《Book of the undead》 Damned A warrior meets his end on the battlefield, a fitting end for one such as him; but in the days of old, warriors brought misery, they instilled fear and for Aloch, the fear he instilled in the hearts of his foes was enough to fell armies. So as his life of violence came to an end, he welcomed the sword in his chest for with it came the chance to escape his fate as a warrior and finally rest, or so he thought. Time stands still for the soul that approaches the gate to the afterlife. Aloch has fought his entire life and now approaches the gate that promises rest but the gate refuses to open. Aloch tries to force the gate open but to no avail. He hears a voice ¡°you who has slain men, women and children shall not find rest for those voices have cursed you¡± an unbearable pain begins to consume his being ¡°what is happening to me?¡± Aloch groans in pain as he asks the voice ¡°your soul has been sealed, you shall return and walk among the living as the terror you have always been, you shall know not rest nor shall you know peace, now leave¡± Aloch opens his eyes, he is but a rotting corpse but he feels no pain, he is a few feet in the ground and hears the sounds of a horse, the soil above begins to shift, Aloch forces his way out of the soil and soon stands on his feet, he looks like the terror he inspired; faceless and lifeless. The horse paddocking close falls dead, its life drained, the skin and muscle tissue on Aloch begins to grow back to normal, he looks at his arms, ¡°what is this?¡± he asks himself, he walks toward the dead horse, tied to the horse is a carriage, its rider dead, skin and bones just like the horse, inside the carriage another man and a woman also dead in the same manner, the life drained from them. These are events over two thousand years in the past. Three thousand years ago the warrior should have met his end of the field of battle, it was what he wanted and it should have been that way but the voices of the dead, the voices of his victims pleaded to the gate keeper and so a man blessed by the god of war was cursed by the dead and denied passage into the afterlife, his soul was sealed in a cauldron and life itself was denied him, unable to die or to live. The warrior¡¯s existence became an abomination brought to life by his sins, the first one hundred years of his existence were spent looking for meaning, being accepted by no one, he was seen as a monster and so he became one, the world of the living would feel his wrath for centuries but his intentions were misunderstood. The warrior saw the living waste their lives and fail to understand the worth of the lives they had, the warrior was a vengeful spirit that haunted the middle ages. He never knew rest, he could never sleep and existed in constant agony, he lost his mind countless times over the first one thousand years of his existence. Watching from the beyond was the gatekeeper of the afterlife who felt pity on the damned warrior and appeared before him as the warrior knelt on a battlefield surrounded by the bodies of fallen soldiers on a cold winter night. The warrior had found himself in a campaign of a certain country¡¯s unification or was it independence? The warrior didn¡¯t know, he just followed the screams and the call of battle, he had truly become death itself, when he was living, he was a warrior, so he held on to that part of himself and it kept him sane although only barely. As he knelt down on the battle field, he heard a voice call to him ¡°Aloch!¡± the gate keeper spoke ¡° will you not find hope at all?¡± it had been so long since Aloch had heard his own name, he was surprised, some one knew him.. The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.The gate keeper felt pity on Aloch and received permission to aid the damned warrior but Aloch had long since forgotten how to hope and how to believe but he could still hear the gate keeper speak ¡°Aloch, will you not turn and face me¡± Aloch did not prepare a response, he only spke as his essence demanded, ¡° why should I face you? Do you have more to torment me with?¡± Aloch said, the gate keeper answered ¡° I did not do this to you Aloch but I can converse with you and make you feel less alone¡± Aloch laughed lifelessly and said ¡° alone? I have been speared by savages, torn to pieces by great beasts, I have bathes in the pools of flaming mountains, I don¡¯t care about your company, I want this to end, I want an end¡± the gate keeper then responded to Aloch ¡°Aloch you were blessed by a god and cursed by humans but you need to understand that to have an end, to be deserving of an end, one must first begin¡± Aloch did not want to hear any more, he stood and begun to walk the gate keeper said one last thing before he left ¡°find your beginning Aloch and then the end you desire will reveal itself to you¡± it has been two thousand years since the gate keep first appeared to Aloch, the world has changed, the gate keeper still appears to converse with Aloch. So much has been learned. Aloch was cursed by humans and sealed his soul; they created a torment unlike any other and unknowingly created something called the book of the un-dead. Although Aloch would never admit it, the presence of the gatekeeper helped him keep his sanity and In doing so Aloch had leaned quite a few things and decided to take certain steps. Aloch wanted to learn the meaning of life, he believed that it would be the beginning, the first step