FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

~REALITY~

0: Into the Fire

"One," I spoke confidently, my rough and tired voice bouncing between the bare metal walls ahead of me. Crimson red blood stained the barren surface and the floor below, some of which still dripped from the claws on my paws and the rough bumps on the pads. It was hardly visible against my midnight black fur, but I could still feel the last ounces of their lives slowly drying and knotting it all up.

"Two," I called, my voice still as confident despite the obvious exhaustion. The artwork on the walls is rather beautiful, if I do say so myself. The smeared marks and sprays of their blood is arranged in perfect composition, reminding me much of how Nanny Tillot would complain about my reckless doodling as a pup. If only she could see how wonderfully I have evolved now.

"Three," I continued, still holding out strong. No matter how deeply I stared into the eyes of the corpses under me, I could not detect even a slither of any life. A shame. I hold practically all of existence in my paw, yet I still don't have an answer for the afterlife. Perhaps more intent studies would help.

"Four," I almost shouted, feeling a cough build up at the back of my throat. For a moment, I wondered if the pitiful humans that lay before me had a family...out there, somewhere. Surely, they would want to know where their loved one had gone. They'd be overflowing with pride knowing that I have put their essence of life to good use before they perished. The children would appreciate my art.

"Five," I coughed. It wasn't loud. Nothing came out.

"Six," I carried on, taking in a deep breath afterwards. In such a delightful fashion, the coppery scent of fresh blood swirled around me, presenting itself to me alone so that I could enjoy it. I adored it. Given the opportunity, I would bathe myself in it, if only to relinquish another hunt straight after.

"Se- Seven," I stuttered, not sure as to why my confidence was suddenly shook. Perhaps it was the bliss of sniffing the air.

"Eight," I spluttered out, forcing the word past the lump in my throat. I couldn't help myself; I began pacing down the hall. There was something wrong - something I have forgotten. Deep down, I knew it.

"Nine," I almost whispered, still trapped in thought. What could be so important that it couldn't wait for me to finish basking in the glorious death around me? I needed to finish counting. As long as I had all of my shards, nothing could trouble me.

"T-T, Ten," I whined, ready to scream as I noticed there was only one more shard left to count. I parted my lips, my heartbeat increasing rapidly as I opened my mouth one last time.

But I couldn't. I couldn't bring myself to say the final number...

Orbiting around me by the gravity and power of my inner self were eleven of the twelve shards of REALITY. I was missing one final piece. One. Final. Piece. A deep growl emerged from inside, threatening to burst from the snarl that now etched itself onto my face, spreading down my muzzle and radiating from the tip of my nose.

I could no longer smell the fragrant scent of fresh blood. The corpses below me were still lifeless, but the way their eyes rolled back into their useless skulls had my mind screaming. They were mocking me. Mocking my impendent failure.

The final shard of REALITY, the one which would grant me the very same power that created all of existence, was out of my grasping paws and these retching remnants knew it. I glared down at the nearest one as it rested by my leg. I would have no more of it. Raising my foot slowly, like a pup would to an unwanted ant's nest, I watched as the lifeless carcass continued to smile in mockery.

I stomped hard and fast, shattering the skull and sending bone and flesh sprawling out across the floor. No man shall make me a fool, in life nor in death. The other three corpses shuddered from the force, turning ever so slightly away from me. Yes. Away from me.

They have learned from their mistakes: they won't mock me again.

Storming through the hallway, I came to the steel door at its end. I placed a gentle paw on the cold metal. There was no warmth to the welcome. It was as if even the doors were telling me to leave; I was unwanted in this place. Nothing will stand in my way.

Nothing.

A few moments passed as I observed the obstacle in front of me. Bolted, locked and reinforced. That isn't a problem for me at all. With a raise of my paw and the subtle flick of the wrist, the fourth shard of REALITY rose to meet my eyes. The bright red light emerged from deep inside the shard, a testament to the raging power encased in the rock. Although I cannot see it for myself, I know for a fact that my eyes have changed from the entrancing sapphire blue they once were to a furious dark red.

