Tartarus
Avalon
The stone ceiling rumbled and shook above Yi and Xolotl, hidden by the slightly cloudy blue sky projection. Xolotl looked back at Yi and grumbled.
"Sorry about him," Yi said, still brandishing his sword. "My friend gets motivated when he fights someone he can't stand. Hope you understand, and we'll clean up after."
Xolotl stifled a laugh without looking away.
Didn't know he had a sense of humor. Uriel said.
Souls in turmoil need humor the most. Yi said in his mind. He's got something going on to talk that way about himself.
Are you worried about that?
Slightly. Motivation is a powerful thing. He sounds like a man who talks duty, but no man, not even me, acts without something more.
Xolotl passed his dagger to his left hand and pointed his right index and middle fingers at Yi. Energy crackled across his hand before exploding towards Yi. Yi shifted his sword to the left, parrying the shot away past his left side. He heard the stone wall shatter and crumble far behind him.
"Hey! Can you not push those shots my way?!" Myrddin shouted out of sight. "That one almost got me!"
Yi smiled a little. Xolotl fired another shot and began walking towards him. Yi parried it away, but Xolotl continued his methodical stride, his body not bouncing as he moved in concentrated effort. He fired a few more shots as he closed in on Yi, who stood still and parried each shot.
Sweat started pouring off Yi's brow. The skin on his hands began turning pink from the heat of each shot he blocked. Time to close the gap again. Yi started walking towards Xolotl, keeping his stance as he moved and parried each oncoming shot.
Far from them, near Avalon's entrance, Myrddin, hands outstretched and eyes closed, was busy at work. In his mind, he could see a picture of a semi-translucent barrier moving back and forth as Yi and Xolotl moved around the field.
Damn it, this thing is sensitive. Anything that gets near the barrier causes it to expand the space between them. I can maybe try a spatial compression, or maybe a mana-based attack, but I would need an attack on the scale of Nuada's for something like that. Energy crackled across his hands, but fizzled out. This barrier means I'm always going to be too far from Arthur. I thought getting here would help recharge my power, but damn it all, another misplay! He looked over at Yi, now within range of Xolotl's dagger. The sword's blade shrank down, and the two began swiping at each other. Xolotl swung towards Yi's neck, but he blocked it with his short sword. Xolotl had his right hand by the base of his right ribs, aimed at Yi's torso. Without looking, Yi stepped his left foot in between Xolotl's, the shot bursting out, grazing his back. Yi winced as he fired a compact uppercut to Xolotl's chin. As if on instinct, Xolotl stepped back and avoided the punch. Yi swung back to his left quickly and brought his short-sword down from the block. The blade slashed through Xolotl's torso, spraying blood. Pain shot out of the base of Yi's neck, just above his shoulder; Xolotl swung his blade down as he stepped back, but only nicked Yi's neck. Another bang erupted, and pain surged from Yi's side just under his left ribs.
Xolotl rolled backwards onto his feet, his dagger and hand ready, but breathing heavily. Yi could see his body trying to ignore the pain. Slowly, he reached his hand to his neck. It felt wet and stung under his touch. Nothing fatal was cut. He tapped his left side, catching the familiar scent of burnt flesh. Nothing fatal here, but damn that burns!
Xolotl locked eyes with him.
Did you set that up?! An attack to draw me in? You baited me! How did you know what I would do? The moment played back in his mind. It dawned on him. "Ha! You kept your right hand to your body so I couldn't parry, and would be forced to step in! If I parried then stepped back, I'd be easier to hit!"
Xolotl nodded, his gaze briefly softening.
"You baited and tried to either slit my throat or shoot my heart." Yi's smile widened. "Devilish! But you made an error."
Xolotl nodded and tapped his chest wound. He looked back at the short-sword, now a few centimeters longer.
"Learned that trick watching Round Seven. A friend of mine died to that trick, and I couldn't help but feel the need to be poetic. No offense meant."
Xolotl chuckled and nodded.
"You're a good sport. Ready to keep going?"
