Idiot. A complete and utter idiot. He’d literally followed a stranger into Hell, granted a pretty stranger, but a stranger nonetheless. As he fell through the seemingly unending hole, the small light from whence he came becoming smaller and less visible, he knew his thoughts shouldn’t be focussed on looking back, but faced with nothing but an empty void towards the unknown, it was hard not to feel just a little pang of regret.

After a time he started to enjoy the fall, only periodically remembering that there would be an abrupt and painful end to it. Being already dead and immortal did have it’s benefits, though to his dismay, pain was still as unpleasant as it was when he was alive. The point hammered home when he belly flopped onto a hard rock surface, his skin and bones reminding him that falling from great distances was not a clever idea, and severely reprimanded the behaviour with a high dose of…

“OW! uh…Good lord….that…hurt!” Leighton wheezed. His body couldn’t actually be harmed but his brain still thought it had been.

“Lei Lei!” that unforgettable voice rang out through the red cavernous underground, “You came! I knew you would!”

Leighton looked up and saw the smiling face of Kagami Rei staring back at him with an outstretched hand. He took it and she grunted in a most unladylike fashion as he was pulled up.

“So,” he said dusting himself off, “we’re in Hell.”

“Yup.” Kagami said, hands on her hips, quite proud of herself.

“Don’t you ‘yup’ me. Are you prepared for eternal torture? Cos that’s what’s going to happen. Look over there, unforgiving terrain with rivers of lava; waterfalls made of fire…”

“Wouldn’t they be called firefalls? I don’t care if they’re not because they are now!” Kagami said in wide eyed wonder as she meandered over to the flaming spectacle.

“Are you crazy…?” he looked at her and remembered that she had practically somersaulted through doors clearly marked ‘Hell’, “ok so I know that you have that whole charmingly quirky thing, but flames? Torture? Eternal suffering? This isn’t the crazy party that you imagined it would be.”

“I’m not getting tortured right now am I? Plus it looks deserted. Probably something to do with that Armageddon thing going on.” The white haired girl said putting a finger to her lip.

“Arma…that was happening when you died? Why didn’t you tell me?!” Leighton asked dumbfounded.

“You never asked.” Kagami shrugged, not understanding Leighton’s exasperation. Just then, a massive black and red mirror popped up, spinning in a very slow circle and from it came a blue chicken.

“Hey! New recruits? Well you’re in luck. There’s no need; we lost. Seven sins, big red dude, everyone. All gone. Heaven one, Hell zero, full time, we get the wooden spoon and a ‘great effort’ medal.” The chicken said looking up at them and noticing Kagami. “Nice set of legs lady, you would have made a good addition to Lusts’ crew.”

Kagami curtseyed, “Thank you my dear chickeny friend.” Leighton raised an eyebrow and blinked, long and hard,

“And you’re ok talking to a blue chicken, sure why not?” Leighton threw up his arms and looked to the purple lightning dancing in the black clouds, “I don’t think I’m dead, I think I’m on acid.”

“You,” the chicken looked at Leighton, “….I dunno Pride? Sloth? Something like that, those are usually the default ones. Ah sorry, force of habit. I’m the chicken that usually tells folk which division they’d be in. Pain in the ass job. Order ain’t really one of our strong suits here. Should have seen us trying to get out of the gates when the Amageddon bell rang. Sloth’s crew fell asleep and caused a multi-sin pile up. Not pretty. About a tenth of our forces were wiped out before we even got to throw a punch.”

“So you don’t need this place anymore then right? We can go adventuring here?!” Kagami asked excitedly.

“Yeah sure, I guess…Got a few guys and girls left around here somewhere. We were going to use them as ammunition but Gluttony was in charge of that and somehow managed to get himself stuck in the cannon…anyway, nearest bunch are in that cage over there so go have fun or whatever.” The chicken pointed in a general area and sauntered towards the portal.

“Wait wait wait. You don’t get to just pop in, randomly talk at us and then…” the chicken vanished along with the portal, “leave. Great, that portal could have been our ticket out of here and back home.”

“You nuts?! We literally have an entire world…no! An entire dimension all to ourselves! Make our own rules! I can rule on high with a horde of lackeys licking my feet! Mwahahaha!” Kagami said pointing to a mountain where she presumably wanted to make her castle and then cocked her head prettily as she thought of something else, “Hmm actually I don’t like the sound of people licking my feet. Maybe just a nice little village. With a casino! Oooh we need people! Let’s find that cage!”

Leighton allowed himself to be dragged by the girl though he made every effort to make sure she knew that he was unhappy about the whole situation. It’s not as if he wanted to be left alone in Hell but at the same time he wanted to curl up into a ball and cry. The mind numbing office work he had been doing before seemed much more appealing at this moment in time. Still, it was hard to feel depressed with little miss sunshine around.

After about 20 minutes of hopping, skipping, spinning and singing, Kagami finally found what she was looking for. The large cage filled with people. They looked fairly miserable, though that was to be expected all things considered.

“We should try and empathise with them, you know? Looks like they’ve been through….hell. We should let them know we are friends and…” Leighton suggested as Kagami stormed towards the cage.

“We are your new leaders! You shall follow us and do as we say!” Kagami pointed at them and stuck out her chest. Leighton smacked her across the head, causing her to bend over and rub it vigorously.

“You guys look like you could do with some help. I think the war is over and we’re pretty much stuck here. We figured we could make the most of it and….make a village or something.” Leighton hesitated at the sentence, realising just how ludicrous this all was. He was still expecting to wake up any second now.

“With a casino!” Kagami butted in and pushed Leighton to the side, “What say thee, will you aid us in our noble quest? Of course you will! It’s either that or being stuck in a cage right?”

“You can be downright evil sometimes can’t you?” Leighton said to her counterpart who smiled.

“When in Rome, you know.” She laughed and went to the giant lever and pulled on it to open the cage. The doors swung open and the people, around 30 of them, carefully stepped outside. It was a varied group and though dishevelled, it was easy enough to make assumptions over what type of person they were. Most were a little older than both Kagami and Leighton, around 25-35. The older people must have been put someplace else, or they were aged back to their prime. “Alright gang, here’s what we’re gonna do. We’re gonna rule this here dimension and make it a world better than the shitty place we were in before! I don’t know what you all are doing here and I don’t care. This ain’t just turning over a new leaf, this is going to be a whole new tree!”

“The term is from when you turn a page in a book…” Leighton said but it was clear she wasn’t listening. Not that it mattered, the point was made and there was a slow nod from all of the freed prisoners, which turned more enthusiastic as it dawned on them what an opportunity this was. The white haired girl really had a way with people, which made Leighton wish he was more like that.

“Right so, tell me what do you guys want to do?” Kagami said and sat on a rock swinging her legs up and down playfully.

“Well, I don’t know if you need houses but I was in construction before I…” a man with impossibly big forearms started and then was shushed by the girl on the rock, before Leighton jumped in.

“Construction? Well damn that’s perfect. He can help us with all sorts of things.” Leighton said enthusiastically. Finally things were starting to look up, but Kagami had other plans.

“Not what I asked my balding friend. What do you want to do? You have a whole eternity to do whatever you like and you want to do the same job you did back home?”

“Wait now just a second. It’s a really nice sentiment, what you’re saying and all, but first thing’s first. We need shelter and houses and things like that. We are in Hell after all and I know that chicken said that they lost but I dunno, I really don’t want to trust a talking blue bird. Whatever this guy wants to do can wait, we need to…” Leighton froze as he stared in Kagami’s stern and cold eyes.

“No.” she said with a sharpness reserved only from your least favourite teacher. Not only that but she was visibly shaking with anger.

“But Kagami it doesn’t make any se…”

“No!” she said again and looked away from him as if hearing what his next question would be, “You expect these people to live the same life they had up there? Anchor themselves to whatever shitty destiny they were told to have by society? Well not me! I’m going to be what I want to be here. I’m not going to waste my life again do you hear me? I don’t know if this is going to be permanent or if we’re just going to spontaneously combust or something, but I am not going to let my dreams die again!”

Leighton took a step back at almost each word as Kagami jabbed her finger into his chest. He’d been sent to the edge of a lava lake and could feel the intense heat biting at his heels. He knew he couldn’t die but the pain of the constant burning would be such that he knew he wouldn’t be able to get out due to the shock of it. He looked away from the lake and into the eyes of a torrent of emotion. Tears streamed down her cheeks and a grimace plastered her face. Her breathing was heavy and that carefree attitude was nought but a memory. He didn’t know what to say and just stood there frozen, unlike Kagami who was animated as she continued.

“If they want to be what they were before, then fine, but I don’t care if my heart is ripped out, if the person that could save my life would rather be the village idiot than a doctor, then I’d die a happy woman.” She turned, more slowly and measured, a vast contrast to the spin she would employ before. Her shoulders drooped and there was no bite in her step, merely a resigned walk to a boulder a bit a ways from the group, who had heard everything. Leighton was stunned into silence and deep thought. What had happened to her when she was living? One thing was for sure, it actually hurt Leighton seeing the bright, bouncy girl being anything except bright and bouncy. She sat down on the big rock with her back turned and looked at the bubbling lake of lava. Leighton walked over, knowing that this wasn’t about him or what he had said.

