The Scroll

Darkness.

Zero felt as though he had been submerged in a thick, sticky pool of darkness. It was like floating in nothingness, lost in space and forgotten by time.

'Is this what death feels like?' Zero asked himself inwardly.

It was truly calm.

He wished to stay in this state of peace for an eternity and more, but the limbo had other plans. Likened to the shock and brute force of a bolt of lightning, he was ripped from his space of peace. He was dragged by an invisible force that cared nothing for the newfound happiness of this newly dead soul.

As he was pulled by this force, he seemed to percive the movement of Fate herself. He could hear voices all around the darkness, speaking directly to his soul. Fate was trying to leave her a mark on him, trying to turn against powers that were much greater than she. Like a mother guarding her child, she cradled him. But the power that sought Zero was greater.

'Beware not to lose your heart on your journey, young one.'

Zero couldn't hear those words, not with the noise that came from all around him. He was struck again once more. This time he felt his soul shatter into pieces and reform once again. It happened a number of times till he found himself screeching into the ghastly darkness. Disdainfully, he thought, 'but alas, I have found myself in hell.'

He was afraid. Terrified of the torture. Where was he?

Infinitely he was broken and reformed. Like hot metal subjected to the blows of the hammer. His past was his past. His present was no more. And his future was a slave to this horrible dark.

There was no escape.

Zero had no idea how long he was shattered and molded. It felt like a thousand seasons had come and gone. Was it summer, spring or autumn?

There was no answer.

The world spun. Day and night came and went. Did anyone remember him? Did someone notice the local cripple's absence? He could not tell. The darkness showed no answers.

In the period of this limbo, he pondered on the wonders of the world. He questioned humanity and he tempered his spirit. One could say he had been exposed to the truth of vanity. The nothingness of it all.

He bore through the pain, accepting the eternal silence. Knowing there was nothing more to this earth but pain and suffering.

Humanity's greatest punishment was fear. For if not for fear of death and dark, the human mind would be supreme. Zero hoped to fear no more. He hoped for clarity.

Once he had come to the realization of this fact, something shifted.

The limbo began to give way. He could feel the strands of the otherworld that held tightly to him, breaking apart. It was shattering.

The young man awoke with a gasp.

He coughed violently, like a person who had just escaped the terrible pain of drowning. The coughs did not subside until much later, and when they did, he finally noticed his surroundings.

' I'm alive? ' He lifted his arm to observe and was horrified by what he saw. A cluster of worms, maggots and earthly critters had gathered on his body. There were even livor mortis spots that coloured his pale skin dirty purple. His vision was blurred and his eyes were itchy. He could only assume he was being consumed from the inside.

Zero had been dead for long.

His stomach contracted, feeling repulsed by himself, by the world and by everything that had ever existed.

'What had I ever done in my past lives to deserve this? Why?' His emotions got a hold of him and he broke down, falling unto the cold earth and weeping silently. He was only but a young boy.

His tears smelt of rot. His flesh was full of pus.

As if to make things worse, an inner voice that had a tone coated in mockery said to him, "weak. You weak, pathetic creature. "

Zero agreed with his inner voice. He was indeed the weakest and most pitiful thing to have ever existed.

He lay on the ground, noticing how snow flakes had begun to fall from above and how the forest that had once been green and luscious was now brown and withered. He had been dead for a long time indeed. This was a road for travel between Qiqi village, the outskirts and the cities that laid beyond. It was such a marvel that nobody had bothered to give his corpse a proper burial.

But come to think of it. Who would waste time to bury a cripple?

He glanced to where the wagons had caught fire. Not even a single wood was left. Their remains must have been given to their families. Those servants had better lives than he did.

And better deaths, it seemed.

Zero looked back up to the snowy sky and let out a low, painful laugh. How cruel were humans to him. He laughed louder. His face was streaked with tears.

Suddenly, he caught the sight of a glowing object just, not too far from where he laid. It was covered in a fresh coat of snow. Far away, Zero could hear the chirps of migrating birds.

Curious as to what was glowing in the snow, he dragged himself on the ground, too weak and definitely not in possession of any working bones. In his wake, was a trail of maggots, worms and decay fluid emitted from his body. When he reached the object, he was a bit disappointed by what he saw.

It was just a common, old scroll that must have caught a bit of light from the cold winter sun.

Around this scroll, was a thread that looked as though it was tied as an afterthought. Zero couldn't care less who owned the scroll and only needed a little distraction from his current situation. He used his one arm to untie the weak knot.

An eyeball rolled out.

The last thing Zero ever hoped he would find inside of this old thing. However, he wasn't disgusted by the old, puss covered eyeball. After all, he wasn't any cleaner. Instead, he felt a weird emotion of solstice and comfort from this eyeball.

"Just two dead things trying to survive in this harsh world, aren't we?" He asked out loud.

The eyeball, of course couldn't answer him. Zero didn't expect an answer either. He turned his attention back to the scroll. Looking at the words written on it, he felt a familiar feeling. It was the same chilling sensation that burned like fire within. The very same one that he had endured before he died.

Zero rolled away from the scroll, greatly afraid. He refused to go through that torment once more.

He remembered the liquid shadow that ate at his soul, the thousand strikes he had received in the Darkness and the hundreds of voices that haunted him for each second he passed in that void. He refused to feel that pain again. His body shook from fear.

Did Destiny give him a choice? Of course not.

The scroll floated into the air, emitting a dark red glow. Characters began to arrange themselves on the scroll and even with his worm infested eyesight, Zero could see clearly what was written.

"Consume the eye, find the Core of Naraka and begin your odyssey," said the scroll.

The characters scattered, but before they could give Zero a chance to decipher their meaning, they rearranged themselves once more. This time, it was a warning.

"You are living on borrowed time. With every full moon that passes, a taste of the horrors of hell shall eat at a bit of your mortal soul. Till you are a slave to your own flesh. Son of Naraka, choose your class. Samsara awaits."

'What the heavens is this?!' Zero asked himself. The scroll fell to the ground and reassembled with the eye. Then it stopped glowing and became as normal as any other. He would have re-read it had it not been for the sound of whips and shrill cries of agony coming directly from down the road.

Sensing unfriendly company, he rolled up the scroll and tucked it within what was left of his old hanfu robe. However, he was not quick to roll out of sight and was seen by the horesman at the very front.

The horseman led a party of many other horsemen. With them were cages with tens of strange looking people and animals. Men holding long, spiked clubs and spears stood beside the the cages. Their faces were stuff and they eyed Zero with malice.

"What in the world is that?" Came a gruttal voice. It was the first horseman at the lead. Zero kept silent, noticing the way all the horsemen were dressed. Black robes with bronze chains hung over their necks.

Nisari Traders.

Zero wanted the earth to swallow him up and never let him out again. As if things could not get any worse. Yet here he was, on the path of the notorious Nisari traders from the far east who would sell anything that seemed curious to their eyes.

And from the sound of the first horseman's question, he did infact look very curious. How wouldn't he? A half dead, half consumed, but somehow breathing corpse of a man.

"Get that creature over here. I shall examine it myself," said the leader.