Athens, Greece.

The Parthenon

1816.

IT WAS A BLEAK Winter morning in the city of Athens.

The air was frosty, the atmosphere foreboding. The gentle exhale of Mother Nature sighing whipped through the trees, ever so slightly impelling the leaves back and fourth. In the distance, the sun began to crawl its large yellow- orange head towards the skyline, making its ascent near the misty violet sky.

 With his back to the rising sun, a man stood alone. Head held high, with his body stiff, he took a sharp intake of breath. And when he did, he took in the earth. All sound in the world halted. Mother Nature's face took on a deep shade of lapis, causing the leaves and the trees to halt their near silent dance. The earth walkers, along with their abundance of creatures, froze on the spot. Moments of complete silence passed by, the nothingness in his ears being almost blissful to his rapidly beating heart. 

When the man exhaled, everything returned back to as it was. 

With disdain, he ground the heel of his bare foot into the earths tough soil, effectively creating a hole the size of a fist into the hard dirt. 

It was Christmas morning.

He and his brother had both decided that Christmas would be the best day for them to meet. But now, as he stood alone with nothing but time to contemplate his clearly shortsighted decisions, he could not understand why he would agree to such an offer.

In the letter he sent to his counterpart several months prior, he inquired of an appropriate place and time to meet- he even let his sibling decide, not fully feeling the need to map out every detail as he usually did this time around. His brother had sent back a response not even a day later, the message straight forward. They were to meet Christmas day, and, reluctantly, he had agreed. But now he could not fathom why.

Perhaps it was because this was made to be the holiest day of the year, and both he and his twin sibling- his younger brother, The Light, enjoyed the perspective of it being so? Or, because of some unusual reason, since this holiday was typically to be spent with family, some small shred of both of them wanted to spend it together?

As soon as that thought entered his head, he  dismissed it. They could both barely stand the sight of each other, and rarely could they ever manage to be near one another long enough to handle business before a fight broke out. Perhaps they both just believed that Christmas would give them some kind of unforeseeable strength to get through their meeting without trying to maul each other alive in the process... or something along the lines of that reasoning. Trying to find common ground on a mortal man's holiday was as far fetched as anything they'd ever done. 

The Brother of Darkness shook his head and chuckled. The all black wool mask he wore over his head muffled the sound of it, making it seem more like a strange cough rather than a laugh. He'd acquired the guise from a local pawnshop on his way here, nearly two days and three nights ago. It was shamefully practical, its main purpose to assist mortal men who worked outdoors all day during harsh weather to keep their faces protected. In a sense, it was keeping his face protected, too. The giant ball of light in the sky made the skin on his face burn. The mask helped keep him at bay to an extent, but not by much. 

The feel of the wool against the course skin on his face and his silky hair made him itch uncomfortably. It was more of a pest than an actual problem, but it still bothered him for the reason that it was yet another thing to be annoyed about today. He cursed himself for having not brought something from home like he usually did whenever travelling to the Sustainable Level.

However, upon waking up this morning, he felt uncharacteristically tense. The random woman laying naked on her stomach under the thin blanket they shared had left him feeling hollow. He took his time shrugging back into his underwear and pants, completely disregarding his shirt and his shoes. He tied his hair back and ran his hands over his face once before exiting the room. He didn't look back at the woman when he left. He didn't look back when he snapped his fingers, and felt the room shake before growing ice cold. He didn't look back when he knew she wasn't there any more.

On his en devour to their meeting place, He tried to shrug off his tension, and in an attempt to distract himself, focused on today's meeting. The Sustainable Level always made him feel unnerved and out of place. No creatures beyond the humans and the animals that inhabited this God awful level felt contented enough to stay here for more than a few nights, a week at the most if they had a high enough tolerance.

