by Brandon Chen
Darien tore his spear from the bleeding god, spinning his weapon with blinding speed, using one hand. “This is my body, Ares! Get the hell out.” He jabbed outward with quick stabs that plunged deep into the god’s body. Ares, who was still on the ground, was not even able to react to such speed and precision. “Someone who disregards the lives of mortals and undermines others as lesser beings doesn’t deserve the power of a god!” Darien spun the spear, the shaft swinging around his neck, and he grabbed the weapon tightly as he jammed the sharpened tip of his spear deep into Ares’ chest.
Ares’ furious eyes narrowed as he sputtered blood from his mouth, his face paling. “T-This is my body…! This is my power! You can’t—”
“It’s not yours anymore,” Darien panted, digging the spear deeper into the god’s body. A choking gasp escaped the lips of the dying deity. “Don’t worry; I’ll use your power to make things right in the world. I’ll be the Guardian who will protect the lives of the innocent, unlike you.” He released his spear and staggered backward, his heart pounding. “I’ve wasted plenty of years in the Lost Sands, unsure of what I’d use my godly strength for. But now I know. I’ll be a god who protects the lives of the innocent in Dastia.”
“A hero, huh?” Ares scoffed, leaning his head back against the cold temple floor. “That’s hysterical. A god of war … using his power to save the lives. What a joke….”
Darien limped past Ares’ unmoving body and hobbled over to the steel throne of Ares. He winced as he plopped himself down in the seat, leaning back into the chair. “I might be a god of war, but I plan on doing things much differently than you. I won’t be a barbaric warlord that instigates conflict.” A swirling fire engulfed the colossal statue of the old Ares, burning it to ashes. As the ashes faded, it was replaced with a fresh stone statue of Darien. The new god of war leaned back in his throne, folding one leg over the other. “I’ll be myself.”
***
Ahriman was on the ground, gasping for air. He was exhausted, and his arm was broken cleanly at his side. Blood streamed down his forearm from a nasty gash on his shoulder and a small river of blood also trickled down from his forehead down his cheek to his chin. Panting, he staggered backward as he eyed Ares. The boy had abruptly stopped attacking and was now standing there, motionless as a statue. As the Persian god of darkness watched, the ancient markings on the boy’s skin began to fade away.
Ares’ eyes slowly opened but his irises were no longer the wild orange they had once been. Instead, they had returned to their natural hue of sky-blue. He dropped the short sword that he had been wielding, letting it clatter loudly to the ground. The boy looked at both of his unscathed hands and smiled, sighing with relief. Ares scanned his surroundings and saw that they were battling in the southern part of the city. The entire area had been leveled; all buildings for a mile in all directions had been reduced to rubble and debris. He reached up and scratched the back of his neck. “Huh, the old Ares must’ve really been going all-out,” he said, his gaze softening when he saw several corpses of innocent civilians buried underneath piles of detritus. His attention turned to Ahriman. “Have you had enough?”
Ahriman cracked a tiny smile, which then turned into hysterical laughter. The Persian god held his belly as he burst out guffawing uncontrollably. “You mean, you’re Darien? Oh, this is rich! Just when I thought—” His mouth was left gaping open when he saw that Ares had completely vanished from where he stood. Instead, the boy had reappeared right behind Ahriman.
Ares clenched his fist into a tight ball, his knuckles popping. He rotated his body and sank a heavy blow straight into Ahriman’s back, a sickening snap echoing through the city. The Persian god rocketed forward and smashed like a skipping stone across the ground, slamming over piles of destroyed buildings. The Hellas god of war cracked his knuckles, glaring at Ahriman. “You sure you want to go ahead and underestimate me, Zahir? I’m more than ready to pound your face in.”
Ahriman wiped a bit of blood from his lips and scoffed, pushing himself to his feet. His broken arm was hanging loosely at his side and his body was covered in cuts and bruises from his battle against the original Ares. He twirled his scepter in his hand, gripping it tightly. “Underestimate? How could a tiny prince ever come to defeat me?” he roared, releasing multiple bolts of dark energy that shot through the air towards Ares.
The young god of war burst forward with a ridiculous amount of speed, shocking Ahriman. Darien was just as fast as the original Ares, maybe even faster! The deity weaved his way around the magical bolts, charging like a bull towards Ahriman. The projectiles struck the ground behind Ares, exploding into gigantic domes of black energy that incinerated the scorched earth. But the boy outran even those magical explosions, converging rapidly on Ahriman’s position.
