Elian sat at his desk, working a boring 9 to 5 job. It wasn't his dream job, nor a fulfilling one by far, but it paid well and most of the time he would just read books online. Sometimes he was jealous watching his colleagues; they were always busy and talking so passionately about their jobs. He hated his situation, yet he resigned to a fate of dull tasks that would pay for his even duller life.
It got to a point where he hated going home. What was he supposed to do there? Play video games? Watch movies and TV shows? Read books? He was bored of all of these things. He wanted something, but didn't know what.
He checked his phone, four more hours to go. More importantly, no notifications, nobody wanted to talk with him, and that was killing him even more, no friends, no lover, no nothing. What was he supposed to do, waste his life away? That would take forever, he was still young. He looked out the window, his blue eyes glancing over the green scenery. People always said to stop for a moment and take it all in, enjoy life, yet he never felt anything.
This emptiness... Something had to change.
The four remaining hours barely passed. He clocked out, said goodbye to everyone and headed out. He liked to walk on his way home whilst listening to loud music to drown his thoughts. The city was modern, skyscrapers towering all around him, reflecting the world's overall technological progress. New discoveries always made Elian feel like the world was slowly dying, it was always something artificial, robotic, set in virtual reality.
His thoughts were scattered when a big shock wave hit, knocking him down. He pulled his earphones out and covered his head, preparing for an earthquake. Only nothing else happened.
A few seconds later, Elian dared to breathe and open his eyes. He was still alive. After getting up, he looked around, only to find himself breathless. The dust began to settle down, revealing a giant who crashed nearby.
On the impact a huge crater was created, and everyone hurried to the site to get a better look, Elian among them.
And there he was, a majestic giant, his body made from ivory, breathing heavily. At a second glance, you could see cracks in his body that widened with every breath that he took.
Elian arrived near the crater, unaware of the danger he might be in, in awe of the scene in front of him. He didn't care that the giant could get up and kill everyone around him, this was the most exciting thing that happened in his entire life. He studied carefully the giant, observing the cracks in his skin, and also a deep red violent energy that seemed to radiate from the cracks and his eyes.
The giant groaned heavily, then looked at the people surrounding him with hatred in his gaze. His voice seemingly resounded throughout the city.
"Humans... I have given you everything, only to receive nothing in return. Disgusting, greedy little creatures, you shall live from now on with the knowledge that I died because of you. That through your sins and your hate, you killed your creator, your God. Do not rest on your laurels, the moment the cycle will be anew, I will plunge this world into eternal darkness."
His breath staggered, then roared loudly, filling the air with despair. A few seconds later, he collapsed on his back, lifeless.
Elian stood there in silence, not blinking, not breathing. This wasn't real, it couldn't be real. God couldn't be real, a living, palpable being. Even more, he couldn't die, he was almighty and omnipotent.
The very core of his beliefs was shaken, almost shattered. His mind was numb, and for some time he couldn't hear nor see what was happening around him. The air was heavy, the time stood still.
None of this made sense, yet the proof laid right in front of them, a talking proof at that. And he claimed that humanity killed him. He crashed from the heavenly skies to accuse them of this deed, to face his murderers.
That was the day that God died. The day that humans had to face the harsh truth, God was real and God lived no longer.
Elian dared to look around him - desperation, pain and danger were lingering in the air. He was afraid of what the future would bring, and rightfully so.
One year later
In the dead of the night a powerful bang woke Elian up. His body was tense from the scare, as the banging on his door continued. It was pitch black in the room, yet he didn't dare to turn on the lights. Understandably nervous, he got out his bed, fully clothed.
He approached the entrance door with light steps and looked through the peephole. In the split of a second he stiffened and didn't dare to breathe. A red eye was looking at him from the other side of the door.
"We know you are there, sinner." A hoarse voice whispered menacingly. "Open the door now to receive the judgement of Amelia and you may yet live to see the rise of our savior."
Elian started to step away from the door, he feared that this day will come. His mind was numb, he had to focus on the task at hand, running away from the Crimson Doves.
He let out a deep breath, grabbed a backpack and ran towards the window of his apartment to make a break for it. Luckily he was living on the first floor so this shouldn't hurt too much. Elian didn't dare to think, to breathe, to panic; he closed his eyes for a second, then jumped out the window, as the door behind him burst open and the doves rushed in.
A sharp pain pierced his ankle, prompting him to groan angrily, this will surely slow him down. After making sure that all his bones were in place, he limped away, chased by the voices from behind him.
He scurried through bushes, his eyes and ears focused as a cat's, pretty sure that he escaped the doves. With his back against the building, he turned around the corner, only to be hit in the face. His body hit the hard ground, as he was screaming in agony; he dared to look up through his fingers, the shock numbing his pain.
The Crimson Doves.
His mouth was dry, eyes burning from sweat. He thought he eluded them. Three tall men were standing on front of him, dressed in white robes, each adorned with a crimson dove. Their faces were emotionless, but their red eyes spoke volumes: heretic, sinner, judgement.
The hoarse voice spoke again.
"We arrived to bring you the merciful judgement of Amelia and you ran away, you, the murderer of God!" He started to shout frantically toward the end of his accusation.
"Murderer of God? I didn't kill anyone, this is just a reason for you to justify your crimes." Elian was surprised with how much composure he gave that response. He knew that nothing would save him at that point, so there was no reason for him to hold back.
He saw their expressions turn to anger, then a gas grenade dropped on front of them and detonated. They all started to cough aggressively, as Elian covered his mouth and crawled away from them.
A hand gripped his shoulder firmly and dragged him; he tried to fight it away with all his might, forgetting about the gas, then passed away.
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