God of War, Ares: Guardian

by Brandon Chen

  Zahir smirked. “You’re betraying the Persian Empire by going against me, you know.”

  “I know.”

  “And you’d throw away everything that you care about, your family, your home?”

  “What you’ll use this power for is wrong,” Yuu said. “You demonstrated to me today that you are unworthy of wielding Ahriman’s strength. The power of a god comes with responsibility. Wreaking havoc upon all of your enemies and utterly obliterating them is not what this power is for! The power of the gods has always been to maintain balance in our world.”

  “Maintain balance?” Zahir paced back and forth, watching Yuu. He burst out laughing, holding his belly as he did so. “That’s a riot! Who cares about balance? This power can set me on the high end of the scale so that I rise above everyone else. All of the puny humans of this pathetic, cruel world will finally see just what it’s like to truly feel fear. They’ll understand what it’s really like to be powerless. And they’ll know what it’s like to have a powerful deity to protect their worthless, useless lives! I will become a god and I will become the emperor of more than just Dastia! I will rule this accursed world with my power and change it to my liking! Balance? Such a thing will never be achieved. Do you know why? Because as long as there are rulers, as long as there are leaders, some people will be worth more than others. That’s just how it is and that’s how it always will be. There will never be balance, not in this world.”

  Yuu grunted, sprinting forward as he swung his sword through the air in a sideways slash at Zahir. The Magus ducked the blow and stumbled backward, surprised by Yuu’s sudden burst of aggression. The noble then jabbed out at Zahir with rapid thrusts of his blade, unleashing a barrage of fast attacks on the mage. “Darien risked his life, as a prince, to save a foreign boy who was doomed to die. He treasured that young boy’s life the same as his own. A prince and an ex-slave. Lives are worth the same, no matter how you look at it. A human life is a damned human life!” he yelled, spinning around as he ripped his blade at Zahir’s throat.

  Zahir dodged each movement with ease, never wiping the grin from his lips. Ducking Yuu’s final swipe, he pulled up his sleeve and revealed his dragon tattoo. He extended his right hand and released tendrils of electricity surging from his fingertips. The energy snapped and crackled, grabbing onto Yuu’s metallic armor. The boy screamed in agony as the ends of his hairs stood up, electricity coursing through his body. “And that is why that prince is a fool that must be disposed of.”

  Yuu dropped his sword, his hand twitching uncontrollably. The electricity broke off his body and dissipated, but he couldn’t get the agonizing feeling of the roaring heat snapping through his body out of his mind. Falling onto his side, Yuu convulsed as he curled up into a ball, trying his best to cope with the sharp pain that erupted throughout his body. Tears formed in his eyes as he clenched his jaw, biting back his suffering. Small droplets streaked from his closed eyes, down his cheeks and to his chin.

  Zahir didn’t waste a moment and sauntered over to the corpse of Ahriman. He reached down, gathering a pool of blood in his cupped hands, and sipped the unholy liquid. His eyes widened and he lowered his hands to his side, the godly blood splattering down at his feet. His veins began to bulge from his skin as he gasped, staggering backwards. He bumped against the wall of the abyss, a fiery heat surging through every inch of his body. Zahir released a bloodcurdling scream that echoed through the abyss, covering every inch of the darkened space with his cry.

  Within five seconds, Darien had made his way to the scene. The god tore his way from the misty darkness and flew through the air, driving both of his legs in a solid kick to Zahir’s side. The Magus smashed hard against the stone wall, sinking deep into the rock. Several pieces of the wall chipped off from above and collapsed onto the ground around Darien but the god had his attention on Yuu, who was still twitching on the ground in pain. “Yuu!” Darien grunted and reached down to pick up his injured friend. Yuu’s eyes were still closed and he was crying from the searing agony that had surged through his body. “Hey, it’s going to be okay. I’m here.”

  There was a crack, and Darien looked over his shoulder to see that Zahir had somehow pulled himself from the hole in the fissure’s wall, snapping his broken arm back into place. His lips were a rosy red color from the blood of Ahriman that he had drank. Zahir split a malevolent grin across his face and he burst out laughing, his purple eyes glowing in the darkness. “I … I feel amazing!” He raised both of his hands into the air and laughed hysterically.

