by Matt King
“Hurt me,” she said.
When she turned her eyes to him, it felt like his whole body was being electrocuted. He was frozen in her stare, unable to think past the horrible eyes staring back at him. As much as he hated to do it, he knelt so he was closer to her level. He still towered above her.
“Yes, he hurt you. He wants to hurt these people too and you can stop it.”
She gave a fitful laugh that she cut short. She slowly swiveled her head to look at the drill. She stared at it like she hadn’t noticed it before.
“Billions are going to die,” he said. He cut a look to the drill. The lights moved so fast, they appeared as a solid yellow band. “Tiale, please.”
The drill gave off a high wine. He could see the air around it warping. It’s over. I failed. Bear closed his eyes to wait for the end.
Like they’d entered the eye of a hurricane, the drill fell silent for a split second. Bear only had enough time to begin his prayers before the blast came. The sound shook his bones.
And then, the ear-splitting explosion paused.
Bear glanced up. Tiale faced the blast on all fours with her hand outstretched. A cloud of fire dominated the sky, but it swirled in place as though it was locked in an invisible shell. Like she was marionetting a puppet, Tiale moved her fingers, bending and warping the fiery cloud smaller and smaller. The light inside intensified as it shrank. Bear had to shield his eyes.
Tiale raised the light higher until it passed through the clouds and shrank to the size of a star. Finally, she lowered her hand. The distant explosion created a shockwave of fire before splitting apart into a shower of lights like a thousand meteors dissolving in the sky.
Bear had to force himself to breathe again while he tried to process what happened. “Thank you,” he finally managed.
A bright white flash shot out from his left. The blast was aimed at Tiale, but never got close. It struck an invisible barrier and disappeared like it had been erased.
“What are you doing?” Bear yelled.
Cerenus readied another blast. “In case you’ve forgotten, she’s not on our side!”
“So much yet to see,” she muttered, ignoring them all. “So much death to come.” She turned her head to look from him to Cerenus. When she saw him, she narrowed her yellow eyes. “Gods…men…all will know the darkness.”
“Move away from her, Bear,” Cerenus said.
She pointed her finger to Ion. “He knows.” She laughed again, sputtering in fits like she couldn’t get it all out at once. “My little plaything.”
“You could join us and stop it,” Bear said.
He backed away involuntarily when she swiveled to face him. When she spoke, her lips didn’t move. Her voice seeped through his thoughts.
And you… I want to see you ask for the thing you’ve denied all along.
“What do you mean?” Bear asked.
She stood without answering. She gave a final smile to Ion before breaking apart before their eyes. Like the drill she’d puppeted, she broke into tiny flecks of light and melted into the air.
“That’s impossible,” Cerenus said. He came to Bear’s side and ran his hand through the air where Tiale had been. “No one can do that.”
“You are a god,” Ion replied. “You know it’s possible.”
“Not like this. Dissolving is just what you all see because you can’t see what I do. We don’t actually disappear. This… This isn’t real. There’s no trace of her.”
“The Orsix,” Ion said. “We know very little.”
Cerenus walked around the spot again, seemingly not ready to believe what he was seeing. Then, he stopped and stared. His eyes grew wide. His hand drifted to his chest.
Bear ran to his side. “What’s wrong?”
“Tiale is doing something,” Ion answered.
“No,” Cerenus said. His voice shuddered. Sweat beaded on his forehead. “No, this can’t be.”
Bear took him by the arm “What is it?”
Cerenus looked up at him. Tears rimmed his eyes. “Darkness.”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Michael floated in the vast sea of emptiness with only the halo of his cocoon to light his way. The arathy, as Paralos called it, felt like a part of space that had been erased. There was nothing. No trace of any of the pathways through the stars he’d begun to notice once he’d gained the power of the Orphii. No signs that life still existed in the universe. If it hadn’t been for Paralos hovering nearby, he would have thought he was trapped in a black hole.
“How long do we have to stay here?” he asked.
Paralos answered in his usual condescending tone. “Is there somewhere you’d rather be?”
“We’re wasting time. I took the Orphii’s power so I could kill the rest of the champions. I don’t see any of them around here, do you?”
“I thought you wanted to be a god.”
Michael faced the god’s light. As much power as he had, he still felt like an ant at the foot of a giant. “But I can take them out now.”
“You could kill some of them, that is true.”
“None of them can match my power. Who’s going to stop me?”
“We should be careful,” Paralos answered. “Showing that you’re willing to eliminate all the champions could unite them against you. Alone, they are no match. Together, they could kill you.”
“You all but said the Orphii are useless to me now. There’s only a few left anyway. How am I supposed to get stronger?”
“The only way you can.”
Paralos moved past him, leaving Michael once again to try to puzzle out his meaning. “Just once, you could give a straight answer.”
“You are going to kill a god,” Paralos replied. “Is that direct enough?”
The answer froze Michael in place. He see-sawed between feeling like he wanted to burst with excitement and slink away in fear. How could he kill a god, who has thousands—or even millions—of years of knowledge at their disposal? Killing Orphii was one thing. Killing a pillar of the universe seemed like it was beyond even his reach.
