"I... I'm fine." He said.
"What just happened?" Inari said, crouching at his side.
"I saw... some kid... his name was Mato. He said he was the first Deity and he made me answer a riddle in order to get his power."
"So is that what the whole..." Darius waved his hand, "episode was about?"
Akuro nodded, "I think that when I gained Mato's aura it had a lash back. I feel normal now but..." Akuro clenched and unclenched his fists, "I don't know..."
"How'd you even see him?" Inari asked.
Akuro nodded towards the tombstones. "The slabs, they are the graves of the five. Put your aura into one, then you will travel to some sort of... mental space I guess is the best way to put it. The rest... I don't really know."
"Intriguing." Darius spoke, then stepped towards the tombstone to the left of the center, placing his hand on it. A moment later his eyes turned dark and faded. Inari watched intently, studying him.
"He's probably communicating with one of the Origin Deities right now. You should do the same." Akuro said, motioning toward the tombstone to the right of Mato's. Inari looked hesitant, but seemed to make up her mind quickly as she followed Darius's example.
•
•
•
Raijin sat at a large table, about a dozen or so other gods seated around him in the expansive hall. He stroked his beard insolence as the other gods chattered amongst themselves in a soft murmur.
Two large doors swung open as a decorated figure entered the room. The room went silent in God's presence, everyone's eyes on him as he seated himself at the head of the table. He looked around at the gods seated around him for a long moment before finally speaking.
"It would seem..." God spoke, "that the demon king has decided to take action." He laced his fingers together. "He has sent Lilith along with a few other demons to the middle realm, and they have already began their path of destruction. But... this goes in our favor."
"What?" One of the goddesses exclaimed, "In our favor, how? What if another war begins?"
"Quiet, woman. He is not wrong. If Lilith slaughters the humans we will gain so much life essence that a war wouldn't matter, we'd surly win." Sun Wukong spoke from across the table.
"Exactly. But even if that were not the case..." God spoke, "I still wouldn't want to stop them."
A soft hum of chatter began as he spoke these words.
"Why is that, may I ask?" Raijin spoke up.
"Because, to put it simply, our world has become insipid, and I don't quite like it." God smirked, "I want to start a new war."
"What?!" Roared a few of the gods in unison.
"You are kidding right? Why?"
"Because." God answered, "I am bored."
"Are you stupid?" One of the goddesses asked, but then a wave of aura compressed around her body as she was completely erased from existence.
"Anyone else?" God asked, looking from god to goddess. None dared to look him in the eye. "Good."
"So do we just let events take their course then?" A goddess asked.
"Exactly. We will wait thirteen days, in that time Lilith and her demons will wreak havoc and death, empowering us. Then we will descend and kill her."
"We've been waiting a long time for her death." Spoke one of the gods in a brusque tone. "I, Ares, wish to fight her myself."
"No. She is mine." The goddess from before spoke.
"Shut it, Kali." Ares growled.
"Enough." God groaned. "Stop arguing, I don't care who kills Lilith as long as she dies."
"And what of the Deities?" Raijin asked.
God looked over at him. "Whatever happens happens, and if any of them manage to live, I still don't care what happens to them. In reality, the Deities will just be used to weaken or even maybe kill some of the demons, because, without a doubt, Lucifer will be sending more."
"Do we know the reason he is sending demons to the middle realm?" Sun Wukong asked.
"I have a theory. A while ago one of the demon generals surfaced, but was killed."
"One of the generals? Who?"
"Gallatine." God answered.
"Gallatine's dead?!" Ares exclaimed. "How could he have been killed that easily? By the Deities?"
"Yes, by the Deities. I not certain how Gallatine died, all I know is that his soul was shattered..." God glanced over at Raijin. "It is of no concern to us anyways. If Gallatine is dead that just means the enemy will be significantly weaker with the loss of one of their generals."
'So it would seem that snake is using the dagger to his advantage...' Raijin thought, 'But for some reason he has still not killed Akuro... damn him.'
