Beginning- 'From the Dying World to the World of Death'

Arin was blinded by an intense green flash. The tolling bell had intensified to the point where he feared permanent deafness. He attempted to cover his ears, but his limbs refused to respond. He couldn't feel any part of his body—it was as though he had been entirely paralyzed.

Yet, he felt remarkably light, as if he no longer possessed a physical form. Fear gripped him, and he anticipated something beyond his worst nightmares. Slowly, he opened his eyes.

The blinding light had vanished. Instead, everything was pitch black. As his eyes adjusted, he realized it wasn't as dark as it first seemed. A soft, greenish glow permeated his surroundings. He looked at himself.

To his astonishment, he was floating in space, his body translucent. He could see through it. A chill ran down his spine—he had become incorporeal.

"Am I a ghost now?" Arin shouted in horror. "Destined to wander aimlessly in this cold, dark void?"

Tears welled up in his eyes. "Is my torment not over? Must I endure eternal punishment, stuck in this limbo as a ghost?"

He hoped someone would answer his cries and tell him it was all a lie. But deep down, he knew there would be no answer in this godforsaken limbo.

Arin had faced many hardships growing up. No matter how bleak the situation, it couldn't keep him down for long. He quickly regained his composure and decided to gather more information about his current location.

He realized he wasn't trapped in a black hole as he had imagined. Instead, this was a strange land of perpetual twilight. The sky was peculiar, with a beautiful yet eerie aurora constantly changing shape, twirling and twisting. Looking at it made Arin dizzy.

He shook his head and looked downward. Below his feet was a well-like structure, glowing with a bright celadon hue. This time, he also noticed a strange statue near the well.

"What the hell…" Arin exclaimed. "Where did the statue suddenly appear from?" He was sure that if this gigantic statue had been there before, he would have noticed it when he first opened his eyes.

This enormous statue depicted a mysterious figure in a robe, its face hidden beneath a hood. Arin couldn't tell if it had hands, but there were two massive wings spread on either side. It seemed to be made of marble, matching the greenish tint of the surrounding twilight land.

Arin tried to discern the face carved into the statue. To his surprise, it felt like the statue was looking at him. Arin sensed that if he observed it closely for a bit longer, he could actually see the face. Suddenly, the stony lips moved!

"Feeling better, my child? Speak freely, for I am here to listen," the statue spoke.

Startled, Arin darted backward, his survival instincts kicking in. He realized he had regained control of his body.

"Happy now, my child? Speak freely, for your feelings matter in this moment," the voice spoke again.

"Who are you? Where am I? What is happening to me? What is this place? How long am I..." Arin started spouting a barrage of questions but was cut short by the statue. "It seems you have yet to shed your mortal traits! So many questions, yet so little patience!"

"Wait..." shouted Arin. "It's the same voice I heard in my head!"

"Yes, and now listen to me as I speak," said the statue. "I am the God of Death, and you are in my realm, the land of Death." Suddenly, a thick fog slowly covered the face of the statue.

As the face became blurry, Arin noticed the smirk disappearing, replaced by a grim expression. The fog eventually covered the entire statue, leaving only two glowing green eyes visible, piercing through the mist. For the first time, Arin felt truly intimidated and frozen in place.

"Listen to my words, my Hem'netjer," the statue intoned. "Listen closely, for you are now standing before Nerthazir, the Reaper Prime. I am the inevitable, the lurking shadow that shrouds mortals at the edge of their final breath, the eternal silence that trails their last heartbeat.

No matter the paths mortals take, all lead to my realm of perpetual twilight, as none can escape my grasp. You sought hidden knowledge in your last life. Know that when you stare into the abyss, the abyss stares back. You have answered my call, and in return, you shall bear witness to the end of all things. Embrace your fate, for in my domain, eternity unfolds in the flicker of an eye."

"So, I am dead and now trapped in this land of Death forever?" asked Arin.

"Yes, and no," spoke Nerthazir. "You are destined for a new world, to conquer it as my Champion. You will rule it and establish my superiority over all other gods by crushing their followers beneath your power."

"Why me?" asked Arin.

"Perhaps it is because of who you are, the latent potential surging inside you, or your interest in the occult. Or maybe," Nerthazir paused, "it was just a random event, a trick of fate. The mischievous, elusive, and strange fate that binds everything, from mortals to even us gods."

"Are all those people who have been vanishing these last few days summoned by you as well?" Arin asked suspiciously. "If yes, then where are they? Are they your champions too?"

"This is for you to find out," Nerthazir chuckled. "As well as the path you will take and how you will tread upon it. You are not my puppet or slave. You are free to quit being my champion; all choices will be yours. But remember, every cause has an effect. As the decisions will be yours, so will their consequences."

"That's not something I had expected from a grim God of Death!" Arin said in surprise.

"Yes, I am often misunderstood by mortals, not that I care much. Anyway, go with my blessings, carve your own path. I wish you to achieve what you had hoped for in your last life and more. As my Hem'netjer, you will have dominion over life and death. You will take life from the living and bless the dead with undeath. But treat the power I bestow upon you with respect and responsibility, or it will corrupt you instead and take control. Following me is akin to walking a tightrope; one misstep and you fall to your doom. Maintain balance, and you will one day reach your destiny," said Nerthazir in a compassionate voice.

Arin suddenly remembered his father, whom he had forgotten much by now. There was a certain warmth in the God of Death's chilly embrace. "It will be done," Arin said spontaneously, bowing his head in reverence.

"May it be," Nerthazir's mysterious statue, which seemed to have come alive, gestured. Arin started floating upwards. He paused for a moment, able to see eye-to-eye with Nerthazir. "Before you leave for your new home, remember these doctrines of mine," said the Eternal Reaper. "Maintain Balance, Embrace Death with Grace, and Protect the Soul from Corruption—both in and out of the body." Nerthazir gestured again, and Arin started floating upwards with increasing speed. Arin could feel his incorporeal body crumbling under the unmatched acceleration, and everything that made him Arin was dissipating. Only his consciousness remained at the end.