Born from Chaos Prologue

This is how the feud began. And how good and bad came to be.

There is an old tale of brothers.

Perhaps not brothers of blood, but, nevertheless, there were a tale of brothers.

Grim and Necro.

The two had always possessed strange abilities, although no one knew for what. They worked in the wheat fields of a world unlike yours. It was Grim's job to cut away at the wheat with a scythe while Necro dug and churned the earth.

There was a girl. No one remembers her name, which she was, or how she came to know the brothers. But in the end, both boys fell in love with her. And, on the day that both he and she were of age, Grim asked the woman to marry him. The woman accepted for she loved Grim - only, she was oblivious to the fact that the younger boy, Necro, was left riddled with heartbreak and jealousy.

On the night of the wedding celebration, as family and friends filled the large barn within the wedding ceremony was being held; as the bride walked down the aisle, beautiful and pure in a long white gown; as she smiled brightly at the man waiting for her at the end; as the younger brother looked up to Grim next to him. His smile broad and eyes filled with awe - as the couple was mere steps away from each other, Necro finally snapped.

They say that in Necro's blinding jealousy and hatred for his brother, the strange abilities that he possessed finally revealed themselves.

The earth trembled, and an almighty roar echoed across the Nethers as things began to crawl from the ground. Attendants screamed and fled as the creatures hauled themselves out of the soil, rotting and foul. People and animals alike ran into the trees, seeking refuge in the forest that lined the farm.

The corpse-like beings that had clawed from the ground had begun to rally before Necro. 

"Kill them all," Necro cooed, nodding.

He looked at his brother and his bride, pointing.

"But not these two."

And so they did. Before Grim or the woman could even muster a cry of defiance, the soldiers spread over the farm like a plague. Every last one of the attendants was chased down, and the monsters came upon them in a sickening fury of teeth, talons and god-like strength. Children, elders, husbands and wives, dotted the fields and the crops in halos of blood.

The monsters returned, blood drenching their bodies and fleshy chunks of meat sticking in the few, but razor teeth they had and lined up before the younger boy once more.

Necro gave his next command.

"Hold him," the boy pointed to Grim and, although he fought, it was to no avail. The soldiers pushed Grim down until he was on his knees, holding him there, under the same arch he stood only moments ago, waiting to be married.

Necro smiled and beckoned to the woman.

"Come".

When she didn't move, Necro took her by the arms and, despite the punches and the kicks that came at him as the woman fought against his grasp, he dragged her into the center of the aisle in front of Grim.

Necro ignored the woman's curses, took her by the chin and lifted her head up as he spoke.

"Why would you do this? Why would you tear us apart like this? Why would you choose?"

The woman narrowed her eyes, "I don't know what you're talking about-

"Don't lie to me," Necro spat.

"You know. You've always known. And you did this," He gestured to the massacre surrounding them.

The woman stared at him silently, tears raining down her face.

"You ripped my brother and me apart. You always knew we felt the same way, and still, you chose. And even more, you chose him over me. Why? Was I not kind enough? Smart enough? Funny enough? Did I not work hard enough? Did I not go out of my way every year on your name day to get you exactly what you wanted? Why did you still choose him over me?"

When she didn't speak, Necro dug his fingers into her cheeks, and she finally spat, "You are a monster!-“

Necro calmly shook his head, "That's not what I asked."

She glared at him, and the tears cascaded down her face.

"There was always a darkness within you, Necro. Always, I could see an unsteadiness, an unkindness about you. You were dark, and that was unsettling. There was always a feeling of wrongness about you and, after tonight, I can see what it's done to you."

Necro looked down at her, "Is that why you didn't choose me? I scare you?"

The woman nodded and looked at the boy sadly, "Necro, I have never loved you-“

Necro pulled back abruptly, "I'm sorry, excuse m-“

Grim shouted from behind them both, "Necro!-“

The younger brother held up a hand, dismissively, not taking his eyes from the woman.

"I'm sorry, dear, but do you want to die? Did you not just bear witness to what just happened? Did you not just see what I am capable of doing? Angering me is not something I would encourage you to do if you wish to remain alive."

"Necro, please, stop this!" Grim shouted, again.

The woman narrowed her eyes at the boy looming above her, smiling at him incredulously.

"You just killed my family. You just slaughtered my parents, my sisters, my nieces and nephews. I don't quite care if what I'm saying angers you. So hear me when I say this Necro," the woman began to rise, her voice growing louder, "I have never loved you. No one will ever love you! You have become a monster. You will be hated and hunted for the rest of your life!"

