Chapter 1

Chapter One -- Introduction to Despair

"A world without time, host to a war with no end... Men bear witness and frolic in the blood of the fallen. The age of prophecies foretelling a future of peace and prosperity has long since been divested. But in this world, our present, the roads are wide and the paths are many. Destinies can be forged; fates can be broken."



Váli's world was one of vibrant colors and wonderful aromas, though their source seemed so far away to the child. The village of Tevan had always been an exciting place to visit on the first day of Autumn, and today was no exception. A festival of breathtaking proportions had just gotten underway, and people had gathered from all across the kingdom of Autrin to take part. To the small boy burning with anticipation, it seemed as though everyone was there, everyone except him.

“Mother, the whole kingdom is already there by now! If I don't hurry, I'll miss everything!” Váli crowed, running his hands along the smooth oak surrounding the kitchen window. “We're on the outskirts of the village, and it will take last of the sunlight just to get there. Why must I wait?”

“You think I would let your sister walk to the festival by herself at night? Shame on you, Váli,” the woman replied, ruffling her son's head. “I have agreed to watch Mr. Hade until his wife returns from the market, and you know Eisha wants to have fun just as much as you do.”

Váli shuffled his feet impatiently, peering out of the kitchen. The small hallway was empty, as it was the last time he had checked, and the time before that.

“Why must she put on such foolish clothes? Women should just wear rinewool tunics like everyone else!” he said, making sure he was loud enough for a certain someone to hear.

“Child, stop this nonsense and leave your sister alone. This event only happens on the first day of every Autumn, so let the girl wear whatever she wishes. While you wait, take this to Mr. Hade. It will serve to pass the time,” Váli's mother sighed, handing him a basket of fresh apples and grapes.

Váli, though young, already had the makings of a strong man and had no trouble toting the large, finely woven basket. His shoulders were broad, and many of the villagers had told him that he would grow to have strong carpenter's hands. Sometimes, he would even be asked to help the fishermen with casting the nets, receiving ten copper coins for his labors each time. Váli did not care about things like that though. He was more interested in games and festivals, especially the Autumn ones.

In a flash, the boy charged out of the front door of the small house, basket in tow. Normally, Váli would have taken a bit of the delicious fruit for himself, but the smell of roasting meat and fresh bread wafting from the center of the village seemed so much more appealing. He would have liked to be traveling in the opposite direction so much, but unfortunately the Hade house was one of the few homes farther out than his own. Váli's feet unwillingly slowed to a brisk walk as the soft sanded road beneath him became a mess of rocky gravel and twisted grass roots. He was almost there; the house was just past the worship shrines.

Walking past the large, flat, one-story buildings, Váli wondered why the old man would choose to put his home in such a place. Only the intensely devoted would travel to the outskirts of the village to worship the many Gods that ruled this world. Everyone else would just pray to small figurines or ornaments ordained by the priests, everyone except Mr. Hade. In the short while Váli had known the man, not once had he spoken of God or faith. Even when he fell ill just two days ago, the Hade household had not been heard praying for good health. The other villagers thus estranged themselves from them. No one besides Váli's own family, the Rosses, ever even considered visiting the old man and his wife.

A gentle breeze swept through the rolling, grassy hills surrounding the city. Váli's jet black hair fluttered, uncurling for a brief moment, only to fall limp once more over his dark green eyes. He didn't mind, however; in fact, he saw trying to avoid the pointed stones beneath him without looking as a challenge. The native and visiting priests who were not at the festival smiled at the carefree child, falling over an assortment of rocks and tree stumps as he passed.

By the time Váli had arrived at his destination, the basket hardly had a third of what he had been sent to deliver.

“Hello, Mr. Hade,” the boy said nearing the one-room hut which housed the elderly couple. “I have some fruit from my mother I was sent to give to you.”

There was a faint shuffling, followed by a series of coughs and groans.

“That's very kind of Rinda. Give her my deepest thanks, child,” a voice replied. “Please, leave it at the door if you wish. I would expect you to be at the festival by now.”

“I will, sir. Goodbye!” Váli yelled, setting the fruit down where instructed and taking off once more.

