by Brandon Chen
Ramses looked at where his son was pointing and spotted a piece of paper slapped right onto the window of Cassim’s house. It must’ve been blown off one of the city’s buildings. The Magus frowned as he examined the drawing. An execution? His eyes widened as he read the headline. “Tetsu Hayashi … to be executed tomorrow at noon?”
***
Days of riding on the bulls across the Lost Sands had gone by. Ares sat on the ground, watching the night sky silently with Yuu, Mithra, and Aleysha. The god of war sighed, missing Amon’s company. The moon shined its glistening light upon the party and the stars glowed brighter than Ares had ever seen them before. But they did not make him smile.
Aleysha noticed that Ares hadn’t really shown any expression in days. In fact, he almost seemed in a daze as if his mind was elsewhere.
“You know,” Mithra said, breaking the silence. “I haven’t met many gods like you, Ares. You’re a lot different than your family’s last god of war.”
“My family?”
“Ah, yes,” Mithra said. “You see, gods are categorized into specific families. Each family is worshipped by different civilizations around the world. Your family, Hellas, is worshipped by an eastern country on Dastia as well as another continent somewhere in this world. You’re quite spread out, I’ve heard.”
“What was the last god of war like? From my family, I mean.”
“Well, the last Ares was quite brutal. He was a sadistic fellow, always wanting to pick fights with others and always out pissing off the other gods. Not to mention he was cocky as hell; that led to his downfall. But he was strong, courageous, and very powerful, much like you, I suppose. Though, I don’t think he ever got as close to his Guardians as you have. I don’t know many gods who have genuine attachments to their Guardians. After all, you have so many, don’t you? Why not just summon another?”
Ares said nothing.
“Wait, you can summon more Guardians? I thought Amon was your only one.” Aleysha frowned, tilting her head to the side in puzzlement.
“Guardians are merely pawns of gods that are used and sacrificed. The fact your rock golem has ‘died’ should not bother you. I mean—”
“Stop talking about Amon like that,” Ares growled, shooting Mithra a hostile glare that silenced the god instantly. “He was my friend. Not just some pawn that I could just use to accomplish my desires. I don’t care about how you gods utilize your Guardians, but I won’t abuse mine.” He ran a hand through his blonde hair and sighed. “Amon has been there for me from the very beginning. He was my protector. He can’t be replaced.”
Mithra raised an eyebrow. “That doesn’t explain why you won’t use your Guardians for other reasons such as travel. The last Ares had a chariot pulled by four flaming horses that can get you anywhere you want within the hour. Why would you rather travel there with my bulls than quickly get there on your chariot? Inefficiency, that’s what it is.”
Ares lowered his eyes and sighed. “The idea of making something else subordinate to me just makes me feel uneasy. It reminds me too much of my life before I became a god. I don’t want to use Guardians to complete tasks for me. I’ll do them myself.”
“Soon you’ll have to learn that you can’t do everything by yourself, Ares. Your Guardians exist to serve you,” Mithra murmured, scoffing. “You’re going to live a dangerous life if you don’t use your Guardians. After all, gods are mortal on this world. We can be killed just like any other living thing on this planet.”
Ares nodded.
“In Heaven, the gods have their maximum amount of power as well as their immortality. There they are able to grant wishes that worshippers pray for and can make miracles happen. However, once they leave Heaven, their powers are suppressed to some extent and they become mortal. Your Guardians exist so that they can help you, in your weakened state, to combat the natural evils of this world. Ahriman will surely use his own Guardians to fight you. You can’t hope to simply fight him on your own.”
“You’re right. I’ve got you with me.” Ares smirked. “I understand what you’re saying, Mithra. I’ll use my Guardians if things get dire. But for now I don’t want to risk anyone else’s life. Yuu and Aleysha, the two of you will not be coming with us into Persepolis to confront Ahriman.”
“What?” Aleysha exclaimed, leaning forward in disbelief.
“This is my fight as much as it is yours, Darien,” Yuu snapped. “There’s no way that I’m going to let you and Mithra go in there alone to fight that bastard! He was my mentor. I need to be there to help you defeat him!”
