The Howling Dark, Part 14 - "Him" Too

If it weren't for the fact that The Mysterious Being known as 'First' lacked any sort of a face one would think he was smiling as he looked down at the smiling and happy young Man. 'First' stood up and he was immediately standing back where he had been before approaching Callum.

"AND NOW FOR YOU MY CHILD. I HAVEN'T FORGOTTEN YOU... KRIEG...," Said 'First', raising his hand as a small orb of light rose out of his palm and flew toward the heavily wounded Knight. The light stopped, hovering over his forehead for several seconds before slowly descending down to his prone body, landing with a splash like a drop of water from a leaky faucet. An instant later The Knight's armor began to glow with the bright white and gold light settling on his chest wound... The muscle and bone could be seen healing while the dried and pooling blood evaporated before the heavy red fog was sucked into the closing wounds. The intensity of the glow increased and in a matter of moments it was as if The Knight's armor had never been damaged.

The Mysterious 'First' held up his hands and a glass with a thick, red liquid appeared in one hand., "THANK ALL OF YOU FOR ASSISTING YOUR BROTHER IN HIS TIME OF NEED... NONE OF YOU HAD TO COME HERE AND RISK YOUR LIVES BUT YOU DID AND IN SO DOING YOU HAVE SAVED ONE OF MY SONS AND ONE OF YOUR SIBLINGS...," There was a subtle shift in First's tone as he spoke.,"... THIS IS MY GRATITUDE. I NOW OWE EACH OF YOU AND I ALWAYS PAY MY DEBTS. I KNOW THAT I CAN COUNT ON YOU IN THE FUTURE TO ASSIST YOUR BROTHER SHOULD HE NEED IT, RIGHT?!"

Selene, Callum, and Krieg who were the only ones conscious understood that he wasn't simply asking them he was politely telling them to help Aaron when and if he needed it not that he had to... they were family after all.

The Mysterious 'First' held the glass up and flicked it with his finger and the thick liquid began spilling out but there was far more inside the glass than seemed possible as a minute and then two went by and there were no signs of the glass emptying anytime soon as the strange red liquid pooled on the ground at the mysterious First's feet. The peculiar red liquid writhed and swirled around 'First' then as if reaching out thin red veins slithered across the ground, making their way toward each of Aaron's weary protectors.

Within seconds, each of them were either sitting, kneeling or laying in a pool of the undulating red liquid.

"I HAVE HEALED YOU SO NOW I WILL RETURN YOU TO YOUR LIVES AND REMEMBER... I AM ALWAYS WATCHING YOU MY CHILDREN."

With those final ominous words, The Mysterious 'First' allowed the broken glass to fall from his hand, disappearing before it hit the ground then he waved his hands and each of the five protectors vanished into the pool beneath them and then the pool itself evaporated into a cloud of red fog and dispersed.

'First' turned and he was immediately standing in front of the still kneeling and shivering Doppelganger.

"AND NOW TO DEAL WITH YOU MY POOR MISGUIDED CHILD..."

"F-Father I..."

"ENOUGH! YOU TRIED TO STEAL YOUR BROTHER'S Q'Uuuun... DO YOU KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS?"

"I..."

"WHAT'S MORE YOU HAVE ATTACKED YOUR SIBLINGS WITHOUT EVEN DECLARING JOMA SECU... SOMETHING THAT NONE OF US HAS DONE SINCE BEFORE THE END OF THE PRIMORDIUM AGE. DO YOU KNOW HOW SERIOUS THIS IS?"

"I..."

"SILENCE!," The Thousands Upon Thousands of Voices roared from every direction., "YOU KNOW OUR LAWS... HOW COULD YOU NOT?...," The Being known as 'First' bent down, reached out, a flick of his wrist and large talons erupted from the tips of his fingers.

The scared Doppelganger's eyes widened in shock and then terror but he couldn't resist even as the mysterious 'First' buried those long, curved talons in his side and with a loud crunch and sickening squelch before ripping out one of his lower ribs and held it up in front of his face and continued speaking., "... OUR LAWS ARE ROOTED IN OUR VERY BONES..."

As 'First' held up the lonely little rib bone, a faint blue light could be seen swirling over, across and around its exterior surface and a strange Logo-Syllabic Script similar to a cross between Ancient Pre-Historical Cuneiform and Modern Sanskrit was etched rather elegantly and rather deeply into the bone's surface... so much so that there were instances of the nerves, blood vessels and even the trabeculae (or hollow spaces) in the bone conforming to or forming portions of the strange script.

