Once upon a time, a rabbit declared his love for snow. He loved it dearly that he hopped from mountain to mountain, from kingdom to kingdom, and eventually from realm to realm just to witness it one more time.
He was tirelessly searching for snow. Chasing. Yearning. Until he finally reached the gates of the Heavens. He knocked and then asked, "Do you happen to know when snow would come?"
The Gods gave him a blank stare before they shook their heads, faces contorted in pity, and a sigh escaped from their lips.
"Haven't you killed winter?"
"Haven't you killed winter?" I muttered with my heavy eyelids as I eyed the mortals who showed no mercy as they pointed all their weapons at me.
My frail body, full of wounds and ravaged to death, trembled as a laugh escaped my lips. The heaviness of life that is desperately trying to drag me down for a slumber paid no mind to my plea of staying woke, especially the screeching chains being dragged invisible to mortal eyes.
Instead, it filled my mind with mindless dreaming about a hopping rabbit. A rabbit that not only killed winter...but even dares to wait for snow after doing so. Just like how humans chase after a God's mercy yet never offer their faith.
Faith... What is in it that humans are so daring not to offer in exchange for their fate?
"This man is crazy." A soldier blurted out and looked at the mortal that I've been eyeing ever since.
The mortal who never took his gaze away from me tightened his grip on his broken sword. He alertly weighed his soldiers' current mood. As if gaining a dreary cause to upset me, he pursed his lips with hatred and pushed his broken blade onto me.
The blade, although dull and broken, pierced my left shoulder mercilessly. I looked at the blade, and with my consciousness continuously drifting away, I staggered to take a step forward. His sword, bearing no blade anymore, stabbed my vessel on my own accord.
A smile appeared on my lips, and with blood gushing out from my mouth, I muttered coldly.
"Father... how come you no longer love me?"
The sword piercing my body trembled as the mortal's eyes flickered wildly against my stare. I tilted my head, blood dripping casually on my lips, as I raised my hand and reached out to his pale white cheeks that bear an uncanny resemblance to mine.
"H—How vile! Your Highness, kill this lunatic before he even speaks more lies!" An angry voice echoed around us as a few soldiers tried to strip me away from the frozen mortal who seemed to have been so enchanted by my words that he was left unable to move.
My eyes lazily looked at the soldiers and then down to their harsh hands grasping me away. They pulled my staggering body from that mortal's sword and forcefully dragged me to the ground. The sounds of my shackles echo loudly, unheard by these mortals, almost mocking me.
The mud once again welcomed me, lulling me to sleep with its cold caress. I closed my eyes briefly and then slowly lay down comfortably against the ground, grass wilting once again as I slowly lost my battle against the sleepiness that covered my whole consciousness. Voices and screams of disagreement and confusion blurred and faded far away from my interest.
The rabbit. The rabbit was allowed to sleep while he was hopping... He was allowed to sleep..... So am I—
A sharp blade stabbed my chest, jolting me awake. The mortals surrounding me were full of anger, and Osiris' eyes, which I had borrowed, flickered with utmost fascination. Blood gushing out of my flesh, freeing more of my smoke to surround the whole forest as well as these mortals.
"---To claim you're a God! How absurd! You should be silenced before you anger the Heavens to the point of no forgiveness!" One soldier was particularly angered at me, which made me stare at him deeply.
His sword was piercing my flesh, from my chest to my waist, down to my limbs and neck. He was trembling as he butchered my vessel to no avail... as my gaze remained on him. Blinking and flickering in awe.
"Such strong faith... the Heavens will be flattered." I mumbled, laughing, and then my arms that he butchered slowly raised to the sky, pointing to the darkness enveloping us. "—sadly, I've driven them away."
I laughed again. Still lying still with an unmoving blade on my neck, the night was still mocking me for not losing my life despite the poor state my vessel has become.
The forest swayed, and the wind made a humble sound as trembling footsteps slowly backed away from me. I blinked and then noticed that no soldiers were left standing near me... no more blades stabbing me continuously.
My eyes flickered as total darkness enveloped my senses, returning Osiris' eyes and ears to him. The body that was butchered into pieces in the name of unwavering faith in Gods, slowly reformed through the aid of my cold smoke.
"Are we done playing?" I mumbled and then staggered as I stood up, my bare feet clutching the mud as I forced myself to stay awake and walked towards the group of flickering lights in front of me.
The mortals did not run. Or more like, they had no courage to escape after realizing who they murdered...
A smile slowly formed on my lips as I gently waved my hand in the air to lessen their worries and guilt.
"Do not fear, to be butchered once is something I've always longed to experience. I hold no grudge." I mumbled and then felt a strong wind surround me as Osiris' full form purred against my staggering body, helping me stay awake.
I gently caressed his fur as I let my consciousness slowly drift away; his orbs were fixated on all the mortals, forcing me to see their fear-stricken gaze.
My eyelids finally closed tightly; my poor vessel lay on top of Osiris, as the mortals collapsed on the ground. Tremors of the forest echoed, followed by the shrieks of the fairies approaching us.
"Hm," I mumbled and then led Osiris' gaze towards the mortal commander who remained standing yet frozen in his place. I chuckled as I once again opened my burst orbs despite them having no sense of vision left.
