by Brandon Chen
Yuu clenched his jaw, mashing his teeth together. He balled his hands into tight fists, his knuckles turning a ghostly white. Spinning around, Yuu began to stomp towards Cambyses, his turquoise eyes wide with burning rage. “This is your fault!” he boomed, reaching for the hilt of his sword.
“Yuu, stop,” Ares said softly, raising his head. “What will killing him do? Will it bring back Tetsu?”
Yuu squeezed the hilt of his sword, his hand quavering for a moment. He scowled and slapped the golden pommel of his sword in frustration, lowering his arm to his side in defeat. He tilted his head down, his snow-white hair coming down over his eyes as tears began to trickle down his cheek.
Ares touched Yuu’s shoulder as he ambled to the noble’s side. The god of war then stepped before Cambyses, pitifully gazing down at the fallen Persian king. “You’ve made countless people suffer because of your actions, Uncle, including me,” he said, brushing some of his blonde hair from his eyes. “And no matter what you say, I will not forgive you for what you’ve done. You not only took my parents away from me, you also are responsible for the death of my best friend and the destruction of dozens of countries. The suffering of millions is on your head.”
Cambyses lowered his head. “I understand. You’re angry and I would do the same in your position….”
“I’m not going to kill you.”
Cambyses glanced up, staring at Ares in shock.
“Darien…,” Yuu said, eying Ares with confusion. “This scum deserves to die for what he’s done!”
“I don’t think murder will do anything,” Ares said, watching Cambyses. “I refuse to murder just for the sake of killing. He’ll be jailed and someone else will take his throne. Though it won’t be me.”
Yuu blinked, puzzled. “What?”
“I have made a commitment. I plan on using my powers to safeguard all of the innocents on this continent. I’ll make sure that no tyrants rise up as Cambyses did and that no unfairness comes upon the guiltless. I’ll use this power to bring justice upon those who prey upon the weak. I can’t spend time leading an entire empire. My duty as a god should be more than just protecting an empire. It should be to help all of those in Dastia. Maybe in other continents too,” Ares said. “Though, Persia cannot be without a king. I think you should be its new ruler, Yuu.”
Yuu raised an eyebrow. “M-Me?”
Ares turned to his friend, beaming. “You studied politics for many years. You once said that you would be my advisor when I grew up, no? You’d do lots of good on that throne, Yuu. Trust me.”
“I just never expected for you to choose me as the successor of the throne. I mean … I don’t really deserve it. For five years I followed Cambyses blindly and fulfilled all of his twisted desires without even so much as questioning my own morals. I murdered hundreds, tortured innocents, and caused countless more to suffer. A person like me becoming king?” Yuu shook his head, licking his lower lip.
“Think of this as a second chance, Yuu,” Ares said, clamping his hand on the noble’s shoulder in reassurance. “I believe in you. I’m sure that you’ll do a great job as King of Persia. Besides, I’ll be there to make sure that you don’t step out of line. You won’t be alone, don’t worry.”
Yuu nodded and suddenly looked up when he saw a pillar of bright white light ripping from the heavens and smashing down into the area where Mithra and Ahriman were. He raised his hand and shielded his eyes from the dazzling light. “What is that?”
“I’ll go and check it out. Keep an eye on Cambyses,” Ares said, leaping from the ground. He flew thousands of feet into the air and landed hard on the ground besides Mithra, who was staring at something. Ares’ eyes followed Mithra’s line of vision to a group of three male gods who stood tall, with Ahriman kneeling before them.
One of the men was wearing a gigantic helmet of glimmering golden metal that had two curved red horns protruding from its top. He was wearing an impressive, glittering suit of mail armor with the white fur of an ancient frost wolf covering his shoulders. The warrior wore heavy boots, and was gripping a massive spear with a three-pronged tip that looked like a golden trident. The weapon gleamed brilliantly in the light, mesmerizing Ares with its magnificence. The man had a giant black eye patch clamped over his right eye, and he snorted when he saw Ares. He had a grizzly beard that was as white as snow and a face of deep wrinkles, proof of his age and experience.
