During my time as a child, living under the roof of my parents, and otherwise depending on the wisdom they had taught me over the years, I had always thought that the village was the entire world, with its walls representing the corners of that world, and the heart of the village at its center. Yet after my trial, and after I had returned about fives years ago, I found that I could not be anymore wrong, having found a whole world just outside the village.

What was even stranger than this effectively altered perspective, was how natural it felt to come outside the confines of the village, how I sprinted so easily across wide tracts of dry sand, and how ever since then, the village seemed all too small for such a big world as the one that lie just beyond the village gate.

But I was far from caged, being a warrior of the tribe, and therefore, a provider- and an important one too since what I provided lied outside the village.

I wasn’t alone however, always accompanied by other warriors who had gone through the trial just the same as I, altogether representing the next generation of the tribes finest hunters.

And of the hunters, there was one who stood higher than the rest, taking on the role of leader amongst the warriors, and revered by many back home.

The leader was a woman, although she seemed to take on a greater meaning for me.

She was my friend, and had been ever since I could remember- ever since I was a small child, just as she once was.

It was the memories of us that stood out from the rest: us playing, laughing, running down the village roads to scare away all the animals, even the memories of sadness and anger, all of which were made better by her, as if though she was the sole reason that I had ever felt true happiness.

The memories of when she and I were together ran through my head, just as my feet walked on the ground, heading straight for the village gate. It was simple things at first, like the conversations we had, or the greetings we exchanged, and then my thoughts transitioned to the more unusual or otherwise funny things we had done, leading me to remember quite clearly how stupid she and I were at times, yet in a way it made me laugh on the inside rather than feel ashamed.

But then my thoughts started getting more serious, as I remembered the times when we grew mad at eachother, or the days when either she or I were made deeply forlorn, and when we had to stick together, more than ever, in fear of losing each other as friends.

But it seemed those days were long gone, the days of worry, and the days of sadness. We were warriors, and as of such, we were in control of our lives. Where we lived and who we lived with was for us to decide.

Yet, tradition still seemed to have its influence over matters such as that, and although we had wanted to live together from the very start, the right of mingling living spaces in this way was reserved to pairings who had gone through the matrimonial ritual and successfully bonded for life, as was required of it.

I had no doubt within me that I wouldn’t want to spend the rest of my life with her, but the warriors were a busy bunch, being the only providers of food and water for the people, people who were otherwise quite plentiful in the village.

At that point, it seemed the only opportunity we would have had for the ritual would be during our final years of life, after retirement from hunting, in the event that we should grow that old.

The thought sent a shudder down my spine, as I yearned for the one day we would join together in matrimony, which faded away slowly.

Suddenly I heard a familiar voice from behind, just barely standing out from the many voices reverberating through the roads in terms of volume, yet it starkly contrasted with the others in terms of how well I knew it.

“Echthros!” It called, and then I turned sharply, finding none other than my friend, who rushed in my direction and stopped before me, short of breath and eyes wide open.

It was Chara, the acting leader of the Warrior clan, and the best friend I ever had. The pitch-blackness of her eyes glowed under the bright sun, and the two horns rising from her head appeared so pristine, it seemed one could puncture anything with them. Then there were her gills, which ran along a smooth curve, flowing from the center of her face down to below her neck. Her skin was a pattern of bright red, and deep black, flawless and soft like a child’s, yet strong and enduring like a beast’s outer shell.

She wore the robes of our people, and in addition was outfitted with the metal arm-piece of a leader, a light yet unbelievably strong metal, which could hold against the wrath of even the absolute worst of this world.

“What is it?” I asked, completely surprised that she would be this energetic before we even left.

“I have to tell you something.” She said, and while I anticipated she had something to tell me, there was a hint in her voice that suggested she was about to say something very important.

At that moment, all the noise around us faded, and my eyes were locked onto hers, as I waited for what she was about to say.

“I know we’ve been busy carrying out our jobs for the past 5 years, and since then we’ve only been able to talk somewhat, but I just consulted with one of the elder hunters,” She started, and then we began to walk slowly once more.

“You know... about us, and our time together.” She continued, going from her enthusiastic tone to a more alluring one.

“What did he say?” I asked, with a chilled tone.

“He said that, ‘for the sake of our happiness’, he would give us a little break from our work, and give us enough time to have our own matrimonial ritual finally, just like we always wanted to.” she said, unable to hide her excitement.

“Chara, that’s great! So….. when can we start?” I asked, eager to commence the ritual we had long awaited.

“Well, you see, that’s the catch. We’re gonna have to go on one more ‘hunt’ before we can start it.” She said.

“So what do we have to catch? a giant scaled beast of the land, an enormous behemoth of the cliff side river channels? Or perhaps he wants a thousand desert hoppers or something of that like.” I rambled on, imagining all the things I listed with me and her taking on all the challenges.