in his journey to find an end to his existence. The book of the undead was engraved into Aloch¡¯s essence, Aloch learned through ancient texts and conversations with the gate keeper that there were two other books much older than the book of the undead, the first and oldest book was the book of the living. The gate keeper was not allowed to say so much about the books, in fact; he was forbidden from ever teaching Aloch the language used in the texts of any of the books, the gatekeeper could see possible futures and he was allowed to steer Aloch towards a possible future as long as he was not directly involved. It is because of this that Aloch finally came face to face with the book of the living, an encounter that turned the pages for the wielder of the book of the un-dead. For three thousand years, Aloch had taken countless lives without giving it so much as a thought, without hesitation but twenty two years ago, he found himself in a hospital, being engulfed by flames, he walked through the hospital as if hearing a voice calling to him meanwhile the gatekeeper watched from beyond, taking note of every detail, Aloch found himself facing an infant child and thinking to himself ¡°this child must not die,, it cannot, not tonight, it must live¡±, as soon as he carried the child the gatekeeper smiled and said to himself ¡° There is your beginning¡± Aloch did not know it yet but the cog in the wheel of his destiny had been removed and his world twenty two years after that night would be invaded by something more dangerous and frightening than even the damned warrior himself Outsider ALOCH I have walked the face of the earth for over three thousand years, accompanied by one who stands at the gate between life and death, the gate that will not let me in. He appeared when I was a savage beast, driven mad by a hunger that should have never existed. I embodied it, the curse placed upon me spreading death with a touch. Nothing that had life could stand before me for my hunger could never be sated. Eventually the madness ended and I learned to accept it, I isolated myself for a further hundred years and used that time to contain my hunger to a point that birds and all manner of life could approach me; approach but not touch. My existence was numb; I felt nothing, not the wind on my skin or the taste of food in my mouth. I did not fall asleep, I did not tire. I just existed. I walked for so long, watching time pass me by. I met others I thought were like me but they were not, they were just shells of the living or the dead desperately clinging to what little life they could scavenge. I desired something that could never be; I desired an end to my existence. Today my companion in an endless existence, the gatekeeper watches as I take a walk by the roadside, I ignore him and say nothing but I feel the urge to turn, he always has plenty to say, he is an annoyance that keeps me sane for the most part, why does he not say a word today? He is not there when I turn so i think nothing of it and turn back to my walk and then I bump into her, a girl, a familiar aura I have encountered before but I cannot place when. For a second there, I thought I felt my heart beat. She apologises for bumping into me and continues on her way, I stand still frozen in shock. I have not felt this way in a long time, I am a stranger to life but that felt like the touch of life. Who was she? I want to find her. Creatures of the night are converging, something draws them near, the creatures that have dared to cross my path in the past but tonight they follow her, the one who has me curious. They follow her intently; I have long since removed myself from the world. Should I protect her? Should I step back into the world that I turned away from? I cannot remember when in the last three thousand years I have felt anything like this; A compulsion to save a life. YUL And like that our lives crossed paths. I have always felt more than other people have, I never talked about it because really how could i? To feel something that I can only describe as life¡¯s energy but standing before me right now is something I cannot feel, an existence that has no form of life, he feels like a mass of darkness. He stands before me a mountain of darkness, the things that were after me pale in comparison, his eyes are lifeless. He shows no emotion at all. Should I stand and run? Maybe I am only losing my mind, other people do not see the things that I see, and they do not feel the things that I feel. This in front of me might be human and I might just be creating a scenario in my mind that does not exist. Why should I look at him in fear? He just saved my life. I should thank him, I do not know him and he did not have to save me, behind that dead expression on his face is the face of a kind man but I can also sense sadness. The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.He looks at me intently then turns to leave, I cannot explain my actions. I talk to him and ask him who he is, he turns and looks back at me; he tells me that more creatures might come after me and adds that if I ever see him again, only then will he tell me his name. I blink and he is not there when I open my eyes, was that really a dream? I am in my bed and it is morning, does my life continue now or does my dream manifest? No that had to be a dream, things like that can only exist in a nightmare. I need to get to work. Maybe it is my mind that plays tricks on me; after