Death's Immaculate Kitchen
June 1st, 2050
2:30 A.M.
"And so, our retelling of the grandest underworld tale shall begin shortly!" proclaims a wizened elderly man clothed in a spotless white apron and large, puffy, chef's hat. I groan outwardly at this wizened man whose infamy precedes him: the inhuman figure known as Death. I must admit that I am not the most skilled narrator, yet Death is most admittedly the worst cook I have ever laid eyes on in the underworld. He is certainly going to burn that bread until it becomes charcoal. Then, he'll definitely force me to choke down the entire loaf.
"While we wait for my delectable newt's tail loaf to bake, why don't we introduce the characters, no?" muses Death as he puts the pan into the oven on the 10,000-degree setting.
I shudder outwardly as Death silently chucks twenty or so file folders at me. These files contain the necessary resources for my informative novel that shall shed light on the mysterious Phantasmal Realm- if I ever complete it. I figure I should include these pertinent details in my story before I succumb to Death's newt's tail loaf.
The Lands
The underworld consists of three main continents: The Shadowed Realm, The Bright Realm and the Phantasmal Realm. Each continent is ruled by a different entity: Satan rules over the Shadowed Realm, the Masked Angel rules over the Bright Realm, and Death rules over the Phantasmal Realm. This story takes place primarily in the Phantasmal Realm: a craggy continent roughly carved into a heart shape. The earthquake-born cracks and jagged mountain edges give the heart a forlorn and damaged appearance. Lava from the Molten Meadows blackens the farthest edges of the heart, but seeps out of the center of the heart in hemorrhaging streams of red. The Phantasmal Realm contains thirty separate countries. This story takes place in the Phantom Lands, formerly known as Blaze (the country of fire). The Phantom Lands (which make up the top left curve of the continent's heart shape) consist of five regions: The Molten Lava Pools, Arachnid's Bend, Death's Door, Phantasmal City, and The Hallway of Intersecting Portals.
The Characters
The Narrator: Death's most humble and anonymous servant. No one, aside from Death, is capable of glimpsing this handsome man and hearing his most humorous jokes. Death and the narrator are rumored to have a rather intimate and unyielding relationship.
Theresa: Theresa is the main protagonist of this tale. She is abnormally short and small, yet fierce. Her origins and familial background remain a mystery. However, she struck a deal with Death and now serves under him. She is considered an Anomaly (see hierarchy below) and runs a taxi business in the underworld.
The Disembodied Head: Not much is known about this character. Some speculate that he was always like that. However, there are too-loud whispers in the underworld that claim Theresa may have murdered the poor fellow. The two must have known each other for at least one hundred years. Rumors abound that Theresa and the Disembodied Head were once lovers.
Typhon: Typhon is the foolish and reckless son of Death. His father named him after a menacing serpentine monster of Greek origins. This "mythical Typhon" was cast aside in the underworld for his brutality and was the son of Tartarus. It is rumored that Death's son, Typhon, was a lowly ragged creature thrown into the deepest fiery pits of the Molten Meadows as an infant. Death scooped him up, bottle-fed him human blood, and raised him as his own.
Death: Death is most certainly a humorous bard and talented cook. He oversees the Phantasmal Realm and manages its political, social, and economic spheres. Death stands as the judge, jury, and executioner in any notable case in the Phantasmal Realm. His expertise lies in population control. His greatest weakness is his inability to empathize with his subjects.
🤔 Thinking Face: This character is a member of Death's posse. They wear a mask and tend to Death's paperwork.
🤪 Zany Face: This character is a member of Death's posse. They wear a mask and entertain Death.
😒 Unamused Face: This character is a member of Death's posse. They wear a mask and restrain Death when necessary.
😏 Smirking Face: This character is a member of Death's posse. They wear a mask and construct jokes for Death when necessary.
😔 Pensive Face: This character is a member of Death's posse. They wear a mask and tend to Death's educational needs.
🥴 Woozy Face: This character is a member of Death's posse. They wear a mask and serve as Death's bodyguard.
🙃 Upside-Down Face: This character is a member of Death's posse. They wear a mask and can construct illusions to protect Death, if necessary.
The Ghoul Gang: The Ghoul Gang is a group of fifty female ghouls who disagree with Death's ideals and who conspire against Death.
The Phantom Realm Species Hierarchy
1. Death, Himself: Death reigns supreme over the Phantasmal Realm. He is immortal and constructed the Phantasmal Realm as a safe-haven for Anomalies.
2. Death's Son: Death's son, Typhon, has imbibed the power of thousands of demons and has absorbed a chunk of Death's abilities through physical contact. He is second in command to Death and the only power he lacks is control over the phantasmal foot soldiers (Death's army). Theresa refers to him as The Skull-Masked Man and the guy with the mohawk.
3. Death's Posse: As servants to Death, this group can substantially influence Death's decisions. However, they do not reside close enough to Death to absorb his power.
4. The Anomalies: A mysterious clan of beings who live for a minimum of 300 years and are built to resemble giants. They are often lithe and graceful, but not nearly as sentimental as humans. There are records of at least 100 distinct types of Anomalies.
5. The Commons: The Commons are as graceful and athletic as Anomalies, but are shorter and have the same proportions as humans. Commons typically do not acquire special abilities, but live approximately 200 years. They come from less-noble bloodlines than Anomalies.
6. The Fantastics: The Fantastics include organisms such as faeries, ghouls, and vampires. Death loathes these creatures and enjoys torturing them.
7. Humans: Death despises humans even more so than the Fantastics. He occasionally allows the Fantastics to live, but disposes of all humans he comes across. Other continents will house the human refugees, but Death refuses to do so. However, some humans still desperately hide in the dankest corners of the Phantasmal Realm.
YOU ARE READING
The Swift Anomaly
Fantasy" 'The common fallacy in thinking is that there is only one correct way to crash a car without harming yourself or the surrounding areas. It is true that we must consider the terrain and avoid a rollover crash, but it is far more complicated than th...