The Brother of Darkness reached into the pocket of his trousers and pulled out his pocket watch. One tick, two ticks, three ticks, lazily slid by before his temper grew short. He shoved it back into his pocket and gazed up at the sky with malice, the light from the early morning sun making his eyes tingle unpleasantly.

Late.

Of course his brother would be late. Although, whatever 'noble deed' he was doing that was keeping him this time was a mystery in itself. One would think that a person would show up on time to the most important meeting of both their lives. Especially since it only happened once every two hundred years. 

The Brother of Darkness huffed and continued to wait at the entrance of the Parthenon. Every so often, he would pull out his pocket watch and check the time. The more the time ticked by, the more aggravated he grew. He did not understand why he was still waiting around for his younger brother to arrive like an incompetent child. Why should he be the one who stood around like a lost dog waiting for its owner to return?

I am waiting because I am the one who wants this more, he reminded himself bitterly. I am waiting because I want to get this over with. That is why I wait.

Just as that thought finished, a large horse drawn carriage made its way into view and started to progress quickly up the steep path. Pulling it along were four inhumanely large snowy white horses, their enormous hooves clacking loudly against the stone pathway in an irritating way, manned by a portly man in a wool cap that greatly resembled the one on his own head, with an uncommonly large hawk shaped nose. They raised tufts of dirt in their wake, making loose pebbles and oddly placed blades of grass fly around behind them.

It was only when the carriage was standing directly in front of him did The Brother of Darkness move. With two languid steps, he approached the vehicle and snapped his long fingers roughly. A thick cloud of inky black smoke spouted from his fingertips and took on the shape of a thick serpent. With lightning quick speed, it shot out and wrapped itself around the handle of the large carriage door. He watched as it then began to grow other snakes from its original form, multiplying two at a time before they all began to take hold of the small carriage. Once there was nothing but the inky smoke snakes visible, it locked on to the carriage, patiently waiting for its next command from its master. With an immense amount of pleasure, The Brother of Darkness wrapped the smoke around his wrist, grabbed onto it tightly with his palm, and yanked his arm back until his elbow popped.

He watched with great satisfaction as the carriage almost willingly tilted over and smashed to the ground. The horses cried out and rose up on their hind legs in a panic, sufficiently knocking down the driver. He landed on the ground with a hard plunk and stayed down. The horses cried out one last time before disappearing in a blink of light, leaving the carriage all alone.

The Brother of Darkness then yanked his arm back again and twisted his body around in a three-sixty. The carriage flew to the sky,  shooting up, up, up- before his multiplying snakes battled after it, and taking hold of it once more. With a heave, he pulled the smoke back down, and at the last second, swung the vehicle towards the Parthenon. It crashed harshly onto the side of the building. The impact shook the whole structure a bit, scattering crushed chunks of marble onto the ground all around it. The man who had governed the horses gawked at him from below, deliciously mortified, before shaking his head and swiftly making the sign of the cross over his heart with his fat, dirty fingers.

Standing behind him, The Brother of Light laughed. It filled Kaos with a whole new level of rage.

The Brother of light took a moment to study his surroundings. He looked to the large pile of crumbled marble and broken wood that was once his carriage on the ground. With a smile, he gave his sibling a look. " It feels like your patience wears thin every time we meet."

Kaos did not respond.

The Brother of Light peered to the horizon. When he saw the sun, his eyes gleamed lovingly. He grinned at it, as if silently greeting an old friend whom he had not seen in a while, and turned away.

Kaos briefly wondered how it felt to pull energy from the sun... like some kind of plant-man. Since Kaos was made from the Dark, it was only natural for him to pull his strength and energy from the dark. It was what he thrived on- what he was meant to thrive on. The same concept applied to his brother, but where Kaos pulled his strength from the darkness, his sibling got it from the light. Or from things that held the feeling of goodness within them. Things such as happiness, love, rainbows, or anything pure.

