Chrysalis

by Kayne Sampson

  Pent stopped moving. Formetis slumped to the ground, holding her arms. She was shaking violently, muttering to herself. It was just like he had been when Abyss had threatened to overtake him. The girl was suffering from an internal battle for control.

  But why? Why would the goddess be trying to kill him? Did she think he was a threat to her? Was he? He thought to himself. He didn’t actually know what he would do now. It was too late to prevent the goddess from reawakening. But he did not know her intentions.

  He wanted to know. He boldly stepped forward, until he was right in front of the glowing girl. He knelt down, and looked her in the eye. “Formetis, what is it you are planning?”

  Pent wondered if such an approach would work. The girl was clearly unstable. His warrior’s instincts would protect him if such a gambit went sour. Still, he had to try. If there was any of the girl he had met back in the plains, he owed it to her.

  “I can use my power to bring peace and tranquility to the entire world. Alone, I was the Goddess of Shadows. But when Elthea gave her powers to me, I was giving the powers of light. It took me many years to understand my power,” Formetis said, looking at her glowing hands.

  Elthea? What is she talking about? Pent wondered to himself. Pent was seeing a new side of her. Was this the effect of her regaining her divinity?

  “I had seen the fighting continue for years between the Humans and Demons. I watched, unsure of what to do. I had sworn to Elthea that I would protect her children, and yet I had to watch over my own as well. Eventually, I came up with a solution, one that could only be obtained with both the light and the darkness. I would create a dream world for everyone.”

  Formetis had stepped forward and placed a hand on his shoulder. He could feel the energy within her, calming him. When Pent was forced to meet her eyes, he was amazed at how different her face looked. And yet, it was the same girl.

  She smiled, and closed her eyes. “Doesn’t that sound wonderful, Pent?”

  A dream world. Pent was a warrior, and he had a sense for danger. And something about this was triggering that sense. “It would, but what does a dream world even mean?” He asked.

  She removed her hand and began to float in the air, gliding around him. “My powers offer me mastery of nightmares. But after experimenting with my powers obtained from the Goddess of Light, I can manipulate those nightmares. They can be pleasant, peaceful...serene. Everyone will exist in an eternal dream.”

  There it was. The catch to it all. “You mean to put us into eternal slumber, then.”

  Formetis nodded. “14 years ago, I saw the world engulfed in darkness. Humans and Demons locked in eternal strife. There would never be peace, unless I brought it. I would see that everyone slept, and in their dreams they would see paradise.”

  Pent sniffed. “You would rob us of our freedom?”

  Formetis turned to him, the radiant glow illuminating her face. “You have done that to yourselves. Every life you take with your incessant fighting robs them of their freedom. Why? All creatures should live equal. In this dream world, everyone will be happy.”

  A world where everyone was happy? Pent tried to imagine what that would be like. What would his be? Would he be locked in endless combat for eternity, seeking glory? Or would be surrounded by friends and loved ones?

  It was too much for Pent to think about right now. Not while he was in this strange place, staring down a goddess.

  Formetis turned away from him, hands clasped behind her back. “I tried to enact this plan all those years ago and they called me a monster. My own ally turned against me. In my anger, I almost killed him. My only friend in the world. Tell me, what would you do if half the world was evil and half the world was innocent?”

  Pent walked up to join her. “The same thing I’ve been doing up until now. I will protect those important to me.”

  “And if those important to you are the ones considered evil?”

  Pent started suddenly. That question had caught him off guard. “I don’t know.”

  Formetis sighed. “And that is why mortals are flawed. They fight for what they believe is right, even if it can be considered evil.”

  “I see. You want to leave all the thinking to the gods then?”

  “Precisely.”

  “You realize what that will mean, yes?” Pent said. He knew firsthand the drive for freedom. “People will fight against you.”

  Formetis let out a laugh. Pent shivered, for he did not recognize this sound. It was different from the girl he had first met in Frostclaw village. It reminded him that this person was a divine being.

  “If they fight, they will lose. But what will you do, Pent?”