Looking back at the old hut, the boy felt a tinge of regret. The straw thatching on the roof had thinned, and the wood lining of the walls was dry and splintered. He could have done more to help; the whole village could. Váli would have turned back to take the fruits to Mr. Hade himself had he not seen the soft golden light suddenly come to life in the old man's window. The damage had been done.

“Getting up one more time won't kill him,” Váli mumbled, continuing on his way.

The return trip was a quick one, down the sloping hills, past the worship shrines, and off into the wild bushes just outside his house. It was there that Váli peeled off the bits of grape and apple that had plastered themselves onto his scraped legs. By the time he had returned home, the sun was only flickering on the horizon.

“Hurry up Váli!” Eisha called out to her brother as he appeared over the last hill. “The festival will be over by the time we get there!”

“Me hurry up? I was the one waiting for you for half the day!” Váli retorted, jogging up to her. “Well, if mother and father aren't coming, let's go.”

“Mother said to take this and have fun at the festival. She went to fetch some candles and water for Mr. Hade,” Eisha said, handing her brother a small leather pouch.

“Odd, Mr. Hade had a light going when I came by, so I don't know why he would need candles. Maybe he was almost out,” Váli mumbled, shaking the pouch beside his ear. The coins inside gave a low, grinding jingle as they were tossed about. “Only copper,” Váli muttered, fastening one of the pouch strings around his waist sash, which was of course, loosely woven rinewool.

“Why do you always do that? Why don't you just look inside like normal people would?” Eisha asked, a quizzical expression on her face.

“What would be the fun in that?” Váli replied, walking past his sister and towards the festivities awaiting him.

The walk towards the center of Tevan was almost more agonizing for Váli than the wait before. He would constantly urge his sister to keep up with him, but in the bright blue dress she was wearing, it was next to impossible. Slowing down, Váli was plagued by the piercing rattle of the sea shells that had been sewn on with little care. It had gotten to the point where he could tell what shell made what noise quite easily. The high pitched snap was the blue as it collided with the brown, the deafening scraping was the brown with another brown, and so on. He had gotten so good at it, in fact, that he had almost forgotten how much the sounds had irritated him.

The scenery changed from farmland to houses soon enough, and shortly after nightfall the two found themselves in the midst of the gargantuan celebrations. The village of Tevan had originally been a religious pilgrimage point, and because of this, most of the houses were simple one-story buildings made of wood and stone, with straw covering the roof tiles. The decorations adorned upon them tonight, however, made them look fit for royalty. Golden chains hung from rooftops, roses and dandelions filled the streets, and the whole village smelled of roasted meats and buttered breads.

The inns were most spectacular, as they were some of the only two- and three-story buildings around and served as platforms for the fire dancers. The jolly men laughed and sang, twirling massive flaming clubs to and fro. Only light silken trousers covered their well-built frames, causing the show to be a hit with most of the young women, as well as the children.

The straw had been removed from each of the inn's rooftops, letting light from the flaming sticks illuminate the dark clay below. The barren clay let off a heart-warming aura in return, that lifted the spirits of all who viewed the spectacle. Once a man had taken part in a Tevan Autumn festival, he would surely not forget it for the rest of his days.

Both Váli and Eisha had been brought to the event every autumn since they had been born, eight including this one for the boy and two less for his sister. Each time brought a new excitement and joy for the village children, though. Be it disc throwing or height jumping, whatever was the new thrill most taken up by the youth of the village was amplified tenfold at the festival. This year, it was gambling. Anything that could be bet on was a source of great interest for the children of Tevan. From street wrestling to whose family would buy the fattest pig from the markets, nothing was off limits.

Váli peered into the pouch along his waist for the first time while nearing the butcher's corner and meat vendors of Tevan. He was neither surprised nor relieved to find twenty copper coins nestled inside. He had guessed they were copper and had approximated their number earlier; it was just as expected. After buying himself and his sister some of the spitted roast chicken from one of the many vendors, Váli began to look for a gathering of boys, a sign that something interesting was about to take place.

“Come on, this way!” Váli said to his sister, taking her hand as he made his way through the thick crowd of spectators and the pickpockets they incurred.

