Prologue
Trigger warning: This story contains strong language, explicit content and violence. You have been warned. (And if you say you haven’t been warned, read the Prologue.)
An undetermined amount of time before present...
The wind blew, as two beings met upon a plain somewhere in Japan in Honshu. Whether it was modern Japan or not mattered little, as nothing but foliage surrounded them. The grass danced to the command of the wind, as the two beings looked at each other.
One being was clad in bright colour, mostly white and yellow, while the other one was clad in black and grey. With corresponding armour covering their bodies and faces, their faces were not discernible.
“Do you hear that, Angel? The horns of calamity are sound, as they ever were since the dawn of creation. Your precious world is diseased and rotten, tainted with my ideals,” said the being clad in dark colour, speaking a mysterious tongue.
“And yet our fight is not nearly over. This world and its inhabitants are not ready to give in to your temptations just yet, Demon King,” said the Angel.
“Excluding local conflicts, I have been losing my hold. But now... that changes. Your precious humankind is about to face a disaster beyond reckoning. And the best part is that it won’t be caused by my hand.”
“What are you saying, my nemesis?”
“I’m saying our fight is nearly over, Angel. For millennia, aeons we fought, both directly and indirectly. You are blessed for bountiful harvests and peace, while I’m cursed for disease and war. And yet, the roles are reversing. It appears you have granted them too much leisure, hahaha!”
“If you think I’m going to let that happen, you are gravely wrong. Humanity will never be under your beck and call. They’ll always choose love over hatred!”
“...as they say, exceptions prove the rule. It only takes one, or a group of beings to disrupt this nice little tower you built. One move... and it will come crashing down. All I offer is the truth. No white lies, no half-truths. The brutal, raw truth.”
The Angel put his hand up, as the skies twisted and sunshine broke through, as a spear descended and hit the ground, which he promptly picked up. He pointed it at the one opposite him.
“No more buying time. Answer me this, and only this: what is this disaster you speak of?”
“Don’t worry, my dear Angel. You will not miss this one. No one will. Every man and woman will be filled with fear and despair, and only those under my wing will feel joy and happiness, amongst other things. Now... let’s occupy you in the meantime, shall I?”
The ground shook, as the Demon King pulled up a blade from under it. Unlike the Angel’s spear which was bright and glowing with shine, this one was emanating the darkness from the void; nothing but darkness.
As the winds cut through the grass with their ever-presence, the Angel charged at the Demon King, full set on stopping this disaster by not killing the Demon King but stopping him. If he could do that, then maybe... maybe he could avert what he warned him of.
As his spear met his rival’s sword, for just a moment, the winds were overpowered by the sheer force of the two beings. The Angel clashed his spear against the sword but couldn’t break through the stalemate. The Demon King pushed back, as the force pushed them both back promptly.
Two beings, as if light and shadow were born on the same day. Opposing ideals, each fighting for a different cause. However, one was filled with pride, as the other garnered his desperation to avert something horrible.
It began raining and thunder could be heard in the distance. They charged at each other in anticipation, slashing, but perfectly dodging and parrying. The stalemate remained. Then, the Demon King jumped back and pointed towards the north-west.
“I told you, Angel. My hands won’t be sullied with anyone’s blood, as this is your mankind’s doing in its entirety. All you have accomplished today is exhausting us both. Now, let us watch the spectacle.”
“No! The world is finally regaining stability and harmony, and you suddenly say it’s all about to be shattered? Your twisted lies need to be put to an end—”
“Ah-ah. It’s starting. Be quiet now, and gaze.”
Somewhere in Mongolia near the border with China, upon another plain lit up by pure sunshine, the wind and sky began twisting and condensing. First, a shockwave formed by a strange purple energy blew over the plain. Then, an unknown force descended upon the surface in a perfectly sharp point resembling a funnel cloud.
As soon as it hit, a huge explosion instantly expanded, as it flashed in several colours: black, white, all colours in between and shades of purple. Soon, it swallowed the entire plain, as it reached the sky itself.
However, it didn’t stop, as it reached several settlements including towns and cities, first breaking all glass, then thrashing everything in the air, before finally swallowing it whole. The futile screams of its victims helped them naught, as they had but seconds to react.
Despair and terror gripped over their hearts, as entire cities were engulfed, reduced to ash. Even the satellites high above the atmosphere and astronauts aboard the ISS watched, unable to utter a single word. The scale of this phenomenon exceeded all other in history, only comparable to an asteroid or the deadliest atomic bomb.
It did differ in one thing though, as nothing was left in its wake. What it touched, was lost forever. In the end it covered most of the border and a chunk of Mongolia, bleeding into China. It was impossible to estimate the number of victims at the moment, but it was one of the worst disasters in the history of humankind.
The Angel stared helplessly, as he realised what was happening. He did not understand how or what but knew the consequences. He clenched his posture, as he charged at the Demon King and put the spear at its throat.
“What have you done, you foul spawn?!” he asked, clearly not in mood for any more chatter.
“Kill me, oh defender of “love” and what not. Choose hatred over those pathetic values which only delay the inevitable, deny the one truth you lot don’t want to face. Do this world a “favour,” and rid it of me, a tar pitch black taint!”
The Angel put the spear closer.
“What. Did. You. Do?”
“I told you already, Angel. My hands are clean. This time... I’ve done nothing. The same cannot be said for them, your precious children. They carried my ideals unto fruition!” the Demon King said, almost as if he hoped his words were true.
The Angel wondered if something like this could have been done by a human. Then, he put the spear away, and threw it back into the sky. He looked at the Demon King.
“I’ll never give in to despair, terror, hatred... But I will fight to protect what I love with all my being. That’s the difference between us, isn’t it? You’ve nothing to fight for, and even if you did, you wouldn’t care for it enough to risk your life and limb to save it.”
The Demon King readied his sword.
“Oh, but I do have a cause to fight for. My cause. The one which will always persevere when placed in a chokehold with yours. While yours...”
He charged at the Angel, who suddenly disappeared into thin air.
“Yours... will always be a futile fight.”
He looked mockingly at the shimmer of light, soon dimmed.
Years later...
In the deepest reaches of the void, an unknown light shone upon the figure of a girl woven in a white dress. She laid on the seemingly solid ground, as nothing but cuts of light lit up the dark around her, changing black to white.
After a bit of no motion as only the cold wind breezed her dress, she opened her eyes meekly, as if lacking the energy to shoot them open. A despondent look on her face reigned, as the darkness closed in on her, light dissipating.
She couldn’t utter a word, nor with her tongue or with her mind. She felt herself shooting through the darkness, cutting it to make way, as her dress dissipated and changed into a much heavier armour. Her hair tied itself down with a bow resembling a butterfly, as she saw a flicker of light.
Without choice she flew towards the flicker, as she was blinded by the radiant light.
All the while, another day was beginning on Earth. Three decades after the disaster, as it left its mark on humanity. The mark that was not simply good or bad, but soon would meet the hammer in a test to prove its allegiance.
This is where the story of many truly began. This is where the eternal battle between two beings went into overtime, but not quite in the same manner as it had until then.
To be continued...
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