Baku stood over him, frowning. He had little sympathy for his son. “Whose worlds do you have?”
“Leviathan’s,” he said between gasps.
“Oh, no,” Kara whispered.
Baku swallowed, a mix of rage making him clench his jaw and sorrow urging him to run to the dragon’s side. “Being a Creator not all you bargained for, huh?”
“Phailon,” Nexus rasped.
“You’re the one who borrowed mortals to raze the city. You can only blame yourself.” He’d learned what happened from the memories left in Aerigo’s scorch marks on the obelisk, and then helped the dragon get the city back on his feet by putting out fires, reviving those he could, and absorbing their bodily pain into himself.
“No! The fool took on the pain of their injuries. Thousands of them.” He sat up, wincing. “I must make it stop.” He pushed to his feet and trudged past Baku and Kara, wrenching the door open with both hands, and marched into the main chamber.
Kara and Baku pursued him.
“Nexus, give the worlds back,” Kara said. “They’re not yours.”
“Wasteful words, Mother,” he said, heading for the double doors. “No amount of sentimental begging will make me give up what I’ve worked so hard to acquire.”
“Mortals aren’t playthings.”
“Of course they are. Why else would gods bother creating them?”
“To share in the joy of life.” Nexus let out a sarcastic laugh and Kara shot Baku a worried frown.
Baku said, “We may need to take things into our own hands, instead of wait for Aigis to salvage this mess. There’s not telling if or when Roxie will be released from the Realm of the Dead.”
“This could turn into another war.”
“I know,” he said unhappily.
“Still want me dead, I see,” Nexus said.
“No,” both of them replied.
Kara said, “What you’re doing isn’t they way of the universe. We’re scared. Please call off the prophecy.”
Nexus spun around and backhanded Kara in the face. “Stop begging!”
She cried out and fell to the stone floor. Baku rushed to her side and took her in his arms, anger rising in his chest.
Nexus gasped. “Mother! I’m sorry. That wasn’t me.”
She clung to Baku and together they got back to their feet.
“Mother, you know I would never try to hurt you.”
“You just did,” Baku said flatly.
“I swear--!”
Kara said, “Quiet! Both of you.”
“I’m so sorry, Mother.”
“Shh. I know it’s Vancor’s hold over you. You’ve never, ever tried to hurt me before. I know that wasn’t you.”
Baku said, “Well then it looks like someone changed their mind about never wanting to harm you, Kara.” He kissed her cheek.
Nexus narrowed his eyes. “I will find and take care of him after one other matter is taken care of.”
“Where are you going?”
Nexus resumed walking and gestured with a hand at the huge double doors. They swung outwards, revealing the distant plateau with a gnarled tree atop it and the battlefield beyond.
Baku’s gaze darted to Leviathan’s gargantuan form curled up near the base of the plateau. “Oh, gods. Leviathan.”
Nexus jumped into the air and flew to the dragon, Kara and Baku flying after him. He alighted near the bus-sized head, his parents landing nearby. “Feeling a little weak, are we?” His body swelled as he grew to fifty feet tall and he grabbed a curved horn that was now half as big as him. “And here I thought you’d be feeling better after not having to bear the burden of so much pain.” He yanked the dragon’s head off the ground. “Come, let’s bid your mortals farewell. I’m in quite a bit of agony because of your sentimentality.”
“Nexus, stop!” Kara yelled.
Nexus held out a hand and the air foiled in front of it. He leaned forward and he and Leviathan disappeared.
Baku flew up and stuck his hand in the air as it foiled back into place. Kara grabbed his other hand and together they world-hopped to Phaedra, where Phailon lay. Nexus’s realm gave way to an aerial panorama of Phailon atop a cliff, the ocean behind it. All the debris had been cleared out and used to build a cemetery outside the wall. Gaping holes in the city’s skyline stared back at them, leaving reminders of what’d happened over a year ago.
