Svante looked up at the final peak. The Wavering Radiant. Where he was going to stop this fight, once and for all.
He called the lightning and it came to him.
…
Svante flashed onto a cliffside. He stood on the highest peak. He moved there in an instant. A smile crept to his face. He could get used to this.
Below him was the archway to the Wavering Radiant. In between the Radiant and himself was a huge battle. Hundreds were fighting, it was almost as horrible as the battlefield in front of the Eye of the World, except hundreds of men weren’t strung up with spears.
He was glad he put a stop to that. He looked over the battlefield. It was easy telling the sides apart as all around the battlefield, his brother’s men fought with strange colored weapons. Swords, spears, lances, from red to blue and every color in between. Even still, the battle was leaning towards Queen’s side.
The men with those weapons weren’t fighters. They seemed powerful, but if they couldn’t hit their targets then it was pointless.
Svante scanned the horizon and found Queen on the battlefield.
…
A god fell to his knees.
Queen stood in front of him with an indifferent look on her face. She held out a blood-red spear. She pierced it into the god’s chest. The god grabbed it as he screamed and pushed it out.
“Can you die already?” Queen said.
“You will never get away with this, Queen,” the god said while on his knees.
“That’s not what I asked of you. I asked you to die.” She pushed out her arm and held open her hand.
The blood from his wound pooled into the air. He screamed out in pain as his blood surrounded him.
Queen slammed her hand closed and the god exploded out in blood. Queen stepped back but the blood still landed on her shoes.
She sighed and the blood lifted from her shoes and onto the ground. She looked toward the archway to the Wavering Radiant.
She watched as Zakhehus walked through it. She clicked her teeth. She had to stop him before he got too far. She couldn’t allow him to find He.
She glanced behind her. She saw Svante looking down on them. She could use him.
She felt the deaths passing around her and found a dying god near Svante and disappeared.
…
Svante continued to look out into the battlefield. He watched his brother go into the Wavering Radiant. “There.”
He heard movement to his left. A blade of lightning flashed into his hand. “Show yourself.”
Queen walked up the peak with her hands raised.
“Queen! Stop your men at once.”
“Or what?”
“You’re killing your fellow gods. He taught us better than that. It’s wrong and you know it.”
“I don’t want to fight, Svante.”
“Bull crap! You’re the true head of Ifor and you ordered this.”
“No. That was your brother.”
“Don’t throw the blame on him. He didn’t have anything to do with this!” Svante raised his blade to her. Of all the people he shouldn’t have believed, it was Queen.
“I’m trying to stop your brother from doing something stupid. He’s trying to kill He.”
“Have you really fallen this low, Queen?” He could end it here. He could kill Queen and end this war.
“Think, you fool! Look at the weapons your brother’s people have. They’re unnatural, not of this world. They are weapons that can kill He! That’s what this whole war is about. He’s angry at He for going away.”
“That doesn’t sound like him.” Svante looked at the weapons his brother’s fighters were using. He’d never seen anything like them.
“Only you can stop him, Svante.”
But he couldn’t kill her, not before hearing his brother’s side. He didn’t want to believe her, he couldn’t. But he also couldn’t be the harbinger of justice if he didn’t have all the answers.
“Dammit.” He lowered his blade. “Only one person would know the truth. I don’t believe you, but this war needs to stop.”
He flashed off his peak and onto the battlefield.
Queen stared down at him. Eventually, he would know the truth, or he was so devoted to He that he would kill his brother. Either way, his actions should give her enough time to do what was needed.
…
Svante plodded his way forward. A group of soldiers walked up to him. Queen’s men. Svante glanced behind him. Queen was gone.
“I don’t want to fight you,” Svante said. But they continued their approach. Svante summoned his blade of lightning. “Please…” They charged him and he flashed forward.
He fell back as he slammed into the first soldier. The man stood his ground and called a blade of water. It was a major god; he couldn’t knock him out.
“Please, I don’t want to kill you,” Svante pled.
“Fight like a man or die like one,” the god said. Behind him, more continued their advance.
He didn’t have time for this. Svante slowly backed up. If he couldn’t knock him out he was going to have to kill him. What was one more death, if it saved his people?
“He, forgive me.”
Blue electricity pulsated through his flesh and he flashed forward again. In seconds, he was in front of the archway. All the men he came upon collapsed to the ground. Dead.
Svante shuddered. He had to end the violence and through the archway was the answer.
He stepped through.
…
The clouds of the Wavering Radiant clashed in their silent embrace, unheeding of the turmoil outside of its gates.
In the silence of the Radiant stood five men in modern black suits. They each held a sheathed katana in their hand, all of their hair stylized in different fashions, some of them simple.
Smoke bellowed from one of their mouths as he flicked a cigarette into the clouds. “This universe seems fun,” he mentioned.
“How can you say that, Jordan? There’s no good drugs here. I need a fix,” the man said as he lit a rolled cigarette.
“I’ve never fought a god before. That’s why.” Jordan slicked back his dirty blond hair. “Our targets are here.”