all I am a novelist. The day moves slowly as it normally does, I get my lunch at the usual caf¨¦ and check my phone as I eat but I do feel a presence near me, something looming. I try not to think too much, I have to hold on to my sanity. Anything abnormal or unusual I will put in my novels because real life is not so scary is it? Night falls, I like to take a walk by the water; it is quiet there and away from the crowds, only a few people on dates to take advantage of the setting. Now I can feel it closer and clearer, I cannot pretend like there is nothing there. Something is following me, I run to the closest building that is open, I thought there would be people here, why is no one here. Where are they? Why am I being followed? I am panicking, what is going to happen to me? It finally comes into sight. I stumble and fall to the ground. What is this in front of me? Is it a demon? What is this monster? Am I going to die here? I can feel that it is a creature clinging desperately onto a life that is no more. It raises its hand and a fire begins to consume the building, there are flames all around me, the creature is unfazed, it controls the flames, I cannot breathe. The creature is in the form of a human but I can tell that it is not human; it grabs me by my neck and begins to squeeze. Right then and there, he appears again, the thing that is trying to kill me now reeks of fear, it drops me and tries to attack him, the one I met before, the one from my dream that now I realise was not a dream. I can only watch as the thing that attacked my is ripped apart, he now stands before me, still with no expression on his face but I sense kindness still; he walks toward me ignoring the flames. The flames begin to disappear all around me and slowly fizzle out, it almost feels deathly cold, I am not afraid, why am I not afraid? I have no strength to get to my feet, he comes close to me and bends down, he looks at me curiously, I look back at him and ask about the flames and what happened, he looks at me and replies ¡°even flames ¡° I am over whelmed, I can feel myself losing consciousness. Purpose ALOCH She falls unconscious, did I do that? I am not sure but after being so close to me again she is still alive, I am afraid to carry her but hy is it that I cannot stop myself? My hands move and I touch her, she lives still, my touch still does not kill her, her life is her own so I carry her. I take her to my place, a place that I almost never use. I watch her sleep till the morning; she opens her eyes ad looks at me. I wonder what is going through her mind, she does not look scared. She asks me instead, ¡°Who are you?¡± I promised to give her an answer if she ever saw me again, is that why she asks? I do not know whether introducing myself is okay, knowing me might bring her into a world that she does not belong. But they are already after her, why does she make me involve myself in the world of the living? She is innocent or maybe I am making assumptions too soon. I look at her and give her an answer¡± Aloch¡±. YUL So that is his name, Aloch. I give him mine but he still shows no expression, what made him this way I wonder, the cold empty presence that I can feel changing my life. He speaks to me, he says that knowing him will put me in a world of night, a world of so much darkness that I might lose myself in it but he assures me that he will not let the night harm me; he says that he will protect me and that he will not let me get hurt. He does not even know me, the assurances of stranger that walks among monsters, but it does make this easier because if he were to just leave me again I would have followed him into the night, I want to know why I do not feel any life from him. What could do this to a person; he is not a monster, why does a person that gives off such an evil aura have any kindness at all? Why am I getting sad just thinking about it? He tells me that I am free to use his place, that will be safe in his house. I am fascinated by him, I have written about things from a realm of fantasy but to have an encounter with something that does not even fit in that?, I cannot stay away I am drawn to him. THE GATE KEEPER He will not be able to keep himself from it, his clock has already begun, he is curious about her, about the creatures of the night and why they are after her but then again that is also an excuse that he needs, he cannot accept that it is her he wants to know, not right now, but he will. Because of her, he now involves himself in the world that he had ignored for millennia, the creatures of the night all who at least know of his existence have always done as they pleased, he who had the power to stop them was never motivated but now the dark world will face its ruler, the relentless sword of the old world, a warrior with no equal cursed to roam the earth as a consumer of life and bringer of death. The dark world is his domain and for the night creatures to reach her, they will have to go through him and to even attempt that, even demons will e summoned. Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!She is drawn to him, so much that she would follow him into danger, into a world that does not belong to the living and she would do it without a second thought. Is there nothing I can do to ease the journey before them? The pain that lies ahead of them, no matter what choices they make, they will not be able to run from the tragedy that looms. He was chosen to follow the path of darkness for the greater good, the decision to follow the set path was always his to make but with her arrival into his world, the choice has already been made in fact, she was born for this very purpose. The future will have a pure soul stained with darkness and a dark soul emitting a blinding light. Today he visits one who is slave to greed; his name is Aki, a creature of the night. Many years ago Aki and his followers approached Aloch to get him to lead a campaign that would enslave the living, Aloch declined but his power was so great that Aki decided that if he could not have Aloch¡¯s support, he would instead steal his power, the one time in the last three thousand years that the un-dead being bore his fangs in anger was when he was provoked by Aki. That incident unbeknownst to ALoch saved the world of the living, with the dead and creatures of the night seeing Aloch as guardian of the world of the living. Aloch was not trying to protect anyone, he just wanted to be left alone, even today Aloch only knows Aki as one who has just always been there; he hardly even remembers the incident that etched itself in Aki¡¯s memories. Aki has spent many years learning about Aloch and trying to find his weaknesses, he has studied ancient texts that talk of the unreadable language of the divine and knows of the existence of the book of the living, the book of the dead and the book of the un-dead; he knows that Aloch has been looking for ways to end his own existence. THE EMPTINESS OF ALOCH The book of the undead was created with pages stolen from both the book of the living and the book of the dead. The curse placed upon Aloch had an ever changing nature and now that he has met Yul, its nature is changing again. ALOCH Every day I watch her, she searches for me every day, she goes through the books in the study and walks through my house, she has even been approached by that gate keeper, I am starting to care about what it is that he is not telling me, I have been feeling a torrent welling up inside me ever since I met Yul. sometimes she talks like she knows I am listening, I feel a growing temptation to respond to her every time she speaks, I protect her when she leaves the house and sometimes watch her while she sleeps, tonight she is having trouble sleeping, she says that she sees me in her dreams, that she feels like she¡¯s always known me, she sounds sad when she says ¡°I hope you¡¯re there, I hope you have not left me¡±, why does she feel these things? Why does she take a place in my thoughts so effortlessly? I met Aki several nights ago, he asked me if I still intend to ignore the world of the living and the world of the dead, he spoke to me without fear, he knows that I do not desire conflict. Maybe I still really do not want to involve myself with either world but I made it clear to him that the girl is in my world and that I would not hesitate to end anything that tried to harm her. Aki told me that the girl represented a threat to the creatures of the night and that she is even more terrifying that I am, Aki did not speak to me like a foe, he spoke to me like someone that was facing their mortality. And here I was thinking that I was the most frightening thing for these creatures of the night, the dead, this girl terrifies the creatures of the night so they are trying to eliminate her now before she manifests something. Maybe I should stop watching and get closer to her; maybe I could find something about her that even I could fear. YUL Being in his home feels strange, there is nothing to compare it to but I keep hoping he hears me when I talk, there is an absence of life that consumes the house from time to time, it reminds me of him, I want to believe that it is him, watching me, protecting me. I do not want the traces of him that I can recognize to disappear, I find myself longing to see him, even hoping that some form of evil would attack me just so he can stand before me again. I am no fool, I know that there is an invisible tether that has brought our worlds together. When he comes near me, all traces of life disappear, like they intentionally isolate him, it feels like I am the only person in the world that is how he makes me feel. When he walks toward me, I am the only person in the world and I am the only person he sees, is it so wrong that I have it now?, the thing that everyone hopes for, to be the only person in someone¡¯s world, i feel it right now, he must be walking toward me right now, I turn around and there he is, cautiously I try not to express much on my face, I walk to him as well, I can sense the hesitation in his step, but I will not give him the chance to disappear, I get closer and hold him, I hold on to him tightly and now it does not matter what I show on my face, I just made it obvious, I do not know what has come over me, he is the only thing I want to know, can he see how desperately I need him to stay? Have you ever felt like your whole life was leading you nowhere? Like the things that were clear to everyone else were only a fraction of what made sense to you, like in a world of everything that is normal, there was never a place for you. Aloch has a quiet presence, he does not need to tell me, I can see it, I can read it, the absence and the presence of him, the kindness behind his still expression, when he arrives, life goes silent, I know who he is, I hear the chaos of the living, I feel life like I am a part of the earth conscious