Eighths

A man wearing a red trench coat and glasses wanders through the barren landscape left behind from an intense fire. He calmly walks through the destruction with his hands in his pockets, not showing any noticeable signs of concern. He objectively observes, occasionally picking up a charred branch or a handful of dirt. "Now what could have done this?" he asked himself. "Something powerful enough to burn down all these trees."

He comes upon a small clearing that is the only area untouched by the flames. There was no sign of life anywhere; it looked as if time had stopped here. The man steps inside the circle, looking around as he looks for something in particular. After a moment's pause, he reaches into one pocket and pulls out a small black cube. A small line of text appears across its surface: '1/8'. "Still the same as last time. Seems I have to search a little more" the man uttered aloud to himself. Placing the cube back in his pocket, the man continued his search.

After several hours of searching, the man finds a small glowing light in the distance, resting on the floor. He runs up to it, seeing that the gross around it has burned away. The man takes the small black cube out of his pocket once more to see what text will appear on it. The text reappears, this time saying: '2/8'. "I've found you" he says confidently while staring at the glowing ember on the ground. After placing the cube back in his pocket, the man extends his right arm forward and opens his palm. A large, red scythe suddenly materializes in his hand, and he firmly grabs it. Firmly grabbing the scythe with both hands, the man readies to swing at the glowing ember.

As if responding to the man in red, the ember let out a loud, high-pitched hum and started to transform. The man in red leapt backwards a great distance as the ember grew and grew into a large, blazing monster. It was hard to even tell where its head ended and its body began. The monster's fiery eyes were locked onto the man in the trench coat as it charged towards him.

Before the monster could reach its target, a blade of pure white energy appeared from nowhere and cut through the monster mid-charge. The man in the trench coat quickly turned around to see a beautiful woman standing behind him holding a scythe of her own that glowed white. She wore a long, flowing, white dress and had her hair tied back in a ponytail. "Seems like you bit off more than you can chew, Andrios" she teased. The man in the red trench coat, Andrios, rolled his eyes while letting out a sigh. Despite his physical reaction he was truly relieved for this woman's presence.

"Achlys!" Andrios exclaimed. "Always a pleasure to see you" he said dripping with sarcasm. "Care to join me in defeating number 2 of 8?" Achlys nodded while stepping closer to the monster. Her bright green eyes seemed to be focused solely on the creature before them. "Good luck, Andrios," she said while extending her scythe towards the monster. Turning his silver-eyed gaze to the beast as well, Andrios mimicked Achlys and extended his scythe toward the monster as well.

The two began their all-out offensive assault on the fire monster, moving faster than the wind as they unleashed a flurry of slashes while avoiding every fireball thrown their way and dodging every limb swinging at them. They each took turns attacking the monster, using their skills and abilities to their full potential. As the battle raged on, the fight grew more heated, and the monster's power became apparent as it quickly made its way to the other side of the clearing.

Suddenly, the monster let go of a massive fireball that erupted from its mouth and flew straight towards Andrios. Without thinking, he simply swung his red scythe directly at the fireball, causing it to shatter into fragments of itself. Seeing an open, Achlys quickly jolted toward the monster’s fiery face, slashing downward with her scythe, leaving a huge cut down the middle. On her next swing, she sliced completely through the monster's neck, severing it clean off.

With the monster dead, the two stood there in silence for a few moments before Achlys spoke again. “Good thing I was here, Red” she panted with familiarity. Andrios chuckled in response, approached Achlys and leaned down toward her, gently pressing his lips against hers. “Always a pleasure to see you” he whispered warmly; his eyes still closed in contentment as a smile grew on his face. He leans his forehead against hers, and Achlys lets out a sigh that’s practically a hum, pleased with the outcome. She caresses the sides of Andrios's face and moves her fingers through his beard before backing away.

Feeling a vibrating sensation from his trench coat pocket, Andrios grabs the black cube again. The text once again reads ‘2/8’ and glows brightly. After a few moments of intense light, the glow dissipates, leaving the cube’s shade lighter, now a dark grey shade. “Six more to go!” Andrios exclaimed.

Andrios looks up and notices a large black figure floating above the trees that seems to be staring right at him. Andrios looks away from the figure as he reaches into his pocket once more to pull out the cube. It vibrates and shakes relentlessly, with different numbers constantly appearing on its surface. Achlys moves her gaze from the cube to the black figure. "If the cube is reacting like this, I suppose that means you're the one responsible for sewing these monstrosities" she accuses sternly while holding tightly to her scythe. Andrios places the cube back in his pocket, now holding firmly to his red scythe as well.

"Me? What makes you think I did?" the figure asks, standing tall in the air with arms crossed.