…
Clouds swirled between Zakhehus’s legs as he ran through the Wavering Radiant. Twenty of his men ran behind him, holding blades of light.
Zakhehus had forgotten where He’s resting place was. He needed to find him before Queen did.
“Brother!” Zakhehus stopped and looked behind him. Svante flashed in front of him.
“Geez, Svante. I see you came into your power.”
“How could you? This war, everything. Is it true, Brother?”
“Yes, Svante. I started this war, but it was a long time coming. Queen’s power-hungry madness has been going on long enough. I’m going to stop it.”
“Not that! Are you trying to kill He?”
“What? No, Svante. Why do you think I would do that?”
Svante stared at his brother’s face. There was no illusion of a lie, no change in his face or internal conflict. Just his brother with a questioning look on his face.
“No reason. I just wanted to be sure. But this war you started, it’s horrible, Brother. So much blood and violence. It’s…”
“I know it’s wrong, Svante. But I’m fighting in He’s name. We all are. If we fail here, then the world as we know it will change forever.”
“But those weapons.” Svante looked at his brother’s men’s weapons. They shimmered in the everlasting sunlight of the radiant. “They’re unnatural. Where did you get them from?”
“You don’t have to worry about that power, Svante. If I may call you that.” Jordan and the four suited men walked up to them.
“Who the hell are you?” his brother said.
“We are the executioners and we are here to kill you.”
Zakhehus’s men raised their weapons. Flames engulfed his brother’s hands and spun into a sword of fire. “Svante back up.”
“But—”
“Now!” His brother pushed Svante back.
“Don’t worry about your brother, we are only here for those touched by a certain man’s power. The sinner of the infinite, or the one who you would call the Omniscient Man.”
“They can’t beat all of us,” Zakhehus told his men.
Jordan slowly unsheathed his katana. As soon as the light of the Radiant reflected off the blade, the other executioners flew forward at impossibly fast speeds.
“Kill them!” Zakhehus yelled with fervor. But as soon as he stepped forward, all around him, the executioners flashed through his men, their heads flying off of their bodies.
In only a few of his steps, Zakhehus’s men fell dead and the Executioners stood back in front of him as if nothing had happened.
Zakhehus stopped and looked around him. All his men were dead in seconds. “What…?”
“You’re getting old, Jordan. You can’t move like you used to,” one of the executioners said.
“Fuck you, Chris, and your sloppy-ass technique. All speed and no power.” Jordan turned his attention back to Zakhehus, who stood among his fallen men.
“Im… impossible!” Zakhehus yelled. He screamed and his flames grew more intense.
Svante said, “Brother. Let me help.”
Zakhehus looked back at him, the anger flashing through his eyes. “You take the left, I’ll take the right.”
One of the executioners said, “Jordan, you can hang back and watch.”
Jordan shrugged as they flashed forward again.
Svante felt the air around him, the clouds’ embrace on his feet, the electricity pulsating through his veins. Everything slowed down for him, but his thoughts and movements moved with incredible speed.
He became the lightning.
To his right, flames burst from his brother’s back and swung out to create wings of fire. They moved in unison. Svante threw lightning toward the executioner to his brother’s right.
The executioner ducked under it but as he came up he was engulfed in Zakhehus’s flames as his blade cleaved through him.
Svante looked forward as executioners came from both sides of him. Their blades flashed through the air. They were incredibly fast, but Svante was the lightning.
Their swings moved in slow motion as he thrust his blade into one of their chests and then his fist into the other. They exploded back in a thunder clap, thousands of volts surging through their bodies.
Svante glanced to his right as his brother’s flames blew a hole through the other executioner. He and his brother made eye contact. Svante looked at Jordan as he slowly unsheathed his blade.
Everything was still moving slow to him. His brother was as fast as a spark of ember, not as fast as Svante’s lightning but fast enough.
They zoomed from both sides of Jordan and swung for him. A bright pink light exploded from Jordan’s blade as Svante’s sword of lightning and Zakhehus’s sword of fire collided with it.
Jordan stood his ground as their swords pushed on his. Svante’s face clenched. There was a force pushing back from Jordan’s blade. His blade grew pink.
Svante pushed harder and so did his brother. He pooled all his power into his blade. The air popped around him.
“Blade,” Jordan whispered.
Svante felt a sudden reverberation in his arms as he was blown a hundred feet back as a pink light came from Jordan’s sword. He skidded across the Wavering Radiant and finally came to a stop. He felt his electricity pulsating through his body. He tried to stand but couldn’t as he was unable to control the electricity.
He could only struggle to look ahead of him. His brother still stood ahead of him, with Jordan’s blade still somehow in its sheath.
Jordan fully pulled his blade from its sheathe and said, “Blade of murderous intent.” He released the blade and it floated in front of him. It pulsated with a pink glow.
“What the hell is that?” Zakhehus said.
“It’s my blade, I set it with the intent to kill you and it won’t stop trying until I force it to stop.” Jordan grabbed the blade and swung it.