"EVEN I AM NOT EXEMPT...," Boomed The Many Voices as One as The Mysterious 'First' deftly removed one of his own ribs and held it up side by side with The Doppelgangers. The two were virtually identical with a few differences like size and density but they both bore the same strange deep engravings.

The Doppelganger eyed both rib bones wearily before the two bones were ground to powder between The Mysterious First's fingers. As the pulverized bone powder cascaded down to the ground it transformed into black and white orbs of light with the black shimmering lights flying toward The Doppelganger and the white lights flying toward 'First' and within seconds their injuries were no more.

The Mysterious Being calling itself 'First' straightened up before speaking and stared down at the still trembling Doppelganger., "NOW MY FOOLISH CHILD... WHAT SHALL WE DO ABOUT YOU?"

"I-I-I-I...," Stammered the frightened Doppelganger.

"DO YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU HAVE DONE?"

"I-I-I-I..."

"DO HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT THE CONSEQUENCES FOR WHAT YOU HAVE ATTEMPTED ARE?"

"Consequences?! What Consequences?!," Aaron's Doppelganger asked in the same disbelieving tone a child uses when they have been caught doing something they know is wrong but still expect to get away with it just because they think they should.

The whole space shook with the sound of thousands of voices speaking in unison., "YOU USURP CONTROL OF THE HOWLING DARK, ONE OF OUR PEOPLE'S MOST SACRED TREASURES AND USE IT TO ATTACK YOUR BROTHERS AND SISTER AND TO MAKE MATTERS WORSE YOU TIME AND AGAIN TRY TO STEAL WHAT BELONGS TO YOUR BROTHER! "

"HE is Me!... How can I Steal what already BELONGS TO ME!"

"YOU STILL DON'T UNDERSTAND.," Sighed 'First' irritably.

"Don't Understand... I Don't UNDERSTAND? I was only claiming what will eventually be MINE ANYWAY!!," Roared the obviously very unhinged Doppelganger.

"YOU ARE AN ELDER... ONE OF THE KIN'RIT.. THE CHOSEN... HAVE YOU NO DIGNITY... NO PRIDE... NO INTEGRITY?"

"Kin'rit? What is that? Is That Really Something To Be PROUD OF?!," The Doppelganger half chuckled.

First's movements were so fast that if not for Aaron's Doppelganger suddenly disappearing from where he sat cowering on his knees and re-appearing in mid-air with First's hand around his throat then it would have been impossible to determine whether he had actually moved or not.

"THIS... THIS RIGHT HERE IS THE PROBLEM WITH OUR KIND... WE'RE ARROGANT... VAIN... GREEDY... CRUEL... SADISTIC... AND FOR MANY OF US THESE ARE OUR ONLY REDEEMING QUALITIES...," 'First' paused briefly, glancing over to the spot where The Young Man named Callum had been sitting on the ground earlier.

"IN A WAY YOU ARE ALSO MY SON AND I HAVE NO WISH TO HARM YOU BUT YOUR RECKLESSNESS HAS PUT US ALL AT RISK..."

"His. Life. Is. MINE!," Aaron's Doppelganger spit in a defiant tone through clinched teeth while thick, black blood leaked from the corners of his eyes.

Seemingly unfazed by The Doppelganger's emotional outburst, The Mysterious 'First' let the rebellious Doppelganger fall from his grasp with a weary sigh and simply shrugged before he continued speaking., "NONSENSE. YOU HAVE NO CLAIM ON YOUR YOUNGER SELF'S LIFE. YOUR MEDDLING HAS ALTERED HIS Q'Uuuun. BECAUSE OF YOUR INTERFERENCE HE IS NOW AWARE IF ONLY ON A SUBCONSCIOUS LEVEL OF WHAT WILL HAPPEN AND WILL UNDOUBTEDLY TAKE STEPS TO PREVENT IT."

Every word carried immeasurable weight, eventually hammering the struggling Doppelganger back down to his knees.

"SO I WILL ASK YOU AGAIN... DO YOU KNOW WHAT YOU'VE DONE?!...," The Many Voices of 'First' roared angrily.

"Who Cares?.. Let Him Struggle As Much A s He Wants. It Has Happened... It. Will. Happen!"

"TSK, TSK... ANOTHER FAILING OF OUR KIND IS THAT WE CAN BE SLOW TO LISTEN AND EVEN SLOWER TO UNDERSTAND... I SUPPOSE IT COMES FROM LIVING SO LONG..."

The Doppelganger's venomous gaze was replaced by one of confusion.