Another man was wearing long white drapes that curled around his body and exposed one breast while covering the other. A belt made of smelted bronze was clamped around his waist, fastening the robe tightly to his bare flesh. Golden bands were clamped to his wrists and blue electricity crackled about in the palm of his coarse hands. The man also had white hair and a wizened face. His beard was fluffy, like clouds in the sky, and stretched all the way down to his stomach. The wavy hair on his head was long and flowed down to the back of his neck. He eyed Ares curiously and gave the boy a small nod.
The other figure was Ra, who looked the same as when Ares had seen him in that alternate universe prior to his battle to reclaim his body. The god smiled at Ares and winked slyly. “Ah, Ares! I was just asking Mithra where you were. You’ve done the world a great service by helping to defeat Ahriman.”
The man with the spear grunted. “My name is Odin and I am the leader of the Aesir family of gods.” He bowed his head lightly. “Mithra and Ares, we intend to reward the two of you for your remarkable achievement in bringing down this god of darkness.”
“Ah,” Mithra said with a hearty laugh. He pointed to Ares. “Ahriman actually defeated me earlier on. It was Ares and Ares alone who brought the lord of darkness to his knees. It should be him that you’re thanking, not so much me.” He grinned at Ares and nudged the boy playfully. “He’s a powerful deity, one of the strongest I’ve seen.”
The god with the white robe raised an eyebrow and folded his arms as he examined Ares. “I am Zeus, leader of the Hellas pantheon. You’re much different than our previous god of war, Ares,” he observed.
Ares gulped. This is the leader of my family of gods, Zeus? He averted his eyes from the deity, licking his upper lip nervously, expecting to be scolded for not acting like a proper god of war.
“It’s refreshing,” Zeus said, reaching out and patting Ares lightly on the head. “The gods of Hellas have been watching you, Ares. Your compassionate nature and selflessness are something that we never expected to see from our barbaric god of war. The other gods are eager to meet you after your accomplishment.” He turned and looked to Ahriman, who was groveling in the sand before the three powerful deities. “Now, what do we do with you?”
“Have Ahura Mazda, the leader of the Persian pantheon, decide what Ahriman’s punishment should be,” Ra said, folding his arms over his chest. “After all, I believe that the Persian family should be the ones to decide what to do with this problematic one.” He shot a glare at Ahriman.
“I’ll take him to Heaven,” Odin said. “Mithra, accompany me and bring this pathetic dung bag. We’ll present him before your leader together.”
Mithra nodded and bumped Ares’ shoulder with his fist lightly. “Good job, Ares. I’m hoping to see you around, yeah?” He walked forward and grabbed Ahriman by the back of his neck, and forced the Persian god of darkness to stagger to his feet and stumble towards Odin.
Ahriman’s stringy black hair came over his face and he glared at Ares over his shoulder as he was forced towards Odin. “This isn’t over, Darien. I’ll be back for you, Persian prince. I swear by it! Every person you ever loved, all of your filthy friends that you have hiding back there in that street behind you … I’ll make them all suffer to the point where they’ll wish I just killed them all off! I’ll—”
“Enough!” Odin boomed, grabbing Ahriman by the skull. The warrior’s grip was tight as he squeezed the god of darkness’s skull with frightening force. There was a crack and Ahriman screamed in agony, his voice rising several decibels as his shrill cry of pain split the silence.
“Boy, pay no attention to this fool’s empty threats. He won’t be seeing the mortal world anytime soon. Let’s go, Mithra.”
A beam of white energy ripped from the sky and smashed down on Odin, Mithra, and Ahriman, bathing the three gods in bright light. Within a few seconds, the beam receded back to the heavens and the three deities were gone. A wisp of smoke drifted from the vaporized earth where they once stood.
“I believe that you have the right to be granted one wish, Ares,” Zeus said. “As long as it is within our power, we will grant it to you. That is the least that we can do after what you’ve done here.”
