--------- Melody’s Tale - Ruin ---------

“Gone. Wiped off the map. Just… Completely gone.”

“What do you mean gone?!” Celestia wheeled about, her eyes wide as she stared at the messenger incredulously. It was early, she had just awoken, and already this terrible news had reached her ears.

“I mean Baltimare has fallen. Burned to the ground. There’s not one brick left standing atop another.” Celestia felt like she was going to be sick. This had to be a lie. A farce. Some sort of sickening, cruel prank… She’d find the person responsible, and damned if she didn’t seal them in the caverns along with her brother.

“What of the people?” Luna asked. Celestia glanced at her, almost dreading the answer. She had reason to, apparently, because the mere mention of the citizens of Baltimare made the messenger pale. His knuckles turned white as he clenched his fists at his side.

“Executed. Those that aren’t accounted for have been enslaved.” He spoke in very clipped sentences, his jaw clenched almost as tight as his fingers.

“Humanely?” Luna asked again. Celestia slowly sank into the chair behind her desk. She felt dizzy. She knew the answer to Luna’s question before the messenger answered it.

“Some. About half. Others were… Tortured. Used.” He flinched at his own words… “Ripped apart…”

“Thank you, Corporal. You are dismissed.”

“Milady.” The corporal saluted and turned out of the room, his expression very gaunt and hollow. Celestia lowered her face into her hands.

“You realize…” Luna said softly, her voice coming from behind Celestia. “This is within our jurisdiction…”

“I know…” Celestia said weakly. “We’ve the right, I know we do… But what will that do to our people?” She felt so disheartened. They had been searching for the changelings… As was the nature of the war, Chrysalis’ horde would often disappear or be replaced overnight with normal-looking humans. Avians and magi and regular people all mixed together, some of them hostile, others docile and pretending to be prisoners. There was the one day the Equestrian forces had faced off against a horde of children, all crying and screaming for their parents as they were butchered.

“This cannot go on forever, Celestia.” Luna said. Her tone was low and soft, but her words were cold and hard as ice. “Families die every day this struggle stretches on. Chrysalis is restless. For every changeling we kill, two take it’s place.”

“I know, Luna…” Celestia groaned. She felt very, very tired… For being over seven thousand years old, she probably had the right to sleep. To rest like many of the other gods had. “I know…” She rubbed her eyelids and looked up at Luna with bleary eyes. “But what else can we do? We’re unable to protect every city against the changelings… Our forces would be spread too thin.”

“So we sacrifice smaller cities and towns to protect the larger ones? Stalliongrad, Canterlot, Fillydelphia, Southbay?” Luna countered, advancing to lay her hands on the desk. She was both frightening and rational all at once. Celestia stared at her for a few moments, contemplating the many, many options that were running through her head.

“Call Twilight.” She said softly. “We need her to go to Baltimare… I need Ephemira’s input on what happened there.” Luna scoffed and threw her hands up, as if she were disgusted with Celestia. “What?” She asked, wondering why Luna was acting in such a way.

“Ephemira is not a pawn for you to use, sister. She is an independent goddess, every bit as sovereign and powerful as you and I. You may request that she assist. But Twilight is privy to any amount of freedom that we previously could not give her. If anything, sister, she commands us.”

“Ephemira is our sister. Twilight is my friend. Yours, too. She’ll see the reasoning. Please, Luna. Don’t oppose me on this. We need to stand together now more than ever.” She may have just awoken, but Celestia still left like it was time for her to go to sleep. This was bad. She needed to talk to Ephemira about more than Baltimare…

“You’re implying I stand against you.” Luna said, seeming shocked. Celestia groaned and lowered her face to her hands.

“I’m sorry. You know as well as I how stressful this war is…” She wilted, slowly lowering her head until it rested on the desk, her arms splayed in front of her. Baltimare was the pinnacle of Equestrian history, possibly the oldest city in all of Equestria. The only ones that had lasted longer were Trottingham and Stalliongrad. In fact, the old capitol used to be located there. To hear that it had been razed was nothing short of shocking news. Celestia’s tired mind raced with possibilities, trying to make sense of all that had happened.