“I’m sorry.” Kagami said throwing a stone into the fiery liquid. “I can get a little…well you saw.”

“Hey if you weren’t emotional then you’d lose most of your charm.” Leighton said trying to get a smile out of her. “And I don’t think there’s anything to be sorry for. I think it’s a good idea…only…”

“Yeah. Only it’s stupid. I’d have a dancer trying to build a house.” Kagami said throwing another stone, “I just don’t want anyone else to go through being forced to do something they don’t like.”

Leighton looked over to the group who were chatting away with each other. It was strange that they just accepted them as leaders, though having freed them, he supposed it wasn’t that far fetched. Aside from the construction worker, who still had his gear on, he wondered what job they had before they died and if they were happy there.

“We are here forever, or it seems that way. I dunno, I think you might be right. Your little outburst seems to have struck a chord.” Leighton said pointing at the group. Sure enough the construction worker was telling a skinnier gentleman something as he jovially patted his scrawny arms. “Forever is a long time and there doesn’t seem to be any pressing need for shelter. I don’t see why we can’t all learn the trade. What else are we going to do?”

A smile came back onto the girl’s face and Leighton breathed a sigh of relief.

“Well there is the small matter of repopulating the place.” Kagami slyly grinned as she jumped off the rock and walked to the group, giving a cheeky backwards glance. Leighton coughed and laughed at the same time, then went quiet as he processed the thought.

The group started planning their houses. Materials were going to be an issue and the consensus was that there would be exploring to do. Groups were formed and they took notes of some landmarks so they wouldn’t get lost.

The expedition was relatively uneventful. It was clear that chicken was telling the truth as each group reported back having found a dark forest and an armoury respectively. All manner of weapons were brought back and used; not to fight but to build. Axes were used to cut wood, not limbs; hammers were used to flatten land, not heads; shields were used as shovels and swords used to measure. Of course there were bouts of ‘ninjas vs pirates’ and without fear of injury, the two teams had a blast tearing into each other.

As they built, they explored, freeing more and more people from ammunition cages and soon their little community became a village with over a thousand people in it. Kagami and Leighton were made into the leaders of the town, for no reason other than they had freed them. To the people they were heroes, compounded more by the fact that they had managed to organise enough to get a village built. True to Kagami’s word the people started doing what they wanted to do. The construction worker was now a singer, having gotten lessons from a Korean pop star, who learned English from a 5th grade teacher, who went on to write a few plays. Leighton realised that because people were doing what they loved, they didn’t ask for anything in return. There was no need for money as people were simply happy fulfilling their dreams. Of course there were trades here and there but all were keen not to repeat the same mistakes as they did back on Earth.

“Looks like more and more people are going to be found. It’s a pretty big dimension.” Leighton said nervously, clearly trying to work up to something with the girl, who looked off to the horizon. They lived in a miniature castle, which had taken Kagami and Leighton most of their time to build. Occasionally people would help them out, but only if they wanted to – on the whole they built it themselves, Leighton being sure to keep it on the same level as the other houses. He didn’t want anyone to think that they were better or worse than anyone else.

“Yup.” Everything was taking care of itself and Kagami was getting restless. “I want to do something. I don’t want to waste my time like I did on Earth.”

“What was it like for you up there?” Leighton finally asked the question that had been nagging him all this time. She sighed and shook her head.

“You don’t want to know. It’ll freak you out.” She said with a half smile.

“Ok now I have to know. Tell me!” Leighton said tickling her side. They had grown much closer and familiar with each other over the months, though neither instigated anything above playful friendship. She giggled and snorted whilst flailing her arms like a crazy person before sighing again, but this time nodding her head.

“Leighton, when I died I was an old woman. I had been married twice and had 3 kids. I got pressured into getting married by my parents. Traditional marriage with all the bells and whistles of a good ol fashioned Japanese shin dig. It’s not that I didn’t like the guy, I just didn’t love him and by the time I realised that it wasn’t what I wanted, I had my first child and then it was a constant battle to stay married. We both were unhappy, got divorced and then I was forever looking for love – or at least someone who wasn’t a dick to my kid. Hard to find honestly. Then it was one heartbreak after another and before I knew it, a shining ray of light hit my house and blew it up with little old me still inside it.” Kagami took a drink of the black juice they had made from the Dark Forest tree leaves. “That’s why I had that outburst that time. I just couldn’t bear to see someone do what they didn’t want to do.”

“Are you happy now?” Leighton asked, hoping for the answer she gave.

“You kidding?! This is amazing! I’m leader of Hell!” Kagami grinned. She didn’t seem like an old woman. Her heart was still young, which went well with the rest of her. She was revitalised with the opportunity to do something with her life. “So, you’re not grossed out that I’m actually an old lady?”

Leighton paused, “What year did you die?”

“2065, why?”

“I died in 2014, which means you were probably only a little older than me when I died right? I was just stuck in that strange limbo for so long before you rescued me.” Leighton said to which Kagami nodded slowly, “Not that it matters, I lov…like you for you, y…you know…?”

The last part of the sentence was meant to come out a lot smoother than he intended but he had flustered himself with his slip up. Kagami picked up on it.

“Oh I think I know,” she said and walked away towards a wooden door with sparkles on it. “I think I figured out something to do. I…might need your help with it.” She said taking the ponytail holder out of her hair and looking back with that devilish grin before disappearing into her room. Leighton stood looking inside the room as the lights went off inside it. Once again he followed her through a door into the unknown.

The water was cold. The toes of her right foot swirled in the muddy delta of the Mississippi, and her left in the Gulf of Mexico. The names themselves were relics of the old world. There were ships here once; wood and sails from France, great floating castles built from trees, and then Spaniards. Before the flood, the American city of New Orleans stood not far from here -- buried now in blood and water, miles from the shore.

Porta Villa would join her soon under the sea. Her people would die, screaming in the fire or floating lifeless in the ebbing tide, or torn flesh from bone from soul like so many others. It didn’t matter. No help was coming; no hope remained; life set with the sun and the moon brought death and despair and carnage and pain and blood. She could not see her tears in the water now, but she knew they were there; hers, and others.

“Agatha.”

She recognized him from his voice. There were so few voices left.

“Agatha, we need you.” He was choked by something unsaid. She didn’t speak. “What are you waiting for?” He was full of pain, and fear, and anger. “They’re not coming. They're never coming again. We're all alone, Agatha, and we need you. Now.”

Her eyes were too tired from crying to move. Her voice was shallow and soft. “Why?”

What thin measure of reserve he had broke. He fell to his knees, trying to stifle his own sobs and failing. “God damn it, Agatha,” he cried. She crawled towards him, and he towards her, until she was cradling his head on her shoulder. He let the rifle slide off his shoulder, and she held him close. “God damn it,” he said again, and again, and again.

The glow of red and orange crested the hills to the west, and the time was close. “Michael,” she whispered. “We’re going to die.”

She must have cried again, because when they found their composure again they found it together. Agatha couldn’t say when it started. When they were finished, Michael pressed a pistol into her hands and stuffed a loaded magazine in her belt. “Come on,” he said. He clamored to his feet looking tired, so tired, and he helped her up before scooping up his rifle.

They trudged through streets the living had deserted. Some fled across the gulf with the trader convoys to Havannah. Some struck east across the wild, heading for the cities on the coast; a few tried north along the river, but their bodies washed down through the Delta less than a week later, naked skeletons wearing tatters of flesh. All who fled carried the same words with them, “NOT SAFE: THEY ARE HERE.”

“It’s raining,” Agatha said. She didn't know why she said it. “Not here, I mean, it’s raining in the Gulf.” A stupid thing to say. Michael was quiet. They walked passed the Morrigans, dead in the street -- the girl, Miriel, was face down and soaked in wet filth, an exit wound in her back. The mother and father were on the porch, tangled; he had a pistol in his hands. Michael eyed the weapon, but he didn’t move to retrieve it, and neither did Agatha. It wouldn’t have made any difference. “Lots of rain,” she said when they were past. “Ocean rain.”

They walked in the shade of a wooden palisade until coming to the gate. Eric and James were digging out a trench. It already stretched the full width of the opening, and kept running underneath the wall in a meandering curve. Nobody told them to stop, so it seemed as if they just kept on working. Others were in various states of readiness. Some, like Louis and Troy, stood watch or paced up and down patrol routes outside. Some had formed a circle, holding hands, and Andrew led them in prayer. Some trembled; some calmly thumbed bullets into magazines and laid them across the trench. All wore the same expression.

Agatha stared at the woods to pass the time. There was black soot in the air that smelled of flesh. The garrison started the blaze. It was always their last resort to burn out the horde; only it didn’t work. The winds changed, and the fires moved too quickly. The garrison never came back. Maybe they were dead; if there truly was a god in heaven, they died in the blaze. The unflinching horde marched on, over ash and bones and their own slain. She didn’t like to picture it in her mind, but she did. She wondered what Michael was picturing in his mind, but it was too silent to ask.

