Chapter 69 Chapter Sixty-Nine - Jartre
Suddenly the field becomes illuminated as a giant ball of fire forms high above the field. I look ahead to see Ezillus’ hand raised into the air as he conjures forth this fireball, giving everyone on the field a chance to at least see what they’re fighting.
“You might have given them a little light, but you can’t restore their strength. And last I checked everything on Earth needs the sun to survive, and with it blacked out, everything on your precious planet will cease to exist,” Azadou boasts triumphantly.
The cries of battle fill the air, only to be pierced by a dark, yet melodic laugh. The Gods look towards it and see Merlos floating down from her invisible pedestal, finally deciding to join us. As her feet touch the grass, her crystal form morphs back into her human form as she tosses her golden locks over her shoulder.
“Aww, Azadou blocked out the sun,” she coos. “What an adorable parlour trick. Is that really the best you can do?” she mocks.
“Ah, the Goddess of the Void. How does it feel to be replaced?” Azadou taunts.
“See, now that was a stupid thing to say,” Morrtemis murmurs, shaking her head as she leans against a tree.
Merlos raises her eyebrow. “You really do have Jartre’s ego.” She sighs, “You poor misguided baby God. You think far too highly of your abilities. You see, one thing you fail to realise is that while you were born of darkness…I am darkness. And while you can block out the light…” A slow smirk forms on her face, “I can devour it...and so much more.”
Merlos throws her hand into the air, and like planets being sucked into a black hole, the darkness that surrounds the sun is pulled down in a torrent of darkness, directly into Merlos, the earth trembling as she consumes every last shadow before Azadou’s stunned eyes. Sunlight returns, filling the sky with glorious light as the last shred of darkness is absorbed into Merlos’ body and Ezillus removes his fireball.
Merlos delicately wipes the sides of her mouth with her finger, smiling at Azadou in satisfaction. “Mmm, tastes bitter. Like dark chocolate. Now it’s my turn to play.” With a smirk, she throws her hands out, black tendrils erupting from her hands and wrapping around Azadou like vines. He lets out a piercing scream as each part of him that’s touched by her darkness becomes sucked into it.
A cold, empty feeling moves through me when a pained cry escapes my lips as I drop to my knees. The cold, dark, emptiness makes way to the sensation of being ripped apart as it moves through every molecule of my being. I look down at my body only to see the same parts that are disappearing from Azadou are now disappearing from me too. I try to move, to fight the darkness consuming me, pulling me into a black void, but I feel paralysed against it.
Zarseti appears in front of Merlos, clasping her wrist tightly. “Merlos, stop!” she commands, her crystal form morphing back to her human form.
Merlos stares at her with defiance burning in her silver eyes. “You’d have us fight like lower beings when I can stop all of this in a matter of seconds.”
“You’ll kill them both,” Zarseti warns pleadingly.
“I am perfectly fine with that. They die, the eyti die, and I can go back to enjoying my pedicure,” she says unperturbed.
“Killing Azadou won’t kill the eyti, that I can promise you. Doing it this way doesn’t solve anything. I can’t let you do this, Merlos. I need you to let him go. There’s another way, but I need you to trust me,” Zarseti beseeches.
They stare at each other for what feels like minutes when Merlos lets out a hard breath through her nose. She pulls her hands back as the tendrils disappear, and I feel that cold, darkness vanish. That suffocating feeling of nothingness lifts off me and I can finally breathe again. I look down at myself only to see my body has returned to normal.
“I hope you know what a waste of my time this is,” Merlos sneers, sauntering away and sitting on a boulder, crossing her arms in irritation.
I take a breath and slowly rise to my feet. I make my way towards the others, my eyes cast on Azadou as he sits on his knees, catching his breath. Seeing him like this: enraged and outnumbered, all I can hear is Gabriella’s voice in my head screaming how wrong this all is, and I can see now that she’s right.
“We can’t keep doing this Azadou. This fighting…it’s not worth it. I know it’s my fault, but I don’t want to fight anymore. I don’t want to be that person anymore,” I sigh despondently. “Maybe we can find a way to co-exist.”
“Co-exist,” he lightly snorts in a glib tone. He looks up, locking eyes with me and I feel guilt to see the hatred burning there. “You ripped me from your very being like a parasite and cast me aside without a second thought. You let everyone declare war on me but never told me my crime. You allowed Fretez to bury me in the Earth, depriving me of the life you gave me…and now you wish to co-exist.” He smiles a dark, bitter smile, gliding his finger across his chest as a thin cut opens across his flesh and silver blood begins to trickle down his body. “I’d rather be dead and take you with me.” I close my eyes in shame as Azadou’s words pierce me, each one laced with bitter hatred that I deserve. I’ve been the culprit behind so much pain and chaos, and I’ve never taken responsibility for it, and this is the cost.
Shock and confusion filter through my mind when the air around me changes and the sweet scent of bubble gum and cream sickle invades my senses, nearly striking me down like a bolt of lightning.
“NO!”
I hear the scream of a voice that makes my very essram come to life. I open my eyes and look upon familiar sunshine locks, only for unimaginable, all-consuming pain to pierce through my chest and heart. I let out an agonised scream as a burst of energy erupts from me, making the very earth and air around us quake as I feel my essram rip itself in two.
I watch in agonised despair as Gabriella’s body falls back against me and I catch it without a second thought. My body gives out as every atom of my being feels like it is breaking apart. All sound is funnelled out until only silence exists, everything moving in slow motion as my body drops to the ground. Paralysed, agonised and broken I stare at Gabriella’s fragile body laying limp in my arms, the burning of her touch now gone as her mint-glacial eyes look up at me devoid of any light and love they once held. Two vacant pools, staring into nothing as a large shard of solid God’s blood protrudes from her chest.
I slowly reach out, my vision blurry with tears as I carefully brush the strands of hair from her beautiful face. I tenderly caress her cheeks, still flushed with the warmth I’d come to adore. For just a second that flush gives me hope, but one look into those cold eyes brings the painful reality crashing back down around me.
My Gabriella…my Starlight…she’s dead.
I find her limp hand and lift it to my cheek, yearning to feel the burn of her touch once again, but it never comes. There’s nothing. No love, no pleasure, only pain. My reason for living is gone…
“What a stupid thing to do,” I hear Azadou scoff.
As his words sink into my mind, I feel myself become pulled into that familiar darkness from long ago, and this time I welcome it back like an old friend. I carefully lay Gabriella down, placing a soft kiss on her lips, hoping she will forgive me. As I look up at Azadou, I let the darkness take hold and pull me into sweet oblivion…and I’ll be taking Azadou with me.