by T. R. Briar
Maybe not for you, he thought back, focusing on her presence. But I am not content to sit still.
Give yourself some time. I’m sure you’ll settle down eventually, and find more meaning in ruling your domain as you should, rather than running off and getting in trouble elsewhere again.
It is as you said. As chaotic beings, we are always changing. Nothing ever stays the same.
Her laugh echoed. It is good to have you back, my brother. Though I think I’m the only one among us that actually missed you.
Her presence pulled away from him again, but now he understood the strange goddess, and the thoughts she tried to show him of the past he could not grasp until now. It did not really matter that she was the only one of his kind who noticed or cared about his absence, but the fact that she did still meant something.
He drew himself and Darrigan from the storm, and took them to the black lake surrounded by an endless field of ice. Here Tomordred waited for him, his vast eyes quaking with emotion
“My lord, you’ve finally come back,” he said.
The great serpent slipped into the dark waters of the lake, his massive form scattering the aqua light shining from below. His many heads stayed raised above the water’s surface, looking down upon his loyal follower.
“That’s right, I am back. And thanks to you, I’ve finally woken up.”
“But I did nothing. I could not even save you when the reapers attacked you so long ago.”
“No, you didn’t. But if it weren’t for those faint memories of you, I might not have realized who I was in time. And now you came to my aid when I needed you. You have proven your loyalty.”
“Thank you, my lord.” Tomordred’s voice filled with a strange joy.
Nen’kai looked around at the frozen wasteland of his domain, remembering. He glanced down at Darrigan, and at Tomordred’s still form.
He spoke after a little while, in his servant’s direction. “There is somebody I’d like to visit, back on Earth. Perhaps you’d like to come with me.”
“But, my lord, my soul is bound to this world. I cannot leave it; I’ve tried!” Tomordred protested.
Nen’kai leveled his gaze at him, a playful look of anger on his faces. “And I’m asking you to come with me. Do you doubt your god?”
“No. Forgive me.”
The serpent god reached out toward him with unseen hands, pulling them both away.
“Well, boss, I’ll just wait for you here then,” Darrigan said, waving from the shoreline, ever-present leer on his face.
* * *
A dark and chilly winter’s night settled over the sleeping city. The silent streets of Langfirth were buried beneath a mountain of snow that burst from the skies, driving away all sensible creatures to seek warmer refuge. The evenly spaced street lamps broke up the darkness, along with the lights of the buildings and the occasional lit window where shadowed forms moved about their nightly routine, oblivious to the outside world.
Only one man stood out on the street, bound to a dark colored jacket and hat, despite not needing such protection against the cold. Blonde hair strayed from beneath the hat’s brim, which shielded eyes of an intense purple color, inhuman eyes shattering any false notion that this was an ordinary person.
“It seems a lot of time has passed while I was gone,” he whispered, gazing up at the sky, though the stars and moon were hidden from him by dark clouds. “It’s already winter again. But that suits me just fine. Wouldn’t you agree?”
He looked down at his companion: a large black dog, almost formless, simply a mass of fur that left no recognizable features save for two dark eyes hinted with purple light that stared upwards at the man. Its lips pulled back around sharp canines in a very unnatural sort of smile. An equally unsettling and chilled smile danced across the man’s face as well, but here in the dark empty streets, there were none that could see it.
The man walked forward, but the dog hesitated, holding back. The man turned.
“There’s nothing to fear,” he said. “I’m certain he’ll be glad to see you again after so many years. If he could come to terms with me, why wouldn’t he forgive you for the past? Come now, Kueyin.” He beckoned for the black beast to follow him, which it finally did, one step at a time, until it reached his god’s hand, who patted him on the head. He began to walk again, and motioned for the dog to follow, which it did with complete obedience, and together they walked down the street, among the howling winds and dancing blizzards, disappearing into the cold night, unseen by mortal eyes.
