Dark Crow Rising

"So, Enl, are you alright now?" I ask the human soul as we finish going through all of his memories. Moving up off my rocking chair, I let him down so he can walk around for a little while longer. Quietly, he looks up at me, nervously clutching onto my flat cap. My incomprehensibly elderly eyes remain soft as he considers his words carefully.

He knows what is going to happen.

Accepting the returned article of clothing, I place it back onto my scalp. Nodding in thanks at the young man as he starts to return to the age he had at the point of death. Then, he starts to act the same way as a heavy breath departs his mouth, "Yeah, I am ready, Undwote."

"It was nice to meet you, Enl Veh. Thank you, for being so open with me." I say as I pat him firmly on the closest shoulder. Smiling at me, he vanishes from view as the final part of my purpose is enacted upon him. He didn't feel like he got very far in life on his own, but, now, I am sure he knows that the strength he was capable of and had can make a new life different. I smile and pull out my smoking pipe, glancing around for the tail of the mist all around.

Taking hold of the paradoxically physical object, I stuff it into the end of my pipe. Huffing a few clouds from it and sending them out on relaxed breaths as I start to walk. Grabbing my gun by the strap, I sling it over my arm. A gentle tune comes to my throat as I continue to find nothing but the wonderful wilderness.

"Think I am done around here?" I ponder as the mists are processed through my burning pipe. Looking around at the world my siblings made so long ago, I start to reminisce about the good old days. A lot of this replica limbo is just grey, endless and misty. But, up in the sky, there is some colour, the Orbital-Halo as the mortals have come to call it.

My family's home.

I lazily wave and glance skyward, "I wonder if anyone saw that."

I start to wonder which of my siblings likely did see me wave if any of them did. Even though I am the God of the Cold, my mind is ablaze with so many possible ideas as to who might have seen me. Chuckles start to leave as it becomes quite possible that the only ones who saw me is my fourteen-minded brother. From his lunar prison.

I hope he saw me wave, a little kindness his way will do him well after all this time. His treachery and behaviour might have bound him up there, in those fourteen cells... But, as his brother, I owe it to him. Not just because I am also the God of Friendship and I cannot help but to do so because of it.

Barking catches my attention and I return my gaze to a level view. Rather bemusedly, the hound barking is Atarifuge, he didn't leave that long ago so he must've found quite the trove of souls earlier. I think a few treats are in order when we head back home later. A familiar power, however, leaves me slightly lacking in step.

"Let's hope my loyal hound, though, is not digging through what belongs to Waionr." I remark as I head off in Atarifuge's direction. Simply walking through the mountains and the air until I reach an open, ruined field. I run my pipe-holding hand through the colourless trees and find my sight filled with tents. Signs of idle nomads.

I wave a hand at my beloved hound as it plays around in a waterfall-fed lake. Noticing me, they bark happily and near enough gallop my way. Launching up onto my leg, the shadowy canine pants and wags as I rub his head. Awkwardly moving about on his hind legs, his head comes to my belly for a one-armed hug which I am more than delighted to give.

"Come on, show me what you found." I tell him with a clicking tongue as I let go. Eagerly, he rushes off to find the tragic treasure I deal in because of what I am conceptually. Oddly enough, my hound does not head towards the aelenvari flower which I can see has plenty of dead for me to attend to. Maybe for the best as well at the moment, I can see many marked out by the God of War.

We go through another mountain and arrive at an open place with only one soul present. A battle between two powerful beings happened here, yet, oddly, this soul is marked out for me. I don't often get to see souls like this as many turn to Waionr for guidance for obvious reasons. There is something foul with this soul, though.

"Ah, I see, you poor thing." I comment to the osibindah-corrupted human as they notice me. Roaring, they lash out in my direction, charging me down without a single danger signal of theirs working. Atarifuge steps aside, growling whilst I check my rifle, calmly. Pointing the barrel the right way, the foul spirit gets within arms reach.

A flash of fire and smoke!

The osibindah falls down dead and a human stumbles into the foggy open. Settling my gun down, I go down onto my knee as the mortal looks around, confused and terrified like most are. My powers work their way into this young man like so many others and I feel familiar as I do so. I open my mouth as I recall why I feel this way.

"Of course, you're the one who put all those other souls down." I remark as I pocket my pipe as the young man turns into a child. Quickly picking them up, I bounce them in my arms as their emotions get the better of them and we head on over to a nearby boulder. I don't have my rocking chair with me at the moment and it's a hassle to summon it. So, I will instead make do with the small stones here, we can play with them as we talk.

The sky shakes with the Almighty's power.

