3 Chapter 2 - After Death, Before Life.

Through out time, Thane had seen and witness many things. Things that were beyond any human understanding and events that were beyond comprehension, yet to him they were so trivial and so little they became only but a second thought. However if the mind of any living thing were to witness them, they would die from pure insanity.

He opened his eyes, his mind full with thoughts about all the things he had learned. At the present moment he floating and was surrounded by darkness, nothing but pitch black darkness and the only one present there was Thane himself. This was his home and also it was a part of Thane. No life existed in that dark place, no light could penetrate it However if Thane allowed for it, light would appear.

Then he started thinking.

Thane had always knew an important fact about him, that through out time no matter what he did he had always taken more than what he could offer, but being who he was he had little to nothing to offer at all. Nothing to offer but the end of all things.

But was he the end to all things? Or was there more? No he thought as he threw the thought away, to him he had no right to question these sorts of things. All he had was his duty and his duty was to take and to guide.

To him the life of a human or any other living thing was but short and unimpressive. To him it was a little speck that flash for a short moment in a large universe. Yet he didn't looked down on them either. He didn't look down on life. How could he?

Looking back he thought about the words of one particular individual he met a long, long time ago when he came to be. When the universe had just came to be.

"In time, you will understand" understand what? He asked. Even now, even after being in existense for the longest time, he had no answer. He could only reminisce.

To remember all of this though and to understand just what he was, was to him, nothing but a pain in the ass. So he shrugged it all off and threw them into the abyss that was his mind.

His hands reached for his pocket and took out what seemed to be a wrist watch. It was of greenish golden color which looking old and worned out and anyone could tell just from a glance that it been through some rough times. He sighed and put it on his left wrist and touched the glass above the ticking hands.

He looked forward while finding his footing on the darkness as if he was standing on some ground floor and then he started walking placing both his hands in his pockets. Before long the darkness that was surrounding him was turning to white and was filling his surroundings, all according to Thane's will. Then structures began to emerge as he kept walking. Each time his foot touch the dark ground a light emerge and then creation followed. The ground was starting to materialise, a wall was emerging from both his sides along with them a ceiling above him. Tiles started to cover them in a neat order as they appear out of thin air. White doors with numbers were being created too on both his sides. And light bulbs were created in the ceiling as they luminated the corridor like area that Thane just created. However Thane took no notice as he kept on walking.

Then he stopped and turned to his right and by his will again a door was being materialise right in front of him.

He took a glance at the handle and then reached out for it with his hand. After a moment of silence he turned it and push the door open and went inside.

There was a girl there, sleeping on what seemed to be a hospital bed. She was frail looking and no longer had any hair on her head. Her eyes were close and she was breathing slowly and steadily evident from the rise and fall from the white blanket she was covered on. Her cheeks were sunken and her lips were dry too. There was no one in the room but her.

Thane then started walking towards her while the door behind him closed slowly as it screeched slowly then followed by a thud sound.

He stood besides her and looked at her, his golden eyes devoid of light and face devoid of all known emotions. The girl hanging onto life by a mear thread and Thane knew that yet he didn't let it bother him. Instead he wanted to pity the girl, but how could he? He felt nothing inside him.

After a minute or so he started lifting his hand and sent it towards her shoulder but before he could do so he was interrupted by her voice

"I did my best right?" She asked. Thane looked at her face wondering if the question was directed at him. It couldn't possibly he mused. It was strange to him because he had never heard anyone do this before, yet even so, after witnessing how much she was struggling he spoke.

"Yes you did" his voice was gentle and soft and it resonated in the quite room. Then he proceeded and touched her shoulder to finish the job. But to his surprised the unexpected happened, she disappeared before his very eyes, leaving nothing but the empty bed.

Thane retracted his hands and stood upright, he checked the room around him which only fueled to his annoyance as he found no signs of her"Is this even possible?" He muttered under his breath. But Thane wasn't one who would contemplate on his own thoughts so after making a decision he closed his eyes while lifting his chin with his face towards the ceiling and made a focused expression. He used his will and strange devine powers that seem to wield to find the girl and then..

"There you are!" he said with a smirk, he had found her and he was going to retrieve her this time, without any mishaps. He opened his eyes and turned towards the door and started moving again.

"..."

After waking around the silent lifeless hallway he finally found the one he was looking for. She was by the reception desk standing still with a panic expression on her face. Thane wondered if she knew what happened to her, because to him she looked lost and bewildered. So he decided that he would tell it to her himself.

"You know..." He spoke up which frightened her. She stood up straight and turned towards him. He then realised something. 'This girl' he thought.