Ahriman took a hesitant step backward, grunting as he realized that Ares was already upon him. The god was about to cast another magical spell to try and force him backward, but Ares acted far too quickly. The boy held his hand outward and sparkling golden light flashed into his palm. Within a second he was grasping the legendary Spear of Ares, a renowned Sacred Treasure.
The war deity gripped the shaft of the weapon with both hands and rent the air towards Ahriman’s throat. The Persian deity dropped low, feeling the air shimmer above him from the ferocity of the blow. But Ares wasn’t nearly finished. He began to spin his spear with tremendous speed, practically creating a whirlwind around himself. He made a full rotation and swept his weapon across the ground, this time aiming directly for Ahriman’s legs.
Ahriman grunted, swinging his legs backward so that he was temporarily airborne. The spear missed his feet, but now Ahriman was floating mid-air, completely parallel with the ground. He knew that he was completely vulnerable, at least for a second. And a second was all it would take.
Ares spun around a third time, rotating his body in a perfect spinning kick that cracked across Ahriman’s cheek, sending blood spurting from the god’s mouth. The Persian deity spiraled through the air and crashed onto the desolate earth, rolling several hundred meters away. Dust swept around him, clouding his vision as he attempted to get back up.
Panting, Ahriman looked at his bleeding arm. His sleeve had been torn cleanly off, revealing a tender wound that had been opened by his prolonged battle with Ares. The injured deity gritted his teeth, opening and closing his fists. Darien’s skill in battle, prior to his banishment, had been abysmal, if Ahriman recalled correctly. After only five years of training, how was it possible for Darien to become so skilled with his spear? His godly strength wasn’t the only issue; his proficiency with the spear was unlike anything Ahriman had seen before. What style is that? Ahriman narrowed his eyes as he watched Ares trudge forward in his direction. It’s barbaric and lacks proper grace. Yet … it’s working!
Ares dashed forward, tossing his spear up into the air. He brought back his right hand and smashed the butt of the spear with the heel of his palm. There was an explosion of energy that rocketed through the Sacred Treasure as the spear launched itself like a bullet straight at Ahriman.
The deity of darkness stared, incredulous. He threw himself to the side, the spear bashing into the earth where he had been only a moment before. The ground erupted like an active volcano, spewing dirt and debris up into the air. Ahriman staggered away, his eyes wide. No one attacks like this! I can barely keep up!
The legendary Spear of Ares leapt to life and began to follow Ahriman, jabbing and slashing at him wildly. The Persian god of darkness ducked and weaved around the barrage of strikes from the weapon, shocked that the weapon was battling on its own. His eyes flickered to Ares and saw that the boy was now upon him. The spear halted its assault and retreated back to its master, returning back to Ares’ hand as the boy leapt through the air and descended upon Ahriman. This can’t be…!
The boy slammed his palm straight into Ahriman’s face and drove the Persian deity back into the earth. But Ares didn’t stop there. He rushed forward at sonic speed, draggi
ng Ahriman across the earth by his face, leaving behind a deep trench of dirt in his trail.
Ares released Ahriman, sending the god rolling across the ground and bashing into a building made of wood. The structure groaned as it collapsed upon the Persian god, sending a wave of dust sweeping out in all directions. Ares exhaled, placing his sweaty palms on his knees as he panted.
Ahriman burst from the debris, sending wood scattering in all directions. The ireful god held out both his hands, his fingers each an inch apart. The tips of his fingers began to glow with an arcane purple magic, the ground beginning to rumble as if a Core-Digger were right beneath them. The Persian god’s purple irises faded, and his eyes were replaced with blackness. It was as if Ares were staring into the void itself. “I’ve had enough of you, prince!” Ahriman bellowed, his voice echoing in different pitches all in unison, creating a dissonance that sounded similar to a banshee speaking. “Prepare to be sent to the depths of oblivion! Khæra!”
Gravity seemed to reverse as bits of tiny pebbles and wreckage began to levitate around Ahriman, floating around the deity. Suddenly bolts of purple, swirling, energy discharged from the tips of the god’s fingers, fusing together to create a beam that rushed straight at Ares. There was a spark and the beam turned black just as it was about to swallow Ares in darkness.