"Does anyone have any complaints with my decision then?" God asked. When no one answered he stood, clapping his hands. "Then this meeting has come to a conclusion. Begin preparations for war immediately, have the gods of the forge get to work making new divine gear and have a group observe the events below. I will be taking my leave now." God turned, exiting the room.
Raijin rose from his seat, approaching Ares as he stood.
"What do you think of his plan?" Raijin asked.
"I think it is well thought out. Why? What do you want Raijin?" Ares responded.
"Well, I feel that we should have a group go to kill the Deities, there is always a chance they turn on us and become a major problem."
"A major problem? Hah! You've grown pathetic in your age, old man, to fear Deities. How sad."
"Do not mock me! I've seen the power of the selected Deities, and if they fight demons then there is a good chance they will become stronger instead of dying, hmm? Do you see what I'm saying?"
Ares stopped walking, turning towards Raijin. "Yes, I do, I see that you are scared, scared of pathetic Deities, but hen again, you always were weak. If they turn on us, they will die, it's as simple as that, now leave me alone before I kill you."
Raijin stopped, letting Ares walk away from him as he balled his fists in frustration. It seemed he was the only one who could see the power of their own creations, all of the other gods had grown overconfident in their own power. And now they underestimated the enemy.
"Fools!" Raijin spat.
— — —
Darius walked aimlessly through the endless world of white he had been transported to. He had a hard time believing it was really a mental scape and not some prison or trap. As he went on, Darius could see someone in the far off distance. 'Finally!' He thought.
He jogged towards the figure, and as he came closer he realized it was a girl sitting with her knees tucked to her chest. She had long black hair, pale skin and gray eyes. She didn't even glance at him as he approached her.
"Hello?" Darius spoke, kneeling beside the girl. She appeared to be a few years younger than him. He also recalled that Akuro had said the Deity he'd met had been a small boy.
'These children were really the first Deities?' He thought in disgust. 'The gods have no shame.'
"I don't like you." The girl spoke suddenly, still not looking at him.
Darius was taken aback at first, but tried to make light of it. "Oh? And why is that? Am I ugly?" He joked.
"I don't know." The girl replied.
"You don't know? It's really easy, is my face ugly or is it absolutely dashing." Darius joked.
"I'm blind, so I wouldn't know." The girl said.
Darius looked at her gray eyes. They didn't seem to take in anything as he waved his hand over her face.
"I see…" he spoke, "then why don't you like me?"
"Because you are a liar."
Darius blinked a few times in surprise. "What?"
"You do nothing but lie a deceive those around you. I don't like liars."
"What? I'm not a liar!" Darius argued.
"But you are."
"Am not."
"You are."
"I'm not."
"Are."
"Not."
"Why are you here? You're annoying."
"I could say the same to you. But, I'm here to receive your blessing." Darius explained.
"My blessing? You mean my aura? Why would I give my aura to a liar? You'll only use it to betray those who trust you."
Darius's eyes narrowed. "That was before. I have no intention of betraying them."
"Why?"
"Because, even if I third wheel sometimes, they are my friends. And I trust them, so I want them to trust me."
"Then why haven't you told them the truth?" The girl asked.
Darius did not answer.
"Fine. How about this. Let's make a deal, I will give you my power, but in return, you have to tell them everything you've been hiding up till now. Deal?"
Darius sighed. "Fine."
"And if you don't keep the deal… my aura will destroy you."
"I get it. I accept."
The girl turned in the direction of his voice, raising her head and smiling. "Good! My name is Evelyn, and I grant you my power!"
"My na-"
"I already know your name so shut up."
"Brat."
And then everything around Darius began to fade out into black.
"Trust is something that is easier to break than to repair. Remember that." Evelyn said before Darius returned to reality.
•
•
•
Inari looked around in awe at the infinite world around her, devoid of objects, color or life. Just stark white as far as she could see.
