Our Realm

The fires glowed brightly in the halls of the damned, creating an eerie feeling where there was darkness. The flames were small and what looked like candles melted underneath them. Footsteps echoed within these halls as several figures moved forward, surrounding a single entity. These figures were some of the best hell, wearing all black and each of them around eleven feet high. Each of them was unbelievably strong looking, each footstep one of them made sounded like a boulder. The lone figure they surrounded, on the other hand, was silent. No noise came when his feet hit the ground. His hands were chained to each other behind his back, his arms tied with some of hell's toughest chains and other restrictions had been placed on his body, such as on his legs and around his neck. His head rose briefly to take in his surroundings, and anyone could tell who he was.
Death.

Once past the double doors, he was taken into the Judgement Room. Sitting in front of him were three representatives of Hell's Council, and the Judge of Death's Trial. The room was large, large enough to hold the entire human race within it and more. As Death walked past the numerous seats that were around him, those who were already there avoided even glancing at him. Those who did were brave, or had some admiration for him. Once in front of the Judge, who sat several feet within the air, Death sat down on the ground and crossed his legs. Then there was silence for a few minutes. "Death." The Judge's voice called out, his booming voice was enough to make even the toughest man alive flinch. Death did not move though. The black figures backed away, forming a line a few feet behind Death. "You are here on the crimes of disobeying the natural order of Earth. As you know, the trial will begin within the hour, allowing our 'guests' to prepare. Angels, Demons, even some humans will be watching. Your fellow horsemen will as well. Let me ask you one thing before we begin... Do you believe you are guilty?"

"No." Was all Death replied with.

"Ha! We shall see..." The Judge looked to his right, where Death's famous Scythe was in what appeared to be a case for display. In reality, it was to bind it in place, so that Death could not attack with it. The Judge then looked to Death with a smirk. "I will enjoy seeing you suffer, horseman... Death will finally be put in his place."

~ The Letter: Dear Reader.
You have received this letter because you have been called forth to attend probably the greatest event in history yet - Death's Trial. Heaven oversees it, Hell holds it within it's own walls. Within an hour of receiving this, an escort will arrive to your current location and take you to where the Trial is being held. For you have a connection with me, whether I have made contact with your ancestors or if you have seen me somehow or otherwise. I know you will do what is right for this world. I can only promise you this, it will be an event you will not soon forget. Until then, my readers.
Sincerely, Death.

Sean Greymore Hiruki was just minding his own damn business, doing what he always did. Ok, having a drink with a few Trickster Gods is not normal by any Human metric, but still, for him it was routine. Sun Wukong of China, Anansi of West Africa, Coyote of the Dine (Navajo as we call them) and The Morrigan of Ireland...Well The Morrigan was by no means a goddess of tricks and jokes like the others, but she was a Goddess all the same.
"Better get ready, Sauriel" She cooed, using Sean's old Angel name, "A great even is afoot. I have forseen it"
Sean sighed, "Morrigan, last time you told me you had forseen a great event I had to fight the god damn Slender Man, so I don't want to hear it"
The Morrigan grinned, "Fine...But It does not matter if I tell you or not. It will still happen."
Sun Wukong snorted a laugh before drinking his whiskey, "Yeah that does not sound threatening at all, Morrigan."
"It was supposed to, Monkey!" She snapped, her eyes turning red. No really, the color of her eyes changed to red.
Sean raised his hand, "Now now, you two. Get along. I have to head home."

With that said, the gods beckoned him a good night and he walked home to his apartment in mid-town Washington DC. There was a letter on his door, the name "SAURIEL written on the front.
Oh. Shit.
Few beings knew his real name. He opened the letter and read it.
Death's trial?
Oh Gods Below, THIS was what The Morrigan was talking about? The Morrigan was the Irish Goddess of Death and Chooser of the Slain, so of course she would be the first to know about the trial of her Christian counterpart.
"Well.." Sean sighed, grabbing his katana, the famous Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi, "Looks like I get to see Lucifer earlier than planned..."
A trip to Hell was not something Sean ever looked forward to.

Later, in the Judgment Room
Sean stood near the front of the crowd as they walked in the room, his Angel wings spread for all to see. He was a Seraphim, so he had six wings. Three on the right side of his back, three on the left. The feathers on all three wings on his right side were the normal pure white of an Angel, while all three wings on his left had pure black feathers. The sign of the curse Lucifer inflicted upon him during the Rebellion. Yet another reason Sean hated being in Hell....

"They call me Death. I'm a horseman, a very important one. Probably the most iconic, as well as the most feared. I have powers demons can only dream of. Everyone fears me, few respect me and my work. Throughout my career I have brought in many souls, created many ways for things to die. I have to be honest, I enjoy it now. But now my career is facing a possible end, the very being you know as Death could be gone. I am sending this out so that everyone is aware, Death is facing a crisis. Hell has decided that I have broken rules over the years and that I've done something that has finally broken the tip of the ice, they say. Heaven has allowed it. If you are reading this, then it means you have been summoned to come watch possibly the greatest event in all of history. I promise you, it won't be one you will forget."

