The night of sorrow

It was the night of sorrow, the skies were dark and the atmosphere was bitter cold. It is said that tears streamed down the faces of men, women, children, warriors, and kings alike. They all felt great sadness, but none knew why.

That night remains a mystery to most humans. All they know is that the god of death was never seen again after that night. Many believed he had ascended, as he had no reason to remain with lesser beings. Some believed he was silently watching over humans from the shadows. Many theories had been proposed, but none knew the truth. However, I am about to reveal the truth to you.

****

A carriage was moving through a vast desert, with sand dunes as far as the eye could see. Inside the carriage was a man with white hair and dazzling grey eyes, and beside him was a very beautiful woman who had red hair that glowed down her back and sparkling red eyes like rubies. They were accompanied by a seemingly 12-year-old boy named Stark. Ren, the man with white hair, was getting impatient with the slow progress of the carriage. "Why do we have to use a carriage, Aries, when we can travel there in an instant?" Ren asked.

Aries, the woman with red hair, replied, "Well, Stark wanted to travel, and Zach and Ryzel are too busy to take him anywhere, isn't that right?" she said, looking at the boy who was entranced by the vast desert outside the carriage window.

"Yes, Mom and Dad are too busy to take me," Stark replied, not shifting his gaze from the window.

"You see," Aries said, rubbing the boy's head, "and besides, we have an eternity of time, so what's a short carriage ride, Ren?" she continued.

"I guess you're right," Ren said with a sigh. "But remember--"

Suddenly, a loud boom could be heard, destroying the entire carriage. It was completely engulfed in flames, but none of the passengers were inside. Ren and Aries had managed to get out of the carriage, along with Stark before the explosion happened. They were over 50 meters away from the carriage, and Aries was levitating in the air with large white wings behind her, holding Stark in her arms.

In front of them was the first demon god who had sent the attack. "Tahataba, it seems you really want me to end your life," Ren said, looking at the first demon god, his voice thunderous and filled with anger.

"You think I would come here unprepared. Today will be the fall of the god of death," the demon god said, confidently.

Ren began to unsheathe his sword as he said, "I don't have time for chatter. Let me give you a quick send-off."

But then, the first demon god brought out something that made Ren, who looked so confident, show great panic on his face. "Aries, take Stark and run!" Ren shouted at the top of his lungs.

"Too late," the demon god said as everything froze in place, including Ren and Aries. "You must recognize this," the demon god said, holding a crimson red dagger which now gave off a glow.

"The Watcher's Dagger, a weapon of the higher beings capable of not just stopping time but also erasing your existence," the demon god said. "Normally, this would not be able to affect a being as terrifyingly strong as you, but since you descended to this lowly world and became infinitely weaker, I now have a chance," the demon god said before appearing in front of Ren and stabbing him with the dagger.

Ren's skin immediately began to turn pale, and then the demon god stabbed Aries with the dagger as well. As he did, he felt a terrifying aura that made him instinctively retreat. "Oh, so you are even able to see what is happening although time is stopped. What a scary being you are," the demon god said.

Then, Ren slowly stretched his hand before him, which left the demon god in utter shock. "How is he moving? I'm sure only the one wielding the dagger can move when time stops," the demon god said, bewildered.

"Right now, is he doing this from sheer speed alone? Is he moving faster than time?" the demon god said, just before Ren let out a shout that caused the sky to turn black and thunder to rain down from the heavens over the entire world. The ground shook violently, and the demon god stumbled backward, unable to maintain his balance.

As a beam of light floated out of Ren's palm towards the sky, he gazed at Stark who was also frozen in place. Raising his hands towards him, a golden bubble covered Stark, leaving the demon god in utter disbelief.

"What the hell is this?" the demon god exclaimed, bewildered.

Ren let out another shout that shook the world, before  he and Aries slowly faded into dust. The demon god watched as the dagger in his hands also turned into light particles, floating into the sky.

"God of death, what have you done?" The demon god muttered as he walked towards Ren's sword, which was left behind after he turned to dust. Beside the sword was Stark, now covered in a golden bubble.

"This barrier must be to protect you, but I won't bother with a worthless mortal like you," the demon god scoffed at Stark, who could now move as time had become unfrozen.

"Yes, this is the end of my mission. I have succeeded," the demon god said, lifting Ren's sword. However, as he held it, it immediately turned to dust, scattering in the wind.

"No, no, what is the meaning of this?" the demon god panicked, confused by what had happened.

"What tricks did you pull, Ren?" the demon god exclaimed.

"Fine," he said, pointing his hands towards the sky.

"No one shall hear of this. The dust of you and your sword, along with this boy, will remain here for eternity," the demon god declared as a golden beam shot towards the sky.

"Even until the end, you never lost, huh?" the demon god said, just before vanishing.