A pale body lies in the centre of a cluttered room upon a raised table. Lifeless. With neither the steading rise and fall of their chest that comes with a consistent breath, nor a faint heartbeat. Their clothes have been stripping away, the only thing covering them is a thin white sheet brought up to their waste. Their lips are a pale blue and their cheeks sunken, eyelids closed seemingly will never open again.
A bony finger twitches. The once lifeless body starts to writher, soft groans escaping from their lips as they struggle to wake. The soft drum of a heartbeat fills the silent room, and the colour on their face starts to reappear. Their skin plumpens, bringing a soft roundness to their face.
A loud gasp, followed by a series of raspy coughs fills the room. Taking deep breathes, filling his lungs with air as if he had been starved of it for centuries, the person on the table sits upright, pale green eyes wide open as they take in their surroundings. Multiple jars filled with Gods-know-what are untidily stacked upon every surface in the room. A single window brings a soft light into the room. A large expanse of dense, deep green trees is the only thing that can be seen out the window.
The only door in the room swings open with a loud band, jostling the jars on the floor beside it. A lean man stands in the doorway, a pair of large fluffy, dark wings drape around their body, acting as a cloak of sorts, dragging along the floor behind him. This second man wears a warm smile reaching his eyes, forcing them to half-close in a squint.
"You're awake!" The man says, taking steady steps toward the table. "Took you long enough, I had to wait several whole months! Your highness, welcome back to the land of the living."
The first man, the one on the table, can't seem to quite get the words out of his mouth. He's starstruck, a million thoughts running through his mind. Where was he? Who is that? What does he mean 'land of the living'? He was dead just a few moments ago, how on earth was he back here? Why was he back?
"Ah, I think I've gotten a bit ahead of myself," the first man says, quickly stepping toward the table. He grabs a hold of the other man's head, forces his mouth open and inspects the inside, feeling around his tongue and teeth. "I'm assuming you haven't developed the use of speech just yet. But don't worry, you should get those back soon enough, seeing you were just a bag of bones yesterday and now look at you! You're sitting up all by yourself!"
The man on the table rears back, slapping the hands away from his mouth. His thick brows furrow. There's something strange about this person. Normal humans don't stick their hands in random people's mouth, nor do they have wings.
"My Lord, I apologize, I seem to have forgotten my place," stepping back, he gives a deep bow. "I think it's best I introduce myself. My name is Althe, my Lord. I have resurrected you from the dead to ask for you help. I understand this task may sound a bit … difficult - but you're the only one who can help."
The first man raises a suspicious brow. A task only HE can complete? Does he not hear himself? Surely there's someone else? Someone who hasn't been killed by mere mortals, when they have the Blessings of a God to back them up. He nods slightly, encouraging the doctor to keep talking.
"Shortly after your … murder, a ruthless Demon steadily came to power," Althe continues, "he was fine at the beginning, but as he's grown stronger, he's become more ruthless. He has begun to conquer countless territories and even some countries at a rapid pace, and shows no signs of stopping his rampage. And I know that sounds like a common occurrence these days, however, this particular Demon is different. He doesn't spare anyone, no Demon, nor mortal, and plans to destroy every breathing being off the face of this world. Word is, he's even found a way to stop Aadahira's control over him - which is unheard of. That means he's completely doing this on his own accord."
The first man, once speechless from centuries of silence, clears his throat and attempts to speak. "And how … expect me, ahem, help? I died … easily. I may have been born as" - he stops to accommodate for a coughing fit - "the Blessing of the Sun, but I do not deserve that title. Surely a new Blessing has been born. Go ask them, leave me to rest in death."
Althe shakes his head. "My Lord -"
"Nai is fine, I'm no longer a prince, do not address me as one." The man interrupts.
"As you wish. I think you aught to give yourself some credit," Althe smiles gently, "You are stronger than you think - you've gained your speech back in such a short span of time, that would take a normal being several weeks to accomplish. You were just a child when you died, it's no wonder you weren't at your strongest."
"I didn't ask for your opinion on my strength, I asked why you can't just bother someone else?'' Nai snaps, swinging his feet off the edge of the table, attempting to steady himself on his feet.
"He is the Blessing of the Moon," Althe reaches a hand out, offering Nai an arm to hang onto while he regains the strength in his legs, but Nai bats his arm away.
"A what?!"
"A Blessing of the Moon. He is like yourself, Blessed with the powers of the Sun God. But instead of manipulating the light, like you can, he has total control over shadows. His regenerative skills are also unheard of.
As the prophecy states, only the Children of the Blessing are powerful enough to destroy one another. No other Blessing of the Sun had been born after you. And no other one will ever be born. Listen, Nai, does the name 'Ceylon Bangeros ring any bells?"
Nai's doe-eyes open wide, the color drains from his face. "How do you know that name?!"
Althe shrugs. "How could I not? It's very well-known that the two of you were close -"
"We weren't." Nai's says through his teeth. "He's fucked up in the head. The biggest bastard of them all."
"Well," Althe starts again, "he made it very clear after you died that you were close enough to him for your death to have a significant impact on him. He killed himself, Nai. Over your dead body. Came back as a Demon to reap havoc upon the world. He doesn't have any family, nor lovers to convince him to stop - killed them all. You're the only one we're aware of we can rely on to kill him."
The recently dead man sighs deeply, rubbing his eyes with the palms of his hands. "You keep saying 'we'. Who's 'we'?"
Althe pauses, his eyes narrowing as he thinks of a response. A large moment passes before he starts talking again, slowly this time. "There's a group of us - a council of sorts - of … beings from around Sylle who wish to bring Ceylon down. They were the ones who ordered me to resurrect you. I'm sure you'll meet them in due time - they wish to meet you too."
Finally feeling stable on his feet, Nai starts to steps away from the table, the sheet covering him falling to the floor. He looks down at his bare body, then back up at the other man. Althe rushes out of the room, then reenters moments later, clothes in hand.
After he is dressed, Nai paces around the room. "What will happen if I say 'no'?"
The smile fades from Althe's face. He turns around, giving Nai privacy to change in the clothes he provided him. "We will not kill you, if that's what you're thinking, as I am aware you would probably prefer that. You'll be locked in a cell for the rest of eternity, never able to die, yet never truly alive. You will be tortured daily - "
"You're truly serious about the assassination of Ceylon Bangeros, aren't you?"
"I'm more serious than you can ever imagine. We both know you won't turn me down, Nai Soari. The fate of the world rests on your shoulders, whether you like it or not. I know you have been raised to put others before yourself. You're the Blessing of the Sun, it is your duty. Please, I beg of you. I will offer you whatever I can - I have many treasures and have close connections to many people in high power -"
"You needn't give me anything. If I fail - if I die again - you will leave me dead, understand?"
Nai turns around and bows again, deeper than before. "Yes, my Lord."