Clash of the Gods and Mortals

Simply, another calm day, though there were sprinkling showers, the sunlight had returned, just as it did every day. Earth was normal as it could be, there was never a problem, just the simple procedure, sunlight, evaporation, rain. Towns and cities bustled, and humans were going about their daily lives, getting to work and leaving home for other occasional purposes.

Deep in a park, surrounded by trees, the wind blew serenely, pushing the lakewater neaby gently, affecting whatever effect the moon itself had placed upon the disturbed water ages before. The trees swayed, bending back and forth like flowers upon a long field. The whole park itself seemed to have a warm glow to itself, a simple, yet very calm to it's own being.

Todd and Johanna was roaming amoungst the trees. "Todd, where are we going?" Johanna asked. Todd answered, "Well to be honest...I'm lost."

"Can't we just "walk" home?" Johanna questioned. Todd replied, a bit quickly, "No! I promised you I'd show you around the multiverse."

Then all of a sudden the sprinkling showers became down pour. "Well crap." sighed Todd. As soon as he said that, a lightning bolt hits a tree nearby.

The rain became a greater downpour by the minute, as more lightning bolts struck but missed trees, and as each flash of light blinded the duo, the believed they saw a looming shadow, hiding in the nearby trees. A feeling as if someone was watching the duo became quite palpable, even with the great receding rains, it was inevitable.

Johanna shivered, feeling the presence of an invisible force. "Todd. Can we get out of the rain?" Todd, shivering, answered, "Yeah, let's find shelter." The duo ran through the forest and rain. After a half hour, the two found a small cave.

"There." Todd said, leading her to the cave. After they made a fire Johanna asked, "Todd? I-I feel a presence. D-do you?" Todd nodded, acknowledging the fact something was waiting, watching them. "Yeah, my magic sensing power is actually going nuts right now."

Amidst the rain, the presence was indeed, still there. And though the rain seemed to blot it out, it only took moments as the duo to find out what it was. As lightning flashed a second time, followed by thunder, a raven came down from the sky at the mouth of the cave.

It cawed, staring at both Johanna and Todd, craning it's neck to the side so as to see if it could get a better look at the two. Once more, it cawed, louder though, and it hopped it's way into the cave, moving closer to inspect the twosome with it's beady golden eyes.

The two just sorta looked at the bird. "What the..." Johanna took out some food from her bag and offered a cracker to the bird. Todd then asked, "Is it really a good idea to feed a wild animal?" Johanna shrugged, "Is it really a good idea to travel across universes and fight demons and gods that could kill you in a milliseconds?"

"...Toche."

It stared at her outstretched hand, the cracker in place, then to their faces. And cawed once more, a black aura began to emante from the bird, wisps of dark energy bounding off the tiny animal. It cawed once more before becoming pitch black.

As a result, it began to grow taking into another form, growing into a rather tall man, whose eyes were a piercing gold, and ebony hair as dark as ever. The being many knew as Corvus, a ruthless killer who would slaughter anyone he saw.

Todd's fists lit up with magic energy. "Corvus," Todd shouted, "What the hell are you doing here?"

Corvus stared at Todd's magic-filled hand, "I have many reasons to be here." He simply answered, his golden eyes gleaming in the surrounding darkness of the cave, "My question is what is your purpose here, you do not need to be here now, and from earlier insight, you were simply 'showing her around the universe.' It's not always the best decision to run around, excavating anywhere you desire."

Todd simply shrugged his shoulders, answering calmly, "Well I have to unwind sometimes. World Walking helps a little. And I never seem to bring Johanna with me unless we're about to get killed by something."

Johanna then asked, "Wait, you were spying on us?"

"I've been watching you for quite a while, running from the rain, trying to find this cave." Corvus answered. It was a simple sentence, though signifying that he had indeed been following them for quite a while, and watching them from afar.

Todd, slightly disturbed by the implications, questioned, "Why have you been following us?"

"Perhaps on a whim. Maybe I decided just to do so." Corvus explained, the golden eyes still gleaming, behind a flash of lightning occurs, "But there is no point in questioning why, and I believe that inquiring as of now would prove fruitless to yourselves."

Todd stood up, and helped Johanna up. "Well Corvus this has been fun," Todd remarked sarcastically, "But I think we' better get going now." Todd and Johanna turned around to walk deeper into the cave so they could "walk" home.

"I advise you don't go that way." Corvus cryptically suggested, "You may find yourself in a predicament you would not desire."

The duo stopped walking. Johanna looked over her shoulder and asked, "Like what?"

Corvus did not answer, he just stared at Johanna and Todd, silent and strange, as he's always been, but he spoke just a little more, "Be careful, if you head too far in."

Todd, now that the idea occured to him questioned, "How do you have so much...access to this knowledge. When we fought against you and Elliot, you always seemed to have an answer, an accurate prediction. Only once, once did we ever outsmart you and it was just Johanna tackling you...no offense Johanna."

"None taken."

"Because... I did not expect her to randomly perform such a feat, one I will not be taken surprise by again." Corvus answered, "I know a great many things. Such occurances that have passed, knowledge is bound by one's own mental awareness. Don't judge others based upon preconceptions, and knowledge with awareness are vague, everyone lives in their own bubble of subjection of interpretation." Corvus turned around, taking a few steps out of the mouth of the cave, the rain falling upon his black cloak, "I know much, but knowledge is not all that is required. Not with vague interpretations can we best life, and further our own goals and sacrifices."

Todd and Johanna stayed in the cave for a while, waiting for Corvus to be out of earshot. "Should we follow him?" asked Johanna. "No, we have to go home. I don't care what Corvus says, if something is wrong at home I have to be there." Johanna took his hand and the two "walked" on home.

Upon arrival, the land had appeared to have been crystallized, there was little of what the land looked like from before left, the sky appeared to have become a dark pink, and the addition of crystallized clouds, floating above the horizon.

It was simply as if the whole place itself had gone through a change in dressing. Only with large crystals and sheets of crystal upon the ground. Todd looked around as Johanna said what was on both their minds, "What...the...hell?"

Todd licked his lips and asked, "Think we can go back and ask Corvus what the hell happened?" Johanna replied, "We can try..."

"I don't think that will be needed. Hm..." A voice spoke aloud to the twosome. The duo was frozen for a moment. They both knew of two possible out comes. Turn around and get answers, or turn around and get killed. "Er, Todd? Is this a situation where we turn around, or one where we run like hell?"

Todd answered, "You run, I turn around." Todd turned around to confront the voice.

He was met face to face with a long, blond-haired individual, which covered his right golden colored eye, the left being visible, with a blue cloak. "Well, what do you know, another pair shows up from nowhere. Hm..." In his left hand, there was a crystal orb, being thrown barely above then plopped back down into his hand.

Todd caught Johanna's shoulder and asked the man, "Who are you?"

Chapter 1: The Brother
"I'm not really anyone special. I guess you could say I'm quite an artist. Like my mother. Hm..." The self-proclaimed artist spoke, "And what are you doing here? I thought I crystallized everyone here, yet, you two show up." Todd snapped, "You did this?! As for why I'm here...this is my freakin' home! What's your name?"

"Why should I disclose that to you?" Questioned the newcomer, the destructor of Todd's home, "Where do you think you'd get the satisfaction of learning such a trivial fact? To get revenge and kill me? And then stain my name upon some wall?"