The God Breaker's Ruin

by Billy Spencer

  Jenni and Nick entered the light after her and exited in front of a large house that was floating in the middle of nowhere, trees, and farm animals surrounding it.

  “Welcome to the House of Mysteries. It’s been a while since I had guests,” Mary said snapping her fingers. Chairs flew from the house and snatched the three of them. They flew back into the house and the door shut as they entered. The house began to spin slowly and sped up with each passing second and then disappeared.

  27

  The three of them entered a large living room that was surrounded by bookshelf's that reached the top of the walls and arched up into the ceiling itself. Many different artifacts were around the room, a dagger in a glass case protected by magic, a helmet that lit up when they entered the space, and had small wings on each side. A spear was held by a statue of a woman who stood tall, also wearing a bow and lasso on her hip. A few cats laid on the sofas and different statues with armor were scattered around, it was like visiting a museum.

  “This is awesome,” Nick said taking off his coat. He began to look for a coat rack, one showed up and snatched it from his hand. “This would take me some getting use to, objects moving on their own.”

  “Be careful what you touch, the both of you,” Mary said walking up the stairs and into a room.

  Jenni and Nick sat down on one of the sofas, the sounds of music started to play from upstairs. “It’s good to know she can be calm with everything that is going on,” He said petting one of the nearby cats.

  “Wasn’t the first time she went against people that wanted to run her out of town. I would listen to her stories, she showed me her burned marks, her scars that she had on her arms,” Jenni said.

  “Burned marks from what?” He asked scratching the side of his head.

  “Can’t tell you Nick, not my place, and it isn’t my story to tell. Just know that the old girl has a lot of fights in her, she is a fierce woman who would stand up against any odds and come out with only a few scratches. People have tried to take her down but she always gets back up,” Jenni said smiling and looking upstairs.

  “Just sucks she has to go through all this in the undercity. She didn’t do anything, harm anyone, and just gets attacked for being a human. But even on the topside, she got treated badly, it isn’t right,” He said squeezing his hands into a fist. He felt familiar with the hate that Mary was going through, not on the same level but it was something he had to deal with many times during his life. Some kids would see him as not belonging and to go back to where he belonged, or that he was a nerd for liking games and drawing cartoons. The kids would shove him, intimidate him, call him names in front of others. He felt fear every day for many years until he broke free and felt enough was enough.

  “People will be people, and it’s our job to make sure kids and teens don’t end up like dip shits. The adults are already a lost cause, but every moment we get a tiny bit better, we just can’t let the darkness distract us from following the light,” Jenni said petting the cat that was next to her.

  Nick got up from the sofa, his eyes darted towards the glass case that held the golden helmet.” Infinite knowledge, power unbroken, a sorcerer trapped, do not wear. That’s a weird warning,”.He took the glass off the case gently, looking at Jenni and seeing her disapproval made him even more eager to see what it was. Resting his hand on the smooth surface, the eyes started to lit up and grabbed his attention, and held him. All he could do was stare into the light like he was starring into the sun. Jenni tried to grab him and move his body but he would not be budged, she rushed upstairs to get Mary.

  YOU DARE AWAKEN ME, THE HELMET OF DIVINE?

  I didn’t mean to, it was just calling to me.

  THE LAST PERSON WHO WORE ME ON THEIR HEAD ENDED UP CRAZY AFTER A FEW YEARS. ARE YOU ANOTHER MORTAL WHO WISHES TO DELVE INTO THE WORLD OF MAGIC, TO HAVE ABILITIES TO GO AGAINST EVEN THE MIGHTIEST OF SORCERERS?

  I don’t want magic. I don’t like to use it, and I don’t need to be mighty. I just need help with a death, to solve it, to bring justice into the world.

  YOU DON'T WANT MAGIC BUT INSTEAD JUSTICE, THAT IS A ANSWER I WAS NOT PREPARED FOR. I CAN SENSE DARKNESS IN YOU, BUT THE LIGHT ALSO BURNS. OH, YOU ARE GOING TO BE AN INTERESTING ONE.