“It’s something quite different actually, something we haven’t done before” She said, and I began to wonder.

“What would that be?” I asked, ever so curious.

“Do you know about that village in the far north, lying along the rim of the shimmering cliffs?” She asked, and images of that place popped into my head. I had never gone, but I knew much about it through the teachings of warriors who had gone before.

“Yes... What of it?” I asked, with mixed feelings of nervousness and joy at what she said.

“That’s where we have to go.” She said, waiting as the message sank in.

“What do we have to do there?” I asked, nervous still.

“Members of that village reported seeing something... ‘otherworldly’ recently, and the elder warriors believe we should be there if anything bad happens.” She answered.

“Is there anything else we know about this ‘otherworldly’ thing?” I asked.

“Besides that, there’s nothing else we know.” She replied, and then we fell silent for a short while, nearing the village gates, until in little time at all, we stand at the edge of the village, waiting. By then, I feel a question within me that I just can’t go without asking.

“What if we get killed out there? There’s no telling what this ‘thing’ could be.” I said, and her cute smile turned into a harsh frown.

“Then at least we can die together, as we always wanted to, and know that we shared our last few moments in this world as one.” She replied, in an equally harsh voice, with even her eyes taking on the harshness of that voice.

“So, the question is, are you up to it?” She asked, her face reverting to a persuasive smile.

“Well, if you’re going, then I suppose I might as well also go.” I said somewhat sarcastically, with an emphasis on suppose, and then she grinned benignly.

“That’s the spirit.” She said, finishing our personal discussion, and beginning to address everyone of the warriors waiting by the gate.

“Alright everyone, we have a job to do; The elder warrior council has reports of ‘other-worldly’ things happening far north of here, and they have sent us to go after it.” She started, the authority of her voice spreading wide across the area.

“It will be dangerous, and we may not all survive, but if we do, then the Council promises it will be worth your while. All our whiles.” She continued, yet the warriors remained unphased by their looks, as all had been trained to do.

“And I cannot stress this enough; We are in pursuit of something which is completely unknown and considered by the village to be very dangerous. Which, as I said, is why we may not survive. But don’t misunderstand me: I believe in all of you. The council believes in all of you. Hell, the world practically believes in all of you. So don’t let me, the Council, or the World down, because at this point, they depend on us. Now, will we answer their call?” She asked finally, and the warriors of course replied with the answer “Yes.” and then afterwards made way for the north, starting a trek that would probably be our longest one yet.

We sprinted, all together as one, across the vast desert scape, the inhospitable and dangerously hot world that we seemed to feel at home in.

I couldn’t even feel the distance as we traveled, or the tiring of my legs, or anything at all. I was living in the world of my mind, picturing what lied ahead for us.

Besides the fact that we were going to see the legendary village of the North for the first time ever, there was also the clouded mystery of the “other-worldly” object that seemed to take such high a priority. I couldn’t imagine anything coming from the sky being so dangerous, since there was little to nothing in the sky anyways, besides dots of light every which way.

I considered the fact that we were going to see the village by far more important, and I couldn’t believe that the elders didn’t think the same way, or Chara for that matter.

She was by far more concerned with the ‘other-worldly’ object from the sky, even though she herself had also never been to the village of the north. But we didn’t talk much of it anyways, since we were too busy running, and thinking about it made her worried….

Many days had passed like this, and it wasn’t until the very end of that last day that I saw something that caught my attention.

“Chara, I think I see something over there.” I said, seeing a blurry semblance of what could be the village in the distance, although even from this distance, something looked terribly wrong.

“Wait, is that smoke?” She asked, seeing a grey billow of smoke rising from the blurred speck. I knew the answer, but I couldn’t say it, suddenly feeling a growing fear from such an unusual sight.

“We need to hurry. We might still have time to save them.” She said, reassuring everyone except me, but all of us went along anyways, coming ever closer to the grand village, which grew bigger and bigger. But what was troubling was that the smoke also grew bigger and bigger, and blacker and blacker as we got closer, until we arrived at the doorstep of the gateway, or at least where it was supposed to be.

We stood there speechless. Absolutely everything was in complete ruin and burnt to the ground, like a relic of the ancient past, yet this place was clearly still around not even a few sunrises ago.

It was a huge mess, and because of the blanketing smoke, we could barely see in any direction once inside the ruins of the once grand village.

“Who could have done this?” I asked, a hint of anger fused into my tone.

“It has to be the thing from the sky. It’s the only thing that could have done this.” She answered, and I grew even more confused, and angry because of that confusion.

“But how? How could something this dangerous come from such an empty sky?” I asked, my fear coming alive.

