lovest harding
The history and future of a god…
The world spun dizzily around her. She lost her balance and fell. Flashes of light shook her body, striking her over and over again. She fought against the winds dragging her down. Her stomach lurched and she could feel it ready to give way.
Her thoughts searched for something to hold on to, something solid to find peace in. Her eyes shined a bright light into the dark around her and she found a memory. Applause broke the silence and a bed, with gossamer curtains, sat in front of her. She saw herself kneeling next to the empty shell of her youngest son, her face was blank.
She could feel the tears well as she heard the people outside cheer. Her hands scratched at her ears, trying to bore out the sound. She watched the stoic woman she once was stare coldly at her son’s corpse. She could here the gallows’ platforms release and the thud of weight tightening the nooses. The cheers grew and she shrank, the moment fleeting in a storm of tears and light.
She found herself standing in the empty castle again, gasping for air through the tears. She fell to her knees and the unkind voice broke into her mind. The sword hissed in its scabbard. Emotions, girl. That is what makes you stronger than I ever was. It is something I never had.
It had moved her from the woods to the castle in an instant, in a single lightning bolt. Her voice was tender and brittle, but she spoke. “Why?”
I was a god. I am a god. And all that I know is battle… It echoed.
“No,” she choked the words out, the anger was clear. Her tears never stopped. “Why him? Why them? Why weren’t you there to fight for them? Why didn’t you save them? My husband. My sons. Why?”
It was your husband who killed me, girl. The voice responded with its own anger.
Her tears stopped and she coughed, “What?”
I was running. I was hiding. Your husband, the mighty mortal knight, found me. He challenged me. I died. The voice callously whispered.
She stood up, leaning against the wall. “How could he kill a god?”
I was weak. I had run from the god of gods. The one being who I could not best in battle. This being, this god of gods is everything. And I had nothing compared to this being’s power. But with you, girl. I could have everything. The Duchess heard the hope in the voice. The sword shimmered.
“My emotions will make you stronger than the god of gods?” She asked in disbelief.
I don’t know, girl. If you want my power, though, you will have to face this being at some point. Once the god of gods knows that I am alive again, in a body, the being will find me. Find us. The room around her drew darker as the sword’s light dimmed.
She took a moment to think. She had nothing left. She murdered dozens of men in search of revenge and found it. There was nothing left for her. “I want the power. I want to fight.”
Then I will give you my power. This will be the end of the girl you were. You will be a god, when I am finished. You will have everything. And we will be one. The voice cackled and clouds gathered outside the shattered windows.
A lightning bolt flashed into the castle, striking her. She felt it burn its way through her body, changing her again. The thunder crashed forcing her into the static filled air. Her arms stretched out and she let it in. She closed her eyes and saw through another bolt of lightning. It crashed into the roof of the castle, bringing it down around her. The rain poured in, soaking her.
She fell. The stone floor caught her in its hard, wet grasp. She stood up and opened her eyes. She moved to a mirror and admired herself. Her hair had become the color of the sky, whispering a soft rage of gray. And her skin was adorned in new armor, shining and moving like storm clouds above her. The sword shimmered to life as the voice returned. Go to your room, girl. I have another gift for you. Then you will know my power.
Her skin sparkled in patterns resembling golden lightning. Her eyes lit the stairs and hallways in front of her. She carried herself quickly to her room. She drew the sword and struck the wood once. It shattered against the force, flying quickly off the frame and into pieces on the floor.
A mask called to her from the bed, it glittered under the light from her eyes. She stepped closer and picked it up. Put it on and we will join. The power you want will be yours.
She placed it on her face and it melted there. Her head throbbed and the face ached. It burned against her. And when it finally stopped, it opened itself, releasing several large feathers that swayed in the gusts that burst through the slit window, lifting her body gently off the floor. Her body sparked in response.