  ***

  An upward current of purple energy filled every inch of the fissure, exploding from the chasm and up into the surface, striking the sky with its enormity. Ares had grabbed Yuri and leapt out of the fissure just a moment before the fault exploded with Zahir’s magic. The two rolled onto the sand outside of the fissure, smoke drifting off their bodies from the scorching heat of Zahir’s magic.

  Ares’ eyes bulged and he slowly glanced up to see Zahir leaping from the obliterated abyss and into the air. Zahir extended his arms outward, still laughing. “Wow, Ares! Is this the power that you’ve been flooded with all this time? You really must hold back, huh? This amount of strength that I have now is more than I ever could’ve imagined!”

  “Zahir, what have you done?” Ares yelled.

  “Zahir? Oh, don’t call me that anymore. My name is Ahriman now.” The god held out his hand before him, pointing his index finger at Ares. “Now that I have this unstoppable power, I can put an end to you, Ares.”

  Ares’ eyes widened as he shoved Yuu away from him. A skinny beam of purple magic shot from Ahriman’s fingertip and smashed hard into Ares, sending the boy crashing a mile across the sandy wasteland, leaving a trail of dragged dirt in his path. Ignoring the pain that exploded through his chest, the god of war grinded his teeth, propping himself onto his elbows as he gazed up at the floating Persian. He had never fought against an opponent that could utilize such terrifying power before. The possibility of battling another god had never crossed his mind. The outcome would surely be destructive. No one nearby would be safe.

  Ahriman suddenly teleported beside Ares, who gasped in surprise. How fast is this guy? The Persian god grabbed Ares’ face and thrust the boy’s head backward into the earth, destroying the ground with his unmatchable strength. A swirling cloud of dust whirled around Ares’ unmoving body.

  Ahriman stood over the injured god and smirked. “If you don’t have what it takes to let out your full power, Ares, then you’ll never come to defeat another god. You have to be willing to sacrifice everything and destroy the world around you if you want the strength to defeat me. Go on, release all of that hidden strength. Obliterate your friends around us with your power. Show me your bloodlust and awaken your inner-self so that I may face the true god of war.”

  Ares winced, trying to move. But his body wouldn’t respond.

  A pillar of light exploded from the sky and crashed down on the earth beside Ahriman, singeing the earth. The Persian god of darkness looked over his shoulder with an apathetic gaze as a man with brown curly hair and golden armor that gleamed as brightly as the sun emerged from the light. The pillar receded back into the heavens and the mysterious new man worked his shoulder, as if he hadn’t been active in a while. His irises were the color the sun, glowing so brightly that no ordinary human could stare directly into them. His armor was decorated with a painted symbol of the sun and he gripped a lit torch in one hand and a sword with a golden blade in the other.

  Tossing his hair, the man pointed the tip of his sword at Ahriman, who raised an eyebrow in amusement. “Oh? And who might you be?” Ahriman demanded, his eyes narrowing as he gazed upon the golden armored stranger.

  “My name is Mithra. I am the Persian god of war and justice,” the man declared, his eyes flashing. “I have been sent by the gods to make sure that you were not awakened. Unfortunately, it seems that I am too late. Though that means that I now have a second chance to condemn you to death, Ahrima
n.”

  Ahriman scowled and turned suddenly as a beam of light erupted from the heavens once more and smashed down into the ground where he was, creating a gaping hole in the earth. The Persian god had leapt out of the way just in time to emerge unscathed from the abrupt attack. His eyes flickered across the battlefield and saw that a giant rock golem was dashing across the plains with a young girl on its shoulder. He turned to Mithra, who also seemed puzzled. If Mithra wasn’t the one who had summoned that powerful beam, then who did it? Ahriman looked back to the elemental and eyed the mysterious girl that mounted the Guardian.

  Ahriman sighed, watching as Ares also managed to force himself back to his feet. “A Guardian and a demigod, huh? One by one more bugs keep entering the fray. This is becoming troublesome.”

  Demigod? Ares turned his head and frowned at Aleysha. Her?

  A demigod was a person who had one parent that was a god and one parent that was a human. Ares had met her mother and she had definitely been human. He blinked. Could her father be a god? That would explain her abnormal ability to call upon that incredible beam of energy from the heavens.

