Darkness swept over me, and I lost consciousness for quite some time. When I came to, I saw a field of stars, arranging themselves into different shapes. Soon, they formed themselves into a multitude of animals of all shapes and sizes, but I found my mind focused on the jolly, lowly crab. It seemed content, its legs happily dancing in the pools that it called its home, all while its claws made a happy click-clacking sound as it merrily scavenged for food. As it went about its way, a lizard, wounded in battle, limped into one of the crab’s pools, and drew its last breath. The crab looked upon the curious creature, shocked to its very core, for it had never met anyone else before in its entire life inside its little pool.
It examined the lizard’s corpse, and while it did not understand the lizard immediately, for the lizard was far beyond anything the crab had seen before, it was still quite intelligent in its own right, and quickly picked up on many of the lizard’s qualities. “Now that I know that there is more to the world than this little pond, I shall leave it, and seek companionship and fortune among others,” the crab reasoned with itself. “If this lizard is here, then so too should there be others. It has been so lonely in this little pond, and I am sure that I will find friendship among others like me.”
So, the crab learned how to walk on dry land from the lizard’s legs, and soon ventured forth, eager to meet others, and to speak for the first time with those that might welcome him with open arms. However, the crab was to be disappointed, for the first ones it met were the lizard’s kin, and though the crab tried to explain itself, they blamed him for the lizard’s death, and immediately threw stones at the poor crab, trying to kill him, or at the very least, drive him from among them. The crab was stronger and tougher than the lizards, however, and despite not being the aggressor, the crab soon drove the lizards from their homes, and they fled, crying out in terror at a new monster that walked the earth.
Yet, the crab did not feel like a monster. It felt hurt that it would be treated in such a fashion, to be shunned and cast out as a pariah for nothing more than the crime of learning from others. Yet, it did not let this setback falter its resolve, and soon struck out in a different direction, thinking to itself “Surely they can’t all be bad. I will meet someone that will want to be my friend, I just know it!”
And thus was its mindset as it continued its journey, traveling far and wide until it stumbled upon a peacock. The crab was overjoyed to meet someone else after searching for such a long time, and rushed to meet her, its claws clicking in anticipation as it scuttled forward, all while its eyes were delighted in the peacock’s beauty. Yet, the peacock was prideful, and held loveliness above all other virtues, and as it watched the crab dash forward, babbling excitedly in its rough, ugly tongue, its ugly legs and claws clicking in anticipation, disgust entered its heart. It struck out at the crab, its beak and talons brightly shining as it slashed and pecked at the crab’s tough shell.
The crab, hurt again at the peacock’s sudden outburst, fought back, not ready to die for the crime of existing. It was stronger than it knew, and before long, the peacock lay dead at its feet, gasping for breath even as it cursed the crab for its brutish ways.
The crab was sorry to see the bird die, but nevertheless pressed onward in its journey, though a bit more cautiously this time. It did not know why it was hated so, but it reasoned with itself that somewhere out in this wide world, there should be someone who was like him, eagerly seeking companionship in this wide, lonely world.
Before the crab had journeyed far, however, it was soon met by a mighty lion. The lion had heard of the crab, how it had effortlessly killed the peacock, and had driven the lizards before it, and instead of shying away from the crab, he sought it out. He desired conflict, for only in the heat of battle did the mighty lion feel truly alive, and in the crab he saw an equal, someone who could match him in conflict, and the victor would rise to new heights.
So, he attacked the crab, without warning, or provocation, and though the crab sued for peace, the lion would not allow it. He would devour the crab, and claim its strength for his own, and saw the pleadings of the crab as nothing but the weak mewlings of a coward.
However, he had underestimated the crab, for while it did not desire conflict, its dealings with the peacock and lizards had taught it to prepare for war. The two fought for an age, and though the lion was mighty, he had met his match in the once jolly crab, and was soon beaten back into his own den. The lion, fearing for his life for the first time, begged the crab for mercy, pledging his life to the crab’s service.
However, the jolly, babbling crab was no more. It had been murdered in cold blood by its conflict with the lizards, the peacock and now the lion, and though it now had everything it had asked for from the lion, it wasn’t enough. It slew the lion without pity or remorse, its eyes hardened and its claws sharpened as it turned to seek its next victim.
“If the world seeks my death so earnestly, then I shall make it rue the day it made an enemy of me,” the crab reasoned as it returned to its humble pool. It had made preparations before, weapons and armor to defend itself, but nothing like now. It prepared for war with the world. It bred soldiers from the pool, made weapons of unspeakable power, and outfitted them with the finest armor it could fashion, all to make the world a safer place for it, and it alone.
Then, once it was ready, it struck out.
Animal after animal fell under the onslaught, many of which had not even ventured from their own pools, trees and fields. Some fought back, some cried out for mercy, while others sought to run from the horde that had fallen upon them. It mattered little to the crab, however, and regardless of how its slaughter was met, it showed no mercy, for it knew no such thing existed in this world.
The animals that fled quickly made their way to the ancient tree, crying out for protection from the great old snake. She had seen the devastation the crab had wrought, but did not move, for she knew of the hatred that had been instilled into it by its wicked neighbors, and feared that, to act now, might be the greater sin. “Surely its bloodlust shall be sated eventually, and its hatred will burn out, and it will look back, and see what it had done was wrong…” the snake reasoned with herself. “The crab can’t possibly be that heartless…”
Yet, as the days passed, and more and more people were put to the sword by the crab’s relentless pursuit of vengeance, the snake finally relented. She saw that there was no more pity in the crab’s heart, and to leave it to its own devices would be to invite destruction upon the whole earth. Thus, it was with a heavy heart that the snake left her tree, and set out to meet the crab head on. The snake was older and stronger than the crab, and knew many secrets that the crab did not, making the conflict a foregone conclusion, rather than a real contest of wills.
