Arden was a close friend of Lore, which had earned him not one, not two, but a multitude of death scenarios, all drastically different from one another. One, in particular, was more recurrent than others, with minor changes here and there, depending on the mood or where the conversation had led.
Since Lorelei had discovered her precious friend's favorite hobby, she was determined to make a lethal quest out of it, naturally, her own way of proving her loyalty as well as her creativity.
"I've walked 13km today," said Arden.
"It's a miracle you're still standing. I'm telling you, it will most definitely be the death of you." Replied Lore, with apparent concern and hidden amusement.
"I'm wouldn't mind that."
"Oh, I'm sure you wouldn't. How do you want your last walk to be, and where?"
"At the beach, die as the sun sets."
"But what if ... "
And thus it began. For lore, 'what if' was always the beginning of a 'fun' death story.
"What if you were walking quietly on the beach, your feet enjoying the touch and freshness of the water when suddenly, you trip and fall. The current is strong and instantly drags you into the ocean, farther and farther away from the sand.
You struggle for a while until all energy drains from your body.
It's night, it's cold. Your consciousness fades away, your spirit follows, leaving your soulless and withering corpse to be picked on and torn apart by fish before sinking to the deepest depths of the sea.
Your body, now in pieces, wanders in total and utter darkness for a while before taking rest on the seabed, nothing left of it but a bunch of roughed up bones scattered all around.
It does not take long before many plants curl around them and little creatures of the dark make them into a home.
They are no longer strangers, they are part of the seabed, part of the sea life.
They lay there, in a place where life continues but your own. In the dark without light, without hope, dormant like the volcano next to them. Not for long though.
It is near, the long-awaited awakening is finally here.
The volcano stirs the sea floor, and its wild current moves it, taking the brittle and broken carcass closer to its vent. The submarine volcano erupt in full strength, propelling them high enough to breach the surface of the water, touch the air, taste the sunrays, feel a warmth they were deprived of.
It's overwhelming, to experience so much after what felt like an eternity of so little, of nothing. The fragile bones, barely holding together were dispersed around as they fell back, about to sink.
They didn't. They wouldn't.
They would have sunk as fast as they had emerged from the water, but these were no ordinary bones. They are filled, they are fueled by memories, history, regret, endurance.
They had forgotten, for a moment that seemed like it would go on forever, they had lost themselves. Now they remembered. They had to resist, they had to fight. Their little miraculous escapade brought them hope when there was none left, and they refused to give it up, not again, never again.
They would bathe in the light of the sun for as long as it shone bright in the sky.
They would hold its warmth to keep them afloat when the day bid farewell and the night took over.
They would gaze at the stars and pray for another chance at life as they knew it, before darkness settled in their center, before cold threatened and loneliness broke their spirit.
They struggled to come together to no avail. What power was needed to reunite them, they wondered. Fighting the pull of the ocean and the strength of the waves was hard enough.
A few were lucky enough to have drifted closer, crashing onto each other. They merged, combining their strength, borrowing energy from each other, healing one another.
Others remained in solitude. They fought alone but were never lonely.
'Do not despair,' they whispered. They could sense each other, even in distance, they could still communicate, share their resilience and fervor.
Although separated now, they were once all connected, they were one, and they shall be again, soon. It didn't matter how long it would take, they knew for certain it would happen.
'The distance will subside, for our reunion is PROPHECY.'
Days and nights went by, they called onto each other, held onto each other until they reached ashore, one by one, part by part, and to the very last.
The war was far from over. They would face many more challenges in the future, but all that could wait. A battle was won and celebrations were long overdue."
'Hm... I like it.' Said Arden.
Not only was he beyond used to them, from the very beginning, Arden never showed any signs of surprise or confusion towards Lore's stories, whether they involved him - in any way- or not. His reactions were always ... lacking.
Not everyone was as neutral, let alone approving, even supportive of her peculiar habit as he was. It was a bit odd, she thought, but if what he says matches what he really thinks or feels about it, then she shall not be bothered or the least concerned about his behaviour as well. After all, she was never one to judge, and apparently, nor was he. If anything, he was a very understanding and cooperative person, with a disposition to go along with almost anything, so much so it seemed as if nothing could bother him.
"I don't know how it turned into all that." Said Lore.
"Sounds like a painful, yet somewhat interesting way to go." Replied Arden.
"I sure hope so."
"Shattered bones, meaning I will be different."
"Yes? They probably won't go back to their original forms, but rather adopt new ones."
"Mini skeletons? We'll be coming for you!"
"Hahaha. Yes, fight me, little skeletons."
"So what happens to them after that?"
"Who knows. To be continued?"
"Definitely".
Unfortunately, the boy would not have the chance to know how the story goes, not for a long while. There were other things to talk about and other stories to tell, and this one in particular was forgotten and lost in the conversation as weeks went by. That is, until Arden went missing.
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