The silence didn’t last.

It was a scream first, an inhuman low howl that echoed down the wooded hills. It won’t be long now, she thought. One by one, voices joined the screaming chorus until seemed the whole orange horizon was roaring. Louis and Troy ran back to the trench and took positions, breathing hard and saying nothing. Eric kept digging. The woods were cleared for hundreds of feet ahead of the palisade, and in the starlight it was hard to make out the edges of the woods. Straining her eyes, Agatha felt like every shadow was one of them. Every minute, a hundred shadows twitched and shambled and screamed in the distance. It was hard to breathe.

It was an hour of waiting, then they came.

They danced across the clearing, and then poured out of the woods. They ran with great uneven strides, or slithered across the ground with fragments of bodies gone. The ones with lungs screamed that unearthly bellowing roar of curtled blood and cracked bones and animal hunger. They were so many. Winston opened fire first, and a volley of guns joined him. Soon they were all shooting. The night creatures fell, and kept coming on hands and knees. Agatha felt their lifeless gaze on her. She fired, and fired. Her shots struck a creature, and seemed to draw it closer. She shot it again, and again, until her weapon stopped and clicked, and the monster kept coming. It was so close now, she could hear the air wheezing through holes in its chest. Its face was a burnt and bloody void, little more than a cheekless jaw clacking under charred nostrils. Michael shouldered her out of the way, stared down his rifle, and fired. The creature’s black skull exploded into mash. Its jaw snapped once more, and was still.

“Reload! Agatha, reload!” He must have said it more than once. There were so many of them now. Agatha numbly ejected the magazine and fumbled for a new one. The creatures carried the fire now in their flesh, running from the trees with wild arms and shrieking towards the settlers. They set the fields ablaze, scorching crops and grass and barns and bodies. More and more and more again they came. Agatha was crying again, from fear and smoke in her eyes. She tried to shoot, but the gun wouldn’t fire. All around her the settlers were coughing, firing, shouting, screaming, dying. A creature tumbled into the trench, dead, and Michael fell on it, cursing and beating it with his rifle. Somebody yelled, and a second monster lurched over the lip of the trench, broken to ribbons from gunfire and somehow still moving. It struck Michael, and he lost his balance; then a stray bullet took him in the chest, and he was gone. Agatha screamed.

She didn't remember climbing out of the trench. She felt hands on her, and she ran. She was in the street now, stumbling mad and coughing. The smoke was too thick; she tripped and fell, wheezing. The wooden pallisade was ablaze now, retching grey clouds into the village that curled and climbed and swooped. Sparks and soot rained down all around. Agatha crawled, desperate and dying, coughing and vomiting from the sick air. She heard a crashing sound, and looked; a piece of the wall tumbled inwards, consumed by flames, and through the gap a dozen of the vicious creatures swarmed in. They were blind and blazing, and where they ran the fire followed. The inferno crackled and laughed. She could not hear the fighting from the trench over the roar of the flames. Agatha didn’t want to burn.

She staggered to her feet and ran, for a few steps, before collapsing. Then she crawled, and crawled until she could stand again, and run, and fall. The stench of pine and flesh was everywhere; the heat of a furnace that had already consumed the wilderness and the town and her friends and the monsters, now bearing down on her with all its force and fury. She was too weak to crawl now, but she slid inch by inch on her belly, and rolled, and coughed blood. There were stone steps leading down to the docks, and she tugged herself over the edge, smacking her face on the smooth rock and feeling nothing. She lay at the foot of the steps, trying to breathe. The air was better here. She could smell the blood on her lip, taste her teeth loose in her mouth. The dying scream of Porta Villa burning in the night.

Everyone was dead.

When she could move again she scrambled for the shore. There was no sound to hear but the crash of the settlement crumbling into coals. The blaze sent an erratic shadow twisting and lurching ahead of her. She fell to her knees more than once, but stumbled on. The ground beneath her feet went soft, and gave way to sand. A few more steps, and she splashed into the Gulf, falling and twisting and fighting to keep moving. Behind her was the deathly screaming roar of the dead -- dozens of them, hundreds, seething and chasing. She kicked and slapped the water, thrashing and squirming and throwing herself further and further out to sea, struggling for breath and weak. She had blood in her mouth and water in her lungs, and now she coughed and sputtered and sank beneath the surface. Then clawed her way back up, gasping, and sank again. Her eyes stung. She reached and reached but the current pulled her down, and when she breathed again it was daggers that filled her lungs. She couldn’t scream, couldn’t move, as her body slowly came to a stop in the murk. Her eyes closed, and opened, and closed again, and she felt the soggy floor beneath her feet as everything went dark. The water was cold.

Hal Brighton puffed angrily on his cigar, glaring at the man seated across from him. "We belong here as much as you," he grumbled.

His brother smirked. "Hell if I care. I control this island now, not you. Father's dead, and so is your little democracy. I'm in charge here, I have the power, and if you and your people don't leave within two days' time, I will send my men down to cast you into the sea themselves."

Hal pushed himself out of his chair and slammed his hand on the table between them. "We've been at peace until now. Why suddenly kick us out?"

His brother laughed. "You know this island as well as I do, Hal. There's not enough resources to support the growing population."

Walking down the main street of the town he'd kept running for the past twenty years, Hal sighed as he remembered that argument two days past.

The preparations had been frantic as his people had strived to set up their ships for a prolonged, open ocean voyage. Overall, he controlled a fifth of the island, and a quarter of its population. It was far too many people to move easily, and he knew that even once they set sail, they'd have little hope of survival. In all the books and histories stored up in the century that this island had been colonized, nowhere had an island been found large enough to support this big of a group. They did not know in which direction to go, and far less how long they would be at sea.

Still, they had made provisions as best they could. Five ships they had managed to pull together, each refitted for the open ocean and the cargo they would have to bear. The smallest, the Salvation, carried tools and weapons, and acted as their scout. Then came the Vigil, filled with food. The Savior, bearing livestock. The Heritage, containing a conglomerate of grain, medicine, scrolls and books, and any other supplies. And finally, the ship that he was to commandeer, the Refuge, which carried his people, as best it could.

The street down which he strode was empty. Not a living soul remained, as all were either down by the docks, making certain of their final preparations, or seeking shelter, hoping to join Hal's brother's side of the island unnoticed. Hal did not blame them; they were merely doing what they needed to survive, and he was not obliging any of his people to go.

Still, most had preferred to follow a just leader into the vast unknown than to suffer under the rule of a cruel dictator.

It did not take him long to reach the docks. The fleet—no, his fleet—sat in its berth, ready to set sail. Each ship had finished loading, waiting only for his command.

Slowly, languorously, he climbed aboard, and they set off.




She smelt the salty breeze as it blew past, shivered at its cool touch. Her keen eyes were intent on the far horizon, as she stood stiffly at the prow of the ship.

She turned with a sigh, and tread her way down the Refuge's deck.

She sauntered her way through the crates and barrels littering the boards; the two tall mast, their sails pulled taut by a powerful southerly wind; the sailors working the lines and the deckhands watching them toil.

Nearly a fortnight ago, they had set sail from their native island, accompanied by four other ships, after their group had been banished by the island's dictator. With the choice between either exile or execution, they took as much as they could and left on the five ships available to them; the Salvation, the Vigil, the Heritage, and the Refuge.

Now this fleet was out in the middle of uncharted oceans, searching for a new land to inhabit. A total of two-hundred thirty human beings were spread amongst the ships, each categorized by the vessel they were assigned to. Informally, they referred to each other as the salvagers, the vigilantes, the savages, the heretics, and the refugees.

The girl climbed up to the quarterdeck to report her findings to her captain. Leaning against the railings at the stern, he was casually chatting with the helmsman standing behind him. He was a tall man in his late fifties, well-built and strong, though his hair was already almost gray. He was badly shaved, as always, and with thick bags under his eyes. Of all those who'd been forced to flee the island, he took the greatest strain; for it was he that had built their civilization there, and it was his brother that had banished them.

He caught sight of her as she approached, and greeted her immediately. "Ah! Eleanor. How goes it?"

She threw her arms up in exasperation. "Commander Brighton, sir," she stated, formally. "You know I dislike being called that."

He winked at her as a grin spread across his face. "Oh, of course, Elle, of course. So, what news do you bring?"

Elle was a young girl, thought to be around seventeen. Orphaned at a young age, she'd been raised by her brother until he'd been lost at sea a decade ago. Since then, she had made do with other youths on the streets, until she'd been apprenticed by Brighton himself. Petite, slender, and soft-featured, her brown hair hung straight from her head and reached past her shoulders. She extended an arm towards the bow. "Storm-clouds, about a day and a half distant."

He considered her wryly for a moment, took out a brass telescope, and looked for himself. "Good eye," he muttered, bringing the telescope down, "but bad estimation. That cloud is moving far faster than you assume." He raised his voice to draw the attention of the crew on deck. "Storm coming. Tie everything down, get the children below decks, prepare the sails!" Turning back to Elle, he motioned towards the other ships. "Could you signal them? I have important matters to take care of."

