In time before man kind had spread to all corners of this world, before man created machines to travel at amazing speeds at touch the heavens, before the miracles and monstrosities of man became abundant in this world, there was a simple family trying to survive in a hostile land. This family consisted of a mother, father, and two brothers. The eldest son supported himself and his family in farming, he grew many fruits and vegetables for them all to eat and worked hard day and night to care for his crops, sacrificing sweat, time, and blood to make his crops the best. The youngest son called himself a shepherd, often found napping in the fields with his sheep. The elder brother was amazed that his brother's sheep remained alive as he often found himself scaring away predators and feeding them.

On the occasions both brothers were not working, they often joined their parents for a meal, For, since their youth, both boys often found themselves enthralled from their parents tales of the land they hailed from. They described it as a paradise, abundant with all the food they could ever want. They also recalled the animal friends they had, ones that now act as their enemies. But most of all, they spoke fondly of the specter that ruled the land. They told their sons how the Spector looked kindly upon them and how it created the paradise they resided in. Of course, the sons wondered why they did not live in this great land, instead of the baren one they had known all their lives. The man and woman told them, in great shame, how they had enraged the Spector by disregarding his words and partaking in a forbidden activity, the likes of which they would never say.

The eldest son liked the tales but only regarded them to be just that, a simple story to amuse him and his brother. However, the younger brother hung on to the tales with his entire being, believing every word and waiting for the day they could rejoin the Spector in their parent's former paradise. This is where our story begins…

The eldest son found himself being called by his father one day while he was busy one day working in the fields. In no surprise to him, his younger brother already accompanied his father, leaving his flock unattended.

"Father, why do you come here? You know I must tend to my crops. And Brother, why do you leave your flock? That rough wolf is still in these lands, they could be in danger." The elder brother addressed both his father and his brother, though, as was the usual in his family, they both disregarded his concerns.

"Brother, we come baring great news!" the elder brother looked on his sibling in distain, for such a statement as this one could only ever lead to trouble for them both. "Father has just told me that the Spector that rules these lands has asked a sacrifice of us! This could be our chance to regain his good graces and return to our parents paradise!"

The elder brother let out a long sigh before responding to his younger sibling "I do not have time for your tall tales' brother. Now if you could please leave, I have work to do, as do you my brother."

The elder brother turned back to return his focus to his beloved crops when he felt his father's hand on his shoulder, stopping him in his tracks. "son, surely you must have some of your better harvests stored away for a special occasion. Just bring them home tomorrow for us to offer, if not for yourself, then for your family, so that we may live in bliss once more." With that, his father turned and left, leaving the two brothers alone.

"Brother, what will you bring for the Spector? Perhaps your ripest fruit, your fastest vegetables, or perhaps both-" The elder brother cut off his younger sibling.

"No, I will not be sacrificing that which is important to some Spector of your minds. I will find some dried fruit from last year if only to please father." The young man turned again to go back to his field and found his way blocked by his younger brother.

"But brother you must! This is our chance to live in paradise! I myself have already picked out my best lamb to offer-"

"Then you are a fool brother. We have lived our whole lives in this hardship and that is the way it always was and the way it will always be. Now go back to your flock, before you sacrifice more than one lamb to this nonsense." The elder brother took advantage of the younger's shock and shoved past him, happily returning to his work.

*************time skip*****************

The next evening, the elder brother approached his childhood home, an armful of the previous year's dried fruit in his grasp. Just as he was about to knock on the door, it swung open to revel his father and brother, lamb in hand.

"You're finally here, good. Follow me to the offering alter." His father spoke without so much as looking at the elder brother.

The family made their way through the barren landscape, where few trees dotted the land. The men felt the dried dirt crunch under their feet and did their best not to breath in any of the dust kicked up on their journey. They walked most of the night, finally reaching the dark alter when the moon was starting to set.

Both brothers couldn't contain their gasps of horror upon seeing the alter. It was carved out of a black stone, ground smooth to reflect the night sky perfectly. The brothers could finally see where their father was always working at as he didn't have a farm or flock, relying on his sons for food and supplies he and his wife might need. The alter was obviously well preserved, showing countless nights of care and a detailed eye to keep it clean. In the middle of the alter was a large hole, filled to the brim with ashes. It was also surrounded by rotting food, left from old sacrifices, presumably left by their parents.

"Put your lamb on the alter first." The father's words shook the two boys out of their trance of staring at the alter still looming in front of them. The younger son rushed forward to place the lamb on the ashes of the alter, leaving it lie there as his father approached it.

The sons stood silent as their father began whispering in a language foreign to them. As he spoke more strange words, they slowly became louder until the surrounding ground seemed to shake with the sound of the father's voice.

The world itself appeared to hold its breath when the father's voice died out and he lit a match. Reigniting the earth, he yelled; "USE THIS FIRE TO CONSUME OUR WORTHY SACRIFICES SO THAT WE MAY ONCE AGAIN HAVE YOUR FAVOR." With those words the father threw the match on to the alter, immediately the entire surface of the cursed alter was engulphed in flames, consuming the lamb with a great intensity.

The eldest brother was never on to believe his father's tales of the Spector that ruled over all the land, not until that moment that fire engulphed everything and completely consumed the lamb in seconds before dying down.

Once the fire had smoldered out both brothers looked in astonishment to see nothing remaining of the once prized lamb, only a few more ashes added to the hole in the center of the alter. The elder brother looked at his younger sibling to see him smiling like the fire destroying his most prized possession was the greatest praise he had ever received.

