Lore Chapter 08: The Bridge

The king remembered the moment he first set foot on the bridge like it was yesterday. But despite all his knowledge and understanding of those billions and billions of worlds all beings inhabited, everything before that moment was still muddy in his memory. Fragments of his past came back to him when he set his gaze on the structure. Gambling. Strategy. Those were things he enjoyed back then. He wore a black suit and a red tie when he first came here. Neither a shadow nor a light being. Something in between. Capable of interaction with this place, but still bound by the laws of cause and effect. Even to this day he recruits those types of beings as catchers when they manage to escape the guardian's inspection. They are proactive and capable. Restless, but with an ounce of strength and determination. They are perfect.

Ox-head and Horse-face welcomed him back then, just as they did tonight. But their appearance had changed over time. Their bodies had sunk into the mud, their necks elongated - stretching further and further to observe each being crossing the bridge between life and death. They looked like knights on a chess board, with their skin sagging off their exposed spines. Over centuries they turned into merciless guardians of the underworld when ironically the previous king's mercy brought them to this place.

One of the arbiter's acolytes observed the scene from the distance. As the king approached they lowered their heads as a sign of respect. The king communicated with them without even saying a word. To the acolyte it looked like he was giving them instructions, but the acolyte couldn't make out what they were. As a parting gift the king threw something into the river. Both creatures immediately dove for it like two hungry wolves fighting over a piece of meat. Then everything grew silent and the sound of their smacking jaws merged with the murmur of the acidic stream of life.