Category : Stories

Sub Category : Horror

 A pond lays still in a forest of nowhere. A wind carries soft moans as it whisk by the pond leaving it untouched. Not a ripple, not a drop, no movement in the pond till it begins to bubble. The bubbles grow ever more furious then explodes. A man known as Ramis Darthon is spit out of the pond and lands on its edge. He hacks up water and then falls flat trying to regain his breathing. 

 After many minutes, Ramis finds the strength to pick himself up. On his feet, he scans his surroundings. Somehow he had sank into the Sea of Death and ended up in the middle of a forest. The whole circumference of the pond area is surrounded by trees. There is no connection to the sea. How did he get here? Maybe, he is dead. 

 Ramis shakes his head, he felt groggy and muscles in different parts of him is sore. It would be funny if he still felt pain after he died. No, this must be something else. He kept looking around till he spots a young girl emerging from the trees. The girl seemed no older then four and yet her hair is entirely grey. When the girl speaks she is far more articulate then her age would apply.

"Hello, young warrior." The girl says.

"Funny, you calling me young." Ramis responds.

"I have been around far longer then you, warrior. You should learn not to always believe your eyes." The girl sits herself on a stump in a cross-legged manner.

 Ramis walks over to her and stands just a few steps away, towering over her. 

"Can I ask, Where am I?" Ramis folds his arms across his chest.

"Nowhere." The girl simply responds, "This once was a place and now it's just another fragment in the void."

"I don't get your meaning." Ramis looks at the girl confusingly, " Am I still alive?"

 The girls laughs, "Sadly, yes. You still have many struggles to go. What do you hope to accomplish in life?"

"Well, since I still live, I guess I must keep my word. I want to free my people from the oppression of gods." Ramis answer.

 The girl smiles, "That is a very unique task, young warrior. Not many would oppose a god. Let alone, oppose them all to free others. First I think, You should find your sword."

 Ramis reaches to his back. Sure enough, the sword is missing from it's sheath. He remembers he had it in his hand when sinking into the sea.

"I think it's lost." Ramis says 

"No, You will find it in this forest. What is a part of you can never be truly seperated from you, specially here." The girl gets off the stump and holds out a hand, "Come, Let your journey begin."

 Ramis is still not sure what is going on. However, he takes the girl's hand and she leads him to a narrow path into the trees. As they go deeper into the forest, the moaning sounds that were lightly present before, gets ever more louder. 

"Where do those moans come from?" Ramis ask.

"The trees." The girl answers.

"Why do the trees moan?" Ramis bypassing the question of how. No use in asking the trees to make anymore sense then the rest of what has been going on.

"Trees are living things as well. Life is pain." The girl says.

"Life is pain." Ramis repeats to himself trying to understand.

"All life is pain. You are born from a screaming woman and your first sounds are cries. You grow and stretch, leaving wear and tear in your muscles.
Soon after, those start to decay as your body grows old and falls apart on you. From cradle to grave, you were meant to suffer." The girl looks up at Ramis. "I feel for your kind, young warrior. The gods calling life a gift is just a sick joke."

"That is a very morbid perspective for someone who looks so young." Ramis says.

"Age is for the living." The girls says in return

 A man crawls out into the path before the two. He seems seriously injured. He looks up towards the girl and reaches out.

"Mother, please…save me." The man on the ground utters.

 The girl grabs the man's hand with both of hers. "Do not fret, child. You will soon be free of life." 

 The man's hand slides out of the girl's and drops to the ground. The man lies still for a mere moment. Then, his arm begins to twitch, followed by his entire body going into convulsions. He jumps to his feet and begins snarling. The man's mouth starts to foam. He leaps out, knocking Ramis to the ground. On top of Ramis, the man snaps his teeth at Ramis's face. Ramis manages to kick the man off and roll towards the side. On his knees, Ramis spots a rock. He picks it up, gets on his feet, and smashes the man's skull in. The man lays still for good this time. Howls sound out around the forest. Ramis looks towards the girl.

"You should run." The girl says.

"But what about you?" Ramis ask.

"Only the living has the illusion of fear." The girl walks off down the path.
 
 Out of the trees. Many beastly crazed men come charging towards Ramis. Ramis makes a run for it towards a clear path into the trees to his left. Swerving left and right to avoid the trees, Ramis rushes forwards. The beast-men chase after, some on all fours across the ground, others flinging themselves from branch to branch of each tree. Ramis manages to keep ahead of his pursuers till he stumbles down a large slope. 

 Hitting the ground, Ramis feels dizzy for a slight moment. He looks to his side and finds a skeleton resting against the tree.  In between one arm and the ribcage of the skeleton, is Ramis's sword. Ramis quickly picks it up. Having the weight of it in his hands again feels so good. He holds his sword out before him, getting into a defensive stance. The beast-men now surround him. All of them snarling and foaming at the mouth.

"Let death choose who to embrace." Ramis says.

 One after the other, the beast-men lunge themselves at Ramis and he in return, cuts them down. One of the injured slides to Ramis and bites into his leg. Ramis lets out a yell and then quckly decapitates the beast. After what seems like an hour, every beast-man lay in pieces on the forest floor and Ramis is covered in blood. He sheaths his sword and finds a path out of the forest. At the edge, he finds a endless thick darkness that he can't see beyond. Ramis plunges in without a moment to think.