The Fallen God's Redemption

Chapter 9: An Unexpected Partner

As I pushed ahead, the shadows got darker; every stride sank me further into a world in which light seemed alien. The air was dense with an intolerable force that stole my will and tested my strength. Lyra's picture stayed with me, though, steadying me and propelling me ahead despite the uncertainty biting at me.

Though shards of that power had started to settle inside me once more, each one weighted with the weight of my previous transgressions, I was no more the deity I had once been. Nyx's warning rang in my head; every piece drew me toward the brink of a strength I wasn't sure I could control. But I would see this road I had selected through.

The road descended into a little gorge, the walls squeezing together on either side to throw everything into shadow. My footfall matched the silence, and I couldn't get rid of the sensation of being watched-as though the shadows themselves were alive and only waiting for the right moment to strike.

From the shadows ahead, then, a man emerged.

Tall, draped, and familiar in a way that shocked me. I halted; my hand moved to the hilt of my blade automatically, my mind racing as I absorbed the person before me.

It was Atheon, an ally I had once battled beside, a warrior whose allegiance had been as sharp as his might. But as I recalled, he had also been among the first to turn against me when I abdicated, seeing my decision as a betrayal of all we had once battled.

"Atheon," I murmured, my voice wary and mixed with mistrust and amazement. "What are you doing here?"?

He fixed me with a steady, unreadable glance. "I could ask you the same, Kaelan," he said in a cold voice. "I felt the god of war had left us, that he had abandoned his authority for softer endeavors."

Though I bristled at the little disdain in his voice, I maintained a cool head. "I come here for a goal unrelated to war or power."

A flutter of laughter passed across his face. "You say. But Kaelan, I feel the bits of your ancient power. You carry them, a shadow reminding you of your former self. Are you clear you haven't come to get what you left behind?

I looked at him, not letting his comments knock me down. "Atheon, my road is mine." My one goal is to save Lyra.

Atheon's countenance changed, a trace of surprise flickering in his eyes then something darker, almost like remorse. Ah, Lyra, he said, his voice softening. "She is thus the reason you chose to come back and are here."

He moved in closer, his eyes sharp as though he were looking for something in my face. Kaelan, do you really think she could be saved? Alternatively is this search of yours a means of escape from the decisions you took, the results you left behind?

The question touched a nerve since it brought back the uncertainty that has dogged me from the start. I wouldn't allow them, though, hold ground. Having taken my decision, I would see it through regardless of the expenses.

She will be saved, I murmured, my voice firm. And I will stop at nothing to bring that about.

Atheon watched me, his expression careful as though he were evaluating my words, trying my will. Long pause, then he nodded with a flutter of appreciation in his eyes.

Then maybe we are not so different, he murmured softly. "For I too have something to defend-something I cannot give up, no matter the cost."

He raised his head and his face stiffened. But let me clear one point: Kaelan. You have chosen a road not toward atonement. One follows a road of sorrow and sacrifice. And you belong nowhere here if you are not ready to confront that.

I looked at him and sensed the weight of his words-the warning hidden within them. Still, I wouldn't be swayed. I would not back out now; I had come this far.

"What do you know of Lyra's outcome?" I asked with a forceful voice. "Why are you here?," asks

Atheon hesitated, something inscrutable flickering over his face. "Kaelan, I am here for personal needs." But Lyra's destiny is connected to a power far older, far darker than even the gods themselves. She has evolved into a component of something that defies simple separation.

His comments made me shiver; his warning felt like a thunder cloud weighting down on me. "What then do you mean?"

His tone dark, he added, "Lyra's soul has been claimed by the shadows." "And you have to face the force dragging her hostage if you want to free her. But know this: doing so can cost you everything-including the last traces of your humanity.

I inhaled deeply, his words weighting me down and reminding me of the stakes, of the price I would pay on this road. Still, I couldn't turn back. Not now.

"What have I got to do?" Steady in voice, I asked.

Atheon fixed me, a trace of reverence in his eye. "You have to walk toward the center of the darkness, Kaelan. There you will be able to release her from the force keeping her hostage and break the bonds tying her back. Still, the road will call for more than just will. It will call for sacrifice-that which I am not sure you are ready to provide.

I looked at him and sensed the weight of his words-the warning hidden within them. Still, my determination was unflappable. I would confront whatever challenges came, would make whatever sacrifices required to save her.

"If that is what it takes," I responded, my voice calm and full of a determination burning through the night. Then I will deal with it.

Atheon nodded, his face not clear. "then I'll lead you, Kaelan. But know this: there are hazards on the road to the heart of the shadows that even the gods cannot survive. And once you start there is no turning back.

I inhaled steadily, felt the weight of his words, the gloom ahead. But I was poised.

Atheon moved forward, his face solemn and his eyes fixed. Very nicely then. Follow me; I will guide you to the junction of shadows and light where the shackles of fate are created and severed.

He turned then, guiding me farther into the night, his steps quiet and his presence a consistent lighthouse in the stifling blackness. My heart thumping, my mind running with questions, uncertainty, worries, I followed.

Still, I sensed a flutter of optimism, a feeling of direction that anchored me and reminded me of the reason I was here even as the shadows closed in all about.

With Lyra. For the promise I promised.

Deeper into the world of shadows, the blackness thickened and pressed down like a tangible weight, filling the air with an oppressive energy that tore at my will. Still, with every stride I sensed an increasing clarity, a reminder of the power I had recaptured, the goal burning in my soul, the strength within me.

From the darkness ahead, then, a faint light emerged, flickering like a far-off flame, calling us ahead.

But as we got closer, a voice emerged from the darkness-one that chilled my spine and made me shudder.

"Kelaan...,"

My heart racing, my mind whirling, I stopped as the voice carried a wicked amusement that sliced over the quiet like a blade.

Did you truly believe you could flee me?

The voice sounded familiar but unnaturally unpleasant. That voice belonged to someone from my past, someone who had once stood next to me only to turn on me at last. It was a voice I had assumed I would never hear again.

Aramis.

The name kept coming back to me, stinging at the margins of my control a blast of resentment. Here in the shadows, waiting, observing was him.

And I realized that the road ahead would need for more than just resolve-more than strength-as the darkness closed in all around us.

It would call for an apology.