“I know, Sister. I know.” Luna stepped forward and laid her hand on Celestia’s brilliant head of hair, gingerly stroking through the shifting, ephemeral strands. “I feel it, too… The fatigue. The tiredness… Like you could just sleep forever…” Every blink felt like the sweet embrace of sleep beckoning her ever-onward, closer to a millennia-long rest. Since Celestia could recall, she hadn’t slept. At least, not as the other gods had. Over the past two decades of war, Celestia started to feel it… To feel like she needed the sleep. But there was still so much to do… If she and Luna were to go to sleep now, that would mean leaving Equestria, and indeed the entire world, without the goddesses of sovereignty… Then again, the world had survived without dozens of other gods as well. Maybe they could do without Celestia and Luna for just a while…

But not until this war was finished. Feeling slightly emboldened, Celestia lifted her head from the desk and smiled up at Luna.

“I just realized I hadn’t asked your opinion yet. What do you suggest we do about Baltimare?” She asked.

“Now those are the first rational words I’ve heard from your mouth all morning.” Luna smiled back. The warm exchanged helped alleviate some of the stress from Celestia’s mind… Though there was still a lot of it. Learning that Baltimare had been leveled was absolutely tragic. But Luna was still there. The voice of reason to Celestia’s doubt, her rock and her support. Close to thirty years after her younger sister’s return from the moon, and Celestia was still growing used to not having to make all the decisions on her own.

“My opinion? Let me handle this, sister.” Luna said softly. “We still have the chimera withdrawal and the northern front to worry about. You continue fighting the war there. Let me protect our homes.” Celestia mulled it over. Luna was still technically the commander of the changeling corps, a group of elite spies and talented magi that she had started close to eight years ago, when lieutenants began to doubt Chrysalis.

“Very well.” Celestia said. “And I apologize for my behavior. I’d still like Ephemira’s input on some things, but I’ll gladly let you take Baltimare and everything else… I DO need to focus on the front.”

“It takes a strong woman to apologize,” Luna said, leaning in to kiss Celestia’s forehead tenderly. “And a stronger goddess to realize where she’s needed. Can I trust you’ll stay awake for the day?”

“I’ll be fine. Thank you. Go get some rest, sister.”

“Hmm, not yet… I need to have a discussion with Morrow.” Luna patted Celestia’s shoulder with a smile before turning around and walking off. Celestia sat upright in her chair, shuffling through the papers and reports on her desk. While Baltimare still pained her, the loss of life weighing heavily on her mind, Celestia felt the edge taken off knowing she could trust Luna to handle it appropriately.

Besides. Things were going really well up North…

------------

“By the heavens…” Verse said quietly. Melody stopped next to him, both of them standing atop a hill. “I think I’m going to be sick…” Melody almost was.

The stomach-churning sight of Baltimare was oppressive, disheartening, depressing, overwhelming, disgusting, and all manner of adjectives that made Melody’s stomach churn. Black smoke still rose from the smoldering ruins of fires and wreckage. Even from this distance, she could smell the wave of stagnant death that seemed to permeate the countryside all around the somewhat small city. Melody could tell, Baltimare was maybe a tenth the size of Fillydelphia. But it was still a city. In it’s prime, she still wouldn’t have considered living here. Now, though… She didn’t think anyone would ever be able to live in this ruin.

“Come on.” She said softly, her voice breaking a little. “We need to get a closer look.”

“Melody-“

“Please, mom.” Melody said gently, not even stopping as Lily lifted a hand. Lily acquiesced reluctantly, dropping her hand and remaining silent. There were no more words to be said. Lily had to let her daughter discover something for herself. Together, the small company of people descended into the ruined city. Melody had awoken just two days prior, after what her mother and brother had told her was probably the most worrisome day of their entire lives. When she asked what exactly had happened, she was greeted with silence for a long while.

“Eer… Well…” Lily sighed and stood up, walking a slow circle around her. She was stable for the moment, her leg bandaged tightly, and thanks to some clutch surgery from Fluttershy, wouldn’t have to worry about dying. The wound she had sustained was a mystery to her, and all she knew was Verse had worked tirelessly to keep her alive while they waited for Fluttershy to arrive from Fillydelphia with help. “It’s like this, Melody.” Lily stopped her pacing, obviously having made up her mind. She crouched next to Melody, reaching out to lay her hand on her shoulder. “You… You might be more of a changeling than we originally thought.”