“Echthros, I don’t have all the answers. I’m just as lost as you are right now, and it’s starting to get to me.” She said, annoyed and afraid as I was. We paused for a short while, and then I spoke.

“Are you alright?” I asked, although surely I knew the answer just as well as she did.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Let’s just be quick about this, okay?” She said, then I nodded, and just like that, we continued our search, without another word being spoken.

We split up and looked everywhere, but after a long time , and after we had checked every crevice and corner multiple times, we were forced to give up, by the increasingly obvious fact that no one could possibly have survived such a disaster, one which sent even the strongest of structures flat on the ground.

“It’s no use. We are the only ones here in this entire village.” One of the warriors said, looking down into the ground as he spoke, and the rest of us just agreed.

We went silent again, although this time, the silence lasted even longer, and we could hear such quiet things, like the flow of the dry smoky, wind, or the noise of gravels of sand being shifted around by wandering toes. But then there was another sound, one which completely stood out from the rest.

“Do you hear that?” I asked, and Chara bore a look of confusion.

“What?” She asked, still not hearing it.

“There’s this weird sound…. it repeats itself perfectly multiple times, like something that is….. non-living.” I said, unable to quite describe this sound which I had never once heard before.

“Oh wait! I do hear it. Maybe we should find out where it’s coming from.” She said, and then we set off again, this time in a group, trying to find the source of the sound.

As we looked on, it grew gradually louder and louder, until finally, we found something just as unusual as the sound.
It was a giant metal bowl, covered with lights shining from certain parts of it, and one of the lights seemed to give off the unusual sound.

It wasn’t perfectly flat either. There were certain pieces of it which stuck out slightly further than the rest, and it was these pieces which gave off some of the bright lights.

Out of curiosity, I stretched out my hand to the metal bowl, touching one of the glowing surfaces, which to my surprise pushed inward as I touch it.

Suddenly, a piece of the metal bowl broke off, revealing an interior more lavishly covered in lightened surfaces than the outside.

I began to go inside, when I felt Chara’s hand on my shoulder, trying to pull me back.

“You shouldn’t go in there Echthros; remember what it did to these people.” She said, and I paused, but only for a short while.

“I have to do this. We’re not going to figure what happened here unless I look inside this thing.” I replied.

“Be careful.” She said quickly.

“I will.” I replied, already beginning to look around.

The metal bowl was much larger than I had first assumed, or at least it seemed as such on the inside, where I had already lost sight of the outside world.

There was definitely much light on the inside, so darkness wasn’t a problem, yet in a way, It seemed that the absence of light from the black sun took away from it the feeling that the inside was actually lit. It all felt so fake, as if though this were a poor simulation of the reality that lied just outside this metal husk.

Everything was so smooth, so sleek, and the air was musty, like it would be in a long abandoned hut, and my feet were hard pressed against, the cold solid flooring.

I examined briefly, trying to take it all in quickly, but something caught my eye which called my full attention.

It was a picture which in its blackness and size stood out from the small lights surrounding it, although like the other lights, it was stuck in the side of the metal husk.

Out of temptation, I touched it, and suddenly, the entire blackness lit up brightly, revealing a picture.

I touched it once more, and this time, the picture actually moved, changing based on how I did so. And while it moved, I could see certain things in the picture which looked somewhat familiar, like certain river valleys, or certain deserts, or even villages- all of which I knew well of. And then I saw I something else: the destroyed village.

It was like a map, one which gave me the view of a creature from far above the clouds, looking down at all the places I once had to walk to in order to see them as they truly were.

But I went down from my high view in the sky, coming closer to the ground, to see the destroyed village much more clearly, and even every building or thing which lied inside it.

I panned to the metal bowl, and saw something unusual: distinct beams of light coming from the metal bowl, which ascended straight up, beyond the sky.

I followed the path of the light, which led so far beyond the limits of the sky that eventually, my world appeared as a mere dot on the moving picture, growing smaller and smaller.

But there was another dot on the picture, the one which the light led to, growing bigger and bigger as I followed the light, until I saw something that looked like-

“Another world!” I said, but beyond that, I was speechless.

I touched the picture of this new world, trying to come closer to it, but suddenly, an immensely louder form of the repeating sound erupts, completely alarming me.

On the screen, I could see things which came from the new world, heading along the light towards… our world.

I ran quickly, trying to escape the metal bowl, but suddenly, doors appeared out of nowhere, shutting me in this metal trap, and out of nowhere, fumes of a purple coloring broke out from small openings in the sides.

The fumes contacted my skin, and suddenly I started to feel an intense sensation of burning all across my body.

I held my breath and sealed off all the gills in my face, along with my eyes, and I even buried them deep in my hands just to be sure.

But even after all this, the intensity of the burning grew and grew, digging deeper into me, until I could not help but to scream in complete agony.

