The Last Fragment

It was dark, very dark. Casimir didn't know how long he had been in this realm of darkness.

'Well at least my consciousness is intact.'

He had doubted that he would be able to think clearly since he practically fell asleep back in the realm of the living but he was wrong, fortunately. So, he had finally turned sixteen. He had his doubts but ultimately, he made it to sixteen years of age. When his mother finally succumbed to her injuries and left him when he was eight, he thought he wouldn't last another week after being forcefully evicted from their residence in Vinth, Cestane's second capital. He had managed to arrive in Mospria after travelling on the mighty machines that thundered along a set of parallel metal lines.

'I think they called them trains.'

When he reached the capital, a week turned into two and two weeks became a month, a month became three months and before he knew it he had seen another eight years of this damned life. Although he was a target for a lot of the gangs and street mobs when he arrived, he had been smart enough to know how to avoid the underhanded deals that would equate to him selling his life to them for just a measly piece of bread. He knew better and did well to avoid them when they would come searching for him. He knew some of these adults had disturbing tastes, and young boys were undoubtedly on their palates. It wasn't like life in the capital was always that dreadful, a couple weeks in and he was admitted into one of the more popular orphanages but he never fit in with the other kids. They were never interested in what he liked and what they liked didn't interest him. He got along with their caretakers but that was all it was. He didn't hold any more affection for them past their professional relationship. He felt they were obliged to do so and it wasn't out of the goodness of their hearts, after all, they too were ordinary.

'If I awaken and finish military training, do I return to the orphanage?'

He wondered now more than ever what was next. He had turned out to be part of the fortunate thirty per cent of the population that awakened and to say he wasn't excited was a lie to himself he would not entertain.

"Are you so certain you can ascend mortal?"

His eyes widened as his head swivelled. It was a useless gesture, the world around him was still very dark.

"Your thoughts are not… or is it that your thoughts are not of your age?"

The tranquil and breathy voice continued

'Appropriate? Is that the word you are searching for?'

The voice did not respond immediately but Casimir took the chance to go on.

'Are you the last fragment?'

Again, it did not respond but Casimir didn't ask another question in hopes of being answered. After what seemed like an awkward pause colleagues usually shared the voice responded.

"Welcome mortal this is the realm of nothingness and the essence of creation, I am the last fragment of death, that is my Fable."

'Fable?'

"Yes, your tongue is not skilful enough to pronounce the name given to me by the pantheons."

'No, I meant what is a fable?'

Silence once again followed. Casimir was about to say something but the voice finally spoke back.

"A fable is the tale of a being's existence and a being's only true title whether in rebirth or death one's fable does not fade but is the anchorage of their soul's connection to reality."

'I see, before I go on is there anything I should l know?'

The last fragment of death was a being that confused Casimir, more specifically its existence. He wanted to know why humans acquired powers and why the gods are dead and what had killed them. He knew once he awakened, he would be able to access such information but he didn't trust that those that wrote the scripts would tell the world the whole truth. Knowledge was power and from what he observed of those high families, they'd do anything to maintain the power they have established. Where better to access the information than from a being as old as him?

"Child until you ascend from your mortal chains there's only so much I can tell you."

'So, some of my questions can go unanswered?'

"Yes."

'How do I begin my trial to ascend?'

"You will it and your trials will begin"

'Trials?'

"Yes, some children undergo several before ascending."

'What determines that? the number I mean'

"Their souls,"

'What about their souls?'

The being did not respond.

'Okay, how about this realm why is it dark and stuff.'

"You have decided that."

As he heard this subconsciously his mind decided on what the realm would look like and in a blink everything changed instantaneously. The new look was just as plain, however this time it was a large plain with grass as far as the eye could see. Casimir looked around and found himself staring at him.

"Why do you have my face?"

As he spoke for the first time since entering nihil, the last fragment of death looked at him with apathy.

"I take the appearance of what you may believe to be death."

Casimir didn't like what that entailed. When he read in the awakeners' society lecture rooms, he had found the fragment usually took the form of an elderly man with a white robe, or the stereotypical grim reaper. As if reading his thoughts, the fragment replied.

"You are not the first, you are the third, and I do not always appear as you have been told, your kind just seems to lack an intrinsic understanding of their own beliefs."

"But I'm not so arrogant to think myself death."

"But your soul believes something else it seems."

'How can I not know what my soul believed?'

Casimir did not respond immediately but remained silent. He now more than ever believed something was wrong with him, his existence, but he wasn't worried. He was relieved, he wanted power just as much as the next person albeit, for selfish reasons he wanted it.

He needed it.