The young god of war held out his right palm to the oncoming beam of magic, his eyes void of fear. “Lend me your strength, Aegis.”
A gigantic, ovoid shield the size of a castle suddenly materialized in front of Ares, forming a barrier between the boy and Ahriman’s destructive projectile. The magical shield was sky-blue and slightly translucent so that Ares could see through it.
“Do you think a spell like that will be able to stop me from destroying you?” Ahriman boomed, his crazed eyes wide with bloodlust. He thrust his hands out further, intensifying the strength of his magical beam.
The Persian god’s magic bashed against Ares’ shield, sprouting around the gargantuan barrier. However, the beam didn’t penetrate it. Ahriman’s eyes knitted together, sweat beginning to pour down his face. “What … how is this possible? Khæra has the power to reduce entire nations into naught but dust! But you…,” he growled, his eyes widening with fear, “you’re blocking it!”
Ares smiled. “That’s because Aegis isn’t a spell. It isn’t even a physical shield. It’s a Guardian, forged and wielded by my family of gods. Not even you can penetrate it with your spells, Zahir.”
Ahriman’s eyes widened with terror. “A-A Guardian? N-No! That can’t be. Guardians are living monsters that are summoned by….”
“Are you citing your definition of a Guardian from a textbook?” Ares called, snapping his fingers. “Or from experience? Strike out, Aegis.”
The massive shield spurred to life, flashing radiating shades of blue that filled the air. There was a loud rumble as Aegis burst forward with such speed that it looked like the shield had teleported. Aegis smashed into Ahriman with tremendous force, sending the god flipping backward uncontrollably, smashing into a building a mile away. The structure groaned loudly before collapsing onto Ahriman, sending wreckage and dust splashing outward. Ares watched the still pile of rubble for a moment and was about to go and check to see if Ahriman was actually unconscious when he heard someone call his name. “Darien!” Yuu yelled, sprinting down an abandoned street in the direction of the god. He pointed back in the direction that he was coming. “It’s Tetsu! He’s injured bad, I’m not sure if he’s going to make it!” The noble glanced to his left and saw that District Nine of Persepolis had been completely reduced to nothing but wreckage as a result of the vicious battle between Ares and Ahriman. He swallowed hard.
Tetsu? Ares was about to rush forward to Yuu when suddenly he sensed a flicker of movement behind him. The god glanced quickly over his shoulder and saw that Ahriman had burst from the debris and was about to skewer his scepter straight through the boy’s body. A direct blow like that could easily kill him.
“This is what happens when you take your eyes off your opponent!” Ahriman roared, jabbing forward with his pointed scepter towards Ares’ exposed back.
A pillar of fire detonated between Ares and Ahriman, swallowing the Persian god of darkness in the snarling flames. Ares squinted and retreated from Ahriman, unable to stay so close to the searing heat of the fire. The ground was scorched black, and ashes drifted into the air as the flames vanished just as quickly as they had appeared. Smoke wafted through the air towards the afternoon sky and Ares turned to see Mithra standing on a rooftop of one of the nearby buildings, wisps of smoke drifting from his fingertips. “Looks like you took your eyes off me first, Ahriman,” Mithra joked with a weary sigh. He leapt off of the building and landed on the ground with a heavy thud. The Persian deity shot Ares a grin. “You gave him quite the beating, didn’t you?”
Ares looked to Ahriman, who was lying face-first in the ground in a pile of blackened ashes. His body was completely still and it was hard to tell if he was alive or dead. The boy reached up and rubbed the back of his neck, grinning. “I suppose so, yeah. Though it looks like a huge part of the city got destroyed in the process,” Ares said, looking over his shoulder at the annihilated southern district of the city. The ancient Ares really didn’t hold back at all, did he? “There’re hundreds, if not, thousands of innocents dead because of me.”
“Don’t worry about something like that now. By defeating Ahriman you’ve saved more than just a few thousand lives,” Mithra said and nodded towards Yuu, who was waiting for Darien. “Go on, Ares. Your friends require your company. I’ll make sure Ahriman stays put until you get back.”
“Thanks,” Ares said with a thankful smile and turned to jog after Yuu.