Ares’ eyebrows went up in surprise. A wish? Well, what would he wish for? What was it that he wanted? He was about to open his mouth but frowned, realizing that he didn’t know what it was that he wanted. Wealth? Power? No, he didn’t care for any of that. He didn’t need much. All he really needed was his friends. “I wish that everyone who died here at Persepolis would be brought back to life,” Ares said, with a slight smile. You pick to revive all of these people but not your parents? You only have one wish, Darien! He exhaled. It was either choose his parents or the thousands of people that died today. Even though he knew he would love to bring his parents back from the dead, Ares knew that the lives of two were not worth the lives of tens of thousands. He was responsible for the deaths of many of these innocent civilians. He had lost control, and their fates were on him. Now he had to fix his mistake.
Zeus’s eyes widened, stunned at Ares’ selfless request. “What?”
Ra simpered.
Zeus looked at Ra and frowned. “He’s serious?”
“He is,” Ra said.
The god of lightning scoffed and smacked his forehead. “Fulfilling such a request is out of my reach. Perhaps I ought to go to Hades—”
“It’s okay,” Ra assured Zeus, snapping his fingers. “I’ve already fulfilled his wish.”
A surge of glowing green energy pulsed outward from Ra’s position in the form of a wave. The magical wave swept over Persepolis, enveloping the damaged city in healing magic. Those who were injured were mended instantly. Meanwhile, all of the corpses in the city began to glow brightly as their wounds were sealed and their blood mystically soaked back into their bodies. Broken bones cracked back into place and the crushed cadavers of those buried underneath debris levitated out of the destruction, their bodies mended. As Ares had requested, the dead were given a second chance.
***
Alkaios’s eyes slowly opened and he found himself looking up at the gleaming sky, his heart racing. He was alive? How was such a miracle possible? He remembered that a Persian warrior had stabbed him right through the chest. The King of Luxas turned and saw that the streets were filled with soldiers from the east as well as Persian warriors. The two armies stared at each other with confusion, everyone was surprised to see that they were alive. Something miraculous had happened. There was not a single dead person in the street. Alkaios dropped his sword, his weapon clattering loudly to the ground, shattering the silence. He was done fighting. He would not die a second time. The gods had granted him a second chance; he would not throw this life away.
The king’s subordinates followed suit, tossing their weapons to the ground. They, too, were done fighting.
The Persian soldiers all looked at each other, puzzled by their current situation. It began with one man who decided to throw down his scimitar. Then his friends followed. Then his squadron. Soon all of the soldiers in Persepolis were laying down their arms, refusing to continue the war. The battle was done with. No one was willing to die a second time.
Alkaios saw that a Persian soldier was lying on the ground, staring at the sky blankly. The pallor on the stranger’s face reflected his confusion. The King of Luxas ambled over to the soldier and offered his hand to the puzzled man. “It’s alright, the fighting is over,” he said with a reassuring smile.
“W-Who won?” the Persian asked shakily, accepting the hand reluctantly.
Alkaios shrugged. “Your guess is as good as mine. But I know for a fact that I don’t want to fight anymore. Do you?”
“N-No. I could’ve sworn that I was killed!” the Persian choked out as he was pulled to his feet.
“Me too!” another Persian exclaimed.
“I was dead as well!” one of Alkaios’s men shouted.
“The gods have bestowed a miracle upon us all, bringing us all back to life! They didn’t do this because they wanted us to continue fighting. They returned us to the world of the living to grant us a second chance!” Alkaios shouted, his voice heard by all of those around him. “I believe that we shouldn’t waste the lives that the gods have returned to us! Let’s work together and help the civilians. We shouldn’t waste our second chance fighting amongst each other. I, personally, do not want to return to the world of the dead. Persians, you are no longer our enemy.”
***
Ramses stumbled outside of Cassim’s house, which had been burned to the ground. Staring at the ashes of the home, his heart sank. But when he suddenly heard his son’s cry, his hopes soared. The Magus turned around and saw his wife and child rushing towards him with open arms. He embraced his family tightly, tears gleaming in his eyes. He squeezed them tight, burying his face into his wife’s shoulder as he cried. “I-I’m here…! I’m back. I love you both. I love you both so much!” He kissed his wife’s cheek and pulled his family closer to him, never wanting to let them go.
