Bright Shadows (Born As Fear, Forged By Pain)

In a realm separate from the mortal world, two beings stood over a mangled, unrecognizable corpse. One had a fragile, almost ethereal presence, a frail male humanoid form. The other, an incorporeal silver entity, appeared human from a distance—but upon closer inspection, there were no recognizable facial features. Its masculine form was merely a vessel to contain its true essence.

The air around the silver entity pulsed with sickening anger, waves of it radiating from its being. It gently caressed the hair of the corpse—now nothing but a mass of twisted flesh and broken bones. "I was too late..." The words escaped in a hollow whisper. "I will avenge you, Serenity."

Suddenly, the oppressive pressure emanating from the entity ceased. The humanoid figure, Logic, visibly shivered, avoiding the silver being's gaze. Logic, always the careful one, knew the risk of angering the entity before him. Fear was too far gone. There was no reasoning with him now.

"Logic," Fear said, his voice cold and unwavering. "Take care of Karma for me."

The frail humanoid hesitated, the weight of the situation pressing down on him. "Don't be rash. If you manage to kill them, the King will revive them and then get rid of you."

"I don't care," Fear's response was final, filled with a chilling resolve.

Without another word, Fear reached out and tore the fabric of space with a violent motion, rending it apart like a broken tapestry. The gash in reality widened, and he stepped through it, vanishing into the abyss of nothingness.

"Even if you can't be killed… Please, don't be careless," Logic murmured, his voice tinged with worry.

But Fear was already gone. "I will make them feel hell," he whispered to himself, his presence radiating sheer menace as he left the empty space behind.

He felt the killers—the ones responsible for Serenity's death—drawing near. Their arrogance, their pride, and their malice were palpable. He could sense them now, as they brutally attacked a helpless figure, completely unaware of the destruction that was about to rain down upon them.

Finally, Fear stopped. His anger swelled, a rising storm that seemed to break all barriers. He unleashed his power, shattering the seal on the coordinates and appearing before three beings, all resembling him in form but with their own distinct colors—red, yellow, and blue. They turned slowly, their expressions shifting from arrogance to hesitation as they felt an overwhelming void of nothingness emanating from Fear.

Fear's presence was suffocating, unnatural. It felt as though the very air around him was collapsing, pulling the light from the world. His power wasn't supposed to affect them—he was just another primordial force—but they felt something far worse: fear.

The yellow being "Joy", its voice dripping with sadistic joy, spoke first. "How did you like our gift, Fear? Did it make you happy?"

A cruel smile stretched across the red being's face, its tone mocking. "We warned you not to get attached to these 'Lessers'. They break so easily."

"And that lesser even made you choose a gender and create an abomination," the blue being added "Sadness'", their voice laced with venom. "It was only right, as your siblings, to guide you back to the right path."

Fear's eyes burned with a chilling fury, the void inside him expanding, pulling at the very air around him. His gaze locked onto each of them in turn, and for a brief moment, all three of his siblings felt the sharp sting of their own emotions. The arrogance, the pride, the sadism—they felt it all waver, ever so slightly, under Fear's unyielding will.

"Your guidance," Fear said, his voice low and deadly, "has led you to your death."

And with that, the atmosphere shifted. A silence stretched between them, filled with the weight of impending destruction. The three primordial beings stood frozen, their mocking tones faltering under the oppressive void emanating from Fear. The emptiness surrounding him was like an abyss that swallowed sound, light, and even thought itself. It was clear he wasn't here for games—he was here for retribution.

Red "Anger" was the first to recover, a sadistic grin splitting their face. "What do you plan to do, Fear? You're the weakest of us. Always were."

Joy, snickered, circling him like a predator sizing up wounded prey. "Your Ability's won't work on us. We're equals, remember? Our powers cancel each other out."

Sadness', ever the cold and calculating one, chimed in with a smirk. "You're not even strong enough to fight us physically. So, what's your plan? Going to Cry?"

Fear said nothing. His glowing, featureless form simply stood, silent and unyielding, as his silver presence darkened. The air around him seemed to warp, bending reality itself.

Anger roared and lunged first, Its fist igniting into a blazing inferno of aura as It struck toward Fear with enough force to rupture the ground beneath them. The blow connected—but instead of sending Fear flying, it stopped an inch from his face. The air around Anger's fist shimmered as if hitting an invisible wall.

"What—?" Anger's eyes widened as their arm was yanked backward with a sickening crack, Fear's invisible force twisting it unnaturally. It screamed, staggering back.

Joy and Sadness' wasted no time. Joy charged, their body crackling with bright aura, while Sadness' summoned Crystalized liquid aura, launching them like missiles. The attacks collided with Fear, creating a blinding explosion that shook the surrounding plane, tearing the fabric of space itself. Entire galaxies in the background flickered, their light snuffed out from the sheer force of the impact.

