Winter of Souls
by Cynical Chaos
Author's note too all: I normally don't write these things for the admiration of the few who can read without the use of their fingers. Also, because I see the lot of you as under educated half wits, I rarely answer reviews. Those few who do endeavor to actually try to say something with more meaning than, " dude you rul" have my utmost respect and admiration. That said, only Big W has come close to saying anything that remotely resembles intelligence.
Don't own and all that, so don't bug me. Also don't own and am under no influence whatsoever of the "Sandman" series by Neil Gaimen.
A demon is the guise of flesh. A blood thirsty spirit inhabiting the corpse of a human. A mortal revived as immortal through his willpower and the beat of his heart. That said, if will alone can lengthen a man's life, than could it not also revive him? But does this really matter? To a man who has, at first, been given a second chance at life, does the means of his resurrection truly mean something to him? Or does he simply give in to his base urges to "relive" his life or to do as he pleases. This of course differs from individual to individual, but the results are often the same. Talk of free will is all very good, but little matters when the demands of one's body come first.
But enough of vampires and the undead. Resurrection does not necessarily mean that the revived is undead. "Even a man who is pure and says his prayers by night may become a wolf. When the wolf bane blooms and the autumn moon is bright..." Liches and vampires needn't be the only beings capable of rising from the grasps of death. In some places, a wolf is infinitely worse than a blood drinker. Blessed by the moon and cursed by a wolf's endless hate and rage, there are some things that go bump in the night that give even the strongest undead pause. After all, it's only silver that kills werewolves. All other forms of attack simply annoy them.
But where does this place man kind? In a world filled with creatures that can tear a human male apart with a moments thought, where does even the strongest of men stand? Can a man be stabbed with a stake of wood and live? If shot with silver, will he survive? Of course not, which is why it is men who created these cures for the plagues that destroy their livestock, kill their children and women and bring forth all manner of disease. It is man who rules the world of light and brings such light into the darkened places. But all men must remember. They must remember their feelings as children when the candle was snuffed out and the door closed and their world became eclipsed with all manner of unholy beasts of shadow and darkness. To forget such feelings is to forget the duty of all men, and to forget such a duty is die, cold and alone in the embrace of a creature that cares only for your blood or your flesh.
Remembrance is our duty and to that end, we show the world what happens in shadowed corners.
Big W: First off, you're still wrong and this is still all your fault. Second off, the titles I'm using aren't from any movie and if you haven't listened to Blind Guardian or Iced Earth or their compilation album, then you should. That's my title source. Sorry, but I'm not a movie buff, as music is much more interesting. So now lullaby cry scene for me. And finally, keep the constructive criticisms coming as well as whatever your insights are. I really value them and they're probably the only things that will get me writing.