Fan Fiction ❯ Raven's Song ❯ Chapter One ( Chapter 1 )

Prologue:

The last dance, the last breath… Everything that symbols the end still gives glimpse of little rays to a new beginning. The sweet, melancholy song of the raven flutters swiftly through the collapsing walls that turn into rubble as well all stand in the middle, immortal and mortal alike, awaiting for what is all's doom. What will bring the inevitable to mortals and what will bring us mighty beings to our knees.

The gods and goddesses will join with me, the infamous grim reaper; my identity has been marred and tampered with by the hands of man kind. Even with all of the wisdom and magic we contain, the promising of our label as 'immortal' is nothing but like the dying flickering fire of the candle. Nothing is forever. The younger gods fear for what is impossible, but we older kin fear nothing. Yes, it is true that we are left in the dark, but what will come will come. Even if death sweeps us along its black river.

Our city is different from others, and was formed by all forces of darkness, light and neutral faded into where no magic is better for its source. This city, a mere cemetery if it be.. Stands the strongest. Here, the raven's song croons for the impracticable, for the awakening of the dead.

Now we can only wait, be it for the savior of this world… or for the beginning of the next.

Chapter 1

"What are you doing, Raven?"

Raven looked up to his mother, her impossibly long silver-white hair, more than a stark contrast to his dark black hair, hanging down into his face as her red eyes peered down into his silver ones.

He sniffled, "Nothing…"

"Nothing? Then it is nothing that makes you shed tears?" she queried. Raven looked back down to his hands. No… it wasn't nothing… still, he stubbornly shook his head. Ebony let out a soft sigh. She tucked her long black silk dress underneath her as she sat down next to her young son.

Silence… that always filled the air around here… but then again, this was Megalopolis of Silence, the wretched place that he was doomed to lead in the future. Pale long fingers slid around his own small, pale hands in a gentle grasp. She was always so gentle… she was so full of life around him, even though she took it away from the dying. She was none other than the Grim Reaper herself. And who was he? He was her alienated son because she meant death.

He leaned into his mother, melting into her thing figure as she pulled him closer. A discontented sigh escaped his lips as he frowned.

"You're too young to be thinking so seriously…"

No response.

Ebony let out a sigh of her own. Her pale features darkening for a moment.

"Raven," she placed her black painted lips on his cheek for a motherly kiss. "I have a gift fro you." A gift? The mere mention of so pulled his attention back to her. She gave a small tender smile as he searched her face, not quite demanding.

"Really?"

"Really." He fully turned body in her lap, watching her calmly.

"Where is it?" he as touched her black tattoos on her forehead. The two orbs just above the bridge of her nose and curved triangles curling right below them, his own tattoos merely four black dots completed with a white circle near the corner of his eyes on the side of his face. Ebony's eyelashes closed and rested calmly on the top of her cheeks.

"Look around, Small One." she said with her eyes still resting. Giving into the small whine that came from Raven, she chuckled.

"Concentrate. Feel and see the vibrations that are new here." she instructed slowly in a light tone. He sighed with annoyance and closed his eyes, focusing obediently. The leafless tree came to view in the darkness that surrounded him in his vision. Below the tree, he saw his mother and himself sitting in the dusty ground. Nothing.

"It's not working!" he cried as he stared hard at his mother's resting face. She ignored him which only annoyed him further. He started to wiggle out of her grasp until her right hand flew to his face, scaring him still. Gently, she closed his eyes with the tip of her fingers lightly pushing his lids back down.

"Hush. Try again. Do not give up." came her calm voice.

"But-"

"Concentrate." Slumping, he gave in. blackness settled around him again, space becoming unlimited. The warm air that surrounded him dissolved into nothing and the glistening sun faded into the dark. With the tree and them still the only sight, he gave a small irritated grunt.

Concentrate, Raven.

His mother did that again… she managed to weave her thoughts and voice into his mind.

Feel the vibrations.

Vibrations… from them, the vibrations came in immense waves. The tree barely had any due to its dying state… but at the top, strong waves swooped and passed through him. A mourning song echoed around in his mind... The crooning of the bird clouded into a muddled sound as Raven looked at the top of the branch in his meditation. His eyes snapped open to his mother's crimson eyes.

