Dust and Bones

The pursuit of the white death was unrelenting, growing at an unfathomable pace, devouring everything in its path even the sky seemed to fall prey to it's gluttonous nature turning the world behind them to an impenetrable white veil.

The unyielding stallion thundered forward, its hooves pounding out a frantic rhythm as it pulled the carriage through the bone strewn expanse of the forgotten battlefield but no matter how fast they rode, they could not escape the inevitable. Jack could hear them, the hallowed screams and painful wails of every being the damned fog had ever devoured, his mind for a moment went back to that awful cave making his blood run cold.

Meanwhile Harris's gaze never strayed from the all consuming fog almost as if he could see something within the fog and all the while the fog got closer and closer devouring colossal bones and mountains until eventually devouring them themselves.

...

Desperation was etched across Jack's face all he could see was white, even his body seemed to vanish in the fog, there was no up or down, no left or right, all there was was fog, the urge to scream welled up inside him like a storm but .....

Suddenly his hands flew to his throat, fingers clawing at nonexistent hair as his eyes burst with crimson tears. His limbs contorted into impossible knots, and an unseen force eviscerated his stomach, ripping out his organs. The cacophony of screams and painful wails turned to maniacal laughter echoing through his mind.

..... "ahhh, so this is my end" Laughter erupted into the air, even though it felt like his throat was about to burst, even though he was in so much pain.

A hand suddenly reaped through the fog grabbing onto his broken body pulling him out from hell unto the ground.

Harris stared down at Jack's mutilated body, he was still alive, just barely breathing, a disgusting feeling welled up inside him and he frowned "I'm sorry I didn't find you earlier, I could heal your body but your mind is broken" a silver flintlock with a headless horse's emblem on its helm weaved itself from blue incandescent light unto his hand, a glint of regret hid behind his dark eyes as he aimed the muzzle at Jack's head tightening his finger around the trigger.

"Rest now, human"

But suddenly....

The sound of Jack's heartbeat that had almost become nonexistent suddenly grew stronger, more steady as if life was surging back into his battered body, his vision though blurry and bloody gazed intently at the gun and he let out an almost inaudible whisper ....

"Not yet ... am not done yet" he then let out a vicious cough, blood splattering unto the ground.

Harris chuckled lightly " how tenacious".

....

Jack stood at the heart of a ruined universe, it's stars, it's light and it's warmth had been snuffed out leaving behind only darkness, the memories of his torture at the hands of the white death came back like an unstoppable flood, he fell to his knees, weak and broken, staring down into the abyss.

It was then that jack truly realised how small he was, his life was snuffed out like a candle in the wind, no one would even notice he was dead, no one would cry nor would anyone care, not even a nameless grave would mark his death, he would remain nothing but a long forgotten memory to the one he held dear, the weight of the realisation pushed him to knees and kept him there.

"Stand up"

The commanding voice echoed in the void, jack slowly raised his head up, before him was a broken wheel, a thin withered man whose skin and flesh clung hungrily to his bones sat on a plain wooden chair with a small child with eyes filled of fury standing next to him.

And he said "you are not done yet so stand up" his voice was cold, it held no remorse for the broken man kneeling before him.

"I..I can't, I can't do it, I'm done, I can't stand back up" he dug his face into his palm as tears slowly streamed down his face.

"Yes, you can"

He spoke back, this time with anger in his voice "Don't you get it, I'm dead, it's over".

"your candle isn't out yet" the thin man pointed at his chest, his voice grew dark and shaky "but if you still decide not to go back then walk through that door and die".

Jack turned around and there it was in the distance, a door weaved from light, standing in the darkness, shining like a star.

And he thought

"I had already accepted my fate anyway, why try to change it, I deserve to rest"

The door seemed to sense his longing, drawing nearer as if pulled by an unseen force. His candle's flame dwindled to a mere flicker as his hand rested on the door's warm surface. In that instant, his burdens vanished, and he felt an eerie sense of liberation with newfound resolve, he stood up and pushed the door open, ready to surrender to death.

"Wait" Jack turned around, the standing child finally spoke "Why rush towards death, it awaits no matter what you do, is it to free yourself from the burden of living"

"Yes"

The child's calm and naive voice filled of curiosity change to anger and sadness "but you said it didn't you whatever it took, you said it, now you're running away even though there's still a chance, you lier".

It would be a lie if he said he didn't want to end it all and walk through the door but if there was still a chance, no matter how small, he was going to take it and turn it to miracle.

His hand flinched away from the door, he turned around and walked toward the boy, patting him on his head.

"You're right kid, there's no rush to die"

The flickering candle suddenly became a raging flame as his body sunk into the abyss, even though he couldn't see the thin man nor the standing boy's face, he still knew they were him in one way or another.

"Goodbye for now

....

Silence and dread fell on the forgotten battlefield as the white death devoured it all turning the world to nothing but white smoke but at the centre of this phenomenon was a cyclopean tower of fog stretching high into the sky and piercing the heavens themselves, this was where jack and Harris were now trapped.

The pain that once ached across his body was gone, he could still feel his heart beating, each thump surging life across his entire being, he waved his hands in the air and wiggled his toes, even his limbs that were broken beyond recognition were healed, he slowly opened his weary eyes and stared down at his stomach, there wasn't even a single scar, he turned his head towards Harris, a look of surprise and astonishmen written across his face.

