Cale felt his body fall through an endless void. The darkness seemed cold and suffocating, scratching his skin like invisible claws. His cries were silent, stuck in his throat by the crushing weight of fear. The feeling of falling finally ceased when he hit the ground hard together with Aries. The impact was less thanks to the strong body of Aries that held it firmly.
Still, the air escaped from his lungs in a painful groan.
Raising his head, Cale found himself on top of Aries, who held him firmly. Some scratches were visible on his face, but the surprise to see Aries reacting quickly to protect him was most impressive.
"Damn... are you okay, little dragon?"
"Shut up", growled Aries, grunting while sitting on the floor. "Get off me!"
"Well, and I thought it was some comfortable upholstery. A shame to leave my place so soon."
He tried to get up, but his arms and legs were weak. Aries growled and easily pulled his arm, causing both of them to get up. Okay, your body was betraying your brain, and that was embarrassing.
Although that was the least of your problems now.
The words "cursed" resounded in his mind with unbelief. Why did the Herald of Judgment come up to punish him? He did nothing... his whole life was wrapped in happiness and calm in his village. Perhaps his only sin was the naivety of a life full of peace.
"Hey, kid..." a familiar voice whispered.
Aries stood beside him with his face contorted in restrained fury. His hand was in the grip of the sword, green eyes sweeping the environment as if seeking an invisible enemy. On the other side, Yvaine stood up slowly, her silver hair stained with dirt and her eyes flickering with a dim and trembling light.
They were in a twisted and hideous place. The sky was a swirl of purple clouds, violet lightning crossed the horizon, and distant screams echoed everywhere. Broken towers and dry trees dot the desolate landscape, their shapes reminiscent of skeletal hands trying to escape the earth.
"Where are we?" murmured Cale, still panting, "The backyard of an emo god?"
"In the domain of Nuria," replied Yvaine, with eyes fixed on the horizon. "The world of the dead and chaos."
"Why were you dragged?"
Aries turned to him furiously.
"Why? Because of you, of course! If a master is imprisoned, subordinates also suffer the same consequences."
"Enough, Aries", Yvaine interrupted him. "We have to be careful now, since Nuria is sneaky with his prey."
As she had warned, shadowy creatures came from every corner, as if they were hypnotized and attracted to them. Aries finally let out his frustration by swinging the sword and destroying the creatures, preventing them from approaching.
"Damn... This goes far beyond what you saw, Yvaine!" roar Aries, standing in front of Cale preventing one of the creatures to attack him. "Why are we in the kingdom of an exiled superior god?!"
"Honestly, there are many things that were not shown to me in my predictions" Yvaine commented, using her own magic to aid Aries with enemies. "I can only imagine that there is much for which we should pay attention."
"Oh, really?!" Aries growled, brandishing his sword, cutting the creature in half.
Behind them, Cale trembled unable to do anything. The feeling was the same as when full of Othea's Academy, to be an ant about to be trampled before the divine presence of all there. And those monsters... were scary in an unimaginable way.
"Hey, kid, how about lifting your ass up and helping?"
"My training is to run and make threatening face. But good luck there."
Aries let out a grunt of frustration, but didn't have time to bounce when more creatures gathered around them. For the first time in his life, Cale felt helpless to help. Fighting was never something he wanted, as he always hated violence. But now he understood that he needed to protect himself.
The taste of relying on the strength of others was bitter.
They fought those creatures for a long time, though they had no idea how far a clock would have walked. However, they were tired and hurt by trying to survive in that world while Cale tried to find a way out.
A fog intensified and spread by the monsters paralyzing them. Confused, the two Theiodesmos looked around without knowing exactly what was happening. So they retreated to near Cale.
A low and cruel laugh echoed through the mist.
"Welcome, my dear guests."
Suddenly the air around them filled with oppressive pressure, and a tall figure emerged from the darkness. Nuria, the god of chaos, was there. His cracked gray skin shone under the lightning, and his golden eyes burned with restrained madness. His smile was a cruel cut on his face.
Its history was well known among the gods and demigods. The one who was part of Keonna, but lived in exile because of his ambition and lack of control. Parents always asked their children to behave, or they would receive a visit from Nuria in their dreams.
Seeing him in person... was horrible.
"Cale Arkalis, the cursed coward", murmured Nuria, tilting his head like a predator examining a frail prey, "You brought company. How lovely."
Cale felt the fear creep through his veins like poison. His breathing became irregular, his heart pounding. He wanted to run, hide, but his legs were trapped by absolute terror.
"Let them go, Nuria!" roared Aries, pulling his sword and positioning himself in front of Cale, "If you want someone to torture, choose someone to your height."
Nuria laughed, a cold and empty sound.
"And where was the fun in that?", he snapped his fingers, and chains of shadows sprang from the ground, trapping Aries and Yvaine.
"No!", cried Cale, trying to move, but his body did not obey.
The chains tightened around the wrists and ankles of Aries and Yvaine, forcing them to kneel. Nuria approached Cale, his eyes shining with a perverse satisfaction.
"You tremble even in the presence of despair. Is that what the blessings of the universe are made of?"
Nuria reached out his hand, and a wave of pain went through Cale's body. It was as if a thousand needles were piercing his skin, burning and freezing at the same time. He shouted, his back bowing in agony.
