Determination

by Angela B. Macala-Guajardo

  Leviathan opened his mouth. “ALL OF YOU STOP!”

  The whole realm quaked and the thunderstorm began to disperse. Roxie felt the power of Leviathan’s voice make the air ripple like water. Boy was she glad he was on her side. However, she wouldn’t hesitate to fight him if he tried to interfere in a bad way.

  “DO NOT FIGHT EACH OTHER. DO YOU WANT A REPEAT OF HISTORY? STOP THIS FOOLISHNESS.”

  The fighting lulled as the storm continued to dwindle, and then those aligned with Nexus charged Leviathan, darting for him like angry bees. He opened his maw and let out a deafening roar.

  Roxie almost cut herself when clamping her hands over her ears. That roar was powerful enough to crack the ground. The other gods recoiled.

  “THINK OF YOUR CREATIONS. LET THE AIGIS DECIDE THE FATE OF NEXUS AND HIS PROPHECY.”

  As the echoes of Leviathan’s powerful voice rolled through the air, many gods charged the dragon again, and several flew towards Roxie. Her curiosity surrounding the tree would have to wait. She scored a line in the ground with her giant sword, cutting a fissure along the edge of the mortal battlefield. With a thought she willed the realm to snap in two. Rock rumbled and cracked, and the now two separate parts drifted away form each other. Roxie figured that putting some space between her and the warring would help insure that she wouldn’t inadvertently cause any harm to them.

  A handful of gods flew at her face. She held out her shield. “Stop!” To her surprise, her voice carried with the same realm-shaking power as Leviathan’s. The gods stopped midair as if they’d been frozen in time. Roxie swatted them with her sword, dashing them into the ground one by one and sending chucks of rock into the air. Kara and the others flew to Leviathan’s defense. Roxie pressed the tip of her sword to one of the gods sprawled on the ground. “Leave or die! All of you. My fight is with Nexus.”

  All but one vanished from the realm, eager to stay alive. They’d hoped to quickly overwhelm her with their numbers. They hadn’t anticipated her Frava being as strong as it was. It intimidated all but the one who remained, some birdlike humanoid with brown, grey, and black plumage. He was desperate to see the prophecy through, craving the change it’d bring. Roxie couldn’t glean what change he wanted but she didn’t care. She tried to stomp on him with a giant foot but he darted out of the way and flew at her face again.

  “Die!” he screamed in a high-pitched voice.

  Roxie felt only a twinge of pain in her chest as she snatched him out of the air with her shield hand. She squeezed and the pain stopped. However, she sensed what the bird-god intended to do next and chucked him like a baseball. An explosion erupted in front of her hand and a searing pain filled her palm and fingers. She looked at the oozing blood and shredded skin as it scrambled to knit itself back together, and she could think of nothing but how much the injury hurt. She took several deep breaths and forced herself to block out the pain. She couldn’t let it distract her.

  The fiery cloud molded back into the humanoid bird and he came at her again.

  Roxie sensed it in her gut that she was going to have to kill this one. He was fueled by desperation. He sensed her conviction but didn’t believe Roxie could kill him before he killed her. So be it.

  They fought a contest of wills, the god constantly willing Roxie to die and her repeatedly bashing him into the ground, and Leviathan’s deafening roars intermittently filling the air. The bird-god was so intent on willing her to die that he left himself open for a counter every time he flung his murderous will at her. Each mental stab stung but Roxie accepted the pain as she cut deeper into his body with every blow.

  He was bleeding green blood all over and Roxie wore a fair bit of it on her sword arm. The pain in her shield hand had steadily lessened as the gaping wounds sealed into raw pink flesh. She swatted the god with her shield, sending him into the ground. Leave or die.

  No, he said feebly. This prophecy must be fulfilled.

  He raised a shaking, bloody arm and Roxie stabbed him in the chest, the look of shocked disbelief before the life went out behind his eyes imprinting itself on her memory. Her giant sword severed the body in two, and it turned into a sphere of glowing energy. Roxie somberly flicked the energy into outer space with her sword and turned to Leviathan.

