Aleris

Eurynomos wasn't much different than most boys his age. He was hard to control, curious, and always causing trouble. He drove his parents to insanity on a daily basis. He tormented his younger brother to no end. He was, for all outwards intents and purposes, a fourteen year old boy with fourteen year old problems.

There had always been one defining factor that separated him from the rest of the Almeddans.

He was dead.

Eurynomos didn't mind. He didn't know any different. The ghostly blue flesh that coated his bones had been that color his entire 'life'. He'd been born this way. Like thousands of other Corpirians, his parents were undone and he had inherited their unearthly traits.

The Rathis (known to Almeddans as the undone or blue-skins) were different from humans in only a few critical ways. The most obvious was the pallid color of their flesh. They didn't need regular food - instead, they took their nourishment from the life forces of others. And they, unlike living humans, lived perfectly fine in the wastelands that dominated the Almeddan world.

It was this last difference that had made his kind so common among the Corpirians. Given their ability to age and reproduce, the Rathis were able to expand their reaches into every corner of the Almeddan world, establishing the core of the House of Corporis. To Eurynomos, his condition was nothing to be surprised about. In fact, he was accepted and loved as much as any living creature could expect.

That love was tempered with impatience. Eurynomos, fearless and dangerous, was the type of child that could give parents nightmares. But even worse was the plight for his younger brother, Eioneus.

"RAAARGH!" Eurynomos howled, leaping out from behind the doorway to watch his younger brother scream. "Haha! Got you again! Have you no spine, brother?!"

Shaking, Eioneus scowled at Eurynomos. "That's not funny. How would you like it if I scared you? Hmm?"

Laughing, the elder brother shook his ghastly head. "You couldn't scare me if you tried. I don't know the meaning of fear!" He laughed again, then headed upstairs. "Dinner will be ready soon. They caught a Venefican today!"

"Good, I'm starving," the younger stated, his narrowed eyes still following Eurynomos as the boy headed upstairs.

--

Late that night, after Eurynomos had went to sleep, Eioneus grabbed the sheet from his bed. Grumbling to himself, the boy cut out a pair of holes for his eyes and covered himself in the sheet. Creeping out of his room and into the hallway, Eioneus glanced around. The stairway led to his right, heading downstairs. To his left, his brothers room waited.

"I'll show him the meaning of fear," Eioneus said to himself, snickering. Then he slinked into his brother's room and began howling like a ghost.

Eurynomos lept up, but it wasn't fear that Eioneus saw in his brother's eyes. It was.. something else. It was rage.

"NOT ANOTHER GHOST!" Eurynomos screamed fearlessly, lurching to his table to grab the dull sword his father had given him years before. Before Eioneus could even think to protest, his brother had swung the blade and struck a mortal blow in Eioneus' neck. Eurynomos stared defiantly at the 'ghost' even as his brother fell to his knees and died.

"This time, tell your ghost friends the message. Eurynomos doesn't get scared." Eurynomos tossed the sword down and headed back for his bed.

--

The next morning, when Eurynomos discovered he'd killed his brother and not some ghostly apparition, he begged with his parents for compassion. It was an accident! He hadn't known Eioneus was tricking him! It looked like a ghost! Eioneus was trying to scare him! But no matter what he said, the glassy look in his parents eyes reminded Eurynomos that he had committed the ultimate and unforgivable sin. He had become a kin-slayer.

When they said he had to leave, Eurynomos didn't question twice. The cold timbre of his father's voice sent chills in the child's heart. But it was an accident! He wanted to scream, yet he knew it would fall on deaf ears. His eyes low, Eurynomos headed out into the Corpirian city of C'udamos, for the first time in his life truly alone.

--

Loneliness wasn't something Eurynomos was willing to stand for too long. He knew this corner of the city of C'udamos like the back of his pale blue hand. His first goal was the most obvious - find some food and shelter. And he knew just where to go.

Old Man Hurethys was a retired Corpirian soldier who lived in a house near the river. Like many of the oldest Corpirians, he was a true skeleton, from the days of Xezvimhi's conquest in Elysium. He dressed himself heavily, clearly attempting to shield the fact of his unearthly state with layers of clothing, though the effect ultimately failed. What did show of the Corpirian's bones revealed intricate tattoos and runes carved into the greyed skeleton.

The ancient skeleton had seen his share of wars and oppression, but in spite of the hard edges of his petrified heart, Old Man Hurethys had a special friendship with Eurynomos. The skeleton had been kind enough to let Eurynomos feed on a spider when he was a mere child, and their relationship had grown more friendly as each year passed. It had become a ritual for Eurynomos to visit the old man on his way to studies, usually to get a treat from the skeleton. In exchange, Hurethys got some much needed companionship.

Today, Eurynomos knew Old Man Hurethys would be in his house. The skeleton rarely came out to his porch, except when he knew someone would be visiting. And with the grim reminder of his age and loneliness now a constant presence, Old Man Hurethys had no one to wait for except the young Rathis child.

The building was in a state of incredible disrepair. It was amazing it stood at all. Beams tilted menacingly towards the street, barely supporting the weight of a sagging roof. Holes and cracks in the ceiling offered a dismal glimpse into the shadowed interior of the skeleton's abode. The steps to the porch creaked and groaned dangerously, and Eurynomos held the railing to steady himself, being careful not to get splinters in his palm.

Raising his fist to knock on the door, Eurynomos was surprised when it swung open without provocation. Inside, the ghastly face of a skeleton grinned at him.

"Hurethys!" Eurynomos exclaimed, beaming. He reached out and embraced the moldy corpse.

"My boy," the skeleton croaked, pale blue orbs staring down at the young man. "You've no class today. I'm afraid I didn't catch any spiders. What are you doing here?"

"I.. nevermind the spiders. Can I come in? It was an accident.."

--

After explaining his problems to the ancient skeleton, Eurynomos got the sympathy, and help, he needed. He would be able to stay with Old Man Hurethys, in exchange for helping with repairs on the molded old building. But as the skeleton explained, considering the poor state of the building, Eurynomos might be better off starting anew with the empty lot next door. Either way, he had his share of work cut out for him.

That night, as he crawled into the musty mattress that Hurethys had rescued from a pile of books, Eurynomos dreamed of animals. Animals he'd never seen before.

He dreamed of tigers fighting spiders. He dreamed an eagle screamed and struck down the sun. His mind drew pictures of wolves hunting bears, of machines in chaotic landscapes, of gods weeping and laughing in merriment as the animals played their primal games.

Then he dreamed of his brother.

--