of him. Nothing but dirt over dirt. It was endless.

"No! Goddess! You have to let me die! I beg of you please! Kill me! Make use of my soul, I don't care. I have no more worth left inside my veins. I deserve death more than any other punishment!" He pleaded, when no one answered, he goes again. "Please, I'd do anything, anything to summon myself to death."

Instead of the goddess, someone behind him answered upon his eager calls.

"The goddess is currently in deep slumber. All her powers were worn out by the destruction. She can hear from you but you won't hear anything from her." Said, someone. That someone sounded like an old man.

He had his eyes in suspicion as he turned to his back slowly. And there was a man like he expected from its voice. Who could this be? He did not look like one of his people. Is he one of those witches' slavery?

He had a dark cloak with him, his grey beard was visible for his eyes to vividly see. However, his eyes were covered as the hood was on his head.

"Who are you and how do you know of the goddess?" He asked as he stood up.

"It's very expectant of you to not know of me. However, I do know you, I know your old folks, and the people that used to live here." Responded by the old man.

He flinched and was shocked to know what the man had to say. "How do you know that?" He asked, hiding his shock.

"After all, I'm part of the pagans. We are once told as fools for the tales and yet a true god exists and is stepping our cruel grounds. And we guarded this forest not until a witch and a traveler came across this land. They promised to protect this land but then again, they failed the goddess." He exclaimed while walking horizontally, as of trying to head after tree to another one.

He was even more shocked. This man is definitely not a human. There's something about him that terrifies his soul. He knew his parents way before than he did.

"I know what you're thinking, that I'm an odd man. You may insert thoughts of your own. But, I only have one thing to tell you now, child," he held his hood. "As I am now a soul of these wind breezes, fast the northern hills, you will live long, your folks does not want you dead yet. You have things to attain in the future. Not for vengeance nor for the faint of heart but for the peace." He then revealed his face with a warmth trace in his eyes despite the serious demeanour.

"W-what? No! I have killed my own people, I deserve death! I need to die!" He opposed and dash towards the man with eyes full of despair. He was about to grip its shoulders when he just pass through it.

Indeed, it was not human. It was a spirit.

"You don't hold the fate, the fate holds you. None of it is your fault but it will be your fault if you bring even to yourself the desire to die. Child, it will only be years until you could end all of your sorrow..."

"No! No! Don't leave! What do you mean years? Wha would I do with thos—" he cut himself off.

Just like that, as the air blew towards them. The man disappeared while he was kneeling because he stumbled himself.

He was left there alone, as the wind howled. Making the obnoxious black leaves swift through the breeze.

He can not believe he lost the only chance that he had left to survive and live. As of now, he only does exist.

Even after all the mysterious man's words, he was still dwelling on his current situation. He has never been hurt before. By far, this is the worst he has ever felt.

Throughout the years, it has been his normal life to visit the goddess and await for her wake. He would wait, wait, wait, wait, and wait. Most of the time, he loses his patience and would start shouting for mercy all over again, disregarding the old man's words.

Ambroz would only look for goods at the river, for the fish's flesh as he can not eat the fruits that were slowly growing out of the trees that are harvesting. It might lessen his chances of dying as it belongs to the goddess. Any of it, he does not deserve. As the curse grew into him, only meat and fish would fill his gut. Other than that, he avoids eating fruits.

He changed.

—

The chirping of the birds was heard from outside, the rustling of trees, and the sound of nature lingering across the deep forest. Rays from the sun came flashing through the obscure and cold cave, he was wide awake and decided to face the morning.

With a blank expression, he said, "How long has it been? How many years have passed? How old am I?"

He was as numb as stone. The kind and expressive man from before was no longer himself. Instead of being known of himself as Ambroz, the chief. He is now Ambroz, the evil dragon.

And it has been five hundred years ago. Moreover, five centuries ago.

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ABYSSCESS