Will i ever be forgiven?

Awakening

It had been two weeks since Arthano had set out across Palanen Ocean, a huge mass of water that covered as far as the eye could see. The ship he traveled upon was called, Destiny. Why, Arthano didn't know, and why he had even decided to pay for a trip on this bucket of bolts also escaped him. It wasn't that shabby, but it definitely wasn't the best ship in the port. But then again, he didn't have much to spare now did he. Didn't have enough time, enough money, enough anything. Not even enough blood. Arthano sighed softly to himself, standing at the front of the ship which had a fair maiden carved into it. It was a three masted ship, rather large yet still quite fast. Made of strong yet old wood, its sails had sun's on them as well as several small holes that littered its cloth. He was sure he could hear the sounds of men moaning and groaning about cutting potatoes and cleaning the bowels of the ships.

A cough escaped Arthano, as well as a few drops of blood that fell into the dark blue sea below. His yellow eyes continued to gaze out across the ocean that stretched on for miles and hid untold horrors underneath the deep blue waves. The sun was slowly falling below the horizon, turning the sky red and orange, almost like the color of blood, the clouds beautiful to the dying man. With doom looming just over the horizon, how could one not find everything beautiful? Even death itself seemed like an art that few could master, for one only had one chance at doing so. And yet Arthano was sure that some had come back to life, one way or another. There was magic in this world unlike anything one could ever know, and it contained wonders in it that binded the world together. There were gods, Arthano was sure, for only celestial beings could create such creatures and such a world.

Arthano chuckled a bit to himself, letting his head drop and his eyes close as he brushed his spiky black hair back. He was such an idiot. A dreamer without a cause. But he did have a cause. One cause. Revenge, for as soon as he had achieved it he wasn't sure he was going to be able to hold onto this terrible life of his. For what else was there to live for if he was cursed to die faster than a human should? Arthano was surprised that he had lived as long as he had, for he was sure that his life should have ended many years ago. And yet he lingered on, in between life and death, waiting, longing for the one opportunity to strike at those who had taken everything from him. And what clues did he have? It had... red... eyes. Arthano sighed softly, looking up a bit and turning around slowly to meet the captain of the ship. "Good.. afternoon... Captain Arc." Arthano bowed a bit, showing his respect despite the fact that he didn't actually respect he man that much. But he didn't want to get kicked off the boat.

"Its getting dark out. You might want to go below deck to your room. Many dangerous things come out in the night." Arc spoke as though he were telling a ghost story. Arthano didn't seem to show any emotion. He simply nodded and proceeded to go under the deck where a foul smell hit him like a horse had just kicked him with its hind legs. He never ceased to wonder how such men could not smell that. It was so terrible it made him want to throw up right then and there, but he kept himself under control. Arthano coughed once more, blood dripping down his chin. He wiped it off quickly before any of the men who walked the halls saw him and sensed any weakness. He didn't know much about these men besides the fact that they were all very rough and tumble and didn't really care if they hurt you or not. They seemed like a band of pirates, except he hadn't witnessed them attacking any other ships lately which was a good thing by all means.

Arthano walked slowly down one of the many halls of the rather large ship, rubbing the oak walls as he went. Each room seemed rather enclosed and tight. As Arthano opened his he noticed that there was only one bed as opposed to the bunk, something that he was quite grateful for. He couldn't even imagine what it would be like sleeping in the same room as one of those grunts. They were so dirty and it seemed as though one couldn't even look them in the eye without them looking as though they were going to stab them. It was a very tense situation and Arthano was happy to have made it as far as he had, especially with his condition. Closing the door slowly, Arthano moved into the almost empty room, peering out the window at the ocean waves that licked the side of the boat as it sailed about. It would be a long voyage practically across the world. They would face many dangers that most men would cower at the sight of, and yet he knew he had to do it. He had to keep searching.

The sun had now completely disappeared under the horizon, the moon replacing it as it rose higher and higher into the night. It was quite full, shining light upon the large boat that seemed so little in the vast ocean that surrounded it. The stars sparkled like diamonds in the night and Arthano almost didn't want to leave the window. But he knew he needed to sleep, for there was work to be done the next day. Wood to be repaired, sails to be sewn, weapons to be sharpened. It was inevitable that pirates would eventually attack them for pirates attacked practically everyone. There was rarely a ship that went out across the sea with no weapons that actually made it to its destination if it was far off. Soon, Arthano knew, the time to spill blood would come, and his life would be extended.

Sleep came easily, the bed almost comfortable though still a bit far from it. The covers felt a little light and the pillow felt as though it might suddenly explode at any second, and yet Arthano had the urge to sleep as though he hadn't closed his eyes in years. Dreams came at first, thoughts of his family, thoughts of the past when everything was good and well. He was playing with his friends, fighting with wooden swords that they had fashioned from planks. Arthano always won, even against the bigger kids because he was so fast and had good strength for his age. He remembered running through the forests, being chased by his friends as they tried to see who was the fastest of them all, which Arthano always was. His best friend, Aric, was always on his tail, right behind him, but was never quite fast enough to catch him. They used to laugh and play and jump through the trees, climbing as high as they could and trying to jump to the next closest one. But dreams never last for Arthano, for the nightmares came right after.

There lay his mother and father, their intestines strewn across the hay next to them as they were cut to pieces. Not to far from them lay Aric, his head in his hands as it had been chopped off with one swing, blood pouring out of the neck as though it would never stop. And then the darkness came, and the red eyes came to end him. But they didn't end him. No, they woke Arthano up, light pouring through the small window and hitting him straight in the face. The sun was just barely rising and the morning had arrived. Arthano sighed softly at the sound of knocking on his door. "Come on wanderer. Its time to earn your trip." A rough voice called from outside the door. Arthano coughed a bit before dressing himself, wiping his mouth of the blood that slowly leaked from it. He slowly slipped on a pair of brown boots, black baggy pants, and a white tunic with no sleeves. He left his headband behind, letting his hair fall over his face.