Necro laughed, "You foolish, foolish woman-“

"You will die a lonely man, and I hope that loneliness tortures you, drives you insane, and reminds you forever of what you have done. And, I hope you live a long, lonely life so I'll have the satisfaction of knowing you have suffered. I hope this loneliness gives you hell."

As the last words left the woman's lips, Necro wrapped his hand around her throat and squeezed - his smile gone.

"Necro!" Grim yelled, trying to lunge out of the soldiers' grip.

The younger boy ignored him. The group of soldiers before Necro, parallel to Grim were clashing their teeth in unison, creating a chorus of click, click, and clicks.

Necro looked down unto the woman sweetly as Grim shouted behind them.

"Now that's where you are wrong, my love. Nothing will give me hell; I'll bring it."

With that, he threw the woman down the aisle into the waiting arms of his soldiers. Screams filled the barn, accompanied by the sounds of tearing flesh, jeering monsters and talons reaping across bone. Blood seeped into the white carpet that had been laid down the aisle and, soon, the screams of the woman ceased, leaving only Grim.

Grim screamed. The man screamed loud and long until his lungs were burnt and eyes turned red from burst blood vessels. He screamed, and Necro just smiled as he made his big brother watch the only woman he ever loved, be torn apart.

In that second, the world seemed to slow. As if everything was moving through thick, syrupy and only Grim was there. He pushed the monsters off of his shoulders and stood. As the room hung frozen, Grim reached outside the window and grabbed his farming scythe - the same tool he'd used in work alongside Necro - and as his hand made contact with the wooden handle, it changed. The handle turned from faded, water-swollen wood to a bright black metal. The blade grew longer, thicker, more curved. It morphed into a deadly, dark silver blade that reflected the moon like a mirror.

Necro glowed with a strange red power, his eyes still suspended on the cluster of soldiers over the woman. Grim made his way toward him, cutting down every rotting creature that stood in his path. One after the other, at the faintest slash of Grim's blade, the soldiers burst into dust. Murderous power rolled from Grim as grief and rage consumed him, it flicked and swirled around him in dark tendrils, like mist.

The world snapped back. As Necro turned around to face Grim - whom he expected to be still contained - the blade of Grim's scythe cut down his face in a bone-deep gash, tearing through Necro's left eye. The younger boy howled and stumbled back, tripping in the pews. Grim advanced to the group of undead, crouched around the woman's dead, disemboweled body. The creatures watched him with dumb expressions, staring at him with white-orb eyes.

Grim let the staff swing in his hand and as he did, arching towards one of them, destined to bury into the creature's temple and brain. In the same moment, Grim was shoved from behind as Necro rose and barreled into him.

The wounded soldier tried to scream through broken and shriveled windpipes, making a weak whistle sound. Just as Grim spun around to face his brother, Necro, with blood gushing from his face, smashed the older boy over the head with a long, pulled floorboard.

Grim stumbled forward, vision turning black and, those few seconds were enough for his rage to peak. The dark tendrils of power that flicked and rolled off of his bodice now zapped about him like lightening. The scythe he held in his hand burnt into his palm like a hot poker.

He could feel Necro's power behind him, warming his back as if he were standing too close to fire. Grim roared and spun around, raising his scythe - ready to cut his brother down. Necro did the same with the plank of wood.

The world slowed again. As both weapons clashed, all went silent. It seemed as if the world had sucked in a huge gasp, and, when they touched, blew it all back out again in a roaring explosion. There was a blinding light and a deafening boom. Both boys were blown off their feet and thrown away from each other.

Grim landed flat on his back, winded and looking up at the black curtain of the night sky, no longer under the cover of the barn's roof. Where was the barn? Where were all the trees? As Grim stood, he found his answer.

The earth in front of him dipped into a giant-smoldering crater. The trees that had once surrounded the barn were now nothing more than piles of ash. The barn - well, what remained of it - stood in the center of the burning black dig-out, and consisted of nothing more than a few chunks of charcoaled wood and the, now sizzling and melted, metal arch in which he was supposed to be standing under with his bride. But, his poor wife, along with his brother and his soldiers, were nowhere to be seen.

For a long time, Grim stood there. And for a long time after that, he sat back down and cried. More than the man had in a long time.

With swollen, teary eyes, Grim looked down at his hands. Both had been scorched and were now blistering. The scythe.

Grim scanned the glowing scene for something shiny and metallic. When he found nothing, he turned around to see his scythe buried half-deep in the ground like some strange Excalibur, its blade reflecting the moon's ray.

The long blade jagged in parts and serrated in beautiful patterns in others. A large pointed hook curved out of the back. As he pulled it from the ground and held it in his hands, he knew that he had power. He was aware that he would never stop until he had destroyed Necro. And so was born Grim the Reaper and Necro the Necromancer.