“I agree with Ares,” Mithra said, receiving glares from both Aleysha and Yuu. “Just because you’re a demigod, Aleysha, does not mean that you will be able to fight on the level of a god as powerful as Ahriman. You’ll be killed nearly instantly. The only reason that you aren’t dead now is because Ares’ Guardian protected you. So count yourself lucky. As for you,” the Persian god of war spoke to Yuu, “you’re a human with magical capabilities. But your magic pool is nothing in comparison to Ahriman’s. It’s like comparing a puddle to an ocean. He’d crush you in an instant. Instead of throwing away your life, you could put it to use doing something else.”
“Like what?” Yuu grumbled.
“I don’t know, I haven’t thought that far yet,” Mithra said, scratching his neck.
“You honestly expect for us to just sit back while you are battling a god of darkness! The result of that battle decides the fate of Dastia, and I don’t intend to sit back and—” Yuu began but his eyes narrowed when he received a glare from Ares. He lowered his gaze and clenched his jaw.
Ares stood up and began to walk away from the party, climbing a sand dune. His head was pounding as he reached the peak of the hill of sand. The god glanced up at the twinkling stars that flashed their tiny lights across the sea of darkness in the sky. He looked over his shoulder and saw that Yuu was still arguing with Mithra. “I don’t want to lose anyone else, Amon,” Ares spoke gently to the cool night breeze. “I know they’re good friends because they want to help but … I’d never forgive myself if something happened to them. Tomorrow, I know that if Aleysha and Yuu go into Persepolis I won’t be able to protect them if I’m against someone like Ahriman.” The boy reached up and grabbed a fistful of his hair and squeezed. “What do I do?”
“You need to trust us,” Aleysha said, walking from behind Ares. “This isn’t just your fight, you know.”
Ares glanced at Aleysha over his shoulder and said nothing. He turned back to gazing at the gleaming stars that glittered like diamonds in the sky.
Aleysha reached up and touched her necklace, a tiny cross that rested just above her breast. “You have one too, don’t you? A necklace, I mean. Mine is to remind me of the past, even though it’s a painful and distant memory. Although I’d love to just forget my painful memories, I know that it’s impossible to run from the past. Eventually, it’ll just reveal itself again.”
Ares tore his gaze from the sky and looked down at the golden necklace that dangled from his neck. He bit his lower lip. His mother had given him this for his fifteenth birthday. She said that whenever he wore the necklace, he would become fearless. The boy reached up and touched the hard metal, his fingers tracing around the medallion’s perimeter. Forget that the past ever happened. I’ve already tried. But no matter what … I can’t convince myself to throw this necklace away. Why is that? Ares licked his lip and closed his eyes, squeezing the golden necklace in his hand. I’m not Darien anymore, right? That old life is gone now.
“Is that why you still have your necklace too?” Aleysha asked.
Ares ignored the question. He exhaled through his nose and slowly opened his eyes. “Why do you want to forget?”
Aleysha’s eyebrows went up in surprise, not expecting such a question from Ares. But she smiled and stepped beside the young boy. “My real dad is a god and I’ve always wanted to meet him, you know. But he’s never really been there since I was a little kid. When I was seven, I lived in a village to the ea
st, outside of the Lost Sands. I was living with my mom, my uncle, and my grandma at the time. It was a pretty peaceful lifestyle actually. Until a party of raiders stormed into our village.”
Ares’ shoulders stiffened and he looked away.
“My uncle died so that my mother and I could escape. My grandma was mercilessly killed before my eyes, for the raiders didn’t even think about sparing an old woman’s life. You wouldn’t really understand how terrible it was that they just butchered her like that; she was the kindest woman that I’ve ever known. She didn’t deserve to die. No one in that village did. My mother and I were lucky to have escaped the burning village alive.” Aleysha took a deep breath. “My grandma’s fate is the reason that I decided that I would spare those who surrendered themselves to me.”
Ares’ lower lip quivered and he wiped the moistness that appeared in his sky-blue eyes. He turned to Aleysha, eyeing the cross necklace on her chest. It was the same one that he had seen in her bag weeks ago, in that cave in the Lost Sands. “Why is it that you don’t want to forget such a horrific memory?”