"UNDWOTE!" boomingly calls the omnipresent owner of this strength, frightening the now young soul in my arms. Granted, any mortal would feel this way, hearing and feeling such fundamental dominance over all. I look skyward as two forces collide with each other, one of perfect, plain crystal and the other a glowing mass of never-the-same colour. The Equilibrium.

"Yes, Father, how can I help you!?" I ask back with a raised voice as I place caring hands over the ears of the child-shaped soul. The small thing clings to me desperately, whimpering all the while.

"Get up here! You and your actually loved siblings are coming with me on my ship!" Father explains and a concerned frown settles in on my face. I have a very good idea as to what He wants me to do and it pains me to see Him do this to Himself. Why can't He just listen...?

"It will have to wait, I am currently dealing with a soul!" I explain as I know Father is denying the effects His omniscience has over Him.

"And there's another soul out there that needs your help far more!" Father barks.

"Not true, I am afraid, Father, this one holds priority and the many others out there!" I argue.

"Do not argue with me!" He snaps firmly as the soul I am holding suddenly vanishes. Left in a state of controlled anger, I curl a hand up as a long breath is quietly snorted. I really do not like it when He interrupts my duties... Especially in-progress ones.

"Give that back, Father!" I snap as I stand up in time with howling, freezing winds. Taking on a more grim appearance of cold and fear-inducing death as I further step out into the open. Not that it really matters, He is the underlying bed to which all concepts are derived from. I cannot erase Him, but He can make it so nothing ever dies again.

Even tangential, non-sensical arguing of the meaning.

"I am keeping this until we are done with the trip!"

"We can't just bring a soul with us! It is irresponsible!"

"Soul? All I see is a living mortal passed out on my aftcastle!" He goes and my eyes widen in shock as I register that. He restored the soul back to a state of living!? No, no... This is unacceptable!

"Father!"

"Son!" He replies back with, clearly not taking my protests seriously, not in the slightest. Either because He is my father or because He knows eternally how much control He has over everything. Even with this indescribable dampener He has placed on His own power.

"Give the so-" I start to raise before I suddenly find myself on the family ship with my body now the form of a child. Dressed in my usual attire, but, as per His will, suited to one a child in form.

"Shhh, you are scaring my little Sunshine." Father gently scolds as He rubs the head of my youngest brother, the one who supposedly died when all the stars were blown out. Little, forever afraid Ihtuntar. Noticing the soul, however, I make a dash for it, only for the mortal to vanish from right in front of me as I fall down with a bang.

Grumbling, I get back to my feet, dusting my trousers off, "Fine... If this is how we are doing this... Once we are done, you will give the soul back to me so I may deal with it in the proper manner?"

"I will ensure it goes back to the world of mortals, yes." Father assures me, but, even then, my eyes narrow as I try to comprehend every possible thing He could mean. Him and His semantic games have always led to the undesired result once all is said and done. Though, while I am here, I guess I should visit Waionr and have him erase this mortal from the databanks as it were. Just in case.

I do not want my brother to have a soul that I should be taking care of, he will understand.

"Fine, but, can you send me back now, then? I would like to bring my hounds back to me if I am to be stuck with you for the time being." I moan as I dig around my pockets for my whistle.

"Oh, I suppose." He tells me as I am sent back to the misty, recreation of the mortal world. Though, still in my child form, rather annoyingly. Rubbing Atarifuge's belly as I am now barely taller than them, I place the whistle to my lips. Letting out a hearty blow, its song rings out across the world in an instant.

From the northern or southernmost pole to the deepest mine, all the way to the core of the planet.

Tapping a quiet, impatient rhythm with my right foot, me and Atarifuge wait for his fellow pack members to arrive. Six forms soon erupt from the shadows and I step out towards them for the sake of it. Glancing up at the largest of my hounds, a mastiff beast of a creature, I stroke his chin. Admittedly, as I am now, I feel almost intimidated by such a large, shadowy creature that Father often likes to refer to as my personal horse.

It's a joking intimidation, admittedly and there is a lovely thing about being shorter than this hound in particular.

"Now, let's see, just to make sure you are all here and not at all to spite Father... Atarifuge, you were already here. Hadeshstation, bit hard to miss you, Big Boy. Segaansallis currently has Apothriox wrapped around him, very unbecoming of a hound, but fine. And Inteneshgal, Stadhelia and Perspluotco are all here as well, good. Good..." I let out, with the last three named hounds charging me down so they can bully me with licks and nuzzles.

I try to laugh to spite my annoyance, but, I can't and I get up with a straight face as I pat the trio, "Sorry mortal soul, it seems you will be stuck with us for a short time. I can only apologize in advance if I can't bring you to peace."