She stood there for a moment, recovering from the instant of pain. The world looked different, duller and slower. Colors washed away to blacks and whites and gray, all of it except for the Duchess and the sword had become a dark wonderland. Everything now moved slower than she remembered. If she focused, she could catch every rain drop falling through the window.
The moment finally hit her. She realized what was to come, the fight with the god of gods. Her fear shortened her breath as the sound of the gallows’ platforms returned her mind. The sickening sound of bodies against nooses and the thought of fighting this faceless, nameless beast made her ill again. She knew that she would never look at the being with anything but illness and fear.
She knew what that being was. It was that day, so long ago. It was the air around her. It was the death of her husband and sons. It was the rain pouring out of clouds. It was her end. And it was coming.
She shuddered as the sword whispered inside her head with her own voice. Now, girl. We must prepare…
『Darkness』
Jamais Changeant
(Judge the last one)
Nila now traveled continuously, always following the path of the night. She grew to gain control over her new found powers. The wings upon her back, along with the tail, were controllable in ways that she couldn't have imagined before. When she willed it, she could force them to disappear into the darkness around her. Unless she was flying she preferred to keep them hidden, for conveniences sake.
Krishna grew quickly as well, now that his mother had fully transformed. His soft clicking was now a grumble. He could also communicate with Nila more easily through their mental connection. They grew closer with each passing day.
Nila was now on the front edge of the night. Rumors were being spread that a demon and her minion were the bringers of the night. The word that caught Nila's attention, however, was the one that no one spoke.
A feeling tugged at her insides with each step she took. It grew until she could no longer take a step without peering out cautiously from the safety of her shadows. She could see the same discomfort on Krishna's face. He was constantly on edge. A rat once had the misfortune of scurrying in front of him. While he was normally permissive to animals (he seemed not to hunger often) he devoured this particular rodent with a ferocity Nila had never seen before.
She knew it, something was coming. Nila did not let the nerves show on her face. The power she had gained was still fresh within her, but she felt confident in herself. More confident than she had ever felt as a mortal.
"You have never been more capable of facing him"; Krishna's words rang through her head with an odd echo. Him? Did Krishna know something that she did not? She tried to probe him for information, but he was as new to this world as she was; newer, in fact. He knew only what was pre-programmed into him.
Still, Nila heeded his words as though they were spoken by a sage. Her relationship with Krishna was often odd in this way. Though she was his 'mother', she often felt like the child. "Even night must heed the light" he often warned her.
After weeks of travel Nila had collected a vast array of new garments in preparation for her upcoming unknown encounter. Though she was comfortable in her godly form she knew that it was not practical to face an unknown being in a near nude state. She stopped, letting the night cover her, and changed into her new gear.
Once changed she felt the tug within grow even more. The entity was drawing closer, beckoning her, urging her to step forth, out of her shadows and into the light. She reached upwards and grappled at the dark sky above. Her hand seemed to catch nothing, at first, but soon she seemed to have taken hold of what she'd been searching for. Now she slowly drew her hand downward and with it pulled a part of the sky down with her. The segment of night came down in the form of a long rope, more specifically a whip. It broke free at the tip without a sound and only the loss of a single star to prove it's absence.
The nervous tingling that had been following her for weeks was about to end. She was about to face whatever it was that she had been sensing.
Krishna reared up behind her and let out a growl that she had never heard before. Her nerves went on overdrive as she walked forth, whip in hand and head held high, towards the edge of the night, ready to face whatever lay in her path...for better or worse...
Nila now traveled continuously, always following the path of the night. She grew to gain control over her new found powers. The wings upon her back, along with the tail, were controllable in ways that she couldn't have imagined before. When she willed it, she could force them to disappear into the darkness around her. Unless she was flying she preferred to keep them hidden, for conveniences sake.
Krishna grew quickly as well, now that his mother had fully transformed. His soft clicking was now a grumble. He could also communicate with Nila more easily through their mental connection. They grew closer with each passing day.
