The Fallen God's Redemption

Chapter 5: Blood on Earthless Ground

Stepping beyond the Realm of Night, the air seemed different, like returning for air after being under cold water. The familiar hum of mortal life-a chaotic mix of noises, smells, and feelings I had previously ignored as a god-now replaced the repressive darkness.

Back on earthly ground, the sensation was startling even if I had been ready.

Ahead the scene opened out in subdued tones, a world defined by rocky terrain and rolling hills, the traces of an old battlefield where scars of past wars lay uncovered. But another thing stayed here, too: a subtle but clear sensation of foreboding like a storm building on the horizon.

My senses sharp, I pushed ahead feeling the weight of the sword at my side. It thrummed gently, reminding me of its presence, of the strength I had hardly started to control. Not as I had left this place, this realm was not. Something had dark and relentless changed in my absence.

Then I saw them-shadows twisted and grotesque moving along the edge of a village. Their predatory grace permeated the half-light, their eyes shining with a hunger that made my blood stop cold.

Mortals. Ignorant of the danger coming in all around them, the community was bursting with them.

I sharpened my teeth, a flash of wrath raging inside me. Driven by a wild need for destruction, the shadows-creatures who had previously obeyed my call, that I had ordered without question-were now acting without intent.

They had grown untethered in my absence, allowed to damage a planet unguarded.

I proceeded carefully, my movements quiet as I got closer to see the shadows moving, around the settlement like vultues. As the people gathered together grasping whatever paltry weapons they had come upon, I could see the terror in their eyes. Though they were courageous, the animals chasing them would have no equal.

One of the shadows turned to stare at me, then for a short second glowed recognition in its eyes-a flash of the compliance it had once possessed. But that acknowledgement vanished fast, replaced by a growl, a flutter of resistance.

Grasping the hilt of my blade, I felt the surge of force accompanying it; the darkness murmured promises of strength and wrath. Still, I made myself tranquil. I was unable to let the blade govern me or bring forth the god I had once been. This was not the same fight. These people were under my protection right now.

I unsheathed the blade quickly, felt its weight settle into my hand. The shadow surged at me, its form changing to become a hideous parodies of the creatures I had commanded.

Enough, I hissed, my voice low but strong. "This land is no more yours to pill."

The shadow stopped, a flutter of uncertainty in its eyes, but it was brief. Its claws open and its eyes mad with hunger, it shot at me. I answered its attack with a quick stroke, the blade cutting through its shape to dissolve it into wisps of darkness.

The other shadows stopped observing and I could sense their hesitation, their reluctance, directed on me. Then, though, they surged on, their motions timed, their thirst unquenchable, as if propelled by a communal desire.

The fight was disorganized, a whirl of motion and noise as my blade flashed to down one animal after another. With every strike, their shapes twisted and broke off, rising like smoke. But they persisted, unrelenting, their numbers apparently limitless.

Among the tumult, I could see the people observing with a mix of astonishment and terror. To them, I was only a stranger-a lone person confronting an army that ought to have overwhelmed me.

And for a minute I sensed something strange, something I had never known as a god-responsibility.

Though they looked to me now as if I were their last hope, these people, these humans, had no reason to believe me. That was an unusual sensation, one that grounded and propelled me.

One of the shadows rushed, its claws directed on a small child who had wandered too near. I moved without thinking, my blade blazing as I dropped it between her and the beast.

Wide-eyed, the girl fixed me, her face blanched with terror. I nodded to her, a wordless comfort, then turned back toward the fight.

The last shadows appeared to perceive the change in speed; their motions became wild, unpredictable. Their eyes betrayed fear and doubt, which seeped into their forms as they came to recognize they were no match for the might I possessed.

I knocked down the last of them with a last push of might; the air smelled like fading darkness. The quiet that followed was oppressive, almost strange, as though the ground itself were breathing.

The people fixed me, their emotions a mix of astonishment and relief, yet I could see the questions in their eyes, the uncertainty.

One of them questioned, his voice faltering: "Who are you?"

Uncertain of how to respond, I stopped. I was still Kaelan, god of battle, the relentless power that had formerly ruled without question in my head. But that title didn't reflect the man I had grown to be or felt appropriate.

Finally, my voice steady, "A protector." And these shadows-are no more yours to dread.

They bowed, mumbling among themselves, but their thanks was obvious, their relief felt. I experienced for the first time a flutter of something I had never known as a god-a sense of purpose beyond power, beyond conquest.

A gentle, familiar voice whispered in my head as I turned to go, sending shills down my spine.

"Kaelan...,"

My pulse thumping, I froze as the voice went on, clearly expressing a desperation.

"Kaelan..." assist me: "

Lyra it was. I knew that as definitely as I knew the blade in my hand, the force within me. Her voice, her request, kept coming back to me and made me feel almost panicked urgency.

But even as her voice faded, another presence moved about me like a cloak-a dark, icy sense. NaX. She seemed to be staring at me, her laughter evident as though she had been watching the whole time.

"Well done, Kaelan," her voice murmured in my mind, tinged with a contentment that made my spine shiver. Your road is far from done, though. You have to follow the road I have laid for you if you want her saved.

"What from me, Nyx, do you want?" I asked, my voice low, my hold on the knife strengthening.

Her laughter rang in my head, chilly and contemptuous. "To remind you of what you once were and what you might once more be. But you have to prove your value if you want to take back your authority, Kaelan. You will only be strong enough to meet the actual darkness ahead at that point.

Her comments made me feel ominous, a reminder of the challenges ahead, the strength I still lacked.

I inhaled steadying breaths as her words sank over me. Though I knew it was only beginning, I had survived this war. The road ahead was dark, full with shadows that would try all aspect of me-my will, my might, my very soul.

Still, I felt a flutter of hope as I turned to face the road ahead, a feeling of direction that anchored me and brought me back to the reason I was here.

Lyra, for me For the vow I had given. For the love that had let me reject authority and challenge gods.

Sheathed my blade and felt the weight of it rest against my side, a reminder of the power I would use deliberately-the strength I had recaptured.

Though I was ready, the future was unknown.

Whichever the cost, I would confront what lay ahead. For Lyra and for the man I had decided upon to be my partner.