Xolotl clenched his right fist, popping his fingers. He pointed his fingers back out, ready to fight. Energy started crackling across the blade of his dagger, and his eyes dilated. Yi eyed his right hand for a brief moment and saw something. Those wrappings… Burn marks were showing here and there. Now I get it. That power is incredible, but it's costing you. How much pain are your hands in? Are those wrappings to protect your hands, or to act as a warning when you use them too much? Is that why you're switching stances? Xolotl fired another shot, but Yi stepped out to the left and avoided it. Xolotl's eyes showed the briefest tinge of shock as Yi stepped forward. Xolotl swung his right arm out more to shoot. Yi saw the energy crackle and hopped to his right, landing on his feet just as the shot was fired and flew past him.
Just as Xolotl planned. As his right arm swung out to aim at Yi, Xolotl stepped forward; his left hand swung the dagger at Yi's bleeding neck as he moved. The dagger began to glow bright orange as it flew. Yi stuck his left leg out ahead, and he dropped. Bright, hot energy burst forth from the dagger in a beam and slashed through the stone wall far behind Yi. Yi rolled forward, sword-ready.
Right towards Xolotl's lowered right hand. Energy fired from his fingers. Yi plopped onto his back, his face getting slightly burned as the energy bullet passed over. Xolotl aimed his right down at Yi. Just before he could fire another shot, Yi rolled onto his left side and kicked Xolotl's hand away, the bullet firing off into the distance and smashing into the concealed stone ceiling. Pain fired up Xolotl's fingers and hand. He then swung the charged dagger down at Yi, jumping away so he could keep distance from him and his glowing sword. Yi rolled forward and jammed his katana in the ground before rolling to the right. The dagger's edge smashed into the beam, and an explosion erupted from contact and sent smoke, heat, and air in all directions.
Yi got back to his feet and drew his other katana, holding it in his right hand as he covered the bullet wound in his side with his left. He could combine the dagger and energy for a long-range cutting attack?! Absurd! Yi thought. Is this what Gods are capable of?! Brünhilde said most of them wouldn't bother with tactics, but this one keeps pulling new tricks at every turn! He could not see his pink face, but he could tell his cheeks, nose, and brow were burned. He even used that slash to obscure my sight of his right hand to fire another shot. Did he expect me to duck? Did it matter?
The smoke slowly cleared, and Yi could make out the faint glow of Xolotl's red eyes staring him down. Being stared down by a small, but terrifyingly efficient warrior with artillery AND close-range prowess. He shot a glance down at the glowing katana in his own hands. Why does this feel oddly familiar? Yi heard the familiar crackle of energy and saw Xolotl slowly walk out of the clearing smoke. The dagger in his left hand was covered in burning and crackling energy in the shape of an elongated blade. Xolotl pointed it at the embedded katana and nodded towards it. "Letting me fetch my weapon?" Yi asked.
Xolotl shook his head. The blade immediately elongated and stabbed into the blade, freeing it and sending it flying several meters away. It immediately retracted back to its original size.
You're playing me, again. Yi thought. He studied Xolotl for a second and caught a glimpse of his right hand. The bandages were gone, replaced by small burns all over Xolotl's hands and bent fingers. Xolotl's hand was shaking, and he moved it behind his back and out of Yi's line of sight. I doubt that hand is out of commission. "Uriel, time to finish this. We're reaching the endgame."
Re-cast? Uriel asked.
"Re-cast."
Let's make it happen!
The katana in his hands and the other one in the distance began to glow bright white. The other katana broke down into particles of light and flew to him, combining with the one in his hands. The blade began to shrink and slightly straighten. The hand-guard and handle shrank as the glow faded. Yi clenched his left hand as he flourished his new sword.
<>
Myeongnyang Strait
1597
In those bygone years of his first life, Yi Sun-sin found himself at a point of no return. At the forefront of a single defensive line of twelve Panokseon ships, Yi sailed out in his flagship to meet the oncoming force of Toyotomi Hideyoshi's Navy. On the deck and surrounded by demoralized survivors of Won Kyun's disastrous Battle of Chilchonryang, Yi watched and observed his crew prepare the broadside cannons and stage several quivers of arrows for their archers. In the distance, moving through the center of the strait, he saw them: the formation-leading Sekibune-class ships and the Atakebune-class ships right behind them.