  “I’d rather not fight. But I’d rather not sleep for eternity,” Pent said simply.

  Formetis began walking towards him slowly, and Pent tensed up, placing his hand on his weapon. But he couldn’t bring himself to draw. She saw this, and asked, “Would it not be better for you to be able to feel no strife, no suffering...merely happiness?”

  “The cost of freedom is a high one these days, but we all fight for it nonetheless.”

  But Formetis shook her head. “This is not true. Years ago, I recall seeing that the people just want to live in peace. They did not care who or what was in charge as long as they were safe.The trouble arose when those with ambitions began to vie for power. They took it upon themselves to disrupt the world, all for their own glory. Such things would never occur in the Eternal Slumber.”

  The Eternal Slumber. Hearing it said out loud by her, it did seem peaceful. Living a simulated life. But Pent knew better. “You don’t actually believe that, do you?”

  The girl was silent for a moment. “I did. I truly did. And yet, it was the beginning of my end. When I told this to Kataro, he disagreed with me. He called my plan madness. I...struck out at him. Perhaps I had descended into madness in my many years…”

  Pent paled. This revelation came as a shock to him. This girl, she was immortal. She had existed since the beginning of time, and she would continue on long after he was dead. What could a mortal like him ever hope to be to her?

  “What happened afterwards?” Pent asked, curious.

  “I nearly killed Kataro, but he managed to evade me. When he returned, he had brought the greatest of the mortal champions. Xehemoth the Eternal, Master Inferno and Thomas Durail to fight alongside him to stop me.”

  Pent stepped backwards. “Thomas Durail? The Mad Emperor?”

  Formetis smiled. “When enemies are threatened by an even greater enemy, they often become allies. It seems I was the greatest threat to the world, according to them. They defeated me. Kataro spared me the killing blow, only to be betrayed by Durail, who ended my life. You know the rest.”

  An alliance of convenience...was that what Max and Keta had been to Pent? That was certainly how it had been, he realized. He wondered where the pair of them had ended up after they had entered the fog.

  Pent didn’t have time to worry about them right now though. He needed to find out something. “Do you still intend to put us all into this Eternal Slumber?”

  Formetis shook her head. “No. Perhaps it was my time amongst Master Inferno and the others. Perhaps it was because I lived as a mortal. But I do not believe my former solution was a good one. It was borne of good intentions, but ignorant of mortal logic. Kataro...was right to oppose me.”

  There was such sadness in her voice that Pent wanted to move forward to console her. But… “So what happens now?” Pent asked. The two of them locked eyes, and he could see a hard edge in them. He was certain he would not like the answer. But before he could get one, the two of them were interrupted.

  “Well, isn’t this interesting.”

  21

  The strange new voice startled Pent, and he whirled around to find it’s source. How had someone managed to sneak up on him? Did this place dull his senses somehow? Regardless, he peered through the infinite white and got a visual of someone.

  Someone was walking
towards them. It was a woman, draped in an ivory dress. Like everyone Pent seemed to meet these days, she had the same silver hair and gold eyes that Keta had. Could she have been a Kitaan like Keta?

  She smiled at him, a lovely smile. Unfortunately, he could see in her eyes the truth hidden behind it. Maliciousness. She was beautiful, but not in a good way. Like a predator in the moonlight, poised to strike.

  Pent was frozen in place as she approached. She wasn’t a girl like Formetis, but a grown woman. The way she carried herself, those long legs moving gracefully through the mist. Pent was enthralled. Or ensorcelled. He shook his head, trying to clear his mind.

  “Who are you?” he asked, finding his voice.

  The woman had been walking towards Formetis, he realized. When he spoke, her eyes widened and she raised a gloved hand to her mouth. “Huh? What is this? Has this mortal deigned to speak before being spoken to? How brazen they have become in the years I have been locked away.”

  Pent should have held his tongue, but he wanted to hear her say it anyways. “Are you like Formetis?” Pent asked.

