Sanctuary

Chapter 1

Death was peaceful, calm, and tender.

There was no pain, no sorrow, no...anything.

I was sitting and standing, grounded and floating, conscious and sleeping all at once. I simply existed in a welcoming darkness. I finally felt complete.

It was as if my body had always yearned for this place – to feel this whole.

What had happened to get me here? I remembered screaming and crying. There was a feeling as though I had been betrayed and forgotten.

But the feelings and memories faded with each passing moment. It didn't matter now. Whatever had happened was beyond my time and no longer concerned me. I could finally rest. I just hoped my friends...

My friends.

Shit.

Where were they? Why was it just me here? Shouldn't there be some pearly gate? Don't we deserve that after all the hell we have been through already?

Then, even scarier thoughts began to hit – was it all faked? Am I not dead and merely in a cell deep within Sanctuary? Were we simply put through some sort of insane psychological torture?

The feeling of calm quickly faded into panic.

This couldn't be the afterlife. It was too artificial – it was as if I was being reprogrammed. My nerves, my mind, my heart, and my feelings even felt like everything was being undone, unwound, and redone. And how was I the only thing here?

In seconds, I went from feeling complete to torn apart. Fear started to settle in.

"Calm."

My panic faded instantly with the word.

It was a strange voice. Neither male nor female, it sounded kind but harsh all the same. It was soft and strong, powerful and beautiful. It sounded so, so familiar but also completely foreign. It was the best sound I had ever heard in my life.

"Who- who said that?" I shouted into the void.

"Fear is a dangerous obstacle to overcome, young Azrael. But, in just the right dosage, it can equally be a powerful weapon." The Voice spoke again. I felt the semblance of a hand on my shoulder. I tensed, but quickly peace washed over me once more.

"Who-who are you? Wh-what is this place? Where are my friends? What's happened to me? Am I dead?" The questions tumbled out of my mouth in a terrible case of word vomit. Still, the Voice understood as it quickly responded.

"You can call me Kadir. You have known me all your life, whether you knew it or not. This is Inbwee – a realm between the place of the living, Alwee, and the place of the dead, Kimenwee. Your friends have already passed on to the place of the dead. You were indeed killed; there is no question there. And you, too, have the option and opportunity to join your friends in Kimenwee."

I couldn't help but smile at that thought. The possibility of seeing my friends once more and resting with them. But, I had a nagging suspicion that this was not all Kadir wished to say.

"What do you mean 'option?'" I asked.

I could feel Kadir's smile. It was a strange sensation. "Young Azrael, I'm not pleased with how your story ended, nor am I pleased with Sanctuary. I have obtained the...special...opportunity to turn back time and give you and your friends a second chance to finish what you started. I can turn back time to three months before your and your friends' deaths. That is as far back as I can manage. I can let you keep your memories, but your friends...they cannot know."

Before I could even begin to question the offer, colorful cracks started to form in the void.

"What's going on?" I looked around me. The cracks were getting bigger and broader, spanning across, and lighting up the darkness in a brilliant display of colors. Other voices started to filter in from the cracks.

The voices were similar to Kadir's in that they were powerful, strong, soft, and smooth.

They were not, however, friendly. Their words were evidence of this.

"Kadir! You have broken Essence!" A voice boomed into the void. It seemed more powerful than the other voices.

What the hell was Essence?

A figure materialized in my vision - it was completely black, with no mouth, eyes, ears, or nose. It was a humanoid creature with two arms and two legs. However, sprouting from its head were two antlers, and if my eyes didn't deceive me, galaxies were rotating in those antlers.

I knew instantly this was Kadir.

"Answer me quick, Azrael. Do you accept this offer?" I looked around the void; through the cracks, I saw similar beings to Kadir, some much larger. I looked once more at Kadir.

Would it be worth it? Would it even be possible? Three months... that's all the time I would have.

But it would have to be enough.

"Already died once; what would one more time be?" I felt a hesitation like Kadir wanted to tell me something.

But before Kadir could speak, the Voice boomed again, "Come peacefully, Kadir, and there won't be any problems."

"Are you sure you accept Azrael?" Kadir asked.

"Yes, but may I ask why you are being hunted? And what is Essence?" I felt the smile once more.

"Don't worry. I will answer your questions in due time. Touch your hand to my forehead. That will take you back to Alwee, three months ago in time. I'm sorry I could not speak to you longer, but as you can tell, I have to run."

I nodded my head. I was probably going to regret all of this. And I was probably going to end up dead once more. But what the hell, who wouldn't take a chance like this.

I reached my hand to Kadir's head and placed my fingers on its forehead.