And so they come. Yi thought. Do or die time. "Everyone!" He yelled. All the Sailors stopped what they were doing and looked at him. "Do you see them?!" He pointed at the front of the fleet. "That is their vanguard. Behind us are twelve ships host to our brothers-in-arms. Before is a force ten times our own." The Sailors looked out to where he pointed. "Here…" He pointed down. "Is the line. We are not a ship. We are not a crew. This here will be the wall that stands against their forces. This here is where we will show the Japanese what they took at Chilchonryang was a fluke and nothing more."
"Easy for you to say," One of the Sailors spoke up. "You weren't there with us, and now we're here! Outnumbered and outgunned, waiting to die!"
Yi eyed the Sailor, then scanned the rest of the crew. He could see that same fear-filled gaze on many of them. "Is that how you all feel?" The sound of waves and creaking wood filled the air. Won Gyun, you selfish bastard. You and the Dongin did more harm to these poor souls than the Japanese ever could! His brow furrowed. I will never forgive you all for the harm you did. Won, so help me, when I win this day and leave this world behind, I will find you in the next life and make you pay for what you did. Yi nodded. "Good. No man should go into battle thinking he'll never die. Only fools do. We may die today…" He placed his left hand on the scabbard of his Hwando. "But we are not the same men who fought at Chilchonryang. We are the men who will fight here. That loss will not define us. Our failures will not define us. The machinations of others will never define who we are." He walked to the Sailor who spoke out. "You are ready. You are capable. Most important of all, you carry the strength of our nation and our people." He turned back and walked up to the bow. "What will happen to our land should we fall?! Our towns?! Our families?! Will you be able to look them in the eye as the Japanese step further into our land and pillage it?!" The hair on the back of every Sailor's neck stood on end. Chills ran down their spines at the horrors playing through their minds.
"Nothing will happen!" One Sailor roared. "I refuse to let that happen!"
"Damn right!" Another yelled. Others soon joined in, their spirits burning and igniting their wills.
Yi drew his Hwando and pointed it at the oncoming Fleet. "Then sail with me!" He roared. "Sail once again on this beloved ocean of ours! Sail in the defense of those we love, and fight until the Japanese learn to never darken our shores again!"
All the Sailors drew their Hwando and raised them high. They roared with Yi on that ship's deck. Loud and strong. "To arms! Present the starboard battery!" They sheathed their weapons and manned their stations. Some put on quivers and grabbed their bows. Others loaded and prepped cannons. Yi walked from the bow of his ship over to the starboard side and began loading cannons.
The Japanese vanguard grew closer and would soon be in range. Yi knew the perfect range for his cannons, how to angle them, where to fire first, and how the current could change trajectory. With this knowledge, with this crew, on this ship, in this ocean, and in this strait, he would forever be known for this day.
That one ship's artillery salvo fought back against the oncoming Japanese. It was never known if it was fate, divine providence, or just the sheer unyielding will of Yi and his Sailors, but that one ship fought undeterred and untouched. One ship turned into an unyielding fortress against the assault of the Japanese, fighting against what any onlooker would only see as certain doom.
Then, another ship fired behind Yi's. Then another, and another. Before long, the fleet of twelve ships sailed into that strait, firing shells and arrows towards the Japanese. The tides in the strait pulled and contorted the fleet out of formation and prevented them from returning sufficient fire. Throughout that day, with no further support, Yi and his Sailors did what no one thought possible. Against a navy ten times as large and strong, the Korean Navy pushed back and sent the Japanese into retreat. Of the nearly 130 ships the Japanese brought to battle, over thirty sank into the strait. Of the thirteen under Yi, all remained afloat, and not a single life was lost.