inside every heart beat and every breath, a noise that I have wished to drown out before, I hear it all, I hear everything but him, he erases the sounds of the living and the cries of the dead, it is peaceful but I cannot imagine it in eternal existance, when I close my eyes around him, I feel like I can sense it, his pain, it is not something that I can hear or feel it is like I sense the hallow scars that are scorched in his being by the chaos of life and death. When I open my eyes again, I see him plain faced walking toward me. Aloch has no warmth, he has no heartbeat, he is a physical representation of emptiness. I know that what he feels toward me might just be curiosity but that is okay I will follow him into an endless night, he does not frighten me. If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. I have felt like a burden here, thinking about why I am being attacked or followed and why my life is suddenly targeted by creatures from my nightmares. Over the past days I have seen Aloch in my dream, he walks towards me and everything in his wake dies and fades out of existence, I see myself crying and when I look down, there is blood on my hands and symbols on my arms that I can not understand. GATEKEEPER That is who he is, it took even me a while to understand the nature of Aloch, to understand that even the curse placed upon him was a misunderstanding of his true nature. He only served his king and did what was asked of him, no one not even his king ever thought of him as a normal human being, he was a weapon aimed at the enemies of the king, his foes saw the dead expression on his face and failed to recognize the pain and loneliness of his existence, his relentlessness on the field of battle just so he could fulfil his duty and find a worthy death, that was his drive and yet even that was denied him, misunderstood from the moment he was born to the moment his life ended and robbed of his right to life and death as a human. Three thousand years later and this woman looks at him in a way that he has never known, a face that he is unfamiliar with, a face of love that he sadly cannot even recognize. Yul sees it, the kindness and the sadness behind the terror and she accepts them all, she accepts them without even knowing what it means to do so. Aloch is the book of the un-dead, created after the book of the dead was abused, he was created to be the barrier and the end, a sacrifice that would not be missed by anyone, one that was deserving of the pain that accompanies nonexistence. Human will was the only thing that provided balance, the destiny that as forced upon Aloch would only be fulfilled if he wished to fulfil it and for the past three thousand years, he has not had a reason to fulfil that destiny but now I can feel the hesitation in his movements, I can see the way he looks at her, the cursed warrior will find himself surrendering to his destiny if only for her sake. Fated He walks down a lonely path, one where his pain is numbing, one that took his humanity, on this lonely path, he met her, a deam light to the world except to him. To Aloch she is a piercing light, gradually becoming brighter and blinding him. To her, to Yul, Aloch is fast becoming the world, he sees her, he protects her, he always walks to her, a presence behind her ready to catch her if she ever falls, They are fated for each other a choice not to be made but to be accepted instead. Cruel it might be, cruel it actually is but such is the journey of ones such as them. Aloch has carried a three thousand year old darkness and he is reminded of it when he looks at Yul, the light she brings is unfamiliar, he finds himself smiling when she says something funny and is fascinated by her inquiry into history. Yul does not talk about the world of the dead and living anymore, it scares her so instead she asks about the journey of the three thousand year old undead Aloch; Sometimes, she stops when she sees his expression change, it changes into something Aloch is unaware of himself, a sad expression not easily seen except to her so she takes him to see and experience the things that he has ignored in his entire existence. Aloch has learned that Yul might have a power that could end his long existence, it was the logical conclusion seeing as the world of the dead was trying to harm her. Aloch stays close because he protects her and because he is drawn to her, protecting her is a convinient excuse for him. There are times when being near Yul causes him to feel the wind against his face, the closest thing to being alive. There''s no shortage of enemies for the two. The world of the night is afraid of Aloch however, not all motivations are rational, an old foe watches to strike at Aloch whom he believes eliminated his family some six hundred years ago. Aloch takes a break from watching and being a part of Yul''s daily life, a break he takes to think, he wonders if it might be a bad idea to get even closer to Yul, he has existed long enough to know that having hope in the world he lives is pointless, he sits by himself on the edge of a cliff as he tries to feel the wind on his face. Aloch is conflicted about removing himself from Yul''s life but as he closes in on the decision to walk away, he hears something, a sound of a bell triggered by the gate keeper. Yul is attacked by the night creature with a grudge, she tries her best to run and get away but it is of no use, she is physically weak and cannot