“Rise.”

The voice of the lord resounded throughout the chamber as his gaze fell upon a sickly looking old man.

His throne of golden radiance towered over the elder, his sheer arrogance exuding from his cocky smile.

Listening to the king, the white-haired man stood slowly, his cane tightly clasped in his hand as he tried to stand.

Scars were laced across his pale, wrinkled skin from lashings and beatings by the personal guards of the castle.

Turning his tired gaze to the pharaoh high above on his magnificent throne, he simply pursed his lips, a certain sadness exuding from his form.

Under the eyes of the old man, the king grew restless, shifting in his seat as he spoke again with anger.

“You have disobeyed a direct order by your ruler! I should have you executed at once! There is no excuse for your disobedience.”

Slamming his hand into the throne, the man wrinkled his nose towards the elder, disgust evident on his expression.

“Banishment to the dungeons until you're but a rotten carcass shall do nicely.”

A vile smile, one of evil and hate, spread wide across the pharaoh's face as he waved his hand to his guards, ordering them to bring the man to his future.

They did not hesitate for even a moment as they grabbed the old man hard, nearly knocking him off his feet.

He did not try to struggle against their force, simply allowing himself to be dragged away, his eyes never leaving the monarch before him.

Closing his eyes gently, he lulled himself to sleep, waiting for the moment time would flash around him, the civilization itself eroding before him.

In years prior, he had always outlasted the kingdom he had been held in, their dungeons melting away by erosion before he awoke from his slumber.

However, this time, unlike all previous imprisonments, he was startled awake by a hard punch to his skull.

The old man's body collapsed to the side, thick red blood pooling out from his lips as he felt another fist collide with his back.

He could feel no pain, only the vibrations coursing throughout his figure as he waited for them to stop.

Yet, for hours on end, he was relentlessly beaten, kicked, and even choked to the point where a human would die.

Blood soaked the cell floor, loud grunts from behind his bruised body echoing throughout the sandstone chamber.

The elder just sat there as his abuser stopped, allowing him a momentary pause to turn his gaze around.

With a weak flicker of his attention, he took in the human who had been assaulting him: long black hair, brown skin, and blue eyes.

Noticing the white-haired man's eyes, the man attacked him yet again, confusion evident across his face as he wondered how he could be alive after all that.

Hours passed as he continued, the endless assault only interrupted at last when he fell backwards, exhaustion tugging at the man's body.

And like before, the old man simply sat himself up, turning to gaze at the panting man who stared at him with horror.

“Why have you done this, child?”

His words were sad and quiet; his millennia of knowledge had found humans to be violent and aggressive; however, this surpassed his wildest expectations.

Looking deep into the soul of the black-haired man whose beard was ragged and splattered with the elder's blood.

“Perhaps you are hungry and wish to eat me? Animals do that sometimes, yet I’ve never seen humans do the same… Do you believe I’ve committed a sin? You mortals always take religion far.”

Stroking his chin lightly as he awaited a response from his attacker, he heard the lightest croak from across the room.

Shrouded in a cloak of darkness, a rugged and battered old woman spoke with a gravely tone of voice.

“He’s not sane anymore. And even if he was, then he’d still try to kill you.”

Nodding his head slightly with a sense of confusion, the white-haired elder looked over at the wide-eyed man who panted heavily.

“So you are ill, my child. I see now. Let me offer you some clarity in your most desperate times.”

Without receiving the man's permission, the old man reached over, attempting to place his index finger against his forehead.

Moving in a flash to swat the wrinkled man's hand away, the black-haired man was forced away by an invisible force, one that froze his very mind.

Then, in a quiet tap, a spark of ultimate brilliance resounded through the sandstone chamber, golden light basking their world in unique hues.

With a wry smile, the elder watched as the man's pupils dilated, his vision became clearer, and his breathing slowed down to a normal speed.

“Welcome back, my—”

His words were cut off as he felt a fist collide with his jaw, his body being flung across the room with enough force to break bones.

Instead of his usual immunity, he could feel agony coursing through his form, bruised tissue and shattered bone clinking like glassware in his face.

Reaching up slowly, he touched his hand to his cheek, tears flooding out of his eyes as he grappled with an unimaginable pain.

For his entire existence, he had never felt such an emotion, one so primal yet so vicious that it made him crumble from within.

The old man's gracious miracle to restore the man's memories sapped his weakened energy, his body able to be damaged even if for a moment.