“Wh… What?” Melody asked. Was it the blood loss, or was she just plain delirious?

“You see… I’ve been looking at the area the fight took place. It’s… Well, nothing normal would have made those marks, or caused that much carnage.” Lily gnawed on her lower lip, pain and anguish apparent in her eyes. “It’s… Well… Melody, I think…” She sighed, fighting with the words.

“Mom…?” Melody asked, her own sense of apprehension and fear rising. Lily was really torn up over what she had to say.

“You turned into a changeling prime.”

“Fuck me…” She heard one of the medics, one of the four that had agreed to come with them, mutter behind her. It snapped her out of her reverie, bringing her back to the present… After that short sentence from her mother, Melody had been all but silent for the last two days. Her leg was stable enough to fly, and Fluttershy had returned to Fillydelphia. Not until after being thanked profusely by a tearful Lily, and not until she felt certain that Melody would be okay. Two days later, they had arrived at Baltimare. Or at least what remained of it… Now that she was snapped out of her memories of the past two days, she could focus on the present… On trying to make it through the ruined city.

“Melody, I can’t do this.” Lily said after a few minutes. They had hardly reached the edge of the city. Already, the scene was worse than any of them had imagined. “I’ll meet you on the Western edge of town. Please be careful.” Melody nodded, her jaw set as she watched Lily give her a sympathetic look before flying off, swinging to the south around what remained of Baltimare. Meanwhile, Verse and Melody steeled themselves, holding their heads high as they delved into the heart of the city.

The only thing all around was more and more death. There wasn’t a single piece of architecture or vegetation that stood taller than their waists. A chunk of torn-up concrete here, a blasted stump of a large tree there, there was nothing left standing. Melody fought the urge to vomit, and more than once had to suppress a gag as the scent of burning… Something… Wafted past her nose. Here and there, fires guttered on whatever they had been burning. Some of the larger blazes were magic-controlled, so she and Verse put them out whenever they could. Three miles into the walk, and they reached what Melody guessed could be the center of the city. In a wide square, barren of the rubble and destruction that had surrounded them thus far, they all pulled up short and looked around.

“This is… This is just…”

“Too much.” Melody agreed, sighing as she looked around. “Verse, this is just… I can’t…”

“Melody?” Verse looked up at her, his expression worried. Melody tried to put on her healer’s face… That cold indifference to loss of life and pain. The face she tried to wear whenever she knew lives were on the line, when she knew that split-second decisions were key and she couldn’t be weighed down by worries and cares. When things had really gone wrong. It failed her now. Under the pressure of all this, all the pain and destruction and rage and anger… She felt it crack and give in. A tear escaped her eyes. Then another. And more. Lip trembling, Melody broke down.

“I can’t do it, Verse!” She wailed, falling to her knees on the hard concrete. “I can’t do this anymore! I want to go home! I want to leave! Please, just let me go home!” Verse smoothly knelt beside her, wrapping his arms around her, holding her close. She clutched at him like a drowning man to flotsam, sobbing and crying to her heart’s content. Verse held her close, letting her cry it out. Sobbing and sniffling, she let it all loose. All the feelings she had about the war, the pain and sorrow, the blood and death, fighting, anger, rage, and sadness… It all poured out in those moments, the tears and sorrow apparent on her face. She felt so torn apart, like the world had sunk its claws into her and was viciously rending her apart. Inch by inch, Melody felt the despair and bitterness rip away at her.

“Shh, shh…” Verse soothed her tears with a gentle touch, still stroking her hair and holding her close. Melody felt her helpless and despair pass slowly, inching it’s way out of her body at an agonizingly slow pace. When it finally faded, She was a complete mess. Snotty face and tear-stained cheeks, she tried very unsuccessfully to clean her face, wiping away at it with an exasperated moan. “You know that isn’t true, Melody.” Verse said gently once she was composed enough to listen. Tears still glistened in her eyes, and she sniffled a little.

“I mean it, Verse… We… We can just go home.” She muttered, gesturing helplessly at their surroundings, the broken and shattered city. “We can forget all this and go south, fly over the forest, go back to our home… Jokkan and Miko can keep us safe…”

“Against this?” Verse cut her off, gesturing to the rubble. “Against ruination and destruction of this scale? You know just as well as I do there’s not going back…” It was a pipe dream. Melody knew they couldn’t live innocent lives anymore. Not after all they’d seen and done. Melody wasn’t going to be able to forget any of it… Some of it she didn’t want to forget.