My eyes were still closed, and they stayed that way, until suddenly, the smoke started to gradually fade, until it eventually went away completely.
I opened my eyes, and heard the sound of the mysterious door as it disappeared back from whence it came, enabling me to leave that place.

I walked, in fear that I would set off yet another trap, but to my luck, nothing else happened during the time it took to come outside once more.

In fact, it was once I left the metal husk that the pain started to intensify yet again, as if the light of the black sun were burning me like the smoke was, like I had lost the protection from it that I once always had.

The others came to me, Chara nearest of all, as I lied on the blackened sand, groaning in my weakness, and hurting everywhere.

“Echthros! What’s wrong?” She asked, picking me up to my feet.

“What happened to your skin?” She asked, feeling the blistering, discolored atrocities which took form on my arms and chest.

“I was burned alive by some kind of smoke, and now I feel pain from everything I touch.” I said, and then a groaned once more, as I felt the rays of the black sun digging into my flesh.

“We need to leave this place now.” Chara said, with as much immediacy in her expression as what she had just said.

“I can’t, I’ll be burned alive by the black sun.” I replied, taking cover under the shade of the metal bowl. She thought for a short while, and then she spoke again.

“Then we’ll wait until the passing of the black sun, and travel in the dark until it rises once more.” She said, and the others agreed.

In the meantime, everyone took the opportunity to rest themselves, having not found such an opportunity ever since they first departed from our home.

But I could not, feeling too much pain to sleep as the others did. So I instead kept my eyes open, staring deep into the smoke, in all its mystery, as shapes came and went.

“Are you not tired Echthros?” Chara said, somewhat sarcastically, although she did sympathize for me.

“The pain I feel is too great. It keeps me alert even at times like these.” I said, too hurt to express any emotion other than anger or the lack there of.

“How do you feel?”She asked, running her gentle fingers across my not so gentle back.
“Better, but just barely.” I replied, my voice weakened by the pain, and for a while, she held her hand on me, until I sat up to grab that hand with mine.

“Chara, I there’s something I have to tell, and I may not have long to say it.” I said, and then we stood up, her soft hands cupped in mine.

“Are you sure now is the best time for this?” She asked, somewhat tired, but mostly concerned.

“As much as I’d hate to believe this, I think this is the only chance we have left. I won’t be able to live much longer like this, especially out here…. I feel so weak.” I said, my voice faltering as I came to the last sentence. Then what I said began to truly sink in.

She frowned, and her eyes glistened brightly, as teardrops began to form from the fine ends of her eyes, which she attempted to hold back, but after noticing me: the dead and blistering burns all across my skin, the remote smell of the gas’ remains, all the constant moaning in excruciating pain; and now she had to deal with the fact that I had mere days to live before I would die. It was all these pains, and then some, which I could see in the tearing eyes of Chara, who was forced to accept them as they were.

“Echthros, I don’t want you to die…. I won’t be able to go on without you.” She said, and then she faltered, burying herself in my chest. I could feel the tears that fell from her face onto my wretched skin, and in a way, the purity of those tears seemed to heal that wretchedness, at least a little bit.

I had my arms wrapped around her, remaining that way for a long time, and through it all, I spoke what might have been my last words.

“Chara, do you remember the day I met you?” I asked, attempting to ease her pain.

“Yeah, we were little kids back then.” She said through her sobs.

“Do you remember the first thing I said to you?” I asked, trying to keep the thought going.

“I remember you were pursuing some creature, and when you were done, you walked back the other way and said ‘Oh, hi there.” She responded, somewhat humored.

“That sounds about right.” I said my voice low like the hum of the cool wind surrounding us.

“And then I think the next thing you said was ‘By the way, you’re single right?’ just like that.” Then she laughed some more.

“Well now, I don’t remember asking you that.” I said, also humored.

“I even remember that, by the end of that first day, as much as you tried to make yourself look brave, I had never seen anyone with cheeks more red than yours.” Then she laughed hysterically, and the crying stopped.

“Okay now I can just tell you made that up.” I said, a tiny bit annoyed, but I could feel my cheeks heating up, just like she said.

We waited a while, staring into each others eyes, smiling at each other, contemplating what to do next.

“So what now?” She asked, her eyes nearly dry of the tear-ridden sadness, and her smile as charming as ever.

“Well, what do you think?” I asked, pretty much taking us back to where we started with this conversation.

“You really want to do this tonight then?” She asked, but only because of how important this would truly be… for the both of us.

“I do. More than ever.” I replied, and just like that, her doubt went away, along whatever I might’ve had.

“So…. What do we do first?” She asked, and for a second, I felt clueless.

“Um….. Actually, I don’t think I know…” I said, attempting to recall other matrimonial rituals I may have seen before in my life.