fight back for too long, she has not felt the presence of Aloch all day and her heart is remorseful for the agony that Aloch has endured throughout his existence, she desperately runs and hides from the night creature, her eyes wet with tears and then she finally feels It, the nothingness that Aloch arrives with but she feels a pain in her heart from the ominous way Aloch''s presence feels, she can tell that he is angry, he approaches the vengeful night creature plucking away at its existence from the top of his skin, this time he imparts the pain of the undead in the creature, he wants it to feel pain, the pain that he is so familiar with, the only thing he has to give, his heart has not had life in it for so long but he can feel an aching from his chest when he hears the helpless groans of Yul clearer as he gets closer. He gets closer and walks past the night creature, he is livid and can only say one thing "cease" and with that one word the night creature is erased from all form of existance. Yul looks on at Aloch who bends down to pick her from the ground, a tear falls from her eyes "I have brought pain to him again" she thinks to herself but Aloch responds "no, you brought me life" he could her her thoughts, he takes her in his arms and gets on his feet, she grips a hold of him, a grip that he responds to "I won''t ever leave your side again" The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. And The Night Fell The book of the undead begins to taint the book of the living. Aloch waits for her and watches over her, the distance he keeps between them begins to get closer with each day that passes. Yul feels his presence a consuming warmth but a burning cold, her desires slowly overcoming her as she yearns for a touch from him all the while the ruler of the night that was unchallenged for millenia is now watched by the creatures of the night. The dead hoping to steal his power so they can survive, Aloch''s concern firmly focused on Yul that the change in him is insignificant, insignificant only until a bold attack. The creatures of the night feel the power that Aloch holds flicker. They get closer to cease their moment, to claim the book of the undead and destroy the book of the living. Watching on is the gatekeeper, a being who has grown to empathize with Aloch. The rules that keep the gatekeeper as only a bystander frustrate him. Fate opened its doors to Aloch and Yul and damned them both. The light emitted by the wielder of the book of the living now starts to shine within Aloch, reminding him what being alive feels like, the darkness in him slowly consumes Yul, she finds herself continously choosing the comfort of his darkness and today the two share a kiss, one that might aswell be a kiss that seals their doom. Aloch hungers for the light and the warmth that Yul emits but his influence is consuming. The world of the living comes under threat tonight as the dead, the creatures of the night mobilize to lay siege on the world of the living. With the book of the living being consumed by darkness, a protector seems unlikely. The dead attack on two fronts, stealing the spark of life from the living to turn them and attacking Aloch''s home hoping the damned warrior is weak enough for the book under his keep to be stolen and his power taken. Such is the ambition born of desperation, this world was not meant for the dead or the creatures of the night, the protector of the living had never felt the need to join a side but now, he understands his heart, the one that beat for the first time since his damnation, it beats for the living, for the one whose face he sees everyday. His every thought is of her. The gatekeeper watches with a heavy hear for he knows that the end is nigh, he watches as the damned warrior collects himself and rises to defend his castle, he watches the might of Aloch as he sweeps through those who storm his castle and with a breaking heart he watches as Yul is consumed by darkness. The longest night in the world of the living has begun, a darkness enveloped the skies, the moon hiding behind the clouds, the cold of death begins to take over the world. The screams of the living that were deafening begin to go mute as the dead walk among the living claiming the sparks of life. In the dark however, the mightiest warrior, the ruler of the night and the embodiment of terror walks, his castle left in ruins as a testament of his might, his fury almost having a physical form, he walks laying waste to the creatures of the night. He fights on his own like he is venting. The gatekeeper understands what he sees for in Aloch''s eyes a new sorrow sinks. The pain of knowing that Yul has fallen into darkness. This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. The gate keeper speaks "Aloch the battle of your end draws near but do not fall into despair, not when your heart has finally been saved, she is not lost" Aloch hears the gatekeeper''s words as for the first time, fate favors him. Out of desperation the instruction of salvation becomes clear to Aloch. Humans entered and defiled the realm of divinity. The books of the living, the dead were not meant for humanity. The book of the undead one that was created with pages from the book of the dead and the book of the living with seemingly no purpose other than to damn one selected by fate has to have a purpose in this moment "tell me what I must do" Aloch speaks and the gate keeper raises his head with his eyes filled