Under a cold, endless, star-ridden sky, between roaring hands of flame which reached to the blackness, begging for their chance to be reunited with the sun, stood a colossal figure enclosed within an aura of royalty. His arms outstretched. His throat exposed. A magnificent, bejewelled headpiece adorned the giant's obsidian skull. The dance of the blazing flames reflecting into the jewels and gold.

Before the titan, his flock stood at his call; ready and willing to follow any instruction with reckless abandon. They repeated his words as though saying them would grant them a morsel of his power. Their eyes cemented on that whom they had come to believe, due to his ferocious power and size was the very darkness manifested into a form that cleverly mocked their own.

The titan pulled his arms in slowly and his flock hushed. His palms and fingers outstretched over the blazing prisoners that, through their cracking and spitting, begged to be back to their creator. Suddenly, the mighty ruler twisted his palms to the stars and struck his hands into the sky and, as though enraged or enthralled, the flames stretched out to touch the skin of his hands. Their crackling quickly changed from begging for release into begging for merger. To be extinguished. To become darkness. To become one with the giant that showed no weakness to their heat.

When he spun his left hand and his palm faced the flames upon his left side, they exploded into hues of violet and blues. He spun his right hand and those at his right licked his skin with tongues of jade and pinks. The flames tasted his skin. They tasted darkness. To be devoid of light. To be nothingness. They performed for their tormentor, jumping, twisting and turning, yelling for his admiration, caressing him in hopes that he would extinguish them so that they could join him. With passion and excitement, the worshippers that watched this event began to dance with the flames until without warning, the leader plunged his hands into the flames and laughed with great bemusement as they ate his flesh.

"The servants of the sand are now mine to command. They beckon and plead for me. Hiss and dance for me. Even now, they eat my flesh so that they may replace it. This is the power of light; this is the power of the sand. This is the power from which you all cower!? Follow me and find salvation. Take the world into one without light. Do not cower from the sand that takes your crops, your food and your children. Stand and one day we shall all journey to the source of the sand and destroy it!"

Howling and chattering, his followers had become ecstatic and wild.

"This children" called the leader, though his mouth did not move "is the power of my bite alone!"

With this, the giant grabbed the flames and, with a powerful scream that enthralled his worshippers, extinguished the flames using his scarred mouth and pointed black tongue.

After inspiring his followers with his display of enthusiastic fury, the titan looked across at his enthralled worshippers, all painted in dark blues and greys to imitate their leader, and, for the first time in a long time, felt a coldness clutch his black heart.

Within the crowd, one follower, who's paint had worn away in some parts to reveal a skin of soft red and smooth edges, stood out amongst them all. Once he saw her, he lost his breath and initially struggled to exhale. Then, a sensation began to blossom within. The feeling that one has when tasting their own blood in a fight, when one realises that they are being chased, when one realises that their desires may be the cause of their own death.

For even the great shadow titan had one unwritten rule to follow.

None should mate with the shadow and the shadow shall mate with none. For if this were to happen, not only would the sand endless tirade never be stopped but the power that these children would possess would be relentless against those that came across their paths.

If it were ever discovered that darkness had ever been spread into the womb of any female, any females and the titan would be forever entombed within his temple.

And yet, the consequence of entombment did not unsettle the leader for he had not been caught before.

As he stood upon the roof of his temple, his hands and mouth still burning, and as his followers bellowed and cried his praises, the titan stood frozen, he soulless, hungry eyes affixed only on this new creature.

She was to be his.