“Oh, now I remember! First, we have to make speeches for each other, recalling ‘that which brings us together as we are now’. She said, clearly quoting some book on the matter.

“I’ll go first: Echthros, there are many reasons why I have come to admire you so, and although I couldn’t possibly tell you every single one, I will make an attempt.” She started, and I waited, listening attentively as she spoke.

“You’re patient, forgiving, kind, impossible to anger, brave, strong, devoting, and you’ve stood by my side through everything, and made me feel welcome in your life, because of which, I have been able to have one of the greatest, most deep friendships anyone in this world will probably ever have.” She continued, and I felt so happy, yet so sad, I could almost cry because of both.

“Oh yeah, and you’ve got a cute butt.” She said, and I turned my backside sharply away from her in complete surprise.

“Excuse me?” I said, and then she giggled.
“Well what, I was being honest, you have a very nice butt.” She continued, and I remained confused.

“Chara, you are a very strange woman.” I said, trying not to seem gullible in any way, if she were trying to play a trick on me.

“True, but is that really going to stop you from marrying me once and for all?” She asked, coming in closer as I did.

“Nope.” I answered, and she smiled again.

“And now, it is your turn Echthros. I hope you have fun with it.” She said, waiting eagerly for what I had to say.

“Very well then: Chara, I know I have told you this countless times, and that I will continue to do so for as long as I live, but I will say it once more: You are everything to me: under the darkness of this black sky, you alone shine bright enough to drive it back, and then some. You alone stand from the crowds and crowds of people all across this world, and from the all the deserts that cover the lands, and from all the glistening rivers that lie deep below the enormous valleys, and even the twinkling stars in the sky themselves, surpassing all of them in beauty, a beauty which is before your existence, was not known to this world. But ever since your existence, you have grace this world with that beauty, and ever since I first saw you, you graced me with your beauty.

But there’s more to it than just your beauty. Your personality is golden in perfection, the kind that anyone want to have. You always know the right time to act a certain way, and you know how to approach others based on how they feel. And even then there’s more. You are the most brilliant woman I have ever known, and you take on the rank of a leader like no one else.” I said, and then I stopped briefly, giving her time to take it all in.

“Oh yeah, and you have a nice butt too.” I said, mostly because I had to return the favor, although she didn’t seem to mind.

“You see? It’s not so weird when you get used to the idea.” She said, still refuting her precarious idea.

“No, I guess not.” I said, in agreement, and then we waited a little longer, wondering what to do next.

“What do we have to do after the speeches? She asked, waiting in anticipation of an answer from me.

“Well, if there were more people here, we would most likely dance to the beat of drums, alongside others, who would keep the mood festive and exciting.” I replied.
“Well, what comes after that?” She asked, still in anticipation.

“After that, the couple seals their bond by… creating a child…. in order to ensure the bond remains.” I said, trying to sound professional, but in the end, we knew what we had to do.

“Alright. Let’s get to it. Chop! Chop!” She said, clapping her hands twice, as she walked through the collapsed buildings. My guess was that she was trying to find some place private.

“Echthros!” She called, and I turned my head to her direction, where I could see her standing by the ruins of a hut.

“Over here!” She whispered loudly, calling me over as quietly as she could.

I walked to the ruined hut, and for me she opened the door, and after herself she shut it, leaving us to the privacy of the surprisingly well-preserved hut, in which I fell over on a hammock, lying there as Chara looked at me.

She lied down beside me, her warmth making me feel more alive than I had ever been since the gas.

We lied there for awhile, but in time, we did we had to do, and we finished what we had started, and by the morning of the next day, the new life created in Chara had already begun to grow, as it would for only a few more sunsets before it too would be set free into the world we had become so familiar with.

Also in the morning, I checked by the metal bowl, risking the dangers for the sake of my curiosity, for the sake of knowing what lied on that big black picture as of that point.

Once inside, I tapped the screen quickly, accidentally leaving a light mark from my claws on the screen, and what I saw sent a chill down my spine.

The dots from the other world had not only arrived, but were hovering just over my home village.

I closed in on the village, zooming into it in order to find what happened to it, and when I did, I wished I had never gone in there.

Now my home village too was in ruins, and now I could tell what the source of that ruin was: the dots, which although appearing as such on the picture, were probably like the metal bowl, except alive, and deadly. And when I looked back to the other world, there were yet more dots: many more than last time, like an entire army.

I felt a deep anger, and now despised these intruders, throwing my claws deep into the screen, and growling like a ferocious beast for all to hear, then suddenly, I saw something that took me by complete surprise: a rock levitated at my side, revolving slowly in the air.

I imagined it going down to the ground, as most objects did, and then suddenly, it fell, as if somehow influenced by my mind.

“But how?” I asked, completely lost, and then I thought back to the gas. Maybe there was something in it which gave me this power to control objects with my mind, I thought, but I wasn’t at all sure.