Opening the door, Arthano was almost knocked back into his room by the rush of men who were going to work. One would have thought there were a battle occurring, yet Arthano knew that couldn't be so simply because he didn't hear the screams of men. When he ascended to the deck, his suspicions were confirmed. Practically everyone was working on one thing, whether it be cleaning the deck or tending to the many holes that filled the ships in random parts of its hull. "Arthano. Take care of those sails. We need the speed." Arthano turned at the sound of Captain Arc. Arc threw him a few supplies before turning around and walking up to the steering wheel and taking charge.

Arthano humbly took the supplies and began to climb up the first mast, hanging off the side of the net so that the could sew up one of the holes. Arthano could tell that this was going to take practically all day as his muscles began to ache. Hours passed like years and he felt as though he were going to suddenly fall from the net. Arthano finally finished the first sail, then proceeding to climb down the first mast just to go to the second.

Sweat covered his body as the sun bore down upon him like it wanted him to die right there. His pale skin seemed incapable of tanning even though Arthano had been out there for far longer than many men could bare. And yet he just kept on chugging along, moving even though his muscles told him not to. In order to get a proper view of one particular hole, Arthano was forced to climb a bit higher, and once he did, something caught his eye along the horizon, among the deep blue waves of the ocean. His yellow eyes looked out across the waves and spotted a distant speck. Arthano couldn't quite make it out from here and looked around to see if anyone else was as high as he was. But nobody was there. Arthano was alone, the lone spotter for the entire ship.

And then he saw something. A flag waving high above it. Even though Arthano couldn't make out what was on the flag, he could tell it was at least a ship. "Theres a ship on our starboard side!" Arthano shouted, many of the men quieting at the sound of his voice. Captain Arc ran to the side of his ship, gazing out across the ocean to see the very ship that Arthano was talking about. "Prepare for battle men!" He called out before turning around. "We're being chased by pirates!" Arc roared and his men began to dash under the deck to retrieve their weapons. A few had actually been smart enough to come equipped to the deck and stood in line formation. They looked like professional soldiers and Arthano actually felt a bit safer because of it. Regardless, he began to climb down to the deck, knowing that he had also left his weapons in his room.

He sighed at his own stupidity before climbing underneath the deck, walking down the halls as men rushed by him in a hurry. For some reason he felt no sense of urgency, as though there was nothing to be worried about. And perhaps there wasn't, for he felt supremely confident despite the curse that made every bit of his body ache with the kind of pain that most men would die from. Arthano slowly opened his door and picked up his katana, attaching the sheath to his belt yet leaving his cloak, a piece of clothing that he often used as a weapon, behind. Still taking his time, Arthano climbed back on deck to see many of the men who were rushing through the halls tending to various things, apparently trying to get the ship to go faster.

"Quickly! If we can outrun them we will, but if we can't, be prepared to spill blood!" Captain Arc shouted, swinging his sword as though he were some sort of great warrior. But for all Arthano knew he was. With his right hand on the handle of his weapon, Arthano walked to the side of the ship, his yellow eyes gazing across the glistening sea that shined in the glory of the sun like an ocean of gold, to see the pirate ship in clear view. It was gaining upon them rather quickly, a flag flying high with a skull on it that could easily be seen from far away. Why one would want to warn others of their intentions before they got close was beyond Arthano, but he supposed it was for a fear factor. Perhaps they scared many ships into submission, but he would make no assumptions about a group of people he had little contact with.

Arthano's hair floated in the wind, his eyes narrowing with determination as the pirates caught up more and more. "Battle positions men! Get ready!" Arc called out, and yet he had forgotten one thing. Arthano didn't have a battle position. They hadn't prepared him for battle, and so he simply stood there as the pirate ship came within archer range. Arthano watched with calm as dozens of men on the opposing ship readied their long bows, aiming them high into the air. He snapped into i mere seconds before the pirates fired and leaped behind a barrier that had been made by many of the crewmen. Arrows flew through the sky like death raining down from the clouds, hitting all who weren't behind cover, ending several lives. Arthano looked up to see the very spot where he had just been standing littered with arrows, as well as the spot just above his head. He sighed with relief, taking cover as yet another barrage came from the sky.

Arthano turned around and leaned against the barrier, his knees bent up and his arms wrapped around them as though he were sitting on the porch of his home, staring at the clouds above without a care in the world. He could smell the grass of his old land, of the land that he could once call his. But as though the gods had willed it, had been taken away from him and replaced with blood. Arthano coughed at the very though, spilling blood upon his hand. Wiping the crimson droplets from his hand, Arthano peaked over the top of the barrier to see that the ship was almost directly parallel to Destiny at that very moment. He leaped from behind the barrier shouting, "They're boarding! Prepare yourselves!" Arthano waved his left hand, his right hand still resting on the handle as the pirate ship hit the appropriate distance. Arthano smiled sadistically as the pirates hooked their grappling hooks onto the Destiny's starboard side. They climbed aboard, the crewmen standing in various places waiting for the onslaught while Arthano stood in the very front of the pack, unaware that he was almost by himself. The sounds of grappling hooks latching onto the port side of the boat alerted Arthano to the fact that the pirates were deploying rowboats to surround the Destiny.

As one of the pirates climbed aboard, howling with laughter at what he assumed was an easy victory, Arthano coughed. He wiped his mouth, still refusing to draw his sword, until the very last moment. When the pirate lifted his sword high into the air, intent on cleaving Arthano's head in half, Arthano unsheathed his sword, moving it in one swift motion. The result was a spray of blood that hit him diagonally in the face, and an arm that went flying to the deck. The pirate screamed in agony for only a few moments before Arthano eased his passing and looped the man's head of. Arthano could feel himself getting stronger, feel the energy going back into him as the took the life of the wicked. It was as though he had been hit with a sudden surge of adrenaline that made his pain go away, and he was free at least... for the duration of the battle.