At the time, it was not known what stirred the courage of the crews of those twelve ships. Modern historians claim it was Yi's continued survival against the odds. What none would know, save for those some 1,500 Sailors amongst those ships, was that even in the distance, they could make out Yi's figure holding his Hwando. That one man, wielding nothing different from them, stood against the oncoming force and refused to yield. Even if he never used his sword during that battle, all of them knew and recognized that if he could do it, so could they.
<>
Uriel
Sword of Hope
Hwando Mode
Never thought there'd come a day I'd use this once more…but to face someone like you, standing in the place I once did, I know what I must do. Yi thought. "Been a while since I used one of these. I'll warn you; the katanas were not me at my best. This?" The blade began to glow a bright blue. "This is."
Xolotl spread his feet and held the blade out in front of him, the point aimed at Yi. He raised his burnt hand and beckoned Yi with a gesture that anyone across time and plain could tell you what it meant.
Bring it on.
<>
Damavand
Far out of Helheim and back on Midgard, Zahhak stood across from Raphael's party. His listless glare shot from Raphael to Indra, then Armaiti. Suddenly, his eyes widened and lit up.
"Spenta Armaiti!" He said, his tone joyful. "What a wonderful surprise to see you after all these years! Admiring your handiwork, I presume?"
Armaiti stepped a meter back. Shit! I came in here unarmed. Maybe Raph can do that Völund thing with me.
"Oh, I know that look. That's the look of someone who thought they'd get away with something so vile and petty it'd make a sinner's skin crawl only…" Black tendrils of energy shot out from his shoulder blades and formed into the cobra heads. "to be found out. Tell me, Raph. Do you see our little sister in a new light? She does take after Dad after all."
"How are you here, Zahhak?" Raphael said, floating down to the ground.
"Huh. Using a cane now? Thought that wound from Winchester would have healed by now."
"How did you—?"
"Don't care to answer. But I'm charitable." Zahhak reached into his left pants pocket and pulled a rainbow-colored crystal. "A shard of the Bifrost. Turns out that after that psychopath Nostradamus broke the Bifrost, pieces of it could be used to travel across the realms. Xolotl collected them to keep them from falling into the wrong hands, but a few were…never found."
Indra stepped forward. "What do you want?" He asked.
"You're in my home, or at least one of them." Zahhak leered at Armaiti. "Maybe it's because I was in here for so long, I feel an odd attachment to the place. You would know about that, wouldn't you, Armaiti?"
Raphael walked up and stepped in front of her. "I highly doubt that," He answered. "Did you know Epimetheus was here? Is that really why you're here? To stop us?"
Zahhak blinked a few times. "Holy cow, they did put Epimetheus here."
"They?"
"Prometheus and Mnemosyne," Zahhak answered candidly. He then looked up and saw the squadrons of Angels floating high above them. "They have to know what I did to the others way back when. Surely, they can't believe they're enough to stop me? Anyways, yes. Those two."
Raphael cleared his throat as his eyes darted briefly. "Oh God…"
"Is it starting to come together, Raph? The others always thought you were the smart one. To be honest, you were just stating the obvious most of the time."
"Can you knock off the trash-talking for a moment?" Armaiti said.
The twin cobras hissed and roared at her. "Sadist. Deny me my ability to speak my mind? Callous as Dad."
"Cry yourself a river," Indra interjected. Electricity sparked across his body. "Are you here to fight?"
"No."
Indra's posture straightened.
"Honestly, I have no intention of stopping you all from taking Epimetheus with you. Both Prometheus and Mnemosyne are dead now." Raphael tilted his head. "Eris, too, so their little escapade with the Sin Cluster was for nought."
"Did you rig the chamber?" Raphael asked. "I doubt you'd be willing to let us get away with him."
Zahhak sighed. "I couldn't care less about the soulless corpse of a Titan. Not like any of you could free his soul anyway. Take him and go. Here." Zahhak tossed the shard to Raphael. He snatched it out of the air on instinct. "Use this to move him wherever. I have more."
Indra leered at him as the sparks intensified. "You must think we're dumb enough to fall for this."
