Fluttering wings of birds in the air.
A serene river flowing down the forest's edges.
Flowers blooming, trees giving shade, a peaceful land to walk across in the morning sun. As the kings departed, Sozo made his trek in the calm forest, gazing at every living creature that gets near. An appreciation on life, despite the black pigment staining the grass, an illusion of rot left behind. He tries to reach out to a small bird, letting it rest on its solid gloves, hearing its chirp as he carefully keeps it safe. As he walked across the foliage, enjoying Nature's beauty, a small growl is heard from a distance. His once soft smile dropped into a disgusted grimace, as he'd try to keep the small bird away from the potential threat.
SHIKK!!!
A stab straight through its neck, a tongue that reached out over 500 meters, dragging the bird back into its mouth, crunching sounds following immediately after. Despite the swift kill, and such loss of life being made on his bare hands, Sozo would merely sigh as he'd close his eyes and look up at the sky. "Why...." He'd begin, as he'd hear the growl once more, its footsteps making way towards him, reaching closer and closer the more his eyes remained shut. "Why....Is life so fleeting...?" He'd mumble, before opening his eyes and seeing the beast responsible: A Wolf-like creature with a prehensile tongue, a sharpened edge at the tongue's tip. Twigs and leaves stuck out its brown fur, as it eyed upon the King for another meal. All Sozo merely did was blinked, letting it try the first move, a swipe across his abdomen, as well as jutting its tongue to act as a rope around his neck.
SHIKK!! SHIKK!!
Black ooze dribbled down the beast's claws and tongue, confused as to how he didn't take any damage. Sozo merely responded by expanding his hand like a balloon, balling it into a fist, before punching the beast far, far away, the tongue ripped off in its impact. His ink was visibly damaged, an open wound in his stomach, yet the ink left behind would be quick on acting on its own, returning to its owner, as he'd take his steps again. "Life.... Death. That's what happens to everything. Some quick.... Others slow. Why... Why is it like this..?" He'd ask himself, hearing a scream from where he believed was the result of his attack. He merely walked to the location, his face devoid of any love or compassion, merely shooing the birds and small animals away rather than opening his heart to them. As he arrived, he grew repulsed at what he saw.
People. Men, women, children, all of whom run amok, panic and fear rampant as the beast rampaged. Some would cast spells, from chains to trees to robotics. Some would try to call upon their Artifacts, one that replicated the Earth's Core, pressurizing the area. Another as an infinite supply of weapons that takes traits from certain styles of magic, the style itself acting as its chest. A third in the form of a horn that calls upon Angels to strike down, false dolls that harbored the same halo and bright wings. Despite their efforts, the beast was constantly dodging each and every one of them, surviving the odds again and again, nearly reaching for a civilian, yet was stopped abruptly by a new style of magic. Sozo watched all of them in pure contempt, seeing the people work together to fend off the beast. "The worst creature to have ever lived. One with cognitive thought... One that believes in something more..." He'd mumble again as he'd raise his hands, the ink being drained away from his body, growing thinner by the second. As he lost his mass, the pigment shifted into a cloud, one that reached out across the village in the area. The people looked up, confused about this change in the weather.
SHIKK!!!
The first raindrop, skewering straight through a man's skull, lobotomizing him, blood pouring out from the new hole made across his body. Further panic ensued, noise to the Short King, as he'd take out each and every person one by one, the beast in a panic as it tried to flee, pinned down by the dark storm, striking at its brain with just enough to shift its emotions. Made it empathetic, all to let it witness the genocide the king dealt. It shed a tear for the people as it recognized death, a mass of bodies left behind, as the King approached. "Can I level with you for a second?" He'd begin, prompting the beast to tear off its own paws and try to leave, the ink residue left as puddles stopping him, quickly reaching in the form of rope to bind it down, forcing it to be on the ground, prone. "You know that you're going to die, right? Like, I'm not trying to say this as a threat, or as an insult, or even as some quip or banter. We all die eventually. We're all going to see the end and we won't be able to tell others about it. To be honest... it's scary."
The beast whimpered as it tries to flee again, knowing full well of his intentions. Each step the King made, felt like a thump in his heart. The King was methodical in his movements. He never broke sight from the beast, nor did he had any anger or ire in his voice. It was cordial, calm, like the birds that flew in the sky. "People always mention that there is something beyond us. That there's a God that will take us home. That there's an afterlife worth staying after everything is done. That we will come back in some reincarnation method, or whatnot. I'm going to tell you firsthand that its a lie. I've seen it. I've witnessed so many of my loved ones perish in time. I was forced to be blessed with a gift that curses me day and night. All I could see is their skulls and bones of what was once my home. They passed away peacefully....but they never came back. There was no sign that they exist still, there was no alternate body that they rose back from..." His steps grew quieter, as if he was trying to soothe the monster, shushing sounds made to prevent it from making any noise, his presence already crushing its mere spirit, wanting nothing less than to go back to its den, settle in, and weep for the fallen.
"They're all dead."
"I'm scared. I'm scared that it will happen again, and again..." He'd pause himself as he'd reach into his own body, tearing out what looked to be a heart made of Ink. Even as he crushed it, it merely reformed back and slips back into the cavity he made, the Rorschach quickly forming again as it returned. "...I am forced to live forever, as I watch every other creature, animal or human, have the pleasure of resting in peace. I have been saddled with the very thing that will never let me close my eyes forever, and I can only blame myself, for wishing upon such a dream."
"There is no God. Everything ends eventually. Only a Void is before us..."
"Nothing Matters..."
"Not you."
"Nor I."
SHIKK!!!
As he got close, he beheaded the beast, tying the binds around its neck and ripping the head clean off, watching the body fall over in tandem. He merely looked at the beast's eyes, watching its color fade. "...Nothing matters. Nothing... " Was all he could give for his passing words, as he walked away from the mass of bodies he left behind. Thus, his title: King of Nihil. The Nihilistic Prophet.