She accepted, and Brighton strode away, leaving her with the helmsman. She took the mirror hanging by the railing and began to flash the light of the sun in code to the neighbouring ships. They soon took notice, and prepared their own vessels for rough sailing.




The Salvation was under constant barrage in this powerful storm.

Of all the ships under his command, it was the smallest, and Brighton could see that it was struggling against the waves.

Pulling his overcoat tighter across his shoulders, he rushed forward to his first mate. "WE NEED TO GET OUT OF THIS STORM!" he shouted over the pounding rain. "I DON'T THINK THEY CAN HOLD OUT MUCH LONGER!"

His first mate, a young man who'd served as many years out at sea and had far more experience than his superior, shouted back at him. "WHAT THE HELL DO YOU WANT ME TO DO?" He pointed out at the raging waters. "I CAN'T JUST MAKE ALL THIS DISAPPEAR. WE'RE JUST GOING TO HAVE TO PUSH THROUGH TILL IT'S OVER."

Dismissing him, Brighton looked around at the rest of his crew, making sure they were all working properly and safely. He'd had them all tie themselves to the masts with a long rope, so that if anyone were to fall overboard, they could be pulled back up.

He saw a slight form leaning against the starboard railing.

"ELLE!" he shouted, rushing towards her. "ELLE! GET BELOW DECKS!"

As he reached her side he saw—as he had correctly assumed—that was not tied down to anything. He grabbed her shoulders. "ELLE! YOU NEED TO GET AWAY FROM THE EDGE."

She didn't move, staring at the Salvation. Suddenly, a resounding crack! blew forth, and they watched as the smaller vessel's mast snapped. Elle screamed as the ship began to drift away from the rest of the fleet.

Brighton grabbed her and pulled her away. "THERE'S NOTHING WE CAN DO FOR THEM. ELLE, COME ON. THERE'S NOTHING WE CAN DO."

She gave in and went with him, crying the whole way.




Elle sat silently in the crow's-nest, staring at out the horizon.

It had been five days since they'd lost the Salvation. The image was still stuck in her mind as if she were watching it now. Dark as night, thick clouds rolling above, rain pounding down at her eyes and almost obscuring her vision entirely. The small sailboat losing ground, falling back further and further away from the rest of the fleet. Its mast falling down and smashing down on its deck and knocking people into the sea. And then, in an instant, the whole scene engulfed by the darkness.

Her best friend had been on that ship.




A week more had passed.

They had reached land.

Brighton had had the ships moor in a small bay on the western shore, and now they were all unloading.

Crates littered the shoreline. People bustled about, carrying materials, rowing dinghies to and from the ships, and setting up tents for the night.

He saw Elle, standing immobile at the edge of the encampment, gazing flatly into the trees bordering the beach. He walked over to her.

"Hey. Eleanor."

She didn't respond.

"We can make a new beginning here. We'll pull through."

She turned to face him and looked deep into his eyes. "I know. But sometimes, you just don't want to make it." She looked back into the forest. "Don't want to make a new beginning." With that, she set off into the brush, not turning back until she was out of sight. "All I want is an end."

The coming twilight settles its tired eyes,
as the wind blows in sheets of ice.
Three moons garner for attention, silently,
in a horizon bereft of beauty.

Graves of ancestors long gone,
the headstones of warriors, those unable to atone,
under a long-lost sun, they rest, alone.

Tinged with regret, these descendants
The ire of the others, their only inheritance.

Countless times they have fled,
countless times they have bled.
Their children know no peace -
their sheep are not theirs to fleece.

The destiny of nomads with no real home;
the destiny of brigands, living on blood and bone.
Their destiny, carved on others' stone.

"Close your eyes."

Andrew complies. An immediate chill crawls up his spine, greeting him as the gloom always does. Soft brushes of darkness tickle his flesh, summoning goosebumps, sweat and heavy breathing. Andrew continues to will his eyes closed, clenching his fists in an attempt to reject the shades swirling around him.

“Do you want the light?”

Quickly nodding, Andrew’s clammy face is soon met by the warmth of a lit torch, the light of its flames piercing his eyelids. Silently thanking her for this small comfort, he continues to resist the urge to open his eyes.

Several minutes of silence pass by uneventfully. Then, for a short moment, something seems to move between him and the torch’s glow. “What was that?” She doesn’t answer. Another movement cases Andrew to flinch. Several shapes pass by, each one bigger than the last, before the light is suddenly extinguished completely. Screaming and falling back, Andrew crawls to the tent’s curtain and throws it open.

Overwhelming light almost blinds him. As shapes begin to form, Andrew looks up to the entrance of the tent and is greeted by the sight of the village’s chief, Norris, and several of the village’s Hunters. Some of them laugh, others shaking their heads in disgust. Trying to calm himself, Andrew has to look away as Norris kneels down and quietly says “Sometimes I think that I may be wrong about you, that I should allow you to take the Hunter’s Challenge. And moments like this assure me that I’ve made the right choice.”

As the men walk away, Andrew lies silently in the opening of the tent. Now closing his eyes to hold back tears of anger, he feels a soft hand on his shoulder. “I’ll light another torch. Come back inside.”

“No.”

Before she could respond, he was gone.


Climbing from the water, Andrew shivers. After covering himself in sweat during that session with Erin, he had to get clean. Perhaps the remarks made by Norris made him feel more dirty than that, but that had temporarily washed away as well. After dressing himself, Andrew begins the walk back to the village.

Despite the solitude of the path, the lights are enough company for Andrew to feel safe. The caverns that contained his village are full of monsters, beasts and other dangers, but they would not step foot in the light. In a way, the creatures of the dark feared the light the same way Andrew feared the dark. Almost like Erin, he thought. The girl was, like him, abnormal. He, the darkness-fearing orphan, was an odd companion for the girl who only knew the darkness.

Erin was blind. While Andrew was forced to live on the streets of the Capital, she was forced to live in an abbey outside the city walls, trained by the Sightless to become an Oracle. After the Capital was sacked by the invading armies of Dran, the few survivors regrouped and found the abbey almost completely abandoned. From what Erin told Norris, the godly men who pledged their lives to their lord had left her behind. He allowed her to join their group so long as she found a way to be useful, and despite his personal disdain for the religious she was welcome to advise those who needed spiritual guidance.

While the abbey was large enough to house the Capital’s displaced people, Norris knew that the invaders were not gone from their land and would eventually find them. It was Erin who showed him to maps the Sightless had left behind, instructions that lead to a large system of tunnels the Sightless used to bring would-be Oracles to. The believed that surrounding one’s self in total blackness would allow them to only see the light of God, but when the wildlife of the underground began attacking them the Sightless simply brought the children to the abbey’s basement level and snuffed out the torches as a safe alternative.

Norris, and many other members of the group, were former soldiers. Feeling confident that his men could fight off any monsters, he decided on the spot that they would rebuild a village underground to stop the Dran from finding them. As it turned out, Norris was right to do this. With the supplies they still had and a forest all around the entrance of the tunnels to get wood from, the newly formed village was founded and named Lumen, which translated in the Dran’s language to the word ‘light.’

Now, over a year later, the day most of their people died is becoming a distant memory. For Andrew it was easy to move on; after years of being treated like filth when all he did was not die of the sickness that took his parents, he almost smiled at the sight of the Capital burning.

As Lumen came to view, Andrew began walking faster. Not even the cruelness of the Hunters that loved to tease him could stop him from feeling safer in a village filled with light. Making his way to the table by the Butcher’s tent, Andrew waved at the man behind it. Willy was a short, wide man who liked to eat, and so it was his passion to prepare food. “Hello, Willy. Do you need any help?”

“Not right now. I did hear about your latest... run-in with the Hunters. Erin was looking for you.”

Andrew sighed, the shame of how Norris treated him in front of the Hunters coming back to him. Willy set his blade down let out a sign of his own. “Why do you continue with her, Andrew? They’ll never accept you.”

“I continue,” Andrew quietly says, “because I am not a child. I haven’t been a child for a long time. I’ve fought for the ability to eat, to keep warm on a cold night, to survive, but all under the light of the moon and between the walls of a city. Here, I have been driven from confident vagrant to whimpering adolescent. No light will come for me when I need it, so I need to live without it in the dark. I know that I can handle myself when confronted, but I need this terror to leave me.”

Willy nods. “Alright. You need her help, but from how she was acting I think Erin needs your as well. Go speak with her.”

“Thank you for understanding. I’ll be back later.” Walking away, Andrew took a moment to look at the village before him. A series of huts and tents, some patched together from repurposed clothing, took up a small portion of the large cavern’s space. From what one of the survivors, a scholar, told Norris, the river Lumen was build against used to be a very strong and large river that shaped the entire cavern before it dwindled down to what it is now. Considering the fresh water coming through at all times and a herd of sheep Norris’ men brought down with the group, the only thing needed from the surface was wood. With a few of the several tunnels connected to the cavern leading to the surface, it would be impossible for anyone on the surface to notice the amount of trees cut down for Lumen’s supply.

