1 Chapter One

A cold, endless ocean without a single sign of life in its depths. There was nothing but darkness and the freeze, my iron prison keeping me immobile at the bottom of the Eternal Sea. Shadows swirled around the water and an occasional piece of kelp passed by the first of three holes in my prison.

My body had long gone numb, the very flesh on my fingertips eaten away by the currents. I was nothing. Nothing but a corpse under the ice.

Then I felt it. It had been years since I felt something so the sudden burning in my chest shocked me more that it hurt me. Bubbles poured out of my mouth as I screamed. Agony coursed through my body, a blissful pain that sent my mind into turmoil and my limbs into spasming messes.

"You've been asleep long enough," a divine voice said, whispering in my ear, "It's time."

Time for what? What did he mean? I wasn't asleep, I was trapped.

"They've ravaged the Earth, let their filth pollute the oceans, they've defiled their home which their God gave them..." the voice said, a useless reply, "You've been trapped for so long...I'm sorry."

"Who-" I choked out despite the water around me and the minimal air in my lungs.

It chuckled. The voice was so soft. A woman's kindness but a mans strength. So many ideas came to me. Was I finally blessed with death? Was it time for me to be freed? Or was it another false hope my mind had given me, just for it to disappear when I regained my true consciousness?

"My name isn't important. What's important is that while you've longed for a glimpse of land, begged the heavens for a mouthful of air- humans have taken the world and filled it with their rubbish," My eyes narrowed in search of the figure that matches the voice, "Is that fair?"

"N-no," I muttered, my final bits of air escaping.

"Do you think they should get away with it? Should those humans be allowed to continue their disgusting assault of the Earth?"

No.

Anger. Rage, pure fury. Hatred replaces the water around me, surrounding me in a shroud of energy and need.

I heard the voice chuckle, calling me strange names and fading into the waters. Not that it hindered me in any way, not in the slightest. The coffin was melting, releasing its prisoner into the warm water.

Taking the first moment to push myself out of the coffin, I desperately made my way to the surface.

Oxygen. Sweet air filled my lungs and I felt water edge it's way up my throat. Instantly I sputtered and did my best to cough it out without going back under.

Mouthful after mouthful I spat out so much water. How long had I been under? Why hadn't I died?

Why was I put there?

Drifting along the current, I searched for memories. Clues for my past, how could I have forgotten the reason I was subjected to such pain?

A bitter taste filled my mouth. Imagine the taste of garbage and excrement mixed with alcohol, taking over every sense. My heart almost stopped. What was this?

The air! It was the air! Coughing I dove underwater in attempt to escape, only to resurface. I couldn't go back. I didn't want to be trapped again. Bound in a coffin of steel and iron. And the people, the "humans" who took advantage of their time on the surface.

My lips tilted upwards ever so slightly, a new goal in mind. It wasn't right, and I would make sure they'd stop. If they didn't stop- I'd kill them.

I glanced down at the body which I was sure had decomposed years ago. Thick black metal replaced every inch, even my fingernails had been carved into the metal.

Before my eyes I watched the iron recollect itself to human-like color. The coldness remaining on the inside, but covered in an outer layer of warm.

So be it. Recalling the name the voice had given me, I took on the role of Earths protector. I would be the punishment for the worlds evil. I would be the final sight for those who dared take advantage of their gifts. I would become the Iron Maiden.