Aleysha smiled warmly. “Because I learned important things on that day that changed my life forever. I learned about the cruelty of the world, the meaning of sacrifice, and the importance of mercy. Besides, forgetting all about the past would mean that I would have to forget all the good memories that my uncle, my grandma, and I all shared.” She tilted her head to the side. “When I think of my deceased family, I like to remind myself all of the great times we had together before it was their time to pass.”
Ares’ eyes widened and he stared at Aleysha, his mouth slightly open in surprise. Think about the good memories? He touched his necklace once more and suddenly countless, priceless memories rushed through his head. Birthday celebrations, the first time he had learned to ride a horse with his father, the first time his father had taught him to joust, the first book he had read with his mother … the list went on. Ares glanced away from Aleysha, tears gleaming in his eyes.
The boy suddenly turned and began to walk away from Aleysha, heading down the sand dune and back towards the camp. “I’m going to sleep,” he said quietly.
***
“That Persian god of war is absolutely right, you know,” the original Ares grumbled, sitting in a world of absolute blackness with his arms folded. His legs were crossed over each other as he eyed Darien. “You have an enormous amount of power at your disposal: your Guardians. Yet you completely neglect it just because you’re afraid of responsibility. You’re afraid of loss. They’re tools. Stop being an idiot.”
“Guardians are not tools,” Darien growled at Ares. He looked around and saw that everywhere he looked there was just nothingness. He was stuck in some type of a void. Was this a dream? “No matter what you say you won’t change my mind.”
Ares scoffed, staring at Darien. “What is it that makes you say that? Is it that you hate getting your friends involved? It makes sense. After all, every time someone’s gotten involved in your quarrels they end up hurt, or even killed. Yuu, Tetsu, Amon, Aleysha — nearly all your greatest companions have been severely scarred by your very existence. It would probably be better if you just left them out of your life, huh?” The ancient god of war spun a dagger on the tip of his index finger, the blade red as blood. “Maybe then they’d have some peace in their lives.”
Darien said nothing.
“Well, that’s not the reason that I’ve come to talk to you tonight, Darien,” Ares said with a sly smirk. He flipped his dagger and caught it by the hilt, pushing himself to his feet so that he towered over the young Persian prince. “I’ve come to say goodbye.”
“What was that?” Darien growled, glaring into Ares’ beastly dark orange eyes.
Ares grinned wickedly. “Tomorrow is the day when you confront Cambyses and Ahriman. The very moment that you feel bloodlust you will lose complete control over yourself, and I will take over. You’ve already lost your mind to me twice and this third time is the last. You’re weak, Darien. Do you know why that is? You’re too human.
“Humans are weak, spineless, creatures that submit far too easily to fear. I know what your fear is, Darien. Responsibility, isn’t that it? You may be an almighty god with all of the power in the world in the palm of his hand, but you’re still a coward. You’ve been running from the very start. Dashing away from the responsibility that you had to the Persian Empire. Why did you not return to Persepolis the moment that you claimed my power in the Lost Sands five years ago? It’s obvious! You’re afraid that you don’t have what it takes to lead this country’s people. And you’re completely right, you don’t.”
Darien lowered his eyes, biting his lower lip.
“Ra was a fool to choose you, a soft child, to be the heir to my power. Your compassion and childishness are what will hold you back from being a great god. But it’s fine, because I know that starting tomorrow I will take the reins once again as Hellas’ God of War!” Ares exclaimed with gleaming eyes and a wide grin, revealing his razor-sharp white teeth. “The moment that you feel even the slightest hint of bloodlust, the very second that you lose yourself in the heat of battle, I will eradicate you, Darien. And you will cease to be Ares.”
Darien chuckled softly. What began as a mere giggle then transformed into loud, uncontrollable, laughter. Ares stared at the boy, stunned, his eyebrows going up in confusion.
“Wow, I didn’t know that the original barbaric god of war was capable of such great analysis!” Darien held his stomach, still laughing. He sniffed. “Phew, that’s a riot! But I already made a promise that I wouldn’t transform again. I don’t intend to lose myself tomorrow. I’ll never murder someone just for the sake of killing them.”