Near the center of the village, Erin’s tent stood out. Even Norris’ tent was barely large enough to allow for more than a few people, but the grateful villagers saw the creation of Erin’s gigantic tent as a way of giving back to their god. Despite not needing the room and protesting their kindness, she had the largest and most pleasant to look at home of anyone in Lumen. A bittersweet thing for a blind girl to have, Andrew would think to himself during his usual visits, but now he was only thinking of what she had done to him in their session.

Entering the tent, he found her sitting alone. For a moment, her eyes were open, but before he could blink she had closed them. When Norris found her in the abbey, she was wearing a traditional Sightless blindfold, but after she joined the group and left that home behind she chose to simply keep her eyes closed. Andrew always supposed that was a statement against the teachings of her old masters; if they abandoned her, she would abandon their ways. Now, having for the first time seen her eyes open, he wondered if that was the case.

She spoke before he could. “I’m sorry for what I did, Andrew.” Standing up, somehow with grace, Erin stepped towards him. “You had, in the past, told me in confidence that you could feel the darkness around you. I believed that it would help if I allowed you to see your fears by waving my hand between the torch and your closed eyes, but all I did was make the fear more real.”

“What you did,” Andrew countered, “was play games with my perception.” He looked at the discarded torch Erin was sitting by. “By manipulating me with that trick, all that you did was show me something I already felt. I don’t need to see the shadows to know they exist. That sort of deception should be left for those who don’t already believe in their fears.”

“I don’t know what else to say to you, Andrew. I know that what I did was wrong-”

“No! You don’t understand. I’m not angry because you frightened me. I’m annoyed because you played your game instead of helping me focus on being in darkness. I was feeling confident until then, like I was making progress, and then it was all thrown away for the sake of your trick.”

“So you feel that I’ve wasted your time?” A small smile from Erin showed that all of the tension between them was gone. “Well, then. I have a few ideas of what we could try next. You were confident with dim light. We should start there and slowly make your surroundings darker before they’re completely unlit.” Without asking if he was ready or willing to do so, Erin sat back down and waited for him.

Andrew sat across from her. “Wait. Before we do this, I have a question.” Erin tilted her head inquisitively. “When I entered the tent your eyes were open...”

She nodded. “Ah. Yes. You’re wondering why I’d bother to do so?”

“Yes.”

Erin grabbed a nearby candle. “I used to be able to see, according to my parents. I don’t remember having any sight, but from what they told me I lost it over time. I met several people at the abbey who only saw blackness, but others, like myself, were able to see the difference between light and dark.”

Erin held the candle up, near her face, and opened her eyes. Instead of the colored circles and pupil, Erin’s eyes were large pools of gray. “The Sightless knew that there were different varieties of blindness, and this kind is known as the ‘light and dark’ affliction. They’d say,” she continued after a moment, “that the amount of light before me changed what I saw in a way similar to those who have their eyes closed.

“Like how I could see the torch’s light through my eyelids?”

Erin nodded. “Yes.” They sat in silence and she lowered the candle. After a moment she said “You asked me why my eyes were open. When I’m alone in the dark, I like to open my eyes and imagine that I’m simply surrounded by darkness and that is the reason I cannot see.

“I do see, though. When I dream, there are colors swirling before me. I do not know which color is which, or even if they’re colors anyone else has ever seen, but in my dreams there are colors. When awake, the minutes that pass by are not mine. I'm frozen in a gray fog that hides every second from me, and when I close my eyes to escape it my senses betray the lie I wish to live. Only in total darkness can I open my eyes and know that there's nothing to see."

For a moment Andrew did not breathe. This girl, this woman, was his confidant and mentor, but had never shared anything personal with him before. In the wake of what she told him, all Andrew could think to do was rest his hand on hers. A wave of peace washed over her face and all of the emotion that had gathered within her was gone.

“Well then. Let’s get started. Close your eyes.”


Andrew had just woken up and exited his tent when a loud, excited voice greeted him. “Andrew!” Turning around, he was surprised by the smiling face of Erin. “I was thinking of what else we could try with your problem.”

“Erin, we should talk about this in my tent.”

Nodding, she followed him inside before continuing. “You remember what I said about opening my eyes and seeing total darkness, correct?”

“Yes.”

“I spent a long time thinking about that last night. Then I came to the conclusion that we can’t truly test that in the village. Even without my candles or torches lit, there’s so much light just outside my tent that you must still be able to see some light there! All we need to do is get far enough away from the village that you can’t see anything with your eyes open and I think you will be able to face your fears with nothing between you.”

For all of the happy optimism her face showed, Andrew had none. “So you want me to leave the safety of the village to confront my mental fears in the wilds?”

“No, Andrew, I want us to confront your mental fears in the wilds. And you can bring a weapon. If you want to be a Hunter so badly, this is the first step towards that goal.”

Nodding in agreement, Andrew grabbed his bow and quiver. “Alright. Let’s go. If we walk past the pool everyone cleans themselves in, no one will know that we’ve left the village.”


Taking the first step past the pool of water, Andrew feels Erin rest her hand on his shoulder. “Tell me when you start feeling uncomfortable, she whispers.” A moment later she laughs. “With the darkness, I mean.”

Andrew smiles and his anticipation are replaced by pleasant thoughts about Erin. After a few minutes he suddenly sees that his surroundings are pitch-black.

“Erin,” he mumbles.

“Yes?” She asks, absentmindedly

“This is it. No light.”

Andrew feels Erin’s hands grab his. “Alright. This is good. This is what we wanted. Make sure to stay calm.”

The moment she told him this, Andrew felt the familiar chill. The lightless cavern around them suddenly came to life. Drips of water hitting the stone beneath them, winds passing through his hair, shadows grazing his arms and legs. The darkness seemed to constrict around him, putting pressure on his chest, making his skin feel tight. “We need to leave, Erin.”

And suddenly her hands were no longer holding his. “No. Andrew, you must stay here. We have to confront your fears.” Her voice echoed throughout the cavern, giving it an omnipresence that made Andrew even more uncomfortable.

“Erin! We have to go!”

“Keep your eyes open, Andrew, Don’t think of me. Think of your senses. What do you hear? What do you feel?”

Trying to calm down, Andrew focuses on the sounds around him. As he tried to push out the sounds of water and wind, a strange noise entered his ears. Scraping. Something rough against stone. Like stepping, but not a person’s feet.

Pulling an arrow out of his quiver, he tries to focus on Erin. “Erin, I think I hear something coming. Where are you?”

After a few seconds of silence, he hears a sharp intake of breathe. “I hear them, too.” Them? Her hearing is much better than Andrew’s could ever be, so he’d just have to trust her. “Stay where you are. I’m coming to you.”

Searching for more sounds, more scratching noises stand out to Andrew. The scraping must be the claws of some beast as it comes closer, preparing for an attack. A growl pierces his ears, almost making Andrew jump. In that moment, he hears Erin cry out and run towards him.

And then she falls over. Running to the sound, Andrew almost trips over Erin. Shaking her shoulder, he whispers to her. “Are you okay? Erin!” Resting a hand on her head, he feels blood.

Standing up, Andrew picks up his arrow and pulls it back in the bow. Waiting for more scraping sounds, he hears another growl. Trying to catch the beasts by surprise, he shoots the arrow in that direction and hears a yelp. Behind him another beast barks. As it runs towards, him, Andrew shoots another arrow and hears it hit the target, that beast not making a sound as it goes down.

Another chill creeps up, as if his fears don’t like to be ignored. The shadows swirl around Andrew, brushing up against him. Whispers of the darkness try to cloud his ability to hear. Giving up his focus on hearing, Andrew pays attention to what he sees.

His eyes have, for the first time, adjusted to the darkness. No shapes are clear, but he can see movement. Notching another arrow, he simply has to draw and release to hit the beasts around him. The swirling shadows become his air of confidence, the the whispers of darkness become the release of his arrows. As the moving shadows become fewer, Andrew’s sight grows stronger..

Now surrounded by the corpses of slain fears, only one moving shape stalks slowly towards Andrew. As it comes closer, snarling and growling, Andrew makes out the thin shape that made be an arrow. This is the first beast he shot, the arrow stuck in its side. Smirking, Andrew reaches for another arrow and feels nothing but air.

The beast pounces, knocking Andrew over. He pushes the bow into its face, trying to stop it from biting him, but the monster quickly breaks it apart with its giant teeth. Before he can get back up the monster is on top of him, trying to rip his throat out, Pushing his arm into its mouth, he tries to force the animal off of him but almost passes out when the monster bites down.

Left with no other options, he grabs the arrow stuck in the monster’s side and pulls it out. This close, he can make out the beast’s eyes. With the last of his strength, Andrew drives the arrow into the beast’s eye. As it falls over, it lets go of his now-mangled arm and dies.

Getting to his knees, Andrew looks at the sea of corpses around him and sees Erin still motionless. Crawling to her, he rests his bloody hand on her. She’s breathing. Andrew’s vision started to blur.


Sitting up, Andrew finds himself in Norris’ tent. The chief stands at the entrance of the tent, looking out at his people. “So you’re awake,” he says without turning back. “That’s good. With your wound we didn’t know if that would happen.”

