Red Blessing

by kyle.baker.9212

When a fallen guardian, Death, attempts to takes over the world below and while teenager, Kazuo Takahashi, witnesses the slaughter of his family, it becomes his duty to take hold of the situation and bring down Death's empire. Along his journey he finds many friends and many foes that will help him grow stronger in order to avenge his family's murder.

Red Blessing® Chapter #1

Hope Rises

Original Story By

Kyle M. Baker

Lead Artwork By

TBA

Opening Scene: Three Hooded Figures standing in the dark, focusing on the world below; only their mouths can be seen glowing off of the picture they are focusing on. A picture of a young boy, age 5, comes to their attention.

Hooded Figure 1: "This boy will be our only hope."

Hooded Figure 2: "He is too young."

Hooded Figure 3: "The time will come when he will take up his title and return everything to the way it was."

Hooded Figure 2: "And if he does not?"

Hooded Figure 1: "Then the world we were entrusted will be lost."

Explosion comes through the background surrounded by black flames. Another hooded figure followed by an army enters; the three figures disperse to the world.

Hooded Figures: "!.."

Grunt: "Shall we go after them master?"

Hooded Figure 4: "No. They have nowhere to run, let them cower in fear. Besides I love a good chase."

Grunt proceeds to investigate what the hooded figures were studying.

Grunt: "Master! They were focusing on this!"

Hooded Figure walks over to the Grunt's findings. A scene of a house in a small village is shown in the orb.

Hooded Figure: "So the time has come, but it is useless as no one can escape death nor my blade."

Grunt 2: "But Lord Death we do not know who the chosen prophet truly is!"

Death: "Are you questioning my authority, scum?"

Grunt 2: "No! No..I just, I was just sa-"

Grunt gets chopped down by Death's blade in the blink of an eye. Death walks out of the room as others remember their place. A fallen soul gets sucked into the skull of the blade.

Death: "That's what I thought. We'll just have to destroy the entire village. I want every able body to find this little village so that I may crush it with my own hands."

Grunt: "M-Master there are so many villages filled with humans, how can we search for him?"

Death: "Are you to tell me that my army has the incapacity to find a mere boy? Or are you saying that you cannot handle such a simple task?"

Grunt: "Sir, I-I'm just say-"

Death: "Mind your next few words, as they may be your last."

Grunt: "Lord we will find the boy."

Death: "That's what I thought."

Death: "Come my minions. The Prophet will have an extraordinary ability that I want. Do not kill him completely."

Grunt: "What shall we do if the search takes longer than expected..m-my lord?"

Death: "Very well then. I guess we'll have to seize this miserable rock under my control. We shall create a grand empire in my name. Anyone who opposes me shall suffer by my hands."

Grunts: *cheer*

Grunt: "And what shall we do after we have caught the boy, my lord?"

Death: "Take him to Overdose for testing. I have something very special in mind for him."

Grunt: "Yes master."

The scene pans to the living world 12 years later, to a small village on the outskirts of civilization. Here we find our hero lying under the shade of a large oak tree with not a care in the world.

Child: "Brother! Brother where are you?!"

A young boy, Sachiko, runs up a hill from their house to the tree, where he assumes his brother is.

Kid: "Brother?! Here you are! Mother has been looking for you everywhere and here you are wasting your day away under a tree?"

Kazuo: "Sachiko, one day you will understand."

Sachiko: "You're making no sense! Now get off your butt and go do some chores!"

Kazuo: "I'm 17 and mom still wants me to do chores?!"

Sachiko: "We all have to pull our weight!"
Kazuo: "Do you ever wonder why we were put here? In this world?"

Sachiko: "Why are you acting so weird today?"

Kazuo: "Hmm? Oh nothing nothing! Don't worry about it!"

Sachiko: "You're a moron.."

Kazuo: "Yeah maybe you're right."

Sachiko: "I am right! Just like I'm right about how you should do your chores!"

Kazuo: "I'll come do them if it'll get you off my back!"

Sachiko: "Well good! I'll see you back at home then!"

Kazuo(thinking): "I should be out seeing the world right now! Not stuck here doing chores!...but I guess no one else would be able to take care of them."

Sachiko leaves and proceeds back home. Kazuo stares into the sky searching, and slowly dazes off.