Several more pirates climbed aboard and engaged the crew, including Captain Arc. It was then that Arthano realized the pirates had come rather prepared for a large battle, because there were plenty of them, quickly making their way up the side of Destiny. Arthano smiled as he swung his katana with just his right hand, hitting the cutlass of a pirate to the side before bringing his sword back and slashing the man across the chest. He quickly spun, ducking the blade of yet another pirate before slicing the man several times in various places. He watched with pleasure as the pirate fell to the deck, a lifeless corpse, and yet Arthano showed no emotion. He showed no guilt at taking the life of another, of a man who could for all he knew have a family and live a peaceful life when he wasn't on the sea plundering others. Perhaps these pirates only attacked other ships because they needed money for their families.

And yet Arthano would never know, because the only objective these pirates had was to kill everyone on board, and that included Arthano. Yet he would not, no... he could not, let that happen. He still had a purpose in life, no matter how self centered it might be, and he was going to complete it. Three more pirates fell before the bite of Arthano's blade, and so far, he had barely moved from the general area that he had been in since the beginning of the fight. He was still standing within a certain circle on the deck, crew member and pirate alike falling to the wooden floor, falling from the ship, falling into the deep blue sea to their deaths as the battle raged on.

Screams of death echoed through the ears of Arthano, the sounds of swords hitting each other, maces crushing skulls, spears piercing hearts, were so loud that Arthano wanted to cover his head. But he continued to fight, cutting down whoever came near him with a few quick strokes of his sword. He was surprised as how easy it was to kill these men, surprised at how enjoyable he was beginning to find the blood that covered the deck, and yet what he didn't realize was that they were losing the battle. A few moments later, Arthano turned around to see far more crew members laying dead than pirates, and he knew that he would have to change the tide in this battle. Dashing about the deck, Arthano cut down man after man, jumping in the middle of duels and stabbing pirates in the back, allowing the crew members to go to each others aid. Due to Arthano's efforts, many crew members began to fight together, often attacking single pirates at a time in order to over power them easily.

But just as Arthano had begun to fight harder, a large barbarian like man climbed aboard. He looked to be at least seven feet tall with muscles so large that he looked as though he could break Arthano in half with ease. Arthano sighed softly, wondering how he could possibly be so unlucky. The pirate wielded an ax that was big enough to cleave Arthano in half with one swing. His head was bald and his skin was dark, his eyes as brown as the very oak the ship was made of. Luckily, he only seemed to be wearing light leather, and wasn't even wearing a tunic, apparently wishing to intimidate his opponents by showing off his muscular chest. The pirate smiled sadistically, pointing at Arthano with one figure, then bringing that finger up to his own neck and moving it from one end to the other.

With a mighty roar the pirate charged towards Arthano, his ax held high over his head. When it brought it down, Arthano barely managed to roll to the right, the ax slamming into the spot where he had been only moments ago. The ax crashed into the deck, leaving a huge gash in it. Arthano got to his feet, bending backwards to dodge a horizontal swing by the behemoth. Over and over again the barbarian pirate swung, and over and over again Arthano dodged the swings, his speed far to great for the barbarian to handle. That was until the barbarian got close enough to grab Arthano by the neck and begin punching him in the face. Arthano could slowly feel himself losing consciousness. With two punches Arthano's nose was broken and blood was pouring onto the pirate's hand. Arthano's eyes were closed shut, his body limp as he essentially gave up.

But something spurned him on. Some fire inside of him was ignited, some desire to live, a determination to keep going, to keep moving on despite how easy it would be to just give up. Now wasn't his time and he knew it. His right foot suddenly sprung up, hitting the pirate in his genitals and sending him to his knees, howling in pain. Arthano fell to all fours, blood pouring from his nose onto the deck. His katana lay next to him, and he slowly picked it up, the pirate practically crying at this point. Arthano got to his feet, and with one powerful two handed swing, the barbarian's head went flying, rolling off the deck into the ocean. Arthano fell to his knee's besides the corpse of the gigantic barbarian, blood pouring from it's neck. Fatigue had hit Arthano like a wave, and the battle seemed so hopeless, for the pirates simply continued to come, one after another.

Yet another pirate came dashing towards Arthano who barely got to his feet, parrying the attack clumsily yet still managing to cut the pirates arm of, then slice him across the chest. But just as he did that an arrow hit him in the right shoulder. Arthano fell backwards due to the force of the shot yet still managed to stay on his feet. Parrying yet another attack from another pirate, Arthano moved the man's sword to the right just enough so that he could bring his own back and cut the pirate's neck. He fell to the floor, blood shooting out of his neck like a fountain. More death flew through the air as another arrow hit Arthano in his left leg. This had to be the end, and yet Arthano was still standing, using every last ounce of his strength to fight.

"If this is my end, then i accept it gladly." Arthano spoke softly, punching a pirate in the face before stabbing him in the stomach. He then drew his sword and spun around, looping an enemies head off with one powerful swing. But this archer was relentless, and another arrow hit Arthano in his lower left stomach, this time so powerful that it sent him flying backwards. Laying on his back, Arthano stared at the clouds with his yellow eyes, for they looked so beautiful, like snow in the sky, diamonds that would never fall. Everything looked beautiful to a person before they died, and Arthano felt that now, for everything, even the blood that dripped from his body, the air that was slowly escaping him, was beautiful. And so the sounds of battle died out as Arthano fell unconscious, and it ended.

Into the Heart of Darkness

"What... is wrong with me?

Arthano roused slowly, his yellow eyes gazing upon a man who sat right next to him. His vision was blurred and took a few moments to come into focus so that he may recognize Captain Arc. "We won laddy. Thanks to you. After you killed that monstrous man the pirates lost their confidence and we kicked their arses!" Arc exclaimed happily, apparently proud of himself. "However... we did lose many men. It's unfortunate, but its to be expected out here." Arc sighed a bit, rubbing some sweat from his forehead. "But, the good news is the Doc says your going to be alright. So theres no need to worry about these wounds here. Just rest up and you should be just fine." Arc smiled, patting Arthano on his uninjured shoulder before leaving the room, shutting the door slowly and softly.