  Help me, the aerion, they died in a dark damp corner of a shit hole. Just help me.

  SILENCE BOY. I DO NOT BEND FOR YOU. BUT AN AERION DEAD IS OF INTEREST TO ME.

  A cult did it. I‘m not sure who but the cult symbol had tentacles, the symbol of the grinning king. Mary couldn’t help us. Help me, please.

  THE GRINNING KING, WELL THAT CHANGES EVERYTHING.

  Mary grabbed Nick away from the helmet of the divine. “You idiot boy you could have gone mad, what the hell were you thinking?” Mary asked slapping him across the face. “Read the warning, it is not a joke do you want to lose yourself?”

  “Be nice to the boy, he was fine, he didn’t take the bait. Go now Mary, go show the boy the book of elders,” The Helmet of Divine said letting out a chuckle. “Your age is getting to you if you forgot about that book, get on now and be careful.”

  “You scared the fuck out of me, you were in some sort of trance,” Jenni said grabbing Nick and hugging him.

  “The book of elders, what is that?” Nick asked turning to look for Mary and seeing her go to a bookshelf and taking out a large book that was black and had a lock on it.

  “The book of elders is the stories that you would tell your nightmares about. They are not to take lightly. They are dangerous stories that even humans tried to bury, and if the helmet of divine wants to help you, then I guess you are crazier than you look,” Mary said grabbing a dial from a bookshelf, placing it on the lock, and twisting it until it eventually opened.

  Nick looked at the book as it opened. It held many images of people who went crazy, who killed themselves or engaged in murders, or violent sexual acts. He saw monsters with fangs all over their bodies, and blood dripping from their limbs and faces. “These are monsters, but I have never seen any of them before in stories or history books topside, or the undercity. Why does it have the sins of mortals in the book Mary?” Nick said, looking through the pages inside the book.

  Mary grabbed the book from Nick and went to a table laying the book to a page that was titled The King of Grins, The King of Lies, The Grinning King of Minds and Souls. “I heard you talk about the Grinning King, not the first time their named was mentioned, but it’s one I always feared, and I make it a habit to not remember, so I’m sorry if I was no real help before.”

  “Can you tell us about them, Mary? Why would they show up topside?” Jenni asked sitting down next to Mary.

  “Yea, why would they want to be topside. We don’t have anything to offer. Do they just want to cause chaos, to see us suffer more?” He said sitting down across from Mary. The look of worry spread across her face. Nick knew whoever this being was, they were bad, but he didn’t know how bad.

  Mary leaned back in her chair and stared at the ceiling. “Humans would follow anyone that would go against the norm. They don’t just want to cause chaos, they want revenge. The Grinning King was the first.”

  “The first what?” Nick said rubbing his cheeks with his fingertips. The first monster to enter the world? Maybe they were first to go against to usual, kind of like rebelling against the usually boring life.

  “The Grinning King was the first mortal. He was the first to be damned,” Mary replied.

  The Grinning King was a mortal that followed all that God themselves asked of him, to be a loyal being. Eventually, he would ask questions about life, the future, and his purpose. God would tell him the time hasn't come. He saw the fruits spreading, the animals showing up in the world and eventually, there was a woman. A woman that he would feel to be a soul mate.

  “After the death of Eve, he grew mad by the day. Noone to talk to, to express love, to dream with. He was isolated for hundreds of years. Every single time he would speak to God, he would get the same answer. The time has
not come, and Adam would wait and wait, but his heart darken, and he questioned God more and more,” Mary said rubbing her forehead.

  “Why would he just keep waiting?” Jenni asked.

  “When you love someone, and I mean really love someone, you hang on to every word they say. You would think that they had your best interest at heart. Adam felt if he kept waiting, and following what God said, he would be rewarded,” Mary said staring at the ceiling. “Rewards are meant for those who did what was asked without question.”