Kazuo (thinking): "Who am I? Is there nothing more than this for me?"

Its midday, he then falls asleep under the tree, losing all track of time and letting his mind wander off. He awakes to hear the screams of people in the distance, and looks to see shadowed figures pillaging and burning down his village. He runs to his house and finds it burning as well. Bursts the door open to find his mom with her body cut into pieces and surrounded by blood half way up the stairs.

Kazuo (thinking): "M-mom?..oh God…oh God no!"

Kazuo throws up and kneels down next to her remains in tears.

Kazuo (crying): "God why?!...Mom!"

He then hears a scream from the top floor, it's his brother.

Sachiko: "Kazuo help me!"

Kazuo: "Sachiko!"

Grunt: "No one can save you from my blade boy!"

Kazuo kicks the door open and smashes the demons face to the wall.

Kazuo: "Sachiko are you hurt!?"

Sachiko: "I'm fine now, but mom..she's she's de-"

A support beam crashes through the ceiling as the house begins to turn to ash.

Kazuo: "Come on we have to get out of here!"

The brothers then rush out of the house and notice a hooded figure standing in front of them. They can only see the piercing glow of his red eyes, and holding a scythe with a spine down the back of it.

Death: "Well well, look what we have here. It seems that someone has killed one of my men. I can't let this go without punishment. So as they say an eye for an eye."

Death lifts his scythe and walks over to kill the boys. Kazuo shields his brother behind him and runs towards death. But before he makes his run he turns around and talks to his younger brother.

Kazuo: "Sachiko, stay here and don't follow me and don't run, your big brother is gonna kick some ass."

Sachiko: "Kazuo I'm scared!"

Kazuo: "Don't be I'm going to protect you."

Kazuo runs towards death.

Death: "Oh please, you cannot lay a hand on me you mortal peasant."

Death smacks Kazuo to the ground and continues to make his way to Sachiko.

Sachiko: "Brother…brother help me!"

Sachiko backs up, very frightened, and then he stumbles. Death begins to lift his blade.

Sachiko: "Help me please brother! Protect me! Kazuo!"

Kazuo(thinking): "I can't get up…why can't I get up? I have to save Sachiko!get up!...Get up….Get up damn you! Get uuuu-!"

Death kills his younger brother without hesitation as Kazuo lies there in pain without being able to move. The only thing Sachiko saw with his last breathe was that glow from his eyes…and the overjoyed grin on his murderer.

Kazuo: "no…N-no..you couldn't..y-you didn't…NO! Y-you bastard! How could you!? How dare you! Damn you! Damn you! DAMN YOU!"

Red lightning reigns down from the heavens and strikes Kazuo as he cries out in a blood drunk rage after just witnessing his family's demise right before him.

Death: "So you have finally awakened, Prophet. Show me the power that I have waited so long for."

Kazuo flashes over to Death and strikes him with a fist full of lightning. Before Death can even react, he gets blown away. Kazuo walks over to his now dead brother and picks him up. He says nothing, only tears fill his heart. He proceeds to lay him down by the oak tree, then gets up and looks over toward where death flew.

Death: "Is that all you possess Prophet? You are of no threat to me and here I thought you might actually be somewhat of a challenge to get my hands on, but I still cannot allow you to live freely."

Death raises his blade, it eyes of the skull and the vertebrae channel a mystic green that flows into the blade itself. Death vanishes in an instant and reappears behind Kazuo, then slices him. The red shroud of lightning leaves his body and he is knocked out cold.

Death: "So even my blade wasn't enough to deeply pierce his body. No matter all the more according to plan."

Death lifts his scythe over his shoulder and walks away. Death calls upon a black flame and throws it behind him as he walks away. Death is summoning one of his men.

Death: "Overdose, take him to your lab."

A doctor with blood stained surgeon outfit appears from the flame.

Overdose: "Yes, Master, as you wish."

Death: "And keep this one alive."

Overdose: "Of course, my lord."

Death fades into the pitch black of night along with his soldiers.

Overdose: "Let's find out what makes you tick shall we?"

Overdose's face is covered in some red goggles and a surgical mask as he looks down at our hero's body. The appearance of a smile cannot be seen but the presence is there. The mad doctor picks up Kazuo over his shoulder. What does he have in store for our hero?