Zen was 15 when Kō killed someone for the first time during his life. Zen was covered in the blood of a man while she maniacally laughed and smiled. Zen’s face morphed into that of a devil while she was brought into the world for the first time. Zen and Kō were a person of two halfs. He who dreamed of the sky yet could not soar, and she who wanted to live freely but was cursed to be chained. 

On the island of Isdek, there was a God named Kedsi. Kedsi enforced justice through his truth, judgement, and power. He believed that justice is what creates the truth. As the God of Justice, he viewed anyone who didn't follow his ideals as a threat to him. Opposing views led to discourse, and eventually hatred, so he eliminated that emotion from people's minds. However, in all his years of ruling the people of Isdek, he never once found someone whom he considered to have an unchainable soul. But everything changed when someone quite unexpected was found by the sea side. No one knew where he came from and the island of Isdek is the only piece of land in the world, or so everyone believed.

Eleven years ago, a four year old child named Zen randomly appeared on the shores of the island Isdek. The boy had no memory of how he got there or where he came from. A priest named Xebon found this unknown young boy looking at him from the shore. For a moment, he was startled by the appearance of the boy: glowing skin and a crown. In awe, he got closer to the boy. But as he did, the boy darkened and a devilish grin shined from his face. Xebon’s knees buckled and he fell to the ground full of fear. He blinked and the boy looked normal again. Not glowing, not smiling, but instead offering a hand to the man on the ground. Xebon accepted his help and stood up. Taking a slight liking to the young boy, he convinced the High Priests of Isdek to ask Kedsi to let the boy stay on the island. Originally, Kedsi was inclined to leave the boy, but the priests persisted and so he agreed; yet, he remained cautious of the strange boy. The people still treated him as an outsider too. Zen, like everyone else on the Island of Isdek, became a follower of the God, Kedsi. In his free time, Zen would look out across the sea. He’d always imagine himself flying freely across it. He could feel cold wind against his body, the sound of wings fluttering as he soared off into the air. He had always admired birds for their freedom and to some extent, envied them for it, yet wasn’t sure why. He’d stare off into the clouds and lose himself, then he’d snap back to reality and sigh. In his mind's eye, he could see vast mountains and prairies, rivers and lakes, and more. However, whenever he told anyone of such a fantastical view, they would always laugh at him. Additionally, Isdek had neither ports nor ships, so he could never go. And of course, people couldn’t fly, could they? Nobody would believe his outlandish claims of another landmass; they thought it impossible. And so, he seemed an odd boy in the eyes of others. Rarely anyone thought of wanting to leave the island as they were content with living on the island that Kedsi protects. Some disliked Zen for his dream because it made him appear to be ungrateful for Kedsi’s protection. When he was seven, he noticed how the others saw him: an outsider, unworthy of living on Isdek. One day, a thought appeared in Zen’s mind. I hate them. This island, this god, these people! This place is a prison of chains! Startled by this crazy, nonsensical thought, he quickly wiped it off of his own consciousness, yet it still remained in his body. Hate? What is hate? Deep inside his soul, something, someone began to stir. 

Zen was a curious young boy, and one day, when he was 13, he tried to make a boat and leave the island. When he was on his way down towards the shore where he left his boat, the Head Priest, Sayoshi, saw the boy and followed him. When he saw the little ship that had been built, he immediately grabbed him and brought him back before the Altar of Kedsi. An hour passed and it was now sunset, the time when Zen’s judgement was to be revealed. Although he didn’t break any laws, Kedsi felt frightened by this boy’s desire to leave the island. 

“As penance for attempting to leave the island without informing anyone, gaining permission, and the overall disrespect for my hospitality and kindness even after I let you live among my people, I hereby give Zen, age 13, two years of servitude to the Bishops.”

Kedsi didn’t actually care much about the boy’s actual attempt to leave, it was something else that he feared. For many years, he’d manipulated others into never leaving the island. Yet, this 13 year old boy, after living on the island for only 9 years, broke through his control. For this, Kedsi decided to keep the boy close, just in case.

At first, Zen didn’t mind this job as all he was doing was help prepare food, set up for some ceremonies and rituals, and occasionally clean up the rooms of his seniors. However, he was eventually forced to do their work and chores too. Zen and Kō developed conflicting feelings about this work. On one hand he accepted that this was his punishment, and on the other she hated the idea of being chained to duty. Her feelings floated across their souls and into Zen’s mind which made him want to tell the Bishops that they are making him do too much, that they forced too much of him. He cleared the thought, but not completely.

 One day, one of the Bishop's disciples, named Alvoti, asked Zen to clean the mess hall, to which Zen had to oblige. However, there were a few hundred students who had just eaten, so it took Zen half the night to clean every dish. Over the next few weeks, he received similar requests from the Bishops and disciples, to which he had to accept. With each request, Zen was forced to do a tougher and tougher task. Although he carried out his tasks every time, he began to feel anger and resentment towards the Bishops; however, it was not his, yet. 