He knew just where he would find what he was looking for, if memory served him correctly. It took Váli only a few moments to make his way to the western side of the city. There, the inns were filled with foreign customers, cheering upwards from their windows and the ground below, towards the fire dancers. One of the dancers smiled, tossing his stick as high as he could manage and catching it on the heel of his foot flawlessly. The crowds went wild, all except Váli, for this was not what he was searching for.

“Váli, I'm tired. Let's watch the dancers for a while,” Eisha suggested, though it was of no use.

Váli was only focused on one thing - the crowd of young boys that had just gathered near a busy inn. He knew there would be something happening here if nowhere else. Everyone had been talking about it for days now. As he strolled up to the other boys confidently, one of the group held out his hand, grinning ecstatically.

“Today or not today, and how much will ya put on it?” the boy said.

“I'll say...” Váli started, looking at two cloaked men on the side of the road in particular. “Today, and I'll put seven copper pieces.”

“What is this?” Eisha asked her brother, while he gave half of their remaining money to the boy before them.

“It's a bet of course!” another child chimed in. “See those two men on the road over there? Well, they haven't moved none since they got there, and it's been two days! We checked an' they're still breathing, but they haven't eaten or drunk anything. Thomas over there thinks they won't last till the morning, but I think they'll make it at least until the next full moon tomorrow!”

A light breeze made its presence known, whisking through the city and stirring the dark clouds forming above.

It was then that the two men both rose, letting the collected dirt and dust fall from their worn cloaks.

“Weapons! They carry weapons! Call the guard!” a man yelled, sending the masses into chaos.

One of the men, a head or two taller than the other, raised a pointed object and began to speak. Váli could not tell what he was saying due to the screaming crowd brushing by him, but soon enough, the streets were clear, all except for the small group of frightened children, and the armed men. Now able to see clearly, Váli could tell that the object the larger man held was a trident. It was an incredible weapon, with a bronze coating and tips of what seemed to be real gold. The other man held a simple iron sword, but looked no less threatening.

“Let's go! I don't want to be here anymore!” Eisha said panicked, trying to pull her brother away from the chaos that was sure to begin.

Váli was motionless. He felt the pull of his sister, but he was captivated by the sight before him.

The man with the trident was the first to move, raising his weapon and beginning to breathe heavily. The sky, darkened further than the deepest of nights could conjure, let out a hellish cry. A massive column of water followed, smashing into the opposing sword wielder. The crowds jumped back in awe as the street started to flood uncontrollably. Váli continued to watch in amazement while worried mothers ushered him, and the rest of the children, into the nearby inn.

The boy was not even aware of the water splashing at his feet, for his eyes were locked upon the massive torrent that continued to fall from the sky. He had heard of different magics, and had even seen some of them preformed in town once, but this seemed completely different. Lighting a torch or breaking a piece of wood using one's mind wasn't even comparable to what he was witnessing.

The other man, not even able to stand against the tons of water rushing upon him, raised his sword as best he could, and pointed it at his adversary. All around the larger warrior, the sky began to rain small pebbles. The pebbles soon turned to rocks and from rocks to boulders as they fell. The first man's trident waved from left to right, forwards and back, moving his torrent of water at the same time, a look of fear and agitation on his tanned face. The streets rumbled with a vengeance under the crushing power of the sword wielder's fearsome attack. One of the boulders landed in a neighboring inn, bringing the whole structure crashing down in a matter of seconds. There were no screams or moans; not even a whisper echoed from the building's residents. Váli could only tremble in panic, while pools of blood began to mix with the surrounding water.

The rocks kept coming, and so did the water. Not just one torrent, but three, then five; eight, then ten. Water flooded into surrounding homes and buildings, while others were simply torn apart by the plummeting masses of solid earth. A salty gust of wind swept through the land, drowning out the countless screams in the town below. Váli held his sister as tightly as he could, though he knew it would do little good. The waters kept rising, the roof and left wall of the inn were crushed by falling rocks, Váli could do nothing to stop these things happening all around him. He could hear more than he had ever thought possible. Every agonizing scream, every grinding bone. It was more than the child could bear, but he had to in order to protect his sister. In a matter of moments the water had surpassed his head, forcing Váli to hold his breath and hope for a miracle.

