I couldn’t stop my legs from shaking, or the sweat from coating my hands. I wiped them on my dress but they still felt wet, I wiped again but it wasn’t sufficient. I focused my essence on the center of the moon and drew energy from it. My essence disintegrated into hundreds of light particles then reformed again. Instead of being on the moon surrounded by the stars I stood amidst four trees placed perfectly in a diamond. These were the Four Trees of Life that connected the underworld to the real world.
Little specks of souls shinning shades of grays, blacks, and whites fell like snow past the invisible floor that I floated on. A black speck drifted towards me. I ducked so the soul stained by evil could not graze my head. Such evil may never touch me.
I searched my surroundings trying to find Death but instead saw a large black castle a mile in the distance. It stood on a floating island. I grew hot in the face.
“I can’t believe they let that horrid race of savages stain this world…” I said with anger, that castle defied the gods and goddesses.
“I do not concern myself with the failures of gods and goddesses.” Death said with a deep voice. I turned to look upon Deaths large stature. His essence glowing with evil powers. White sclera covered every corner of his gaze but I knew he stared directly at me.
My powers wavered, and my essence shook as I stood before him.
“Those creatures are evil! You and Life made them pure from the very beginning and they curse your existence by staining their souls with sin!”
“Is it my fault you only understand destruction instead of mending?” His scarred face became even more ugly as the wrinkles creased around his eyes in anger. My mouth opened to speak, I breathed deeply to state my case but Death held his hand to silence me. “I will not have this argument again. You steal mine and Life’s powers for your own selfish desires and dare to talk down to me about what they did to you.”
Death never listened to any of us. There were many gods and goddesses with insight to improve this universe, to eradicate sin and suffering. He never cared about our plight.
“What do you want?” I spat. I focused my gaze to the tree on my left, an oak tree that twisted in every direction and was knotted at every inch.
“I want to mend.” He said. There was no furniture about the area, but he sat. The darkness from his cloak twisted into a fabricated chair with lightning speed.
“What do you know about mending? You’re Death, all you know is rot and decay.”
“Rot and decay feeds soil which creates life. A coyote might kill an adorable rabbit but he feeds a family of nine innocent pups, the remains might be gory and ghastly but it is nourishment to many creatures. I understand death more than you Goddessa. Try not to lecture me.”
I crossed my arms and rolled my eyes. “Since you already know everything what’s the meaning of this damn conversation?”
“I want you to try and understand what I did.”
“And you waited five years to talk? I’m sorry but I’m just not interested anymore.”
“You needed time to mourn. I sense you’re not finished either.”
My heart felt as if it was drowning in emotions. I couldn’t speak or else all my feelings would burst out of me. I couldn’t appear weak in front of Death and amidst a ploy to destroy him.
“She’s not dead.” Death said. My heart stopped beating, my arms unfolded and I stared at him like I could find the answers in his eyes. Was he playing a cruel joke on me? Death placed his needle like cane across his lap. “This needle is an extension of my essence, just as you are. It can unravel and sew together any threads of magic. It has no limitations. Pherisous paid me a visit. She confided in me.”
“Lies!” I blurted.
“Pherisous was hurting. She couldn’t find contentment.”
“You lie! She was happy with me!”
“You have felt the cold icy touch of depression, Goddessa. Nobody is exempt of sorrow, or any dark emotion that you gods and goddesses pretend to be free from. I know you saw the eye, I know you saw the darkness. That’s the side of yourself you’re scared of. The depression, the emotions that you claim only humans have. All the gods and goddesses think that being the brightest light is the best form of goodness. But good and evil are a construct you fabricated because Godius and I had a falling out and now he abhors everything that makes me Death. Pherisous was happy, but there was always something missing. She had a purpose but felt saddened that she too thought of destroying her creatures to full-fill her desires. The only thing that separates her from Avial is she sought my help.”
“I can’t believe any of this... Why wouldn’t she talk to me?”
“Because you allow yourself to be manipulated by your brother.”
“Manipulated? Godius doesn’t manipulate me.” Saying that seemed to hit a funny bone with Death. He shook his head as he finished chuckling at me.