My bloodied teeth grazed against Osiris' fur, making him growl and throw me off to the mud once again. The fairies surrounded us; their flickering, deathly souls were trembling to have been called out by me.
I stood up, my consciousness still drifting, swaying just like the forest trees. I straightened my dirtied robe, combed my long dark hair, and then faced the mortal I have been keeping my eye on.
Osiris followed me with his gaze, sharing his senses and vision with me. I stood there, looking nothing like a God, clothes stained and muddied, skin painted with blood, hair sticking out with various flesh, and eyes with nothing but empty sockets.
My hand raised, a smile against my lips before I spoke. "I've waited enough, let's restart this war, shall we?"
One snap echoed throughout the forest, and both army was engulfed by nothingness, only to open their eyes once again in their very position before my intervention began.
Osiris' gaze fell on Ferlon across the forest. My poor kin was left in a daze as all his efforts to bring all his people out of the forest were left in vain. His hand still holds his tall sword, and his soldiers stand according to their war formation.
"N-No! NO!" Ferlon's fervent and angry scream echoed loudly, making the fairies tremble in slight fear.
A grin formed on my lips as I walked staggeringly towards the mortal commander of Ares' army.
Similarly, their whole army was in the same perilous state of daze and confusion... and of course, totally engulfed in fear. I stood beside him, Osiris stared at the mortal whose eyes stared at me with nothing but mortal fear.
"The war will start fairly, Father," I whispered and then hummed, serving as the signal for all mortals and fairies inside the forest to move against their will, like pieces of controllable objects on a mortal game called chess.
Tears formed in their eyes, their grip on their swords tightened against their will as their feet started to march towards their rightful enemies.
The drowsiness surrounding me grew stronger, but my eagerness to play was harder to withstand. I leaned my head towards the mortal's shoulder and then muttered.
"Go... it is time to send your whole kingdom to demise."
The war march commenced. Shadows crawled alongside the weeping soldiers, the ferocity of their weapons and stance does not reflect the loss of hope in their eyes. Some were praying, some were cursing Gods, and a few had simply fallen into mental death.
Please... Please...
Why have the Gods forsaken us?
I can't stop. I can't stop. I don't want to die. Mother, I don't want to die—
No... No.... No... This can't be true.
Their thoughts lingered and spread out evenly to the battlefield, unknowingly basking the land with sinful thoughts, strengthening the shadows that rendered them controlled.
Soon, the mortal that I was leaning on followed the march. His knotted eyebrows, cold sweat, and contorted face screamed agony, but no tears fell from his eyes. He remained silent as he was dragged to the same demise.
Losing the only support I have, my body staggered and almost fell on the ground. I grabbed onto the mortal's robe to steady myself. His robe tore following his armor that couldn't bear my weight, as his body continued on the march while dragging me behind him. The heaviness of my chains fell on his responsibility as well.
"Father... how immodest! " My body staggered as I picked up the broken piece of his armor and followed his lead, his back exposed to the cold air while I chuckled between my breath.
"What will mother think if you expose yourself so brazenly like this?" I mumbled and gently patted the torn-up robe while he was marching. I then gently hung the armor back on his back, which seemed like it would fall from any small gesture from him, and then smiled proudly at his face; his black pair of orbs were glaring at me murderously.
Osiris growled beside me and forcefully shared his eyes and ears back to me. His loss of patience with his lord was apparent, as he quickly ran to the wilderness as soon as he gave me the sense that I depended on him for.
I watched him circle the forest, running after the fairies, forcing havoc and speeding up the pace of the looming death. My eyes flickered in delight, my now ocean-blue orbs stared in awe at the whole battlefield coming to life.
My unbeating heart slowly found the inspiration to fake a beat.
How beautiful...
The forest was filled with my energy, screaming of my claim on the land. The sky is so dark, so unforgiving, that it made my body tremble in despair. No gleeful sound can be heard, and instead, only weepings and curses were voiced in my presence.
Animals cowered in their little homes; their futile escape earlier was useless as I brought them back and trapped them in the forest. Their death and cries are part of the war I so longed to witness and partake in; why would I let them crawl away?
Heavy footsteps of unwilling march echoed, and the dust on the ground was disturbed, forming a fog-like rebellion. It served as an undeniable show of the mortals' disgust at losing their free will. Both armies, who were once so eager to annihilate each other, bore the same pleas and cries in their heart—begging the Heavens to put a stop to this beautiful war.
These futile prayers, these useless tears—I paid them no mind. How could their discomfort be more important than my joy?
And yet these mortals claim to love their gods... how funny. All they do is lie.
My feet staggered to march along my chosen kingdom, bare feet touched the ground, leaving evidence that death was once there. A hum escaped my lips as my lazy march slowly quickened, and eventually became exhilarated hops. My chains clacked as the cold metal of the mortal realm screeched from my mindless hops.
Like the rabbit that finally found the snow even after killing winter.
I no longer waited for the mortal nor his army; their unwilling legs were far too slow and ugly. I hopped and smiled as I led towards the forest, eager to be the hero of this one-sided massacre.
"Ferlon.... Ferlon~ Come and face your rightful foe. "
_______