I went outside, although I had less to worry about since I wore robes which covered all of my skin, protecting it from the light of the black sun.

“Echthros! What’s wrong?” Chara asked, rushing to my side, and looking for anything unusual on my body.

“Our village was ruined by these metal husks, which came from another world. And now more come to further that cause.” I said, still angered.

“What world?” She asked, confused.

“I do not know. All I know is we can not let them continue to do this, or we will surely die in no time at all.” I replied.

“Well how was this metal beast taken down in the first place?” She asked, pointing to the one right by us.

“I don’t know.” I responded, confused just as she was.

“Well what can we do? The enemy is probably almost here already, and we can’t even begin to walk out of here until at least nightfall.” She asked, feeling hopeless.

“We may yet still have a chance to defend the next village they plan to attack. It’s nearby, and I know exactly how to get there. And as for my condition, well, these robes should protect me just fine.” I said, straightening the hood cast over my head.


“Well, if that’s the case…. then lead the way, Echthros.” She responded, and the group came together, prepared to take off at that moment.

“I shall.” I replied, and then we ceased to talk, starting what would be yet another trek across the desert, although this time, vengeance would be strong within my my mind.

We arrived at the entrance, and once there, we broke into a sprint, flying across the desert with speeds unmatched by any other.

Even in my condition did I give it my all, and for a long time, I felt the relief of being immersed in the clear atmosphere of the desert, untouched by the sacrilege of the other-worldly invaders.

The heat was prominent at the time, with it being the height of the day, and even under the protection of the robes, I began to feel the sizzling burn of my tender flesh, which for a long time I attempted to ignore. But then as the black sun came down, the air grew cooler, giving me much needed relief.

But despite how natural it felt to be in the desert, and how comfortable it was, we were ordered by Chara to periodically take breaks, mostly for the sake of my pain, but also for the sake of the child which grew within her, and as the days passed by, it became more and more prominent.

“So how is it?” I asked one of those nights, while the others rested in peace and quiet by themselves.

“How’s what?” She asked, turning her eyes sharply to me, completely alarmed.

“How’s it like having a child? Has it kicked you yet?” I asked, trying to be supportive, in what seemed to be her time of stress and pain.

“Eh, you get used to it. It’s just the running that’s killing me. I can feel the little guy wobbling around while I’m sprinting, and it’s kind of freaky.” She said, looking down at her overgrown stomach.

“Well, I would give you advice on that…. if I was a woman.” I said, staring at her stomach.

“If you were a woman, I probably wouldn’t have a child, or in other words, need advice on the matter, now would I?” She said, her rebuttal stopping me in my tracks.

“True, but what if, hypothetically-” I started, and then she interrupted me.

“Nope! I’ve already one this argument.” She said, throwing her hand and face up in dismissal.

“Oh yeah, well what if I were to say that-” I started, and she interrupted me again, but this time with a full fledged kiss on the lips, and suddenly, I grew silent.

“You were saying?” She asked, back to not kissing.

“Um… Actually, I don’t remember.” I said, my thoughts completely blank.

“That’s what I thought.” She replied, taking on a tone of superiority, and yet, all I could do was sit there, trying hard to remember what I was saying, until eventually, I lost interest, lying down in the sand.

“May I join?” Chara asked, standing over me as I lied on the ground.

“Well it’s a good thing you asked, I mean it’s not like we’re married or anything.” I said somewhat sarcastically.

“Oh wait, We are.” I finished, already feeling her arms around my back, and her stomach pressed against me.

“Oh whatever, you’re just jealous I won an arguement.” She replied, still acting superior.

“Am not.” I replied, and then she waited expectantly, although I couldn’t see it.

“Okay, maybe a little, but not much.” I said, turning over onto my back, my eyes directed at the vast night sky. She too lied on her back, sliding close to my side.

“Well, regardless of whether you’re right or wrong, at least you’re right for me, you know, so far as how well we go together, and all that nice stuff.” She said, as her hand gripped mine, the two tightly woven into each other.

“Yep.” I agreed, as if staring at the sky took away my ability to disagree with anything or anyone.

“So, what do you want to do when we’ve got this all behind us?” She asked, attempting to start a conversation.

“I don’t know. I kind of wanted to get all those babies of the “fire of the desert” and set them free to run around in the village.” I said, imagining it in my head already.

“Wait, what village?” She asked, and then paused for a second.

“Oh, right.” I said, the sadness starting to come alive within me as I remembered the destruction of my home village.

“Do you think they survived?” She asked, and I wondered how such could have been the case.

“But how could they?” I asked, feeling a strong doubt within me at such a possibility

“Maybe they left. The elder warriors did know after all.” She said, and then it started to make sense.