  So that’s all it took to kill a god. Nothing complicated, but no easy feat. If this kept up, she was going to have quite the mess to help clean up if she survived all this. At least it’d be worth it.

  What was this change the prophecy would bring if it came to fruition? It was desirous enough to drive many gods to risk their lives for it, yet frightening enough for others to resort to seeking aid from Aigis to stop it. How had divine society reached this divide? It wasn’t the first time, but still, this scenario left her with many questions that’d have to wait for now.

  Roxie glanced at the tree atop the plateau in the distance, then studied the aerial warring between gods. They shouted back and forth, and wills clashed, but each side gave as much ground as an anvil did when struck by a hammer. They wouldn’t stop until they were forced to deal with the results of the prophecy and, judging by the way things were unfolding, that would only ignite another round.

  Kara and the others were split between fighting each other and keeping the opposition away from Roxie. She looked between the tree and warring. She’d make a difference if she jumped in, but to what point and purpose? If she ignored them and attacked what she suspected was Nexus’s icon, her opponents would do everything in their power to swarm and kill her. Right now, a healthy fear kept them rational. A direct attack on the icon might propel them into blind desperation. But if she destroyed the icon, thus stopping Nexus, then the prophecy would be annulled.

  That was the number one goal, wasn’t it? Destroying the icon might be her final act. She’d already accepted that stopping Nexus might come at the cost of her life, so why was she feeling afraid of death? She’d already been to the Realm of the Dead, already knew everything would be alright if she embraced her soul’s journey, so why this hesitation? Was it instinctive to want to avoid one’s own death at all costs? Maybe. But, like the pain in her now completely healed hand, she was going to have to block out her fear.

  Roxie took a calming breath and gazed skyward. “Stop fighting!” She stabbed the air and imagined walls crop up between each battling pair. The gods backed away, confused and gasping for breath. “Did you learn nothing from the War of Creationism? Even if you kill me and keep fighting, more Aigis will take my place one day. They’ll learn Frava, like I have, and you’ll either be killed or have your wills shattered. Let Nexus and I decide this ourselves.” She poured all her will into her words, urging every last god to see the wisdom in what she said. “Unless your glorious prophet is too much of a coward to fight a child.” Saying that was a gamble. Either all of them, including Nexus, would be eager to see if he could bring her down by himself, or they wouldn’t care what happened so long as they prophecy was fulfilled.

  Leviathan spoke telepathically to all of them, his gargantuan mouth unmoving like the wardens guarding entry to the Chthonian Mountain. ‘Heed the Aigis. As one who’d been present during the War, we don’t want to put the universe through that again.’

  Roxie felt the sorrow and regret in Leviathan’s booming voice, and for a moment she was overwhelmed by his emotions, but she clung to her cold anger and braced for whatever might happen next as she inched towards the plateau.

  The gods considered both their words and those defending Roxie urged Nexus’s allies to let Roxie and Nexus resolve the conflict themselves. Several gave in and vanished from the realm.

  The one facing Kara said, “I will consent on one condition.”

  “Name it,” Kara said.

  “Divine society has to assure that fighting won’t resume no matter the outcome.” He glanced at Roxie before taking in all the gods filling the sky. “If Nexus loses, by death or shattered will, those of us aligned with him need to accept such an unfortunate outcome. But if the Aigis dies,
then those who oppose us must accept that outcome. Consider it fate.”

  Baku drifted closer to Kara. “I seriously doubt this prophecy will give any of you want, Kambrett.”

  Kambrett gave him a haughty smile. “Nexus’s prophecy was formed with great care. You’re wrong to anticipate such things.”

  “I’m willing to agree to those terms,” Kara said confidently.

  “Kara!” Baku reached for her but she placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

  “I have faith in her.”

  Baku’s incredulous stare softened to calm acceptance. He nodded. “So do I.” He looked at Kambrett. “I consent as well.”

  Relief washed over the realm as the gods unanimously consented to the terms. Those sided with Nexus were happy to stop fighting, confident Nexus could handle an Aigis as young as Roxie by himself. Some who sided with Kara reluctantly consented, but were just as happy to stop fighting. The gods alighted all along the edge of the mortal-free half of the realm. Some vanished and Roxie’s attention was drawn to the furious aura emanating from the temple.