with renewed hope. Aloch''s voice has reached him and it seems that fate has allowed the gatekeeper to lend a hand and help his friend. "Reclaim the book of the living and search within the chaos of your existance for the book of the dead. All the books but be United one last time" the gate keeper instructs Aloch. Yul still walks wandering alone among the ruins and fallen night creatures, her own state not entirely known to her, she walks forward and arrives to the beacon that she followed. She lifts her head and lays eyes on a monster, Aloch covered in the dark blood of fallen night creatures looks to Yul for the first time as a monster. The last drops of innocence that tether her to humanity make her afraid, not of the unknown but of the thought that the one she loves might be lost forever, she senses only malice from Aloch. Aloch turns and glances at Yul, his heart breaks. All the feelings he has now bubbling to the surface as the life in his eyes begins to shutter the cauldron that houses his soul. The gate keeper looks on with a somber smile as the darkness of the damned warrior returns to him. The book of the dead unsealed at the moment Aloch decides that the one in his sight is worth everything he can give. He makes peace with looking the part and in fact being the monster she sees. Aloch sets his eyes now on Yul to retrieve what is left of the book of the living knowing that the time Yul will have left after the book is taken will be limited. Soul script The dark realm quivered as the final battle for Aloch''s soul began. Yul stood before her love, her heart heavy with the weight of their love and the burden of what they must do. The cauldron that housed Aloch''s soul was at the brink of shattering, its dark energy threatening to consume everything. Aloch, his once-monstrous form now fading, gazed at Yul with gratitude and regret in his eyes, unable to put the words together to tell Yul he whispers, "I love you" his voice barely audible over the chaos for if those were to be his final words, the damned warrior would be satisfied, feeling the gaze of his companion the watcher, he says "farewell my friend". With unwavering determination, Aloch anchored all the darkness of the night creatures to his own soul, drawing the chaos into himself. The world around them trembled as the darkness was absorbed into him, and the night creatures disintegrated into nothingness. Yul watched in both awe and sorrow as her love embraced the darkness for her sake. She knew that he was making the ultimate sacrifice. In the final moments of this dark battle, the cauldron that held Aloch''s soul shattered with a deafening roar, and the chaos began to fade. A scream from Yul was the only sound Aloch could hear, the breaking heart of the one destined to be the book of the living could not be mended, her tears pure as her soul. The Watcher, who had observed this entire ordeal, bowed his head, his eyes filled with a mixture of sadness and respect. He knew that Aloch had faced his darkest fears and sacrificed himself to protect the one he loved. As the chaos dissipated, Yul rejected all of existance, she accepted her purpose dictated by her heart but ordained by destiny. With tears in her eyes and a heavy heart, she reached into the Book of the Living. She took a leap of faith, staking her own life, she took one last chance to save Aloch''s soul. With trembling hands, she reached onto the book, and the texts of her soul became the ink to rewrite Aloch''s soul. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. She poured her love, her memories, and her very essence into the pages of the book, creating a new script for Aloch''s soul. In this moment of love and sacrifice, the pages of the book glowed with a radiant light. Aloch''s soul, now free from the darkness, began to resonate with the script of Yul''s soul. It was a harmonious melody, a final act of love that transcended the boundaries of life and death. With the last stroke of her soul script, Yul''s body trembled, and she felt her essence merging with Aloch''s soul. In that moment, she knew that they were one, she could feel the essence of his soul reaching back from nothingness. As the chaos fully dissipated, Aloch''s soul now carried the essence of Yul within it. He opened his eyes, his gaze filled with love and understanding. Yul smiled through her tears, knowing that Aloch''s soul was whole again, Aloch fell to his knees, feeling renewed and grateful that there was a person who would love him so much. The sorrow that floods him knowing that he would not have long, the voices of the souls that damned him now speaking in gratitude for the warrior who had brought an end to the age of darkness. With a heavy heart, Yul looks at Aloch, allowed by the gatekeeper to walk together to the gate of the afterlife, a gate closed to Aloch for over three thousand years now accepting him in a time when he desired to live, Aloch says farewell to Yul, Yul watches until the gate closes and then falls to her knees one more crying her heart out as the watcher looks on unable to console her. After days at what looked like the edge of the world. Yul picked herself up and walked on wandering the Earth, hoping that one day she would cross over and be reunited with her love, Aloch. She knew that he was gone from the world of the living, but their souls would forever be intertwined in a love that transcended all boundaries and the book of the undead now no more.