Plumes of smoke fluttered into the wind, pouring from the newly formed crater. Small fires had formed from the heat of the impact, spreading as far as ten meters from the crevice. Dawn had not yet broken, which was a lucky break for the farmers who worked the land. The impact had taken place in the middle of a field of wheat that was still without seed. The force had been enough to cause vibrations throughout all the nearby sections of Marigold, which meant that the farmers knew something was happening nearby.

As they came from their houses, curious and fearful glances were exchanged. No one could miss the massive crater that made one of their lands useless. Men stood in front of their wives who in turn held their children, fearful of what could have caused the impact. Would there be more? Where had it come from? Should they all be fleeing the area, or was it safer to stay in doors and wait for an official response?

Although no actual words were being exchanged, there was an obvious disagreement going on. Everyone wished to know what was in the crater, though no one wished to be the one to explore it themselves. They knew not what could be within it, which meant that for all they knew it could be dangerous.

As the silent disagreement continued, a decision became apparent. All eyes now rested upon Marquise. He was a large and powerful man, standing head and shoulders above anyone else. Many within Marigold believed that his ancestors were likely Giants, though he simply laughed off such beliefs. As all eyes rested upon him, he quickly noticed the decision and sighed. Glancing back to his wife and son, he smiled gently and ruffled the young boys hair.

Holding up the stuffed figure that he was holding, the boys eyes locked with his fathers for only a moment before the man smiled and nodded. The figure was one created by Olivia, the wife of Marquise. They had told their son that it would protect him; A guardian angel! Although the boys intent was clear, a bashful smile that showed relief appeared on his face upon being signaled to keep it.

As Marquise turned his attention back towards the crater, he'd approach it with caution. The smaller the distance became, the more he noticed the lack of weight in his hands. The crater likely only held a meteorite or the remains of some spell that had been fired off from somewhere, but he still felt uneasy. Something about this situation felt wrong, but then again why would it not? It was not often that holes were ripped open into the earth, no matter how deep or shallow they may have been.

Stepping over a couple patches of flames that hungrily licked at the soles of his shoes, Marquise finally found himself at the edge of the new formation. The smoke that still rose from the crater practically smothered him, forcing him to take a step back. Glancing back at his family as he coughed, he smiled and put up a single hand in assurance. With that, he'd set his eyes back forward with determination and slid down into the crater.

The crowd watched with baited anticipation, a tangible silence settling back over the murmurs that had began as the farmer had approached the crater. With little warning, the wind shifted in the direction that the crowd faced, forcing the smoke to clear their vision of the edge of the crater. Moments turned into seconds, and before long a minute had gone by. Finally there was a noise, though only few could hear it. A surprised noise perhaps, or a startled gasp?

"Mommy? Is he okay?" The boys timid sound broke the silence, though his only response was a smiled of forced bravado and a reassuring squeeze to his shoulders. As if fate had decided to answer his question, someone from the crowd shouted and pointed to the crater.

From its depths, Marquise's hand could be seen reaching from the crater to grab the edge, his hairy and muscular arm trailing down past it. Sighs of relief and embarrassed laughter began to echo throughout the farmland, but the boy and his mother still stared on in anticipation. They would not settle down until Marquise emerged in his entirety.

As the arm gripped onto the dirt and showed signs of supporting weight, the wind blew back towards the crowd. The smoke fanned over the crater once more, although everyone could see the clear appearance of someone coming from the crater. Any details were hidden by the smoke, but with every passing second the onlookers closest by realized that something was amiss. Marquise had short hair, and certainly no horns. And through the smoke, people could see glimpses of green and orange.

"Daddy?" The boys voice once again penetrated the silence, and the figure halted in its path. With a moments delay, a single object flew from the smoke and onto the ground before the boy. As the crowd looked to see what it is, a screech unlike anything they had heard before erupted from the boy and his mother. Before them, covered in blood and with broken fragments of bone sticking out, was Marquise's hand.

Walking forward, the being from the crater finally erupted from the smoke. A repetitive throaty sound came from the unknown creature, resembling laughter. "Oh my God you should see the look on your faces! I was wondering whether or not I should go through with it, but damn am I happy I did!"

Immediately, the mother reached down and grabbed her son, kneeling to cover him with her body and putting her back to the beast. She seemed to be the only one who was not frozen in fear, the rest looking on in horror as the sounds of the pair crying radiated.

"W-Why?" A woman spoke up, looking to be the second strongest of the group based on her side. Well, the strongest now.

"Oh my God, Rebecca, I'm so glad you asked!"

"My name isn't Rebecc-AHHHHHHGHghhhhh" Her words turned into a pained scream in a matter of moments. Those few seconds were all it took for the being to practically disappear and impale her with the tip of what appeared to be a tail. Her scream had almost immediately began to falter, turning into a gurgled gasp for life as her body shriveled and disappeared to leave only empty clothes behind.

"That's why." His words were dismissive, though his actions were enough to make people finally begin to run. Laughter erupted from his beakmouth, sending chills down the spines of people who heard him. For every two people who were now running into their homes or to the streets, others had fallen in fear. One by one, the green and orange being made his way to them. His stride was slow and patient now, knowing that all those who were in the area would not escape. A single victim at a time would find themselves impaled, and then gone. Soon, all that was left was the woman and child, though it was only a short matter of time before only the child remained.

As the boy began crying harder than before, now overwhelmed by a darkness that none could explain, the being took a kneel beside him. "Oh come on, you're making me feel bad! Look, Im not that bad. Here, I'll make it better. First an introduction! My name is Cell! Would you like to go talk to your daddy?" The boys tears didn't let up, though he did let out a nod. "That's the spirit! Let's go!"


The smoke had all but disappeared, the small flames that had once been struggling for life now long since out. The sun had now taken its rightful place in the sky, though it was barely above the trees. Birds from the forest and near the town chirped, though other than that it was deadly silent.

The farmland was completely empty of life save for the few feathered beings that flew about, looking for seed or insects. Littered about the farmland were clothes without owners, some of which catching the occasional gust of wind and moving about slightly. In the midst of the clothes lay a doll, a guardian angel who had failed its duty.