One night, Zen had a dream. He was running across the prairies with animals and she flew through the sky with birds. The sun was shining across the world; the clouds had gone away. The air was fresh and the grass was green, and everything felt… peaceful. Zen laid down on the grass, tucked his arms behind his head, and closed his eyes and smiled. She smiled too but he couldn’t see it. Deep in his mind, Zen could hear the faint sound of chains rattling and a voice screaming. He jolted up to the sunshine, but something seemed off. 

“Who’s there!? What was that!?” 

There was no reply to his inquiry. Suddenly, the sun darkened and changed color. Red started to drip from the sun until the light itself was stained by the red. The red filled the prairie like paint fills a canvas. It overcame Zen and he was washed away. He woke up under dark clouds and mountains. It was cold and raining, and Zen went to find cover. He attempted to start a fire, but the sticks were already too wet to help him. Get up! You want to leave, right?! Look at me!

“Who said that? Show yourself!! Who are you?”

 Zen frantically ran around to find this voice without a body. Zen looked down at his own shadow, and for a moment, it was his own. But then he saw the shadow looking back at him. The head had horns and the body had wings, and then it vanished. Zen jumped awake in his bed, sweating and panicked from what he just saw. He blinked and went from his bed to the river bank, to calm down he thought. Soon after, Alvoti and some of his friends walked by and saw Zen sitting there. Zen’s two years had just ended and he was no longer their servant. He was glad to be able to go watch the clouds and the sea. 

But Alvoti interrupted him and said, “So, the chore boy is back to his old boring life?” Zen stretched out and looked back, “Indeed I am, if that is how you refer to my interests.” Alvoti stepped away from Zen and spoke, “Zen, while you may be free from your servitude, I am still your senior. I’d like you to…” Alvoti listed off countless tasks for him; Zen just stared at Alvoti intently.

 “I no longer work for you, Alvoti. Plus I am fed up with you and your friends ordering me around without concern for my well being!”

 For the first time, Zen raised his voice. Anger and hatred covered his mind, but it wasn’t his own, yet. Zen screamed at them and cursed at them until his voice went dry. As he collapsed, gasping for air, they began to run. His eyes were bloodshot and his body was trembling. Then it all went black. 

Kō awoke in this world for the first time. She saw men running from her and a godlike being descending from the clouds in front of her. His shining halo and spectacular wings are gold. A glistening white body with pure blue eyes. The god touched to the ground ever gently. Not a sound was made. Kō recognized him vaguely but couldn’t say for sure that she herself had ever met him. Kō smiled.

“And you are?” She inquired.

There was no response. Then, “I am the judge. The jury. The executioner. I bring down the hammer on those who are evil. And you are the defendant. And I deem you, guilty.”

Swiftly, Kedsi moved towards Kō and tried to grab her. Barely reacting to his speed, Kō narrowly escapes Kedsi’s hand.

    “Hmm, interesting. No one has ever reacted to such speed. Those disciples will be caught in it, but no matter. Be the followers of mine, they should have nothing more to fear”

Kedsi became all the more intrigued by this odd person. Kedsi lifted into the sky and exerted a white light from his Halo. It encompassed a 1 mile spherical radius from his person. The nearby people of the island notice it and pray. Continuously, Kedsi’s light grew and grew, brighter and brighter. Alvoti and his friends were swallowed up by the light. Kō was too. When it subsided, Alvoti and his friends had been turned to ash. A column of smoke rose from the ground that they stood on before. Kedsi, noticing them, smiled and looked back towards Kō’s position. However, there was nothing there. No smoke, no ash. Kedsi looked up and saw something falling. BAM! Something hit the ground near him. But what rose was neither human nor god. The incomplete combination of two beings stood there, two bodies in the same spot, phasing and shifting through each other. 

    “Who are you?” Kedsi asked.

He was afraid of this being. But then no longer. A red hand extended through his lower stomach. The hand then became human, then red again. Behind him, a devil stood. Then a man. Then neither. The fear that had filled Kedsi faded as his glowing Halo shattered to pieces. His body slid off the arm of the devil and fell to the ground. Blood spread across the ground. The god was dead.

Red dripped down their face and their body was red and wet and they smelled like a corpse. In front of them, a corpse missing a stomach. They fell to the ground, staring at the water. Memories and flashes or visions flooded the boy's mind and he freaked out, but then was calm.

“Shut up! He deserved to die! I’ve watched you for 15 years! And not once have you ever stood up for yourself! This Kedsi has had us chained down to the ground for long enough! It’s goddamn time that we get the hell out of this prison!” Kō took a deep breath and slowed down, “Only we can get us out of here, just look at me.”

Who are you? Zen thought. But he already knew the answer.

She grinned, “the second half. I’m your way out of this hell, and you're my way out of these damn chains.”

He thought he’d been talking to his shadow, but it was his reflection. His world inverted and they stepped out of the water and smiled, their body cleansed and anew. The phasing stopped. Wings grew from and the chains of hell were broken off. They lifted off the ground and soared off into the vast skies of the world.