"Dumb enough not to accept charity, yes. Smart enough to know if you start something, both sides lose, and you didn't come here to fight me. You have bigger fish to fry, and I am giving you a chance to fry them faster."
Indra looked back at Raphael and Armaiti. The two exchanged a glance, and Raphael nodded. Indra turned back to Zahhak. "We'll take it."
"Good!" Zahhak's aura began to spill out, causing the lit-up cave to darken. "Now hurry up and get out."
<>
Valhalla
Eastern Chapel
Metatron stood at the front of the chapel, surrounded by his daughters and Pandora. He looked past them at Siegfried and Georgios, but their expressions remained the same. Once again, he found himself at a loss. No words came to mind after he revealed himself. Set was not sitting in his mind like before, and the looks of shock, anger, and heartbreak that colored his daughters' faces dealt blows to his soul he knew were coming but could never be ready for.
However, there was one and only one who did not share in this wave of strong emotion. No, only one emotion held tight to her, and she needed to act on it.
Göll stepped forward from her sisters and stopped just in front of Metatron. She looked up at him. "So…you're my Dad?" She asked.
Metatron nodded.
"Huh…I'm kind of at a loss for words…is this why you wanted to meet with me last night?"
"Hold on," Brünhilde said. "Last night?"
Göll turned to face her. "Yeah. He came looking for me, and we had tea and stuff." She looked at the rest of her sisters, seeing their worry and confusion. "What? Nothing happened."
"She did nothing wrong," Metatron said. "I was, maybe in a misguided way, trying to connect with her. After all, she is the only one among you I have never met before her birth."
"And that's on you," Hrist said, finding her voice. "And that wouldn't have happened if you didn't up and leave!" Metatron's face scrunched up a bit, as if he had been stabbed. "You saw everything that happened after you left, right?! What happened to Sieg! What happened to us! And you sat on the sidelines and did nothing." Tears started falling. "All that talk about doing things for us and to protect us…"
"Hrist," Brünhilde said, stepping next to her and grabbing her hand. "It's okay…"
"No, it's not!" Hlökk shouted. "He left!" She turned to her father. "You left! You took your big army and left us! What about Mist?! Thrud?! Randy?!" Her voice started getting hoarse and louder. "They died thinking you were still gone!"
Suddenly, the doors burst open. They all looked back and saw a furious Samson in his butler uniform, his sleeves close to tearing from his muscles flexing.
"Who…" His voice was low and saturated with anger. "…is making Hlökk sad?" He looked behind her and saw Metatron. His fury vanished, and shock settled in. "…Metatron?" He whispered.
"Hello, Samson," Metatron said. "I know it has been a while, but this is a family moment. May we talk later?"
"Are you making Hlökk cry?"
Metatron went silent.
Hlökk floated over to Samson and landed in front of him. "I didn't mean to make you upset," She said. "It's just, he's my dad, and we thought he was…" Tears started falling again. Samson kneeled to her level.
"Say the word and we're out of here." Samson then shot Metatron a look of pure murder.
"No, I need to stay and deal with this…can you wait outside?" Samson nodded and smiled. He rose, walked back out, and closed the doors behind him. Hlökk turned and floated back over to her family. "Sorry. He's a little protective."
"He is a good man," Metatron said.
"Hey, uh, Metatron? Or is it Dad?" Göll asked.
"I am whomever you wish me to be."
"Okay…" She blushed a little. …Dad. What are you trying to protect us from? Why do this?"
"Am I allowed to speak my mind without interruption?" Göll did not sense any anger in his question, but did catch the faintest hint of desperation.
Göll looked back at her sisters, but they gave no hint or clue of a promise. She turned back to him. "Yes."
Metatron sighed. "I am old, Göll. Very old. Older than most of the Cosmos and any living God. I am a Primordial God, and one of the few remaining of the eighty-eight."
Göll's eyes widened. Silently, Pandora pushed everyone into the front pew to sit down, leaving Göll alone.
