[center]“The Elders say we had peace once. There was no fire in our heart, no room for hate. We were kind to one another, blissful in peace.  Then man turned against one another. Tribe against tribe, friend against friend, brother against brother. The devil awoke something in our hearts, something cruel. Our sins… They are our punishment, and I weep for my children’s children. For they will never know what it is like to have nothing but compassion.”[/center]
[right]-A Dead Man[/right]

He stood on a rise before a massive prairie, the thick green grass growing taller than him in several places. Beyond the prairie was cold capped mountains, so small to his eyes. Flowers upon flowers dotted the prairie grass in a myriad of bright colors. They seemed to glow when the light in the sky drifted to sleep. The hum of nature was here, birds and little insects buzzed about, living and growing. Off in the distance, a herd of Giant Elk grazed. Their massive antlers reflected golden rays from the light. It was beauty upon beauty.

Then why did he feel so wrong?

Shouldn’t this sight be enough to placate himself? To stop the whispers? He gripped his head, sobbing. He barely felt in control of his mind anymore and it was all for nothing. He dared not look behind him at the grass stained with red, littered with corpses. He couldn’t.
His path to vengeance had cost him everything, and he felt the curse boiling in his blood, whispering in his mind to continue. It was winning. 

It never should have come to this, but now everything was gone. His kinsmen were dead, slaughtered. His tribe was scattered, their home now burned. His family gone, murdered by the Raving.

It was all the Devil’s fault. She had cursed them to suffer, to hate one another. So, the man cursed her name out loud for the world to hear, for there was now no one left to listen. His thoughts drifted to the savior. Hayim was the only good God he knew, and that wasn’t saying much, for he only knew of three. But Hayim would come, he knew it, yes. Hayim would come and fix everything. He had to. He HAD to!

“Hayim! Please help me! Please!” he shouted.

The sky suddenly grew dark, black clouds appearing from nowhere. The entire world fell silent, there was not a sound to be heard, except his heart beating loudly in his chest. He managed to get to his knees, spear in hand. He was no longer sobbing, but instead, there was a growing fear. What was happening was not rational, and then there was a sound. A horrible ripping sound, and before him the world tore open. It revealed a mass of swirling red and dark, then from it emerged a woman clad in white. Her skin was pale, her body unblemished, and she was beautiful. Her black hair was long, and her eyes were of [i]amber[/i]. He fell to his knees, dropping the spear; the presence was too much to bare.

The woman smiled at him as she strode confidently forward, her hands outstretched. That was when she spoke to him, but her lips did not move. Her voice echoed in his mind, replacing the terrible whispers with words mysterious as she. Yet, he understood.

[color=red]“Thee hath called me upon this day.”[/color] She crouched, in front of his tear stained face, smiling pearly whites at him. Her soft hands took his gently as she spoke again, her gaze unwavering.

[color=red]“Speaketh not. I knoweth what pains thee. I knoweth what burns in thy heart. Thee has't so much agony, so much longing.”[/color] She paused, [color=red]“Mhmm, thee believeth in a false god. Hayim shall not cometh. F'r Hayim doest not careth about thee. Hayim nev'r didst… Thee has't nothing to feareth from Lady Anu. My lady wishes nothing but to help thee, to taketh hence thy anguish.”[/color]

The woman leaned in, her lips close to his ears. The man too stunned to react. [color=red]“Doth thee wisheth for revenge? Doth thee wisheth to mend the pain away? To break thy curse?”[/color] The woman pulled away, letting go of his hands and stood up.

He knew she was waiting for an answer, yet all she had said put doubt into his heart. He felt the curse pounding in his blood, willing him to kill. To kill her. But he couldn’t, he wouldn’t. Had Hayim never cared? Well… He never was around when they most needed him come to think of it. Perhaps the dev- Lady Anu could help him. But he had questions that needed answered before he made his conclusion.

So, he asked, his voice shaky, “W-why were we cursed to begin with? Why make us suffer for what we cannot control!” 

Her voice filtered back inside his head, [color=red]“Anu did desire a way to maketh thy kind regreteth sins. Only those inclin'd to doth harmeth onto oth'rs wouldst beest curs'd. As punishment f'r transgressions. The lady hast at each moment wished to help those who calleth upon h'r name, but few seldom doth. Anu now off'rs much to thee, so what is thy answ'r?”[/color]

And the man thought for a moment. He had nothing left to lose. His entire life was in shambles, and Hayim had abandoned him. The curse was setting in, the woman’s offer would save him, and he would have revenge. His doubt left him.

“I accept.” He whispered softly.

The woman smiled, then kissed his brow. 

[color=red]“Thee shalt beest great.”[/color]