"Oh, what's this? A pretty girl?" Came a boy's voice. Inari spun and saw a young man around her age with short, messy black hair and dark, hazel brown eyes. He wore the soft, lazy expression of someone who just went with the flow. He had silver earrings in both ears and his fingers were decorated with a plethora of rings. He wore messy black clothes and torn pants.
"Umm, what?" Inari said, surprised by the boy's words.
He stepped towards her, taking a knee and holding her hand in his. Inari was weirded out but decided to go with it, since this probably was one of the Origin Deities.
"My name is Nathan, it's a pleasure, my dear. And, may I ask, what is the name of my visiting angel?"
"Erm, I'm no angel, and my name is Inari. I'm a Detiy, like you."
Nathan frowned. "A Deity, huh? Well then I can guess why you're here. Sorry that you have been cursed to the fate of a Deity."
"Cursed?"
Nathan nodded, rising to his feet. "The life of a Deity is one of pain and suffering. In the end we are nothing but the pawns of the gods."
"I know that, but we are not going to play their game. We refuse."
"We? There are others with you?" Nathan asked.
"Yes, two other Deities."
"Oh, so you're taken." Nathan said glumly.
"What? No!" Inari exclaimed, her face going red.
"Oh, good!" Nathan smiled. "Look, I'll cut the horse shit, I know what you are here for. And I intend to give it to you, you just have to do one thing." He raised his pointer finger.
"I'm.. um okay?"
"See, I've never kissed a girl before, so, I'd like a kiss. Then I'll give you my aura."
"A-a kiss?" Inari asked, stuttering.
"Yup! On the lips!" Nathan nodded. "So, what do ya say?"
Inari averted her eyes. She couldn't pin the reason, but she couldn't help but think of Akuro at the moment. "I… I cant. Im sorry.."
Nathan frowned. "I see. I guess this Akuro is the lucky guy, yeah? Does he even know?"
Inari felt her face become hot. "No… I don't know…"
"We'll have you told him?"
"Told him what??" Inari asked, trying to pretend she didn't know.
Nathan chuckled. "Alright, I'll leave the subject alone, but you gotta tell him at some point you know." Nathan frowned. "When you know how you feel, you have to act on it. If you wait… it only leads to regret. I should know."
Inari didn't know what to say, she was at a loss for words. She felt uncomfortable and her cheeks were burning.
"Well! It doesn't matter. I'm dead after all. I'll probably never see her again, but one can hope, right?" Nathan laughed awkwardly. "I apologize for making you uncomfortable. Here, take this as my apology. Good luck, and don't wait to long, okay?"
Nathan winked, then waved. Inari was about to say something, but in that moment her vision returned to normal and she stood in the stone chamber of luminescent vines, her hand on Nathan's gravestone.
•
•
•
Akuro had already helped Darius to his feet after he went through the backlash of receiving his new power, and now Inari returned to consciousness as well.
"You alright?" Akuro asked. Inari looked at him, her face turning bright red as she nodded awkwardly. Akuro furrowed his brow, confused about her behavior, but decided it didn't matter.
And then Inari let out a cry of pain, falling to the ground. Akuro caught her in his chest, laying her down with her head resting against him as she shook from the pain. This lasted for a few moments until she stopped shaking and began to gasp for air.
Akuro let her rest a moment before shaking her. "Hey. Inari. Get up." He said bluntly.
Her eyes opened and she looked up at him. Her cheeks became red and shot upright away from Akuro's chest.
"Sorry. I'm fine." She said quickly, getting to her feet, her hand against her head.
"You sure? You're acting pretty weird." Akuro said.
"It's nothing, really."
Akuro shrugged. "If you say so."
Darius cleared his throat. Inari and Akuro turned to him.
"What?" Akuro asked him.
"We are all friends, right?" He asked.
"Mm," Akuro started.
"Yes." Inari spoke over him.
"Oi, sure. I guess." Akuro agreed. "Why?"
"Because I've got something to admit." Darius said.