  The woman stared at him with a blank look. Finally, she raised a hand. There was a shimmer in the air, and a sword materialized. She grabbed it and pointed it towards Pent. “The mortal will kneel when addressing me,” she said, with a grin.

  Pent growled and drew Abyss and pointed it in a familiar challenge. “I don’t take condescension very well, lady. Now I will ask you again, and this time I expect a real answer,” Pent said.

  The woman held his gaze for a while. Her grin split into laughter. She waved her hand and the sword vanished into thin air. She turned to Formetis. “Where did you find this one? I like him. He has fire. And for that reason alone, I will allow this one instance of insolence. Very well, my name is Kalezstros. To you uncultured mortals, I am the Goddess of War.”

  And she left him, striding towards Formetis. Pent’s sword arm lowered. His eyes were on this woman, but he couldn’t find the resolve to move. Keta had said that they would be up against a goddess. He never said anything about there being two of them.

  “That mortal called you Formetis. Why do you look different, dear sister?” The divine being called Kalezstros kneeled and held out a hand to Formetis. The girl hesitated briefly, but accepted.

  Pent’s mind was racing. This was bad, wasn’t it? This feeling, this tension that he felt around Kalezstros was different than the one he felt with Formetis. She was dangerous. That ability to summon weapons from nothing was troubling, but the way she held the blade more so. She was versed in the way of battle.

  This was a true goddess of war.

  “I remember you,” Formetis said, her voice hollow. Pent could see the fear in her eyes. “I...sealed you away.”

  “I know you did, dear. I have no idea why you chose to side with Elthea when we were on the verge of victory. You cost me my conquest, Xalphora. A conquest you started alongside me,” Kalezstros said.

  “Xalphora…” Formetis said, sounding it out as a child would. She was staring at the ground now. “That was my name, wasn’t it?”

  Kalezstros frowned. She raised a hand to her chin, and took another good look at Formetis. “Whatever happened to you, sister? You are not the same as you were back then. Your essence is weaker. You no longer look as radiant. In fact...you look like one of the Children of Light.”

  “It’s because she was reincarnated,” Pent found himself saying. Kalezstros turned to him, eyebrows narrowed by the interruption. Pent was annoyed at being ignored. “She was this world’s protector for a long time, if the stories are true. And then she was betrayed.”

  And the entire story came out, the one he had heard from Formetis herself. How she had been killed by the Humans and revived as one by her Kitaan, and had spent the last 14 years as Formetis. The goddess listened intently through the whole thing.

  When he was done, Kalezstros shook her head. “I always did warn that the mortals would one day seek to destroy us. It was the reason why I carried forth the mortal purifications,” Kalezstros said. She cracked a smile, a glint in her eye. “Well, one of them anyways.”

  The way she phrased that pressed Pent to ask, “And the other?”

  The woman turned to him, her eyes dancing. “Why, for the thrill of battle, of course. I am the goddess of war after all. I exist to bring conflict and fighting to the realms. What other purpose would I serve?”

  Pent did not know how to respond to that. His family had been religious, believing in the higher powers. Pent had always denounced them. What divine being could allow his people to be mistreated so?

  But he had been proven wrong. Now he was standing in the presence of two of the divine creatures. If she was the goddess of war and that was her purpose, who was he to deny her?

  She must have sensed the doubt in him, for she glided towards him. Pent flinched as she reached out a hand and touched his cheek, holding it in a tender embrace. “I can sense a warrior’s resolve in you. You crave battle as I do. You would make an excellent champion for me.”

  Pent could do nothing in reaction. He realized that he was feeling a mixture of awe and fear. Kalezstros seemed to peer into his very soul. She laughed, and removed her hand. “Well, perhaps when you have a few more years on you. You are still just a child.”And she left him, returning to Formetis.

  “I have waited too long. You sealed me away, leaving me with nothing but emptiness in the Realm of the Heavens. The mortals have been free to exist without regulation. They must be dealt with, and I am the best way to oblige,” Kalezstros said.

  “What will you do?” Formetis said in a low whisper.