Arthano looked around, staring at the window which had a beam of light shooting from it. He would have to sit here most likely for days and do... nothing. He sighed in annoyance, wondering how he could possibly be so unlucky. The sounds of hammers hitting wood and bodies hitting the ocean waters echoed throughout the ship as grunts got to work on cleaning up the huge mess the pirates had caused. Luckily, supplies from the pirates ship could be taken because they were all dead. All the money they had plundered was now theirs as well as all the weapons. Arthano smiled at the thought, even though he felt bad for being greedy. But who cared? Take what you can get.

Slowly he felt his eyes closing as his fatigue snuck up on him, his vision blurring and his eye lids falling shut over his yellow eyes. He drifted off into the world of dream, into a place where anything could happen, and it usually did. He could feel the clouds under his feet as he walked over them, staring down at the very ship that he was now on. It looked so small from up there in the sky, its sails pulled down so that it could be repaired, the second pirate ship drifting off, a shadow of its former self as it was stripped for wood. Looking up, Arthano saw the sun begin to fall. He saw it turning more and more red until it was as red as blood. It looked as though it was going to destroy the world, and so as it fell, Arthano put his hands up, touching the hot surface of a sun that was far larger than he, far larger than anything he had ever seen before.

It burned hotter than anything Arthano had ever felt before. Hotter than fire, and yet as he pushed against it, his hands sizzling, cooking like meat over a camp fire, they didn't melt. As hot as the sun was, his hands didn't melt, but continued to push against the ball of fire that was so large that Arthano could see nothing but the fire fire that was now descending upon him. Was he going to die inside of his dreams? Was this a dream at all or was this actually happening? There was no way for Arthano to know and he knew it, for in ones dreams it always seemed real. And so a sense of urgency befell him, and he knew that if he perished, if he failed, the world would end, and it would be all his fault. He would never be forgiven for the death he had caused, and would end up in the deepest darkest, most painful place for all eternity, to rest with the evils that had caused him and his deceased family so much pain.

And so he pushed. Arthano did everything and more, pushing harder and harder, and yet he could feel something inside of him, a sort of darkness growing with every thought that went through his mind. But it soon grew with every feeling, every feeling of hatred and anger. The darkness spread throughout him like a plague, covering his legs and his arms and his entire chest except for his heart. His heart stood in the light as well as his neck and head. Arthano looked down at his body covered in darkness, covered in a black liquid that was corrupting him. He could feel it creeping up his neck towards his head as well as pushing at his hearts defenses. It was almost there, almost complete. He was changing, changing into something that he had never imagined in his wildest dreams of becoming.

A Demon.

"No!" Arthano roared, sitting up in his bed so fast that the pain from his wounds hit him harshly. He winced in pain, falling backwards and laying back. Staring at the ceiling, Arthano couldn't help but wonder what his dream had meant. "Is anything wrong?" A voice called from outside the room. "No." Arthano spoke softly. "I'm fine." He coughed up more blood than usual, but wiped it away without a second though, letting it drip from his hand onto the floor. Arthano coughed a bit more, blinking several times as his vision blurred. Slowly, he lifted his left hand into the air, the blood from his mouth still dripping from it. He stared it, and noticed that it was...different. It was darker, to the point that it looked as though it had been mixed with something. Arthano let his hand drop back to his side, hoping beyond hope that it was just an effect of his wounds.

But he was not to think about this blood any longer, for sleep came upon him once more, closing his eyes with little trouble and quieting his thoughts. Back to the world of dream he went, but this time everything was black. It was covered in darkness, in a shadow that Arthano could see so clearly through that he wasn't quite sure it was shadow at all. However, the fact was, there was nothing to see but the darkness. But that was where Arthano was wrong, for something began to materialize out of the darkness. A large ball of shadow formed in front of him, and from it spawned a figure who began to shift and transform into a figure of a man. Its veins glowed red like blood, even showing through the clothes that the being wore. Its face began to form as well as its muscles, and the body shape looked familiar. It was only when it opened its eyes that Arthano knew who it was, for it was him.

Arthano showed no emotion as he stared at a shadow version of himself, its eyes as yellow as his, but its veins burning with hatred. "Who... are you?" Arthano spoke softly. "You." A voice spoke in his head, the shadow figure simply staring back at him with those same yellow eyes. "But you can't be. I'm me." Arthano took a step back, for it seemed impossible. This dream was becoming more and more real by the minute. Was this actually happening? Was he in a dream or was he actually inside of himself? Inside of his own heart? "I am the darkness inside of you. Calling out to you. The curse that was put upon you shall one day turn you into a demon." the shadow figure spoke with strength in his voice, yet it was that of a snake.

"Do not worry. You shall not be a slave of the darkness. But it will have some influence upon you." Arthano stared at the evil form of himself in horror. He could not understand how this could be true. "Who did this to me? Who put this curse upon me?" Arthano spoke, taking a few steps forward this time. "Chaos did this to you. Chaos." The shadow's voice was so deep that it sounded like a demon, and Arthano was sure that was what it was. He could feel a bit of anger rising up inside of him but repressed the feeling, trying to hold it down. But even so he could feel the urge to draw his sword, and yet as he felt around for it he realized that it wasn't there. The only thing that he had with him was what he could take with him.

"You want to kill me? You want to hurt me? You want to see my blood flow?" The demon spoke softly, its voice still deep. "But you can't, for i am you. Or at least, a part of you. You can't kill part of you or all of you will die. Don't you understand? This is no dream. This is reality." Arthano's eyes opened a wide in surprise as he knew the demon was right. He could feel the darkness growing inside of him. "Do you still want to kill me?" Its voice was suddenly a bit louder, a bit more sinister, as though it were growing in power with every passing moment. Arthano stood his ground firmly, his eyes suddenly narrowing in determination and his hands balling into fists. "Yes. I do." Arthano spoke softly, his jet black hair falling over his face. "You can't kill me. For even if you destroyed me now, i would come back. This curse is eternal. It will keep on coming until it consumes you. Nothing can save you from your death... and rebirth... as a demon." The words echoed in Arthano's head.