Looking down at his arm, Andrew notes the heavy bandages and throbbing pain of the bite. “Who found me?”

Turning around, Norris laughed. “You found us. Some of the Hunters and I were on our way back here when you came walking past, carrying Erin on one shoulder and a dead wolf on the other, mumbling about the Hunter’s Challenge. It was probably the funniest thing I’ve ever seen.” He nodded to the foot of the bed. “Good work, by the way.”

Looking down, Andrew saw that both Erin and the wolf were in front of him. Erin slept peacefully, obviously waiting for Andrew to wake up. The wolf lying lifeless. Such an odd picture of gore and beauty, side by side. The monster and the damsel. “It wasn’t about being a Hunter. I was saving Erin’s life.”

“And that’s why you’re going to be a Hunter.” Looking down to Erin, who began to sit up, he smiled again. “I’ll leave you two alone.”

Erin turned her head towards Andrew. “What happened? Are you okay?”

Taking the time to assess his injuries first, Andrew noted all of the bumps, bruises and wounds he had before responding. A mangled arm, scratches and scrapes all over, a bump on his head from when the wolf tackled him to the ground, he was a wreck. Then he looked at her face. Erin’s eyes were open, and she probably didn’t even notice. Pools of light that pierced his soul and resonate within without her even noticing. With such a light inside him, Andrew knew that he would never be in the dark again.

Our New World


The purple gateway was growing in size, magical powers painting the innermost part of the cave in clear purple. The excited chirping of countless creatures echoed against the walls in the giant chamber. They were the members of many, many species. Everything from tiny imps in the front to giant krakens in the back. Golems of strange kinds on the ground and harpies happily swarming about the air. There were countless species, but they all went under a single word. Monsters.

They were all awaiting the completion of the gateway. With it, they would be able to escape the cruel world which they had lived in until now. Finally, they could have a world to call their own. Soon, the gateway had grown large enough. It seemingly exploded, purple power spreading through the room and showering all monsters in pretty magical lights. Many monsters grinned excitedly. There, in the wake of the explosion, was a portal… A portal to a new world. One lush and green, filled with the bounties of life. The Monster Lord rose, a powerful humanoid demon, complete with stereotypical horns and wings, rose before his brethren.

“We have done it. We will secure our positions in our new world. Enjoy my gift to you all, my kin. You are all free.” With that, a deafening cheer spread throughout the chamber and monsters started swarming into the new world…


What they found was a sickeningly sweet and perfect world, filled with forests, mountains, plains, seas, volcanoes and mystic temples and all a happy monster could wish for. Seeking out whatever terrain they desired, the encyclopedia of different monsters flowed freely to live however they wanted. Dryads and other forest-dwellers took refuge in forests. Mermen and other sea-dwellers dove deep into the sea. Dragons sought caverns or volcanoes for their own use. Goblins and some others could be found practically anywhere. Understandably, the local eco-systems were butchered by the sudden insertion of many carnivores, but they managed well enough to become a literal paradise for monsters. Most monsters required no buildings to live, they had no natural predators and the climate was glorious. It seemed like they had finally found their home.

However, a few days after the takeover of the monsters…


A goblin had alarmed his kin within their cavern. A large number of the beings started grabbing their hunting-spears and bows as they hurried through the impressively carved caverns they had found and made their home. A large amount of strange creatures they had never seen had been detected making their way towards their tunnels. It confused them. The goblins had no choice but assume a potential threat. They made their way out into the forest immediately outside their cavern and hid in the trees, ready for whatever circumstance while those on the ground tried to make contact with the strange beings. Soon, contact was made.

That marked the first contact between monster and human. Without knowing it, the goblins had made a mineshaft their home. Soon, working humans had come back. The goblins stood with ready bows, staring confused at the taller beings with white skin staring stunned at the smaller green creatures. First, the goblins started to shout angry words that only sounded like gibberish to humans. The humans responded with words in what was only gibberish to goblins. The humans started talking amongst themselves and they soon came to a conclusion. A single one of them, with a smile, strode forward with an outstretched hand to say hello to the goblins. One of the goblins in the trees mistook this and shot an arrow through his throat. After that, the humans fled with arrows chasing their every step. The goblins cheered their victory, not knowing a small army would appear three days later and wipe out their entire tribe. They in turn cheered, not knowing that they had triggered the wrath of monsters and a war on a greater scale than they could imagine.


Humans lived everywhere in this world. Mostly in cities gathered by coast-lines and rivers, but that hardly limited the spread of their civilization. Everywhere from in deserts to the base of volcanoes, in forests and on snowy reaches. They stretched everywhere in order to gather the resources they needed for their civilization to grow, which was why they soon encountered nearly every kind of monster. Countless monster-territories were breached by unknowing humans. Monsters reacted in turn. The encounters that resulted in death far outnumbered those that were peacefully resolved. Some might say that the conflict between monster and human was destined to happen as soon as monsters entered that world. Given, the monsters were the aliens in this case, the ones intruding on another’s world. Who was in the right?

The news of monsters spread throughout the human civilization. Understandably it was first discarded as mere fiction, but the weight of the situation soon dawned on them. There were monsters seeing the very existence of humans as a threat, very large or powerful such as dragons and vampires, who descended on villages or towns and destroyed them utterly. Discord shone through the lines of monsters, arguing that this was no different than what had happened in the past before this world. Many continued their violence towards humans. All that would be settled if humans would just realize they were overpowered and gave in to the new masters of the world. … But of course, they did not.

Using the symbol of divine protection as their rallying point, the leaders of man created the order of the Paladins, a holy squadron allowed to use the magic of the land to combat the monsters. They received countless applications from many, many people desiring to protect their homelands or simply get revenge for the slain. The forces of the Paladins quickly outgrew the army as the main defenses of humankind, and the counter-offensive was soon a fact. Aided by magical powers and great skill, many a monster fell before the might of the Paladins. Nest after nest of monsters fell to the stronger Paladins. Monsters were forced to rally into armies bearing their countless amounts of species to combat their foes, or else be killed. The two sides seemed evenly matched, and the war could end in equal extermination. However, discord was high among monster-line as this wasn’t the dreamland they were promised. They were forced to fight again, and the Monster Lord was nowhere to be seen. That’s when it happened. Directly after a meager Paladin victory deep within a mystic forest.


Strange goblins were fleeing, shouting in fear. The werewolves were pulling back, whimpering in despair. Medusas were hissing as they drew back within the forest. The Paladins had won. Cheers of joy were heard through the lines as the warriors of man hunted their fleeing opponents, cutting down every one too slow to escape. Their captain watched in grim determination as his men hunted the remnants of the monster force. Their chase carried them deeper within the forest, to a strange mystical clearing. Within, many smaller monsters were located. What looked like a family of Lamias, complete with parents and children, were entwined as if seeking each other’s comfort at one side. A miniature hydra watched them from the base of the largest tree. Many others, goblins and strange beings of all sizes… and ages. A town. The Paladins grinned among themselves. The captain dimly recognize the desire in his men. So he gave the order, and the men held up their sword to charge at the fearful and defenseless monsters…

“Stop what you are doing.” A beautiful woman said, standing misplaced in the center of the clearing. “These ‘monsters’ are innocent creatures that wishes nothing but to live in peace. Do not attack them, and they won’t hold grudges against you.” The Paladins, interestingly enough, did as she said. They stopped in their tracks, their swords maintained in a guarding position in case they were charged. Something in the woman’s voice made them obey… to a point. They were visibly confused and wary as they looked at her.

“What are you talking about!?” Their captain shouted at her, grim venom in his tone. “You have seen them! They raze our villages and kill our kin! They wish nothing more than to destroy our species and take this land for their own! Why are you, a human, defending…?” But doubt was already present in his gaze and mannerism. He had subconsciously understood. This woman… wasn’t what she appeared.

“I am no human. I am a succubus.” So she stated, not moving an inch and plainly stating her identity of a species known to seduce humans with her powerful magic. All while taking a whole platoon of Paladins on her own. Understandably, many of the men reddened visibly while lifting their blades in a trained manner. Those capable of magic were already weaving their counter-magic. A certain younger warrior screamed at the woman.

“Blasphemous filth! How dare you try to seduce us with your convenient lies!” He raised his sword as if he was about to charge, young eagerness to prove himself in his eyes. The woman stood silent, inspecting their reactions. But the captain noticed something. He held up a hand in front of the young warrior, a frown on his expression.

“Stop. A succubus powers stems mainly from her target not knowing she is one, and she’d never target a whole group of us head-on. She’s leaving her life in our hands.” The captain was not sure of what he was doing. However, he knew his facts, and those were presented. Of course, he was immediately shouted at for being seduced by her spells and playing into her plans and several other things. Perhaps he was. For now, he let her be. “Tell me, why does a succubus appear before us like this? Are you seducing us?”

“No.” The woman answered plainly. “If I were, you’d already be crawling before me begging for…” She thankfully didn’t end the sentence. A number of the Paladins openly showed fear and fluster at her casual remark. She sighed, clearly not in the mood. “I am one of few species of monsters capable of communicating with your kind. Others include foxes and vampires, but they are… more solitary. I was chosen to be the representative of the monsters who desire peace and coexistence with humans. Would you please listen to my words?”