“Goddessa, your darkness could be so powerful if you weren’t submerged in sunlight. You could eclipse your brother forever. But he talks you down, makes you think that the darkness is evil, therefore forbidden. This is why Pherisous never talked to you. She knew that if you saw even the slightest hint of darkness in her that you wouldn’t love her anymore.”
“Where is she! I want to talk to her.” I paced around the trees as if she was hiding behind them.
“Pherisous isn’t dead, but she isn’t an ethereal being anymore. The magic that made up her body has been released to the universe. She is the stars, she is now the universe, she is one with her creations and because of that the stars will birth themselves and die naturally without being governed. She asked me to talk to you, hoping that you would follow in her footsteps.”
“I can’t believe you. You lie. Pherisous would never abandon me.” I fought my tears but one managed to seep out of my eyelid. It was then that the damn broke and the floods began. I couldn’t control what I felt.
A softness touched my shoulder, the cold relaxed my swollen eyes and everything felt calm. I was pulled into an embrace with Death, his cloak oddly soft and his boney arms seemed to fit in the small spaces around my neck. I considered for a second that maybe Death wasn’t as cruel as I believed.
Then an uncomfortable, eerie feeling caused my spine to shiver. An uncomfortableness ached in all my muscles and bones. I knew Death could feel it too. He gently pushed me off him. His eyes had a haunting expression that added to his already daunting facial features. Poof, nothing but a cloud of black smoke was all that remained of Deaths teleportation. Was this when I had to return to the counsel chambers?
I teleported back to the amphitheater. Twenty-six gods and goddesses all took a stance around an alter that had a sacrifice on the middle. Before I had a chance to think Godius struck Death with his magic, then another god had followed suit, then another until all twenty-six of them had their magic confining Death.
“Goddessa! Help us! Grab the needle!” Godius spat as he strained to hold Death.
I took a step forward but hesitated. What was I to do? Was Death telling the truth about Pherisous? I couldn’t help but feel like I was wrong about him, that we all were. Would unraveling my essence rejoin me with my one love? My head felt like it would explode with all the thoughts piling on top of each other.
Death was surrounded, but he fought vigilantly. With a jerk of his shoulder he broke the magical bind with Serhac. The god was overwhelmed by Deaths force that he dropped with fatigue. Another sharp turn to the left and Deaths cape swung in the air and fell upon two gods. The darkness clung to them and sucked the magic from their essence until they fell to their knees.
Deaths boney fingers raised towards Godius and dark matter in the shape of spears shot out of his cloak. My heart jumped, I wanted to stand between Godius but my feet wouldn’t move. I could do nothing but watch as Godius broke his binding spell to flex his arms, puff out his chest and emit a bright light that burned the darkness into nothing. He recasted his binding spell but the oppurtunity gave Death enough strength to throw his needle at a goddess. It impaled her in the chest. The area surrounding the needle turned black and shredded her essence into a million little threads until there was nothing left of her. When she was gone the cane returned to it’s master.
“Goddessa! What are you doing! Grab the needle!” Godius barked.
“You don’t have to do this.” Death spoke with softness in his tone.
I looked to my brother, the anger radiating from his sunlight made the entire room hotter than an oven. How furious he’d be if I sided with Death.
The weight of my decision was heavy enough for my chest to drop in my stomach. In that moment I thought of a star, one that Pherisous named after me. It shone blue and was brighter than all the others. Would the surface burn with blue flames? How I desperately wanted to find out. I desired to be with Pherisous again. But... If Death was right, and Pherisous really was apart of the universe then why haven’t I felt her presence? He must be lying.
Death tumbled as I snatched the needle from his hands. I held onto it like my life depended on it. The expression in Deaths eyes pains me. I didn’t understand the feeling but I betrayed him although I never stood by his side. Why did this hurt so much?
I didn’t want to feel this way, I thought of the day Pherisous left me. The anger rushing back. The hatred I had bottled inside burst open and before I could think another thought I blacked out. When my mind had regained focus the needle was sticking two feet out of Deaths face. His eyes rolled into the back of his head, the white of his skin turned as black as his cloak. His entire essence writhed and crinkled into a ball then exploded. I was hit with such force I flew backwards and slammed against the seats. My entire body felt weak as if I had my essence sucked away.