Paralos’ light pulsed. “I thought that might quiet you.”
“I don’t know if I’m ready,” Michael said. It was the only way he could think to put it without sounding like a coward.
“It is all right to be afraid.”
He swelled his own light to match the god’s. “I never said I was scared.”
“All you have to do is the same thing you’ve done to every other thing you’ve ever killed.”
“And who am I doing it to?”
“Cerenus,” Paralos answered.
Cerenus. From what he’d heard, Cerenus was the fool of the gods, more interested in wine and women than being a watchdog of the universe. He’s also one of the most powerful.
“This is a god we’re talking about,” Michael said. “He won’t stand still and let me kill him like the Orphii did.”
“He won’t have a choice,” Paralos answered.
Michael hovered in place and considered the implications of what Paralos meant. Was he going to interfere? The old god floated away to summon a synapse. The portal opened wide enough for Michael to fit through, yet its gray face hadn’t yet formed to show the destination on the other side. This is crazy, he thought. Suddenly, things felt like they were slipping out of control. All this time he’d been fighting in a war where they were forced to use a set of rules, rules that were supposedly put in place to keep the universe from becoming a war zone. Now Paralos meant to bring that all crumbling down.
“You’re going to help me kill him,” Michael said. He needed to hear it spoken before it became real.
Paralos didn’t answer.
“But that goes against your rules. You’ll be killed.”
“If I were willing to break the most sacred of our rules, do you really believe I would allow myself to be killed for it after?” A red flash shot through his body of light. “Besides, I won’t be breaking any rules today. I won’t need to.”
> “What does that mean?”
“It means I will take you to the place where Cerenus hides and nothing more. He is rooted near a remote world well beyond the borders of his domain.”
“Hiding or not, he’s going to run and I won’t be able to stop him.”
“He can’t,” Paralos said. “The fool severed his access to synapses in an effort to keep me from reaching him by surprise. In doing so, he effectively eliminated his means of a quick escape. He couldn’t run if he wanted to.”
“Why would he want to keep you away?”
“Because he is sheltering the Vontani people, and he knows I mean to kill every last one of them.” The red in his light raged. “Once Cerenus is dead and the Vontani punished in kind, with our combined forces, even Amara couldn’t stand against us.”
“Combined forces,” Michael repeated. “You mean once I become a god.”
“That is exactly what I mean. The second you go through this portal, you will have to act quickly. Cerenus is weakened. He spent too much of his power making his godclone. Still, he is powerful enough to kill you if he senses your purpose. Get in close to him. Make him think you are there to kill the Vontani. When he puts himself in between you and them, then you will strike.”
Michael considered the plan. “Why not just kill him yourself and then share the power with me?”
“If I did that, the rest of the gods would rally against us, no matter how much they hate each other. This way, you and I will kill Amara and it will appear just. We can say we acted in self-defense when she attempts to kill you—and she will. With her out of the way, the rest of the Circle will bow to our will.”
The thought of Amara killing him kept him silent as he stared at the synapse. Would she really go that far? He looked over at the light of Paralos. He hasn’t lied to me yet. Not that it matters. Soon I won’t need to worry about any of them killing me. I’ll be a god.
As if Paralos had read his thoughts, the face of the synapse warped, changing to black. A small blue light shimmered in the center.
“Go,” he said. “Your ascension awaits.”
Michael peered into the synapse, trying to stem the nerves that swelled inside him. He pushed himself forward, leaving Paralos’ glow behind him. He closed his eyes as he drifted through the synapse membrane. This is the moment I’ve waited for. I shouldn’t be nervous. I should relish this.
When he opened his eyes again, he saw the soft blue glow of a planet ahead of him, floating in space like a drop of water. Beside it, the familiar amorphous shape of an immortal cast a pale curtain of white light over the planet. Cerenus, Michael thought. His stomach seized again.
You can do this. Just stick to the plan. And the plan was simple. All he had to do was act like he was there to blow up the planet. When Cerenus moved to block him, he’d unleash all his power and kill the god.
The thought brought a mixture of fear and giddiness.
As he traveled closer to the lonely world, the body of Cerenus began to move. Michael raced forward, keeping one eye on the giant celestial. Even as powerful as Michael had become, he still couldn’t compare to the size of a god—even a weakened one. The planet looked like marble next to Cerenus.
“You’re a long way from home,” Cerenus said as soon as Michael got close. “Are you lost? I could direct you to the nearest supernova. They’re less painful to be killed by than you think.”
“I’m where I want to be,” he answered.
“Ah, are you sure about that?” The god moved forward, but not close enough. “You don’t look like you’re entirely happy to be here.”
Michael stayed in place despite feeling an overwhelming urge to escape. “You need to move away.”
“So you can do what you came here to do?”
“Yes.”
“Which is destroy this planet, of course.”
The second of hesitation before he answered made Michael’s heart race. Cerenus was on to him. He tried to build a wall around his fears before he answered. “Paralos wants these people destroyed.”
“I’m sure he does. Paralos wants pretty much anyone who has cursed his name to be killed, which is a long list, by the way. Strange that he would send you to do it, however. These people aren’t protected by our laws. He could kill them with a sneeze.”
