The End of gods: Chapter 2 – Truth Seen Through Darkness

“Drink to you drop,

Marry until you’re slop,

Earn till you reach the top!

This is what it means to live.

All joy and no suffering.

What else could you want?”

-          From the Joyful Psalms of the gods

Chapter 2 – Truth Seen Through Darkness

While Killian sleeps, he remembers the combat test, however, the rounds keep going as the so he keeps stabbing Scintilla. The pantheon of twelve gods along with the crowd cheer him on as he tries not to glory in the “killing” of his close friend.

“You can do it, Killian. It’s okay if you keep killing me. You can make it up to me later,” Scintilla says with her head hanging off her shoulder.

This cycle drives Killian insane and makes him cut off Scintilla’s hand so he can take her sword and throw it at the god of life, which annoys him. The shock makes the people in the arena jump from their stands and overwhelm him while the gods and Scintilla laugh as he is beaten into the ground. Waking up in a sweat, Killian has to collect himself and remember that what he saw was a dream.

“Hm? What’s wrong?” Scintilla says as she wakes up.

“It’s nothing but a bad dream.”

Scintilla hugs Killian and kisses him.

“It’s okay. I’m here.”

He kisses her back.

“I know, I know.”

The two get ready by going to their armory where the rest of their unit is arriving at.

“Killian, you know that you’ve caught the attention of Voluptas, the goddess of love,” one of Killian’s squadmates says.

“I know. All men and women accomplish something noticeable catch her attention.”

“So? Don’t you want to see what she wants?”

“I know what she wants and I don’t want to be another husband of hers.”

“I’m sure that Scintilla will understand. We still have some time until deployment so you can-”

“No.”

“Your loyalty towards your girlfriend is astounding and a bit foolish.”

“I’m not as horny as everyone else is all.”

As Killian waits for his unit to deploy and he’s fixing up his equipment, he feels an uneasy but comforting feeling.

“What are you trying to tell me?” Killian says to the vine of black thorns and God.

The feeling continues to run through him as if seeing that all his senses are awake and active.

“Am I supposed to be ready for something? This is my first deployment after all, but we’re just going after some troublemakers near the Void, not in it.”

His commander then calls all the troops to attention with the god of travel by his side. They are briefed on what they’re supposed to do then the god of travel teleports them to the area they are supposed to go after waiting a few seconds in a teleportation circle. Killian and his unit find them a bright forest of yellow and orange leaves. In the distance is the Void where the light is cut off at a point by a darkness. The forest of colorful leaves turns into a forest of black leaves that hang on similarly black trees with a ground that is devoid of grass. The new soldiers are shocked by the disparity between the two areas while the commander remembers the feeling as if it were yesterday.

“Get used to seeing this area because you’ll be getting closer to it as time goes on,” the commander says as the unit moves out.

Killian and Scintilla stay close to one another as they travel through the forest.

“This would be a nice place to visit during a vacation,” Killian says.

“I’m not sure we can with how little vacation time they give us,” Scintilla says.

“Then we’ll do it when we retire. We can’t be soldiers our entire lives.”

“Oh, that’s right. We do have forever to live.”

“We could become chefs and own a restaurant, artists, farmers, or maybe start a school together. What do you think?”

“Do you want to throw kids into all that while you’re at it?”

“I mean yeah since we’d be living together by then.”

“I don’t think I want kids. They’d just get in the way of all the things that we want to do.”

“You don’t want kids, but at the same time you want to…you know?”

“One of the gods can get rid of children in the womb before they are born. It’s a sacrifice for God that was introduced that increased the prosperity of the world believe it or not. I’m sure you’re fine with it since you worship the God behind reality than the other gods, right?”

“I’m…I’m not sure. Let’s just wait to make a decision until after marriage.”

“It doesn’t have to be when we get married, you know. I don’t know where you get these restrictions from.”

“I don’t really know for certain either. It’s like someone’s written them in my head and heart when I was born.”

“Whatever the case is, my mind is made up.”

Not knowing what else to say to convince Scintilla of his view, Killian lets the conversation end. The unit then arrives at the location of the bandits and assaults a small camp of people. Upon seeing the children among the bandits and feeling a silent voice speak to him, he realizes that these bandits are poor people.

Killian stops Scintilla before she strikes someone and says, “Stop! These people are poor and homeless!”

“Who can possibly be poor and homeless in this world with an abundance of wealth that the gods give everyone? These people are bandits plain and simple,” she responds while the poor person runs away, “You let them get away! How do you know that these people are innocent?”

“I don’t. It’s just…”

“Just what? That law that’s written on your head and heart or that silent voice that you talk to every now and then. Stop being so blind and look at what’s in front of you.”

Soldiers of the gods chase after the so-called bandits until a darkness starts to surround the area and cut off the soldiers. Strange people in crow masks come out of the darkness and make the soldiers disappear into it. The commander starts praying to his gods as he is surrounded.

“Your gods won’t hear you,” a man in a crow mask says before making the commander disappear.

Scintilla and Killian are separated in the confusion as Scintilla manages to kill a few crows while escaping. Killian, on the other hand, runs until he sees that one of the people in his unit has found one of the bandits and is about to kill them. He stops his fellow soldier and tries to say that they’re innocent just like he said to Scintilla, but his fellow soldier won’t believe him and even tries to fight him for siding with their enemy before being knocked out by a crow. The crows surround Killian and he throws his sword down, raises his hands, and kneels.

“I’m assuming that you’re protecting these people. They seem to be innocent so I’m no threat to them or you. Let’s talk this out and clear up the misunderstanding since we were told that they were bandits,” Killian says.

One of the crows takes off their mask and Killian recognizes him though he doesn’t know why.

This man says, “We know, Killian. You always did stick out from the rest of the idiots. Do you remember me?”

“Uncle Gregory!” Killian says.

“You do remember me! I’m so glad!” Gregory says as he hugs Killian.

“I sort of do. I don’t remember why I called you uncle.”

“I was the head of guards that helped you train both in mind, body, and soul.”

“I thought all the guards were killed by the Crow of Death.”

“I like the name they gave my nephew, but is that really what they call Valerius now?”

“Valerius? Who’s that? Is he my brother?”

“No, you are related to one another and aren’t related to me at least on a familial level.”

“I remember a name, a face, and a mask like yours, but not much else.”

“Vere, the so-called god of truth, is manipulating the truth again I see. I should’ve cut his throat when I had the chance.”

“You can’t do that! They were made to be gods by the God of reality.”

“Another lie. It’s thanks to Valerius that there is no more than a pantheon of twelve gods. He destroyed the artifact that made normal men and women into gods.”

“I don’t remember reading that in the scriptures.”

“Come with me and I’ll reeducate you on the truth.”

Killian looks around before he says, “I don’t know if I should. The gods may not want me to learn a truth different from their own.”

“They haven’t stopped us for years and they won’t stop us now because we’re going into the Void where their power can’t reach us.”

“The Void? Isn’t that place cursed?”

“Not for us. It’s the place where the power of the one true God can be seen the most. Don’t you want to learn the truth especially after what happened here?”

After thinking about it for a few seconds and being pushed by the feeling of the black thorns, Killian says, “Yes, I do.”

“I knew you wouldn’t be corrupted by those pretenders. Let’s go and meet everyone else or re-meet I should say.”

Killian reluctantly follows the man who he somehow knows as the silent voice reassures him that he’s trustworthy. He also wonders where Scintilla is and how she’s doing as she searches for her lost fellow soldiers after killing many crows and people who she thought were bandits.

“Where are you when I need you the most…Killian…” Scintilla says to herself with blood and tears on her face.