“I don’t know, Verse… I can’t handle any of this anymore… I’m hurt, I’m tired, I’m miserable, and I’m weak-“

“You lie.” Verse cut her off, shaking his head as he stood. “You’re anything but weak, Melody. To call yourself weak is to call me helpless. And we both know THAT much isn’t true.” His stupid grin made Melody’s own lips twitch upwards. It’s wasn’t much, but it was something… Damn this brother of hers, always making her smile when she didn’t want to. Even now, under the hope-crushing weight of despair and complete helplessness, she smiled. Just a little. And not for very long.

“Look,” Verse said, rubbing the bridge of his nose. “I’ve seen some shit, too… I know losing Connor is done and over with for you, but it had to have hurt. Well, I kinda felt the same. Losing those soldiers, feeling so helpless up there in that cave… Then yesterday morning, losing you… Man, that was… That was something else. Don’t think I haven’t thought about giving up. Ever since that first night after leaving Appleoosa… That lieutenant, what was his name…”

“Imoheen.”

“Right. Imoheen… After that, seeing the determination one changeling had, seeing the lengths he would go to just to get a shot at us… I wanted to go home. I was so heartbroken when Jokkan and Miko told us we couldn’t go…” He sighed and hung his head. “Then we were in the dragon territories. Then we were running from more changelings. Then we got captured by harpies and very nearly killed… Melody, believe me when I say I’ve thought about giving up hundreds of times already.” He looked up at her. In his eyes, tears shimmered. He looked about ready to cry. But his expression… His face… It was rock-solid. Like he was so damned determined… Melody looked up at him, at the tears and determination in his face…

“I realized something, though… If I ever gave up…” His fists clenched. Melody could almost hear the sound of his skin rubbing together, creaking with the force he clenched his hands. “If I ever showed any weakness… That would be the end of it. Everything.” He blinked, two tears racing down his cheeks. They cut a path through the dirt and grime on his face, but he didn’t lose his composure. Not even for a second. “So we can’t give up, Melody. Not ever.” She felt strength begin to well up in her chest. A sort of warmth that spread through her veins, moving from her heart outwards through her body. She looked up at him, eyes wide as he turned his face up to the sky. “Nothing. No amount of pain or loss or death will ever make me stop.”

“Verse…” She muttered softly. Gone was the taint of hurt from her voice, replaced only by a sort of wonderment and awe, perhaps a little bit of envy, but mostly… Inspiration.

“Hear me?!” Verse lifted his voice. He was no longer addressing Melody or even the stunned group of avian medics that had followed them. His head turned away completely, his voice ringing out loud and clear through the ruin. “I will not quit! I will not stop!” Verse’s hands lit in a deep green glow, his magic humming through the air in an instant. Melody inhaled, her eyes wide as she watched him stand straight. Verse struck a figure, imposing and powerful all in one. He was strong and proud, and his hands glowed with magic. Melody felt her own magic rise to the occasion, tingling up her arms and over her shoulders.

The white plane slammed into existence immediately. Melody fought the urge to vomit as the vertigo overwhelmed her. She had already been on her knees, but this made her fall onto her back. She really shouldn’t be shocked anymore, and once that initial sense of nausea and disorientation was gone, she actually found herself smiling. Laughing, even.

“You’re never going to get used to that.” Verse said, offering her a hand. She felt a twinge of pain through her thigh, making her wince as she slowly rose to her feet with his help. As usual, they were both nude in this world. It was beginning to become commonplace, Melody paid it no mind. But that meant the bandage holding what remained of the wound on her thigh closed was gone. She glanced down and saw a small bit of blood trickling down her leg. She hoped they wouldn’t be here long…

“So… We wait again?”

“Not for long this time, I’m afraid.” She jumped a little when the alien voice greeted the two of them, but not nearly as bad as it had been before. “It’s good to see you again, Melody. And you must be Verse.” The two of them turned around, and were soon greeted by the sight of a small child, no older than six, smiling up at the two of them. His voice was light and airy, still holding a sense of childlike innocence with the world. With light blonde hair and a small, almost delicate frame, this child was as out of place in the bleak white landscape as an apple among grapes. Melody blinked at the child’s words, wondering what he had meant by ‘again.’ Then it struck her.