Akuro's eyes narrowed. "Oh really? And what exactly is that?"
"When I came to you, Akuro, I lied."
"About?"
"About most of it, really. While it's true Raijin gave me the dagger and told me to kill you-"
"What?" Inari asked in shock. "Raijin? The god? He really did something that low?"
"Yes, but let me finish. The dagger wasn't the reward. He said he'd give me a second wish if I killed you."
"Really? Did you accept?"
"Well, yeah, I did. At the time I didn't really care if you died. And so, when I came to you offering a truce I was just trying to get close to you and kill you when I gained your trust."
"I suspected as much, to be honest. Do you still feel the same way?" Akuro asked.
"No!" Darius said, waving his hands in the air. "I consider you to be my friend, I don't want to kill you."
"How can I trust that you mean what you say?"
"Evelyn, the Deity I met with, she told me that if I ever lied to you or tried to betray you that her aura would lash out at me. That's how."
Akuro glared at Darius for a long moment before letting out a sigh. "Fine. It doesn't matter to me, you wouldn't be able to kill me if you wanted to anyways."
Darius smiled, letting out a laugh. "Honestly you aren't wrong about that. I don't think I could kill you even with the dagger." He frowned. "Not only that but I don't intend to work with the gods now that I know the truth behind them. The fact that they'd put such burdens on children…" Darius looked over at the tombstones. "It's disgusting."
"I agree." Inari said. "I refuse to be tools for the gods to use as they please."
Akuro nodded. "Glad we are all in agreement. Inari, get Makane and let's get out of here."
"On it." She nodded, but just as she did Akuro clutched his head with a groan of pain.
"Akuro? What's wrong?" Inari asked.
The visions of a thousands of deaths ran through Akuro's head. He could see nothing but pain and agony as his barrier shattered. So much death, it was more than anything he'd ever experienced. He could see burning streets and rubble, a scarlet sky and cries of pain and tears of grief.
"They're all dead…" Akuro mumbled.
"What? Who?" Darius asked as Makane's tails began to glow.
Akuro's eyes widened. "No! Stop!"
•
•
•
Onoma stood beside Adeline atop the Statue of Liberty's torch. He stared down at the burning city, and for a moment he wondered if he had really made the right decision. Lilith descended down to stand beside him.
"So, you're Onoma I take it, yes?" She spoke, a deceptively warm smile on her lips.
"How do you know my name?" He asked.
"You do know who I am, yea? That should answer your question."
Onoma grunted. "Fine then. What of it?"
"Well, I don't know if you've noticed, but your friends have just returned. I think we should pay them a visit, don't you?"
"Friends? Do you mean-"
"Yes. The other Deities. So how about it? Wanna go?"
"By myself?" Onoma asked.
"Scared? Fine. Take Edo with you, with his help you should be fine."
"Edo?"
"Yes. One of my puppets. I will convey to him that he is to go to the location. He will most likely be there before you."
"Where are they?" Onoma asked.
"Just go. Figure it out, or I'm going to be left with no choice but to kill you. Ok? Ok."
Onoma's jaw tightened as he cursed Lilith in his head. He then jumped off of the statue and down towards the chaos.
"You think he'll make it?" Adeline asked curiously.
"If he doesn't, then he wasn't worth my time to begin with. It's that simple."
•
•
•
"Fuck!" Akuro cursed as his vision blurred and his body buzzed. Then the surroundings changed, and he looked up in horror.
"How… is this possible…" Inari asked quietly as they all stared in awe.
New York City was burning in flames. The sky was billowing with smoke and painted a fiery scarlet, not a single building was left standing. It was as if a meteor had struck the city, destroying everything. The Statue of Liberty stood alone amidst the flames.
Then a sense of dread fell over the group. Akuro was the first to act, jumping to his feet and yelling for Inari and Darius to move. Time seemed to slow as a massive figured crashed to the ground, swinging a large hammer through the air.
Akuro felt helpless in that moment as he watched the giant hammer crash into Inari.