Nexus took in the cleanup efforts, his brows knit with confusion. His grip on Leviathan’s horn slackened. “So little time has passed on my realm since the start of the war, but close to two years have gone by here. The pain of their injuries you absorbed is still fresh.” He shook the dragon. “Why?”
‘Because their hearts still hurt,’ Leviathan said telepathically to all of them, ‘so I hurt with them. It’s called empathy, you heartless child.’ He coiled his body like a gargantuan rattlesnake but made no move to free himself.
“I have no empathy for them. And I’m going to let the insult go since you aren’t feeling well at the moment.”
‘You will hurt until you learn empathy and embrace it. Welcome to being a Creator.’
“I have a better idea.” Holding tight, Nexus sped towards Phailon with Leviathan in tow. The dragon trailed behind him like a kite tail.
Baku flew after them and pried at Nexus’s giant hand. His son swatted him away without losing momentum. Baku somersaulted until Kara caught him and helped him upright. He shook out his head.
“There’s nothing we can do for now,” she said. “We’ll have to salvage this after everything calms down.”
“I know. I just wanted to free Leviathan.”
“Together, then.”
Baku nodded and together they flew to the center of Phailon, alighting near the obelisk, which stood taller than anything else in the city. The cracks a third of the way up were still visible, as were the handprints where Aerigo’s Mana power had scorched the obelisk higher up. Huge as both Nexus and Leviathan were, the obelisk dwarfed them.
Baku and Kara touched down nearby. Kara moved for them but Baku blocked her with an arm. “Don’t. We’re surrounded by mortals. They recognize Leviathan. I don’t want them to see gods fighting.”
“They already see Leviathan in a poor state.”
Mortals were everywhere, planting grass, relaying sidewalks, or walking around. All of them stopped and stared.
“Our fighting will only make it worse.”
Nexus smiled. “Your dear creations are oblivious to the change of hands,” he said, his voice echoing through the clearing. “And they won’t know they’ll be all alone for the rest of their miserable lives. But don’t worry, they aren’t the first godless planet.”
“No, Nexus,” Kara whispered.
“They’ll get on just fine for a while. Say good bye.”
Leviathan’s reptilian eyes welled with tears as his former mortals watched on with confusion and fear. They looked at one another and backed away from the giant gods. The mortals recognized Leviathan but were oblivious to who Nexus was and what he’d done, and, even though they didn’t know what “godless” meant, dread spread over the masses.
So that’s what he was going to do. Baku’s heart sank. Nexus was removing ownership of one of the first worlds he’d acquired through his prophecy. He had to be desperate.
“Don’t look so sad. We’ll all forget about this world’s existence after we leave. It won’t be so bad.” He lowered to his knees and placed a giant hand on the ground. The same tattoos covering Leviathan’s body covered Nexus’s and began racing along his skin, down his arm, and into the ground as if the earth was sucking them away. The tattoo lines seeped into the ground and disappeared. Standing back up, Nexus closed his eyes and tilted his head back, taking one relieved breath after another. “Much better. Much, much better.” He faced Baku and Kara. “And before any of you try to claim this world...” He held out a hand and all went black. A moment later, they were back on Nexus’s realm, thunder and warring filling the air.
> Memory of the world began to slip from Baku’s mind. He tried to hold onto its existence but it was like trying to recall a word stuck on the tip of his tongue.
Chapter 19
Strength of Will
Roxie hit the ground hard and used the pain to push herself into her emotionally detached state. The time for meek and scared was over, the time for relying on others to save the day gone. It was up to her to rise to the challenge and beat it.
Nero came at her as soon as she bounced, giving her no time to draw her sword. She blocked his giant fist with her shield, clutching it with two hands, and the blow sent a shockwave through her body. She needed to fix their height difference before anything else. Maybe she could grow while moving around, instead of dropping everything to concentrate. Aerigo had never told her this was possible but she had to test the limits of her abilities without anyone holding her hand.
