Zero: Remorse

Chapter 0—Remorse

*A/N: This is not the pilot episode, I added this because I was not satisfied with chapter one.

You can choose to read this at anytime as it sort of deviates from the actual plotline; it just gives a background on Kolin and his Inner voice.

This chapter is quite a long one, so please savour it.

Hope you enjoy.*

"Huff… Huff…" He ran, his green, battered robe dancing along the wind; with it, is his flesh-colored hair.

He was using two, cog-like rings that rotates around his bleeding arms.

The cog-like rings were glowing gold, and they looked like miniature comets as they obliterate every enemy in his way. His murky green-gold eyes reflect every detail of his surrounding as if the eyes themselves are the world. The scars riddling his body only made him look more ominous.

As he sprinted along the bamboo forest, he sliced and diced the trees. These are no ordinary bamboo trees however, for they are the sentient guardians of this place.

But guard against who? Would a bundle of overgrown grass stop this rampaging boy? Even the life at his proximity seems to be suffocating, struggling to hold on.

Every step he took left a smoky trail, like burning cigarette—slowly killing whatever he lands on.

He—a sixteen-year-old boy—is the manifestation of death.

Truly a being that deviates to this world's principles.

A God that wasn't supposed to be worshipped.

An anomaly.

"CANER!! COME OUT AT THIS MOMENT!! I WILL DEVOUR YOU!!" The human boy covered in smoke shouted in rage, seemingly frustrated at his cowardly opponent.

Calm is the voice who answered him, however, "How dare a mere human soldier address me by my name?" As he said this, a rain of pinky-rose petals poured out—almost as if his presence alone is enough to bring life around him.

If one would look at the man, one would only see a haze of pink, their mortal eyes would—and will never be worthy of such sight.

"How dare a murderer act like a God?!" Through his gritted teeth, he proclaimed. Veins of black popped on his face.

"Dear, we Deities do not murder, we liberate you mortals from pain. You should be grateful." A gentle but mocking voice replied.

A man, tall as an orc, but more graceful than elves, flew down as if he came from the heavens. His straight golden hair cascading among clouds of butterflies.

Truly fitting of his image, his otherworldly garments only made him more majestic. His white robe with gold tinge, exemplifies the definition of magnificence, and the clangs of a wind chime sounds whenever he move because of his ear and head laden with jewerly.

"Deities…? You are nothing but a bunch of over glorified children! You are no Gods… You are an abomination, you do not deserve to live!" He said as he jumped, taking his chakrams with him

*A/N: Chakrams are circular blades. The one mentioned here is a serrated one.*

The Deity of Life, Caner, just stood there unfazed. He lifted his right palm, and swung down to the boy. Although no visible attack can be seen, the human barreled down back to the woods.

"Are you all talk? Did you truly manifest—" Cutting himself off, he barely dodged the chakrams that was about to slice his neck open.

"Manifest that… Manifest this… Maybe death finally showed up to get rid of the insects plaguing this universe. You self-proclaimed Gods can go to hell!" Smoke rose up from his body, and the surrounding greenery wilted.

"Y-you…" Maybe the façade of the God finally crumbled, as he clenched his jaw in anger.

Vines the size of a carriage erupted from the ground, coiling around the boy like serpents.

Before it touched him, however, they dried up,

"I feel like killing a God." The Death grinned as he looked at his prey, his nails grew to a length, and his eyes turned hollow as he dwelled deeper into his crazed state; dripping from his mouth is saliva that sizzled on the ground.

The Golden-haired man did not answer however, and he now used both his arms to attack the boy with vines, insects, monsters of varying size, and finally, a wooden trident.

A golden haze surrounded the man, amplifying his God-like aura, "A God dying? What a joke." He didn't find the 'joke' amusing, however, for he wore an expression of mockery and rage.

The boy held both his palms out and used his abyss-like smoke to take on the trident fearlessly, "How pathetic, a God cannot even hurt a 'mere human soldier'?" He sneered with no ounce of humanity left in his voice.

"You've lost yourself. Pitiful child." Although the man appeared calm, his fingers were trembling—maybe due to overexertion, or fear…

Cracks appeared on the trident, and it turned to dust after a single breath. The boy who manifested death clenched his fist, marveling at his newfound power. 'I will avenge…'

He frowned, 'Avenge who?', he thought. The boy looked up to the man, "What have you done?"

The God-like creature sneered, "What have I done? You did that to yourself.

...Do you know why death shouldn't manifest?" He suddenly asked.

"…." Black smoke whirled around the boy, killing the vast forest and the ecosystem within it.

"Because it would kill everyone. You. Me. Humans. Orcs. Elves. Dwarves. Beasts…."

"…. Death is not supposed to be worshipped, unlike us. The people who gave you power, your so called 'worshippers' will die alongside you."

"You speak as if killing is something you despise, as if death is something you loathe! You have no right to tell what is wrong or what is right, if you yourself has killed! Killed the only one I have…" The boy again frowned.

"….GAAAHH!!" He shouted as he felt a great pain arising from his heart, remembering his human memories.

The smoke enveloped the whole sanctuary, killing every lives within.

"I've warned you." The man reprimanded, but he took a step back.

Step Back!

Was what his body did. Looking at the boy's eye, he trembled.

"Let's die together then, no longer does this world need life. What it needs is eternal rest…" He said emotionlessly, as if emotion was something he wasn't familiar with.

Chuckle

"HAHAHA! Too late! Too late! Too late!" The man with the golden hair laugh hesterically, "They're here!"

Suddenly, the sky opened up, and hundreds of both men and women flew down from heavens. They were murmuring, almost gossiping as they looked at the boy.