"THIS IS THE SECOND TIME THAT YOU'VE TRIED TO KILL YOUR YOUNGER SELF AND WHILE AARON HASN'T ENCOUNTERED THE FIRST ATTEMPT YET THERE HAVE ALREADY BEEN CONSEQUENCES BECAUSE OF IT. YOU'VE PUT EVERYTHING WE'VE WORKED FOR ALL THESE LONG EONS AT JEOPARDY. I CAN FEEL THE EYES OF THE UNA MENS...," The Doppelganger gulped at the mention of The Una Mens.,"... ON US EVEN HERE AND WHILE I AM CURRENTLY BLOCKING THEM I CANNOT HOLD THEM AT BAY FOREVER WITH THE POWER I HAVE LEFT."

"HAVE YOU EVEN REALIZED THAT "THEY" ARE WATCHING?... IF THE UNA MENS BECOME INVOLVED THEN SO WILL THE GLAIVE AND IF THAT HAPPENS AARON MAY HAVE TO FACE THE GARUDA BEFORE HE IS READY... IF THAT HAPPENS THEN ALL OF THE EFFORT AND PLANNING THAT HAS GONE INTO LAYING THE GROUNDWORK FOR HIS ASCENSION WILL HAVE BEEN WASTED!"

The Doppelganger showed a bitter expression.

"I KNOW IT HURTS MY SON AND YOU ARE NOT ENTIRELY TO BLAME... YOUR MADNESS IS MY DOING AND FOR THAT I AM SORRY... MORE SORRY THAN YOU WILL EVER KNOW... BUT IF I HAD STOPPED BACK THEN EVEN FOR A MOMENT TO CONTEMPLATE THE POSSIBLE CONSEQUENCES OF MY ACTIONS THEN I WOULD HAVE NEVER BEEN LOCKED AWAY IN THAT FORMLESS PRISON FOR ALL THESE LONG YEARS WITH ONLY AN OCCASIONAL GLIMPSE OF WHAT LAY BEYOND THE TIP OF MY NOSE TO KEEP ME SANE..," The Strange Being said as he gestured to his non-existent nose., "... I WOULD HAVE BEEN THERE IN PERSON TO WATCH MY CHILDREN GROW... TO GUIDE THEM... AND PROTECT THEM BUT INSTEAD I AM RELEGATED TO MERELY WATCHING AS OUR PEOPLE ARE DENIED OUR BIRTHRIGHT AND THAT IS UNACCEPTABLE!"

The Doppelganger shivered from the coldness of those sorrowful words which shook the blindingly white world around them and the even colder stare he received from 'First'.

"LEAVE!," Boomed The Many Voices as One as he turned to observe an **** Aaron.

"What?! B-B-But WHY?!"

'First' slowly turned and you could almost hear the creepy horror movie theme music playing in the background as he did. When he faced the now even more terrified Doppelganger the area of his blank, expressionless face where his mouth would have been formed a thin horizontal line that began to thicken as the skin ripped open to reveal a bottomless maw of row after row after row of sharp teeth. Blood oozed from the wide open nightmare, dying First's neck and chest bright red and the trickling sound of blood soon gave way to the even more unsettling sound of maniacal laughter as featureless blood red faces suddenly began appearing every where.

Aaron's Doppelganger gulped loudly as 'First' leaned down, his ''Mouth'' still opened inhumanly wide and stared at him with his non-existent eyes. Staring into that hideously gaping maw oozing blood, Aaron's Doppelganger began hallucinating or at least he hoped he was hallucinating because amongst those endless rows of sharp teeth he could see his own **** and not just one but hundreds of deaths happening all at once and each one was more gruesome than the next.

As 'First' continued to lean closer to the terrified Doppelganger the deaths being depicted became more graphic and detailed, and voices could be heard. Some where screaming while others were whispering but they were all saying the same thing...

"ᛚᛖᚢᛖ!"

"!ԍʌⱯԍΓ"

"EvAeL!"

"!Ǝvɒǝ⅃"

"L̸̢͕̤̠̹͙̼̮̲̠̦̯̼͖̲̮̹̉̈̉̐̈̉̉͜Ę̶̧̛̩̜̘͍̠͙̻̩̓̅̓̏͛̍̃̈́̀͌̽́̈́̈͊̂̌̚͜͝͝͝A̶̩͖̮̤͇̪̠̖̞̗̱͖̘̹̤͕̎͂̅ͅV̵͍̝̖̣̳͎̗͎̻̞̺̈̀͗͗̑͒̀͒̈̈́̑̀̃̊̿͌̈́̔͘̕͝E̴͉̥̟̮͛̃̄͒!"

Not that many people would be able to understand them in the first place.