“My dear sister, how do you fair?” Godius ran to me. His warm hands gently held my own and helped me to my feet as I was regaining my powers. The needle in my hand unraveled into tiny threads of magic and became one with the universe, as Death had called it.
“Did we succeed?” We looked where Death was trapped and saw only a small fraction of Deaths essence. A small glimmer of darkness laid on the ground in the shape of torn cloth.
“Is that it?” I asked.
“I don’t feel his essence anymore.” The goddess of beauty Vanai said as she lifted herself from the ground.
“It’s not over yet. We’ve only reset his powers.” Godius said. He scooped up the darkness and held it over our sacrifice, the darkness descended as he separated his hands and it floated a few inches above it.
Godius chanted the remainder of the spell:
“With the power of the sun at my command. I bind Death, an indestructible being to a destructible sacrifice…” Deaths faded essence disappeared as it merged with the sacrifice. The final steps. It was almost over; we were almost free of Deaths tyranny. “By my blessed blade forged by the sun’s lava and the moons rock, I, Godius, the sun god will destroy Death!”
He raised his hands high above his head. His blade glimmered brightly as my anticipation increased.
“Kill it! Destroy the sacrifice befo-”
A flash of light dropped us to the ground and shoved Godius away from the alter. A voice screamed with pain as she witnessed what we did to Death.
“What have you done!” Life screamed. Her essence weakened without Death by her side.
“Life, back away. Without your counterpart your powers cannot handle the combined strength of us all!” My brother said to her.
“Undo this and we will spare you!” She attempted to bargain.
“No! You must be vanquished with Death, we have no use for you anymore.”
Her horrified look turned to anger. She snatched the sacrifice, lifted her hand and combined the weaves of light magic to force our essence to waver again. We were stuck in our spot for a single second, but it was all the time she needed to escape.
She disappeared with the sacrifice cradled in her arms.
“Where did she go!” I screamed at the blank spot on the alter.
“Patience! We can find her, we must track the pattern of white magic that her essence creates!” My brother said. We all stood still and calm, focusing our magic on hers finding any pattern of light that would give away her location.
“I don’t sense her anywhere, what if she’s in the underworld!” Dias said with frustration. “I’ll go there and find her!”
He concentrated his recovering essence to teleporting. I grasped my hands together with anticipation. I waited for him to leave but he never did. Dias opened his eyes with horror.
“I-I can’t. It’s almost as if there is a barrier preventing me from entering the underworld.”
“That’s impossible, I was just there.” I said.
Godius closed his eyes to focus. His essence wavered as if he made contact but was forced back immediately.
“I can’t either.” He said.
“What do we do!”
“We’ll have the church investigate with our angels leading my saint in the right direction.” He explained.
“You’ll place your hopes in a human? What can a mere being like her do what us gods can’t!” Dias raised his voice for all the other gods and goddesses to hear. Their attention now fixed on us.
“That’s mighty talk for a god whose power derives from human prayers.” I said to Dias. His armor was a dark shade of red, covering him from head to toe. When he was angry or felt threatened his armor glowed a bright vermillion.
“The underworld was created for their sanctity. Not for gods and goddesses. If anyone can tap into the underworld it would be a being with a strong heart and pure soul.” Godius said.
“I don’t agree with humans interfering in a gods business!” Dias unsheathed his sword for a battle.
“Typical Dias! Always wanting a fight. You were one of the few to assist with the spell, but don’t mistake us for fools. You did this for yourself. You’ve desired the position of head god for centuries. How many times do I have to beat you into submission?” My brother roared at him.
“Don’t underestimate me, Sun God. The Grim Reaper is gone. I can destroy you without Death threatening to annihilate me!”
“No!” I interfered. “Death is not gone. Life stole him and the sacrifice. If we don’t act now his powers will grow. And his rage will be unmet by all of us!”
“My sister is right. Do what you must Dias. But my guard will not lower. If I must I’ll rain fire upon your realm, obliviating the prayers that give you power.”
Dias announced his defeat by sheathing his sword. His armor still glowed with rage. I turned to my brother and grabbed his arm, needing his warmth.
“Shi Fira won’t fail us, brother.” I said hoping that I could give him the same warmth he blessed me with.
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