Váli did not want to die, and he didn't want his sister to die either. He just wished he had waited a little longer now, just a few moments more at Mr. Hade's house. It was then that a large rock splashed into the flooded battleground and landed on top of the inn wall where Váli had been hiding. The force of the blow as the wall gave way knocked any air the boy had left right out of him. Barely keeping hold of his sister, Váli grasped wildly under the shifting current for anything to hold on to. His head was spinning wildly, he had no idea which way was up, and which was down.

The water was thick, and the taste of faded blood forced its way into Váli's lungs. For a few brief moments, the boy's mind went completely blank, and his body felt as though it were being ripped to shreds from head to toe. His left arm trailed what he thought to be the paved roads for a short while, and soon afterward he was flung out by an incredible force. Fortune found him, as Váli grabbed hold of one of the wooden support planks headed towards the surface. At least now they would be going up, no matter where the current was taking them, Váli thought. It was the only positive thing the child could think of, the only legitimate reason to keep struggling to survive through these hopeless odds.

A dim light shined above Váli's head, and instinctively the boy tightened his grip on his limp sister, and clawed and kicked his way upwards with all his might. Breaking through the layer of dead bodies covering the surface was no easy task, but he knew it was the only chance of survival the both of them had. With the last of his strength, the child's right arm forged a pathway to the open air, and both Váli and his sister surfaced among the floating corpses of Tevan.

What Váli saw that day would forever bury itself in the deepest reaches of his mind. There were no trees, no houses, no sloping hills or worship shrines, only water and debris. The bodies of the dead slowly rose to greet him from the world that was now so far below, only to be dragged back under by the gigantic streams of water and masses of rock, as if their souls were to be forever trapped in a limbo of pain and despair.

The child was in so much shock he had almost lost his grip on his sister, who had fallen unconscious sometime after the flooding had begun. Váli started a frantic prayer, something his mother had always taught him when the seas were low and the crops were dry. It may have not been the right time for such a prayer, but it was the only one the boy could remember.

“Poseidon, Lord of... the sea, please grant... us your mercy...” he began, choking underneath the massive waves submerging the two children.

The finishing blow, a well aimed mass of falling earth, then crashed into the surface of the water, barreling towards the battle beneath him.

Váli knew this was the end of it, for afterward the giant columns of water ceased to be, and rocks no longer fell from the skies. Golden sparks flew from the surface of the water with a fury into the clouds, where they fell once more, some near while others distant. Beautiful lights that had no place in such a violated land as this. For a moment, the heavenly objects were the only things occupying Váli's mind, but the next wave of crimson tinted water helped him to his senses.

The boy and his sister simply drifted along with the current, gradually coming closer and closer to the ground. Luckily, Váli managed to catch the roof of a standing inn, pulling himself and his sister from the debris they had been floating on. There they sat, amidst the deafening screams of the dead and the almost silent whispers of the living in anguish. The night seemed to drag on forever for Váli, who would dutifully check the pulse of his sister almost constantly, until the fatigue of his trials drove the boy to getting a bit of rest himself.

By midnight, everything was over. The waters had receded, and the muddied earth smelled of quelled smoke.

Váli, shook his sister, waking her as quickly as possible.

“What's happening? Is it over? Am I dead?” she asked in a fluster.

“Well, if you're dead, so am I,” he replied shakily.

The joke was not funny, and seemed even less so as the two made their way to the once crowded streets of Tevan. They were still crowded, Váli noticed, just not so lively. There were hundreds dead, and the few who moaned in the streets would join their numbers soon. Váli looked away while his sister threw up her freshly eaten dinner in disgust. The vomit was hardly noticeable, for the ground was well saturated, and littered with debris. Anything from golden coins to roasted chicken could be found lying in the streets. Váli was far too shaken to notice these things, holding his sister firmly by his side as the two made their way back to the only home they knew.

“Poseidon, is dead! The famed God of the seas has been defeated!” a voice cried out into the night.