He appearance had fully change from the last time he saw her in that room. She had hair now, which was brown, straight and long enough that it almost reached her waist. She still looked thin yet wasn't so frail and skinny anymore. She had a string shoulder white dress on which reached her knees. He noticed how it complimented her white porcelain skin effortlessly. Her eyes were of black color and her nose was small, a bit pointy and cute like it was of a child yet it didn't looked out of place. Her lips unlike before were pink and full of life now

Any man who had the chance to be able to see her like this would definitely wouldn't be able to take their eyes off her. She was nothing but beautiful.

He saw how intensely and curiously she was staring at Thane and a thought came to him. 'Its probably my eyes' he grinned at the thought.

"It's rude to stare" thane said smugly with a smirk.

"Wh-wha-what!!! No I wasn't!" She was stammering, her face red from the obvious embarrassing situation she found herself in.

"You were" Thane snickered. To him this was the most amusing thing.

Her expression then changed to that of anger and Thane had realise that there was line and he had crossed it. "No I wasn't" she retorted.

"It's ok happens all the time" Thane was used to this though, every time he meets someone they'd do the same thing when they saw his unusual eyes so to him this was normal. But he would never let it get to him.

"Were you the one who brought me here?"

Thane turned towards the girl and sighed nonchalantly as she asked him that.

"Yes, I did in a way"

After saying that Thane realised that he only made the girl more angry.

"Look here mister" after she said that Thane took a step back because she was starting to walk towards him. He was on his guard.

"Wherever this place is and whomever you are it is not OK! To drag a young lady down here without-.."

"Huh?" Thane was surprised, he had never been in this situation before. His thought process was taking over him, running at a thousand or even million times per second more than any ordinary human can comprehend. He stared at her eyes and used the solution he came up with. He then started scanning her memories but then he realised something was wrong.

He's wasn't getting anything from her, no information or memory whatsoever which was unusual. He had thought back at the times he met the ones with amnesia, yet even so he still could see their memories if he looked deep enough. Then a thought came to Thane, maybe he should just tell and see how that goes.

"You dont remember?" He asked which snapped her back to reality. He stared at her intently. He was right. After asking that the girl was in a state of panic. She didn't really remember anything. She was starting to shake from the shock of forgetting everything.

Also at the same time Thane sensed a familiar feeling from the room he was in before where he saw the girl in her previous state.

"Who... Who am I?" The girl asked anxiously. Thane had no idea what was going on, yet still being who he was decided to stay as calm as he usually was. He was analysing the situation trying to come up with the right solution. After giving much thought he nodded internally and decided to show the girl the place where he had that feeling coming from. He wanted to know the answer too, he wanted to find out what was going on here too.

"..."

As Thane decided to jump he thought back to himself

'Why didn't the gate open?' 'Why did she forget who she was?' 'Why'd she disappeared from that room?' 'Why couldn't I read any memories from her?' And most of all the most important question 'why was he behaving like a total idiot in front of her?' Thane couldn't help but laugh at that last one.

However none of this seemed right. None of this was normal. 'Just who is this girl?' He asked himself, he found no answer.

While carrying her in his arms he decided to take a look at her, she was smiling and looking back at the hospital. A feeling came from inside Thane, it was very small and momentary. Yet he felt it nonetheless. It was a strange feeling and he couldn't get his head around it. It came the moment he saw her smile.

As the light in front of him was getting brighter he and the girl closed their eyes letting the wind envelop them.

In a moment of what felt like forever, his feet finally left the ground, both of them heading closer and closer to the light as it got brighter.

'Maybe there..' He thought 'I'd find some answers'

"....."

I held onto him tightly as the wind was getting more and more furious. The light too was getting brighter which made it hard for me to open my eyes. I still had no idea what was going on here.

But one thing is for sure.

I Kristen Mawroh is dead.

Yet will here I am, in the arms of this unknown stranger with the strangest looking golden eyes. What usually happens after one dies? I didn't know either no one did, because one must die to find out right? But once you're dead, you're dead. So no one was able to come back and tell us what happened.

If they did then that's another topic on something which is equally horrifying.

Yet still here I am. Is this normal? Is this what happens? My head was starting to hurt when I questioned at that very thought.

Then I felt something. Something cold touching against me. 'The wind!' I thought. Wait huh? Something struck me too. I can feel my surroundings again! The sense of touch and heat coming back to me. I wanted to rejoice but I guess now isn't the time for that.

The light too was starting to get dimmer.

Taking it as a signal that I can finally opened my eyes I saw a white, foamy looking thing in the distant. There was more than one and they looked so fluffy as if invinting me to go and sleep on them and behind it was a blue wall of sorts with what looked like birds flying creatures together.

..... Wait!

I looked down and realised something horrible and terrifying and it was making all the hairs on my arms and legs stand, sending a cold chill down my spine.

I saw beneath me what looked like a small town surrounded by a dense forest. There were mountains to the distant too, a river flowing through the forest near the small town. But, now is definitely not the time to do some sight seeing.

