(( Author's note: This post serves as a timeline divergence between the Realm of RhyDin and the 'alternate past' space occupied by a similar world in a similar universe. Additionally, it is meant as the introduction to and glimpse into the persona of Scionius Tyranus in said temporal-spatial shift. Enjoy! ^^))
One had to admire the determined flicker of flames. They desperately clung to their transient existence, snuffing out others with a ravenous, merciless sort of haste in order to sustain what would ultimately serve to be a brief life. This time was no exception...
Clang! What was this" A clash of weapons"
"Ggck....Sphfechk....M-monster," could be discerned amidst the ceaseless screams that echoed throughout this small corner of the countryside. There, a man was, dropping to his knee whilst he observed the carnage about him through his one remaining eye. In his current condition, it was a wonder he could even speak. Cinders rose from the blistering heat that licked at his family's fields. The town's meager population had been decimated, the mangled corpses of those unfortunate enough to have been caught in the disaster having been strewn about.
A pair of presumably noble boots trotted about the unknown human, nearly eclipsed by the curtain of tattered cloth its owner had seen fit to adorn himself with. The words....the fallen man couldn't quite ascertain what the other was speaking of. In all honesty, it was difficult for him to even stay upright with the unfamiliar strain of gravity bearing down on his weakened frame. Through his hazy vision, he could make out a few details about the shadowy figure mumbling in vain to his deafened sense of hearing. His exposed skin was a rich bronze accompanied by youthful facial features suggesting a privileged lineage. 'Twas as though the gods themselves had seen fit to craft his form; so, then why was he setting fire to the investment for which his relations had toiled so fervently'
"T-tell me....Who are you? I would k-know the name of my k-killer. It is my ri—Hnnggk!" Snatched up by the ripped dregs of his clothing he was! Unreal. To be lifted to simply without any noticable display of difficulty on his adversary's part was....to be frank, ridiculous. Who or whatever it was that had savaged him and his fellow denizens was so reasonably far from his admittedly lesser understanding of humans that he began to wonder whether or not his mental faculties were playing tricks on him. Nevertheless, he wasn't given much more time to process the unfolding events as he was quite literally brought to the forefront of his fears. He stared directly into the eyes of his would-be aggressor only to observe a lack of compassion in them that he'd never come across before.
"Oh, not just yet, I'm afraid. Permit me to inquire something of you....Before you hear my of name and are then obligated to perish, I simply must know." The vocals of his anomalous foe were a unique combination of smooth and gruff: the rehearsed manner of speech of a self-ordained despot beset by the harsh undertones of one who had experienced an all-encompassing darkness and....survived. "What was it like to lose everything" How did it feel to have all you'd worked for over the course of your worthless existence amount to naught more than dust and ashes in the end" Does it....hurt' ...Are you in agony' Does your proverbial heart bleed?" Why' For what purpose did this man....this horrible thing even exist' What was he hoping to accomplish by ravaging everything in his wake with his monstrous potency' The knife-like words he touted worked their way into the fleshy defenses of his mind, tugging free the memories of the moments prior to the incident.
His daughter had been playing in the meadows just outside the town's laxly patrolled borders. There had been an attack on their crops the night before, and as such the men of the settlement banded together to form an impromptu sort of 'Watch' for the citizenry's protection. When he saw her fleeing from the treeline, bounding for him whilst pointing back behind her, he grinned. Oh, that young smile....how he adored her. He'd sworn to Martha that he'd protect her always. If only he'd known just who she had made a new friend with....Following behind her was a frighteningly tall human shadow, draped in the trappings of nobility. 'Twas far enough away that he needed to squint just a little to assure himself that it was indeed a man. Most didn't wear clothing like that, and thus he was prompted to rise and greet the newcomer. Said foreign individual would lift a palm before him, conjuring an obscene shape in the air. The rest was obvious.