"This isn't healing, it's restoration"

But Harris heed no attention to him instead his focus lied on being whose shadow loomed over them like a ill fated omen.

Behold a colossus stood above them, it's rotting flesh barely clinging to it's bone, it's hunting eyes fixed on the insignificant beings before it, bound by chains to the ghostly tower, wearing a crown of twisted horns.

Jack uttered In fear "the white witch".

Jack held his breath, for fear that it would hear him and devour him, the presence of the monster made him fall to the ground convulsing painfully, his mind slowly being dragged to depravity but Harris quickly wrapped his coat around jack, bringing him back.

Jack dragged his body from the floor, holding onto the coat for dear life, Harris looked at him and smirked.

"You're far too fragile"

He gaze fell on Harris in confusion on how he could even bring himself to talk much less smile "The fuck do you mean, human aren't meant to fight these things" he paused for a moment then wiped his mouth "so tell me, is it dead".

"Close but not yet, it's stuck between the boundary of life and death".

"Are you telling me this thing's immortal"

The smile on his face vanished and he said "No, it's cursed" his expressionless mask returned onto his visage "you can barely remain conscious, go back to the carriage I'll handle this".

Jack turned around and saw his trusty stallion and his precious carriage behind them "Are you sure you can do it on your own".Jack knew there were different kinds of people in the wastelands but there are only a few he had encountered capable of handling something like this.

Harris's voice grew dark and hollow" a being stuck between life and death, I wonder what will it take to kill you"

He walked away towards the remains of the colossus, the air around it stinked of death and despair, the closer Harris got, the more severe the stench became, making him cough uncontrollably.

After a few minutes, he eventually reached the remains, the only thing left of the damned creature was it's upper torso but beneath its rib cage was a small pond of blood with beautiful flowers growing around it, he walked into the rib cave and submerged himself into the pond, sinking deep Into it's unfathomable depts.

...

He awakened above a sea of blood, the grey lifeless sky of the forgotten shore were tainted crimson as black clouds rained blood on thousands of mangled corpses.

Something emerged from beneath the bloody sea and let out a ear tearing roar that thundered througn the air, on it's head a crown of twisted horns, its body was pitch black shrouded in shiny black scales with numerous enormous tentacles acting as it's feet, the colossus opened its gaping maw that also acted as its stomach leting out a massive beam of light reaping through the air at a mountain of corpses.

But the powerful attack was blocked seemingly effortlessly, Harris strained his eyes to see the object of it's fury but all he saw was darkness in the shape of a man sitting on a mountain of corpses that reached the sky

The unknown being pointed it's hand at the colossus and said "you would burn the bodies of children so unceremoniously, you really are nothing but a monster".

The unknown beings words only fueled her rage, she raised one of her tentacles into the sky and let it loose like a whip, splitting the sky and sea in one fell swoop but it was still easily blocked effortlessly, the unknown being then raised his arm into the air summoning an enormous spear of golden light unto the heavens bringing it down on the colossus and piercing her chest.

He flew closer to the colossus" Don't die now I still need you"

One by one he stuffed thousands of her

children back into her womb, her painful wails and screams continued for days with no end yet all Harris could do was watch, he was but a mere spectator nothing he did could change the outcome.Finally the unknown being place a curse, stripping away her privilege of death and left with a satisfied glee on his face.

Years past the bloody sea became the crimson sands, the flesh of the colossus began to rot as her children rot inside her, their anger, pain, despare could not be swayed by death, eventually their anger and their souls became the white death.

fog descended on the forgotten battlefield, killing everything, submerging the world in an impenetrable white veil. The mother only wished for her and children to rest, so she created the cyclopean tower to serve as their tomb and prison but it wasn't enough to quell their malice.

Harris experienced it all the passing of time, their hate, their pain, he closed his empty eyes and opened them again returning back to the bloody sea, the rotting remains of the colossus stood before him, crimson tears falling from her hollow eyes.

His expressionless mask fell and his face grew solemn "it's okay now for I herald your end"

Something emerged from the bloody sea hitting Harris at an inconceivable speed making crash unto a far away corpse mountain, Harris quickly got back up to his feet, a two headed monstrosity floated above him, in the blink of an eye the monster impaled Harris's heart.

But suddenly....

The two headed monstrosity froze in fear as Harris gently wrapped his hands around it's neck and squeezed it's very existence.

"Am really not in the mood" The monster fell to it's knees, it's body slowly dissipating to dust.

"Never thought that a curse could feel fear" he let go of the monsters crumbling body, more of it's kind rose from the sea, numbering to the millions.

Harris laughed and said "Momento arc 10, blasphemous star"

A shining star appeared on the palm of his hand, it's warm light emanating throughout the cursed land, eviscerating anything it deemed evil.

...

The fog seemed to disappear as quickly as it came leaving only the cyclopean tower behind. Harris emerged from the pond of blood beneath the colossus, it presence had vanished from the world leaving behind just a empty corpse, no words needed to be said, he just turned around and walked away.

Jack saw harris walking towards him covered in blood "What the fuck happened to you".