He was destined to die, and be reborn as a demon. But how? He had always wanted to be a man of the light, a knight who fought for the forces of good, not an evil demon who killed all those who wished to protect. How could a boy who wanted to turn into a knight of the light grow up to become a demon? It seemed... wrong... as if it was unethical simply because it shouldn't happen. Arthano couldn't let it happen. No. He wouldn't let it happen. Roaring in anger, Arthano dashed at the demonic form of himself, leaping on top of him and wrapping his hands around its neck before squeezing it as hard as he could. The shadow dropped to the floor, Arthano on top of it, squeezing its neck as hard as he could, his face showing madness and hatred. And yet somehow it could still speak without much trouble.

"Yes. Give into your anger. Give into your hatred. Let it give you power, let the evil give your strength and you will be able to dominate all." It spoke as though nothing was happening to it. "Die!!!" Arthano roared, and just as he did, the shadow melted before him, the darkness becoming liquid and slowly covering his entire body like it had in his previous dream. He shouted in fear, feeling the cool evil climbing up his body, slowly corrupting him as though this were the end, as though he were going to turn into a demon right then and there. Arthano got on his knees, clawing at his neck as the darkness climbed up it, trying to pull it from him. "No", Arthano whispered, every breath in his body harder and harder to take in and exhale.

Arthano woke up with a start, once again sitting up so rapidly that his wounds burned like fire, forcing him to lay back once more. He blinked several times, trying to figure out if he was still asleep or not. Once he was satisfied that he was in fact awake, Arthano took a deep breath, his body covered in sweat and blood covering his mouth and chin. "What... is wrong with me?"

Danger from the Deep

After a several days of floating in the sea with little forward progress, the Destiny continued its voyage across the sea. The grunts were back to work as usual. Captain Arc was back to yelling at his men for practically no reason and using the steering wheel even though half the time he had no idea where he was going. Arthano had been sleeping for many days, resting so that his wounds healed correctly, when he awoke from his slumber. There was no beam of light to shine through the window this time, for the only thing that could be seen above the sea were dark clouds for miles and miles. From that, Arthano could tell that things were not well this fateful day. He got up slowly, dressing himself despite his wounds which still ached. He slipped into his typical black baggy pants, black boots, and a white work tunic, the same one he had been wearing the day he had gone to battle against the pirates. Arthano wrapped his belt around his waist, his sword sheath attached to it with the katana in it.

Walking out the door, Arthano could see that nobody was in the halls this time to push him to the side. He walked slowly up the stairs to see many of the men working so slowly that one might think they had not a care in the world. But the actual fact was that they had been working practically all day. In a corner Arthano could see four men sitting around a makeshift table throwing dice from a table. Money littered the table, apparently the bets they were placing on certain numbers. Arthano walked slowly over to the four men, taking a seat at the table. They looked at him as though he were a stranger, and he was, for he had never once before gambled with them. He pulled out a few dollars, dropping it on the table. One of the men smiled, extending a hand. "Names Colt. All you have to do is roll two sixes and you get everyones money." Colt spoke cheerfully, losing a bit of his joy as he realized that Arthano wasn't going to shake his hand.

"Here ya go sonny." Colt smiled, handing Arthano a cup with two dice. Arthano took it, examining the man and realizing that he looked to be about fifty years old. Had a stubble instead of a beard and eyes that looked crafty. He was far from muscular and Arthano wondered why Captain Arc had the man on his ship. The other two men were typical grunts with the same buzz cut hair cuts. They almost looked completely a like, and Arthano might have considered them twins had they not had different faces. After all, they were each unique.

Arthano shook the cup a few times before dropping the dice on the table. One was six, the other was five. "Looks like you lost my boy." Colt laughed, taking Arthano's share. Arthano lifted an eyebrow as the old hand came shooting across the table and grabbed the dice as well as the cup. "Up for another round?" Colt chuckled. "Sure." Arthano spoke softly, without emotion. He laid down a few more dollars before taking the cup in his hand once more. He shook the cup before turning it to the side to let the dice fall out of the cup. But before the dice could hit the table Arthano grabbed them out of the air, holding them up to his eyes. "How cute. Revolving dice." Arthano smiled faintly. It seemed that whenever the dice hit a surface hard enough the numbers changed so that there was every number except for six, but only on one die, so that it seemed as though the roller at least had a chance, when he really didn't.

The three grunts jumped out of their seats in anger. "I want my money back you old rag or I'll break your thieving hands." One of them roared. "Just wait a minute boys how do you know its not this guy who's lying! He's the new comer to the ship isn't he?" Colt whimpered, practically falling to his knees before the muscular men. "Because i lost. And you didn't." Arthano spoke softly, the grunts turning their full attention to Colt and practically tearing the clothes off his back to get their money back, as well as a little bit of his. One of the grunts lifted his right hand into the air in anger, preparing to bring it down upon the old mans head. Arthano quickly snatched it out of the air, causing the grunt to turn around in anger. "Hey! Let go before i break you over my knee!" He sneered, but was cut off rather promptly. Arthano elbowed the man in his stomach before upper cutting him, throwing him to the deck. He looked up from the ground in surprise, wondering how he had just been thrown to the ground with relative ease. The two other grunts turned around and walked away as quickly as possible without looking like complete wimps. Arthano chuckled a little bit to himself, Colt sighing in relief. "Thanks buddy. I owe you one."

Arthano turned around, walking towards Captain Arc and waving slightly signaling that it was ok. Walking up a set of stairs, Arthano stood before Captain Arc who didn't look nearly as cheerly as the last time that Arthano saw him. He had a grave face on, one that worried Arthano, but only to a certain degree. "It seems that we're coming up upon a storm. A heavy one too." Arc spoke in a grave tone, one that caught the ears of several crewmen who were close by. "This ship has entered through one end of many storms and it has always come out the other, but I'm not sure it can make it through this one." Arc's gaze fell to the deck where his crewmen worked hard on various things, especially repairs, for the coming day would be harder than any they had yet faced.