As the dust settled, Fear remained untouched, his body unmoving. Slowly, he raised a hand, his fingers tightening into a fist. Joy and Sadness' suddenly froze mid-air, their bodies suspended as if held by an unseen hand.

"What is this?!" Joy shrieked, their voice trembling for the first time. They struggled, but their movements were futile.

"This isn't possible!" Sadness's voice, usually calm, cracked with fear. "Telekinesis isn't supposed to be this strong! We're Primordials!"

Fear tilted his head slightly, his voice cold and unyielding. "You've spent so much time indulging in the emotions of others—absorbing them, feeding off their chaos. You've grown physically stronger, yes. But in doing so, you've weakened your will. And willpower is what controls telekinesis."

With a flick of his wrist, Fear sent Joy and Sadness' hurtling through space like comets, their bodies colliding into distant celestial structures, shattering them into dust. Anger, clutching their broken arm, attempted a desperate sneak attack, swinging a molten red aura blade toward Fear's back. Without turning, Fear gestured again, and the blade dissolved into nothingness.

"Pathetic," Fear muttered, his voice devoid of emotion.

He turned to Anger, lifting them off the ground with a casual wave. Anger's body convulsed, their form writhing under the crushing weight of Fear's power. Joy and Sadness' reappeared, charging once more in a last-ditch effort. Fear didn't even glance their way—he simply expanded the void around him. The wave of force obliterated everything in its path, leaving nothing but blackness.

The three siblings hovered, battered and broken; their confidence shattered. They stared at Fear with something they had never felt before: terror.

"This isn't you, Fear!" Joy pleaded; their voice desperate. "You don't have this kind of power!"

"You can't kill us," Sadness' added, though their tone was more uncertain than ever. "The King will bring us back!"

Fear stepped closer, his silver form now glowing with an ominous light. "Then I'll kill you again. And again. Until you understand the pain She felt."

He raised his hand, the void around him condensing into a singularity of pure destruction. The siblings screamed, struggling against the inevitable. Just as Fear was about to strike, a new presence tore through the plane.

A deafening boom reverberated through the realm, and the space around Fear shattered like glass. From the void emerged a figure, taller and more imposing than any of them. The Primordial King.

Draped in an aura that shifted between blinding light and infinite darkness, the King's mere presence silenced the plane. His voice was like a thousand whispers layered atop one another, a sound that could crush entire civilizations.

"Enough," the King commanded, his tone brooking no argument.

Fear's form flickered, the singularity dissipating as he turned to face the King. His siblings slumped to the ground, their bodies trembling.

"You defy my order, Fear?" the King said, his voice both a question.

"They deserve this," Fear replied, his voice unwavering despite the oppressive weight of the King's presence. "They killed Serenity." Fear repeated, his voice colder now, each word like the tolling of a funeral bell. His silver form trembled with restrained fury as he stared at the Primordial King, the embodiment of balance and dominance over all emotions.

The King tilted his head ever so slightly, a motion so subtle it was almost imperceptible. His form shimmered in and out of focus, as if the reality around him struggled to contain his existence. "And if they did?" His tone was not accusatory, nor was it sympathetic. It was simply a statement, devoid of feeling, as though discussing the weather.

Fear's glow intensified, the silver light pulsating with raw, destructive energy. "You know why. You know what they've done. And you say if?"

The King regarded him with something that might have been curiosity—or perhaps it was nothing at all. "You speak as though her life was unique. Countless lives have ended. Countless will end again. You mourn one."

"Exactly. So why can't I end them?" Fear growled, his silver aura pulsating with renewed intensity. His glowing form stood defiant before the King, whose shimmering, featureless visage betrayed neither empathy nor malice.

"Unlike those three, who have no purpose, I guide. I give fear to others, the caution to survive. They intoxicate the world with their useless feelings, provoking irrationality, chaos—abusing those who have done nothing to them, merely for their own twisted pleasure. Why do they even exist?"

The King's form flickered, the void around him darkening as if reflecting his presence. "Because without you, I would have to carry you. You four are merely my excess baggage—waste that I shed to ascend. To become this."

Fear's voice dropped, venom lacing every word. "You are no god, merely a substitute in a forgotten story."

The King paused, his glowing eyes narrowing with the faintest trace of amusement. "Your life is a gift. You should praise its creator."

Fear laughed bitterly, his voice echoing in the fractured plane. "I never wanted this gift."

At this, the King's luminous eyes flared, a rare spark of interest gleaming within them. "Then I shall take back my gift."

Fear scoffed, his silver light glowing brighter. "Not even you can kill me."

"Correct," the King admitted, his tone remaining as calm as ever. "At least, not alone. The laws of this world make it nearly impossible to erase you. But I have an idea."