  Seeing no need to continue draining herself with her giant form, Roxie shrunk back to her normal height and flew onto the plateau. Nexus burst out of the temple, darting towards her, and landed hard, cracking rock. He stood defensively close to the tree, glaring at her with mad eyes lined with rage. Terror and fear roiled around in him.

  Nexus did not want to consent to the terms. After his first skirmish with Roxie, his confidence in beating her was shaken. However, his pride refused to let him remain in hiding, even if hiding would’ve bought enough time to let his prophecy come to fruition. He’d be eternally labeled a coward.

  Nexus’s proximity to the tree made Roxie almost certain it was his icon. Now it made sense how she hadn’t noticed it earlier: he stood close enough to seem like there was only one of him again.

  Nexus looked like he was trying to kill her with his glare. “I can’t believe the lot of you allowed yourself to get sucked into fighting each other, instead of one lonely Aigis.”

  Din said, “You’re the one who ran from her and told everyone else to protect you.”

  Nexus aimed his look of death at Din. “I’ll take great pleasure in ruining your worlds, either by my hand, or by the mortals I acquire through my prophecy.”

  “Gotta beat Roxie first.”

  Nexus faced Roxie again, a wave of fear passing over his dark eyes. He bent into a fighting stance. “Gladly.” He kicked up dirt and rock as he launched into the offensive.

  Chapter 28

  Wants

  Roxie deflected Nexus with both sword and shield, and willed him to keep sailing through the air. She dashed towards the tree and raised her sword, but his will yanked on her ankles and she belly flopped. Sensing his next attack, Roxie rolled onto her back and stabbed in his direction as two giant hands came down on her. She ran her sword through one as all went dark, and braced herself as both hands wrapped around her and the plateau. Rock rumbled and cracked, and she felt herself get lifted into the air.

  She concentrated on growing again. Nexus’s hands squeezed but the pressure was nothing compared to a mountain falling on her. Her swelling body forced his hands apart as she held her sword buried in his palm and grabbed his other wrist. She exploded to her full height, forcing the hands wide, and crushed his wrist connected to a disproportionately small arm. His hands were giant-sized, yet his arms stretched to compensate for Roxie’s breadth while the rest of his body remained normal-sized. She held him in front of her and he hung there, head tilted back and mouth agape in silent agony. She yanked her sword upwards, ripping his hand in two between digits, and he screamed. She swung again, aiming for his neck, but he wrapped his bloodied arm around her wrist, the limb coiling like a snake. Her arm and sword shook as she tried to finish the swing.

  Yelling erupted all around them. Gods cheered Roxie on, urging her to finish Nexus, and others yelled at him to stop dragging the fight out and kill the Aigis already. Rage, embarrassment, fear, and desperation emanated from Nexus. He didn’t want to believe Roxie was so strong. Her ability to cause so much agony baffled him.

  You can’t win this fight, Nexus. Give up or die. I’ve been trained by Aerigo, tutored by Nero, and I fight for the sake of others, unlike you, who fights for his own selfish wants. You can’t win.

  To the underworld with you and your poisonous words. Die, Aigis!

  Roxie twisted Nexus’s wrist, making bone snap. “My name is Roxie,” she said in a deadly calm voice.

  “I don’t care,” he said between gasps. “You’re nothing to me, a nameless nothing.”

  Nexus tried to fight her will but she bashed his face on an upraised knee. His will holding her sword at bay failed and he vanished in time to have her horizontal swing cut only air.

  Roxie sensed him take flight. He tried to superimpose on the sky but only a ghost of his gargantuan torso flickered on the horizon as Roxie willed him into her outstretched shield hand. He resisted but she yelled, “Come!” His normal-sized body fell towards her and rapidly swelled to a size more than big enough to crush Roxie. She held out her sword and presented the edge of her shield as his huge shadow cast her in semidarkness. He twisted midair and grabbed both weapons in his giant hands as he let his weight fall on her.