She knew who this god was.

“You’re-“

“Death. Yes.” The child smiled again, though this time Melody could have sworn it was a little colder than it ought to have been… She and Verse both stiffened a little bit, even as the memory came back to her. Memories of the cave at the Edge of the World, inside the mine, with the dead bodies… “This isn’t the first time I’ve slept, either.” The child’s smile faded as he slowly walked towards them. “Though it is the longest.”

“How… How many times have you slept before?”

“Thrice.” The child held his hand up, three fingers extended. “Once long, long ago before human, magi, and avian existed. Once again eighteen thousand years ago, when the world was at peace, and again not fifteen hundred years ago. Alas. It’s time for me to return. I assume you’ve done this before, Children?” Somehow, Melody didn’t feel out-of-place when this small boy called her a child.

“Y-yes.” Melody stuttered gently, righting herself. She limped forward, favoring her injured leg, and Verse followed her. When they had closed the gap to the child, Melody gingerly sank to her knees, wincing when she rested on her injured leg. “A few times… This is just… Odd.” She muttered, working her fingers slowly.

“Hmm? How so?” Death asked, quirking his head. Someone so cold and grim shouldn’t be so damn cute… Verse chuckled a little as he sank to his own knees next to Melody.

“Just odd… I mean… You’re-“

“Death. How many more times must I say it?”

“Well… This is just so unorthodox. You need to realize that we’re very much mortal. For us to even be in touch with…”

“Death.” The child appeared to be impatient.

“Right. Death… It’s just… Well, it’s not normal.”

“Nothing about us is normal.” Melody grumbled, her mind flashing back to several incidents when normalcy seemed to be the furthest thing from either of them.

“Well, that’s true.” Verse grumbled.

“You’re injured. Come, let us finish this.” The child rose it’s hand, offering one each to Melody and Verse. “It isn’t quite your time just yet.” Melody blinked as she took the child’s hand in both her own, looking up into his eyes. It was then that she realized they were colored a cold, dark grey. Lifeless and dull.

“Wh… What?”

“You’re not supposed to die yet. If we dawdle here, you will. You’re losing more blood than you think, Melody. Now come. Bring me back so you can tend to your leg.” Melody glanced down as the child spoke, saw she was, indeed bleeding once more. Rather profusely, too… Feeling a sort of sense of panic set in, Melody glanced at Verse and nodded, both of their expressions grim. Hands glowing, Melody took the dive yet again…

------------

“Woah! She’s back. Verse, too! Melody, can you hear me?” The voice of a panicked medic was the first thing to greet Melody as she came back from the barren white landscape. “Who’s the kid?” Melody blinked a few times, trying to comprehend exactly what was happening. Why did her leg feel numb? Why were there four faces looming over her? Where was Verse?

“Verse, are you up?”

“Ngh… Yeah,” Verse grunted. Melody’s panicked expression turned towards the sound of his voice, following her brother as he slowly stood up and began walking towards her. “She opened up, didn’t she?” He asked. Melody felt his reassuring hand rest on her forehead, gently pressing her head back onto the cool concrete ground. She felt cold…

“Yeah. She’s bleeding a lot. I’m gonna see-“

“Let me. I’m rested enough. Help me get her pants off.” Verse said softly. Melody felt fingers pull at the button of her trousers, loosening the fabric and slowly pulling them down. Pain lanced through her as they pulled the garment down her thigh, agitating the wound more.

“Ooh…” One of the medics moaned, spotting her leg. Melody tried to look down at the cut, but Verse’s hand pushed her back down with a gentle touch.

“Don’t look at it, sis. I can handle this.” Verse said softly, adjusting so he was at her side.

“Anything you need from us?” One of the medics asked. Melody felt tears begin to well up in her eyes.

“Eer… Hurtloam and poppy milk if you can. One of you hold her head down, try to keep her calm. Tourniquet her leg while I work, I’ve got to reconstruct the artery.” Verse’s tone slowly changed from brotherly concern into one Melody was rather familiar with herself. The voice of a healer. She felt shifting and hands brushing over her here and there. Pungent-smelling liquid was pressed against her lips, and she swallowed the foul substance reluctantly. When she started coughing, someone pushed a minty-tasting leaf under her tongue, then held her jaw shut. She recognized the hurtloam herb, how it made her entire mouth go numb, then her jaw and the muscles in her shoulders, her arms, then her abdomen… Soon enough, she was just a numb, tingling blob of flesh. She couldn’t have coordinated her muscles if she wanted to.

