A peek into the past

The roots began to extend from the base through the black fire. She placed her burnt hands around it but farther to avoid skin contact. It was hot. Her hands trembled. Her eyes were burning. Everything seemed to be consumed by its heat. She suddenly heard a faint voice from within.

"My lady! You're allowing it to consume your conscience." Blake cried and frantically pushed her away from the concentration of black energy.

She heard voice much smaller and hurting.

"It hurts! Stop it! Stop it! Stop it!" She heard the helpless plea.

The fog disappeared. Her eyes focused on the small boy of same age as Nemesis, sobbing.

She froze at the moment. A sudden explosion behind him filled him with terror. He looked up in horror. He had scruffy black hair reaching his shoulders. Suntanned skin and big black eyes that looked lifeless. He ran past her unknowingly.

"Asm!Asm! Where are you?" He cried.

The persuers, both the Amanécerians, humans and demons were at war. Bloodshed engulfed them from every side.

He wailed and kept calling the name.

"Brother Ante!" He choked.

Luciana ran after him. A persuer ran after them and drew his hand closer to her. She picked up a stone and threw at him. But it went past him. She understood that it was a fragment of his memory. The child wailing was Erebus. And the persuer was suddenly killed by someone else and a boy with golden eyes appeared from beneath a rubble and pulled him inside it.

"Asm!" He gasped as the boy hushed him.

"We're safe,Erebus. We'll be safe as long as we're together." He tightly held his hand.

The snow began to fall around her. She looked up and then around. The little boys, the explosions, the war and persuers all vanished in a blink of an eye. It was the first snow of the year.

"Asm! Asm! Look I got bread fr a nearby village." Erebus who was now a little taller reaching her shoulders hurried inside a nearby shack with a big loaf of bread in his hands. His clothes were thin.Both of them wore similar rags. He had an old knife in his belt.

"Did you steal it again?" He sighed and inquired Erebus who flushed red and looked away.

"How else was I supposed to get food?" He asked irritated.

"Look, we're going to have to find better ways to secure food for winter. Let's make use of our heads for once."

"Alright..." He scowled and gave up.

They started by borrowing an old axe from a dying resident of a half run down hut and worked by collecting wood. As seasons passed by Erebus had grown taller and both brothers began hunting exotic wild beasts and sold their body parts for a reasonable price. They came across three kids. The event changed course as she saw him trying to keep Asmodeus from leaving them with tall strangers in black and gold robes.

The memory switched immediately to a different one where he was taller than Luciana but not as tall as his present self. The surroundings were of him fighting with different demons,beasts and going at wars.

A man with fade facial features came up and had a friendly talk with him.

She gazed at his face wondering that he could make expressions as any normal human being could make.

"Wanna join the domestic corps?" The man asked him. But Erebus shook his head.

The memory switched again and this time he was with someone. Protecting.

-"A woman?" She ran to have a look.

He lifted her up in his arms. And turned to where she stood.

Her eyes widened in disbelief.

"Silver hair?"

It was all she could mutter. The woman wore different clothes. It was an outdated fashion now in Amanécer.

The next she saw was him meeting Asmodeus in a dark pitch black basement.

She began to sweat in awe. The most horrifying existence she ever witnessed.

"Your great evilness. I have brought you a sacrifice worthy of your desires." She heard the young man say.

Erebus stood before the creature unmoved though he was sweating more. Her legs gave away with the series of treacherous events that happened to him. She heard his screams as his heart was drawn out by a sharp black tip slowly piercing his chest.

The screams echoed and the blood spilled on the ground. His eyes wept blood and with an incredible jolt everything went still. And that was the last memory she looked into before coming back to her senses.