The forest eventually faded behind them as Death guided Erik across the folds of existence once more. Reality rippled around them, bending to her will, until the living world dissolved into shimmering strands of light.
Without ceremony or warning, the light parted.
And they stepped onto a planet that had never known life.
Erik blinked at the sudden shift. The air, if it could even be called that, was thin and still. The sky was colorless, a pale gray canvas with no clouds, no wind, no movement. The ground beneath them was rough and barren, made of cracked stone and dust.
A dead world.
A forgotten world.
A world that existed only because the universe needed something to fill this stretch of space.
Erik slowly scanned the empty terrain, his voice soft. "…There's nothing here."
"Not all worlds are born equal," Death replied gently. "Some start cold and quiet. Some will never know life at all."
He crouched, running his fingers across the dry ground. It didn't crumble. It didn't react. It simply existed because nothing had ever told it to do more.
Erik looked up. "Why bring me here?"
Death smiled softly, folding her hands behind her back as she walked ahead. "Because I wanted to show you something special."
She turned to him.
"A world waiting for a spark."
Erik's breath caught. "A spark?"
"Yes." She nodded toward him gently. "Your spark."
He stared at her, stunned. "You want me to…?"
Her eyes softened. "Erik, you were born from the sound that helped shape creation. Life responds to music, to rhythm, to vibration. It always has."
She stepped closer, her presence warm despite the cold lifeless air. "This world is empty. But emptiness is simply a canvas. And you…" She tapped his chest lightly with one finger.
"You are a brush the universe has never forgotten."
Erik swallowed.
He wasn't afraid.
But he was unsure.
"What if I do too much?"
"Then I will temper it," she promised. "You won't be alone in this."
He let out a long, slow breath. "And if I fail?"
Death smiled, kindly, confidently. "Then we try again. Creation is patient."
He looked down at his hands.
Hands that had spent eternity shaping emotions into sound.
Hands that had never shaped life.
His heart pulsed, a soft, instinctive hum, and the barren air trembled slightly.
"…Alright," he whispered. "Let's try."
Death stepped aside, giving him space.
Erik raised one hand, and with a single thought, an instrument formed from shimmering vibrations, a simple wooden acoustic guitar, real and solid, warm against his fingers.
(Song - When None Remain - Dark Acoustic Instrumental)(Not what he is playing, just what i was listening to while writing this.)
He strummed once.
The sound echoed out like a pulse.
Soft. Curious. Searching.
The ground around his feet vibrated lightly, dust shifting in tiny ripples.
Death observed quietly, her smile patient and steady.
Erik closed his eyes, letting instinct guide him, and began to play.
At first, a low, gentle melody, calm and inviting.
Notes like flowing water. Chords like warm soil. A tempo slow enough for a sleeping world to hear without fear.
The ground responded.
Faint cracks glowed with pale green light as the vibrations seeped into the stone. The barren earth inhaled its first breath.
Erik shifted the melody. Brighter, fuller.
A second strum.
A deeper chord.
The soil erupted with color.
Tiny sprouts burst from the earth in waves, growing faster than any natural forest could dream of. Grass spread like emerald fire, sweeping across hills and valleys. Buds swelled, blossoming into flowers of every color imaginable, petals shimmering faintly with musical resonance.
Erik's breath trembled. "I can feel them… listening."
Death nodded, voice soft. "Life always listens."
He shifted the tempo, playing something flowing and smooth.
Instantly, the ground split gently, no violence, just opening as rivers carved themselves into existence. Water surged upward from nothingness, shimmering with raw sound, before settling into cool blue streams that danced across the landscape.
A soft laugh escaped Erik. "I didn't know water could sing."
"It always does," Death replied. "Mortals just rarely hear it."
He kept playing, letting his fingers move faster now, the music lifting into a hopeful, playful dance of notes.
Trees erupted from the soil, towering giants, delicate willows, spiraling crystalline trunks that hummed with harmonic resonance. Leaves unfurled like paper touched by sunrise.
Birdlike shapes formed from motes of sound, taking flight on wings shaped from the melody itself. They chirped in complex harmonies, musical creatures born from music.
Small animals peeked from among the new grasses, rabbit-like forms with shimmering fur, fox-like creatures with faintly glowing eyes, deer whose antlers resonated like tuning forks in the wind.
Erik's guitar thrummed with warmth. The world was no longer silent.
It breathed.
It sang.
It lived.
Finally, he strummed one last chord, soft and warm. The sound drifted across the new world like a blanket.
The wind, newly born, carried it as a breeze that touched every leaf and every drop of water.
Silence followed.
But it was no longer empty.
It was the silence of a world waiting for its next song.
Erik lowered his guitar slowly, staring at the creation stretching far into the horizon.
"I did that," he whispered.
"Yes," Death replied softly. "You did."
"I made… life."
"You gave it a beginning," she corrected. "Life will shape itself from here. Trees will grow. Rivers will carve paths. Animals will learn to run, hide, chase."
Her gaze softened. "And this world will always remember the first sound that woke it."
Erik swallowed, overwhelmed, but softly this time. Comfortably.