"It's in the tree..." He yelped in gleefulness as his mother smiled warmly at him. Quickly, he got off of her lap and stared at the top branch, watching the black bird as it stared at him in return.

"Her name is Awena. Hold out your arm." Raven looked at Ebony in uncertainty only to see her watching Awena instead.

"Okay..." slowly, he raised up his arm and his new companion flapped down onto it dutifully.

"Look! Look!" his large smile beamed with zealousness.

"I see," Ebony smiled, "Awena is a raven, Small One."

"She's pretty... thank you, Mommy..." Awena flicked her head towards Raven's mother.

"What's wrong with her eye?"

"It's a magical amethyst. It helps her to see prophecies. In your sleep, she'll transfer them to you." He gazed at the scars that stretched from his companion's eye corners and the dark purple shadows of the round plum stone that was once her eye.

My first friend... Letting out a childish laugh of glee, Raven ran back into the ruins with his feathered companion flying slowly behind.

***

Blood drenched every dusty corner of the ruins. The bodies of the gods and goddesses were thrown about in unsacred heaps of decaying magic and flesh. Up at the top of the raven statue, the symbol of death in many beliefs, laid his mother, with her body pierced by the vicious edges of the wings.

"M-momma?" Stillness reigned through the air. He watched as her limp fingers barely twitched with the last of her nerves dying. A keen whine wailed through his throat as he started to dash as quickly as he could over the flaccid body before tripping on his way.

"MOMMA! Momma, wake up!" he tugged on her heavy arm and a harsh tear ripped through his ears, stopping him in place as dark red blood splattered on his face.

The sun was blazing in the sky with a clear blue sky surrounding it. The weather was completely inappropriate for the morning's event. The reeking stench of coppery death swiftly swarmed the fresh smelling air with a heavy tainted feeling. Raven tried to breathe but his small lungs constricted painfully, making it almost impossible to even gasp in a breath.

Light footsteps gently clacked through the open devastated lands up to the small reaper.

"Raven, come..." Adrien's voice gently commanded.

"But Momma won't wake up..." He turned to watch the blood ooze out the cuts and wounds, barely making Ebony recognizable. Her rib bones gave way through a gaping hole on her front side where the top of her organs slid out in a painful sight. Again, Raven tugged on her arm, cracking the broken bones in his attempt to wake the sleeping one.

"She won't." Raven looked up at Adrien, his thick silky, long black hair draped in Raven's face, much like the manner his mother's did.

"She won't...." he said as he placed a pale hand on Raven's small shoulder, giving a slight squeeze. Soundlessly, he swooped up the crying child and went off to a sanctuary.

***

Black shadows graced near and over me, leaving me hidden from the world I want to destroy, from the world that destroyed me... No longer do I hear angels sing with their loving songs, only the fallen ones sing for me now. But I am their leader, and follow they shall. However, I am weak when I'm with the shadows that are on the wall, my despair, anguish, and tears. For they know all.

I am Raven, and this is my song.

I watch the stars as I move among them, connecting the speckling dots, creating both holy and unholy images as I continue my journey to Earth, crossing between dimensions to get there. Each dimension is a world of its own, having both life and death graced upon its lands. Death is my name, death is my life, and death is my only friend and foe. For when I take life, I gain hate by the victim, and at the same time, I gain another countless soul to talk to. Not that it matters much. They wind up leaving me in the end to a new life anyway when I'm stuck living death over and over again. A dark gift that gives more remorse and dreaded feelings than anything else I know. My mother knew that better than anyone as she guarded and welcomed both damned and sacred souls into our land, Limbo. Therefore, we named it Megalopolis of Silence, where souls are held until rebirth and activity is next to nothing. The silence screams far louder than any sound that could cry its way through these lands.

My father is here, Held captive by me. A mere human, who managed to bring the fall of the city. He took humans and corrupted their minds into believing that the gods were nothing but demons, demons who needed to be destroyed. Gods are supposed to be invincible, right? Well, not when you fight fire with fire. Father dearest, and I say that with a sneer, killed mother, I just know it, and that's how he gained the power to be a god and managed to wipe out everyone in my home land.