She pushed Nero’s fist aside, making him brace against the ground to catch his balance. Using her superhuman speed, she surged to her feet and socked Nero in the jaw, then shoved his twenty-foot-tall body. He flew backwards and hit the ground. Roxie backpedaled and donned her shield, pulling the straps tight. Nero got to his feet and dashed towards her with matching superhuman speed. Roxie darted between his shins and ran past, then split her concentration between growing and not getting knocked down.
Concentrating made her aware of Nero’s intentions. He was holding back put pressing hard enough to make her think on her feet. He wanted to force her to overpower him with her sheer strength of will, and he intended to strike her in the face again with his next attack.
Roxie blocked strike after strike, sensing his intentions like she was hearing his thoughts. Face, chest, kick the back of the knee, get her off-balance. She blocked everything and stayed on her feet. He could “hear” her intentions as well, so this fight would turn into a competition of outthinking the other, moving faster than the other could react, overwhelm the other with information. Nero’s thoughts were getting ahead of his actions as he planned out a series of attacks. Roxie did her best to keep track as she defended, along with picture an infant in her mind and it getting bigger. The upwards tug startled her and she grew only a few inches. It felt like it’d been so long since the last time she’d done this.
Taking advantage of Roxie’s break in concentration, Nero swept her feet out from under her. She twisted midair, landed on her stomach, and she slapped the ground with a hand. A large rock shard jutted out of the ground like someone had stabbed a spike through it. Nero jumped back and ran around it as Roxie popped back to her feet. She still recalled a scrap of knowledge from Blood of Earth, a bit of extended reality Aerigo had taught her back on Phailon. She’d used it to repair the cliff and watched Aerigo use it to attack Elves. Her magical knowledge paled in comparison to everyone around her, except Nero. He had only the same powers as her; just far more practice using them.
She backed up and stamped the ground every few steps, forcing Nero to pick his footing with care, and resumed concentrating on growing. She felt like she was going up on an elevator as she grew, her wings, clothes, shield, and sword growing with her. Once she stood eye-to-eye with Nero, she stopped growing, seeing no point in getting any taller. She’d only become a bigger target.
Smiling, Nero lowered his fists and his eyes stopped glowing. “Very good. You’ve learned that you can split your concentration. Don’t go into your fight with Nexus assuming he’ll be your only foe. Expect others to try to kill you simply because you possess the ability to kill them. However, don’t fear you’ll face overwhelming numbers. Many will stay far away from you because you can kill them. Gods like living.”
“Do you think any will try to help me?”
He thought a moment. “It’s a possibility. However, most will flee sooner than aid you.”
“Why? You make them sound like they’re so afraid of us.”
“They are.”
Roxie understood why Baku had made her: to help Aerigo stop Nexus by any means. He didn’t seem afraid of her or Aerigo. “Then why have gods kept making Aigis if they’re so afraid?”
“Most don’t. The ones that do, they create Aigis to help their mortals in ways gods cannot. Mortals have unrestricted freedom to do as they please, for good or ill. Gods limit themselves by giving mortals so much freedom, so they work closely with Aigis to interact indirectly with the mortal realm. Aigis have always been looked upon with love, hate, and fear. This is yet another subject I could digress on but must set aside. Just remember how gods perceive Aigis and expect them to react selfishly towards you. Above all else, they want to stay alive. However, Nexus and others may want to protect his prophecy more than anything. Steel yourself to take multiple lives.”
Roxie nodded, clenching her teeth and reminding herself it would all be for the greater good. No one else would be around to try if she failed.
“One other thing you must note upon: why do Aigis posses the power to grow and shrink back to their natural height?”
Roxie had never given this much thought before. Growing and shrinking was just one of her natural abilities. She’d never questioned why Aigis could do that. She shook her head.
“All our powers are linked to Mana and Frava. Our glowing eyes are linked to the emotions that lead to unlocking Mana, yet they glow white while fully embracing Frava. They’re subtle clues. Enhanced strength, speed, durability, and healing powers are necessary to survive a fight with a god, and our ability to grow and shrink is psychological aid. The bigger you are, the more powerful you feel, thus more confident. However, maintaining giant form will slowly tire you. Your body is burning extra caloric energy to maintain your increased size, so grow wisely. Save it for a backup plan.”
