By: Teen Titans!
Sabin paced very slowly around the room. It had been months since his last thoughts of life beyond his island prison. He occasionally looked out of the windows, noticing the bright blue tranquility and the green trees on the island in the distance.
“Someday, I will go there. Something calls to me; The likes of which I have never understood.” He said quietly. It had been several years since he was abandoned on the island, begotten by his friends and family and tossed aside as a “freak” or some strange being everyone loved to fear. His own willingness to survive was fueled by his Anju half... the darkest being the world has known. His story begins where his guilt does, the loss of his wife, Samantha.
“You want to go for a walk Sabin?” Samantha asked. She sat next to him, both of them examining books on the Occult, very much engrossed with the information. “Sure, lets go out to the lake.” He said as a toothy grin spread across his face. Sabin stood up quickly, his white hair dancing elegantly in the sunlight. Samantha stood up and grabbed his hand. Sabin was a bit taller than her, but she seemed to drag him out the door of their cottage, down the dirt path towards the lake. “Hard to believe we never knew this was here before, it’s like it appeared overnight.” He said quietly. “Oh don’t worry Sabin, we can go swimming!” She exclaimed. After about a mile of walking they saw the lake down the path, the water was very still as the sun’s rays danced off the surface.
“Lets go in!” said Samantha, already in her swimming clothes. “You planned this. Why else would you wear the swimming things underneath?” He argued. “Oh get in. Water doesn’t hurt, you take baths don’t you?” Samantha retaliated. Sabin took off his excess clothing and jumped in, drenching Samantha in cold water. “AHHHHH!” She screamed with delight. He caught her off guard. He smiled at her reaction.
After swimming, they were walking back when they heard horses approaching. Sabin spun on his heels and looked around, nobody could be seen. “What was that?” Samantha questioned. “I am not sure, let us get back” said Sabin. They rushed back and they got inside the cottage and closed the door tightly. “Something is coming” he whispered. He looked out the door at a large skeleton-like man atop a mount made of bones. “It’s… Death?” he whispered again. He peered back out the door and it was gone. He felt a tap on his shoulder and he turned to see a skull under a dark hood staring back at him. It’s eyes shined with a blue flame and it’s scythe glowed turquoise and red flames spewed forth from his steed’s eyes and nostrils.
“I am here for the one who is possessed by the embodiment of darkness…” Death whispered. “That is me. What do you want with me?” Sabin asked. He stepped in front of Samantha, guarding her from the looming threat. “I seek the last piece of the puzzle before this world meets its fate” said Death. His voice made the hair on the back of Samantha’s neck stand up. It was so chilling; She seemed to have energy taken with every word. “Go away Death, what you seek cannot be obtained” said Sabin. His eyes darted to Samantha who is looking odd. Samantha collapses on the floor as Sabin grabs her and turns her over, desperate to find what ails her. “It is…him…” she points to Death. Death’s skull becomes a sneer as he raises his scythe and knocks Sabin aside. “You don’t give me what I want… she dies. She becomes mine, forever.” Shouted Death. Sabin can no longer control himself as he becomes the Anju and lunges at Death. Anju’s aura seems to ripple the air surrounding him, his power grows with every second. “You are too late! She is mine! You are weak and useless, you defy Death, you defy life!” Death shouted. Anju watches in slow motion, helpless as the scythe penetrates Samantha’s throat and she cries out in pain as Anju grabs her body as he transforms back to Sabin. “No!” he mutters as he holds her body close as he hears her heart stop. “What have I done?” he whispers. He sees her soul rise out of her body and fly into Death’s mouth. She was part of Death itself.
He reawakes, chained to a large mast. He looks around, he is at sea, and there are three guards pointing swords at him. “Where am I?” says Sabin. He looks down and sees he is bound to the mast. “You have been sentenced to marooning by the militia leaders. You are a threat to mankind, so you can not exist in a place where they do” says the guard, hatred surfacing in his voice. The guard knew what he was, he had to knock him out and saw the vicious Anju body up close. Terrifying creatures; Vicious, deadly, and powerful. The guards shudders gave way to his fear as he watched Sabin struggle with the ropes. “Let me up! I want to kill that dirt!” he shouted. The guard turned and asked “who do you want to kill?” “Death” Sabin whispered. Sabin’s brute strength was causing his clothes to smoke as the friction between the ropes and his clothing slowly heated up. “You can’t kill death, you can’t hide from it. It will always find you” said the guard.
A sharp blow once again sent Sabin spinning into his own mind, he looked around, at how the day before, he was happy. He had a beautiful wife, a binding love between them… all gone in moments. He saw the image of Death’s scythe releasing her soul from her body. The tormenting image as Death devoured her soul and Death fleeing to his mount and charging past the oncoming militia, not even getting glanced at. He sees himself cradling her body as a rifle stock hits him.
“Die!” He snaps awake. He looks around, he is in a room full of books and a single candle illuminates the room. He stands up and grabs the back of his head, his neck lacerated and bruised. “Where am I?” He asks aloud. His hand grabs the cold latch as he pushes outside.
The sun beats down on the beach as he looks around, he is on an island. The sandy beach is covered with debris from some large shipwreck or something. He looks into the ocean and sees the ship sinking slowly, torn apart by some unforeseen battle against the elements. One it obviously lost. His silvery hair blows about in the breeze as he looks towards the ship again, only the crows nest is in sight now. “What caused this?” He asked himself over and over again. He kneels onto the moist sands and picks up a large crate and sets it by the rustic building he awoke in. Several more crates wash ashore, each one seemingly a blessing and another rung in the ladder to get off the island.