Words of outrage and deceit were thrown around by the Paladins around. It was unthinkable that there were monsters that would want to coexist with humans. However, the eyes of the woman did not lie. The captain was experienced enough to know himself if someone was serious or not. She was slightly frightened, because of what would happen should they decide to kill her and the monsters around, but still hopeful and determined enough to stand firm and await their response. The captain took a breath of fresh air, and stated…

“Alright. Let’s hear them.”


The power of communication. A power which was lost to humans and monsters since coming from different worlds as they could not speak the same language. Only by the power of the succubus, a monster transforming using magic to adapt and seduce the other species could a monster finally learn the language of humans. But it was not used to seduce, but to deliver a message. A message that was delivered to the righteous man in the captain of that knew how to use it. Hearing her version, he realized how it could be possible to end conflict. Through communication and cooperation.

He left the monster settlement behind, intact, and brought the woman to the leaders of man, a council formed with representatives from each nation. There… the fruits of justice would be wrought.


“Gentlemen. Miss Drea here is a monster, and she might be the solution to our problem. She is an emissary from the monsters.” The captain said, as he introduced them to the beautiful woman who was, in fact, a succubus. The elderly men looked at him and the woman with harsh glares indicating that they were not buying it. Paladins were on site in case she tried anything, ensuring she couldn’t without dying. Seeing their doubt, the captain turned around to his companion.

“I believe it is time for you to show your true colors, Miss Drea.” The captain said calmly. The woman, with contempt for these men in her eyes, closed her eyes and let something loose. A small wave of power was emitted. Demonic wings spread out behind her, she became somewhat taller and her skin-color became mighty paler. Horns perturbed from her head, and her eye-color changed to true black. There might have been more changes under her clothes, but since the demon was a succubus the captain was glad she didn’t show them. With that, she had the hall’s complete attention. Now she was truly the emissary of monsters. She could now speak.

“Humans. Our two races have come to a bad start due to our individual differences. But we monsters did not come to this world desiring the destruction of mankind. We wanted peace, and a bountiful land. This was quickly proven difficult, but our desire remains. I have been chosen to speak for the monsters. Allow us to use me and my kind to communicate between our two species, and let us achieve peace once more. Please, would you give us a chance?”


After much talking, it was agreed. Neither side would profit from a longer war. However, it was known that many monsters and humans would never admit the other due to the lives lost during the struggle. It was decided that emissaries should be sent to speak to every single individual about this before the chaos could become more intense. Speeches were held for masses in order to reach every individual on the planet, monsters and humans. Many were glad to hear they could avoid more bloodshed, others screamed their anguish at the lies they were being fed. Still others didn’t care, they wanted to continue fighting for other reasons. Soon enough, succubi of different kinds along with some other races capable of human speech were assigned to towns and colonies of both sides, for the purpose of ending conflict. More monsters were being taught the language of man, and scholars of man tried their best to learn the language of monsters. But conflict simply could not be resolved that easily.


“How long has she been talking to that dragon?” The captain was asked by a sergeant as the two of them and a group of Paladins were watching the succubus talking in monster language with a large fire-dragon. It was quite the sight.

“A long time. Since it has taken so long, there must at least be a chance. I figure that she could…” Suddenly, the dragon was flying towards them in full speed. The confused Paladins quickly rose a magical shield to defend them from the flaming attributes of the dragon. The succubus was running towards them, screaming…

“It is no good! He won’t listen! Kill him…!”


Often, the monsters would not end their onslaught. Many times, the humans refused to stop hunting monsters. In both of these cases, measures had to be taken. The prisons were filled. Violent contenders had to be killed, often in very difficult battles resulting in more deaths. Some succubi betrayed their purpose and did what they are known to do, darkening their reputation. Entire monster or human armies went off on their own to kill the opposite species against orders. It was a dark time, one filled with pain, deceit, death and grudges.

However, where neither human nor monster wanted to fight, measures were taken. When neither fought, they could settle down. Monsters were helped to gain a place to live by friendly humans. Villages were founded, areas cleared and rooms of the recently dead reused. Monster villages were built, and trade began. In some villages, monsters and humans even lived together. Some humans or monsters desired to destroy these places, but many others were moved by this cooperation and rethought their motivations. It took many, many years… but eventually after many struggles the majority of the conflict was finally over. However, the dead would never return. They would have to serve as memory of what never to repeat. Now, there was only one last thing to do.


“Monster Lord.” Side by side with a legion of his new allies, on the end of a long journey. The captain addressed the large humanoid demon standing on the top of the mountain in the monster’s own language which he had learned from the succubus over time. “We have come to ask you why.”

“Why? Why what?” The demon replied with a grin. It appeared he was entertained by the force before him.

“Why you led your people to this world, and then abandoned them when they were threatened by humans.” The succubus said by the captain’s side, contempt as clear as that towards the leaders of man. “You promised us a world of peace and prosperity. We’ve been locked in war for so long. Why did you not help us?” It was clear she considered herself betrayed. The eyes of all monsters in the legion said the same, and many humans agreed. This individual monster was why this conflict had occurred.

“Help you? Didn’t I help you?” The grin was so wide and eager to speak. “You’re now living in peaceful cooperation with humans. You are producing resources and trading what you need happily. Your differences have been settled, and life continues. Heck, I’d even say humans are just another very populated species of monster.” He crossed his arms, nodding proudly to himself. The captain took a step forward.

“If that was what you wished for, then you would have told your kin about humans. You would have led your people to be prepared for the encounter. You would have defended your people when conflict arose.” With that, the captain now switched back to shout in human language. “Damn it, you knew this would happen, didn’t you!?” Rage was clear in his scream. He had every right to be angry at this large demon that was smiling down at him.

“Why, yes. I did, in fact.” So the demon responded mockingly, in human language. He had known it all along. “For this cooperation to be a success, I needed both populations be dragged down quite a bit. Either that, or you’d just completely overpopulate the resources, and I couldn’t have that. That would have resulted in an even worse war that would have been the end for this world. Not to mention you have a memory what not to repeat.” The demon smiled kindly down at them as if expecting to be completely excused. Everybody below stared up at him in contempt, showing that he was not excused at all.

“Alas, here’s the end of my journey.” The demon said, grabbing his chest with a clawed hand. “Miss Drea, you’ve done a wonderful job as my emissary, even though you didn’t know you were.” The succubus blinked momentarily in surprise. “I now appoint you the new Demon Lord. Be kind to our kin. Myself, I resign. Have a lovely existence, my children.” And with that, he withered away. Like leaves from an autumn tree his body shattered off into the wind…


“So, what now?” The captain asked, as they were walking back to their now peaceful homes.

“I take my position as Monster Lord, and we continue our lives. There will be plenty of conflict ahead, I will need your assistance.” The succubus replied, now with plenty of monsters around her guarding her and keeping her informed. The monsters appeared to have accepted the old Lord’s last command. The crowning of a succubus…

“Yes, I will. There will be less to do, though. For the better, I’d assume.” The captain sighed. The Paladins were hardly as active now as they were. Still, an army of sorts would be needed to maintain this peace. They could hardly have caught every offender.

“Oh, don’t say that. The Monster Lord requires plenty of healthy children, after all. I trust you to do your part.” The new Monster Lord replied slyly.

“Sure, I will… Hold on…” Before he could truly react, the monster had thrown herself into the captain’s arms and pressed her lips against his in a passionate kiss. There were none of a succubus usual magical enhancement of the experience, just a pure declaration of love. The captain soon recovered from his initial surprise, shrugged, and answered in turn. That was the first recorded instance of love between a monster and a human. But many had already occurred and, with the Monster Lord’s example, many more were to come.

And with that, the story of how monsters came to live in that world comes to an end.

The following is an account of Felicity Richmond and her crew's descent further into the circles of Hell. The mission they were sent forth to was to discover if expanding and establishing a colony in the abyss would be possible. It would, perhaps, offer new trade and housing possibilities if such were the case. This may have been a bad decision, given our findings after the fact, but it was a necessary risk.

Day 1 – Our Descent into the first circle – Limbo

We have set out in an exploration vehicle designed to handle many terrains, both expected and unknown. We are, however, uncertain whether it will hold up. I have no clue whose brainless idea this was, but we all came, all the same. Some to disprove the existence of hell, others to find out what awaits us, more still because the pay was just too damned good. Hell, I had my doubts myself, but when they drew out a value, all those zeroes were just too hard to say no to.

Here in the first level, which we have decided must be the fabled Limbo, there are many things that drift about listlessly. I say things, because while some are certainly human, others have faded away into simple shades. Many break down on their unplotted course and break down into tears, screaming out their regrets in this empty land. It is almost impossible to keep focused here, my own mind is becoming fogged with the sense of nothing about. Though, one of our group seems far worse for wear. A young woman by the name of Elliot. She was the most skeptic of us all; she seems to be taking this rather hardly.