A chorus of screams and hollers met the first, though none of the others could be distinguished from one another. Widespread laughing could soon be heard as well.

Váli felt sorry for whomever he had heard, for he had always thought losing one's mind was far worse than any death.

The trek uphill through the countless tons of debris was a long one. The fields were waterlogged, and any surviving crop had been concealed by the villagers and oxen littered throughout the land. The sanded paths were almost impossible to travel in, as they were now nothing more than soggy muck. Váli managed though, carefully guiding himself and his sister to the edge of the surrounding hillsides, and onto more solid ground.

The rest of the walk was easier for the children, but no less frightening. What if his home had been all but swept away by the raging typhoon? What if his mother had drowned, or worse, had been crushed under tons of falling rock? Váli was certain his sister held the same grisly thoughts within her mind, and he tightened his grip on her hand.

“Whatever happens, know that... we're a family,” he said, voice quavering despite the boy's best efforts to conceal his terror.

Eisha only nodded faintly, tears already beginning to swell in her squinted eyes. Suddenly, Váli raised his head, and took a few quickened steps forwards into a nearby puddle of mud. He could hear it, the distant sounds of a woman sobbing.

“Come, Eisha! I can hear someone up ahead!” he yelled, bounding off over the next soggy hill.

The boy was filled with both excitement and dread. If the voice was his mother, then why was she sobbing? Did she fear for her children? Had she been injured? More questions constantly filled his head with every passing second.

Váli tripped while overtaking the last of the hills that hid his only home. Mud covered his body, weighing down the rinewool fabric he wore. Váli kept on moving forwards though, even as he fell, and struggled to rise again. His home was now in sight, and a familiar figure could be seen kneeling beside the battered carcass of a building.

It was not his mother.

An old woman stared solemnly into the night sky, kneeling in front of what Váli could only assume was the back half of his home. She had several cuts and bruises, and mud plastered the entire right side of her body, but the children recognized her almost instantly.

“Mrs. Hade,” Váli said to the woman upon reaching the front gates of his house. “Where is my mother?”

Both the boy and elderly woman were sobbing lightly, but uncontrollably all the same.

“Child,” Mrs. Hade whispered, slowly turning her head to greet the child. “Your mother is...”

Váli was taken aback when the woman burst out into full fledged cries of anguish and sorrow. Where things really as bad as he had imagined?

“Váli, Váli, what is...” Eisha moaned, turning to the side of the road and vomiting once more.

Váli turned around just in time to witness the spectacle. Her eyes had been fixed squarely on the waist sash he had taken with him to the festival. Váli slowly glanced downwards, and fell to the ground in terror.

A slender, battered arm lay caught in the fabric. Blood still trailed from the severed limb, and had snaked its way all the way down the boy's trembling legs. His mother's prized silver ring lay tarnished only a stone's throw away, between the grotesque limb and its rightful owner.

“We...we had just met to say goodnight. Then the storm, and the rocks, and, and the blood,” the old woman mumbled.

“Why?” Váli seethed, looking over the crushed remains of his lost mother with tear-fogged eyes. “I said the prayer. Why wasn't I answered? Why? I hate the Gods, every single one of them! If I could, I would... I would kill them all.”

A crushing sadness gripped the boy. It felt as though some demon had reached out from the pits of the underworld and clutched his very soul. His breathing was short and sparse; his curly hair fluttering with every sudden twitch of his small frame. Váli tried to look at the broken figure lying beside his home, but the child could not muster the courage to even raise his head. The reality of the situation had not yet taken hold. He kept hoping that any second his mother would call out to him, tell him that there was nothing to worry about. Váli remained on his knees, staring at the bloodied mud for what seemed like an eternity. He would sit as long as he needed, though, as long as it took for that gentle voice to say she would not leave him, that she could wait a little longer to go see father. He wished so dearly to hear those words once more, just once more.

“Do you really wish to kill a God so dearly, boy?” a voice called from behind.