  “Rewarded? It seemed he was punished, for being curious,” He said looking at the book and seeing an image of a figure in a red robe that shrouded their body and face.

  “Truth is God left him. He would come every few hundred years to make sure Adam was still there, but for the most part, they had abandoned him,” Mary said.

  Nick got up and slammed the book shut. “What do you mean left him, how can you forget a whole world that you built. The animals and beings that you put there and you just take off.”

  “Wasn’t just a world, it was a whole universe,” Mary said starring at Nick.

  Nick stepped back a little from what Mary said. His mind tried to grasp how someone could leave a whole universe to fend for themselves. He kept thinking about how Adam was, and what became of that person, and how they became The Grinning King. Looking at the king's wicked smile and bright eyes sent shivers down his back.

  “A whole universe to be left in the darkness with no light,” he said pacing back and forth. “I don’t think I could ever do something so merciless, there has to be a reason.”

  “It wasn’t an easy choice, but it was a choice that was made and a sin that God bears,” Mary said getting up and closing the book.

  “So what happened to The Grinning King, I mean Adam?” Nick said folding his arms.

  Mary was silent for a few moments, she walked to the bookshelf to put the book back in its place. She then looked at Nick and then Jenni. “He came into your realm before the awakening and plagued mankind. He wanted to kill everyone and he almost did until God struck him down. The Grinning King was evil, and the only way to deal with him was to spread his essence to every person in the world, to lessen his power. So to answer a question you may have, yes, each human has a piece of The Grinning King inside of them, each has sinned.”

  “So the cultist, they need to harvest people to try and make him whole. Whoever is behind this killed the aerion, as revenge, as a way to appease this evil master they are trying to bring forth,” Nick said starring at Mary.

  He could feel a knot form inside him, thinking about The Grinning King and what he could have done to others. His phone began to ring, it was officer Bran. He probably had important information for him. “What is it, officer Bran?” Nick said speaking into the phone.

  “There's a girl here, Janet got hurt when we were searching for her, she's in the hospital right now, but she will be okay. I just wanted to let you know the girl saw the murder in the undercity, you need to hear this, come alone,” Bran was speaking so fast it took Nick a minute to process everything. He could hear a woman whimpering in the background.

  “Jenni I got to go meet Bran, it’s urgent,” Nick said putting the phone back into his pocket.

  “I can come with you, you may need my help,” Jenni said.

  “As much as I would love that, he wanted me to come alone. Don’t worry I will let you know what I find out but I need you to try and find more about this new cult that is rising, who wants to aid The Grinning King,” He said walking towards the entrance of the house.

  “Don’t let your guard down, be careful even topside. It isn’t safe right now, and if you come back to the undercity, watch your back. Those vorpals are getting pretty aggressive after that boy's murder,” Mary said sitting down at a table drinking from a bottle.

  Nick exited the house, Lightsworn on his back, ready for a battle. A battle that he could feel coming in his body if he didn’t try to stop it. He knew the dangers that he was getting himself into, but he hoped whatever officer Bran wanted to show him when it came to the undercity murders, he hoped it was something useful. There was still a dead aerion and not one suspect.

  28

  She slowly entered Cameron's shop through an opened window.No lights were on but the backroom and the air were cold and smelled of cinnamon. It was a familiar, but unfamiliar place. Reminded her of when she was human and going to the movies with friends. They would hang out and play the arcade games while eating popcorn and drowning their mouths with soda and sweet tea.

  “Who are you?”

  Startled, Veronica pushed the woman against the wall. She held her blade against the woman's throat. “The old man, where is he?” she demanded. “Tell me, I need to talk to him, right now.”

  “Names Cameron, let Abigail down now, or do you want to face me again?” he said holding a large two-handed hammer resting over his shoulder.

  She let go of Abigail slowly and turned around taking off her mask and tossing it to the floor. “The human I fought, where is he? I need to talk to him too.”

  He grabbed Abigail and motioned her to go into the back room. “He’s not here, now you can leave. You have no business here, you attacked a friend of mine and tried to kill him.”