Kaos received his energy from all things terrible and sinful. Sadness, despair, lust, death, destruction, and so on. It was the way of things. Personally, he couldn't understand how anyone would enjoy the sun. When it was at its peak in the sky, Kaos was always left stunned. It made his eyes twitch uncontrollably, his limbs sore, and his heart ache in an uncomfortable manner. He was unclear on how his younger brother felt when dealing with the dark, but he imagined that he experienced the same difficulties.

The Brother of Light stretched his back until his spine popped and cracked. He sighed loudly, the noise of being completely content, before looking his older brother in the eye with something along the line of happiness. The Brother of Darkness briefly wondered if it could be genuine before remembering who they both were and that, when it came to his brother, being genuine was only reserved for his precious mortal souls. That, and he knew that behind his brother's kind facade was nothing but hate for Kaos. He had hated him since the beginning of time, before anything or anyone else existed. He was the one person who made his heart fiery, and nothing in the universe could change that. After all, it was only the dark who drove the light away and vice versa each day and night. It was only natural for them to be enemies.

"Well, Never mind my crushed carriage. Merry meet to you, Kaos! And a very Merry Christmas," he said, delicately flashing his trademark smile. His teeth were blindingly white, the pale morning sky doing nothing to damage his eternal glow. He quickly reached into his trouser pocket and pulled out a neatly wrapped box about the size of the palm of his hand. The wrapping was simple, a strong metallic green that stood out boldly against a sharp crimson red bow. With a tad bit too much joy, he extended his hand out to his brother and wiggled his fingers, eagerly imploring Kaos to accept the gift. His brother looked almost child-like, his eyes wide and expectant.

The Brother of Darkness's brow wrinkled in confusion. "What be this?"

His smile widened. "Tis a gift, Kaos."

He scoffed.

"Balderdash. Do you take me for a fool? Tell me, brother, what gift might you possibly have to offer me?"

Surely he did not give him a real gift. It had to be a trick of some sort. He knew as well as anyone that his brother did not enjoy his company, and he did not mind one bit that he felt as such. He hated Kaos as sure as there were stars in the sky and leaves on the trees. He may be "kind" and "compassionate" and the many other forms of benevolence there may be, but to Kaos, he was the same person who always found a way to make his skin boil with hatred.

"Tis Christmas, is it not? And since we have found ourselves spending it together, I bear you an offering to which I selected myself." He again wiggled his fingers, urging Kaos to accept the gift presented to him. But Kaos did not accept it. Behind them, the man handling the horses began to silently say a prayer in Greek. His voice was raspy and unpleasant.

"And when did you happen to obtain such a gift? While you were out seeing the elephant? Or, perhaps, while you were lounging around in that opulent palace of yours shitting gold out of your prostate when you should have been here? On time, as I was, if I may add."

The Brother of Light laughed again. It bothered Kaos to no end how graceful and carefree it sounded. So... good. So pure. To hear such a dreadfully happy sound in his ears made him feel sick to his stomach. Nothing should sound so pleasant. With a shrug, his brother placed the gift back into his pocket and patted it with his hand. "You and I both know that I'm not one to see the elephant- that's more your style. Dangerous, thoughtless, boneheaded stunts like that are more up your alley. But, if you must know, I was on my way here when a rather peculiar thing happened."

He slowly began to make his way towards the Parthenon before he abruptly stopped and slapped his palm playfully against his forehead.

"Oh, where has my mind gone? Give me one moment."

The Brother of Light quickly turned his head and flashed his frightened acquaintance a smile. With a fluent tongue, he said to him in Greek: "You are free to go, kind sir. Thank you for your services."

He dug into his pocket and fished out a gold coin. With a flick, he tossed the currency to the man. It sailed perfectly through the air before it thumped against the man's fat stomach and landed softly on his lap. The man quickly shook his head, picked up the coin, and threw it back at The Light as if it had been poisoned.

"You are no angel!" The man wailed. "You are working with the devil. You are evil. You are not a true angel! You forsake God!"