  She spread her feet and braced against him, eye-level with the base of his sternum. He was more than a giant head taller than her while kneeling but she held him up, unwilling to give ground. His bleeding torso bent over her as he tried to push her shield aside and will her sword to snap in two.

  Roxie tried to shake him off but he held on as blood dribble down his forearm. She bodily swung him around, lifting him off his feet, yet he still held tight as he willed the metal to snap. She tried angling the sword so she could stab him but he went with her movements. He was convinced he’d be safer if he removed the sword from their fight.

  That wasn’t true. Her sword was an extension of her Frava power.

  Feed me lies all you want, Aigis. You can’t fool me. He grit his teeth and flexed his wrist, but the blade held.

  Why are you so afraid of my sword?

  Nexus said nothing. They both knew he’d be lying if he tried to deny his fear. At least he wasn’t stupid enough to try.

  Roxie stopped swinging, twisted her shield out of Nexus’s grip, and seized his wrist again. She dug her fingers in, drawing blood. She had half a mind to tear the hand off but she wasn’t ready to resort to that. Despite Nexus’s paranoia, she wanted to see if their fight would persuade him to call off his prophecy.

  Never. You’ll have to kill me.

  Roxie paused. She thought she’d seen a flicker of another god’s face overlapping Nexus’s, one covered in auburn fur and a curled goatee. Who--?

  Nexus wrenched and the sword broke with a metallic snap.

  She flinched and looked at the half attached to her hilt, still glowing. The edge curved into a point that looked like it could chop fingers off easily. The half in Nexus’s bloodied hand turned into a silvery sand and blew away in the breeze.

  Smirking, Nexus cocked his fist. “Good riddance.”

  He swung at her face and Roxie speared him in the fist, skewering his fingers and burying the blade to the hilt. Nexus dropped to his knees, eyes squinted shut, screaming. Roxie twisted the broken blade and he let out a scream that made her wince and feel a twinge of pity, but only a twinge. He’d killed Aerigo, along with so many others indirectly. His pain paled in comparison to how much he’d caused.

  Nexus’s gargantuan body bubbled and turned liquid. He spilled out of Roxie’s grip before she could will him to remain solid, and his amorphous body shot into the air. He flew inside the thunderstorm and red seeped into the clouds as one flash of lightning after another lit the sky.

  Holding her sword horizontally in front of her, Roxie placed a hand over the broken end and slowly passed it along where the rest of the blade should’ve been. A piece of her Frava power poured into Aerigo’s dagger and the
sword lengthened back into its whole, full shape. She examined the glowing tip, gave it a satisfied nod, and turned her attention to the storm.

  Hoping Roxie wasn’t as competent as Aerigo, Nexus attacked her with one bolt of lightning after another. Roxie held her sword high and absorbed each strike with her eyes closed and body tensed for each bang of thunder. Nexus willed more lightning bolts to strike her, faster and faster, hoping it was only a matter of time before Roxie could take no more. She willed her sword to absorb the voltage. The blade hummed, vibrated, and crackled with all that power. She could feel the hairs on her arms standing on end.

  Nexus sent tornado winds at her but Roxie willed herself to stay rooted in place. The roaring wind sent her hair dancing and forced her wings open and to angle them downwards.

  Focusing on the electrical energy stored in her sword, Roxie released it in one huge explosion, heating and charging the air, and making her face sting like it was getting sunburned. The deafening explosion engulfed the sky in a flash of light and the shockwave tore up the thunderhead. Nexus’s cries of agony echoed across the realm as his body contorted.

  Roxie willed his neck into her shield hand. His gargantuan body flew towards her, chest leading the way with his arms and legs sailing behind him. She caught him by the larynx and formed a mental shield around her body, just in case he tried to kill her like he’d killed Aerigo. “Give up!” she snapped.

  Again, a flash of another god’s face appeared over his. This time she caught a glimpse of a chiseled face and beady eyes that gave her the creeps.

  Nexus feebly clung to Roxie’s physical shield, gasping for breath. He pried open his bloodshot eyes. Every square inch of his skin smoked and he was covered in blisters, some oozing blood. Physically he looked done. But mentally?

  Nexus shook his head. “Never. I’ve worked too hard to give up in the eleventh hour.”