A golden glow in the corner of his eye caught Váli's attention, and his mind went blank. If it were a dream, Váli thought it a good one, for everything else seemed so far away at that moment. His mother, the town, all of reality seemed to have faded out of focus in an instant. It was only him, and the wonderful light. He pondered for a moment, about the origins of this aura. Was he really dreaming, or was it something else? Had he touched the Gods so deeply that one had actually descended to heed his prayers? The light was so incredible, the boy had to reach out, he had to touch its radiant source even if just for a moment.

Every time his hand inched closer, the voices of his family and neighbor grew fainter and fainter. Váli could hardly make out the panicked screams of Mrs. Hade and his sister anymore, and the sobbing whispers of his mother were almost impossible to discern.

A horrid twisting feeling found its way into the child's stomach.

“Mother?” Váli said in a quavering voice, forcing his spellbound head over his right shoulder.

There she sat, a single arm holding up her battered body, crying out to him with Eisha. Both were in tears. Mrs. Hade was shrieking hysterically, kicking mud up into the air while struggling to drag herself as far away from Váli as she could manage. Her eyes were fixed above the boy's head. Váli wanted to run at that moment, not out of fear but joy. He did not want to know what they were all so afraid of, for it didn't matter. All he wanted was to be with his mother, he wanted to hear her voice. Váli couldn't move, though, at least not the way he wanted to. His limbs felt numb with pleasure, a pleasure he had never experienced in his entire life. It was almost enough to make him complacent with his current situation. Almost. The boy found his head being pulled by an incredible force, though he knew no one was touching him.

Once again, the same amazing feeling took hold. Váli felt almost weightless, not physically, but emotionally, spiritually. With what was left of his fading willpower, the child raised his eyelids slightly, giving him a clearer view of what Mrs. Hade had been so afraid of. It was a man, his face dripping blood. At his side, a deep red iron sword swayed slightly forwards and back again. In his left hand he held the motionless frame of a priest, and in his right, extended towards Váli, was a gold ornament no larger than a pebble, and shaped like one as well. For its size, however, it produced the most magnificent, awe inspiring light the boy had ever seen.

What was it he had been so fixated upon? Váli could not remember as he reached out towards the light once more. It was just so beautiful.

“Don't be afraid,” a voice echoed inside Váli's head. “There will be plenty of time for that later.”

And with that, the boy touched the ornament with the tip of his finger. Had he tried to pull his hand away he would have found the object was not of simple gold, but instead Váli drew closer to it, enclosing the entirety of the stone within his trembling fist. In an instant the light was gone, the screams returned, and Váli found himself standing face to face with what he could only assume was a murderer.

But, strangely, he did not seem to mind.

Persephone Hade had stopped screaming. She did not know when this had happened, but she did know why. It was hopeless from this point; the boy had been lost. Quietly, she worked her fingers into the soft earth, trying to find a piece firm enough to draw a symbol. It did not take her long to find it, held tightly by the knotted grass roots known only to Autrin. She watched silently, while the boy extended his hand, captivated by the golden light of the Gods. She worked her fingers round and round the whole time. She had loved that child, loved him so much from the day they had first met over five Autumns prior. Regardless of how she felt, however, there was no turning back from what he was becoming.

“Váli, Váli! Child, do not touch that ornament; it's not meant to be held by mortal hands! If you lay even a finger on that stone...” the old woman started, drawing a wicked glare from the man soaked in blood.

“I didn't come here for you, whore! But you can bet as soon as I've had my fun, I'll have your head on my sword. You don't posses any pieces of the covenant, so I'll just be running you through for a bit of pleasure before I go,” the man sneered.

Persephone looked at the sword wielder's heart with a dreadful interest. It glowed a faint yellow, even through his soiled tunic. He had indeed become a Titan. She would soon die, that was a certainty. Her aging mind was a blur of fear, and the strange calmness that came with facing an inevitable death. She had to keep talking, though, because every second she could steal from the reaper was one she would use to save whomever she could.

Before another word could escape her lips, there was a sudden darkness that filled the land. Persephone looked towards the boy, only to find that he had taken the golden piece firmly inside his fist. He started breathing heavily again, and Váli's posture became considerably hunched. He stared at the blood covered Titan with a look of fear and hatred, but most of all envy, and desperation. The boy's muddied hand reached for the heart of the stranger, but stopped halfway and inched back into the mud where it supported his torso.