After several minutes of running down an abandoned road in the city, Ares saw Aleysha and Kira kneeling beside Tetsu, who was lying on his back, his eyes closed. Blood pooled around his body and he was paler than Ares had ever seen him before. The boy’s heart thumped and he slowed to a stop, walking slowly towards his fallen friend.
Fang was in his tiny puppy form, nuzzling Tetsu’s cheek gently as he whimpered.
Aleysha stood up from Tetsu’s side and walked over to Yuu and Ares. “I found Kira and brought her to Tetsu as soon as I could, but she says that he’s already lost too much blood. He’s hemorrhaging from too many opened wounds.” She was trembling, looking at the ground. “Even Kira’s not sure if he’s going to make it.”
Ares watched as Yuu began to storm towards one of the buildings. The god saw that Cambyses was tied up, leaning against a wall of one of the street’s structures. Yuu lashed out, infuriated, and grabbed the fallen king by the throat, pinning Cambyses against the building with a loud thud. “If Tetsu dies it’s on you!” he roared, smashing a heavy punch into the clay wall inches from Cambyses’s face, sending shivers through the lord’s body. The wall cracked and pieces of clay crumbled off the knuckles of Yuu’s metal gauntlet. The noble took a step back and let the king slump onto the ground, tears streaming down his swollen face.
Ares looked at Tetsu’s broken body, a tingling sensation running through his fingers. “What happened?” he asked Aleysha softly.
“Cambyses used the Sands of Time to freeze time. Tetsu had already suffered a major amount of injuries before we went to save him from his execution. It looked like he was wounded before we even arrived. But when Cambyses stabbed him … his body couldn’t take anymore. He’s barely clinging on to life as it is. If I just had seen it coming….”
“Don’t blame yourself,” Ares said, watching as Kira cast healing magic over Tetsu. “Tetsu always liked to push his limits.”
“D-Darien….” a weak voice called out.
“He’s awake!” Kira exclaimed, her eyes wide.
Ares quickly rushed to Tetsu’s side, kneeling beside his friend. He grasped one of Tetsu’s cold, bloody hands and squeezed it tightly. The dying man looked up at Ares with a drained smile, his eyes barely even cracked open. “How’d you do on y
our end, buddy?”
“I stopped Ahriman,” Ares whispered.
Tetsu grinned. “And we got Cambyses, didn’t we, guys?” He coughed suddenly, sputtering blood onto his shirt. Wincing, clearly in pain, Tetsu tapped his head back against the ground and sighed. “Man, look at me. I’m a mess.”
Ares cracked a half-smile. “Yeah, you are.”
“I wish I could say that I’ve been through worse,” Tetsu chuckled weakly. “Unfortunately, I haven’t.”
“You’ll get through this,” Ares said, looking right into his friend’s eyes, two glimmering lights that were beginning to fade.
“Don’t give me that false hope, Darien. No human could survive something like this. I really pushed myself too far this time. Yuu,” Tetsu said quietly, looking to the noble. “Make sure to help Darien and his building of a new nation. Persia cannot fall to the hands of a tyrant. You’re powerful now, Yuu. Keep an eye on Darien. The idiot tends to act a lot on his own.”
Yuu nodded lightly, turning away, unable to look at Tetsu anymore.
Tetsu smiled weakly and closed his eyes. “My body feels like it’s made of ice and fragile glass. But your hand, Darien, is so warm. I want to thank you for everything that you’ve done for me. I’ve never heard of a highborn prince that would stand up for a lowly warrior. Five years ago, you risked your own life to help me. You believed in me when no one else would….”
“That’s what friends are for, right?” Ares said, tears glistening in his eyes.
Tetsu grinned and nodded slightly. “Yeah, we’re always there for each other … I love you guys,” he said, sniffing back tears. “Thank you everyone … for everything.” He gave Ares’ hand one final squeeze before his whole body went limp, the lights in his eyes dimmed and darkened.
Ares gripped Tetsu’s freezing hand once more, hoping that his friend would squeeze back but nothing happened. The god bit his lower lip gently as his vision became blurred by moist tears. He lowered his head, releasing Tetsu’s hand, and rose to his feet. Kira had fallen forward and was crying into Tetsu’s chest, her cries of anguish muffled by his bloodstained clothes. Aleysha put her hand to her mouth, sobbing quietly as she fell to her knees, staring at the lifeless body of her adopted brother.