This is something that intrigued a certain dragon known as Mer Gava Shael, one of the few remaining dragons even, keepers of the balance. But the balance is in chaos, as all Dragons know, ever since the genocide of dragons, known as the Night of Blood. Dragons are one of the last ancient races, with ancient magics and great strength. They have slowly been repopulating, but it has been difficult. And therefore, the balance has stayed disrupted, thrown into chaos. He was known as "Lord Shael", though he had seen too much death to feel the use of that title. His own species slaughtered.

SO when he read hte letter, there was some joy in his eye. This was his chance to see the fall of death. Maybe even help with it. It was a joy he had long since wanted. He looked over at his assistant, and told him "I'm going on a trip. Hold everything till then".

-In the Judgement Room-

Shael arrived, and took his seat. Whether Death noticed his presence or not was unknown, but if he did, he couldn't wait to see the look on his face. He listened and waiting, recording everything, and watching everyone. "So Death, how does it feel? How does it feel, knowing you are the one who is bringing every single miserable thing Humanity faces?" he found this somewhat amusing. He then noted "Don't forget the Genocide of Dragons, who kept the Balance. Don't let him forget how he caused chaos in the balance and order.......". Now, he had made himself known. While they had been exterminated, Dragons held more say, respect, and wisdom then ever. It was rare to hear someone reject the words of a Dragon, or tell them to be silent. Only the truly impudent seemed to do it now.

He now waited, and watched it unfold.

Sean let the shouts of the masses fill his heart with sorrow, but then let him go. He too had a fallen loved one, but he did not blame death for it. His only son, Fei Hong fell at the hands of Lu Bu, not the Horseman Death. To be honest, he did not even really know why they were blaming death, when most of the time it was the Death Angels who collected souls. Had the Horseman done things that he, the former Seraphim of War, had not noticed? It was possible. The past few centuries he had been in what seemed like war after war. Especially after fighting a war to create the great nation of the United States of America. Being busy with battle meant not noticing the affairs of the Pretanatural. Thankfully after WW2 Sean had long since gone into the business of the Pretanatural. Helping both supernatural beings and humans alike against the real monster who lurked in the darkness.

Before he could go on with his mental rambling, he felt a familiar aura enter the room. An aura of heat and flame older than time itself. A dragon was in the room. Sean supposed he should not be surprised. All the dragons he spoke to blamed Death for the Genocide that left many dragons dead. Ah, well it seems he remembered something that the Horseman should be punished for anyway. Sean still had to hold back his urge to silence the dragon. Only fools told a dragon to shut up. It took awhile for Sean to actually recognize who the dragon was. It had been centuries since he had seen Lord Shael in his Human form. Shael soon finished his words to Death and went back to standing with the crowd. Sean edged his way over to him.
"Greetings and fair tiding to you,oh great Dragon." He greeted the dragon in the native tongue of dragons. "It has been far too long since I last saw you, old friend" If the meeting was surrounded by a happier tiding, Sean would have smiled and even given Shael a riddle or two. But, instead he kept his face neutral.

Earlier:
Reading the letter once again before crushing it within his armored hands, War made his preparations to head to the court room. Normally such matters would not concern him, he was not the creature to sit in a room and listen to accounts of supposed happenings, but this was Death on trial so of course War was going to turn, just like many other powers would turn up simply because its Death on Trial.

Present time, Judgement room:
The crowds that were still entering the room, seemed to suddenly thin out, until they seemed to stop, yet the loud sound of armored boots approaching the room echoed very clear to everyone inside, the slight clink of Armour also announcing his arrival. The masses that were going to enter did not want to walk with War, and so it was only him walking down the Corridor as everyone else waited for a bit.
Finally coming into view for everyone, was most noticeably the white eyes of War glaring as normal towards the scene in the judgement room, His armored form making his way slowly towards where he decided to seat himself, As close as possible to the action. Now while he did not strike as much fear as Death did, he set people on edge, and what was a reasonable din of noise in the room was now reduced to softer talking, almost whispers, as people regarded the new entry. Fixing his glare onto the judge. He spoke, in his rough, slightly annoyed sounding voice, which was typical for him. " Such a display of pathetic pomp and ceremony better be worth the time" he said not even really bothering to regard the rest of the hall, he knew there were some notable people around, but at the moment he did not care. Turning his gaze across towards Death, he inclined his head ever so slightly, allowing his white hair to hang slightly either side of his neck. " Greetings" he spoke simply towards Death.