"I don't know, but if you are then there’s a steep price to pay" Achlys said, her tone taking on a menacing edge. The figure laughed in response, truly finding the situation amusing.

"You reapers love to think you're the authority over everything" the figure claimed. "Yet all you do is take. You never create anything.”

"Are you under the impression that the abominations you sew are worth creating?" Andrios asked, feigning interest.

"It's not about what your creations can do or how useful they may be. It's about the creation itself. You have no idea what it feels like to bring life to the void. To create something beautiful."

"But that very same creation only ended up destroying something else!" Achlys shouted in frustration. "You speak of bringing life, but that same life only wrought havoc."

"And that is something we must learn to live with" the figure explained. "As I said, it's not about what creations can do or how useful they may be." The figure's playful tone faded and became grim. "It's about creation itself."

"And who are you to say you have the right to make whatever you please without a care for the consequences?" Andrios asked, maintaining his calm demeanor.

"Do you really think I would tell you my name? Why should I bother revealing myself when you'll just end up killing me anyway?" the figure asked, now looking rather annoyed. "That's not how this works. The creator and the created both have rights. But you always kill them. Can't you even spare someone their own life?"

"We have no reason to take life chaotically. The lives you create have only caused mass hysteria and destruction on the human world" Achlys explained, still deadly serious.

The dark figure paused, looking upon the two entities before him. "Hypocrites!" the figure suddenly yelled. "You two kill all manner of people, whether innocent or guilty! Every human life taken was taken by a reaper! Reapers have wrought far more chaos than I ever have or will. Yet you would kill the lives I sew because of the dangers they present in their infancy? I see you two lovers. It's painfully obvious to me that you both seek to create new life for yourselves. Or am I wrong?"

The couple both had chills run down their spines and went pale. This figure's intimate knowledge of them made them far too uncomfortable. 'How did this wretch know we were trying to have a baby?' Achlys thought.

The figure continued his rant. "I ask you this. If your child was to become a destructive entity, would you take its life? Would you attempt to correct its behavior? Would you allow another reaper to come in and kill it?"

Neither Andrios nor Achlys could come up with a response.

“Tongue-tied I see. The truth is that you lack the knowledge to even know what the offspring of two death entities would even be like. I could only imagine what kind of mayhem such a being would be capable of."

"What makes you think a child of ours would ever be capable of creating anywhere near as much destruction as the creations you sewed?!" Achlys retorted.

"YOU. ARE. NOT. HUMAN!" the figure screamed in frustration, surprising the couple. "You two are arms of death itself! What kind of monstrosity can two entities of death make? How many could die from such a creature?" Achlys and Andrios both went paler when considering the figure's words.

"It's not like we'd ever let that happen." Andrios whispered.

"Of course not" Achlys replied.

"Of course not" the figure mocked. "Any child of yours has potential for far worse destruction than anything I could ever sew. As you both are arms of death, I am an arm of life." Andrios and Achlys stood in awe of the figure's revelation.

"What?!" Achlys replied incredulously.

"How could you possibly be a life entity?" Andrios asked with a shaky voice. "Your seeds have wrought havoc on the world."

"Yes, the 8 seeds" the figure clarified. "Incredibly volatile in nature, but just imagine what they could be capable of."

"You're a lunatic" Achlys grumbled.

"I like to view myself as more of a visionary" the figure said. "All of us life entities are those who look to the future to see what our world can become rather than keep it remaining as it is."

"What will be gained from all of this?" Andrios asked genuinely. Achlys quickly glanced at Andrios, then back to the black figure.

"So much" the figure answered with longing. "Beauty. Potential. Innovation. Change. A plethora of possibilities." Andrios looked toward the black figure with furrowed brow, considering what he was saying. Noticing this, Achlys grunted, tightened her grip on her scythe, and lunged toward the black figure, fully prepared to cleave him in two.

"Achlys!" Andrios cried out. The figure flew out of the way and then unleashed a barrage of chains that extended out of his arms, binding Achlys.

"I suppose whoever encounters you dies a very violent death" the black figure said to the woman in the flowing white dress. "Killing is in your nature."

Just then, Andrios jumped up behind the black figure swinging his scythe, but not with the blade. The force sent the black figure plummeting down to the ground. Andrios descended to the ground, landing on his feet, then ran to Achlys, severing her chains with a swing of his scythe. The black figure struggled to get up from the ground, struggling to get up from his hands and knees. "You were forceful, Andrios" the figure said. "Yet for whatever reason you did not try to kill me.” The black figure looked at the color of Andrios’s coat. “I see now. Whereas Achlys is violent death... you are a gentle death. You prefer an easy, painless transition from life to death."

Silver dust started to swirl around the black figure, making his appearance even more unclear until he was completely hidden within it. "Unfortunately, I expect us to meet again." With those words, the black figure vanished.