"Prepare yourself Arthano. For i am sorry to say that this could very well be our end." Arc walked over to Arthano, putting a hand on his shoulder before walking away. Arthano simply stood there, staring out across the sea, at the clouds that were as black as the night, as black as the shadows of his very being, and Arthano was beginning to wonder if this was a sign, that this ship would soon be consumed by the darkness of the sea, by the darkness of the heart. Arthano emitted a soft sigh, trying to understand how such things could befall him time and time again. But he supposed it was... destiny. Walking over to the side of the ship, Arthano put his hands on the rail, simply staring out across the deep blue sea, across the ocean that was the home of so many different creatures. It was a dark abyss that swallowed men whole and took lives without regret. And soon it would take the lives the many of the men of this ship, for it was inevitable.

Lives would be lost on a day like this.

And then he saw it. Huge waves crashing against the ocean waters far off. But they were heading right at it, right at the onslaught of nature. The classic nature versus man situation that countless stories had been written over was about to begin once more, and Arthano was right in the middle of it. "All hands on deck! Prepare yourselves boys! Its the end of the world!!!!" Arc roared, laughing maniacally, for he had apparently lost his marbles. Arthano just continued to stare out across the seat at the encroaching storm, feeling the effects of the increasing current. A single drop of rain his Arthano on his nose, and then another, and then came the downpour that was to signal the beginning. Up and down the ship went, going over wave after wave even as they increased in size, and all Arthano could do was stand there, his hands stuck on the rail as he was drenched by rain and ocean water alike.

Arthano's mouth dropped slightly as his gaze fell upon a shadow, a shadow of a wave that was coming directly towards them. It was so large that it looked like it was indeed the end of the world, towering high above the masts of the ship. The shouts of men combined with the whimpering of the weak as the ship was lifted into the air by the wave, riding it in a completely different direction. The wave was so large that it completely eclipsed everything else except for the ship itself, lifting it sideways into the air. Arthano hung onto the railing as the ship was turned onto its side. He looked down, his feet dangling in the air to see a huge drop as well as many men who couldn't find a hand hold falling into the deep blue abyss that was the ocean. Arthano could see Captain Arc and Colt hanging onto the same door, holding on for their lives as men and object alike fell to their deaths.

Just as suddenly as the wave had appeared, a enormous tentacle shot from the wave, wrapping itself around the middle of the ship and pulling it through the wave. Many men were crushed under the massive tentacle and the ship cracked quite a bit from the force of it. Arthano was still holding on for his life, but his grip was slowly slipping, and he could tell he wouldn't be able to hold on forever despite his strong muscles. The tentacle held the ship high in the air, causing the masts to fall under the weight of the wind and the rain. Arthano watched as one of the suction cups on the tentacle sucked a man into it, sucking harder and harder until he had been crushed into a mess of bone and blood. Screams some how many it to the ears of Arthano even through the sound of the rain hitting the wood with the force of arrows. He felt as though his skin might suddenly be torn from his skin at any second, and yet somehow he took all of this punishment.

But it was simply too much for some, for Arthano knew that this was indeed the end, for only one thing could possess such a tentacle.A Kraken. Few known Krakens reached the size that this one had to be, but Arthano knew a Kraken when he saw one. He had heard the legends of the gigantic ones, absolutely enormous monstrosities that could destroy entire fleets without much trouble. They caused terrible pain and usually in the end swallowed many people whole without even noticing that they were still alive. Arthano could see it now, the insides of a Kraken, the acid creeping up on him to consume him and give yet more energy to the killing machine that was the Kraken. Yet what could he do but continue to hold on for his dear life, a life that had suddenly become more and more important in the last few weeks.

The Kraken swung the ship around with such force that Arthano was surprised that he was still able to hold on, as well as some of the other crew members. And yet they could not be saved, for yet another tentacle came flying up to grab a few more men and toss them into the huge mouth of the Kraken. Arthano looked down to see Captain Arc's hands slip. He fell several feet before hitting yet another railing which caused him to spin rapidly as he fell into the enormous teeth filled mouth of the Kraken. His gaze moved to Colt who was still holding on for his dear life, but as Arthano soon anticipated, Colt's grip also failed him and he went tumbling into the darkness, his life ending in extreme agony as he was impaled upon one of the many teeth of the mutant beast. It didn't seem normal, as though it weren't like the others. A demonic beast from the depths of the abyss that came to torment sailors. And it did as one after another fell into Kraken's mouth. Arthano watched on helplessly, tears of blood streaming from his eyes as he cried in sorrow, screams of terror echoing throughout his head.

Just as Arthano cried, his grip loosened just enough for a swift shake of the ship to cause him to lose his grip. His swung his arms in every which way, trying to grab onto anything, everything, but failed, just barely missing several objects as he fell. But just as he was falling towards the Kraken's huge mouth it descended under the ocean blue waters, taking the ship with it, and causing Arthano to simply fall into one of the many huge waves that still raged on. The waves threw Arthano in every which direction as he looked on at the Kraken that disappeared into the darkness of the sea, hidden by the shadows of the night. And then the shadows took him.

Marsh mellow Defenses

It was obvious that Arthano had somehow ended up in his dreams once more. Or perhaps this was his heart again, but he couldn't tell, for he couldn't tell the difference between reality and dream anymore. It was all too similar, all too unreal. Had he died? Was he dead right now? Right this second? Or what he just barely alive, floating in the middle of the ocean just waiting to wash up on some random undiscovered island. How was one to know when Arthano couldn't even wake up, for the more he tried to rouse himself it seemed the more he began to drift away into that other world of his. "Well well well. What do we have here. Arthano Vemerald." A voice called out to him in the darkness. "You have guts. I'll give you that. Or perhaps your just lucky. I don't know anymore. Your a mystery, even to me, and I'm you." The voice laughed in the darkness, hidden behind its sinister intentions.