“You want more, don't you boy?” the swordsman asked mockingly, reaching into his waist sash. “I just happen to have another, if it is what you truly desire. It's simple, really; the more you have, the stronger you become. Get enough of these little trinkets, and you will have the power you wished for so dearly.”

The stranger fished a second golden piece out the dark red sash he carried, and held it in front of the boy. The object acted just as the first had, giving off a seductive, ominous glow. Váli moved like a demon possessed, swaying back and fourth in unison with the heavenly item.

“Now,” the man continued, “I can never be sure with the youth of this generation. Sure, he may have the enthusiasm to become my... disciple, but talent is a different matter entirely.”

He walked quickly towards Ms Hade while he spoke, drawing his sword in a militant fashion. The woman distanced herself from the muddy symbol she had been carving in the earth, but she could tell the stranger had seen her futile efforts. In a desperate panic, Persephone rushed back to the symbol she had drawn and covered it with her trembling fingers.

“I'm not done talking yet,” the stranger hissed, taking his sword and driving it through the elderly woman’s hands. The blade easily tore through the old flesh and earth, until it rested almost entirely in thick red mud.



Váli heard the crunch of bone under the weight of the murderer's sword, along with the shrieks of Ms. Hade and his family. They were not pleasant sounds, the child thought. If only he had more power, more of the stones. Then he could have the strength of the Gods, the power to crush the Gods and end all of this suffering. The murderer had stones, lots of them. Váli dared not approach him, however. It was more than just fear that kept him back; it was the same feeling one gets as they near the edge of a cliff. Everything in his being urged the boy to keep his distance, as if it were obvious that being near the shrouded man would usher his inevitable demise.

The second golden piece drew him ever so close, though, until Váli stood, hunched, just beyond the stranger's bloody grasp. The child was transfixed. There were only three things in his world, himself, the stranger, and the stone.



Persephone Hade screamed intensely as the stranger slowly tilted his blade to the left, then the right. The man could hardly contain his excitement, relishing in the corresponding crackling of bone and tearing of flesh that came with his movements. Pausing for a moment, he knelt facing her and smiled.

“I just killed the Lord of the sea. I ran his heart through and tore out his soul, you old hag! What in heaven's name made you think you could challenge me?”

The old woman's eyes sparkled, for she now had her moment. Breathing heavily, Persephone managed a wry smile.

“And tell me, so called Titan, if you cut off his head. No? Do you know nothing of true Gods?” she muttered quietly, but with a devilish sneer.

“What did you say, wench? Tell me!” the stranger hissed, driving his sword deeper into the earth, and the elderly woman's hands.

Persephone screamed once more, but this time her screams formed words. Forcing herself to bear the pain, she chanted the only magic possible in such a short amount of time.

“Aeolus, God of divine winds, grant me the power of Eurus so that I may clear a path to the skies above.”

In an instant, a strong gust formed around the woman. Pebbles rattled and grass swayed in the moonlight, which now shown clearly through the circle of cloudless night sky above her.

“Stop smiling at me, you damned whore! I said stop!” The man screamed, whipping his blade out of the ground and toward the elderly woman's neck.



The first thing Váli noticed was the cleanness of the cut. The blade sank into the old woman like butter; the head dropped and rolled across the yard like the waste from a butcher's table. Blood spurted, then oozed the same as if one were chopping fruit. It was all done so efficiently the boy was almost saddened by how quickly the blood seeped into the ground and became one with the disgusting mud. He was beginning to wish that Mrs Hade's slowing head would hit an unexpected, endless slope, and roll onwards for an eternity. Surely the shrouded man would want to relish in the fruits of his labor at least as much as he did, the boy thought.

The stranger caught Váli's wandering glance, and smiled. Fresh blood trailed off of his smooth chin and onto the warm iron blade he held firmly.

Váli was enthralled. He wanted to know desperately the depth of the man's pleasure and excitement. If he had gotten such a rush out of simply watching a man take a life, then if he was to accomplish the feat himself, the ecstasy would reach an entirely new level. The child furiously scratched and clawed at his right arm and salivated at the thought of it, his hand trailing the golden glow inside of him which slowly inched it's way closer and closer to the boy's shoulder.