"I didn't know it would feel like this."
"What does it feel like?" she asked.
He searched for the right word.
"…Right."
Death smiled.
"That means you're finally starting to live, Erik."
They stood together on the hill, overlooking the world he'd awakened, alive, warm, full of sound.
Not silence.
Not isolation.
Life.
Erik gently touched the strings again, playing a quiet hum, a lullaby for the newborn world.
Death listened beside him.
And for the first time since the universe began, the First Sound was not alone when a world opened its eyes.
__________
(Time Skip)
Time moved strangely once Erik and Lady Death began to travel.
Not because they bent timelines, though they could, but because every moment felt full.
For the first time in his existence, Erik's days weren't measured by silence or repetition, but by discovery.
The first week felt like stepping into a dream.
They drifted through a sky-world made of floating islands, each tethered by waterfalls that spilled upward instead of down. Erik stood at the edge of an island, wind whipping through his hair as he stared over the horizon.
"This feels like something a musician would dream up," he murmured.
Death smirked. "Are you saying this resembles your imagination?"
"Less chaotic, actually."
Death raised an eyebrow. "Then we should leave before it becomes worse."
He laughed, loud and warm, and the islands trembled as if laughing with him.
They spent hours exploring islands of crystal forests, listening to the wind whistle through the geometric trees. Erik composed a short melody on a flute he conjured from stray vibrations, and the trees responded by bending their branches as if swaying to the music.
Death sat on a floating rock, chin resting on her palm. "You look happier here."
"I'm learning that emotions are louder than I thought." Erik admitted.
"You'll get used to it."
He doubted that, but he didn't mind the noise.
Not anymore.
__________
They arrived on a planet made entirely of structures resembling massive, ancient libraries. Towering shelves stretched toward the sky, each book bound in material that shimmered like memories made solid.
"This world records every story it witnesses," Death explained.
Erik ran his fingers over a glowing spine. "It's alive?"
"In its own way."
He opened one of the books.
A scene unfolded in front of him like a projection: a small village on a moonlit night, a child learning to walk, laughter echoing through a courtyard.
Erik stepped back slightly, eyes widening. "It remembers emotions."
"That's all stories really are." Death whispered.
They spent an entire day walking through endless aisles, experiencing thousands of lives they had never lived.
Erik paused before a book emitting a soft hum. "This one sings."
Death leaned closer. "Some memories do."
Without thinking, Erik sat down between the shelves and played a quiet melody on a small hand harp to match the book's tune. The book brightened, pages fluttering as if happy.
Death watched him, a soft smile touching her lips. "You're very gentle with things that feel."
Erik blinked, surprised by the compliment. "Shouldn't everyone be?"
Her expression turned bittersweet. "Not everyone can."
__________
The volcanic moon was loud, very loud.
Streams of magma erupted in massive arcs, painting fiery trails across the sky. The ground shook constantly, the rumble deep and raw.
Erik's eyes sparkled. "This place is… vibrant."
Death raised an eyebrow. "Vibrant is an interesting word for 'extremely dangerous.'"
He grinned. "It's like a drum. A giant cosmic drum."
Death sighed. "I should have known this would be your favorite."
Erik approached a lava stream and hummed a low note. The magma responded with shifting waves, changing color from orange to deep violet.
"I didn't expect that," he admitted.
Death crossed her arms. "Just don't accidentally turn this moon into a performance piece."
"I make no promises."
She smacked his shoulder lightly, but she was laughing.
__________
After two weeks of constant movement and overwhelming discovery, Death brought Erik to a world with soft grass, slow sunlight, and gentle breezes.
A world meant for rest.
They lay on a hill overlooking a serene lake, water shimmering with natural bioluminescence.
Erik stared at the sky, arms folded under his head. "How does this world exist untouched?"
"Some worlds grow on their own," Death said softly. "Not every place needs interference."
He nodded thoughtfully.
For a long moment, neither of them spoke.
Finally, Erik glanced at her. "You've shown me more in these weeks than I ever imagined existed."
Death smiled faintly. "And you've given life to places I never expected to change."
He turned his head, meeting her eyes.
"I'm glad you freed me," he said quietly.
"I'm glad you wanted to be freed."
Erik hesitated for a moment, then added, "I like being with you."
Death blinked, soft surprise flickering in her expression, but she didn't tease him this time.
Instead, she lay back beside him and whispered:
"I like being with you too."
A warm breeze passed over them. Fireflies drifted lazily above the glowing water.
The universe felt peaceful, almost soft.
Erik closed his eyes, letting the gentle hum of the world blend with the quiet hum within him.
For centuries he had known nothing but silence.
Now… Now he knew the sound of companionship.
And it resonated beautifully.
__________
__________
That's all for today. I might have issues uploading for a few days. Work is crazy at the moment. The next 2 weeks are a big time crunch until we close for the season.
Anyway hope you enjoyed and no worries Erik and Lady Death will be visiting the main world in the next chapter or 2.
As always, questions or concerns leave a comment here.
Hit me with some powerstones if you can it would be much appreciated.