Chapter Text
Decaribian’s wife suffered of a terrible curse, the curse of mortality. He simply didn’t understand why good things needed to come to an end. Why summer turned into fall, why fire turned into ash, and why marriage was separated by death.
The afternoon sky had a golden glow and through the window, he could hear children taking advantage of the last minutes of light. Decaribian sat on his desk, sorting papers from left to right. On the other side of the chamber, his wife folded blankets. Next to the window, her platinum hair turned into fiery orange. He couldn’t help admiring her beauty. As a god himself, he always thought that he had it all, but it had been a simple mortal the one who had stolen his heart. With her usual delicacy, she checked that everything was in order. Yet he noticed that her hands trembled. He dropped his pen and raised his gaze.
“Amos. What is bothering you my dear?” He said with a steady voice.
Her hand squeezed the blanket, she didn’t lookup. She opened her mouth. But she couldn’t keep her voice from breaking. Amos took a deep breath and raised her head. Her eyes were empty and her face puffy. He felt as if she wasn’t looking at him, but through him. Decaribian stood up leaving his work behind. He crossed the room and the moment his arms hugged Amos, she broke down, as if a door had been unlocked.
“Today I helped deliver a baby.” Said Amos. As the head priestess, she would sometimes do this type of things. Her duty as the wife of Decaribian, god of the storms, was to be near their people. While he counted shipments and calculated budgets, she checked the shops and ships by herself. She was his eyes and ears. Her aid was always there, together with her warm smile. The people trusted and came to her if they needed any help. But she had never reacted this way.
“A very healthy girl. But her mother died at her birth.” She said. Decaribian’s could feel his shoulders getting wet. He hugged Amos even more tightly. “The only thing she got was a glimpse… a glimpse of her daughter. It made me think about us.”
“What do you mean?” He said as he backed away. They both sat on the side of the bed. Amos couldn’t bring herself to stare at his eyes. She felt childish, such a wish, with a probably high cost. Decaribian watched her.
“What if… what if we wanted to have a child? What if they were immortal like you and had to see their mother rot away? What if they weren’t immortal and their own father had to see their child and wife die? I want to have a family with you, and be by your side for the rest of your life. Remember when you said you had a plan?” She asked. Decaribian nodded. “Well. I have changed my mind. I’m ready to do anything.”
Decaribian gestured to follow him. In the dark of his closet, he approached a drawer. It was identical to the thousands of others, except for a tiny lock below the handle. The key should have been the size of a bean. He placed his finger on it, covering the lock completely. He closed his eyes and felt the air trapped inside it. By pushing on it, the air moved the mechanisms until he heard a click. Inside the drawer was a beautiful bow. It shined in the dark room, illuminating their faces. It embodied a purple palate and the ends were carefully forged into the shape of wings. Near the arrow’s rest was a weirdly placed horn that had a sheen similar to the one of a pearl. Beside the bow laid only two arrows.
“From far lands of oceans and rivers, came the rumor of a material that can pierce gods’ flesh as if it is paper. Since I heard about this, I knew that I needed it immediately. We know almost nothing about gods and Celestia, but a well-known rule is that a god’s killer will be granted with their power.”
“You want me to kill a god?” She said in disbelief. “I feel that is a little more difficult than what it sounds.”
“This is your bow Amos. With this, still as a mortal, you will be able to kill a god and I want you to kill my brother.” Amos stayed in silence. Her delicate hands grabbed the bow and pulled the string to try it out. The grip was cold and slippery as if it was made of marble. But it was light and easy to maneuver.
“So the rumors are true. You are both getting ready for war.”
“He is afraid of prosperity. He doesn’t see humans as his race and he has been acting suspicious lately. Denying shipments, missing explores in his lands, refusing diplomatic encounters. Our war has been hanging on a thread for a long time. If he threatens my kingdom, I won’t hesitate to make him fall.” He said as he put his hands on her shoulders and looked straight into her eyes. “Anything for us. Anything for our people. Anything for our future family.”
There had been only a few times when she had seen that look on his face. It made her feel small and want to hide. It was the look of the true rage of a god. Some time ago Decaribian had told her about his discussions with Andrius, his brother, but she never thought that it would take such a violent turn. Was Decaribian seeking vengeance or was he just thirsty for power? Neither was she sure if she wanted to be in between a divine war.
“There is no other way?” she said as she shrugged.