Even as he felt his divinity mending his incarnation, he still stared at the dark-skinned man who stood above him.

His knuckles were raw and bloody, tiny sparks of white revealing bone through the flesh that had been ripped away under the force of his godhood.

As he knelt down in front of the elder, he watched as the white-haired man trembled, his hand flinching away at every movement.

Opening his mouth to speak, the no longer crazy man spoke with rejuvenated muster.

“Who the hell do you think you are, pathetic donkey. I’ll rip out your tongue and eat it if you dare touch me again.”

Slamming his hands downward in a double hammerfist, he felt his limbs bounce off helplessly, a sense of weakness appearing in his mind.

Backing up slightly, a cold sweat coming down his forehead, he watched as the elder stood himself up, blood dripping down his forehead.

“W-Why, child? I healed your mind and your—”

He didn’t have time to speak before he was pushed up against the wall, a low rumble coming from inside his elderly form.

“YOU DON’T SPEAK TO ME. I’LL KILL YOU! YOU HEAR ME?! I’LL GOUGE OUT YOUR EYES AND EAT THEM! DON’T TEST ME!”

His words of insanity were hushed as an explosion of light consumed the chamber, blinding all who gazed upon it.

Pressure so strong that it crushed the sandstone into dust, vaporized the dungeon itself, revealing the dark sky above.

Stars streaked past like a river, the world itself spinning at a speed incable of mortal comprehension.

As the two other prisoners opened their eyes, they watched as the old man stood solemnly, his eyes facing the North with a sad gaze.

“Why. Why. Why do you humans do this? You are creatures who surpass all others, and you are made in the image of your own god. Tell me, please, why you are doing this.”

Raising his right hand into the sky, storm clouds billowed into existence, a heavy rain plaguing the nation in seconds.

However, as the droplets soared down from the heavens, citizens of Egypt realized in moments that this substance was not water.

It was, in fact, crimson blood, and at such volumes that it filled rivers, ponds, and even pools with the liquid.

Next to the elder, the black-haired man took a step back, a mischievous smile gleaning across his face as he prepared to attack the old man while his back was turned.

Winding up a strike, he forced ahead with all his strength, a single punch aimed at the back of the white-haired man's head to end his life.

Yet, as he was about to collide with his flesh, a frog jumped from the void, blocking the strike with ease.

That was not all, for as he flung the slimy creature off himself, tiny bugs crawled their way into his scalp, burying themselves in his flesh.

Falling backwards, he clawed at his face and hair, screaming with irritation as the animals assaulted him.

Swarms of flies hid his body from the sight of the woman behind him, who could only watch as tiny fragments of the scene appeared before her.

Whether it be the boils that covered his skin or the shards of ice that fell from the sky, she could not look away.

And when it was all over and the elder had vanished into nothingness, she watched as the darkness surrounding the criminal receded.

Expecting a gruesome corpse, she looked away, only to hear his pained groaning fill her ears.

While his body was red with agitation and his eyes rolled back after fainting, he was physically perfect.

There was not a scar on his body, nor a drop of blood.

Far in the distance, upon a large dune of sand, the white-haired man collapsed in grief, tears streaming from his eyes.

“Why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why must humans do this!”

Slamming his fists into the sand, he wept for months, even years, the hilltop he sat upon eroding away under the stream of water.

“I helped him, yet he did not care. He attacked me. Harmed me. Threatened me. If I had been mortal, I would’ve died!”

He breathed in heavily, his eyes a bloodshot red.

“Why do they not understand I only wish to help?! I didn’t harm him even after the plagues I bestowed to heal my form!”

Digging his fingernails into the sandy soil, he felt them peeling back under the force he exerted, fresh blood dripping from their tips.

Steadying himself and looking down at his ruined palms, he realized something slowly, a feeling making its way into his heart

“So this is what feels like…”

He froze.

“Anger.”

It was a dangerous emotion, perhaps the most vile one he had taken from humans up to that point.

With his sheer power, an uncontrolled rage could eviserate worlds or even collapse stars into themselves.

This new emotion was one he could feel rooting itself in his bones like a tree taking root in the land.

He could do nothing to stop it, only wait, watching the heavens streak passed as he stood up, his cane appearing in his hand.

And with his face still red and hot with anger and sadness, he walked away, far into the distance, to a land beyond the desert, and one bright with promise.