Nila was now on the front edge of the night. Rumors were being spread that a demon and her minion were the bringers of the night. The word that caught Nila's attention, however, was the one that no one spoke.
A feeling tugged at her insides with each step she took. It grew until she could no longer take a step without peering out cautiously from the safety of her shadows. She could see the same discomfort on Krishna's face. He was constantly on edge. A rat once had the misfortune of scurrying in front of him. While he was normally permissive to animals (he seemed not to hunger often) he devoured this particular rodent with a ferocity Nila had never seen before.
She knew it, something was coming. Nila did not let the nerves show on her face. The power she had gained was still fresh within her, but she felt confident in herself. More confident than she had ever felt as a mortal.
"You have never been more capable of facing him"; Krishna's words rang through her head with an odd echo. Him? Did Krishna know something that she did not? She tried to probe him for information, but he was as new to this world as she was; newer, in fact. He knew only what was pre-programmed into him.
Still, Nila heeded his words as though they were spoken by a sage. Her relationship with Krishna was often odd in this way. Though she was his 'mother', she often felt like the child. "Even night must heed the light" he often warned her.
After weeks of travel Nila had collected a vast array of new garments in preparation for her upcoming unknown encounter. Though she was comfortable in her godly form she knew that it was not practical to face an unknown being in a near nude state. She stopped, letting the night cover her, and changed into her new gear.
Once changed she felt the tug within grow even more. The entity was drawing closer, beckoning her, urging her to step forth, out of her shadows and into the light. She reached upwards and grappled at the dark sky above. Her hand seemed to catch nothing, at first, but soon she seemed to have taken hold of what she'd been searching for. Now she slowly drew her hand downward and with it pulled a part of the sky down with her. The segment of night came down in the form of a long rope, more specifically a whip. It broke free at the tip without a sound and only the loss of a single star to prove it's absence.
The nervous tingling that had been following her for weeks was about to end. She was about to face whatever it was that she had been sensing.
Krishna reared up behind her and let out a growl that she had never heard before. Her nerves went on overdrive as she walked forth, whip in hand and head held high, towards the edge of the night, ready to face whatever lay in her path...for better or worse...
『Earth』
Ratt Scabies
Repeat what happened to the small township of Gilead ad nauseam, all across the United States, and you would understand what Scott was doing. Scientists and so-called "experts" had no clue what was causing the "phenomena", and paranoia was spreading like wildfire throughout the country, small cities fearing that they would be next, larger ones contemplating whether or not it would move on to bigger cities such as their own.
This was exactly what Scott had wanted.
However, as he went from town to town, he would change his appearance; his guises ranged from badass leather-clad biker
to a peace-loving, music-loving hippie.
Why? No other reason than to flaunt his godly powers, and to break the monotony.
Well...that was a lie, really. There...was another reason.
The presence.
The presence had been consistently following him since the second town, and, though it hadn't shown itself to him, he could sense it; and it was ******** powerful. So he'd transformed himself into increasingly different personas, for the sake of avoiding this... thing. After all, he didn't know what it wanted, and he didn't plan on just going up to it and ASKING it, for the love of Christ. Did he LOOK stupid? He'd give it time...
~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~
Another week, another town reclaimed by nature.
Scott, deciding to try something different that night, had taken the form of female, and was slowly, calmly walking away from the town that he'd just given back to the flora and fauna. How he stayed calm was a mystery to him, since the mysterious entity was getting closer and closer to him...
He suddenly froze in the middle of the road, catching his stalker slightly off-guard, and let himself go, beginning his transformation. Benign or malevolent, it was time that he fact whatever this was...though, he wasn't happy about it.
At first, his transformation started slowly, some of the parts of his current guise disappearing, and a vine creeping up his form...
...but it soon sped up, smoke curling around him in greasy tendrils; even from the little that could be seen through the smoke, his garb seemed different from the times before. He looked ready to fight if need be, this time.