  “What indeed. Hmm. Well, what purpose would it serve to think so far ahead? Why not just head out and begin the slaughter? I always think best after a good battle.”

  “I’m afraid I cannot allow that,” Pent said. The words had come out before he had thought it through. Damn it all, he was starting to sound like Keta.

  The goddess sighed and whirled around. “You sound like a Kitaan. I always did hate Kataro. He never let me fulfill my true purpose. I was his deity and he defied me. What insolence,” Kalezstros said, her voice full of irritation.

  Pent was still trying to understand everything that was going on. This woman was the goddess to whom he was most attuned. He knew the thrill of battle and she knew his worth. This was a true goddess of the Demon clans. But what would a future ruled by such a person be?

  “Tell me, mortal. What will you do?”

  Pent was broken out of his thoughts when Kalezstros addressed him. “What?”

  The goddess moved towards him with graceful steps. “I’m going to raze this world and bring in a new era. Are you interested in being my herald of war?”

  Pent shook his head. “You are correct about one thing. I am like you, in that I crave battle. But I feel nothing for war.”

  “How droll. Then you’ll end up dead like the others.” Kalezstros raised her hand. She summoned a sword again, and ran at him.

  Pent lifted his sword to block, and realized he had underestimated Kalezstros. He was flung off the ground with one swing through the air, though he managed to stay upright, landing awkwardly. This woman’s appearance was deceptive. She seemed to possess monstrous strength.

  “Was that it, dear? I expected more out of you,” came the mocking voice, followed by a laugh. Pent grunted, pulling himself up and readying his weapons. Damn it all, that hurt. But he couldn’t show weakness now.

  “Oh? I was wondering if you’d be too frightened to fight back. Good, ”

  Pent rushed at Kalezstros, but before he could do anything, Formetis called out. “Stop it! Please don’t hurt him!”

  Formetis had gotten to her feet and was staring at the fight, her eyes wide with concern. Pent leapt aside to avoid a slashing sword, and he looked up at his attacker, only now noticing it. Kalezstros had a look of madness upon her face.

  “I haven’t been in a fight since you trapped me, sister. My appetite must be sated.�
�

  Pent realized that he was outmatched the moment their swords collided. The two had crossed swords for mere seconds. He wasn’t exactly sure when he noticed, but the revelation was disheartening. Abyss was torn from his grip, sent flying away from him. He stumbled, his arm stinging from the impact.

  Pent held Susanoo in front of him to protect him from the next attack. It was useless. His guard was broken, and the weapon dropped from his hand as his arm went numb, forcing him to one knee.

  Pent stared up at the woman attacking him. The woman wasn’t even trying very hard. Those last two attacks had been merely a simple flick of her wrist. He leapt backwards quickly to gain distance. But he hadn’t expected the woman to keep up with him, as she towered over him. This is bad.

  “Poor thing, you’ve no idea what you’ve come up against, have you?” Kalezstros said, her weapon vanishing as she put her hands on her hips. “Tell me something, did you really expect to win against a goddess?”

  Despite the situation, Pent allowed himself some defiance. “Maybe. To be blunt, I didn’t believe in the gods until a while ago. I sort of figured I could take one on,” Pent said truthfully.

  Kalezstros fixed him with a stare, and then laughed. “Xalphora, this mortal is delightful. I almost don’t want to kill him. But I can see it in his eyes. He’ll keep resisting me until his dying breath.”

  She reached out with great speed and her hand clamped around his throat. Pent was lifted in the air, gasping as his legs dangled underneath him. He grabbed at the arm, but he could not force the woman to release her grip. “Might as well remedy that here and now.”

  “No please! Don’t kill him!” Pent could hear Formetis yelling, and it sounded closer. But Kalezstros held tight. Pent’s vision began to blur. Was this how he was going to die?

  Ha. What a way to die. Being killed by the Goddess of War. There was no greater honor to a warrior. And so, Pent accepted his death as a flash of white consumed him and he dropped to the floor.

  But why did death seem like he was simply in pain? Was he to be tortured for all eternity due to his questionable actions in life?