I focused the power of the shard and unleashed it. The steel door, that stood oh so proudly before, obliterated from the force, along with sections of the walls and floor. Through the gaping hole I could see into the whitewashed room ahead.

I had to squint from the intensity of the light as I stepped through, continuing my destructive path forwards. To no surprise, I was greeted by the careful aim of a few dozen soldiers. They must have anticipated my extravagant entrance - they were carefully positioned in an arc around me, just out of radius from the blast of the fourth shard.

The soldiers were armed to the teeth in high tech armour and weaponry, with automated sentries and machine guns at the ready. I couldn't see their faces. They were obscured by black and gold tinted visors that shined and gleamed in the light. These clearly are the elite of the elite. But they are no match for me...for a god.

I allowed my muzzle to open, giving them a clear view of my blood stained teeth as my tongue lazily flicked around to clean them. To their credit, none of them moved a muscle.

Only one of them didn't wear a helmet. Despite having her back to me, I could tell exactly who it was. Her long flowing red and black hair was a dead giveaway, along with her drifting scent of oranges and tulips. Such a strange combination. Lovely scent, just...strange.

There was once a time when I craved it. I used to anticipate the scent in what seems like a long distant past. Now I anticipated something better: her blood. In an awfully strange way, I want to know whether it too tastes like oranges and tulips. Perhaps it does.

"Blaze," she spoke, clear and commanding. "I see you have brought back your awful habit of wandering around nude." Slowly and with caution, she turned to stare me straight into my eyes, her golden focus contending with my stark red glare. A slight smile touched her lips, raising the glistening pink lips higher up her immaculate face.

I let out a soft chuckle. She had planned this well. The lights of the room illuminated everything, making sure no shadows were cast for my use. What little I had was in the hallway behind me, and probably just enough to fashion myself a decent suit of armour. With my natural Necrion abilities, I grasped at the darkness, not even watching it as the tendrils carefully snaked behind me and began to slither up from my ankles. Not once did I break eye contact with Rebecca as the shadows began to protect my body.

"As intuitive as ever, Becky. Just as the Woman of War should be. You may have stolen my darkness, but that will not stop me from making celebratory decorations with your entrails," my voice boomed. There was no mistaking the amusement in my threat, even though I tried to hide it.

Her response was to part her lips ever so slightly so that I could gaze upon the grin she tried had to keep hidden. My beloved shadows had nearly finished weaving the rest of my armour around me. Only the red of my eyes and the white of my teeth stood out against the black.

Then I detected it. Another scent had entered the room from behind me: another scent that I held dear once and still do. A hard click echoed in the room as the barrel of a handheld gun was placed to the back of my sturdy skull, stopping the last square inch of my head being covered in my protective form. My smile fell. Seth, my protector and my closest friend, was now just a trigger away from ending my life.

"I stand by my oath to protect your life, by preserving your Body, Mind, Name, Future and Soul."

I could hear the pain in his voice. Seth would recite his oath almost every single night ever since he became my protector 20 years ago. From the sounds of things, he truly believed that this would be the last time he was to say them. For all I knew, it could well be. Unless, of course, I held the final shard in my paws...

"I must protect your name, so that your past and legacy don't hold you down in chains. I must protect your future, so that the path you choose does not bind you in damnation," He continued to rehearse his speech, never once faltering and never once moving the gun from the back of my head.

"I must protect your body from physical harm, as it encases your mind and soul. I must protect your mind too, so that you do not dissolve into the void,"

Rebecca's intent stare wavered for the first time as she quickly glanced at the wolf behind me before continuing to gaze into my eyes. She must have based most of this plan around Seth dealing the major damage and her guard finishing my off before I had time to regenerate. Not that I would, mind you. A clean shot through the head would most likely kill me outright.

"But above all, I must protect your soul, so that you may live on in eternal paradise."

I clenched my paws tightly, hardly feeling the sting of pain as my claws pierced my pads and forced a gentle stream of blood into my fur. First they think they can trap me, and now they think they can mock me? Paradise. I know nothing of the afterlife, so how should they? They can't. They can't have such knowledge and they don't. Soon, I will.