The King gestured to the three recovering Primordials—Anger, Joy, and Sadness'—who flinched at his command. "You three. Cut off his limbs. But do not use a killing blow."

The trio froze, their regenerating forms trembling as they exchanged fearful glances. Despite their tormenting nature, the pain Fear had inflicted on them was fresh in their minds. But the King's will was absolute. Reluctantly, they rose to their feet, their shimmering forms casting twisted reflections in the void as they closed in on Fear.

Fear's silver light flared as he readied his telekinetic power. But as he focused, the energy sputtered out, his abilities locked away. He turned his gaze to the King, his eyes blazing with fury. "You didn't—"

"I negated the concept of telekinesis and regeneration," the King interrupted, his tone as detached as ever. "Even for me, this is difficult to maintain. But you, Fear—you will not escape this."

Before Fear could respond, the three Primordials lunged at him. He fought savagely; his physical form far weaker than theirs but driven by sheer willpower. Each strike landed brutally, but without his telekinesis, he was quickly overwhelmed. Anger's claws tore into his arm, severing it in a flash of crimson light. Joy ripped into his legs, with its sadistic glee turning to grim determination under the King's gaze.

Fear roared in defiance as his limbs were torn away, gold blood spilling into the void. His light dimmed with each agonizing strike, yet his eyes never wavered. Even as Sadness' plunged a hand into his side, ripping apart the last connection to his remaining arm, Fear glared at the King.

"You think this will be the end of me?" he spat, bloodied and mutilated but unyielding. "You think this makes you stronger?"

The King stepped closer, his presence casting an oppressive shadow over the broken Primordial. "This is not about strength. It is about balance."

Fear's breath came in ragged gasps, his form crumpled and incomplete yet still radiating defiance. "You will regret this."

The King knelt beside him, his voice barely a whisper yet echoing in Fear's mind. "I do not regret. I will patiently endure."

As Fear's silver light began to fade, the King rose and turned to the trembling trio. "Leave him. His death will be slow, as it should be."

The Primordials hesitated, but the King's unwavering authority drove them away. Fear, lying in the void, watched as his vision dimmed. His gold blood floated around him like stardust, the light of his existence fading.

Yet even in his final moments, his mind burned with one last thought: Serenity, I will see you again.

The void consumed him, leaving only silence behind.

As the void calmed and the remnants of Fear's battle dissipated, Logic and Karma arrived. A Deity and something unique stepped into the fractured plane, their forms shimmering against the backdrop of nothingness. Logic, with his frail humanoid frame, exuded a composed, calculating aura. Karma, radiant and ethereal, had an air of empathy and sorrow that seemed to flow with her every step.

They stopped at the center of the battlefield, where Fear's mutilated body lay in a pool of gold blood, his once-dazzling light reduced to a faint flicker. Logic's expression tightened, his usual calm replaced by an uncharacteristic tremor. He knelt beside Fear's broken form, his hands hovering over the corpse as if afraid to touch it.

"He's gone…" Logic's voice was a whisper, strained with unspoken grief.

Karma, standing silently beside him, finally knelt and placed a trembling hand on Fear's forehead. Her radiant form dimmed, reflecting the weight of her sorrow. "Father gave everything… Mother's loss, his pain… it consumed him. And still, he fought until the end."

Logic's hands clenched into fists, his sharp mind calculating the implications of Fear's death. "Those three…" he muttered, his tone darkening. "Anger, Sadness, Joy—they've overstepped. They killed Serenity. They've defied balance. Declaring war on us Deities indulging in chaos and destruction without restraint."

Karma's gaze lingered on Fear's lifeless form. "Father was our safety and they took him from us… because they could."

Logic rose to his feet, his frail frame trembling with barely restrained fury. "This will not stand. We owe Fear—and Serenity—justice. If the King will not stop them, then we will."

Karma's eyes glowed faintly, her sorrow replaced with a quiet resolve. "You're proposing what even Father could not do?"

Logic nodded, his mind already forming a plan. "Yes. But we won't act recklessly. 

Karma looked at her Father's body once more, her voice soft. "What about Father? We can't leave him here."

Logic's gaze softened, the first trace of humanity returning to his expression. "We'll honor him. We'll ensure his sacrifice is not in vain."

With careful precision, Logic raised his hand, and the void around Fear's body shimmered. The gold blood began to coalesce, forming a protective barrier that encased his remains. A faint light pulsed within, a testament to the enduring strength of Fear's will even in death.

"This is only the beginning," Logic said, his voice steeled with determination. "We'll make them pay, Karma. For Fear. For Serenity. For every innocent life, they've destroyed."

Karma stood beside him, her form radiating an aura of steadfast resolve and growing hatred. "We will. Together."

The two vanished into the ether, Bringing the shimmering cocoon of light where Fear's body rested. The battle lines had been drawn, and the wrath of Logic and Karma would soon be unleashed.