Insignia

In a sea of blood stands a robed king, a crimson crown on his head, red fluid dripping off him.

As he stares into the horizon the sea around him starts boiling, multiple figures emerging from it, bowing down to the king.

"Delphy has notified us of a movement Your Majesty." 

One of the figures cloaked in red speaks.

In a voice brimming with authority and power the king answers. 

"Very well, if the string reader says so we will move. 

Not that there would be anything else left to do in this pointless world. 

We shall rid it of the kingdomless king anyhow, not that it would matter."

-----

In an ancient cave deep below a mountain, Michael shakes out his cloak, the black knight stumbling out.

The knight in black is in panic and disoriented, only for a short moment, however, until his armor is stained crimson and his mind goes blank.

His own sword piercing his chest, he falls over, dyeing his surroundings in red.

Disgusted Michael avoids the blood, taking off the knight's helmet.

Slowly it disintegrates leaving behind only an ominous, grey shining crown.

"2 down one left" Michael mumbles.

-----

Sitting on a mountain, bathed in the early light of a new day, Death looks up from the chessboard and sighs.

"Aren't you growing tired of this absurd game?"

He inquires as he watches the opposing king take down one of his knights.

"Not at all my dearest friend, it is taxing, however not pointless."

The goddess of life replies, a radiant but sad smile on her lips.

Death remains silent for a while.

Watching the sunrise, they ruminate their existence and purpose, debating until the sun bids farewell once more.

-----

Sitting beside Michale the Devil takes a sip of his drink, looking at the red army kneeling and trembling before Michael, he scoffs.

"That coward doesn't change does he?"

He asks rhetorically.

"Bugs will be bugs and worms will be worms, so how come he would change?"

Michael answers with a frown and turns to the Devil, who shrugs his shoulders as he snaps his fingers.

The Devil grins as they watch the gates of hell opening, devouring the Red Army.

"Pleasure doing business with you."

Speaks the Devil as he passes the threshold of hell, waving at Michael.

As the gates close Michael turns around and walks into his cloak, leaving the battlefield victorious without spilling a single drop of blood.

Stepping into the red kingdom Michael looks visibly disgusted as his feet touch the sea of blood.

"You are in the possession of something that doesn't belong to your kind human." Michael states in a cold voice, gazing at the king in red.

Giggling, the king in red spins the scepter of creation on his finger.

"Well, I'm sure as hell not giving it back, you glorified parasite."

"Don't talk like you know anything bug. Besides, funny for you to mention hell, would you perhaps like paying a visit to your kin?"

Visibly upset by Michaels's reply the red king raises the scepter.

"Careful godling!"

Furrowing his eyebrows said godling responds in a terrifyingly calm and ancient tongue.

"You clearly need someone to teach you a lesson youngling, you are far too arrogant for someone who has yet to take one full step toward divinity."

Without waiting for a reply Michael dashes towards the red king, pulling the sword of the fallen knight out of his cloak.

As the red king's blood-dripping crown glows up in a sickening, sticky, and ominous red light, the sea of blood shakes, countless ripples forming on its surface.

A moment later the surface breaks, a myriad of bloody tentacles shooting at Michael at terrifying speeds.

Michael shakes his head unbothered, some of the tentacles falling to his sword, others trembling and stopping their approach and others vanishing as if they had never existed.

Meanwhile, the king in red now holds a sword of his own in one hand and the scepter in the other, as he dashes towards Michael.

As another barrage of tentacles as effective as the last one, throws itself at Michael the two kings collide, their swords meeting in a terrifying dance of death.

Despite the cascade of blood and metal Michael is as calm as the calm before the storm, slashing dozens of blood tentacles and parrying the blade of red in the same swift motion over and over again.

After their swords crossed paths for a short eternity, Michael dashes forward, past the king in red as his cloak expands, enveloping the two of them.

Standing in a vast empty plain, the sky grey and clouded the two continue their fierce duel, only now there is no blood sea supporting the king in red who is slowly being overwhelmed by the blade cascade of Michael.

The bloody king is fighting with all his might, at the pinnacle of what a human is capable of in this world. To his demise, however, the king of the lost kingdom was not simply human. 

As the king in red is getting more and more exhausted Michael isn't showing any signs of exhaustion whatsoever.

But humans are prone to errors and so inevitably the king in red made a mistake, whether it was his failing muscles or his exhausted mind it didn't matter, one mistake was enough to seal his fate.

Funneling all his mana into the scepter of creation he tries saving himself, horror written on his face. However, a mere human doesn't possess enough capacity to truly use divine treasures, thus the created shield ultimately failed to stop Michaels's thrust, aimed directly at the red king's hearth.

As the king in red is dying Michael leans over him ripping the scepter out of his hands.

"Any last words human?"

"Ever since your kind arrived here my kin has suffered. And as you mentioned we may not know much, but if humans know anything then it is how to..."

The king in red is abruptly interrupted, as his head is separated from his neck.

Yawning Michael shakes his head.

"Annoying bug."

-----

"It seems our match must come to an end."

Death speaks sadly.

"It was fun while it lasted."

Life replys.

As the two stare into the horizon, the world shakes as grey clouds encompass the world drowning it.

As every living being touched by the fog transforms into something not quite dead or alive, Death and Life crumble and fall apart leaving behind only ashes.

-----

Michael raises the scepter, madness filling his eyes, as his lost kingdom slowly descends, ripping apart reality.

Unbeknownst to him a wet laughing mask falls to the ground behind him as its wearer turns to dust, out of its mouth a red string emerges, slowly crawling towards Michael.

As space collapses around them the string launches forward, piercing Michaels's leg.

A painfilled, horrible scream pierces the world, black blood dripping off Michael's leg as the red string tries to bind him desperately.

Losing all reason Michael shedds his mortal shell, an unspeakable abomination escapes the kingdomless king, towering over reality itself and still growing, devouring space and time. 

The red string fails to restrict Michael.

As everything reasonable and logical is bent or devoured, the universe itself cracks, allowing the unspeakable to escape, a mad grin of success on its fangs.

~~~~~

I lay down the notebook and quill, looking sadly at the marble in my hand, as it slowly rots and cracks, falling apart.

Suddenly it shatters, the very essence of evil escaping the fallen world.

It looks at me, the look of satisfaction wiped off its face, replaced first by confusion then utter horror.

Before it can react it is erased from existence as a lonely tear runs down my cheek.

Turning to the remains of the red string I speak.

"You have done well, it isn't your fault.

Rest now and for eternity."

As I blow away the dust of the fallen world, the falling tear slowly takes form, creating a world anew.

The young world enters the floating river full of marbles, whilst I open a door, exiting the worldstream.

I enter the throne room, bowing to the ever-empty throne, and take my place at the table.

I look at my brethren and sistren sitting at the table and contemplate the good old days when Father was still sitting on his throne, slowly sinking back into slumber.

|End Act 1-Fallen World|