My body froze up in fear. We were really, really far from the ground. As the light was starting to dissapear I tilted my head to look up at the person who was carrying me. His face too, was full of shock and panic.

"JUST WHAT IS GOING ON HERE!" He shouted as we slowly started to descend.

Yep. I didn't think it was possible. But I'm going to die again now.

Then I started screaming and tighten my grip around his shoulder which was starting to suffocate the poor guy but I didn't care its his fault. Whoever the hell you are, you're just making this unfair for me mister.

Our descend started speeding up while I was screaming louder and louder as the wind was crashing against my body. The guy on the other hand wasn't saying anything.

Instead he started to laugh. Huh? Ok thank god, I thought I was the only one who lost their minds. His laugh was maniacal and scary like he was some sort of villain who's hell bent on destroying the world. Then he suddenly decided to stop. I on the other hand refused to comment or even open my eyes

"This is nothing" he said in an emotion less tone.

Just like that there was a huge explosion sound beneath me, it was definitely an explosion. Small debris of soil was hitting my little body. But it didn't hurt. I could even smell dirt in the air. The wind was still furious but after a while it calmed completely.

Slowly yet cautiously I opened my eyes but what I saw horrified me yet again. In all of my directions the soil and the trees and everything else was blown away. There was only nothing but destroyed rocks, debris of broken trees and loosen soil. It looked like someone set off a bomb here and we were in the middle of it. Looking beneath I saw how his feet laid perfectly on the epicenter of the explosion, indicating the culprit of the cause of the explosion was this handsome looking dude here with the weird golden eyes who was carrying me in his arms as we fell from the sky.

My poor little brain which was trying to figure out what had happened was trying it's best to give me the answelap, thowever it failed and was starting to overload and as if on qui my body and mind decided to faint as everything faded to black.

"..."

Light. Bright glowing light. Or was it just the color of white? Nothing but white around me. I couldn't tell anymore. Maybe they're one and the same, but one thing is for sure. That is all that I can see. Huh? But why? I was falling wasn't I ? Did I really die a second time? No! That couldn't be possible, I was somewhere else.

Where am I?

"Did you.." A voice came. I couldn't tell properly from what direction it came from because It was faint came from far away. I couldn't tell who the voice belonged too. Maybe it belong to a male or a female I couldn't make it out.

"Did you... Stop... Go now" the voice sounded distorted and was still faint. I couldn't make out what it was saying. Were they talking to me? I couldnt tell. What did they wanted? Are they the one's who brought me here?

"Please.....save.....only hop-...." The voice was getting more distant also getting more and more distorted. And then just like that it disappeared.

There was no one. Not a sound either it was dead silent. I couldn't speak, couldn't move, couldn't tell where i was or where the owner of the voice disappeared to. A feeling of dread came over me. It was creeping from my back and it felt familiar. I've felt this before, a long time ago when I was running on my feet.

It was cold, unnerving and relentless. It was taking over me, like a cold hand made of ice was creeping from the back of my neck and shoulder. this is... This is..

Despair..

Someone, anyone.

Hear me please.

"...."

The sounds of footsteps and dry leaves and branches being stepped on was filling my ears and a small cool breeze was caressing my cheeks and in the distant was the sound of insects and rustling leaves and also it feels as if I'm floating. Wait I wasn't floating right? No I was in someone's arm. I was being carried. My body felt heavy and it was hard to move. I felt weak and tired but I still tried to open my eyes even if it was hard, it felt like all my strength was drain from me. Like the time when I was little when I decided to run 15 laps around my neighborhood. My poor little legs and little body was drained of all energy after my 14th lap, that's what it felt like right now. I stared up at the person responsible for all this. I couldn't see his face, the sun was right behind him casting a silhouette on his face. I remember though, he had a pretty face and I wanted to punch it. Yes, oh God, please hand me thou strength to smach his face into smithereens, Amen!

"Awake?" The person asked breaking me from my impossible thoughts. I simply gave out a weak nod unable to speak. But i could feel it, it was a strange sensation. My strength was coming back to me. Like all the energy I've lost was starting to fill inside me again. However, i was still weak and tired.

"That's normal" he said "when travelling through the light gate, your soul energy gets drain while trying to endure the energy coming from the light tunnel, but once you reach the other side, this place will grant you its blessing which will restore your energy"

Oh so thats it huh, even though I understood little to nothing at all. All this light gate, light tunnel, this place's blessing or anything else that came out of that guy's mouth I honestly wasn't even bothered about trying to understand them anymore. It was all too much to take in. If this is what rest in peace means then please by all means, give me some peace dear whoever made that up!

"But that tunnel earlier" he continued "it was abnormal. It was stronger and its furiousity was more than usual. No ordinary soul could have gone through it with out getting shred to peaces. Yet still you stayed intact and in one piece."

