1 begin in death

Nu was by the low window, resting his head on the sill as he sat on the ground, looking out at the woods in the distance. When his parents bought him the house, it was with the belief that the change of scenery, the vast openness and the quiet would do him good. Nu was twenty six years old, still a child in the eyes of his parents and everyone else too for he never acted like a grown up. He had no ambition, and seemed to have no desires either. He was a bland young man with eyes more dead than alive.

A few days ago, Nu fell sick while he slept. He woke with a raging fever that left him burning like a stove turned on high. He was reaching for medicine, when the thought struck him. Without taking the medicine, he walked back to the bedroom.

Nu had always been a good child. Made his parents proud through school and college. He was the model son and the model student. But graduating from college, he was a changed person. He had seen people who loved living. And that made him see how empty he was inside. Everything he had ever done was what his parents wanted for him. Was there anything he wanted for himself? For months he searched, but found nothing. That was when, he became the Nu he was now.

He had never indulged in anything, in all of his life. The fever felt like a good start. It had been years since he spoke with anyone other than his parents. Weeks since he spoke to his parents too. The fever was his only companion. He enjoyed its company as it got worse. Today, he could feel the end. The sickness, whatever it was, was consuming him. As painful as it was, he was extremely satisfied. When he felt that the final breaths were near, he sat himself by the window, his favourite place in the house.

"Well, that was quite an adventure," he murmured as he breathed his last.

***

The carriage was rushing along the narrow, stony trail running along the outside of the forest. It was a simple wooden carriage without markings or emblems. Not even the most discerning eye could find a clue about its origin or the occupants. And that was the aim.

Yet, the carriage was running from those chasing it with nefarious intentions.

"Do you want to fight for the throne?" The king asked the third and youngest prince.

"No," prince Nu answered truthfully. "I only want to enjoy a quiet life."

King Ournius wasn't very old. It was a sickness that no doctor could diagnose that was eating away his life. Death was still far away, but the princes were already battling for the throne. Marius, the eldest prince, and Lunor, the second prince, well were aware that their little brother, Nu, was their father's favourite. Nu, who had no desire for the throne, no ambition, who only wanted a quiet life, had the greatest chance of obtaining the throne. The king, who was wiser than his children, could see that clearly. And so, he called Nu to speak with him and give him a way out.

"Then leave," the king said. "Go far away. Discover that life of quiet that you so desire."

The king spent all evening with the son who was leaving in the morning, unsure of when he would get to see Nu next. Unsure of whether he would even get to see Nu again.

He sent Nu away without fanfare or any noise at all at sunrise. An ordinary soldier driving the carriage. He had asked a few of his shadow guards to follow. Shadow guards were elite soldiers who no one knew the existence of, whose only purpose was protecting the king, and who were the king's most trusted soldiers. The king knew they would keep Nu safe.

Unfortunately, the king could never imagine, the shadow guards would betray him. The two guards meant to protect Nu had been convinced by the eldest prince to get rid of Nu.

It was those guards the carriage was running from. The trail took the carriage to the edge of the cliff. The guards attacked the wheels, throwing the carriage into an uncontrollable spin and off the cliff. They watched it fall, before turning away to return to the palace and lie to the king that Nu was safely away.

While the carriage was spinning, Nu crashed into the wooden sides that were sturdier than they looked. One of those strikes caused a massive hammoerage in his brain. He was gone before he shut his eyes.

***

The two Nu met in a white world. Neither was surprised. They knew they were dead. This was probably heaven?

"I'm Nu."

"So am I."

"I'm the third son of king Ournius."

"I'm the son of the Vargus family."

"So, we're dead," they said in unison and burst out laughing.

They could see all of the other's life in his eyes. After a while, it felt like they were one. They ended at the final question, what now.

"I want to live a life uninhibited. A life which was entirely mine."

"I want to be in an absolutely quiet, wonderful world. I guess that would be heaven."

"And I guess, I'll take over your life."

With a smile, they separated. One walked into the white light. Another fell away.

***

Nu opened his eyes to a new world. The carriage was broken. The driver dead, his body a mess. Nu was bloody, but he felt no pain. It was as if all the injuries were healed. Looking at himself covered in bodily fluids, Nu smirked.

"Its truly like birth," he noted drily and laughed.