Rebirth
Years had passed since Skellington was destroyed, his crumpled body sinking deeper and deeper into the sandy sediment with each passing season. Small fish were now using his cracked ribcage as refuge, laying eggs against his spine. Bigger fish swam overhead, the yellow-streaked bass, curiously circling his ancient, unmoving form.
On the surface, the twin brothers Kaligo and Lumare had fought valiantly to push back the demonic invasion, with only the very last push remaining, the push to close the gates of Etheria once and for all. The brothers taught the world of the warmth of a fire, the peaceful, nourishing rain, but also the destructive force of an erupting volcano and the terrifying pressure of the sea. The warmth of Kaligo’s fire and the lifegiving water of Lumare were the beacons of hope humanity needed to survive and push back the slaughter. The last few years had been a pyrrhic fight for survival, millions of people losing their lives in the Chaos.
One fateful evening, when the last of the battles for Andaril took place, the very world shook. A primordial power echoed throughout the realms, pulsing like the heart of the planet itself. The skies were painted red across the globe: vibrant, beautiful, like the colour of fresh strawberries, a sign that the season had finally changed. As the land trembled, something in the lake flickered awake for just the briefest moment, its own essence responding to the beat. Brilliant green light lit up the forest as the lake began to glow.
Bones reformed—no, that’s not quite right—it was like the cracks themselves were unmade. Bones knit themselves back together, the skeletal frame rebuilding itself to how it was many years ago. His legs were back, his bones healed, the cracks gone like they were never even there. In those hollow eye sockets, a faint flicker of light arose. It wasn’t the sickly, amethyst glow of a demon, but a vibrant, life-like teal.
The green light faded, falling back asleep, while the teal glow flickered awake, brighter… alive. Clarity—that was the very first thing he noticed. Skellington was alive in the truest sense, for the very first time aware of his own existence. The events many years past were like a hazy dream, the nightmare of a construct, a husk, of something never truly alive. Now?… He peered up at the sky through the stilling, crystal-clear water, the ripples calming. Soon enough, the stars became visible beyond the surface of the water, small pinpricks of life, much like the light in his own eyes. Skellington was frozen in awe, experiencing the light of awareness for the very first time. Curiosity and confusion hit him like a tidal wave. What had happened? Where was he? How was he alive? What… and who was he?… He was the very first of his kind, a demon that was alive, a demon that was truly sentient, and not just a crude imitation of life. His body had been made for a single purpose, to serve as a tool, a pawn for the Allfather, but no longer did his corrupt light shine within him. His eyes shone with a newfound curiosity, the light in a newborn’s eyes.
He lay there at the bottom of the lake for hours, completely paralysed. The lights… they… moved? he thought. His eyes followed the fish that swam over him, gazing at them with keen focus. He could sense the smaller fish nudge against his ribs as they used his ribcage as a hideout, darting towards him to hide from the larger fish.
The World Stones 