"Before any written notion of history, there was a war between us, the Primordial Gods. A few of us, eleven in total, wanted the rest of the cosmos destroyed, deeming it insufficient and full of weak creatures unworthy of living. The rest of us wanted to protect it and all life, regardless of strength or weakness. Thus, was Ragnarök." Metatron walked over to the stained glass mural behind him, at the center of the chapel's back wall. The mural depicted Gods on both sides of a starry night flying at each other, weapons raised. "Despite our superior numbers, we could not match their strength. Just eleven of them nearly wiped us out. In the end, we could not kill them." He turned back to Göll. "We could only seal them away. All eleven were sealed within the boundary between realms through the spell Gleipnir, but at a cost."
Metatron's memories of that day appeared in his mind as if they had just happened. He saw them, all of them, lying on the barren ground. His friends, his family. Her. Above him, he saw four lights fly high above him and into the distance.
"Other than Ra and Izanagi, I lost everyone. Everyone precious to me, gone. Dead trying to stop the madness of our own kin, but we won despite the cost. Creation was safe, for now."
"For now?" Göll whispered.
"My greatest foe, and once closest friend, still haunts this place, almost like a sick joke. You know him as Odin."
"Lord Odin?" She whispered, chills running down her body. She took a few steps back, then looked back at Brünhilde. "You knew this?"
Brünhilde nodded. "But I didn't tell the others," She answered. All of her sisters looked at her in shock, but Brünhilde did not face them.
"I believe you, Hilde," Metatron said. "I would have done the same, regretfully. But yes, Göll, it is him. I aim to put him down and prevent him from freeing his group of Primordial Gods, Yggdrasil. If I can do that, then that's one problem that will never darken creation again. Which leads me to the second greatest threat. One I fear that rivals Yggdrasil."
"Who?"
"Humanity."
Göll looked back at the doors Samson kicked through earlier, knowing he and Johannes were outside. She thought of Li and Leonardo resting back at Jörð Arena, and grew a little worried that Vlad was missing. She recalled Ghulam, Tadakatsu, Saint Germain, Arash, and Hohenheim. She then looked over at Georgios, catching the slightest tinge of hurt in his face. She looked back at her father. "You…you're kidding, right? They're just humans!"
"No. I once said the same thing, but over the years, I was proven wrong by the sheer depths of depravity Humanity would stoop to. Their weakness bore virtues of humility, mercy, and camaraderie, but that weakness created resentment, jealousy, anger, and spite. Humanity, even cleansed of the Sin Cluster, remained too depraved to be saved." Pandora looked away. "I knew, despite my hopes, that one day Humanity would turn into another great threat, like Yggdrasil, the Primordial Beasts, and every monster that roams creation, craving power and destruction. At the previous Extermination Council, I begged the Gods to finally put an end to them." He shook his head. "I was ignored. Ironically, Odin sided with me. I thought he understood what I was trying to do, but hindsight is twenty-twenty, and it was then that I should have realized his true intentions. However, the Council was convinced by the likes of Buddha, Heracles, and the Amesha Spenta, and Humanity was spared."
"So you took matters into your own hands."
"Yes…and you see the aftermath. I raised an army, comprised of Gods from other Pantheons and even Outer Gods. I led them to Midgard, but we were stopped." He looked at Brünhilde. "Someone told my sons what I planned to do, and they intercepted us…at Winchester."
Göll looked back at her sisters, but none of them said or moved. The scene playing out in front of them felt like a tragedy on replay, and each word felt like an old wound reopened.
"Your brothers had teamed up with a band of Knights who happened to be marching through the area, and they became the first line of defense against us by declaring Ragnarök." Metatron pulled out his tablet and tapped on the screen a few times. An image popped up. He offered the tablet to Göll, who took it. She looked at the image and felt her heart tear.