  Ahriman clapped his hands with a wicked grin on his face. There was an outwards pulse that erupted from his hands and a sweeping wave of dust flew out from his position, engulfing everything in a mile radius around the god.

  Ares covered his eyes and was blown backwards, tossed around by the relentless power of the new Persian god. Staggering to his feet, the boy brushed some dust out of his eyes and coughed. He turned to look at Amon and Aleysha to see if they were okay. He found that his best friend, the great rock golem, had been petrified into a statue. Ares’ eyes began to water and he bit his lower lip hard, trying to hold back the cries that wanted to explode from his lungs.

  Amon had pulled his arm over Aleysha to block her from the shockwave and was frozen in his position, rubble crumbling from his solidified body. All around the battlefield in the distance, the Guardians and Persian warriors had all transformed into statues as well, permanently immobile. Aleysha, however, seemed unharmed.

  “A-Amon?” Aleysha whispered, reaching out and patting the unmoving golem. “You can’t be….”

  Ares’ hands were quivering at his side. He scowled and glared at Ahriman, who was guffawing maniacally, gaining pleasure from seeing how many lives he had ruined. “You bastard…!” Ares boomed, kicking off the ground, soaring straight at the Persian god.

  Ahriman stopped laughing and extended his hand, releasing a surge of black energy that shot forward and exploded into Ares, sending the boy rolling backward across the battlefield. The Magus smirked, impressed with his own strength. A flicker of movement over his shoulder caused the smirk to vanish from his lips in an instant and he grunted, ducking a vicious slash from Mithra. “What a bother,” Ahriman murmured, floating out of reach of his opponents. Having just obtained his new powers, Ahriman was unsure if he would be able to defeat a fully trained god such as Mithra while fending off Ares. One god of war was troublesome enough. “Take your golem’s fate as a warning, Ares! If you try and bring judgment upon me, all that you hold dear will perish by my hands. And once they’re eradicated I’ll end you next.” He waved at Mithra cheerfully and chortled, flying away. “Hopefully I won’t see you fools again. If I do, it’ll be your demise.”

  Ares pushed himself from a pile of sand and spat the hot dirt out of his mouth. Gritting his teeth, he balled his hands up into tight fists. “Get back here, you coward!” he roared, hurling his spear outward at the fleeing god. But Ahriman had already flown out of range. He punched the ground in frustration, tears beginning to flow down his cheeks. It was the first time that he had cried in five years. “Damn it!”

  Mithra looked past the defeated Ares to the solidified Guardian. Aleysha was tapping the petrified rock golem as if doing so would awaken the elemental from its eternal slumber. The Persian god looked at Ares, who was sobbing, a look of agony painted upon his face. Such frustration, such pain, such despair. It had been a long time since he had seen a deity wear those emotions. Gods usually only formed bonds with other gods. It’s interesting that Ares befriended one of his Guardians. After all, Guardians were merely tools to battle on a god’s behalf, nothing more.

  “He thinks that I’m going to heed his little threat?” Ares growled, his eyes beginning to turn red with burning rage. “I’m going to rip that bastard apart. I’ll shred him to pieces until there’s nothing left for doing this to Amon!” he bellowed, slamming the ground with his fist again. The earth trembled from his frightening strength.

  Aleysha stepped away from Amon and looked to Ares with a pitiful gaze. “Ares….”

  Ares continued to punch the ground, releasing his fury into the earth. Black markings began to form on his body, curling around his skin as it ate away at his self-control.

  “Ares!” Aleysha called, but the boy couldn’t hear her. She dashed forward to the rampaging god and wrapped her arms around him from behind, hugging him tightly despite his fit. The god froze, panting heavily, not expecting to feel such warmth. “It’s okay, Ares. It’s okay,” Aleysha whispered, trying to calm him down. She pressed her cheek gently against the boy’s back and closed her eyes, trusting that he wouldn’t hurt her. “Remember what you promised; you won’t transform.”