“There we go.” One of the medics said, watching as Melody slumped down. Verse’s hands began to glow, and he set to work…

An hour later, and Melody was fine. Verse had placed a long-term spell on the wound to help accelerate natural healing, and had helped close up the major damage. That was when they sat her up, and Verse used another spell to help burn away a little bit more of the drug. She could swallow her own saliva and move her head about, but the rest of her body felt very numb and sluggish. At the very least, her thoughts were still the same. She could hear and see perfectly fine… It was just that moving proved difficult.

All the while, the small child watched, his expression half-interested. He was no longer naked, none of them were. He wore a simple brown shirt and shorts that fell mid-calf, leaving his ankles and feet bare. When Melody finally sat up, he smiled softly. “Good. Your brother is very skilled at healing. Then again, so are you. I’ve been on the brink of bringing several individuals home, when you’ve snatched them away.” He said solemnly. With Verse crouched at her side, Melody looked up at the child once more.

“Hmm… Feels different being back…” Death said softly, flexing his fingers. He curled them into fists and relaxed them several times, his expression drawn with one sort of feeling or another. Melody guessed confusion. “But. There is work to do.” She watched as his hands erupted into a grey cloud, the force of his magic permeating the air. It vibrated straight into her bones… Into her core. The child spread his hands out, the dense glow appearing almost ethereal… Like it didn’t belong in this world. As he began waving his hands, though, Melody’s eyes grew wider. Before him, a ghastly figure began to materialize…

Dark robes flowed down from thin, emaciated shoulders, covering the skeletal frame of whatever this child was making. When it’s feet touched the ground, a massive weapon began to form in it’s hands, the wickedly-curved blade at the end keen and gleaming in the light. Slowly, it raised it’s hand, pulling the hood of it’s robes up over it’s head, concealing the exposed, bleach-white skull. When compared to the small, almost innocent-looking child, this thing was frightening and evil all at once.

“Do not be afraid.” The child said softly, his hands done glowing as the creature, whatever it was, finished materializing. Melody watched as it slowly drifted away, gliding across the ground like water. “That is called a Mord. They are my stewards, responsible for collecting and escorting dead souls to their proper place. In time, I will command hundreds. But.” Death looked at Verse and Melody, his cold face split in a soft grin.

“You two have defied me time and again. The laws of this world state I’m to take your lives for recompense… But there are forces at work greater than even my father and mother’s laws. As such, I cannot touch you. Not yet, anyways. And not by means that are my own… No, I’m afraid I must wait for your natural end to come before I take you to… Wherever it is you’ll be going.” Death crossed his arms, suddenly looking much older, despite his petite stature.

“Still, Balance must be maintained. Too many things have been off-center in this world in my absence. By my count, you owe me five lives.” He held up his hand, fingers spread. “One, for Twilight Sparkle, who is currently Ephemira. This one I took personally. Her soul was in my hands before your magic ripped it away from me. If circumstances were different, I’d have reaped her soul shortly after you revived her. But she now resides within Ephemria’s soul. So I cannot touch nor harm her. Likely ever. That’s one. Number two.” He lowered one finger. “Timothy Harrowhall, avian skyguard. Shortly after Twilight, he was saved. Number three. Michal Lightfeather. Another avian guard. Number four. Johnson Weathers. Suffered from a disembodied arm, shattered ribs, and massive blood loss in the cave at the Edge of the World. He was to die that day. And finally, Faith Riegard.” Melody could feel the blood drain from her face.

“F-faith?” She asked softly, her eyes wide as she looked up at the child.

“Faith Riegard. On the night she would have committed suicide, she instead made a friend who gave her reason to go on. More than a friend, she found a lover. Someone who wouldn’t complicate her life with unnecessary emotional attachments and worry.”

“How… How can you know all of this?” Melody asked, shocked at the words she was hearing.