Arthano could feel something out there, calling out to him, but he knew it only wanted to harm him, one way or another. But as things stood, he couldn't see anything, for he was once again back in that black room where the only thing that was visible was himself. He was just waiting for the demonic form of himself to materialize from the shadow, and yet it didn't. It seemed he was doomed to sit in his own mind until he woke up. Arthano sighed softly, sitting down and trying to make himself comfortable. He coughed softly, wiping a bit of blood from his mouth. "Ah.. i see the darkness is still working quite hard on you. You'll be a demon before you know it young one." The familiar voice called out. "How does it feel to be dying? How does it feel to be decaying from the inside out? Kind of like bleeding, but the wound never healing huh? Like being poisoned and never finding a cure? But don't worry, that feeling will go away when you become a demon." The voice cackled like a typical villain. "You feel oh so powerful. Like you can rule the world and nobody can stop you. Trust me, its an amazing feeling. All of this pain will soon be over."

"Shut up." Arthano spoke softly. "What was that? I didn't quite catch that." The voice spoke, obviously faking it. "Shut up." Arthano spoke up a little bit more. "What? I can't hear you. You'll have to speak up young one." it taunted him. "Shut u-" Arthano began before he was cut off, for it felt like a hand had grabbed him by the neck. But when he reached up to pull it off, there was nothing there. He was being suffocated by the inside. "What was that? Did you say something?" The voice continued to speak, almost as though it were disciplining him. "What did you say? Come on. Say whats on your mind." The hand squeezed harder, and all Arthano could do was try and push a few words through, but nothing that could actually be understood actually made it out.

"What? You want me to stop choking you?" Arthano could suddenly breathe, and he rolled over onto all fours, taking huge breaths as he tried to take it all in at once, the feeling overwhelming. It was as though his lungs were on fire, like he hadn't taken a breath in years when it had only been moments. "Are you ok? Did i hurt you? I'm so very sorry..." the words came out fake, child like in an attempt to mock Arthano further. The longer he was there the more angry he got, and Arthano knew that if he let his anger get the better of him than the demon would have won, and he might possibly lose his life. Getting to his feet, Arthano closed his eyes, letting his head drop a little bit so that his hair fell over his eyes. He took slow deep breaths, trying to calm himself down in the best way possible.

"Awww. Whats this? Little Arthano is trying to calm himself?" The demon mocked Arthano once more, invisible to the naked eye. Arthano suddenly felt the pressure of a fist hitting him in the stomach which sent him to one knee. Slowly, he rose back to his feet before he was once again struck in the stomach. Returning to his feet in mere moments, Arthano took this little punishment, still calming himself as he knew it was unlike himself to get angry, especially angry enough to kill. "Your defense to me is to.. do nothing? You might as well have weapons made of marsh mellows." The demon spoke in annoyance, his voice slightly angry as he punched Arthano several times before hitting him in the face. Arthano was through to the ground, slamming into it with enough impact for him to know that the Demon had used some sort of magic or at least his control over this place.

Slowly Arthano rolled over, getting on all fours before getting to his feet. And then he saw him, the very demon that resembled him so well, his veins glowing like usual, his eyes as yellow as Arthano's. "Are you sure you don't want to kill me? I can feel it in you. The hatred." The demon spoke softly, walking slowly towards Arthano as a sword of shadow materialized into his hand. He walked slowly up to Arthano, strolling as though he were on a daily afternoon walk. Putting his lips right next to Arthano's left ear, the demon spoke,"If you won't kill me. I suppose I'll just have to kill you." Just then a sword made up of light formed into Arthano's right hand just in time to allow him to parry the stabbing maneuver that the demon had just pulled.

Arthano quickly punched the demon in the face, throwing him to the side before sending a flurry of slices his way. But it seemed as though the shadow of himself was just a little bit faster, just enough for it to make a difference, and parried every attack before hitting Arthano with the bottom of his sword, sending him flying backwards. "I liked the cheap shot you just gave me." It cackled, walking over to Arthano before bringing it sword back. The demon brought it forward, swinging it in a wide arc that Arthano only dodged just barely by falling down. "You know, i thought you were a pretty good fighter, especially after that battle on the ship, but right now your doing terrible!" The Demon laughed maniacally, looking straight up as he did so in his insanity. The more Arthano looked on, the more he wondered whether he was going to make it out of this alive.

The Demon lifted the sword over his head, bringing it down up Arthano who rolled out of the way at the second. He then slammed his sword into the demon's sword, pinning it to the ground before uppercutting the monster, sending it flying to the left. Arthano used the opening to punch it a second time in the gut and then bring his sword down upon its back. But it took the slash as though it were no problem and spun around, slicing Arthano across his stomach, luckily not cutting very deep. "You cannot defeat me Arthano. Give it up. All hope is lost. You shall die today." Arthano stared at the creature of shadow, his eyes narrowing. "If you kill me, you'll die as well." Arthano smirked, hoping that he was indeed right. "Aye... but i have died many times before, and can be reborn. Unlike you. Your.. expendable. To a certain degree." It proceeded to mimic Arthano's smirk before charging it him once again and engaging him in an epic clash of swords. In a flurry of swords, Arthano stabbed the demon several times, slicing him, slashing him, and even stabbing him through the head, and yet it continued to fight on, as though it were invincible.

Their blades clashed against each other's time and time again, showering both with the sparks as the forces of light and darkness pushed against each other for dominance inside Arthano's heart. The two quickly leaped backwards before dashing forward, their swords colliding. They were in a lock, pushing against each other with all of their strength, their faces close. "Am i really expendable? Will you not perish with me?" Arthano grunted. "You aren't expendable. I will die, but i don't care anymore. You've caused me far too much pain, far too much trouble for me to continue. We shall perish today, and become one with the shadows." The Demon finally overpowered Arthano, throwing him backwards before kicking him in the leg sending him to one knee. The demon then brought his sword to his own face before swinging it in a downwards arc aimed at Arthano's neck.