  Ares clenched his teeth, biting back all of his burning rage and frustration. “I … I let Amon down. I couldn’t protect him like he’s protected me all these years.” He closed his eyes, more tears streaming down his face as he sniffled. Amon had always been there for him. The rock golem had saved his life countless times in the Lost Sands and had taught him how to survive and fend for himself in the dangerous desert. Amon was the one friend that had never left his side. The god turned and looked at his frozen friend and exhaled. The black, ancient markings began to recede from his skin and his eyes returned to their usual sky-blue color. He was calmer, but his heart felt like it had been torn out, a feeling that had been so distant that he had almost forgotten how agonizing it was to lose someone that he loved so dearly.

  Mithra was surprised that Ares showed so much love for a lump of rock. But he said nothing. “It seemed that the magic that he used only affected ordinary organisms without magic.” The god nodded his head towards the distant battlefield and Ares saw that several creatures were still moving about. “Some of those Guardians have magic infused into their bodies and therefore were not harmed by Ahriman’s twisted spell. All of us also have magic as well so we weren’t harmed.”

  “Neither was I,” Yuu called, striding across the sandy desert, clutching his bleeding arm. He gave Ares a weak smile. “I’m still alive somehow.” He saw the tears on Ares’ face and looked to his old friend’s petrified Guardian. He bit his lip and said nothing more.

  “I’m glad to see that you’re okay.” Ares smiled, wiping his wet face.

  Mithra looked from Yuu to Ares and assumed that the two were companions. He disregarded the newcomer as a threat. He turned to Ares. “Those words that you spoke earlier — I’m assuming that you meant them.”

  “Yeah,” Ares said, anger still roaring through his veins. The thirst for vengeance was not a feeling that he felt often. After all, he hadn’t even felt the need to exact revenge on his parents’ murderers, let alone the man who had condemned him to the Lost Sands when he was only fifteen. But now he felt differently. He wanted Ahriman on his knees, apologizing and begging for his life. But Ares would grant him no mercy. The boy wondered if any satisfaction would come from the murder of Ahriman. Would the gaping hole in his heart be filled? Would the pain that he felt from Amon’s fate be extinguished?

  “If you’re fully willing to eradicate Ahriman from this world, then I will join you. He’s far too dangerous to roam this continent freely,” Mithra said. “I assume that he’s returning to the capital of Persia so that he may begin testing his powers and his limits. With every moment, I believe that Ahriman will grow stronger.”

  “How are we going to get there?” Ares asked. M
ounting Amon had always been the fastest way to travel through the Lost Sands. Without his Guardian, Ares feared that it might take months to walk to Persepolis safely. By then, the continent could be wiped out entirely by Ahriman. Time was fleeting, they needed speed. Should I…?

  Mithra raised his hand and four bulls burst from the sandy earth, appearing at their master’s side. These bulls were golden, similar to the color of the gleaming sun, and had curved white horns emerging from the tops of their heads. They trotted forward and snorted, nodding towards Yuu, Ares, and Aleysha. There was one bull for each person. “These will serve as our mounts,” Mithra said, stroking one beast on its snout gently. The bull shook its head, closing its eyes, clearly enjoying the massage. “They are reliable, fast, and much tougher than any ordinary steed.”

  Ares looked over his shoulder at Amon once more and Mithra winced. “Do you need some time to mourn for your … companion?”

  “No,” Ares said, keeping his hardened gaze on his frozen friend. Lowering his head and sighing, he turned to Yuu and Aleysha. He nodded at the two of them. “We can’t waste any time. Ahriman needs to be stopped.” He looked to Mithra with an expression filled with determination and resolution. “Let’s go.”

  ***

  King Alkaios drove his heels deep into his steed’s side, storming across the desert sands around the perimeter of the Lost Sands in the direction of Persia. Behind him was the entire army of the United Eastern Nations of Dastia, a vast force of over a hundred thousand soldiers, all mounted on horses that were galloping with all haste for Persia.

  “Milord! We must rest!” one of Alkaios’s generals warned the King of Luxas. “Our men and horses are both tired. There’s a town coming up ahead.”

  Alkaios rotated his jaw and sighed, squeezing his reins tightly in his hands. He wanted to get to Persepolis as soon as possible to put an end to Cambyses’s rule. But it wasn’t just that. He had an odd feeling in the pit of his stomach that Kira and Tetsu were both in danger. If both of them were still in Persia, then surely something was churning up in the capital city. But the king knew better than to tire out his men before the battle had even begun. He nodded, slapping his reins down and bolting on ahead.