“He thinks you’d try to stop him.”
“So smart, that Paralos. Yes, I suppose you’ve got me there. Or at least you would if I gave a damn about these people, which I don’t.”
Michael hesitated. “You’re not going to protect them?”
“Protect them? No. I agreed to watch over them because the woman who asked is exceedingly attractive. She’s not here right now, though, and I’m very good at making up stories as to why entire races become extinct under my watch. It happens more often than I choose to admit.”
This wasn’t supposed to happen. He panicked for a moment, afraid that the god might’ve been spying on his thoughts and saw his true intentions. No, that can’t be. I would have felt him in my head. He’s not allowed, anyway. Still, his silence lingered. It spoke just as loudly.
“Do you need directions?” Cerenus asked.
Michael could taste the eventual satisfaction of killing the smug bastard. He looked down at the dark side of the planet. This can still work. His mind spun, trying to formulate a new plan. Finally, it came to him. Call his bluff. He won’t let them die. He intensified his light in a slow pulse, each beat making him appear brighter.
Cerenus’ white light pulsed too. “Aren’t you a little far away?”
“I don’t need to be that close for them to die. You should feel privileged. Most people don’t get a front row seat and live to tell about it.”
“Yes, well as much as I would love to bask in your glory, I think I’ll step away for a bit. Maybe a few galaxies over. I don’t usually have the stomach for this sort of thing.”
The panic returned to Michael’s chest. “What do you mean? You can’t create a synapse from here.”
“Of course I can create a synapse. How do you think you got here, genius? Now, go ahead and do what you need to do. I’ll be back shortly.”
Michael turned back to the planet. He closed his eyes, hoping for an idea. None came.
“That’s what I thought,” Cerenus said. “You’re a terrible liar. Come along, youngster.”
Cerenus formed a thick sphere of light around Michael, then flung him headlong into deep space like he was tossing a stone. The stars became streaks of light. Eventually, the sphere disappeared and Michael tumbled backward through the darkness. When he righted himself, he searched for Cerenus, who was a ball of light in the distance. The god shot forward like a bullet, seemingly appearing in front of Michael out of nowhere. He transformed into his human shape, a giant made of light.
“Did you seriously believe you could kill me?” he asked. He disappeared, forming again behind Michael. “You’ve been listening to Paralos too much.”
“Why don’t you let me show you what I can do?”
“Oh you won’t be setting yourself off today, little one.”
Four small lights appeared around Michael. Instantly he felt pressure, like hooks in his skin pulling him apart from all sides. He wanted to scream. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt such pain.
“What I can’t put together,” Cerenus said, “is why Paralos would fill your head with this no synapse nonsense. It’s not so I would kill you. I think we both know that sort of behavior is frowned upon with my kind.”
Michael struggled against the invisible chains trying to draw and quarter him. “You can’t…hurt me.”
“I can’t, no, but these little friends of mine can. They’re tiny singularities. Black holes, you call them. When you’re a god, you can control these things, but when you’re…you, they tend to want to rip you to pieces.”
“Let me go!”
“Not until I fetch my handsome godclone to finish you off, so settle in. Now, where were we? Oh yes, Paralos lying
to you. I know he’s old, but he should still have enough wits about him not to believe I’d strand myself defenseless. He also had to know I wouldn’t be allowed to look into your head, so it wouldn’t be to hide…”
The god’s voice trailed off.
Michael tried to keep from crying out as the singularities pulled at his arms and legs.
“You bastard,” Cerenus said. His eyes searched the heavens, but his body seemed to still. “You complete bastard. They’ll kill you for this!”
Now! Paralos’s voice shouted in Michael’s head.
The spark grew inside him almost without thinking. His power boiled so close to the surface since he’d killed the Orphii. He let out a pulse, just enough to free him from his cage. The singularities vanished in a spray of light, leaving him hovering at the face of the god with bolts of plasma shooting across the inside of Michael’s sphere.
“Now you’ll see,” he said.
He let every bit of his power explode from within, and it was unlike anything he’d felt before. He almost didn’t feel in control of it, like the power inside him rushed out with no way to stop it. He couldn’t help but smile. Unlike most times, he kept his eyes open to see the fruit of his destruction. His energy shed Cerenus’s light like a tornado dismantling a house. The god’s power sloughed off in flecks, merging with Michael’s blast as it shot into the depths of space.
Once he’d spent all he had, Michael reigned in his power, feeling the influx of energy continue to build. Cerenus floated listlessly in place, a brittle shell left behind. For his part, Michael could barely contain the energy surging inside him. The protective sphere around him was gone. His skin roiled, no longer tethered to a cocoon. He was less a man and more the rough sketch of something that used to be human.
It’s because I’m not a man. I’m a god now.
A flash of white caught him off guard. Cerenus gathered what was left of himself and surrounded Michael, imprisoning him in a cell of light.
Michael laughed. “You can’t kill me. You’re too weak.”
“I may not be able to kill you,” Cerenus said, “But I can give them time.”
The Vontani. Through it all, Michael had forgotten about them. Not that it mattered. Once he was done with Cerenus, he would deal with Aeris’ people.