The combined realization of his shortcomings and the shock of his compatriots' deaths were enough coax the already welling tears from his eyes and down his cheeks. What blasphemy had he wrought to bring judgment from on high down on his people? On the other hand, the being that held him experienced a different feeling: a disquieting euphoria. His hues drew to a close as he savored the labored whimpers of his captive with his other senses.
"Poor, meaningless thing....I suspect you did not feel as though you were brought into this life of yours to be rendered my plaything. This life....is truly despicable. Detestably unreasonable....Unfair."
A deft shifting of his wrist positioning saw his gloved digits coiled around the common man's throat, denying him his ability to respond or even audibly wallow in self-pity with all the pleasure of a child and his magnifying glass baking an ant in the amplified heat of the sun for the first time. As his eyelids parted once again, his grip on the commoner's otherwise protected larynx tightened, coercing his desire to lash out at him in spite of his inability. For the last time, he would reach out to him with his voice, leaning in more closely so that the whispers made contact with his failing sense of self. His sentiments would connect with him, to be sure; however, this would not be a he wished to hear.
"...You have borne witness to an inviolable truth today. You have come to learn of and truly understand that heady tonic known as despair. You should consider yourself fortunate that your consciousness resisted the other side for as long as it did. Else, you would not have been allotted the distinct honor of dying upon having been gifted with such an intimate degree of comprehension in regards to....an admittedly esoteric brand of knowledge. Good show....Now, when you arrive at your final resting place, I ask that you do me a favor. It shouldn't be too much of a bother..."
Crack! As the man was released, he slumped to the ground below, painting the already body-laden village with with a fresh coat of blood. The man's robed arm retreated beneath his cloak's mantle, a pair of gleaming irises permeating the fire-slaked shadow of the night sky. The vile scenery evoked a display of pretentious flair from the fell one as he proceeded on toward his next site of genocide, pressing the opposite palm to the one prior over his features in exquisite content. This world's people had basked in the luxury of their war-forged peace for long enough.
"...Inform your terminal attendant that the Tyrant sent you as a peace offering. After all, living or otherwise....Everything that exists will come to know of the name Scionius ere long. Hmhmhm..."
One had to admire the determined flicker of flames. They desperately clung to their transient existence, snuffing out others with a ravenous, merciless sort of haste in order to sustain what would ultimately serve to be a brief life. This time was no exception...
Clang! What was this" A clash of weapons"
"Ggck....Sphfechk....M-monster," could be discerned amidst the ceaseless screams that echoed throughout this small corner of the countryside. There, a man was, dropping to his knee whilst he observed the carnage about him through his one remaining eye. In his current condition, it was a wonder he could even speak. Cinders rose from the blistering heat that licked at his family's fields. The town's meager population had been decimated, the mangled corpses of those unfortunate enough to have been caught in the disaster having been strewn about.
A pair of presumably noble boots trotted about the unknown human, nearly eclipsed by the curtain of tattered cloth its owner had seen fit to adorn himself with. The words....the fallen man couldn't quite ascertain what the other was speaking of. In all honesty, it was difficult for him to even stay upright with the unfamiliar strain of gravity bearing down on his weakened frame. Through his hazy vision, he could make out a few details about the shadowy figure mumbling in vain to his deafened sense of hearing. His exposed skin was a rich bronze accompanied by youthful facial features suggesting a privileged lineage. 'Twas as though the gods themselves had seen fit to craft his form; so, then why was he setting fire to the investment for which his relations had toiled so fervently'
"T-tell me....Who are you? I would k-know the name of my k-killer. It is my ri—Hnnggk!" Snatched up by the ripped dregs of his clothing he was! Unreal. To be lifted to simply without any noticable display of difficulty on his adversary's part was....to be frank, ridiculous. Who or whatever it was that had savaged him and his fellow denizens was so reasonably far from his admittedly lesser understanding of humans that he began to wonder whether or not his mental faculties were playing tricks on him. Nevertheless, he wasn't given much more time to process the unfolding events as he was quite literally brought to the forefront of his fears. He stared directly into the eyes of his would-be aggressor only to observe a lack of compassion in them that he'd never come across before.