Ragnarök
Winchester
Fighters for the Gods
Metatron
Yu Huang
Quetzalcoatl
Vidarr
Pakkanen
Shango
Set
Fighters for Humanity
Arthur
Gawain
Percival
Lancelot
Tristan
Kaye
Galahad
"The Ragnarök going on right now isn't the first one, Göll. It is the third." Metatron placed his right hand over his sternum. "It is Humanity's second attempt at fighting back against Divine Retribution. And as much as I know, you feel in your heart that Humanity does not deserve this, even Brünhilde cannot deny that this condemnation is not without merit." He looked over at Pandora. "And neither can you. I still have those messages and chats saved on my tablet. The things they said about you…"
"I never asked for your help," Pandora said.
"No, but you should never have to. Your father was my friend, and you were family in all but blood to us. For whatever Humanity has done, none of it sits with you, and yet they have the gall to place their failures at your feet. Every. Single. Day."
Pandora looked away. Brünhilde shuffled next to her and grabbed her hand with her own. Pandora blinked a few times and gripped her hand.
"Yet…I failed. At Winchester and ever since. In my absence, Odin used Loki's love for Brünhilde to imprison and prepare Siegfried for his role in freeing the Primordial Gods. The rest of the Heavens have begun to decay into apathy and debauchery. My children, the Angels, were discriminated against and turned into second-class citizens at best. What I fought for, and my loved ones died for, is crumbling away, and I am in no position to save it. I have only one hope, and it is in Avalon with Arthur. With it, I can right my wrongs and fix everything. I can stop Odin, reunite Hilde and Pan with Sieg and Epi, and keep two great threats from harming creation as I work to restore it." He looked back at Göll. "So that is why, and what I have done and experienced in the process of achieving my 'why.'"
Göll looked down and locked her gaze on her shoes. Everything Metatron said replayed in her mind. Her sisters' responses, Georgios', and Sieg's. Her heart began beating faster.
I…I don't know what to do. What to say! She thought. This is too much!
Li's voice played in her mind. You got a strong look in your eye. Keep it, and watch us until the end.
She shook her head and clenched her fists. "Dad, it's too much." She looked back up at him, her gaze focused. "I know you're trying to fix everything alone. Hilde does that, and I wish she didn't. I wish you didn't." Metatron's expression softened. "So many have died! How many people on this Roster died at Winchester?! How many died over the past few days?!" Her grip on the tablet tightened. "What's the point of all this if the people you're fighting for aren't here anymore?!" She threw the tablet at Metatron, who snatched it out of the air.
"Göll," Brünhilde said, rising.
"Everyone we love is dying…is this what your friends would have wanted?!" Tears formed in her eyes. "This can't be it! It can't be! I don't want to fight you! I don't…I just want…" Brünhilde and Hrist raced out of the pew over to Göll and wrapped their arms around her. "I want them back…I'm…I'm sorry, Hilde…"
"I know…" Brunilde whispered.
"We got you, Göll," Hrist said. The others rose out of the pew and encircled their sisters, holding them. Metatron looked on and lowered his head.
"Dad," Brünhilde said, standing. "You heard what she said, and it's how we all feel. You are our Dad, always will be. But today—no, since Winchester, you chose to stand across from us. Like I said yesterday, I will take what you gave us…and stomp your ass into the ground with it." Brünhilde pulled out her tablet and typed away. She tapped it once more for emphasis.
A notification rang on Metatron's tablet, and he looked at the screen. He sighed dejectedly.
Contest for Round 11: Capture The Flag
Fighter for Humanity
Georgios
"Still strong-willed as ever," Metatron whispered.
Brünhilde turned around. "Georgios, get ready. We're going."
Georgios sighed. "Had a feeling it would come to this," He said. He turned to Siegfried. "I'm bringing her back. I promise."
"No doubt in my mind here," Siegfried said.
Metatron went to pocket his tablet, but it vibrated. He looked down at it, and saw a message.
A message from Yama? And it is urgent.
Old man, find Pandora immediately and tell her to get to Aetna, now! They found him! They found Epimetheus' body and are transporting it to Aetna!
Metatron dropped the tablet. He shook a little and scrambled down to get it.
Are you sure?!
Would I fuck around with this?! Find her and get there now!
Metatron's hands shook, and his breathing shallowed.