“Daddy, how are we alive?” Ramses’ son asked. “I thought that I got my head banged by some stranger! Was that a dream?”
“It must’ve been a dream,” Ramses exclaimed, kneeling down and kissing his son’s forehead. Tears were spilling down his cheeks. They killed my son and my wife. They even killed me. But we’re alive. How is that possible? Is this the world of the dead?
Ramses turned and saw Cassim hugging his grandmother, who had been miraculously cured of her illness. The elderly woman was standing up and embracing her grandson tightly, tears glinting in the corners of her eyes. Ramses smiled. Does our revival have anything to do with Ares?
Ramses turned and looked over his shoulder into the gleaming cerulean sky. He smirked. After all, you’re probably the only god who’s selfless enough to revive all of these humans. You’re the only one who understands our constant fear of death, our unshakable love for our families, and our struggle for survival. A god who was once a human. Huh, maybe that wasn’t the worst idea after all.
***
Aleysha heard Kira abruptly scream with delight and turned to see that the young mage had her arms wrapped around Tetsu’s neck, hugging the man tightly. Tetsu’s eyes had fluttered open and he was smiling broadly, patting Kira’s back as tears raced down her cheeks. Aleysha’s eyes went wide and she rushed forward and wrapped her arms around Kira and her brother, embracing the two of them tightly. “Y-you’re alive!” she exclaimed, her eyes moistening. “We all thought you were gone….”
Tetsu turned his head to Yuu, who was standing on a roof looking off into the distance. “Hey, Yuu!” he called. “What happened?”
“Darien is standing with a bunch of other gods over where Ahriman was defeated,” Yuu called, not taking his eyes off of Ares. He smirked, looking all around the city to see that thousands of people were being healed by Ra’s incredible magic. “Looks like everyone was brought back to life.”
“Everyone?” Tetsu said. “Even the Magi?”
“I don’t expect that anyone will start fighting again,” Yuu said. “The city is in a state of confusion. No one knows who won the battle and who lost. Not to mention, I’m sure those who died don’t want to waste their miracle by rushing back into battle.” He leapt off of the roof of the building and landed next to Cambyses, who was still tied up. Yuu reached into his pocket and pulled out the Sands of Time, tossing the hourglass through the air to Tetsu.
Tetsu caught it with one hand, frowning.
“That belongs to you. Oh, also Darien named me the King of Persia in your temporar
y absence. I hope you’re ready to help me out with that position.”
Tetsu leaned forward, his eyes wide. He burst out laughing. “Really? Amazing! Congratulations, Yuu! Wow, how long have I been out for?”
“You were dead for about twenty minutes,” Kira said.
Aleysha laughed. “That’s not exactly a long time.”
“What was it like?” Yuu asked, leaning back against a wall. “Death, I mean.”
Tetsu twirled the Sands of Time in his hands. “It was dark and cold. Really, that’s all I remember. That and the constant feeling of falling, as if I were eternally descending into a pitch-black abyss.”
“Sounds outstandingly fun.”
“I’m not exactly excited to return there so hopefully this miracle of me returning to life is a permanent deal, yeah?” Tetsu said, curling his arms around Kira and Aleysha and pulling the two girls close to him. “Hey, Yuu! Get over here, I need some love right now.”
Yuu rolled his eyes as he pushed off the wall and began to walk towards his old friend and the two giggling girls. He couldn’t help but grin. “You’re such an idiot.”
***
Ares stood on the roof of an extremely tall building, which gave him a breathtaking view of the city. Gazing over Persepolis, he saw that people were crying with happiness after their return to the world of the living. The god could see Yuu, Aleysha, and Kira all hugging Tetsu in the distance. He grinned, glad to see that Tetsu was okay. Ares turned to look at the eastern section of Persepolis and spotted Alkaios helping some of the Persians who had been revived but were stuck under rubble of collapsed buildings. Meanwhile, Ramses was leading his family through the city with a broad smile on his face, something Ares didn’t expect to see from the staid man. Everything seemed to be going well.