“Maybe.” I replied, feeling optimistic all of a sudden.

We lied there a little longer, in complete silence as the others were, until at once Chara rose, calling to the others.

“Alright guys, it’s time to go.” She said, and as always, we were ready.

We started once more, sprinting as before, and inching ever closer to the village that was supposedly the next target.

Over the next few nights, Chara and I spent what would probably be the remains of my withering life together, yet, we the conversations we had were of little importance… rather, it was just light talk for the sake of curing boredom.

But strangely, also as the nights passed, I began to notice that everytime I contemplated those “Other-worldly” beings, who angered me to no end, I could see beside me the rocks and things of the ground rise into the air, and drop down again, and it was these objects that grew gradually larger and larger each time I made them levitate, and each time it seemed to be an accident.

Yet I was alone in knowing this, because was usually only ever angry when I was alone anyways, and to the best of my efforts, I wanted to conceal this abnormality for the sake of Chara’s sanity, and therefore mine as well.

Then one bright, hot morning, when the pain seemed minimal, and when Chara’s stomach stood out more than anything else in size, and while we walked at a slower pace than any other day, we saw what we long wished was fake, but knew was all too real:

“What are those?” One of the warriors asked, his hand pointed to the sky, and his face in shock and disbelief.

But my expression was only one of the purest hate and frustration. Not that I was the only one who felt such feelings, but what I did not feel was that which the others did: fear. Fear of the unknown, and although I knew exactly what they were trying to do to us, I knew just as much so what I wanted to do to each and every single one of the them.

“It’s the metal husks who destroyed the village, except for now they have come back with an entire army.” I replied, unphased.

“How will we hold them back?” Chara said, feeling hopeless.

“We won’t. We’ll destroy all of them.” I said, my sharp teethed clenching and my eyebrows fixated.

“And how do you suppose we’ll do that? It’s not like the village in the north didn’t just go down without a fight.” Chara said, finding my plan dubious to her.

“We’ll draw them in by making it difficult for them to find the villagers, and then when they come close enough in search for them, we’ll strike back with whatever the people have.” I replied, but she still doubted me.

“You know we won’t make it out of this alive if we do it your way, don’t you?” She asked, somewhat quietly so that I only could hear her.

“Maybe not, but at least everyone else will.” I said, confirming what we had dreaded ever since I was contaminated: our untimely death.

“Well, I can’t believe I’m saying this, but if this is what you really want to do…… then I’ll be glad to go with you.” She said, taking my hand.

“Not that you didn’t already know that I would do that anyways.” She continued, reaffirming her loyalty.

“Yep. I’m sure you would.” I said somewhat jokingly, but she ignored me, since the words were probably too quiet and muffled to be heard anyways.

We made way for the village, which lied far away still, but suddenly, we stopped, seeing the army of metal husks take an unusual turn.

“Echthros?” Chara said, drastically worried, but making a good attempt at hiding it.

“Yes?” I replied, looking still to the sky.

“Do you think…. Do you think they’re going after you?” She asked, and then I grew confused.

“Yeah….But why me?” I said, with long pauses before and between as I thought to myself.

“Maybe… Maybe it was the gas.” She suggested, the quiet of the dry air giving me a moment to think, but suddenly, a great beam of light hit the ground right next to us, kicking up a storm of sand and turning it to clear rocks which projectiled from the wake of the light.

The others bolted away, attempting to save themselves from such annihilation, but I stood still, accompanied by Chara.

“Echthros, if we make it to the top of the dunes, we might have a better shot at them.” Chara said, pointing to the tallest mountain of sand there was around there.

“Lead the way.” I responded, and then we went, although somewhat slowly since Chara was unable to run at all.

“We can use our slings on the metal husks, and if we run out of things to throw their way, then we might be able to chuck a few of these at them.” Chara said, holding one of the clear shards of burnt sand.

“Are you sure we can toss them that far up?” I asked, as we proceeded to climb the dune.

“Um….Sure, if you think you’re up to it.” She replied, getting ahead of me, as she sat at the top of the dune, waiting as I made my way up.

“Alright, so which one are you gonna aim for?” I asked, and of ten which appeared in the sky, like dots of a huge circle, she pointed to the top one.

“That one.” She replied, pulling out her sling.

“And you?” She asked, noticing that I just stood there blankly.

“Hmm… I think I’ll take the bottom one.” I said, pulling out my sling. Then we loaded them, and took aim.

I threw mine first, and hers came almost immediately after, and from what I could see of mine, it scraped the side of the metal husk, and set it off it’s course.

Hers also scraped it, and so the two each went their own way, breaking the circle ever so slightly.