Humans.

Disgusting creatures. You can't trust them nor can you love them. Their vanity is almost nauseating. Their truth is almost as pure as the much that runs along their sewers. Very few of them actually could be a saint, but they have a fault like everyone else. A fault that could be deadly towards themselves or another. Could be harmless as well, but these idiotic creatures could turn the easiest thing to do into the hardest thing to do.

"Raven," Adrien, an ancient vampire, said, "We all have our own paths. Some not as clean as others, and others more branchy than straight. And those darker than others. There are many obstacles we must take, and living is just the main one," the wise bastard finished saying to me. He was a true mentor and a wise friend. But he left me too, to guard what was left of my city... the city of no subjects; I have to laugh at the irony of that. A city to rule, yet nothing is there to rule. Not that I care for being a dictator or leader.

Yet, I rule over Adrien, but he rules me... a father that I never had. The lessons that Adrien taught me I learned were never true lessons. They were a veil to hide what I am to actually learn. But by some of the things that he told me, I learned to believe that he told so he could run away with me in his dreams and somehow manage to find the truth as well.

What hurt the most with Adrien was when I learned that he never felt the same way I felt. I don't want to be alone, couldn't he see that? My heart went for him and yet he broke it into a million tiny pieces with two simple words...I can't... The thought still brings angry tears to my eyes...

A cawing cry croaks from Awena, my real friend. She's saved me so many times and gained so many scars, invisible and visible. I would be blind and not look beneath my feet, so to speak, and she was there to keep me in check and got me so far. But it still doesn't even matter. I'm lost and alone. This is why I'm off to Earth, to find solitude where no one will notice me. I will grace them with my human half, which my real father so lovingly gave me. I'm just a mere product to him. Something disposable. I growl at where that thought trails. Humans.

The soft nip on my ear from Awena readies me for the next step, the next dimension. Traveling through all these dimensions costs me two years of my life, which is nothing really. But in an average timing of Earth, it would be two days. Big difference, I know. The next dimension? Earth. Oh, I feel the joy gripping at my frozen heart on that one. I'm a little excited, I'll admit. But isn't it worth it just to hide? Even if it's for a little while? I don' think that I could face Adrien anytime soon...

I finish crossing this dead dimension. Its desert lands hanging with corpses and bones from creatures that only I would know of. Of course I would, I relieved them from their painful lives. I try my best not to crunch on the endless pile of bones with my heavy black leather boots out of respect. But, it's basically inevitable. There's too many bones around and the ground isn't even showing. It's a bone yard. How lucky of me. Every where I go, it's filled with death. And people wonder why I'm so pissy when I'm practically thrown time after time into things that remind me of home and of my destiny. Imbeciles.

I look to the side, where gnarled trees poke through the bones. They're tainted a rusty brown-red from the battles and decaying flesh. The sight no where wins next to the stench of rotting flesh. Setting my gaze on my loving and silent friend, who's on my clothed shoulder, I slowly soften the look of my eyes. Only for her. She looks back, challengingly- for what, I do not know. The guilty looks I then send her as she eyes my scarred wrists wrings a painful feeling in my chest. I look at them myself... My madness, my insecurity, my sanity... even memories... that's what those wounds are. That was many years ago, though. Each of them drove in a fit of hysterics, just to have the feeling of knowing that I'm alive, that I actually feel... Perhaps I'm more human than I thought...

Simple really, how much I can be like my human father. The cruelty I can deal, but the mercy from my mother. I don't fit in anywhere. My life is like the rain. Sad and dismal, but needed for life to carry on. I make room for newborns, and I guide the deceased to their new lives. The more I think about it, the more I realize that I am further from the gods than I am from the humans. I am nothing. Nothing but a wasted life that can't fulfill my duties.

The familiar zing and bubbling zips through my skin and bones, making me aware of the passing through the final dimension. I'm here. Finally, after two long years of traveling alone, I've finally made it to this planet.

I simply walk through the dark alley that I came in from the opening of the portal. My coarse cloak rubs roughly against my skin, harshly reminding me of the raw scratches it left from the high winds blustering around Awena and I.