***

Andrios and Achlys sat on a bench in the park, their faces filled with shock and surprise. Children ran and yelled over the grass while their parents rested on blankets in the shade. Dogs jumped and ran after frisbees that their owners tossed through the air. Others simply walked through the park while making conversation.

"So he was real..." Andrios muttered quietly to himself.

"What do you mean 'real'?"

"An entity like him who creates things as an aspect of life itself. Another servant of existence just as we are, yet someone with an opposing purpose" Andrios explained.

"The same master but with a total opposite task? Doesn't make sense to me" Achlys opined. "And why do his creations have to kill everyone anyway? He's a life entity that can cause death anyway? Seems to me like he's working outside of his field.

"It seems that way to me too" Andrios agreed. "In fact, we were quite fortunate that he didn't take the opportunity to kill us at the time."

"That's because you stopped him from killing me" Achlys jested.

"I wouldn't be a very good husband if I let my wife get killed" Andrios chuckled, followed by a kiss on Achlys's forehead. "But of course, I didn't kill that man either. I know the danger he presents to the world, yet I just couldn't do it for some reason."

"It's because you're kind and merciful, my love" Achlys assured with a smile on her face. "You've always been that way. For all the lives you've taken, you maintained your gentleness." Achlys softly latched onto Andrios's arm, resting her head on his shoulder. A few moments passed of the two simply sitting down and enjoying each other's company.

After about five minutes, Andrios's breathing became more strained. He took longer and deeper breaths while constantly tapping his heel against the floor. He faced the floor while leaning forward, his elbows resting on his thighs. Achlys placed a hand on his back and caressed him. "It's that time again Andrios" she solemnly whispered. Andrios exhaled in response.

Andrios stands up, taking a breath in and another breath out before finally walking forward. He walks out of the park through the exit, passing by a family of four; a mother pushing a baby carriage with an infant inside, and a father holding the hand of a small girl, no older than 4. Andrios stopped at the sidewalk where he waited by the crosswalk. The family walked toward the crosswalk behind Andrios while he kept his eyes forward, not looking toward anyone in the family.

The crossing light was red. As the mother was pushing the carriage, a bottle dropped out of it and rolled forward, ahead of the carriage. The father noticed. He let go of his daughter's hand to bend down and pick up the bottle to hand it to his wife. The wife grabs the bottle but then yells immediately after, her gaze upon her daughter. The father quickly turns around and sees his small daughter still walking onto the crosswalk while the light was still red. He tries quickly running after her while telling her to come back to the sidewalk.

The girl stops in the middle of the street and look back at her father, doe-eyed and surprised. Andrios is suddenly in front of the child on his knee. He stretches out a hand to her as he smiles. The girl looks up at him and grabs his hand. He holds onto it tenderly. Standing up straight, he walks the girl back to the sidewalk, meeting back up with Achlys. The mother and father begin wailing. They see their daughter's body lying on the road in front of them. A driver that looked away from the road for a second now sits in his car, staring into the distance, attempting to accept what just happened. The father grabs the lifeless body of the girl, trying to lightly shake her awake, but to no avail.

Andrios holds onto the girl's soul, guiding her alongside Achlys. As they walk, the scenery fades into a bright light. Andrios and Achlys begin ascending a hill with a staircase at the top of it. "Where are we going?" the little girl asks.

"To an amazing place" Andrios answered with a smile. "It's got all sorts of fun. It's got games and lots of great food!"

"Is there ice cream?!" the little girl beamed. Andrios laughed at her excitement.

"Oh the stuff they have there is waaaay better than ice cream."

"No way!" the girl yelped with incredulity and excitement.

"Yes way!" Andrios yelled back with a smile. The girl giggled and held his hand tighter.

Now at the entrance of the staircase, Andrios let go of the girl's hand, leaving her on the first step. The steps began carrying the girl upward like an escalator. As the girl went up Andrios said "We'll be there in a minute! There's gonna be lots of other kids there too!" By the time he finished what he was saying, the girl was already a ways up above him.

"Will my mommy and daddy be there?" the little girl asked. "And my baby brother?"

Andrios paused for just a moment. "They'll be there really soon! Don't worry!"

"Okay!" the girl yelled back. "Thank you!" By then the girl was too high up to be seen anymore and she disappeared in a flash of light. The stairway disappeared along with her, leaving Andrios and Achlys back near the park. Back to the intense crying and wailing as sirens blared.

"Come on Andrios" Achlys whispered solemnly. "Let's get out of here." Andrios simply nodded in response holding tightly to his wife's arm as they walked.

They walked across the plains of reality and reached their home, where they laid down in their bed. Facing each other, Achlys wiped the tears from her husband's face and kissed his forehead.

The two conceived that night.