Wandering on a black-stoned pathway, a tall man was dragging the corpses of two recently deceased adults, staining the road with their blood. The way he took might appear long to the mentally frail, yet he knew better. For it was the predestined path for all those who suffered death, yet a peaceful one. He carried on his back a sack with another gruesome corpse. There were glimmers of movement coming from it, but so faintly that no one could believe it was not due to involuntary reflexes.

The mist gradually emerged from the gloomy surroundings and merged with the appalling sight of the moldy, damp walls. Everything seemed engulfed in an eerie stillness. This was the road to the underworld.

The reason for his journey was simple, yet a sad one. Two adults and their child were returning home when their carriage fell off a cliff and crashed into the trees below, killing all three innocent souls. As long as the death suffered was not violent, it was his purpose to retrieve the deceased from the living to the underworld. And this is what happened to these unfortunate three. It was a sudden death without any pain or anguish.

As the man approached the river, the atmosphere became more ominous than before. However, he was no stranger to it. 

Soon, through the mist, he spotted another man, with wings on both the upper and the lower body, waiting at the entrance. With an imposing guise, he stood still until the distance between them was long gone. Then, he spoke,

“Coming into the darkened abyss again, brother.”

“As it is my purpose. A death can be a peaceful one as well as a violent one,” said the tall man, looking into the eyes of the one who stood in front of him.

“Then let me offer a soft slumber to those who faced it today.”

He approached the two corpses and flung all four pairs of wings in their direction with the hope of eternal tranquility in the afterlife of the poor souls. Then, he turned to face his brother and remained still, looking intently at the sack he was carrying.

“This one should receive your gift as well,” he said, lowering the sack to reveal a third person’s body.

Pacing firmly on the stoned road, he approached the alleged corpse of a young human girl. He was able to see small streaks of light running through her body, flickering weakly. And so, the second man spoke in a calm, majestic way,

“This poor little girl is alive. Bring her back to the living, brother.”

The tall man shook his head.

“I will not. My decision has already been made. Her body is weak, and she has lost her strength. She will die sooner or later," he said, slightly furrowing his eyebrows.

“Thanatos,” said the second man, flatly, looking at his brother with a threatening yet unshakable face. “She doesn’t belong in this place. Her life is not yet over, and the chance for her to live still exists. We ought to take that into account.”

Thanatos glanced at the girl and mused carefully on the condition in which she actually was.

“Her appearance has already changed, Hypnos. It is against nature for humans to survive after this road. And more so, she will never live a normal life again because of it.”

Hypnos looked at the girl’s face and saw how the brown shade of her eyes was changing into a red one, like the shade of a garnet stone. He kneeled next to her and took one of her hands into his own. She was undoubtedly unconscious, probably because of the abnormal atmosphere surrounding her human body. However, there was certainly a sign of life running through her veins.

“And yet she survived. What other proof do you need to change your mind and make the right decision regarding her future?”

Thanatos peered at the girl again and sighed deeply, turning his head to the side. The fundamental rule he always had to follow was clear: do not send someone to the underworld if they were still alive. It was a mistake he made, yet an error to take her back to the living now. He was certain that her future would be, without a doubt, grim, without even knowing her predestined fate.

Still, the time and place favored him; the girl could be brought back into the human world because he had not passed the river yet. He bent down to his knees, looking one last time at the child, and made a decision.

“I will take her back to the living. But I will always watch her from afar. It is my mistake that was made. And it is right for me to pay for it. She will suffer more than she was meant to because of me.”

He took the girl into his embrace and rose above the pathway. He took her back to the living before other people could see the entire scene of a disastrous accident involving one couple and their child. But before he returned her soul to its body, another sign of destiny had appeared before his eyes. Fleeing among the trees nearby was a butterfly with white wings. And so, he could not leave her without a gift. He imprinted a red colored butterfly on her right thigh, which looked like a sign from birth. That way, a man’s sight would not be able to sense the truth.

The simple yet tremendous shape signified only one thing; that for her, death will be painless, whenever it may come.

Snowyflakes

• I will post up to 2 or 3 chapters a week, depending on how much time I have. I will never post a chapter if I do not enjoy reading it. Also, if I will post only 1 chapter or can't post at all in a specific week, I will announce it in advance if I am able to.

• Feel free to leave a comment with your opinion about this chapter if you want. Although it is just the prologue, I would like to read your thoughts. Also, this helps me improving.