“I will.” She had to admit she felt even more powerful at the moment. Aerigo, Daio, and the others looked toddler-size to her, opponents she could effortlessly beat.
Sensing Nero’s intention to resume fighting, Roxie drew her sword. If only she knew how to sword fight.
Nero straightened back up. “I just felt a dip in your confidence.”
“I don’t know how to sword fight.”
“That doesn’t matter. This is a battle of wills, not a duel with swords. However, this begs the question as to why you even have a sword.”
Roxie glanced at Aerigo and spoke to Nero. “This is supposed to be a dagger. Aerigo’s dagger. When I unlocked Frava, I was holding it and it transformed into this.” She held up the glowing blade.
“Aha. Your lack of swordsmanship is moot. The blade is a tool for intimidating your opponent.”
Memory of Nexus’s terrified face from when he’d been lying on his back with Aerigo’s dagger protruding from his chest flashed across her mind.
That’s no sword...
Why had he said such a thing? His horror had vanished once he’d made the realization. The Aigis from the War of Creationism had used only their fists, so glowing swords probably weren’t some secret god-slaying weapon. So long as she could intimidate Nexus with it, she’d wield the blade when facing him.
“You can also use it as a focal point for your will,” Nero said. “Instead of using pure imagination, you can focus on a physical object to hone your attacks and defenses. Frava is limited only by one’s imagination and strength of will. If you imagine your defeat before you even try, then you will lose, create the outcome you expect. Focus on your determination to defeat him and your chances of success will increase.” He held up a finger. “A caveat: never enter a battle assuming you’ve already won. Assumption begets complacency, which begets defeat of the most humiliating kind. Respect your foe’s power, even if you don’t respect your foe. Understood?”
“Understood.” Her focus was more on saving lives but she was beginning to see that she needed to focus on defeating Nexus, along with anyone who attacked her.
“Very good.” He launched into a series of attacks and Roxie slipped back into her emotionally detached state. She blocked with her shield and got
into the occasional swing with her sword. She felt less intimidated now that they were the same height, but she still worried about matching his will and experience.
She felt a wave of frustration from Nero. He had to have sensed her doubts and worries like he’d sensed her dip in confidence a moment ago. He pressed her harder with his attacks, forcing her to constantly back-step to keep her balance. She had to stop his momentum before it overwhelmed her.
Limited only by her imagination and strength of will? Sounded like a fair deal.
She let go of her worry about beating Nero and instead focused on learning what it would take to beat him. They had equal power, therefor she had to stand a chance. She focused her will on her shield, imagined it being big enough to protect her entire body and held her ground, imagining her feet were rooted to the ground. She felt like her greaves were now a part of the rock and that she couldn’t be knocked down no matter how hard anyone tried. She’d move only if she willed it.
Nero punched the center of her shield. The impact jolted her but her feet held. He tried to punch through her shield but Roxie shifted her stance and held firm. He attacked with all his strength and began pressing her with his will, urging her to lower the shield. His will felt like the time when Roxie’s mother and the shadow people had been wordlessly urging her to lay there and die. She’d countered their wills with her own. Now Nero was countering her desire to stand firm and he was exponentially stronger than them.
No, I will not lower my shield.
Do it. You’re no match for me. Resist all you can, but you’ll lose in the end.
I’m no match? Roxie lost her concentration and got the wind knocked out of her as Nero sent her flying with a punch. She bounced off the rock before skidding to a halt. She sat up and brushed off her back and wings.
Nero’s eyes stopped glowing, and he walked over and held out a hand. Roxie took it and he helped her back to her feet. “Why did you give up all the sudden? You were doing wonderfully.”
“You said I’m no match for you.”
He folded his arms. “If you aren’t, then how did you fend me off for even one second?”
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