Young people dressed in spikes and fluorescent colored hair with multiple piercing, reminding me of some of the old gods from when I was a child, walk by, sneering or being depressed as they walk by more subtle, lovely dressed people. A few punks banged their heads with strange headbands on, singing off tune to the music. Some managed to carry a tune with it. Either way, it was annoying. It's the others that catches my eyes. My kind. The kind that understand what pain is like.

Most of them are lovely creatures... they understand what others do not. I respect them for that. Perhaps, just perhaps, I'll befriend one of them. Most likely not. They're still human, who knows what stupid thing they'll say or do. But... one friend couldn't hurt my solitude... could it? At least one that can't send me macabre visions in my dreams.

"You're new around here. Who are you?" a dismal female says. I turn to look at her and she short purple hair clinging in spikes, reminding me of an off-colored burr. For some reason, this odd look suits the her. I regard her with silence and walk on, but her hand gently lays on my shoulder.

"Seriously, kid, you're gonna get hit with that attitude. Watch it."

"Raven," said I with a heavy sigh. She gave an off centered smile, showing her slightly artificially sharpened canine teeth. If she grinned anymore, I'd see her molars.

"China. Now, what are you doing here?" Awfully curious. Little brat. However, she's patient. I'll give her that.

My silence doesn't unnerve her like I thought it would. She shrugged silently and gestured towards an empty chair at an outside cafe. What the hell. Maybe she'll leave me alone after this. I sit down only to realize, I have no clue where I am.

"Where am I?" I know, I know. It's rather idiotic of me to travel and not know where I'm heading. But I wasn't exactly in the right state of mind when I left! She looked at me with utter confusion. Kind of cute for her actually. Too bad she's not my type.

"Chinatown, San Francisco... You look a little rough, did you hit your head or something, kid?" I growl slightly, giving her an annoyed glance.

"Apparently you must have put your finger in a socket." well, I do know some things about Earth. I nearly smile with satisfaction as her jaw automatically drops. Silence follows for a few moments, and I can tell she's uncomfortable with all of her shifting and all.

"Hm... you don't talk to much, do you, Raven?"

"Only when I need to nowadays."

"Typical," TYPICAL! This bloody woman wants to die, and I mean it!

"And what, exactly, is so typical about me." she shrugs, unwilling to answer my question. Damn human. They really get on my nerves.

"You need to do something with your outfit, dear." She looks at me and then her nails, studying the chipping black nail polish. I look down and then around. Perhaps I do stick out a little... maybe she can help me after all.

"Alright." There goes my pride.

"You got cash, Hun?" Cash? What the hell is cash?

"No."

"Damn, guess that I'll take over this one. Do you know where you're home is?" Home. Something that I don't have anymore, really... I mutely shake my head and her happy face drops into a sad one. I hate that. I'm not liking this woman at all.

"We'll see what we can do for you, okay?" She's not going to survive this lifetime. She's too kind, but I know that in her next life, it'll be good, she'll be rewarded, I'll make sure of that.

"What's with the bird?" she pointed out.

"She's mine." I glared at China accusingly. Respectively, she backed off and looked away. Same results... I push everyone away. No wonder I'm so lonely...

"C'mon, let's go." she said.

"You're too friendly to someone you just met." For some odd reason, I feel ashamed. And I feel like I'm back in my shadowed room, all alone... I'm home.

"So sue me, I feel bad for the less fortunate." China replied. This time, I growled loudly, and Awena shifted uncomfortably on my shoulder. China's straightforward. Another glitch that will hurt her in the future.

"I'll shop on my own," I say as I rise up.

"How? You've got no money." Damn this woman! I glare as she links her arm around mine and we start walking off.

"You know... you better watch out for your father in the future, he'll have too much-" she stares at me with curiosity and then darkens almost immediately. Damn drunk kills her, literally. He's torturing her and that damn father of hers doesn't even care. Yeah, fathers really have a good place in my book.

"What are you talking about?" I look away as Awena flaps off. I unlink my arm and follow my bird in silence and loneliness yet once again. It's a never ending cycle. It was a bad idea to come here... now, I just want to go back home.