⍑ᔑᓭ ↸ᒷᔑℸ ̣ ⍑ ∷ᒷᔑꖎꖎ|| ᓵ𝙹ᒲᒷ ℸ ̣ 𝙹 ʖᒷ?

The boy was bewildered, none of what they're saying makes sense… their voices are like thunders or winds, they're natural noises, as if the sounds they make comes from nature itself.

"You Gods shou—"

BOOM!

Before the boy could finish what he was saying, a blue thunder struck him.

"You're going way too easy on him, Keedlat. He's still a deity, albeit a failed one." The velvety voice of a woman sounded.

"Oh did I? My bad." A booming baritone voice thundered across the land.

BOOM!

This time, a stronger white lighting hit the boy and it continued doing so for a couple of minutes before stopping.

The smoke around his body dissipated, and although he stood, his head is down and his arms are now charred.

"Well, you killed him." The Golden-haired God said with apathy.

The Lightning God, Keedlat, just sneered haughtily.

A frown suddenly formed on most of the God's faces, however, "He's moving."

"…" Silence enveloped the barren lands, as they waited for the boy to do something.

"..." None of them moved, as if the God of Time ordered them not to.

"Tch! That freaking hurt. Glad I'm sober now though." He wore a smirk, shouting jovially.

Keedlat narrowed his eyes in surprise and doubt; he most definitely did not hold himself back.

SHWOOOSH!

A rainbow lance flew out of nowhere, intending to impale the young teen.

To their disbelief, however, the boy used a single finger to stop the lance. The finger was basically him flipping the perpetrator off, "That all you got? I bet you'd taste like trash even if I roast you alive, you corpulent flamingo."

A relatively 'big' man raised his eyebrow, paying no attention to the insult. He extended his arm and called the lance back.

"Courting death!" The teen smiled amiably, in spite of having to face hundreds of celestial beings, he stood his ground.

Keedlat, The God of Lightning and Storm.

Caner, The God of Life.

Leuchten, The God of Light.

The three of them fought the teenage boy all at once, while the others only observed, seemingly unbothered.

Or perhaps they're amused.

The chakrams rotated madly around its master, fending off the rainbow lance from Leuchten.

Having had his weapon broken, Caner used his mana to try and bind Death, while Keedlat seemed to be charging for an enormous attack; his body is writhing with white lighting, and the erratic pattern of his eyes deepened.

Leuchten made a stabbing motion, trying to impale the boy's eye. He dodged, however, and the opening let him get close to Caner who has just been supporting from the back all this time.

"What? Taking out the strongest first!?" He barked.

"More like a nuisance." He disappeared, going in the smoke that constantly surrounds him, and appeared behind the man who was still charging for an attack.

This was a mishap, however, for when he made a punch, he got electrocuted.

"GRAH!" He shouted in agony.

"What a fool." Keedlat lamented, but he widened his eyes noticing the lighting coursing through his body turn smoky black.

"Shit!" He hurriedly tried to discard all his mana, to prevent the corrupted lighting to completely devour him.

As he was doing this, the boy appeared next to Caner who was still in shock by what he saw.

The teenage boy gripped Caner's Godly face with his right hand and black smoke started to come out of it. He desperately tried to free himself from his grasp but to no avail.

"Where are they?" Asked Leuchten, for them to suddenly disappear was quite a surprise.

"GRAAAAAAH!!" Keedlat finally freed himself from the curse that was cast on him, "Where is that bastard?! I'm gonna kill him myself!" He yelled in fury.

"Old fool, you almost just died, and you still think your a match to the manifestation of death?! Only light and life can take on his power." Yelled Leuchten.

Multiple luminescent veins popped on Keedlats forehead, he was obviously annoyed. "Lightning is light!"

"Ignorant fool!--"

Before they could continue bantering, however, a presence so overwhelming fell down on them.

It was as if there were at the bottom of the sea.

"I have given you plenty enough time to play. Go back to your duties." A voice that seems to be talking inside their heads--and at the same time, booming all over the universe--grumbled.

It was both calm and fear-inducing, like a calamity of some sort.

While most of the Gods bowed, there are some who did not even care.

Keedlat and Leuchten were both in the bunch that bowed. Although their eyes scream hatred, they did not say anything.

"How bothersome." Said the booming voice, and he disappeared, making no indications that he ever did—it was like he wasn't there in the first place.

...

On a dark planet, a boy about the age of sixteen was gripping a man's face. The man seemed dead, the only suggestion that he is not is the slight twitching of his graying body.

"This is enough for revenge; don't you think so?" The boy froze as he heard a majestic voice booming in his head, and not at the same time.

He struggled to speak as the mere presence of the man overwhelmed him.

"Destroying a sanctuary, injuring the Deity of Lightning, Killing the Deity of Life, making a laugh out of the other Gods. Don't you think this is enough?" The man gently said, he talked as if the boy was his child, and he is simply teaching him a lesson.

"I-it is n-not." Although he stuttered, the teenage boy opposed.

"I see." He smiled so softly that the boy was taken aback, it made him feel that the man before him was on his side.

"W-we have been s-suffering! All the while the Gods we worship did not even look at us!" He complained.

The boy let out his sorrows, his suffering, how everyone he knew died, how his only love died… and how he wishes for himself to die. He told it to the man. He didn't know why, he just did, and the man patiently listened.

The image might be disturbing, however, a boy holding up a corpse while crying out his sorrows to a man who can only be described as 'Holy'. But that was what happened.

After what seemed like days, the man finally spoke, "I understand your troubles, child, you can rest now."

As he was saying this, Kolin found his vision turning upside down. Everything was painfully slow, but he knew. He realized that he was beheaded, without him noticing.

'H-how?' He thought as the last remaining consciousness he had was spent on regretting… regretting that he wished to die.