  Veronica slowly walked towards Cameron who was tensed and gripped his hammer from over his shoulder. His eyes narrowed on her. She had never seen him with the other god breakers, she would have known. “You were a god breaker at one time. Your armor, your weapon, it all points to it,” she said placing her hand on the head of the hammer.

  “God breakers are the bastard version of The Dawn of The Light. They only take, and they take our armor, and emblems, and use our image, and taint it. I left the dawn long ago, and I will not have anyone think I was a breaker,” Cameron said lowering his hammer. His eyes tightened, his mouth like stone. Bringing up the god breakers seemed to cause him immense irritation.

  She only heard stories of The Dawn of The Light. Warriors who went into battle with the darkness to protect the realms, to aid God in any way possible. Why would someone so high up on the chain live a normal life, a boring life? She thought.

  “Why protect the mortals?” Veronica said rubbing her neck. She went to sit down on a stool at the bar table.

  Cameron leaned against the table, facing her. “I would protect anyone that was an innocent mortal or an eternal. Unlike the higher-ups and the breakers, I care about what I represent,” Cameron said letting out a chuckle.

  When God created the universe, man took the creation and bent it to their view. To set the world on a course to have those with power remain in power and those who do not, have them follow as sheep until they are not needed. People are born into the world, without choice, without knowledge. Over the course of years, they learn happiness, fear, and betrayal. Some are vipers who would slit your throat when walking home in the dead of night. Others turn away and close their ears, to avoid hearing the screams. See what you want, and hear what you do not.

  “The human you were protecting, did he kill someone in the undercity?” Veronica said rubbing her hands together.

  “Nick only wants to help, I don’t see him fighting, or killing unless it is the absolute last option. He finds killers, and right now, he’s trying to find out who killed an aerion,” Cameron said walking behind the counter.

  “Damn, just great. So I was attacking the wrong person. I thought he killed Jake, they said he was with someone, and I thought, why would any human aside from one other person go into the undercity and start causing trouble,” she said thumping her forehead against the table.

  Cameron turned around and gave Veronica a glass of water. “We’re all still getting used to this. I’m sorry for what happened to your friend, but Nick didn’t do anything, boy can barely fight,” Cameron said laughing.

  Veronica let out a soft chuckle. It was true, he had sloppy awareness and footwork, but he tried, and that’s more than most.

  “There ya go, we
’re not so bad and rotten. In all seriousness, you need to just relax a bit young lady,” Cameron said.

  She let out a sigh and thought a bit about Chris. She didn’t understand her total hatred when it came to humans, why she found them disgusting. They were always flesh beings that tried to find the good in life, who tried to help others but when she was a human all she would see was the bad side of being mortal. This old man sees the world better than I do, he’s been around longer, and still, he hasn’t let the world change him. I wonder why, how? She thought.

  Cameron grabbed some red liquid and mixed it with water, and some sugar then handed it to Veronica. “You must be tired, you look like it. This isn’t much, but it is some blood, always have a bit in case vorpals hang out for a while. They can get pretty dramatic when they are left too long without feeding,” Cameron said cracking a smile. A sweet old man who shows kindness.Not something usual when it came to strangers.

  “I’m sorry. About the girl, and your friend Nick,” she said lowering her head in shame. Abigail didn’t deserve her aggression, her anger.

  “No worries young lady. I’m just very protective of Abigail, she is all that I have after all. I’m sure you have someone that you would fight to the end for.”

  Her first thought was of Domina, and then Jenni. She could feel her heart began to swell with the thought of an old friend that just left. Jenni meant the world to her when she was human. She loved her to death and would think about the movies they would go see together, and the nights they would sneak out to go to parties and just be by each other, two beings that were glued to each other.

  “They’re very lucky to have you,” Veronica said getting up from the stool and walking towards the entrance of the shop. “I appreciate you being so open and welcoming to me. I know I came off as the worse, but I just lost my friend, and it’s just a lot. It doesn’t excuse how I was acting.”