Yet, even when faced with the obviously more powerful snake, the crab did not relent. It dug in its heels, and fought for every inch of ground, before being pushed back to the pool that had spawned it. The crab’s armies, beaten and bruised, then looked to their leader, hoping for salvation, and it was then that the crab, its heart blackened by war and hatred, turned and ran in fear. It told its fellow crabs to run with it, and many refused, choosing instead to fight and die for the pond that had given them life.
Yet some fled with the crab, and the crab hid in dark pools unknown, safe from the light of the snake, or indeed the light of anything, for it had fled deep into the caves of the underworld. There, it plotted against all those that had pushed it into this sorry state, fuming at the indignity and injustice of the cruel, cruel world.
It would have its vengeance. But first, it needed to match the snake.
So, it sent out its diminished forces, searching high and low for anything that might give it an edge. The world was teeming with life, and it did not take long before the crab stumbled across two beings that might help it. The first was a gorilla who had never left his tree, his arms chained by the barren field that surrounded his home. Yet, inside that gorilla was the spark of greatness, an intelligence that mirrored the snake in wisdom and power, yet tempered with a brutal nature that the snake simply did not possess.
The other was a horse, young and eager as it pranced across the verdant plains that had gifted her with life, uncaring at those that might live just outside the clearing that she called home. In her welled power that she did not know, yet she was thankful for the gift of life and light that was her home, and sung her joy continually to the heavens above.
The crab came to both, and stole both of their kin, seeking to take their strengths and make them its own. Yet, even as it made off with its ill-gotten goods, a worm came with it. A parasite that lived with the horse’s kin, and when discovered, the crab thought itself lucky, for it stole three powers for the price of two.
So, it took the gorilla, horse and worm deep into the bowels of the earth, secure in its secrecy, and unaware of the danger, until it was too late. The worm died in captivity, but its nature lived on, burrowing deep into the crab’s form, festering as it slowly consumed the once mighty creature. Its shell became brittle, its eyes milky white, while the strength of its claw began to rot. Then, still so sure of its power and wisdom, its shell shattered entirely, revealing the darkness within.
The crab, which had endured so much hardship, had finally died. In its place stood an entity born of shadow and malice. It left the caves, and saw the shimmering stars that the others were made of, and coveted those lights for itself. Yet, it remembered the mistakes of the crab, and resolved to not make the same errors of its predecessor.
It first found the mice, and in the dead of night, it consumed their stars, leaving behind nothing but empty shells of hatred and sorrow in its wake. Yet, it did not stay and establish itself, choosing instead to retreat into the depths of its cave, to digest its meal, and allow the shells of its victims to do the work for it.
The mice, consumed by the darkness, slowly spread out, and attacked their neighbors. The others thought them simply mad at first, for the mice had been such timid creatures, and to strike out at others was folly in and of itself. Yet, as the first mouse fell, its form cracked open, revealing the darkness within, which swiftly pounced upon its now surprised prey.
From field, to tree, to pond, the entity worked like this, moving from one place to another, consuming everything in its path, and leaving hollowed husks behind, to sow destruction and chaos in its wake. The snake could not fathom what had happened to her friends, and rushed to each, trying to cure the infection, but to no avail. She was too slow, too set in her ways to realize that her reign was soon coming to an end.
The gorilla and horse, both angered at the loss of their kin, begged the snake to allow them to hunt the crab. Yet, the snake was blinded by its pride, and forbade it. “This is a rot that I allowed to fester, and I shall be the one to cleanse it,” she said, before slithering off into the world to hunt down the crab which was surely the cause of all this suffering and death.
After many moons, she finally tracked the crab down to its cave, only to be horrified at what she found. “So, you have come…” the darkness burbled as it licked its chops. “You think you are powerful, powerful enough to end me. Yet I have grown strong, and you have grown old and weak.”
“Old I might be, but you will not find me so easy prey,” the snake bellowed, her chest thrust out in pride as she stared down the monstrosity with hatred. “Many monsters have come before you, and many shall come after, yet they shall not soil this wonderful green earth that has born such glorious life. You shall die like the rest.”
Yet, even as these words left the snake’s lips, her stars were swallowed up, and her light was extinguished. In its place was a husk, which the monster burrowed inside, before piloting back to the snake’s home tree, content in its victory.
“This world is too bright…” it said, before star by star, it consumed them all. Its hunger was insatiable, and though many turned to fight it, it was far, far too late, for none existed that were strong enough to challenge it. Soon, everyone was crying in terror as they fled, for whom could withstand a blight that swallowed the very stars themselves?
Yet, even as they fled, I saw them flock to the banner of the horse and gorilla. They alone stood against the darkness, despite the utter hopelessness that engulfed them. I saw too few stars amassed to fight, their valor unsurpassed, even though all hope had left them.
Yet, fight they did. They stood against the darkness at all sides, their armies arrayed before them, their weapons spewing thunder and lightning, their throats sore from their battle cries. Even the women and children took up arms to fight, and with each fallen hero, a thousand monsters were slaughtered, yet it wasn’t enough. For with each husk slain, a thousand more were waiting to take its place, while the dauntless, heroic dead were piloted like puppets for their new master, set to tear asunder those that they once called family.
Their war was mighty, but in the end, they were no match for oncoming darkness, and with a whimper, the last star of the world was consumed, leaving behind nothing but cold, shadows, and the laughter of the damned.
Then, I awoke, chilled to the bone, staring up at the stars above me as morning broke. I did not understand what it was that I saw, but I knew that it would be important some day.
This is the purpose of this record, young traveler. The purpose of my life’s work. The darkness is coming, and will soon engulf us all.
I only pray that you will receive this warning, and stop it before that awful day comes.