The Brother of Lights smile slowly began to fade. A look of pure darkness and dislike for the man crossed his face for one moment, one glorious moment, before he reverted back to his smooth and easy going features. He paused and turned around fully to face the man, who was shaking so hard he looked fit to burst at any moment.

"My dear sir," he said calmly. "You poor, poor misguided man. I think your soft mind has gone quite muddled. I am your God."

And with that, he began to walk back towards their destination. Kaos thought those words to be not so holy and good of him to say, and pointed it out to his brother stiffly. However, his sibling waved it off like he did not understand what Kaos was talking about.

"I am nothing but holy and good, my brother."

"Those 'kind' words spoken to that poor mortal man seem to beg to differ," he argued.

Again, he waved it off. "It holds no importance as to how I spoke to him. I spoke the truth. The delivery may have been shaken, but the message was clear... Now, back to my story. Where was I...? Oh, yes!" he clapped his hands together joyfully. "The rather peculiar thing that happened. Well, I ran into a little orphan girl on the ride here. I quite literally ran into her, I'm afraid. She was a small thing, too. It was most tragic. I think that she was fancying to run away. She had a petite knapsack packed with what few things she owned; there was stale bread, and cheese that looked to be a few days old, quite a bricky little thing...Well, anyways, she died of course. A mortal cannot simply be ran over and not die, especially one as small as she was. It was terribly gruesome. Blood and guts everywhere."

He looked down at an invisible piece of lint on his pristine suit, which happened to be an immaculate color of white, before picking it up between two tightly pinched fingers, and flicking it to the ground. He then frowned down at himself before pressing his palms to his breast and running his palm flatly along his already straightened suit. It was as if he was imagining a speck of blood left behind from the child's accident.

"After the mess was cleaned, I escorted her to the Upper level," he continued softly. Koas noticed the glint in his eyes that his brother got when talking about one of his clean souls, one of the ones too pure for the earth. He could feel the sickly sweet taste of his brothers remorse for the girl on his tongue, icy hot and bothersome. However, Kaos knew that he was not sorry. Was he sorry that her life had ended so brutally, and no one would even notice her blunt disappearance off of the face of the earth? Perhaps. But what he was not sorry for was her life ending. He was proud of the soul he culled; so good and pure that it was almost angelic. He was not sorry that he had her. He was not sorry for what he had done to her, and he was not sorry that he had yet another soul to help him expand his army.

The army that he will build until it scraped the edges of the universe and combed the womb of all creation to defeat me.

Kaos could only imagine the joy his brother had felt to have claimed her soul. It was not often that he received an essence so cleansed of evil. He was almost certain that, buried beneath his repentance, The Brother of Light was incredibly pleased with himself.

"I was late due to how long it took to locate the nearest portal. And it didn't help that my colleague over there couldn't stop praying and crying for the mercy of God the whole way. He blamed the horses, and that it was because he could not see above them properly that he hit the orphan. Poor little doll."

Sympathy was Kaos's brother's specialty. He somehow never seemed to run out of sympathy.

Kaos smiled. "So you were busy waking the snakes, were you? I must say that I am surprised. And yes, poor little doll. What a shame that I did not... See her instead. I'm sure I'm in need of a new child to tend to my garden back home. She would have been of use."

"She would have been baking like French pastry had she gone with you. Baked and charred. She is safe, now. She will be loved forever with Us."

He understood who "Us" was. His brother and his unusual companions and other souls whom his brother saved and resided with him on the Upper level. They did not bear an evil bone in their bodies. They were almost as good and kind as he was, practically made in his image. All of them were terribly generous and good.

All of them made Kaos sick to his stomach.

"No matter what would have happened to her," he replied smoothly. "What I said was that I needed a new child for the garden. That is all."

The Brother of Light shook his head. "You are a truly evil man, Kaos. She was but a child."

"Tell me again once you think I can bear it in my heart to care."