But suddenly, the entire circle broke away, each metal husk going its own way, and it seemed they were so close that I could see all the intricate patterns along their sides, and length of the individual wing which sprang from the backside of it, revolving at unbelievably high speeds, and I could see something else: a face; one which glared at me with the threat of a painful death, and eyes which glowed red, surrounded by white, and the skin of it was a pale shade, such which no one has ever had.

He yelled in anger at others beside him, in a language I could not understand, standing like a ruthless leader over fearing subjects.

In reply, my face also bore an expression of pure hate, and my eyes remained open, fixated on the metal husk he flew in.

The shots of light surrounded us, and the shards flew everywhere, stabbing whatever they landed into, and the wake of these lights left burns which smoked in blackness, a blackness which eventually sealed me and Chara inside of it.

By now, Chara was gasping for breath, struggling to survive off the soiled and darkened air, and the ever growing smoke.

I was in an immense panic, trying too hard to focus on everything, and struggling to breath just as Chara was, but my eyes still trailed the metal husk of the mysterious stranger as best they could, until he himself came up close yet again; close enough yet again to fire at.

But as I took my aim, the metal husk lit up in a certain spot, and emitted a sharp stream of light at me, which flew through the sky quick as a bolt.

“Watch out!” Chara yelled, and I threw myself to the side, not dying of the light, but still feeling some of its heat.

I lied there for a second, but already, the next beam of light was emitted, which was aimed for Chara.

“Look up!” I shouted, but as soon as her head turned up to the sky, the light had struck her dead on, and she fell hard to the ground, moaning deeply.

“Chara!” I beckoned, running towards her. And already, I could feel my eyes wetting, prepared for the worst.

I knelt down over her, and held her up by her back with both arms, with my face so close to hers that we could practically whisper to each other. And that was what we did.

“Echthros, I don’t feel so good.” She said slowly, her eyelids heavy upon her tearing eyes.

“Chara, you need to hold on, okay? We can get through this.” I said, my voice becoming slightly louder.

“Echthros….. I feel…. so scared.” She said gradually, beginning to lose her voice.

“There’s nothing to be scared of. These people, they don’t know who they’re messing with, but we’ll show them very soon. And you’ll be a part of it.” I said, trying to reassure her.

“You were always…...so supportive and….so kind….. why couldn’t we have gotten closer…... in the first place?” She said, between grunts and hisses of pain.

“We were always close Chara. The only difference between now and a few years ago is…. well, nothing. Nothing at all. Even if we die, nothing will change how well we go together.” I continued, and she smiled.

“I…. love……..you……….Echthros….” She said, and then the smile went away, and her eyes shut, not moving from that at all. She was dead.

The harsh reality of it hit me quickly, and I felt something new, something which not even all of the previous troubles of my life combined could make me feel; not the lethal gas, not the ruined village, not even the burning of my own home. This was something else, a loss I could not possibly fathom, a loss which nothing could replace, but I tried anyways, and in the place of my unbound affection for Chara and her child to be, the family that would have one day been my own, there was a melting pot of pure, cataclysmic anger, an anger which was so intense, it burned me more than the gas ever could, more than even the thundering lights could, and more than even the black sun could.

This burning sensation went right through me, channeling all around my body, and out my eyes, which now burned like two separate fires, and also into the ground below me.

I strained every fiber of my body, my teeth clenching so hard it seemed as if they would break, and my mind so concentrated on their annihilation that nothing could phase me.

Then I could feel the ground rumble violently, hearing it crack all around me, breaking up…... and rising.

All the land was cracked deep, and there were a great many boulders, most of which were at least several times as large as I was.

Then suddenly, I let out a howl unlike any other, a roar which at the very least went in every direction for an unbelievably vast distance.

And also at that second, the boulders flied upward, like projectiles, aimed solely at the entire metal army, which over time, had grown stupendously larger, and almost blotted the sky.

But as the boulders flied upwards, sounds of fire and explosions rang through the darkened sky, and the metal husks spiraled downwards, plummeting into the land all around me as mere shards of their former selves.

By then the burning was too much, and not only was I scorched, but I felt immensely weak, falling to the ground… landing right next to Chara.

I watched as the metal shards fell from the sky, like a rain of fire, through my watered and dripping eyes, feeling the soft smoke run across my deteriorating skin, then suddenly, I felt a huge weight no my side, and saw on the sand beside me a red liquid pool up all over it: my blood, thick in size and deep in depth. And when I looked, I saw a metal fragment, stabbed right into me, which felt so heavy, on the side of which read letters I did not know.

The pain was too great, and I too grew ever so tired, my blinking eyes marveling at the face of my beloved, the one who had always been there for me. And now I had one last chance to say my thoughts, before I also fell to demise.

“I love you too……..Chara.” And then my eyes closed, and I saw nothing, a darkness which I had yet to grow accustomed to, and now I was to spend an eternity trapped by it. How could I? How…….could…….I…….