Shael did not show any anger or annoyance at Deaths words, but had a slight smile actually. But this smile quickly faded at the new entry, and caused him to completely miss everyone else and anything they said. Not War that caused him displeasure or worry, but someone else. A second Dragon, and a powerful one, as he could tell by the Dragon Magic he could sense. He realized who it was the second she entered. Raza Heb Taga. Though most just call her Raza, as she prefers. She took her seat without saying a word, and simply sat there. Shael was both a bit interested and a bit worried with her arrival. While Raza wouldn't completely screw him over, she had her own, special Wisdom. While he was older and better fit to lead, she had a certain way of knowing and doing things. She was, essentially, a dormant Wild Card. She might do nothing but observe, she might ruin whatever Death might have planned, she might interfere with anything he would do to get Death to lose, or she might do both. She might free death just to somehow, for some reason, kill him herself for one reason or the other. But, she would say and do nothing until she wanted to. It is entirely possible she will just sit there, not doing a thing, till the very end of the Trial.

Shael then looked back at Death, to see his reaction. If he had any. But Shael, feeling a bit hungry, took a bite out of an apple he took out from his pocket.

Then, he simply looked at Death again, and noted quietly, clearing his voice of emotion other then a slight happiness, "Let the games begin".

~ On Earth, wherever Joseph was... ~

The embodiment of Wrath watched the humans with an odd sense of humor. They were so dirty, so disgusting, so revolting... It made him want to laugh! He thought to himself what a show this was! Then he watched them trying to contact others, and he knew it was time to strike. Making his way to the building, he snapped his fingers and sparked a small flame. He quietly blew out a trail at this as he watched it lead to a good combustible place. Then he flickered the flame into the trail and watched the spark quickly travel along. Then...

KA-BOOM!

An explosion. A fire that started to spread wildly on the building, trapping or killing several people, it didn't matter to him. He slowly flew back and went into the air, hovering in place as he watched his disaster begin to unfold. "Now, human..." It spoke to itself, unable to be seen by mortal eyes or heard at his distance. "Prove to me you are as high of expectation as Death thinks you are."

~ Back in Hell ~

"It has been long enough for the trial to begin. Everyone is here and ready..." The judge spoke out at this. Death looked over to War and nodded at this.

"Ah, brother... It is good to see you again. Please, have a seat... It's going to be a long day." The Judge then pulled out a paper as he looked it over. "Before we move on to the first case, I request the following people, in order, to speak of where they stand on Death's position... Hiruki, Shael, Gnem and War the Horseman. We would also like the four to be ready... You will be the first ones to speak when we begin the first event." The Judge then crossed his arms over his chest.

"Ha. Those four... Oh you are going to get one conflicted trial." A fallen angel, a dragon champion, his servant and his fellow horseman speaking out on whether they thought Death should live or die. If this didn't mark the beginning of something big and awesome, who knows.

Sean sighed and gave up on talking to the dragon. No use trying if he was going to be ignored. The elder dragon seemed to have a lot on his mind, which was not surprising. He had a score to settle with Death, and Sean guessed that the dragon was the biggest supporter of..well the death of Death. But, what happens when Death dies? That argument would be the corner stone of his reason. He had to be the reasonable one, for he knew that all others would be against Death, until Death summoned his own magical mulligan in an effort to save his own ass. Now, Sean was not going to defend the horseman's actions, for that would be folly. He would instead dwell upon the consequences of what would happen if we no longer had Death around.

Sean was surprised to hear his name and to know that he would be going first. Sean took a deep breath and walked up. He turned and faced the crowd and grinned a little, "Hold on a moment," He said, "Just let me capture this image in my memory. Angels and Demons sitting side by side. Human and other magically mythical monsters, Vampires and Werewolves...Actually the Vampire and Werewolves thing is no surprise, I just had lunch with a Vampire lord and a Pack Leader last Friday. They are the best of friends."
Sean took another deep breath and his face became grave once more, "Now, some of you recognize me by my true name. For those of you who do not, I am Sean Hiruki, though that is my Human name. Saurel is my name. I was the Angel of Battle, a Seraphim of War. But, I am no longer that. Thanks to Lucifer" Sean's grin came back for a brief moment, "Poor bastard has no clue how much happiness he gave to me by condemning me to Earth." His grin faded, "I'll get right to the point: This trial is a farce. You are all either idiots or too blinded by rage to see the consequences this will have. Yeah sure Death is kind of an asshole. College kids these days would call him a 'total asshat', if they ever had the misfortune of meeting him. In truth, I also have a grievance with death. My son, my one and only child was killed by the warrior Lu Bu in 190 AD. My wife and I had many years to dwell on that lose." Sean turned to face Death, "I tell you truly, you are lucky she is not with me today. " He turned back to the crowd. "But that lose does not blind me from the facts. If we kill off Death, what then? Will every human before immortal? My wife is an immortal through an alchemic elixir, but most people are not her. Most people will go insane after awhile. Why else do you think many vampires become secluded sociopaths after a few centuries? And beyond that, the already overpopulated Earth will become full to bursting when not only can people not die, but more and more are born. I say, end this farce. Now, if you put Lucifer on trial for being a dick, than count me in. I would be the first to want to see him hung for his evil. But Death? Nay. Killing Death is a folly I dare not be a part of. What is next? We put the other three Horsemen on trial for their imagined slights?" Sean took one last look around and then ended it with a line Benvolio says in Romeo and Juliet
"Fools! You know not what you do."