He goes into the house and searches the books, all of which are his own from his cottage. He looks through them as he hears yelling in the distance. He slams the book shut and runs out of the house and sees a large bear attacking one of the guards.
“Get away from him!” He yells as he becomes his Anju half and dismembers the bear without so much as an effort. The bears limbs fall to the sand as the last deafening roars echo through the trees behind them. He was too late, the guard is dead.
He searches the guards belongings and takes his sword and his ball-and-powder pistol and excess ammunition and powder and walks back to the house. He turns around and grabs the bears limbs and drags them back as well. He would be hungry later.
Sabin lights a fire with some of the powder on the wood and roasts some of the bear meat over the fire. It wasn’t much, but it should keep him satisfied a couple of days.
He looks around and finds his journal on one of the shelves. It had been looked through… No matter, all who know his secrets are dead. He looked through the journal, tears coming to his eyes as he viewed the sketches he drew of Samantha and the pressed flowers in between some of the pages. He read the last page and covered his mouth in dismay.
Today was wonderful, Samantha and I
went down to the meadows and picked flowers for pressing, I will put a daisy
here later, it’s her favorite flower. She is
everything to me, all I have. I can’t imagine what I would do if I were to lose
her. She talked about children today, about raising a family. I want to, but
will my condition effect them or put them in danger? I
love her so much, I can’t deny our love or her
desires.
-Sabin
He closed the book, unsure what to think. He slowly stood up and walked over to the small cot and collapsed on it. His Anju form took hold of his body as he sneaked into the shadows and out into the night. The oceans waves illuminated the moonlight which bounced from the surface. Anju snuck into the treeline and looked around for other signs of life on the island. He flew through the shadows in the forest, such as a fish through water. He came to the opposite side of the island, and to the vast sea once again. Anju looked around, a single footprint came to his sight. It was hoof-shaped and it had melted the sand on which it had trodden. Anju grabbed the glass relic and returned back to the house. Sabin stepped into the house after his transformation, still holding the relic. His house had been invaded, all his belongings had been tossed about carelessly and his pressed flowers and his diary were torn apart. His only memories of Samantha, destroyed...
Death looked down at the make-shift shack in the cove, his eyes pulsing with the fires of vengeance, power, and hatred for all those who might end his reign of fear. He was the one who dwelled in darkness, his own shadow couldn’t be revealed by light… only by the fires which burned within him. They were his only light to guide his dark path. He had seen Sabin become Anju that fateful day. He had watched as slowly the Anju ripped from his controlling mind and stepped into the darkness once again. Death had wrestled with his own mind whether to destroy Anju then or to wait… and make his downfall more painful and extravagant. So Death made a plan. His plan would mean utter distruction for the Anju, Sabin, and Samantha. All must die for his plan to prevail, not only that, but the power of the Anju’s soul would send Death’s power spiraling upwards.
Sabin crouched on the bed as the Anju slowly took over his body, his vicious eyes now a fire orange and full of rage. He wasn’t sure where he was going, and he didn’t care. He flew through the shadows, searching relentlessly. He finally caught the feeling of Death’s aura and he adjusted his course accordingly. He flew into a large cave, several torches lit within. The large walls danced with the flickering light as two blue flames emerged from the darkness as Death stepped forward, his scythe glowing red.
Death laughed, his bare white skull gleamed in the light emitted from the torches. The very earth itself seemed to tremble with his laughter as bursts of wind flew through the caves. He walks over to Anju and swipes at him with his scythe. Anju feels his arm get caught with the scythe as his blackened form emits a smoky mist near the wound. Anju lunges back, catching the shaft of the scythe with his claws, carving a large gash through it. Anju follows up with a swipe to the stomach as Death buckles as his left half of his ribcage shatters. Death slashes Anju across the chest and more mist is emitted from the wounds, Anju reels, the blow was devastating. Death laughs as he raises his scythe. Anju stares into Death’s eyes… those horrible empty pits of fire. Anju leaps at Death and plunges his claws into both eyes. A devastating shockwave comes from the sockets as a brilliant light explodes and Anju watches as all of his surroundings seem to be sucked into the orbs, he sees his past several months of island life and the weeks before that and he sees Death devouring Samantha’s soul and then them embracing, Anju closed his eyes as he knew it would all be over in a moment.
In an instant, Sabin found himself standing back in his old cottage where he lived with Samantha. His eyes instantly filled with tears as he walked over to his desk and saw his diary, he opened it to his newest entry.
<blank>
He reaches down and grabs the quill, he dips it in the ink bottle and writes:
Today… I return.
He turns around and Samantha is there, looking at him. He embraces her and kisses her passionately. He is home.
Epilogue:
It has been one year since I
returned and Samantha is expecting. The experience I had on the island has
taught me that you can only live once. Should anything ever happen, I want to
know I went down living this life to it’s fullest,
because next time, there will be no second chances. Samantha and I have never
been happier. We still go to the lake, knowing whatever evil once dwelled there
is only a memory. Samantha still has nightmares of Death devouring her soul,
but she says she just looks at me and feels safe.
~Sabin
He places a daisy in his journal and closes it.
~Fin.
-Teen Titans!