The Very Beginning

Centuries ago in the heavily thorned, fluorescent forest of Alloehra, lay a house surrounded by darkness but shrouded in light. The house was built of over sized graham crackers, matted with icing and bombarded with every type of confectionery you could think of. The house constantly made confectioneries, but none were ever shared...

Inside the house lived a sweet Ol' witch who was very skilled in her line of work. She used many of her own recipes to make the sweets that engrossed her house in wonderful scents. However after realizing there was no one there beside her, no one to taste her creations, she started to grew crazy with loneliness.

She set out to find someone even though she knew her efforts were useless, she just wanted something to make that horrible feeling go away. She searched the forest, flinging herself every which way in a clumsy determined manner. She went on searching until she was exhausted, but in the end she couldn't find a living soul. Nearly giving up, waiting for time to take her she sank where she stopped with her head in her hands and sadness in her heart. By then she could only hope for a miracle.

The forest grew quiet...
...the air cold...
The witch felt as if someone was breathing on her neck, it was an uncomfortable heat. The breath drew away as a creature appeared before her with no expression across its small devilish face; it only stood, staring at her from a few feet away. It recognized her desire and immediately came close with a sharp toothed grin and outstretched arms. The witch was not in shock, she saw this creature as an escape, that something she was looking for. Looking at the creature with intent eyes she barely noticed its hands. "For me?" she asked, the creature gave a slow nod then dropped it in her hands and disappeared.

The witch blinked and scurried to collect herself but the creature was gone. She made her way home, to her study where she inspected the item she had just received. She stared at it for hours looking for an answer, but nothing. She began to get a bad feeling about the item. How could such an item be held but seem ti be fading away she asked herself. Wisps of dark matter poured out around it like a fog covering ground.

The witch gave up on herself she couldn't seem to find anything significant in the item after all. She became hopeless, the confectioneries she created since her meeting with the creature tasted horrid, looked displeasing, and smelled wretched. Her energy was spent on garbage but she didn't care anymore. She became weak finally letting go and allowing the forest to engulf her house in darkness. She closed her eyes for what she wished was the final time and relaxed.

However this forest had different plans for her...

*The triple eclipse had Alloehra dead center in its path awakening what the witch couldn't...

The witch woke the next morning unsatisfied she had even woken at all, her house was warped and a red light caught her eye. She looked to what caused the distress among her eyes to see the item she had received shattered on the floor. She gasped and frantically looked around her warped cottage looking for an answer. Her eyes widened as they set upon her window, she was sure it was morning but there was not a flick of light to be found.

-silence-
She stiffened at the unusual cry ringing in her ears. She quickly went to the shattered item on the floor and froze. She had figured out what the red light was that she saw and she was staring right into them. "Hello" she choked as the creature gave a crooked smile and jumped onto the table. It said not a word nor made any further noises but the witch realized she did not care, she finally had what she wished.

Everyday the two bustled in the kitchen making new treats together. The newest edition seemed to enjoy the witches work so much that the witch had to in turn make more batches than usual.

This went on for months until the witch could no longer meet the creatures demands even with extra help from her magic. It became engulfed in addiction swallowing all the sweets it could find, including the house. When everything was gone the creature turned to the witch and spoke…"wretched witch why have you not created anything for me to eat?"… With a whimper the witch replied, "You have eaten my home, my furniture, my livelihood how can I go on?" …the creature hissed with distaste "If you cannot go on then you are no longer any use to me!"

With its last bellow it lunged at the witch and tore her limb from limb watching her tears roll down as she cried in pain. It began to peel her skin like an orange until she was nothing but a mangled bloody mess. Taking its bloodied hand for the final time the creature pierces through her chest and rips out her soul. It floated there like a will o wisp unknowing of its duty. It said not a word as her soul and magic were swallowed through its big gaping hole of a mouth. She watched with blurred eyes as her very life was torn from her. The creature disintegrated into the darkness not looking back and disappeared, leaving her to die.

Years later the forest starts to exhibit signs of life, creatures of darkness start becoming the norm. and the beings that had come to inhabit the small non forested area have come to deal with those creatures.

However neither group liked the other and an on-going war ensued after the villages construction. Many lives lost to the creatures of the shadows and yet the villagers fought back. This was all until they found a way to deal with two undesirables.

None of the villagers liked either child they had chosen to sacrifice, calling them freaks and monsters. Thinking of a way to get rid of the children was their happiest moments since their existence. These orphans only had each other and their favorite candy in hand. There was no one who would miss them, a terrible thought that went through everyone's minds. Guilt.

They were sent out to the forest without a second thought. The two young boys held onto each other, faces hidden underneath their hoods. They walked deep into the forest following a voice that called them in. Reaching the dead center of the forest a shadow appears and comes to their side. One of the boys did not tremble but outstretched his hand in which his licorice was held, offering it to the creature before him. The creature stared as moments passed until a nasty grin ran across its face.

The creature's grin grew into a toothy smile and then a gaping hole as it attempted to swallow the boys. The eldest evaded the attack allowing the creature to pierce his brother and devour him. The boy stared at the mess with a horror stricken face.

"No..NO…NOOOOO!" The boy collapsed on the ground with his hands across his face and tears streaming down as the creature dragged its swaying body closer. "Please don't hurt me, no please stop don't come any closer!"

His cries ended.

The creature collapsed and faded into wisps. The boy looked up to an outstretched hand, it was so familiar to him. He instantly rose his head to look at whose hand it was and started crying again. He arose and wrapped his arms around his younger brother who he had just watched be devoured by what he could only call a nightmare.

The boy was overjoyed but his happiness did not last long before he felt a warm sensation run down his stomach; his brother's arm penetrated his chest. The older twin slipped from his brother's arms onto the ground into a pool of blood with a look of disbelief and sorrow.

"Why? … Why would you do that to me? How could you do such a thing…"

The boy looked from his dying brother to his arm then back down. His eyes shifted color and his conscious returned. He didn't remember doing that, he couldn't have done that. He fell to the ground and grabbed his brother sobbing.

"I'm sorry…
So sorry…
please don't leave me alone!"

The ghostly image of an old lady emerged from the thicket, thanked the boy for releasing her soul then apologized for taking on the burden she was once entrusted with. "I must warn you, if you do not devour it, it will once again devour you" She then placed her hand upon the dying boy and healed the wound.

"His wound is healed but it is too late to save his soul, I am sorry. I believe you too will find a way to overcome this...someday. Please receive this gift and create wonders… goodbye"

And with her final fading "goodbye" the witch was gone. The youngest quickly looked back towards his brother looking for signs of life but found nothing.