"That's scary" I whispered with a light chuckle, I'm a tough girl eh? But that wasn't what caught my attention.

"Soul huh? So I'm really dead?"

" yes" he said softly "I'm sorry"

"Its OK" I could only chuckle again softly at what he said. So I really did die huh? But that's that. No point in contemplating either. Like I promised myself a long time ago. I will never hold any lingering feelings of regret.

"We're here"

I turned towards the direction in front of us. It looked like an opening different from the forest we were in earlier, the ground filled with grass was wide all leading to a hill. There was a metal old looking fence on top of the hill which we were heading to. It stretched out far to both sides and at the centre there was a huge metal gate. We were almost near it and it looked really old and rusted. I couldn't even tell the original color it used to have. As we got closer i saw something on top of it. It looked like a small metallic structure of sorts. I stared intently at it and realised that it was in the image of some sort of odd looking animal.

It had a beak, two wings, yet the body of a four legged mammal with sharp and long claws..

"Is that a griffin?" I asked.

"Yes bu-.."

"Thane!" A voice came calling. I decided to immediately get down from his arms however standing up right wasn't easy, I still felt a little weak.

"Take it easy" a worrying voice came.

"I'm fine, im fine"

"Thane, that really you! Hey everyone, it's Thane he's back" I looked to where the voice was coming from and noticed that it was a young looking girl but I couldnt tell what she looked like since she was still far. She was running from behind the fence towards us. Behind her a bunch of people were running towards us too. There were a lot of them.

"Its Thane!" one shouted "hey buddy!" another voice came.

The girl who was leading them finally reached us as she opened the gate and came through and just like that she decided to jumped towards the guy I was with.

"Hey Kiara" he said as he patted her head. His lips formed a gentle smile and his expression soften. He looked totally different from before when he had that emotionless expression on. But his eyes said otherwise. I seriously don't get this guy.

"So who'd you brought this time?" She asked as she let go of him turning to me. She looked to be around 9 or 10. Her black hair was tied neatly into a pony to the back and it wasn't that long either.

She had strange looking green eyes which looked at me filled with curiosity. A wide smile formed on her face along with the freckles on her cheeks, with the green dress she had on, I can tell you this she looked absolutely adorable. But one thing caught my eye. On her chest, right beneath her collar bone there was something.

It looked like a small chain and it was broken and short and not connected to anything on its broken end. There was a small round metallic object on her chest that was holding the short chain, it looked really weird and out of place like someone placed it there surgically. As I heard the villagers approaching me I turned towards them and they too all had similar looking chains. This was beyond normal.

I felt someone tuck onto my clothes and when I looked down I saw that it was the little girl.

"I'm Kiara and you are?"

"I'm Kristen. Nice to meet you Kiara " I answered joyfully as I patted her head. "Did Thane bring you here too?" She asked.

"Thane?" I questioned back.

"Thats me" the guy said. I turned towards him and stared with narrowed eyes while putting my hands my hips.

"Hooo, so you finally decided to tell me your name?" He simply shrugged at me and looked way. I sighed in defeat and turned back at kiara.

"Kristen, um" she said with worried looking eyes while she stared at me like she wanted to say something.

"Yes Kiara?"

"Um.." She then pointed at my chest "Where's your chain of regularity?"

"Chain.." I said as I trailed off and held my chest.

"What do you mean?"

"Kiara she came here without one. She never got one in the first place" Thane said and when I turned to him he started giving me a worried looking expression. Then all the people who came started mumbling among themselves when they heard us.

"Look she really doesn't have one" one of them said

"Maybe she's a personified?" Another said.

"But she looks like a human" one replied.

What were they talking about? What chain? The chain they all had? Was I suppose to have one too? But why? Did I need one? But I didn't have one?

I have a bad feeling about this. My body was starting to shake my mind trying to make sense of the situation. A hand came to my shoulder and when I turned i saw that it was Thane. He gave a gentle smile and spoke in a soft voice.

"It'll be fine." I was starting to calm after hear his words. He was trying to reassure me, i was glad and thankful. Yes, he's right. I guess thats why he brought me here right?

First I need to calm myself down. I took in a deep breath and exhaled slowly. After calming down I heard the loud voice of a female.

"Out of my way!" I turned towards the direction of the people who gathered around us, the voice came came from behind them.

"Out of my way punks! I swear I'll throw you all into the river if you dont move hahaaha just kidding"

She smells like trouble. What she just said was really scary even it it was just a joke. The people started moving, giving way to whomever was shouting. When the person finally appeared a woman emerge. A white shirt and red hair that was caught in the wind. I could hear Thane grunt of annoyance behind me.

I have a bad feeling about this.

Then the person infront of me gave me a grin. Oh boy this is bad.