“I can tell just by looking into your eyes, boy,” the blood-soaked man started. “You want to know the feeling, the pleasure of a kill. One of the two greatest powers of a God, the power to take away a life. If you really want to become a God, it's an inevitable part of your quest.”

The man's smile was exuberant and uneven, as if he were on the verge of laughter. He then reached into a holder on his waist sash and pulled out the second golden piece once more. His thickly gloved hands angled the light away from Váli, who scurried around him to catch another glance, and he began to slowly walk toward Eisha and her mother.

Váli heard the screams of his mother and sister now, for they were nearly an arm's length away. It was only a minor irritation however, when compared to the lavish beauty and warmth of the glowing stone before him. He could endure it for a while longer if it meant receiving yet another treasure. The shrouded man continued to move closer and closer, and saliva gradually made it's way down the boy's mouth and under his chin. The stone was almost within his grasp.

Váli's mother grasped at her childrens' waists with her single arm in a final frightened effort for their lives. Váli instinctively grew tense. His muddied nails clawed at his mother, driving her back onto the ground where she laid shivering. Nothing would steal the light from him, especially not that woman. When the boy turned back to claim his prize, he found the light, his light, had vanished.

Váli's breathing grew much heavier; his eyes bounced inside of his head in a frenzy. He looked to his left, and his right, and saw nothing of beauty or value. There was only fresh vomit and mud; rocks and crusted debris. The trees were all bent facing away from Tevan, forming a hideous arrangement. Nothing could compare to the light, his light. He had no idea where the object of beauty could have gone, for nothing here could have even remotely hidden its magnificence. It was then Váli noticed the strange man had disappeared as well.

In moments Váli was on his feet scanning the surrounding hilltops and gravel pathways. His quick, deep pants misted in the cool night air and shined in the present moonlight.

“Váli, Váli!” Eisha screamed. “What's wrong with you!? Why'd you hurt Ma?”

It was not his sister's screaming that urged the boy to turn around, but something else, something wonderful. Váli spun around with unrivaled glee at the faint golden glow which tickled his cheek. It had to have come back just for him, the child thought, searching wildly for the source of his only pleasure. His eyes stopped on a thin, pale arm. A golden dot slowly crept above the wrist joint, and toward the shoulder.

“Váli, you're scaring me. Why won't you answer me!” Eisha screamed again.

Her cries landed on deaf ears however. Váli was in a complete rage. His eyes bulged, and his temple throbbed with every seething breath he blew into the cool night air.

“Give it back. It's mine and you took it! He gave it to me!” the boy screeched, arm outstretched, palm open.

“What are you talking about? What did you do to ma? She's not moving!” Eisha continued, her clenched hands wrenching tears from her filthy face.

Váli's outstretched hand became a curled fist in the blink of an eye. He took one step toward Eisha, then another, followed by a short hop and began to flail at her covered face. The girl fell to the ground shrieking in terror. She screamed over and over, each cry temporarily halted by the constant thudding on her body. Váli kept swinging, over and over, still getting closer each time. Soon he was on top of her, both fists pounding in unison on her battered head.

“He gave it... to... me!” He snarled repeatedly.

Blood splashed upward onto Váli's face, and the boy shivered with excitement. He thrashed harder and harder, relishing in the squishing sounds that echoed in his ear. Blood began to pool under the girl's head, and Váli exhaled with satisfaction upon looking at her slowly twitching mess of a face.

His sister stared at him, slowly losing what was left of her miserable life to his hands. Still, however, she smiled at him, almost deliriously yet straight into his eyes.

“I don't understand. You promised father you wouldn't hit me anymore, and I promised him I'd still love you. I didn't do anything wrong so why are you doing this? Pa said if I loved you...”

Váli couldn't take anymore of her nonsense. Didn't do anything wrong? How could she say that when she had his most valuable possession? The boy took hold of his sister's throat and grasped as tightly as he could. His carpenter's hands found a solid grip easily, and began to squeeze with deadly force. He would get his kill, and she would get what she deserved, the child thought.