When motioned forward by his father, the elder brother placed his fruit in the same spot before returning to his place at his father's side. He listened and watched as his father repeated the ritual, yelling until the ground shook, lighting the match, then throwing it onto the alter. Only, this time, the fames did not become the brilliant, all-consuming, fire they had before. They merely smoldered, roaring at a low flame until the fruit was consumed and then immediately died.

The elder brother did not need to be told what had happened. This so called "Spector" had liked his brother's sacrifice more than his own. He staired at the growing ash pile in rage, trying to understand how something prized and needed by his lazy brother had been a better offering than what was not needed by him.

He vaguely heard how his father congratulated his brother on his "wonderful" sacrifice to the Spector. The only thing the elder brother could think about, was how he HATED being bested by his younger, lazier, brother. Once the farmer had managed to tear his eyes from the alter, he saw how his family had left without him. With a sad sigh, he once again returned to his crops to make up for the lost nights work.

******* another time skip because I am lazy**************

In the upcoming days, the young brother became insufferable to his older sibling. His luck seemed to increase by ten-fold, the predators left him and his flock alone, his sheep never wandered far from him as they normally might, and the worst thing, in the elder brother's opinion, was how much the boy's parents seemed to worship the ground their young son walked on.

This enraged the elder brother. He watched from his field as he became an outcast in his own family, how they only slept and ate like kings while he toiled in the field all day for mere scraps. The elder brother grew bitter over those days, he grew enraged at his foolish brother, having offered up something just as he had, to be given so much more. Still, the man worked in his field and took a small joy in the delicious food that grew there.

All might have remained at an uneasy peace, had the younger brother not come to his sibling's field to get him to offer up another sacrifice to the Spector.

"Brother you must come back to the alter with me and father, you have seen my great fortune these last few days." The elder brother ignored his irritating sibling's pleading and continued to move the large rocks preventing plants from growing in his new field.

"I believe you could have good fortune too if you offer a sacrifice as good as mine was." The younger brother's voice as dripping with pride and contempt. It was at this moment the elder brother realized that his sibling had not come to help him, but instead to brag and make him feel inferior.

"I will not partake of that foolishness with you and father every again, and I shall hear no more of this brother. Leave my field now, or you shall feel very unfortunate quite soon." The younger brother did not heed the elder's warning.

"But brother, while you may not be able to offer something as great as a prized lamb, I believe we can find something of value to offer-"

Many things snapped in that moments. The elder brother felt his heart snap at his brother's snide comments. However, he also felt his control snap, and with that his brother's head. It was a gruesome sight, the rock the elder brother had been moving found its way into his only brother's head, soaking the dirt surrounding them in his blood.

Once the elder brother had realized his actions, he worried how his father would react, how his mother would cry. He decided to burry his brother in that new field and pretend as though his brother had simply left of a quest for his parent's former promise land.

His plan worked for a time. When the boy's parents came looking when the younger brother made no appearance for the usual family dinner, for some reason not including the elder, the elder brother simply told them his brother had told him to care for the sheep as he was going to find the land his parents promised. The mother and father wept for their missing son but believed he would find the land of his dreams and hoped his sacrifice was enough to gain him entry under the Spector's favor.

For many days the elder brother stayed away from the field in which he had killed his brother, but was forced to return to plant more crops to replace the ones that had died in that years drought. When he arrived at the field and saw the blood-soaked soil, the man remembered what he had done. He stayed for a moment, staring at the blood and morning the brother be had lost.

The young farmer had his eyes closed in grief for only a moment, but when he opened them, he was nearly blinded by the brightest light he had ever seen emanating from a figure standing over his brother's shallow grave. The light made it impossible for the brother to make out much about the figure. All he could see, was that it was much taller than any human should be and the light that emanated from it was almost like that of a roaring fire.

"Where is your brother?" The voice seemed to come from everywhere at once, but the farmer knew it to be the voice of the figure standing in front of him, the voice of the Spector that ruled all the lands.

In a moment of panic from coming face to face with the horrible being, the older brother replied, "I don't know, am I my brother's keeper?"

The figure stayed still and silent, as though waiting for the human to say something more. When a few moments past, the Spector let out a low growling sound and wiped its hand through the air, removing ever spec of dirt covering the younger brother's body, completely revealing the damage the farmer had done.

Upon laying his eyes on his Brother's broken and decaying body, the elder brother dropped to his knees and began to sob. "Forgive me Spector, I know not what I do!" the elder brother bowed his head so far, it was resting on the ground as he spoke the words.

"You have committed the worst sin of all. You have killed your own blood!" the voice once again came from everywhere, though, this time, it shook with an unearthly rage. "You will suffer greatly for your hateful actions! For now, until the end of time any ground you work shall never yield crops, nor will any of your labor bear fruit!"

"No great Spector! This is far to harsh, for without farming I can not remain here, with my father and mother. I will never be safe from harm; I shall have nothing." The elder brother protested while remaining in his bowed position, though chancing a glance up at the Spector only to be blinded once again by its all-consuming light.

The Spector went on, "Correct, for now your fate is that of one to wander the earth forever with no family, no home, and no purpose. As for your safety, anyone that tries to hurt you shall suffer what pain they inflict on you seven-fold, but do not think this to be mercy human, for now you suffering shall last throughout thousands of lifetimes with no way to be freed."

The young man screamed as he felt a burning sensation in his left shoulder. He recognized it from a time as a child when he had accidentally fallen into his family's fireplace. He watched as the symbol burned its way into his arm, taking the form of an L with two dots.

The Spector's voice boomed one more time before disappearing. "Let this mark remind you of your hateful sin. For this mark shall hold your curse. FOR THIS IS THE MARK OF CAIN!"