“Bloodlust isn’t something that you can simply control, Persian,” Ares snarled.
“Well, I’ll control it,” Darien snapped. “You say I can’t? I will. And when I gaze at the beautiful sunset at the end of tomorrow with the feeling of victory gleaming in my heart, I’ll return to this dark oblivion just to tell you to your face that I’ve won. Tomorrow, if you want to play tug-of-war for control of my body while I’m fighting, then so be it. After what happened in the Lost Sands five years ago … after I got Tetsu hurt outside Yuusus … I’ll never lose sight of who I really am ever again! So sit back down, Ares. I’m your new god of war.”
Battle of Gods
The sun shined down on the hot sand of the scorching desert. Ares stood upon a sand dune, gazing across a stretch of flat land that consisted entirely of dirt. In the far-off distance were the great walls of Persepolis. Mithra stood next to the young god, his hands on his hips as he pursed his lips at the sight of the grand city. “It’s been centuries since I was last here. I have to tell you, the city has improved greatly from what it originally was,” Mithra said, trying to make conversation. When he saw that Ares wasn’t going to respond, he sighed. “What’s our plan to defeat Ahriman? None of my plans will work if we don’t utilize our Guardians to their full potential. Expect that Ahriman knows that we’re coming. Our magical auras are much more potent because we’re gods. He can sense us from a mile away.”
Ares looked over his shoulder at Aleysha and Yuu, who both slept silently on mats at the bottom of the sand dune. He snapped his fingers and a small, black puppy popped its head through the sand. The tiny animal whimpered and clawed its way out of the ground and then jumped up playfully before Ares, who smiled. “Hey there, little guy,” he said, squatting down and patting the puppy’s head gently, stroking just behind the ears. “I’m going to need you to stay with my two friends, alright? I want you to make sure that they don’t come after us. Can you do that, buddy?”
Mithra raised an eyebrow. “I thought that you weren’t going to use your Guardians.”
“I’m not going to risk their lives,” Ares said. “This little guy is just here to make sure that Aleysha and Yuu don’t get hurt. As for our plans, I propose that we just head to the front gates and then move from there.” Ares gazed out across the de
sert plains, his eyes lowering. A gentle breeze blew against his face and he sighed. He couldn’t get the original god of war’s words out of his mind. He was weak, afraid to face the responsibility that he had as Persia’s prince. He was afraid to lose others, which was why he had always pushed away Aleysha and refused to use his Guardians. And yet, he knew that he would have to conquer both fears in order to move forward.
Face the responsibility you have to Persia’s people. Allow your friends to fight this battle by your side. You don’t have to do everything on your own anymore.
Ares looked over his shoulder at Mithra. Guardians are your greatest weapons and tools to utilize in battle. Amon had said the same thing five years ago when Ares had first learned how to summon his Guardians during his training in the Lost Sands. They are forever loyal to you and will do anything to win your approval, Ares.
Tools. Weapons. Ares didn’t want his subordinates to be called things. He wanted to consider them as his companions. Was this battle against Ahriman winnable without his Guardians? Probably not. An image of Amon’s frozen body flashed through Ares’ mind and the god bit his lower lip. I don’t want to lose any more than I already have. But in order to save the lives of many others, I’ll have to make the sacrifice! These Guardians can help me save more people than if I was alone. Ares extended his hand outward to the stretching sands before him. “You know what, I’ve changed my mind.”
Mithra blinked, confused. “Huh? About what?”
“Everything.” Suddenly an explosion of fire roared from the heavens and smashed into the ground at the bottom of the sand dune that Ares stood upon. Small fires swept outward, revealing a black chariot pulled by four warhorses that had glowing, red demonic eyes and coats the color of night. Bright flames flickered on the manes of the horses, making these steeds seem like they came straight from the depths of hell. Ares’ spear materialized in his hand, and he gripped his weapon as he leapt from the sand dune and landed beside the chariot, glancing up to Mithra. “This isn’t the time for me to be thinking about myself and what I want. So let’s get this over with and stop Ahriman before any more innocent people die.”
