The Grave of a God
Year 690, Ruins of Valenca, Whitemire
She knew it wasn't his time yet and regretted what she would have to do. But to kill a divine thing properly was a special task, and he needed to be consulted. Eigengrau took the time to walk the ruins first. She missed the Rozen Republica dearly, it had been her favourite human civilisation of this kalpa, and the ones that replaced it weren't any fun. Except for the one that was still yet to come. The Ashen Empire would be quite fun.
Even in these long overgrown ruins, she could see what her Apprentice saw in this city and sighed. The inevitability of growth and collapse in all mortal affairs tired her sometimes and she wished they could all be free of the cycle that trapped them, herself included.
"Thoughts for another time." She whispered, her voice lost on the wind that swept through the city.
Slowly she walked through the city gates, past overgrown fields, until she arrived at a secluded grove. The trees parted just enough for her to pass through, before stitching themselves back closed. None would disturb his slumber.
His body was perfectly preserved in the embrace of the tree, and he looked as if he might make up at any moment. Around his feet were many dozens of rose bushes, forming a protective barrier between him and the rest of the world. She gently placed her hand on his cheek and smiled wistfully.
"I am sorry o King, but I need your advice. Rested a thousand years you have, but it is still not enough." Eigengrau said softly.
The Raven King did not stir, but she heard his voice. It came from a primal place, and was not quite speech, but was at the same time.
"Oh Lady Death, a sight for sore eyes you are indeed. What can nature do for you?"
"I will get right to the point." Eigengrau said softly. "A divine... thing. Not a God, not one of our creations. How do I destroy it?"
"Show me, Lady Death. Show me this thing from your deepest nightmares."
Eigengrau knelt before the dead King, and held his head in her hands. She exhaled slowly, a freezing fog coming from her mouth.
"Feel the face of the unnatural in my breath, Raven King." Eigengrau whispered, as the fog enveloped him. "Show me its weakness."
The fog that poured from Eigengrau's lips shimmered like frost under moonlight. Soft, cold, and ancient. It wrapped around the King's sleeping face, coiling about like a snake. His eyes fluttered under his closed eyelids, and the grove fell silent.
The roses stiffened and stretched upwards, their thorns bristling toward the sky.
"The Harvester." He said, speaking at last from his lips. The voice was not melodic, but heavy with the weight of many years. With the weight of a God who had long secluded himself from the others, one who Eigengrau kept a secret from the others save Vordea for many kalpas. "Who wished it into being?"
"The necromancers, o King. A nightmare they told themselves became reality." Eigengrau whispered, watching him in anticipation. She gently placed her hand upon his, and he squeezed it lightly.
"Your... fan club." Even in his slumber, he managed a smirk. "It was dreamed into being, so it must be unimagined, forgotten in a place memories cannot reach."
Eigengrau regarded him quizzically. He always spoke vaguely, but this was a bit much. "So I must bury it."
He stirred slightly, the blackbirds nesting in his hair shifting and chirping uneasily. Frost gathered on Eigengrau as she waited for his answer.
"In a place even nature cannot go."
"In a place even change fears. I understand." Eigengrau finished, starting to get up. "I... miss you."
"Lady Death, you cannot have me. You know this." The voice was melancholy, as if wishing it could be different.
"I wish I could." Eigengrau placed a gentle kiss on his forehead.
"Lord Luck suits you well." He whispered softly, as if he was floating back into his dream.
"He does. But you were always my first choice."
"I remember..." The Raven King did not finish his sentence. He was back in his dreamless sleep, and the blackbirds chirped at Eigengrau as if telling her it was time to go.
"This universe will always be built on tragedy, no matter the time. No matter the place." Eigengrau said softly, before winking out of existence and leaving the King of Nature to his slumber.