"Cale!" Yvaine cried, her voice filled with despair. She struggled against the chains but was too weak.
Aries clenched his teeth, his muscles trembling as he tried to break free.
"Let him go, you bastard!", roared Aries, his eyes burning with an imposing rage.
Nuria smiled, satisfied with the pain he caused.
"Do you feel it?", he whispered, "It's the taste of hopelessness. The cruel truth that you have no power here."
He then snapped his fingers again. The chains tightened even more, causing Aries and Yvaine to scream in pain.
"You will watch as I break your beloved master. I've been waiting centuries for a chance, and finally...", Nuria held Cale's chin up to force him to face it, " ... I finally have the weakness of Ereghast."
Even in the midst of the gnawing pain, something began to awaken in Cale. A remnant of resistance, a small but stubborn flame. He could not bear to see Yvaine and Aries suffering for his cause.
"S-Stop..." he whispered, his voice trembling.
Nuria leaned, his cruel smile widening.
"What? Will you beg for mercy?"
"No...", Cale raised his eyes, the purple orbs shining with a fragile determination, "Let... they... go..."
Nuria laughed again, but this time there was a slight note of surprise.
"Interesting. Even trembling with fear, you still dare to challenge me? A cursed fellow like you?"
Before Cale could answer, a burst of golden light tore through the gloomy sky. A fiery figure descended like a meteor, the heat of its presence dissipating the darkness around.
"Enough, Nuria!" Krynt's voice, the god of war, resounded like thunder.
Krynt landed on the ground with a bang, the light radiating from him like a rising sun. His overwhelming presence made Nuria step back for a moment, his eyes narrow in irritation.
"Come to get your daughter, Krynt?", murmured Nuria. "Was this forced or is it part of a deal?"
Krynt ignored the provocation and focused on Yvaine, who was pale and wounded.
"Yvaine, I'm here. I'll get you out of this hell."
"It's very bold of you to say that will save your daughter, while her master is in greater danger, you know?" Nuria continued to provoke.
Krynt cast a sharp, cold look at Cale, who could barely move. The disdain of the higher god was freezing. Cale did not feel that the higher god wanted to save him, but he felt a little hope in seeing him there.
Maybe now they can come back! And everything will be resolved as a misunderstanding!
"Get that goo of yours out of her, Nuria."
"Oh, don't be like that", Nuria smiled, creating more monsters around them. "Let's create a play where it is realistic to try to rescue them, yes?"
The higher god roared and called his sword immediately to fight. Unlike Aries and Yvaine, Krynt could get rid of the monsters easily thanks to his enormous strength. Of course, Nuria was already prepared and ordered his monsters to attack Cale and the subordinates, freeing them from chains to see them, purposely, fight for survival.
As expected, Krynt was angry to see Yvaine fighting to protect Cale from Aries. Krynt advanced against the monsters, shooting at Nuria for a divine clash.
During the confrontation between the gods, Cale saw an opportunity. He managed to get rid of the chains that imprisoned him, when Nuria weakened after receiving a blow. Immediately the boy went to the two subordinates, freeing them from the shadows that insisted on hindering their movements and preventing them from fighting.
Even though his hands were burning, Cale tore those shadows with all his strength. Just a little help from the coward, enough for Yvaine to hold his wrist and keep it close to him, while Aries made his way to Krynt.
"Father, let's go before he recovers", screamed Yvaine when Nuria was thrown away.
Using a crystal to open a portal, Krynt stepped to the side giving passage to the three young men, but when the two Theiodesmos preferred that the first to pass was Cale, Krynt was quick. Using that same sword, Krynt threw it against Cale's shoulder.
It was so fast, that Cale took time to understand that the left arm flying in front of him was his.
"AAAAAAAH!"
The pain echoed in Aries and Yvaine, pulled by the bond like invisible blades. As if all that was not absurd enough, the betrayal came cold, right — and from a god.
"What the hell was that?! Are you lost your mind?!"
"Father!! What are you doing?"
"We don't need a cursed one."
Aries gritted his teeth, turning to face the higher god.
"What the hell is this!! You know that without a master we—"
Krynt silenced him by beating his neck and knocking him unconscious. He was annoyed, and did the same with Yvaine when she intended to protest. Holding the two Theiodesmos under his arms, Krynt did not even bother to face Cale, lying in a pool of blood.
Despair bit his insides. The chest stuttered, the hands crawled through the earth as if they could grab salvation in the void. Cale raised his head from the ground and reached out towards the portal, but Nuria's shadows grabbed his legs and began to hold him even more in place. The dread rose like an intense and icy shiver.
"Wait for me.... Please... save me!"
Krynt looked over his shoulder, and just said one thing before he went through the portal:
"Do your part, Nuria."
The purplish mist of the portal enveloped Krynt with the two unconscious subordinates. His stoic figure disappeared without waiting for Cale, nor showing mercy letting him be eaten alive by the shadows.
Cale was alone, lying in the cold and gloomy earth with the creatures preventing him from moving. Nuria smiled, his eyes shining with triumph.
"You are more interesting than I thought", muttered Nuria, slowly approaching. He bent down, the macabre face a few hundred meters from Cale. "Now... let's have fun."
Why was this happening? Why didn't anyone want to save him? He didn't understand... He just wanted to come home.
The fear returned with full force, but behind it, a fragile flame still burned.