“This is the best solution. Trust me. Everything will be planned beforehand. We’ll leave him weak, and an easy target for you to fire the last shot. That way you will gain his immortality and manage this kingdom with me forever. ”
Heavy footsteps sounded from the hallway, Decaribian closed the drawer quickly as they heard continuous knocking on the door. A servant entered the room panting.
“Master, please follow me to the balcony.”
They both sensed the worry in his voice and immediately walked with him outside. Amos frowned confused at Decaribian, but he didn’t knew what was happening either. The sky had turned an unusual red, it was the red of fury, of a lost battle that had ended in bloodshed. Some people started to form crowds below them, others peeked from their windows, afraid to come out.
Decaribian eyes widen.
“No. It can’t be Celestia.” He mumbled.
Amos stared at him. It was weird seeing him that way, terrifying. It was like a little kid realise he had done something wrong. Decaribian dropped to his knees, in growing pain. He grabbed his face, mumbling more unrecognizable words. He felt his head about to explode, the pain was excruciating. I’m going to pass out he thought. His vision started to darken until he couldn’t see anything anymore. He had never experienced such agony in his life, but somehow knew it was a message from Celestia. He tried opening his eyes as much as he could, but all he saw was black. Amos kneeled beside him, while the servant stood by their side, frozen because of the panic.
“Can you hear me?” She asked. Between huge gasps of air Decaribian managed to do a kind of nod with his head.
Suddenly, clouds came together, creating the face of a woman. A thundering voice came from the sky and spoke in a loud and clear voice.
“Mortals and immortals that call themselves gods, listen to me, who comes in the name of the heavenly principals. The world balance has been broken, and in order to fix it we shall open seven sets in Celestia, for those who prove worthy to guard the elements. Cryo, Anemo, Electro, Dendro, Pyro, Hydro, and Geo. Seven Archons.”
Seven seats? Thought Amos. Celestia, the great source of power, was choosing seven supreme gods to rule the whole land. But what is the motive behind all of this?
“Let the trials begin by surpassing your opponents in battle until only one contestant for each seat remains standing. Those who decide not to fight should serve the champions, or perish with time. I wish you all the best of luck when wielding your weapon in your final moment.” As she finished, the rain poured from the sky without mercy. People covered their heads with their coats, and small businesses hurried to pack their merchandise.
“This will be a slaughter. Torture for humanity. What are we going to do? Decaribian?” She said.
Decaribian had stood up, with his eyes wide open. But not seeing, he was listening. He placed one finger on his lips, gesturing Amos to make silence. At that point she thought he was insane. However, she started hearing the sound he was probably referring to. It was similar to crumbling paper, becoming louder, and louder. Then she saw it, a huge wave of snow, three times taller than the highest tower, rising at the city’s border. Decaribian rose his hands trying to use any last drop of strength he had left.
“Andrius, I wasn’t expecting such a fast reaction.”
He could picture his brother’s face perfectly. Laughing at him for being so naïve and catching him off guard. The giant wave of snow was a move with Andrius name written all over it. He was clearly eager for an excuse to attack, and finally after all this time had one. Andrius would be his rival for a seat in Celestia. The pressure increased; the snow hanging at the edge of the city, screams coming from everywhere. He had to admit that his brother was a worthy opponent. He had passion, but a lack of patience. However, if Celestia’s message had been for every god, Andrius couldn’t have that much strength either.
All right, he thought, I’m done with this nonsense. Using the wind currents and clouds of dust the snow had created, he began to rise a barrier. Decaribian gritted his teeth, as he tried to hold the wave and form the magical wall. He felt the cold invading his body, as the snow continued to compete and climb the barrier as it grew higher. He will never stop, he sighed. With one last push, the wind currents shot up, uniting on top of the city and creating a dome, protecting the whole city.
His hands twitched by his side and his legs started to feel numb. Before losing conscience, he looked to his side. Still kneeled on the floor, Amos expressed pure fear. He wanted to hug her, to tell her that everything was going to be fine. But she was brave, she could wait until he woke up. So he collapsed to the cold floor.
Amos turned to the servant and told him to help her. As if he snapped out of a dream, he rushed towards her. The servant grabbed his arms, she grabbed his legs and together they carried him to their bed.
Amos stood there, closing her eyes and hearing the rain. She had no idea what to do, she could feel the floor crumbling under her. His husband had entered a deadly game, with no easy way out. She took a deep breath and let the air out, as also her worry. She had to be the head priestess now. She straightened her posture and talked with an imposing voice.
“You may leave. Let our Lord rest.” The servant immediately closed the door behind him. With her soft hand, she stroked his cheek. “Don’t worry, we just need to follow the plan and kill your brother.”