Arthano leaned backwards, feeling the wind of the blade as it just barely passed over his nose. Leaning forward again, Arthano got his feet as quickly as he could before tackling the creature of the shadows to the ground. Arthano now sat on top of the demon, and as he did, he lifted his sword above his head, preparing to bring the blade down and stab it in the heart. But before he could, it began to change rapidly until it looked just like... him. It's skin was just as pale, its eyes just as yellow, its hair just as black. Even it's clothes resembled him. "Would you've killed innocents Arthano. Yes, you have. But you cannot kill me Arthano. For i am you."

Forgiveness only comes to those who deserve it

Arthano woke up slowly, his vision blurred as his blinked his yellow eyes rapidly. When his vision finally came into focus he could see that he was laying on what appeared to be the deck of a ship. However this ship was made out of a different type of wood, indicating that it wasn't the Destiny. But it wasn't just that, but he was laying in a pool of blood. Getting to his feet slowly, Arthano tried his best to clean himself off, to little avail. Looking around it seemed that he was on a board that was far larger than the Destiny, perhaps twice the size. It was an absolutely enormous ship, and yet there was nobody around. Arthano couldn't quite understand it. A sudden wave of pain hit him as he realized that he had been cut. His stomach was covered in blood, but the wound didn't seem that bad.

"Hello!"Arthano called out. "Is anyone there!" His voice echoed on the empty ship, his vision hindered simply because the entire ship was covered in a mist. He had no idea where it could have possibly came from, but he didn't care. Right now, all he was concerned about was finding the crewmen of this ship and finding out what happened. Arthano walked slowly towards a door that looked as though it might lead to the lower levels of the ship, and in fact it did. Arthano looked down the long stairway, noting that it was covered in blood. He slowly walked down the stairs, holding onto the railing to make sure that he didn't slip. When he reached the bottom, he opened a door that led to a long hallway with a several doors on either side. It reminded him of the Destiny, but he had never gone very far into the ship so he wasn't quite sure what to expect.

Arthano opened one of the rooms and saw nothing wrong with it, proceeding to another and also finding nothing wrong. When he opened the third room down the hallway and found nothing wrong with it, he walked into it and began rummaging around. Finding nothing, Arthano stood in the middle of the room, sighing as he tried to figure out what the heck was going on. A soft cough produced some blood upon his hand which he quickly wiped off. But then a drop of blood hit him on his hand, annoying him just a bit. Wiping it off, Arthano continued to gaze around at random places, until yet another drop of blood fell from nowhere, this time hitting him on his shoulder. Arthano sighed, ignoring it before moving to the desk and opening it slowly. There he found a letter, written rather hastily. However, it was covered in blood and couldn't be read.

Arthano sighed softly, running a hand through his hair and brushing it back just as yet another drop of blood fell, this time hitting the letter. Arthano slowly looked upwards, and then he saw it. A man was pinned to the ceiling, a sword in his stomach, arms, and legs holding him to the ceiling. Arthano's eyes opened up in horror, for he realized that this man had been murdered. He dashed out of the room, running down the hallway as he opened door after door to find various corpses, pinned to walls and ceilings in creative ways. He finally came upon the mess hall of the ship, and when he opened it, it looked as though a battle had just been waged. There were barricades everywhere, corpses in random places. Blood covered the floor to such a degree that one might have thought it were the actual color of the floor had it not been obvious where the red color came from.

"What... happened?" Arthano whispered, pain surging through him at the knowledge that all of these people lay dead, while he was alive. They had apparently saved him, and he hadn't even been awake to save them from this evil. As these thoughts passed into his mind, Arthano could only think of avenging their deaths, of finding this killer and slaying him. Perhaps he was still on the ship. The very thought gave Arthano at least a little bit of hope. The least he could do was avenge their deaths. Slowly he creeped through the mess hall, making sure not to slip on the blood as he made his way to the next hallway, still searching for some sign that people were alive, or at least of the monster who had slaughtered all of these men. And then he came upon yet another quarters. Opening the door, Arthano saw a man laying in his bed, tucked under the covers with his eyes closed. He would have looked peaceful had it not been for the large amount of blood that covered one particular part of the blanket signaling where he had been stabbed.

Arthano sighed softly, rubbing his head as he walked over to the desk where he found yet another letter.

To whomever this may concern,

This is the end. He broke through the barricades and killed everyone in the upper quarters. He's now banging upon the doors to the mess hall which we have also barricaded, but its only inevitable that he break through. We have no bows nor magic so we are confined to using swords, but this... demon... is simply too good. He has killed everyone who has stood against him, and while i may be the first mate of the ship, i just can't take it anymore. I think i'll just... sleep, and die in peace. If anyone with a heart finds this, please tell my wife and children that i love them.

Garrett Cloud

A single tear of blood streaked down Arthano's right cheek, falling upon the letter that he folded up and put in his pocket. Walking out of the room, Arthano continued down the hall until he came to a set of large oak double doors. Opening the doors, he walked into a room that looked as though it were made for a Captain, whom sat behind his desk, slouched over in his seat with a sword stuck in his chest. Arthano gazed about, seeing the various weapon racks that hung from the wall, empty of their contents. Arthano assumed that those were the weapons that were used the impale the men to the walls, and then he spotted something else, a note sitting directly in front of the Captain, half covered in blood. Arthano walked up to the desk and examined the note.

To whoever finds this,

This is the end. All of my men are dead and he's coming for me next. The worst part is, I don't understand why he is doing this. We picked him up out of the water and he was unconscious, but when he woke up he went berserk and started killing everyone. I couldn't fathom why a man would do such a thing when we saved him from certain death. It looked as though it had been a storm or something that had wrecked whatever ship he had been on, for we could see it in the distance. Perhaps it had caused him to go insane. I don't know. The only thing I know, the only thing I'll remember until he takes my life from me are those yellow eyes....

Captain West

Arthano dropped the letter, his body freezing as he realized who had done this, who had taken all of these lives. It was him. He had killed every single one of them. His attacks on the demon, his attacks on the shadow hadn't been on it at all. It had been.... on them. Arthano fell to his knees, crying tears of blood that dripped down his cheeks. How could he have done this? How could he have killed so many men without even realizing it?

"Will i ever be forgiven?"