The Fallen God's Redemption

Chapter 12: Dealing with Death

As Atheon and I descended the road, the shadows became darker; the air grew colder; the quiet descended like a weighty cloak. From the piece of memory I had turned in, my head was still whirling from the interaction with the artifact. Its loss caused emptiness that I could sense, like a missing piece of myself I could never get back.

But the power it bestowed upon me was indisputable-a reminder of the god I had once been, tempered now by the offerings I had made.

But even as the power surged within me, I could feel my death weighing down, a continual reminder of my boundaries, weakness. Every step felt weighty, every breath a reminder that I was no more the unbroken force I had once been.

Atheon looked at me, his eyes reflecting a quiet awareness, a reminder that he, too, had once been bound to death, had once known the weight of constraint.

"You feel it, don't you??" He murmured gently, his tone sympathetic. The weight of mortality.

I nodded; the words caught in my throat. "It surpasses what I anticipated. Every stride and every breath seems like a fight.

Atheon's eyes softened and a flutter of something like empathy appeared there. "Kaelan, death is a gift and a curse." It helps you to remember your limitations. Still, it imparts resilience and strength as well. Knowing that every minute, every decision counts, you learn to battle harder and to bear more.

I inhaled deeply, his words weighing me down and reminding me of the road I had decided upon and the sacrifice I had given. I had given up my immortality, power, for a love outside of the divine. And now, the only thing keeping me moving forward and anchoring me in this world was love.

The road descended into a little ravine, the walls closing on either side to create profound shade. The air grew colder, the silence weighing down like a real weight, making me increasingly afraid.

From the darkness ahead, meanwhile, a person appeared-a twisted, ghostly phantom whose form changed and deformed, its eye fixated on me with a cold, relentless glare.

It was a creature I knew, a leftover from my days as a god of war, a warped mirror of the darkness I had once so recklessly used. < With eyes shining with a merciless intellect, a hunger that seemed to reach out and encircle me, the monster moved with a grace both beautiful and terrible.

Atheon pulled his g*n, his eyes sharpening. Kaelan, this is no typical enemy. It's a wraith, your own past spun by the darkness.

The wraith fixed me, a nasty smirk flashing on its lips. "Kaelan," it murmured, its voice distorted mirror of my own. "Have you forgotten me?" Neglected the power we used to possess?

The weight of the memory pressed down, reminding me of the darkness I had left behind, the power I had previously used without compassion. I closed my fists.

"I have not forgotten," my voice calm. But I have taken another route.

The wraith chuckled, a frigid, mocking sound echoing across the valley that chilled the air to soak into my bones. "An other road? Still, here you are, fighting, frail, clutching memories and promises. Without me, Kealan, you are nothing.

Its words stabbed deep, a reminder of every uncertainty, every anxiety that had dogged me from my fall. The wraith reflected the force I had left behind-that which had previously defined me. But it also served as a reminder of the gloom, the harshness that accompanied that mightfulness.

Atheon moved nearer, his face unreadable as he fixated on the wraith. "Your uncertainties feed this demon, Kaelan. It depends on your weakness and your fear. You cannot let it triumph.

I inhaled deeply, steadying myself, sensed the weight of the wraith's stare, its coldness of words. It was a reminder of the decisions I had taken, the sacrifices I had gone through, a mirror of the past. But I was no more the god I had known. I was something else, more.

I grabbed for the relic's power with a sudden will, felt its warmth settle within me, centering me and reminding me of the road I had decided upon. The wraith's eyes narrowed, its smile dimming as it detected the change-the strength pulsing inside me.

"You cannot escape your past, Kaelan," growled, venomous in voice. "Your own decisions bind you to it.

I looked at it and felt the weight of its words-the truth contained within. But I also experienced clarity, a reminder of the promise I had promised, the motivation behind which I had drove myself so far.

"I am bound to nothing but my own resolve," I murmured, my voice calm and full of a conviction burning through the night. And I won't be changed.

The wraith wailed, its form changing, twisting as it raced forward, its claws outstretched, its eye ablaze with a hate like fire.

But I stayed strong, using the relic's strength-the power I had reclaimed-the reminder of the deity I had once been tempered now by the sacrifices I had made.

The attack of the wraith felt to me like a wave, icy and relentless, a force that seemed to be pressing against my own soul. I resisted, though, holding my ground and felt the force within me surge to meet the darkness, then be pushed back.

I fired the relic's energy in a last surge, a flash of light cutting across the darkness that tore apart its shape and sent the wraith dissolving into the shadows.

The silence that followed was weighty, a reminder of the weight of the war and its toll. The agony in my muscles, the strain of my mortal body, a reminder of my limits, vulnerabilities, all told me something.

Still, a flutter of pride burned inside me, a reminder of the strength that lurked inside, the power I had recovered, the will that had carried me this far even as I felt the tiredness.

Atheon rested a hand on my shoulder, his eyes quietly respectful. "You performed nicely, Kaelan. Few could have confronted the thing and come out clean.

I nodded, the weight of his words falling over me, a reminder of the road I had chosen, the power within me, tempered by goal.

Before I could reply, though, a voice emerged from the darkness-one that chilled my spine and made me shudder.

"Kaelan...,"

Lyra's voice was gentle, eerie, full of urgency that sliced over the quiet like a razor.

My pulse thumping, my mind racing, I turned to see the voice echoing across the darkness infusing me with urgency, a need to find her, to guard her.

"Help me, Kaelan."

My heart heavy with the weight of her appeal, the reminder of the promise I had, the voice grew fainter, receding into the darkness, leaving me alone.

Atheon observed me with a silent awareness. Lyra is nearby. She is here, I can feel. But reaching her will call for more than just will, Kaelan. It will call every aspect of you, every sacrifice you are able to provide.

I inhaled deeply, the weight of his words and the reminder of the road ahead. Still, my will remained constant. I would bear whatever challenges lay ahead and follow whatever sacrifices were asked for.

Lyra. For the promise I promised.

The shadows grew thicker as we kept along the road, the darkness drawing near alive with a sense of expectation, a reminder of the hardships that lay ahead, the strength I would need to confront them.