Death Gate

Eren staggered through the dark alleys, his clothes asunder and stained crimson. He had stumbled along all night; the night sky receding behind the horizon, revealing the soft hues of golden glow. A new dawn was approaching.

Eren stumbled and caught himself on a wall. 'I have to keep moving.' Eren pushed himself off and continued towards... Something.

"Meow." A cat sat, upon the wall above him. Its illusionary haze, glimmered in the setting twilight.

"Baelor..." The creature cocked its head slightly. Staring intently into Eren's eyes. Like the bird from a week earlier, it beckoned for him to follow, its ethereal aura a solitary star amongst the eternal darkness.

"Meow." Picking up the pace, Baelor trotted further ahead; leading the way.

Eren followed closely, weaving through alleys and streets, avoiding all onlookers. Until finally the feline lead him back to the familiar chained metro station.

He entered the heavy metal gates, a cacophony of screeches accompanied by rusty hinges welcomed him inside. Descending deeper and deeper into the abyssal depths; the air was chillier than last he visited, not helped by his lack of clothes either.

A light approached Eren, the homeless man who greeted him last time stood in front of Eren, taking one sniff from his ragged clothes. Grumbling under his beard "Follow me."

Eren obliged and together they walked past make shift houses, make shift shelters; a small city underground made from nothing but scraps and melancholia.

All denizens slept save for the few weary of the battle worn reaper. It was like looking at a reflection of themselves; ravaged by life's unforgiving cruelty, battered by hardships, but surviving nonetheless.

The elves' quarters were as pristine as ever, candle light illuminating the living area, hisses and whisks emanated from beyond the threshold where Baelor brewed something.

"Welcome back, Eren." Handing him a cup of Qenya.

"Take a seat." Nodding his head, Baelor gestured towards his usual chair across from his own.

With a groan Eren lowered himself down, finally resting his tired body. Sips of herbal tea caressing his throat with each passing second, it warmed him from within.

"Shouldn't you be asleep? It's pretty early." Eren questioned curiously between sips of warm liquid.

"As should you." The Elf shot back calmly, resting his cup delicately onto the table. "Elves need very little rest compared to humans. If one truly wishes for knowledge sleep is but a hindrance."

The illusionary cat jumped upon Eren's lap. Curling and purring in his lap. "It's so light... And soft." Eren marvelled while patting the bundle of fluff.

"Although I'm more of a dog person myself." Eren said to himself.

"Canines are indeed loyal and trustworthy companions, that I do agree. However, I find their devotion misplaced; whereas cats possess intelligence and reason, yet still choose freely whom they associate themselves with." With that said, the cat morphed into a puppy, tail wagging, eyes pleading for head scratches.

"What ails you my reaper friend? You certainly had an arduous night?" The elf stared directly into Eren's eyes, searching for answers.

Eren turned to the ring, removing it, casting it on the table. "This... Thing. I don't want it anymore. "Baelor held it up to the candle light examining its inner ring.

"I couldn't control it. It made me... angry. It wanted me to fight and kill, it filled my head with thoughts...about my sister..."

The elf sat silent letting the boy spill his mind to him.

"It took control. Making me kill anyone near me... The worst thing is I wanted to. After Eric... No, the first kill I realised how good killing someone can feel..." His eye twitched recalling the moments.

"...then I felt sick at the thought I enjoyed it."

"And the people you killed... They deserved it?"

"They did deserve to die.... But I shouldn't have liked it so much..." Eren stroked the puppy faster.

"They were disgusting, they had done things no man should be allowed to do." Eren gulped the remaining herbal tea; emptying it in one. Hoping it might ease his racing thoughts.

"And this ring has power no one should poses." He glared at his discarded jewellery on the table.

"This ring; that you know as the god eater has gone by many names over the ages." The elf took centre stage in Eren's mind.

"It feeds off of your emotions, the greater the emotion the larger the feast." Baelor explained carefully, picking his words wisely. "Hatred, Compassion, Despair, Hope, Anger, Joy; all aspects one could use to wield unimaginable strength." The elf slid it across the table returning it to its host.