“Dear Melody,” The child slowly walked forward, extending his hand to lift her chin gingerly. His finger felt as cold as stone… As cold as the grave. “When someone stands on the edge of the abyss, they speak their heart. I’m the one who listens to their dying words, and beckons them to their graves with open arms. Faith Riegard was destined to die the night you intervened. That one I took rather personally, as well…” He backed away, and in the absence of his touch, Melody shuddered. It felt like she wasn’t going to warm up until she wrapped herself in three blankets and jumped into a fire… His touch was that of the grave.

“So. Five lives saved, five lives owed. Name five people, Melody, and I shall readily take their lives.” Death crossed his arms, looking down at her. He appeared to be impatient. Like he was waiting for her. In a few moments, he started tapping his foot.

“I… I don’t even know five people I want dead… I don’t even know one!” Melody said after a while, her mind racing like mad. The child sighed and rolled his eyes, planting his fists on his hips.

“I cannot be kept waiting, Melody. The call of the grave is final. Five lives will be mine in two week’s time. You give me a name, and I will give you a body. If you do not choose five names within two weeks, I will choose them for you. Beginning with Liliana the changeling.”

“No!” Verse cried out, standing on his feet. He glowered down at the child, his fists curled tight. “You can’t take her!”

“I didn’t say I was going to.” Death cut him off with a single sentence, his look as cold as ice. “Not yet. And I’m not speaking to you, Verse. Still your tongue, or I’ll cut it out.” Verse shut his mouth, but didn’t sink back down. Melody dawned on an idea at once. It’d be perfect. It had to work!

“Chrysalis.” She blurted. That was one person she knew the world would be better without.

“Whom?” The child quirked an eyebrow. Melody blinked.

“Chrysalis… Queen of the changelings?”

“That is not her name, pick another.”

“WHAT?!” Melody said incredulously. “Her name isn’t Chrysalis?!”

“No.”

“What IS her name?”

“I cannot say. You must pick the name, not I. That is the law.” Death crossed his arms, still looking impatient.

“But… But… I’ve given you someone! You cannot take her life?”

“Not like that, no… I must have a name. You do not know hers. Therefore, I cannot kill this one you call ‘Chrysalis.’” Death rolled his eyes. He appeared to be bored.

“I… I do not know.”

“Fine, then. You have two weeks. As I said, if you cannot pick five names in two weeks, I shall return, and take five from you. Starting with your mother. Just because I have been asleep the past millennium and a half does not mean I do not see the ebb and flow of spirits leaving this world. You would do well to remember that in the future.” Death’s hands erupted in that dense grey fog once again, and he waved his fingertips in a tight circle. Out of nothingness, three small spheres appeared, which he promptly levitated in front of her. “These are nuts from the tree of life and death. Drop one on freshly-turned soil, and speak the words ‘Death seek me this day.’ A Mord will come to assist you, should you choose to name a name before your two weeks has passed.” Melody caught them as Death released his telekinetic grip, though she nearly dropped them anyways. They were painfully cold, and felt heavy in her palm. “Now that you’re done wasting my valuable time, I can get back to what I originally came here to do… I suggest you leave. This city is no place for those who still live.” Death scanned the surrounding rubble, his cold grey eyes surveying the widespread destruction. “Not anymore…”

----------

“So… That was Death, then?” Lily asked softly.

“Afraid so… He was a small child, hardly six, and he seemed so innocent… At first, anyways. After we spoke for a few moments, he was just… Cold.” Verse shuddered a little, glancing back towards the city. “I can only imagine why he would stay there in that city.” Lily nodded herself, gazing back towards the ruined, burned city.

“There is enough death there for even even a god like him to feel uncomfortable…”

Melody didn’t sleep that night. She passed the long hours curled up on her bedroll, using her magic to help her leg, and watching the moon slowly pass by overhead. She thought about the whirlwind of activity, which, it seemed, her life was nothing but, as of late. How long had it been since she left home? Was it six months? More? Less? She couldn’t even remember the specific date… Only that it was close to her birthday in February. It was early January now… They had been away from home for almost a year. So much had changed in eleven months…

They had resurrected gods, cheated death, seen vast parts of the world that others went their entire lives without ever dreaming of seeing, had lost their virginity, and loved and lost all in equal measure.

And yet, in that moment, Melody felt like a very scared, very small, very helpless child.