They…found him? Where? How? I will ask later. "Pandora!" He yelled.
She flinched in the pew. "The hell?! What?!"
"Get to Aetna now!"
"Wh—"
"They found him! For your father's sake, get to Aetna, now!"
Her eyes widened. "You…you mean…"
"Yes, damn it!"
Hrist rose immediately. "Pan, get going. I'll get Leo over there on the double." Hrist looked over at Brünhilde. "Möld's got things here, Hilde. I'll take care of Pan. Go win this."
Brünhilde nodded, the revelation of what happened slowly dawning on her. Hrist and Pandora exchanged a glance before racing out of the chapel.
<>
Damavand
Back at Damavand, a now alone Zahhak walked up to the mound of chains that hid Epimetheus' pod and looked down. He hopped down into it, landing gracefully, and scanned the interior. His eyes widened, and he walked over to one side of the piled-up chains. "You know, I admit I picked up a pretty bad habit from my time down here," He said. "When you're alone for so damn long, you kind of start talking to yourself." He crouched down and pushed some of the chains aside, careful enough not to let the rest fall on him. "I admit: it kept me somewhat sane, but after a century or two, I kind of quit being a good conversationalist. I mean, what else was there to talk about?" He looked down and saw what the chains covered: a skeleton partially pulverized by the chains. Only the top of the skull and a few arm bones remained intact. He picked up the skull and dusted it off.
"I was wondering when you'd get back!" He spoke in a whiny voice as he shook the skull.
"Sorry. I had to make tracks. Good thing Prometheus and Mnemosyne were so keen on putting me out of my misery. Do you think he let me stew down here?"
"Maybe? Who knows?! But just in case, it's why you screwed with their plans at Winchester, right?!"
"Hmm. Maybe. Still, I'm grateful Mnemosyne restored the link to my memories. Kind of backfired, but hey! Can't win them all!"
"Right! All that matters is you're back!"
"Yes, but I'm afraid my skills are still lacking!"
"Ah, damn it! All you ever want to talk about is how much you hate Dad and your brothers!"
"Well, yes. I mean, it's all their fault this happened."
"Them and that whore, Armaiti and her lackey Fereydun!"
"Yes." His tone deepened. "Her. We got back at her after we found a way to alert Afrasiab of the path Arash would take on my mountain. Do you think she ever figured that out?"
"No! She's too much like HIM to bother figuring it out!"
Zahhak nodded. "Exactly." He reached his freed hand down to the ground below the skeleton. He wrapped his fingers around a handle and twisted it. Something clicked below it. Slowly, he pulled it up, knocking some of the bones away. A soft glow poured out from the opening as Zahhak continued to pull. It stopped just twenty centimeters above his head, and he gazed fondly at the contents.
A single, long crystalline pole that glowed a soft white.
"It's still so pretty! We had to have it! Good thing they left so quickly!"
"Yes." Zahhak turned the skull to face him. "Thank you for watching over Ascalon for me. Sadly, our time together must come to an end."
"Wait, wha—"
Zahhak crushed the skull in his hand. "Ugh..." He wiped his hand on his trousers. "Disgusting." Slowly and tenderly, he reached and grabbed Ascalon with both hands. "Let's see if this works." He turned the weapon and held it just above his heart. He stabbed it just deep enough to break the skin and felt his skin burn and crackle. Pain erupted, but he grit his teeth. "Almost there…" He grunted.
Then he heard the pop, and the pain vanished. He let out a sigh of relief and pulled Ascalon away, propping it up. He inhaled deeply and exhaled. "What a damn good day! First, I escape Tartarus. Next, I get you back after all these years, old buddy! Why he gave you to a Human, I'll never know." He flicked Ascalon. "Then, I get rid of this godforsaken tracker rune! Man, the only way this could get any better is to get busy." He crouched down and fired up out of the mound of chains. The energy tendrils erupted out of his back and flattened into black, murky wings. He twirled Ascalon between his fingers before gripping near the end. "Now…which of my dear old Dads should I go after first?"