"However," Seth's voice had dropped now, not as much as a whisper, but certainly quieter than his oath had been. "I have come to the end. Your name, future, mind and soul are in grave danger due to the actions you've taken. I must sacrifice one to save these four commitments."

"Save them?" That was a foolish statement to make. He won't save me at all. "My name is already becoming a monstrous word to speak. My future is set and will not be changed. My mind is already broken and you cannot deny it. My soul? I've committed enough sins to reserve every place in damnation by now." I could feel the twitching of my muscles in my face as I pulled my muzzle into a grin. The gesture must have been sinister, as a few of the 'elite' guards took a step back and I could clearly see the concern grow on Rebecca.

"In any case," I carried on, "my body is the one thing left to fight for. You've already failed four of the commitments. Pull the trigger and you'll fail them all. You'll deny your oath completely and leave my life to rot."

Admittedly, it was a dirty blow and I knew it. I could almost hear his tail fall and curl around his leg and his ears pin back submissively. The soldiers, being human and all, probably didn't understand how significant the change in his posture was. Rebecca did. In a flash, she had un-holstered her sidearm and aimed the pistol right at me. With my armour, her bullets wouldn't pierce my skull. Knowing her however, she was most likely aiming straight for my eyes.

I let my grin widen. "What's the matter, Becky? Afraid Seth can't fail me any further?" The gun pushed against my head dropped a little, not exerting as much force anymore. My eyes remained still, but I was observing every inch of my current vision looking for a means to annihilate them all.

"There's no way out of this Blaze. You will not get your filthy paws on the final shard. And even if you do, you still won't have every component to recreate the Core of Devolex. There's no outcome where you win this time." She spoke with such confidence: she always does. It's amusing to me. I think I'll play along with her little game.

"Oh? Is that so? So indulge your secrets to me, oh 'enlightened one'! What am I missing? Another shard?" My focus was hardly on the conversation. Right now, I was intent of coming up with every murderous way I could slaughter them all so that I could choose the one I loved the most. Burn them all alive, maybe?

Rebecca took a step forward, never lowering her weapon. "Not a shard at all. There's a fabled piece in the legend, another part of Devolex's power that was lost and you'll never find it." She never raised her voice, but the venom she spat with the words almost hissed.

I laughed, allowing my eyes to close and re-open like an elongated blink. "The fabled piece? You think I'm not aware of it? It too was once a shard, until the rock eroded and left the power free from its encasing. But this power was different. It had a mind of its own; it was free, but could not survive-"

"Exactly," she interrupted, cutting me off from my tale. Who did she think she was talking to? "It's gone and you'll never retrieve it." I felt a growl build up in my gut, rising through my chest.

"It could not survive, so it had to find a host. A person holds the power of the lost shard. And I know exactly who it is." I too took a step forward. This time, Seth didn't follow up quick enough. My armour filled the gap the second the gun wasn't pressed upon my head any longer. Instantly, the weapons of all the soldiers rose to keep me in the sights.

Rebecca lost her smile. "We'll find them before you do. You won't achieve your goal."

My lips raised into a snarl as my growl pushed its way out of my clenched teeth. "You insult what you don't understand! My goal is to rid the corruption that seeps its way through the dimensions and threatens all of existence. It must be wiped clean to preserve them all!" The eleven shards that danced around my frame glowed brightly in their respective colours, slowing down in their orbit.

"You have blinded yourself with power and you know it. All you want to do is cleanse those that don't agree with your rule."

I have it. I know now exactly what I'll do. I'll cripple them all with fatal blows and eradicate the guardsmen. I'll leave just Seth and Rebecca breathing through strands of their lifeline. Rebecca will be tortured until she screams along with my howls of delight, agreeing with my every claim and word and purpose. But that wouldn't do for Seth. I'd have to force him to watch as the one he dedicated his life to guard mutilates his own body in ritualistic content. I'll heal the major wounds, but he'll fail me a thousand times before he shamefully passes into the underworld.

And as for this realm? "I'll burn it. I'll purge every house, every land, every man, woman and child. My flames will consume everything in this dimension, so that there's not a pile of ash from the trees nor a lingering soul left to be corrupt."