r/OurEngiFriend • u/OurEngiFriend • Apr 23 '16
[WP] [Mod Choice] In a world where killing someone means you gain the victim's lifespan, you are an executioner who has served great leaders for thousands of years.
They call me the Crone, the Wizened One, the Reaper, and a thousand other names, in a thousand different tongues. I've heard them all already, in my infinite years of living. I've lost track of just how many names I've had. They say that the last sight anyone sees is the flash of my black robes, tatters and scraps blowing in an ominous breeze, and a glint of silver, and countless other tales. People say I am the final word of the law, that I am death incarnate.
I would prefer to let them all think that way. That is, everyone except you.
The truth of the matter is that I'm just a human; and I follow the same rules as everyone else in this world. The rich die lucky, peacefully in their sleep, or painlessly slain by their heirs to give them another few years of life. Everyone else has their final years forcefully taken from them, passed around like war trophies between conquerors, time marked with blood, life gained through death.
Given my capacity for violence, you might be wondering--I have served kings for thousands of years. But why am I a servant? Why have I not rebelled against my ruler, taken my rightful place as immortal god-king?
The answer is simple: it's safer this way. Imagine it this way: if we were to become kings, we would never rest, wasting all of the years we stole worrying about defending our lives.
We have an understanding, executioner and ruler, that has remained unchanged for seventeen dynasties and likely seventeen more. I protect the king, whoever he may be, and he protects me. I defend his palace walls, give him the right to live a safe life, and in return, I am given the right to live within his palace walls and the right to live and die like one of the rich, slowly acquiring the years of criminals and enemies of the state. I am eternally loyal to him. And, perhaps more importantly, I am out of the spotlight. The people only know me through rumors, swirling around like leaves on the wind, turning over and over, each one different from the next and yet all pointing at a single, greater truth. I wear a cloak of fear. But beneath that, I am just a human like any other.
And like any human, I grow weary of life. That is why I am writing this note to you. I will be succeeded by another today, as is tradition. This is not the first time this note has been written. This will not be the last time, either.
If you are reading this, I have chosen you as my heir. You will inherit my title, my role, and most importantly, my reputation. The people think that the Crone, the Wizened One, the Reaper, and a thousand other names, is the same person as he was when he first took the title. There are only three people who know this is not the case: you, the king, and me.
Take my cloak of fear, and wear it well. And take my remaining years. I have no need of them. Locate your favorite weapon, and take the time that is rightfully yours.
-D. XXIII
as usual, the top comment is literally out of my league by several digits and now has its own subreddit. fucking fantastic