Judgement of Darkness
Stuttered out prayers echoed through the room, each whispered out plea swallowed by the surrounding silence. The sat on his knees as he looked out into the night, he begged to the divines for salvation… for any mercy they could bestow upon him. He wished for a saviour and forgiveness.
Though the shadows had already decided his fate as they listened and vowed to bestow the man’s rightful salvation upon him. A final act, a response to the deeds the man had committed to in life.
“Please, I pray to the Divine, Sovereign of the night. Hear me and forgive me. gods please bestow your mercy upon me, as I atone for my past actions and sins, they were never against you and I vow to work in your service, I will vow my life to you, my soul to you.” The man promised things that truly he had no power over, things that he couldn’t promise. Each word stuttered out into the night with urgency, as he knew he wouldn’t see the light of dawn.
Darkness slowly enveloped the room and choked out any light… any hopes of survival. From the shadows stepped a figure, the dark wrapped around them as if they were one.
“Your prayers are useless, those so called gods you pray to have long since abandoned your soul,” the figure whispered, their tone like the cold edge of a blade.
The man froze as he heard the other, only now did he recognize the chill that filled the room and the unnatural darkness that surrounded them. He was careful as he turned, cautious as he stared at the figure. He knew his time would come, he was prepared. “I do not fear death’s mercy.”
The glow of blue eyes through the darkness, the gaze held a certain finality to them as the shadows stepped closer to the man. “I am not Death-” the figure stopped and grabbed the man’s jaw as he forced the man to meet his eyes. “-and I do not harbor its same mercy.”
“Helsner-” the man choked out the name just as the frozen edge of a blade sliced across his neck. He didn’t have even a moment to react as his body collapsed to the ground and his soul was free though would never make it to the judgment of Death’s reapers.
The shadows sighed softly and watched, it was far from the true torture the man deserved for his crimes. Colden released the shadows and allowed the darkness to retreat to its natural state.
Colden pushed open a pair of glass doors and stepped onto the balcony. Power bled from him as he allowed himself to relax, the shadows and frost that naturally followed him dissolved. As he concealed his power he shifted to appear almost mortal, though his eyes, a pale golden that had a subtle blue ring around the center, would always give him away for being something far more. Though most people tended to notice his icy white hair and unnaturally sharp canines, before his eyes. Everything about his “mortal” mask was carefully crafted and practiced over several centuries. It was a second skin that at this point felt more natural than his true self. He kept his power repressed for so long now, to add to his mortal presence, that he wasn’t even sure he would be able to safely allow himself more.
Colden whistled sharply, magic infused in the call, as he summoned his companion to finish the job. The creature coalesced from the darkness, it appeared as something that almost resembled a wolf, but it’s larger size and the swirled markings that covered the creature’s coat made it clear it was far more than that.
“Whisper,” Colden called. He didn’t look back to the creature, he didn’t need to to know it was there. “Consume.”
As the command was given Whisper’s markings began to glow a blood red, it’s jaw hung open not to reveal simply it’s rows of razor sharp teeth but a dark empty void that consumed the souls of the condemned.
The man’s soul devoured by the wolf. No matter the punishment for the man it would never be enough, for the brutal torture and murder of mages… any death Colden could bestow would never be enough. But to prevent a such a soul from being reaped, that would have to be enough. After it finished, Whisper padded up behind Colden and bumped her large head against his back in a loving gesture for the ‘meal’ he had presented, just before she departed. The creature gone as quickly as it had arrived, only ever around long enough to ‘eat.’
The cool night air brushed past him, the cold a familiar comfort to him. He gazed up at the moon and well past it to the stars and the suggestion of other worlds that laid beyond. The night was silent and completely calm, the soft glow of the stars blanketed over everything with a sense of safety. Colden looked out to the sea below the cliffs that seemed to surround this land. It was all so far removed from his ‘home’ from Hiraien and the ruler-ship of his Empress. So far and yet not far enough from the Divine of ‘creation’ that so many worshipped. It had almost been 100 years, almost a blink of an eye, though Colden knew he wouldn’t be allowed to be away for long and one day he’d be summoned back to being his Empress’ obedient blade. The years felt so insignificantly short… but to Colden he cherished the time he was allowed and tried to slow down, focus on the short decades he had, rather than the eternity he’d continue to live for.