"Oh, not just yet, I'm afraid. Permit me to inquire something of you....Before you hear my of name and are then obligated to perish, I simply must know." The vocals of his anomalous foe were a unique combination of smooth and gruff: the rehearsed manner of speech of a self-ordained despot beset by the harsh undertones of one who had experienced an all-encompassing darkness and....survived. "What was it like to lose everything" How did it feel to have all you'd worked for over the course of your worthless existence amount to naught more than dust and ashes in the end" Does it....hurt' ...Are you in agony' Does your proverbial heart bleed?" Why' For what purpose did this man....this horrible thing even exist' What was he hoping to accomplish by ravaging everything in his wake with his monstrous potency' The knife-like words he touted worked their way into the fleshy defenses of his mind, tugging free the memories of the moments prior to the incident.
His daughter had been playing in the meadows just outside the town's laxly patrolled borders. There had been an attack on their crops the night before, and as such the men of the settlement banded together to form an impromptu sort of 'Watch' for the citizenry's protection. When he saw her fleeing from the treeline, bounding for him whilst pointing back behind her, he grinned. Oh, that young smile....how he adored her. He'd sworn to Martha that he'd protect her always. If only he'd known just who she had made a new friend with....Following behind her was a frighteningly tall human shadow, draped in the trappings of nobility. 'Twas far enough away that he needed to squint just a little to assure himself that it was indeed a man. Most didn't wear clothing like that, and thus he was prompted to rise and greet the newcomer. Said foreign individual would lift a palm before him, conjuring an obscene shape in the air. The rest was obvious.
The combined realization of his shortcomings and the shock of his compatriots' deaths were enough coax the already welling tears from his eyes and down his cheeks. What blasphemy had he wrought to bring judgment from on high down on his people? On the other hand, the being that held him experienced a different feeling: a disquieting euphoria. His hues drew to a close as he savored the labored whimpers of his captive with his other senses.
"Poor, meaningless thing....I suspect you did not feel as though you were brought into this life of yours to be rendered my plaything. This life....is truly despicable. Detestably unreasonable....Unfair."
A deft shifting of his wrist positioning saw his gloved digits coiled around the common man's throat, denying him his ability to respond or even audibly wallow in self-pity with all the pleasure of a child and his magnifying glass baking an ant in the amplified heat of the sun for the first time. As his eyelids parted once again, his grip on the commoner's otherwise protected larynx tightened, coercing his desire to lash out at him in spite of his inability. For the last time, he would reach out to him with his voice, leaning in more closely so that the whispers made contact with his failing sense of self. His sentiments would connect with him, to be sure; however, this would not be a he wished to hear.
"...You have borne witness to an inviolable truth today. You have come to learn of and truly understand that heady tonic known as despair. You should consider yourself fortunate that your consciousness resisted the other side for as long as it did. Else, you would not have been allotted the distinct honor of dying upon having been gifted with such an intimate degree of comprehension in regards to....an admittedly esoteric brand of knowledge. Good show....Now, when you arrive at your final resting place, I ask that you do me a favor. It shouldn't be too much of a bother..."
Crack! As the man was released, he slumped to the ground below, painting the already body-laden village with with a fresh coat of blood. The man's robed arm retreated beneath his cloak's mantle, a pair of gleaming irises permeating the fire-slaked shadow of the night sky. The vile scenery evoked a display of pretentious flair from the fell one as he proceeded on toward his next site of genocide, pressing the opposite palm to the one prior over his features in exquisite content. This world's people had basked in the luxury of their war-forged peace for long enough.
"...Inform your terminal attendant that the Tyrant sent you as a peace offering. After all, living or otherwise....Everything that exists will come to know of the name Scionius ere long. Hmhmhm..."