"Why?" Athelstan choked, his voice raw and wet with blood as he slumped against the ropes binding him in place.
Why was this the way it would all end?
His mind kept replaying the moment over and over again.
Coming home to his family only to see them displayed on the floor like a sacrifice to a mad god.
Limbs cut and faces destroyed. And the last thing he'd heard before being knocked unconscious had been laughter.
A familiar, cruel and mocking laughter. Laughter he knew well.
Gabriel.
He'd woken up hours later in the pool of his family's blood, their bodies arranged around him like a cruel painting. That was where the police had found him, delirious with grief, clutching the remains of his wife and son.
He'd pleaded his case, declaring his innocence but when all evidence pointed towards him, he was sentenced to death by firing squad.
Now, here he was, his life was fading away but the hatred in his heart kept growing.
The hatred burned hot. Hotter than his fading life. If only.. If only he had the chance to make Gabriel pay.
And then, he died.
Dying was not the oblivion he had expected. Instead, Athelstan felt weightless, floating in an expanse of stars.
Light shimmered in the endless void but there were no thoughts of pain or grief. Only peace and beauty. Or at least, until the peace was broken.
A brilliant sun flared to life before him, its light bringing clarity and with it, his memories, his grief and his hate.
He squinted against the radiance as laughter emerged from it and a booming voice called out his name.
"Athelstan!" The words reverberated through the expanse, shaking the pillars of existence. "Your malice has called out to me and I have decided to extend my mercy."
The light dimmed, revealing a massive figure seated on a throne carved from a jagged black stone that seemed to be radiating light of its own.
The being's face was mutable, shifting and flickering as if it couldn't settle on a single feature as he stared down. The only constant was its eyes, bands of gold that burned with malice.
"Is this… heaven?" Athelstan whispered.
"It is the afterlife." The being answered, its voice filled with amusement. "The place where the deities select the souls worthy of their favor and reward them with another life."
Athelstan's eyes widened. "M- My wife… My son…" His voice broke as their faces flashed before his eyes. "Where are they? Did they find peace?"
"Peace." The being raised a hand and it was as if the heavens themselves paused at the gesture. "Their souls have been claimed by the deity of love. They rest in his care. But you…" A grin appeared before flickering away and appearing again, "you belong to me."
"Why?" Athelstan floated, tears streaming down his eyes. "Why do you have me? I was a good man! I deserve to be with my family!"
"Good?" The deity leaned forward, its golden eyes narrowing. "Mortal, your malice burns brighter than the stars itself. I reward malice. That is why your betrayal, Gabriel, found favor with me."
Athelstan's breath caught. "You… you rewarded him? You rewarded the monster who murdered my family?"
"Of course." The god's laughter shook the expanse. "Gabriel's malice was extraordinary. Which is why I sent him to a new world as the once and future king, a ruler destined to reshape it into a new empire."
Fury rose inside Athelstan, burning hot. His fists clenched and he snarled at the deity. "You sent him away?! You gave him power?!"
"Indeed." The deity was amused. "But then… you caught my attention."
"You have malice within you, mortal. That hatred, that rage… it is wasted in death." The being leaned back in his throne. "So, I offer you a gift."
Athelstan's heart pounded in his chest as the god's words wrapped around him like chains. "What gift?"
"A chance to find Gabriel and tear his empire apart." The god's voice lowered, dripping with malice. "A chance to have your revenge."
Athelstan's eyes widened and his rage and grief melded into an emotion. Desire. "What must I do?" He asked with gritted teeth.
"Understand that while I will give you the chance you seek, it is just that. A chance."
Athelstan didn't care.
"You will start with nothing, claw your way up from the very bottom and fight against fate itself to even get a glimpse of Gabriel, honored that he is. To even stand before him, you'll need the kind of power that goes beyond just you."
"But the question is…," the being rumbled, "what price are you willing to pay for your vengeance?"
Athelstan had only one answer.
"Everything."
"Good." The god raised its hand and a force seized Athelstan, dragging him down into the abyss. Its laughter accompanied him as he fell into what he had been expecting.
Oblivion.
[][][][][]
Whip!
Athelstan woke up to a searing pain across his back from the lash of a whip. "Argh!" He cried out, his voice hoarse and raw.
His body felt weak and battered. Unfamiliar, like clothes that weren't his.
"On your feet, dog!" A rough voice barked.
Athelstan stumbled upright, chains clanking around his wrists and ankles. The world spun around him and memories began flooding inside his head.
Memories that were his and not his. Memories of battle, of which he was too young. Too weak. Memories of blood stained hands and a clan consumed by fire.
The warrior standing over him mocked. "Another broken prince. You'll fetch a good price in the slave markets, if you survive."
Athelstan's eyes dropped to the chains around his feet, chains that marked him as a prisoner and his lips twitched.
This was it. The world the deity had promised. His second chance!
He began laughing, a low guttural sound that rose into a made cackle.
"Shut up!" The whip cracked again, tearing into his flesh but Athelstan laughed harder.
Pain was meaningless. He was alive now and he had a purpose.
"Stop laughing, you fool!" The warrior lashed him again but he didn't care. The other slaves stared, wide eyed as the warrior kept lashing him and he kept laughing harder.
"Gabriel!" He howled into the sky. "I'm coming for you!"