Soon, I saw in front of me three individuals – two men and a woman. They all appeared to be incredibly strong with hard expressions on their faces. As I examined them closely, I noticed that occasionally, their eyes would appear completely blue without any white or black dot in the center; however, this only lasted for a second before they seemed normal again. This occurrence was random and could easily go unnoticed.
One of the men spoke up, revealing himself as their leader. “What do we have here? A lone woman?” he asked. “No,” countered the woman of the group, “she is a fallen goddess like us.” The first man concurred with her statement, saying, “Hmm, how true.” The second man continued, “Perhaps she can join our ranks.” “Maybe,” said the leader again. Curious about their identity I inquired, “Who are you?” “We are fallen gods, like yourself,” explained the second man. “Fallen gods?” I asked them, more confused than ever. “What does that mean? A goddess?” The woman suggested, “Perhaps we should help her. She does not seem to know her true nature” “Agreed,” said the leader.
I hesitated, unsure of what to make of their claims and my own abilities. They seemed to know that I was different somehow? Did my eyes seemed to shift colors like theirs did randomly? Was that a sign I was more than human? It would explain my ability to heal and come back to life, but I was not sure. But at the same time, I felt more mortal than divine but then again, I had no idea how a god felt.
So with trepidation, I agreed to join them in hopes of discovering the truth behind my nature and abilities.
I trekked for days, journeying eastward. Along the way, I traversed small rivers, climbed hills, and navigated through dense forests. Monsters frequently crossed my path; some were attacking settlements while others roamed aimlessly. In each encounter, I fought them off and emerged victorious, no matter how powerful they seemed to be. No defeat could keep me down for long – I would always rise from the ashes, healed and ready to face whatever challenges lay ahead.
However, it was a shock to discover just how many different monsters inhabited this world, creatures I had never encountered before in my life. The Urakneas were the most common of these beasts. But there were also larger ones: serpent-like monsters with sharp teeth, massive fire-breathing lizards, enormous flying bats with razor-sharp claws, and many more terrifying beings.
People in the settlements I passed through were always grateful for my efforts to rid their lands of these creatures and wished that I would stay among them. Yet, I preferred solitude – I did not want to grow close to someone again only to lose them once more, as it had caused me so much pain before.
Another year passed by, and while taking a break under the shade of a large tree in a forest, I heard the sounds of approaching footsteps.
I had numerous more delightful years with my adopted daughter. However, nothing lasts forever except for my own life, it seems. As time went on, she grew older while I remained youthful as ever. Eventually, both her and her husband passed away. Their children did not know me because explaining immortality to them would be difficult and keeping it a secret was necessary.
Suddenly, I felt very alone. For months, I cried a lot and lost my will to do anything. I began to think that my life was a curse, even contemplating ending it, but that was impossible. It had been about a year since my daughter's death when one day, I realized I could not continue living like this. I needed to make changes in my life and start anew.
I forced myself to get up and clean myself up. Then, I packed everything necessary for the journey ahead. Afterward, I burned down the house where I had lived for so long. Determined to move forward, I left and continued traveling eastward as I did many years before.
Eventually, I had to leave the settlement before they noticed that I wasn’t aging. I moved to a small hut I built not far from the village, where I settled alone. My daughter stayed behind, but she visited me regularly. Most of the time, life was peaceful and quiet.
However, there were nights when strange creatures attacked. These beings, who called themselves Urakneas, were monstrous. Their faces resembled beasts with massive, protruding teeth, and their eyes glowed a menacing yellow in the dark. They made pig-like noises, their skin was rotting, and they had long, clawed hands and feet.
The Urakneas only emerged at night, searching for the settlement to launch their attacks. Fortunately, they very loud beings and they weren’t very clever, so I could easily track and kill them.
I remember my first encounter with the Urakneas. It was late at night, and I was asleep when loud growls jolted me awake. I went outside to investigate and saw them approaching. I quickly retreated inside to grab my spears, which I had kept since the battle with the monster snake. They were already banging on my door when I returned. As soon as I opened it, one of the creatures lunged inside. I impaled it with my spear, and it let out a screech before collapsing. I did the same to the next two that followed. During the fight, the third one managed to wound my arm with its claws, but my rapid healing took care of it quickly.
When Death, the harbinger of the end, heard about Project Imortel's activation, he couldn't help but scoff at its absurdity. “These beings with limited existence should not be eternal,” he grumbled to himself. Alas, his dissenting voice was drowned out by the Council of El's unanimous decision.
The council had made up their minds – certain mortal souls would now escape Death's grasp and become immortals of El. Though Death disapproved, he knew that his role in this new world order was no longer to take lives but rather to observe the consequences of the council's decree.
Life and Death, eternal lovers, dwell in separate planes of existence. Unable to unite and express their affection for one another, an exception occurs when the cosmos reaches its end during the last moments of existence. In this rare instance, Love and Death come together, giving birth to two daughters who are destined to live among mortals while traversing between realms.
After traveling with Jannay for a few days toward the rising sun, we discovered another human settlement.
The people there welcomed us warmly, offering us a decent meal and an old, abandoned hut to rest in.
We were both exhausted and gladly accepted their hospitality. For the first time in several nights, we both enjoyed a peaceful sleep.
It was comforting to be among friendly humans again.
The next morning, I woke up early but let Jannay sleep; she needed the rest.
I went to visit the elder chief woman of the settlement, who was in charge. We had a conversation, and she asked about our background.
I told her that bandits had destroyed my home and I had been traveling alone for a while until I found Jannay in the rubble of a devastated settlement.
This was a lie, of course, as I thought it best not to reveal that I was a thief who was supposed to be dead.
As for the whole giant snake incident, they were better off not knowing. It was terrifying, and I wasn't sure if they would have believed me anyway.
The elder chief woman told me we were welcome to stay as long as we wished and that they would be happy for us to become permanent members of the settlement. And so we did. I raised Jannay as my daughter, and the days turned into years as Jannay grew older while I remained the same.
The battle with the snake, was my first encounter with a monster.
At the time, I just thought monsters were just another part of this strange world to me.
It wasn't until later that I realized these creatures did not belong and it was up to me to eliminate them.
After defeating the serpent, I found Jannay nearby, mourning her family who had been killed by the beast.
I felt terrible for her loss but didn't know how to help her cope with such a tragedy.
She clung onto me, fearing she would be alone again.
I embraced her and promised that I wouldn't leave her side. Deep down,
I decided to take Jannay along with me on my journey, even though I had no idea where we were heading.
We spent the night in the same cave I stayed at before, and she slept safely in my arms until morning came.
The next day, I ventured out to find food for us. Being unskilled in hunting, I gathered some fruit instead. After our meal, I made the decision
that we should travel eastward.
It is said that one day, the sky will bleed as reality ceases to exist. In this moment of cosmic collapse, all existence shall vanish. As time reaches its ultimate halt, Death and Life will confront each other, united in their love. Following this climactic encounter, the creator will begin anew on a pristine canvas,life, and death will be separated again for countless ages.
In a distant part of the universe, a voice spoke,
“How is the situation?” Another figure replied,
“It's quite dire; many are wounded and several are in critical condition. It may have spread to other universes as well.”
“This is concerning,” said the first figure.
“We need heroes now more than ever. Prepare for the activation of Project Imortel, initially only within our universe which has been hit hardest.”
“I understand, but Death won't be pleased with this decision.”
“I don't care; it must be done,” said the first figure resolutely. “Death will eventually accept that this is necessary.”