Resilience

Peace stood alone in an endless fog that stretched as far as the eye could see. A once beautiful world now reduced to ruins, marred by Torment. Her bare feet were obscured, but she stood firm and strong, rooted in place, for the dewy moss and grass beneath her kept her centered.

She waited.

It would be any moment now.

A long time ago, the creature known as Torment had made a wager with Peace, claiming superiority over her. It was easier for a soul to fall into Torment's nightmarish pits than it was to locate Peace in the seemingly endless fog.

Torment wagered that even if it released a soul from its clutches, it would be too broken to find its way to Peace, and would ultimately come crawling back in defeat, truly giving up the fight.

However, if Peace somehow won the bet, she was allowed to do as she pleased with the soul, and Torment would finally leave her lands.

Little did she know, Torment had already selected a particular soul, one that it felt would give it the winning edge. A truly vulnerable specimen.

Peace said nothing but accepted the challenge with a nod, All she had to do was wait.

And that is exactly what she did.

Time marched on, until one day, there came a sound. From far beyond the reaches of the gray expanse, in places where the light itself refused to touch, an unearthly wail pierced the air.

"Ah, finally..." Peace breathed with relief.

She had known that this time would come; How soon or how late it happened was of no concern; there was only the arrival that was of the utmost importance.

Another pitiful, pained cry echoed in the distance; then another, and another. Each one closer than the last, each one more anguished than before.

A horrid scent, an amalgamation of every filth imaginable, wafted over the expanse, just as a figure appeared on the horizon. Surrounded by the stench, a nearly skeletal frame pulled itself across the ground.

Peace waited with bated breath as the being continued its arduous journey across the plains, heading in her direction. What was once almost indistinguishable, aside from its shape, became clearer each time the figure pulled itself forward, whimpering as it went.

When at last they were no more than a few feet apart, the figure collapsed, unable to move.

For a moment, Peace took in the sight what lay before her. A long time ago, in the distant past... it had been a child. Sunken, void-like eyes stared up at Peace from behind a mess of hair so matted and filthy, there was no way to determine its shade. Thin skin, stretched over jutting bones, was riddled with thick patches of scar tissue, new and old, and littered with a thousand cuts. At first glance, the scars and cuts appeared to be just what they were; but Peace narrowed her eyes, and saw that they were people, moments, dates, and times that played themselves over and over again across the child's skin as if it were a moving picture screen.

Upon locking eyes with the broken soul before her, Peace, in her infinite perfection, nearly trembled. Still, she remained rooted to the spot in which she stood, and extended a hand in hopes of encouraging the child to come to her.

It whimpered and recoiled slightly.

"Shh..." Peace soothed, "You can do it. You've come so far little one."

Tears fell from the child's eyes, but within them burned a cautious hope.

"How do I know you're real?" It asked in a voice that was softer than a whisper, "I thought I'd found you before, but it was a lie every time. There were monsters behind the masks... I-I can't do this again. I don't want to be wrong."

This was a soul who feared to speak too loudly, and yet it still did.

Peace gave a sympathetic smile and knelt down to meet the child's gaze.

"Monsters come in many forms, and sometimes the worst ones are already inside us before we even know they're there..."

She paused for a moment, listening to the labored breathing of the tired creature before her. In its exhausted state, it had collapsed on its side, and air rattled in its chest with every breath. But through the bones and scars, and skin of its emaciated chest, Peace spotted the faint, red-orange glow of what used to be a fire, now reduced to nothing more than a dying ember.

A faint smile graced her lips.

"There's still life in you, my dear. You can make it. I know you're scared, but it's almost over."

The child said nothing for a moment but spoke at last.

"I've looked for you... for so long." It breathed, finding the strength to push itself up, leaning on its trembling arms, "I knew I needed you, but... I don't truly know who or what you are."

Peace replied, "I have many faces, and go by many names. To some I am known as Death, to others, I am called Serenity, and sometimes I am Enlightenment... But to you... Well, that's for you to decide isn't it?"

The child looked thoughtful, then asked, "Can you help me forget? Will it be like nothing ever happened?"

Peace shook her head.

"I can't make you forget, little one. There's purpose in remembering the past."

"Will I be strong?"

"My dear, you're already strong. Look at how far you've come, you're stronger than you'll ever know, and I am proud of you."

Moments passed in silence until at last a sigh of resignation escaped the chapped, bleeding lips of the tired little soul. Only then did Peace open her arms; At last the child crawled into her embrace and closed her eyes tightly, fearing the unknown of what may happen next.

Though she anticipated pain and cruelty, another monster behind a smiling porcelain mask, the child heard Peace, her voice a soothing whisper, say.

"From your scars, I give you armor, so that your light is never extinguished. From your memories, I give you wisdom, so that you may teach others..."

The little ember in the child's chest grew brighter, and a warm, comforting flame ignited within her.

Peace silently acknowledged this, and continued, "Your voice shall be a sword, to protect and defend. Remember to protect not only yourself but also those who truly need it, use it wisely, for blades are far sharper than you know."

The flames inside grew stronger, igniting flesh and bone, enveloping them both in comforting warmth. The child sighed in relief, and Peace spoke once more, holding her ever more tightly.

"Your eyes will be jewels, to see the beauty in all things. Your feet shall be that which tethers you to the earth, for from the earth you shall draw your every breath."

For the first time, light broke through the fog, and an inferno raged. At the center, the pair remained unbothered, content in the warmth around them, even as their forms began to disintegrate, turning into ash.

Still, Peace spoke.

"From our ashes, you will stand, and you shall wear them as your gown and though they may be charred, our bones shall be your crown. Walk with pride, with power, and with grace my dear, for I will always be within you. Never far, but always near."

The light became blinding, driving back the fog. As their bodies began to crumble, one final word was whispered.

"Rise."

In one final burst of smoke and flame, they were gone. Incinerated by the once dying ember within the child's tortured soul.

Time passed, how long or how little is of no concern, as time itself remained unbothered by the events that had taken place.

Ash fell like snow across the expanse, further building upon the mound that had once been the two figures. It piled higher, and higher until at last the ashes no longer fell, and a stillness took hold of the land.

From within the silence deep inside the pile of ash, there was movement; There was life, and it was eager to burst forth.

And so she rose.

Birthed like a goddess from the destruction and flames, Resilience allowed herself to stretch. The ashes of her past life fell around her like a gown, and atop her head rested a crown of charred and blackened bone, crafted from the remains of her former vessel.

She stepped forward, tall and proud, surveying her domain with eyes the color of fiery jewels. A flash of green caught her eye, and with her foot, she brushed aside some of the ash covering the ground.

She smiled at the tiny sprout of a tree that had made its way to the surface. The more she looked, the more she realized that life was returning to her world. She closed her eyes, and welcomed the change as trees and vegetation grew around her; rain began to fall, forming lakes and rivers, and the first rays of sunlight pierced through the clouds.

Within Resilience's own being, there was a presence. Though it was silent, it was never far beyond the reaches of her psyche, always watching.

Peace stood alone in the expanse of Resilience's mind. Her bare feet obscured by dew-covered vegetation. She stood firm and strong, rooted in place. The earth kept her grounded, and her mind stayed centered as she remained at her post like an old guard. From somewhere below the earth, banished to its prison, Torment shrieked in unbridled rage at the loss of its own game.

Peace could hear the angry thing thrashing about in its cell, but was unbothered. Her eyes were closed, her lips unmoving, but a proud smile briefly graced her features. She'd known the outcome from the very beginning. No matter how lost a soul believed themselves to be, she could be found so long as she was sought.

And only through her, could Resilience be born.