Chapter Ten

Destinations are often a surprise to the destined. - Thessaly *

The man walked along the beach, gazing at the sun setting along the water, relishing the feeling of his toes in the sand. His hands were in his pockets, his pants pushed up around his knees, and he splashed in the waves as if he was still the happy go lucky teenager he'd been so many years before. He looked up at the sky and shook his head, remembering with a sigh. Not that he wasn't happy now, or that he hadn't lived a good life. But there was a freedom he'd had then that he didn't have now. That he hadn't had for a long time.

"Innocence, once lost, is never regained,"* he'd been told. He hadn't believed the words, had scoffed at their simplicity. Surely innocence was not something as cut and dry as there and gone. But the innocence the pale man had been referring to that day so long ago was the innocence of the heart, the belief that your world was your own, your life under your power.

And once you realize it is not, that you are all part of a larger plan, and nothing is as it seems, nothing can ever be the same.

He slowly climbed the steps to his house and opened the door to the deck, making his way to his couch. Every inch of the house a memory, every smell a reminder. The first time he heard his voice on the radio. The first time he saw the woman he married. His daughter's first step. His brother's wedding. The first death in the group, followed by the next.

And now he was the only one left.

His lifetime had been a remarkable one, guided by advisors very few are fortunate enough to know, and he truly believed he'd lived life to the fullest. He had a family, wealth, and yes, as had been impressed on him so long ago, he had been sure to leave his music behind. His art, his writing, his expressions of his imagination would live on for centuries to come.

Why had she left him for last? He'd never been the strongest one, never wanted the responsibility. She'd come for the others, but she'd never wanted him. And all this time, all he had wanted had been her…

He heard a soft giggle from behind him, and felt his heart soar. It was time. "It's good to see you again," he turned to face her, "I've been waiting for you."

"So I've been told." Death smiled at him, and waved to the covered painting in the corner. "What's that?"

"Your brother told me to leave my art behind." Nick replied with a grin. "I'm doing just that."

"Can I see?" She asked meekly, batting her eyelashes at him with a smile.

"Of course." Nick walked over to the painting and removed the covering with a flourish, smiling when she clapped with glee. "You like?"

"It's fantastic!" Death jumped up and down, grinning from ear to ear. "Oh wow, Nick, how cool!" She hugged him and kissed his cheek, "thank you."

Nick blushed a bright red and grinned. "Cool. My brother's gonna get it, now that I'm, um, I am…right?"

"Yes, Nick, you're coming with me." She nodded and took his hand. "Are you ready?"

"Not quite," Nick pulled back and held his ground. "I told Desire I wanted something….she owes me."

"I heard about that," Death nodded with a slight smile. "But…quid pro quo."

"What?"

"Quid pro quo, Nickolas. If we do what you ask, we will need something in return." Death's face took on a serious expression, and Nick could see how menacing she could be when she needed to be, despite the cute girl on the outside.

"I can sing for you again," Nick coughed and cleared his throat, "although I might be a bit rusty…"

"No Nick." Death laughed, and waved her hand. "Remember when my sister asked you if you knew what destruction was?"

"Yeah…"

"You do, right?"

Nick nodded. He'd thought about her question a lot since that day she'd asked it, the meaning of destruction, and how all things really did have to be destroyed, for anything to continue. From destruction, comes renewal, as from chaos, comes order. "Yeah."

"My brother has been gone for a long time. We have need for someone to watch his realm."

"What?" Nick's eyes widened, and he stared at Death in surprise.

"Someone to tend to the Realm of Destruction." Death chuckled slightly, and grinned at Nick. "This is what we were preparing you for, Nickolas, didn't you ever figure that out?"

"But…" Nick sat down on the floor with a thud, his legs giving out under him. "Why me?"

"Only those who have flown to the highest of heights know how far down they can fall." She replied evenly. "If you do what we ask, I will grant your wish."

"If I do this, watch over the realm…can I see Kevin and Brian and everyone again?" Nick asked.

She shook her head slowly. "I'm afraid not."

"But if I don't, Howie…"

"Quid pro quo." She repeated. "Such is as things are, Nickolas."

Nick looked at her, his heart heavy, his eyes tired. He didn't want to go act as some replacement for a missing Endless, he wanted to go see his friends again, and be lazy and dead and stuff. But he had to save Howie, and if he really had spent his whole life preparing for this…how could he say no? And there was something kinda cool about it…like he'd be living one of his comics. "I don't have much of a choice, do I."

"It has been written, Nickolas." Death smiled. "Come on Nick, at least you'll get to see me all the time."

Nick laughed and grinned. "Now that part of this, I think I'm gonna like."

"See, it won't be so bad…"

And so one would always remain.

Not long after, a promise was kept, and one soul created chaos by leaving its torture, as souls can't just LEAVE Hell without their absence being noticed.

Nick, settling into his role as keeper of Destruction, knew he one task he needed to perform, before all others. He figured it was probably childish, but he had promised Kevin he would get revenge someday, and he kept his promises. A small woman, with thick glasses, found herself meeting her end, much sooner than she ever could have predicted. Her soul filled the empty space, and so through Destruction, Hell once again found some sort of order.

So because of the one, some order was restored to a realm in chaos, destruction once again had its purpose, and a soul condemned to eternal torture found its proper resting place among its friends. As with all things, the Universe balanced itself out.

The next time it seems like everything is falling apart around you, that all you see is destruction, just smile through the pain. Because it means that there's a little bit of Kaos in all of us.

* Neil Gaiman, The Kindly Ones

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