A pink force sliced through the air and Zakhehus leapt out of the way.
Zakhehus swung out his hands and fire erupted from them and he hurled it at Jordan. Jordan held his blade in front of him and the flames split in two.
Zakhehus summoned his blade of fire and flew toward Jordan. Jordan threw up his blade and ran for Zakhehus. As they met, Zakhehus swung down on him, Jordan swung out and another katana appeared.
Zakhehus moved fast and his flames swirled around him. But as Jordan’s blade smashed into his flame shield, it swung with the weight of a thousand suns and he was flung back.
Jordan charged him, caught his blade of murderous intent and flashed past him.
Svante stared at Jordan as he appeared on the other side of his brother. Jordan sheathed his blade as blood sputtered from Zakhehus’s mouth. Zakhehus fell to his knees.
Jordan pulled out a cigarette and lit it on the embers of Zakhehus’s ebbing flames. Zakhehus collapsed.
“Brother!” Svante yelled.
Jordan walked up to Svante. Svante was starting to get the feeling back in his body. But he was in no condition to fight him.
“If you hurry, you may be able to have some last words with him,” Jordan said. He turned and walked into the expanse of the Wavering Radiant.
Svante struggled to his feet and walked to his brother and knelt by his side. He held his head, his blood getting on Svante’s clothes.
“Brother.” Svante started to tear up.
“Don’t cry… Always… fight… for… He.” His soul passed and his body went limp.
“Brother…” Svante held his brother’s body until it cooled. Svante knew everything was going to be alright. His brother was with the Wavering Radiant now. With He.
…
Svante walked out of the archway of the Wavering Radiant to the aftermath of the battlefield. His brother’s men were all dead. Queen’s men were looting their bodies, but their mysterious powers were gone.
Queen walked up to him, looking at his bloodstained clothes. “Svante, oh…what happened with Zakhehus?”
“I killed him.”
Queen paused. “You… you what?”
“I killed him, and I’ll kill you next if you ever start a war like this again.” Svante pushed past her. She didn’t deserve to know the truth, to know about the executioners and his brother’s death. But if she ever crossed the line again, he would kill her with his own two hands.
That was the only way to stop the violence.
To make sure they always lived by He’s words.
…
Queen sat on her throne, overlooking the major gods as they initiated her as the head of Ifor. Queen smiled. About time.
After the initiation, half of the major gods left. The remaining ones barred the door.
“Make sure no one can ever come in again,” Queen said.
“I made sure, Queen. Is our agreement in order?” one of the major gods said.
“It seems long-winded, I say we act now,” Queen said.
“We can’t. After a war with this many casualties, we cannot chance another rift between the gods again.”
“So, you want us to wait thousands of years until we can rule over the world?”
“Think, Queen. If we allow humanity to revel in their freedom now, they will become used to it. Then, when we slowly start taking their freedoms away, pushing our power over them through small events and taking their liberties, then slowly they will rise up, forcing us to increase our power over them. Which will cause a domino effect, causing greater mischief in the world, and when they finally revolt and rebel against us, when the situation is unavoidable, only then will we be able to get the other gods on our side, when the humans start threatening our livelihood. Then we will have a reason to enslave them, to rule over them without dissidence from our peers and we will rule over the world.”
“Like I said, long-winded.”
“We will replace you if needed, Queen. You are our leader because of your influence and age; if you stray from our plan, then I’m sure there is someone here who will take up the mantle.”
“Calm down, I agree with your plans. I want to rule as much as you do. But let’s have a little fun while we are at it.”
“Fun and games can wait, Queen.”
They turned and left. Queen stared up into the ceiling. She was right where she wanted to be. But it almost felt too easy.
…
Svante sat on the cliffside of a mountain. It wasn’t Mount Olympus, as with the Eye of the World gone, he couldn’t watch the storms from the heavens anymore.
A storm was ravaging in the distance. He stared at the black coming down on the Earth. He was lost in his thoughts.
The rumors about his brother trying to kill He had gotten out and it was becoming common knowledge. The gods not involved with the war started to support Queen, as she had attempted to stop his brother.
He knew it was a lie, but he didn’t see any other way to keep the peace. If the truth came out, then there would be another war, another massacre.
All of his brother’s men were killed. So there were no witness to deny the fact.
He couldn’t allow that to happen, for people to see how malevolent Queen was. He was being paraded as a hero, the one who killed his own brother to stop him from killing He.
He wanted to stop the rumors, the praise, but he couldn’t. He had to live a lie.
The sun was eclipsed above him. Large black wings swooped down from the heavens. Michael flew in front of him. “Come with me.”
…
Svante walked into the Wavering Radiant, following Michael. “Where were you, Michael?” Svante had been asking Michael what he was doing when the fighting was going on below.
But Michael never answered him.
“I brought him,” Michael said.
In the clouds, He appeared and walked toward them. Svante fell to his knees.
The Men Who Killed God (Sinner of the Infinite Book 1) Page 21