Rick has a point, though, when he makes a comment about some of the shades' regrets being quite humorous, though. You never quite get used to shouted confessions for spam-mail.

Day 3 – Limbo

Elliot has broken down into a babbling mess. Her appearance is rather... off, as well. Perhaps we should send her back?

Day 4 – Limbo

Elliot has disappeared. I guess she was upset by Desmond's insult at her cooking.

Day 5 – Circle of Lust

To my great discomfort, we have broken into the circle of lust. This became rather apparent after what could only be described as a chorus of passion came into earshot. Rick appears rather uncomfortable being here. Maybe we should move through more quickly than anticipated.

Day 7 – Circle of Lust

All I can think is, “Just how are they doing that?” We came across a rather large group of individuals here and all we could do is gawk at the act going on. Most of us were too uncertain to go out and ask them just what was going on. The wind is far too strong. Rick, however, decided to volunteer. We are currently awaiting him back.

Day 7.5 – Circle of Lust

Rick has not returned. Two women in our contingent have offered to go out searching for him. One of them has a rather deep blush upon her face. I am unsure about this, but we have to keep going and I would rather not leave another behind.

Day 8 – Circle of Lust

We have decided to move on after the loss of 3 more of our crew. Whatever they are up to, God have mercy on their souls.

The decision was prompted on after a rather overexcited and large hellspawn decided to pursue one of our researchers in an attempt to mate with them. The scene, while amusing, resulted in a rather shaken scientist hyperventilating in the vehicle and exterior damage to the hull. Well, at least they weren't caught?

Day 11 – Gluttony

We've been within the realm of Gluttony for a day or two now and everywhere we look is ice and rain, ice and rain. Oh, and the occasional individual waddling across the ice like a penguin, trying to lift a pudgy hand filled with food to their face. One cannot help but worry about the weight bearing capacity of the ice at times.

Day 11.5 – Gluttony

Desmond is upset about the quality of food once more. Our latest cook, Peter, has taken great offense to his comments and attempted to shove the food down his gullet rather violently. Peter has been detained. Desmond has gone off to cool down.

Day 12 – Gluttony

Well, there goes another one... After Desmond failed to return last night, we attempted to move on, only to see him sitting in front of a pile of food, cramming it by fistfuls into his mouth. I really hope that pie is cherry flavored.

Day 16 – Greed

So far, Greed has been rather boring. People pushing rocks. People pushing slightly bigger rocks. Someone got angry when we approached their rock and asked about it. Thadius, the name of the rock, appeared quite valuable to them. Now I wonder if the rocks are sentient or valuable in some way...

Day 16.5 – Greed

There has been some tension on the vessel. Two of the crew both ripped into me, claiming that I didn't deserve to be leader. They proceeded to ask why I got to be leader and why they were stuck with “lousier outfits.” I admit, I am a bit confused... This conversation may have been prompted by one of ours running off screaming about a shoe sale in the distance. Odd, considering I haven't seen anyone with shoes here.

Day 17 – Greed

I believe there is something in the air. Someone else had a similar reaction to the deserted yesterday. It cannot be possible, can it? Maybe we aren't being observant enough. Then again, I think Thadius is following us. I think I saw something in him. I bet there is a secret to the rock the man is pushing. Yes, there must be. He probably has something in it. I wonder what the denizens think is precious down here.

Day 19 – Greed

My name is Paris, I have taken charge as the most fit after our leader, Felicity, got into a fight with a native over a rock. The incompetency of some! I will continue this mission and do a far better job than that woman.

Day 20 – Wrath and the River Styx

We came into a new domain of hell today. One of our own broke loose and got into a fist fight after a few rude comments about his mother were shouted out. Pathetic. Another of the group seems particularly upset over the treatment of those in this new demesne. They want to start a rally. I don't get it, but apparently she was a humanitarian activist back on the surface. Perfect.

We reached the River Styx today too. We're arguing how it would be best to go about crossing. Someone suggested perhaps paying the ferryman. However, upon turning our pockets out, we've discovered our coins pilfered. Probably by one of the two who left for some sale or another. We'll try using the vehicle tomorrow to cross and explore the other side.

Day 21 – Wrath and the River Styx

Well, Paris wouldn't listen to us about it being a bad idea to try and cross. She, and Peter who us last 3 forgot about (oops), went into the water with the vehicle after we refused to get back within the vehicle. She had some real issues, saying something about us being weaker and that she would do this alone if she had to. Thankfully, we managed to save some of the supplies, because the whole ship started to melt as soon as it hit the waters. The last of us will be heading home now. We would like to say that this whole endeavor has being a great failure and suggest no more parties be sent out.

We only wish to live
We are the ultimate race
They must give
We must replicate

Our numbers rise
Our home grows weak
We will die
Unless we leave

Persecution
They hunt us down
We must escape
We will learn how

The skies
They are the key
We board aircraft
We will be free

A new home
Already populated
We make room
They are eliminated

We only wish to live
We are the ultimate race
They must give
We must replicate

"We must evacuate to the central sir, otherwise, we will fluke the mission entirely." blabbed a man of high composure, he was tall, obese, and very strong-eyed. He sharpened his stance a bit, saluting as the other sprawled on a comfortable, leathery chair. He looked fairly distinguish, and, judging by the bowtie he'd worn, the man was a lot like a gentleman, except, his high-pitched voice and tone gave off an aggressive complexion. His left leg crawled into the other, overlapping within his knees, as he elongated them atop a rough, wooden table. "No, we will stay in this ship. Contact the third task force, inform them of our position and cover the mid-straight, we'll be able to invade only after this war." His hand coursed into a cup, and sipped straight though his marshmallow-dipped coffee. It only looked delicious to the latter, hinted by the prompt lick to the bottom lip.

It was 1824, after the Materia world had gotten rather rough with life, people migrated continuously. They tread through the countries with a passionate pace, yet, only had gotten a very belligerent treatment. They'd gotten desperate with the import of food. Moreover, it became cynical as to get shelter, and society was beginning to succumb within a loathed world. A dimension different from the natural, a dimension corrupted by unspecified evil. One that colonized fate.

Sytha gazed at the stars. They were bright, unexpectedly. He'd gotten sick of the arrogant boss they'd had, and the task force only expanded at a very apathetic pace. "Send off the third ship, make sure they are well prepared. Install the third armor and three rockets," Ordered Jime, the bulky, dark-skinned man. He was renown to be a blood-lusted thirty year old, who'd gotten hired for his obsession with illegal murder. "Yes sir." Saluted the inferiors, having been gotten more demands at hand, they were practically devastated physically. But, orders were orders. "Sir, we're about the land." Sytha, being adjacent to Jime, poked him, alleging in the process. " The man, with less of a surprised face-- strode to the center, arms crossed at his back, delicately. He then, gestured for the silver linings in space, and gave point to the nearby planet. "That is the spot?" He spoke, voice very untarnished despite his capacious stature. "Yes." Sytha blurted in follow. He was a boy of roughly nineteen years, bagged pants and judging by his uniform, he was nowhere related to the task force.

It was seemly a countryside planet, deep within it were swamps, forests and lethal, poisonous beasts. One could tell, from it's outer structure, that, normally, one would avoid such place. Rocks floated around it, although the planet seemed overall stagnant, it was fulgent. The chaotic atmosphere around changed nothing towards the misty nature, and thus it had sheen clearings all over. They'd landed, Jime and Sytha. It seemed that the others occupied the latter ship busily. So it had been a two-man cell.

"Mustn't we stay out here first, sir? Prepare camp." Sytha yakked. Jime, for the most part, seemed reluctant on following the former idea, and sparked within the forest trees, eyeing the area with equally brash pupils. He'd continued, with Sytha, convinced by the latter's act, followed. "Bad choi-" He was interrupted by a ferocious roar, it seemed all the more dangerous up close; whilst only the wind whistling could cover up a violent growl sported. "Sytha, run on my three." He'd poise, hand loose over at hip-- as he gulped, swallowing an anxious lump in the process. And on his gesture of count, spread out a human; looking as if a tribesmen, though, his hostility only minimized whilst he recognized the other two. "You come here. Eat food. Die me." He patched up a very deep, and wild voice. Only dumbfounded, Jime sighed. "We come in peace," He declared, continuing. "Name. Me. Jime. This. Sytha." He pointed to the half-way terrified latter.

"Oh oh, me get you say." The man's face, despite brimmed with undefined expressions, rushed back a bit. A curious Jime had chased after him, whilst Sytha continued his uncontrollable breath. "This me tribe. Here we food get." He leaped through a chunk of bushes and meadow, then, spirited into a branch; gesturing to his boss. Which, was, now, killed. "Oh no!" He gave way to his emotions, and landed, scampering to the scene at which, oozed a sizzling cater through the ground, pooling to form an endless blood. Jime surprisingly sprung within, panting.

And then, a man was found, atop that of the lifeless, and dormant chief. He screamed out, heeding for those who have recently arrived. "WE ARE THE AELOUS. AND WE HAVE REIGNED AGAINST THIS UNWANTED TRIBE. LET US COLONIZE THIS PLANET!"