"The world you have come back too; The rot, the fester, the corruption, you can see it."

Eren thought on those words. "I know. I just wish I took the other path, stayed in the afterlife. Maybe then I'd still be like a human." He sighed heavily, defeated by the choices made.

"None choose the cruelty of life nor the sweetness of death, we merely live with the hands of fate. However, the hands are our guiding lights through the storm. Even when all seems lost; when the sun itself is swallowed by the sea of chaos. There always lies a chance, a moment in time, that allows for the world to change; the power doesn't define you; you define yourself."

He sipped from his cup of tea.

"The choice is yours to make. Nor mine nor anyone else. It gives me great confidence that you chose to bring balance where it is needed most. You made that decision Eren Heart; the world will be a better place for it."

A long peace between the pair; silence filled only with slurps and scratches of fur. Eren shifted his seating.

"How do I master this thing?"

"A simple question for an answer complex; One must conquer the beast within oneself, harness the energy surging within the soul, bind it into the core of being. This requires discipline and rigorous meditation; focusing solely upon the inner workings of the heart."

Baelor placed his tea neatly on his desk, once more walking and opening the hidden passage. The dark tunnel waited for them once more.

---

"What horrors are you going to show me this time?" Eren half-jokingly asked.

Baelor gave an equally half-hearted laugh, then composed himself once again. Delving deeper into Baelor's vault. An azure lit room greeted them, flickering orbs lined the walls, hovering like moons; all orbiting in tandem, casting shimmering light across everything beneath its gaze.

To Eren's horror a body lay atop a slab of stone; headless, a split down the middle of a fine suit. Although missing its head, Eren would never forget that tall, lean body, nor the head that once rested there.

"...Malphas." Eren whispered quietly.

"How... I saw him die?"

"Yes, Lucifer informed me of this event; your body may never leave the realm of death, only your soul may pass. This is all that remains, a husk of what once was." Eren inspected Malphas' corpse. No blood, veins or arteries lay exposed, merely a shell of what once lived. Like a spider silk cocoon.

"Do I want to know why you have this here?" Eren questioned Baelor sceptically. The elf walked behind the slab, searching through multiple chests.

"This, among others was my payment. A reapers body is invaluable, a trove of resources unlike any other. A channel of mana and power."

Finally, Baelor found his goal. "For you, Eren." Baelor handed him a carved-out skull mask, viscerocranium and frontal neurocranium re-organised into a perfect fit for a human. Its blackened eyes bore into his own. Skull a pure white under the azure light

Eren grabbed it hesitantly.

"This is...Malphas' head..." His fingers trailed along the smooth bone-like texture. The bone pulsed subtly. His hatred for a reaper once thought a nemesis turned to sympathy.

"His last words... We wanted to spare me from a life of endless death."

Baelor placed his hand on Eren's shoulder, giving it a tight squeeze.

"In my people's culture we adorn ourselves with our enemies, they shaped us in life and will protect us in death. Their death brings us life." Eren turned the mask in his hands; taking in its form. Two empty holes peered at him; runes from a foreign language border the edges.

"Designed to quell the rings voice in moments of emotional intensity. This will give you clarity, focus."

"I don't know... What if this doesn't work, what if it makes me worse, or kills me."

"The choice is yours Eren, I will always be willing to help. We both see the foulness, the rot, that lie beneath this world."

Eren stood, staring into Malphas' hollow eye sockets. His face devoid of emotion.

"The world has enough heroes, people who have grown complacent, comfortable with how it is... People need a monster; a reminder to fear the shadows for where they dwell."

Eren lifted the mask and put it on. Its silky texture fitting seamlessly over his features, enveloping his vision into complete darkness.

Eren breathed in deeply, and let out a long breath.

"From the ashes we rise..."

The world burst back into existence again. A shade of blue tinge washed over everything, although subtle, noticeable to those paying attention. Baelor smiled warmly at the sight of him wearing such a relic.

"...A demon in the darkness."