At last, the smoke cleared...somewhat...and Scott's glowing eyes stared out through the murk at the figure.
His whip hand shook ever so slightly, the only indication of the fear that was coursing through his body. "Who are you...and what do you want from me?" he asked after what seemed to him like an eternity.
(judge the last one. c smile
『Fire』
VOID
No Survivors
『Water』
Quiet Judgments
Score the last avi.
“Mark you look distracted, is everything alright?” Tamika asked gazing at him as he sat pensively on his throne. James and Joey looked at him as well knowing something had been bothering him.
“Well you all know me. I’ve been slightly bothered ever since I have become a god. You guys remember when I told you about what happened correct?” The three of them nodded in agreement. “Well ever since then I felt like this god from my dreams has been trying to locate me.”
“Why, would he be trying to look for you?” James asked “He did awaken your power.”
“That’s right, what would he want from you?” Joey added “Did he awaken you to recruit you?”
“Look, you guys are a part of me, if I knew the answer you would as well.” Mark said sighing. He stood and walked down the throne room to the hallway, his friends followed. “I think it would be best if we just allow him to show.”
“Are you serious, he could be a malicious god?!? We have no choice but to fight him. Show him how brutal the power of water can be. Therefore he will flee with his tail between his legs.” Joey said, “We must show that we dominate the seas and everything that is soluble. We must prove ourselves worthy if he is coming to test our abilities!”
“Yes, or we can distance ourselves, wait for him to show and evaluate and observe what he is doing and then assess from that point.” Tamika said, “There is no point in rushing into a battle, if that is not the reason this god is coming.”
They finally stopped walking once they reached the royal undersea quarters. Mark was debating whether to fight or to hide and observe. He turned to look at his three friends “The main problem is we don’t know what this god is coming for, so both of your plans are void since we have no real specifics.” He looked at James who was stoic through all the chaos Tamika and Joey were making. “James what do you think would be best that we do?”
James looked at Mark and smiled, “The best solution is this. Since we are all a part of you, Mark, we should combine into you. Therefore you will be at full power incase this god is here to battle. As four we are many but we are a lot weaker than all of us as one. Then after we combine we should then wait in the throne room for him but like fish we can feel the vibrations of water. We can then use the vibrations to assess the power and intentions of the god. If the vibrations let us know that he is coming with force then we, as one, will battle him in the throne room, and defeat him to show that we are and always will remain the god of water and anyone who is in our domain should fear out power. On the other hand, if he is not coming to battle then we must greet him with respect as he is another god, but also show him that we are the authority. There is no reason to neither run nor rush into battle. The best policy is to remain calm and focus on the matter at hand. We are gods after all we have unspeakable power and have the ability thwart any advisory that enters our turf.”
Mark nodded, “That sounds like the best plan. And the one we are going to do.” Tamika and Joey just looked at James dumbfounded. James nodded at them and smiled once more, “Alright, let us combine into one.”
The others nodded and turned to face Mark. Tamika walked up to him and smiled a tearful smile. She reached up and touched his head. She spoke only one word “Mind” and vanished becoming one with mark, among this his armor changed taking characteristics from the clothing Tamika wore. Next was Joey, he laid his hand on Mark’s shoulders and gave them a reassuring squeeze. “Body” he said as he faded combining with Mark. Lastly, James walked up to Mark, “You’re a good leader, Mark. We are thankful to have you as a friend.” He touched Mark’s chest “Heart” and faded.
Mark smiled as he felt the presence of all three of his friends inside of him, he felt his power growing. Along with that his final evolution to god status was now complete. He was now ready to greet this god with force or respect.
“Mark you look distracted, is everything alright?” Tamika asked gazing at him as he sat pensively on his throne. James and Joey looked at him as well knowing something had been bothering him.
“Well you all know me. I’ve been slightly bothered ever since I have become a god. You guys remember when I told you about what happened correct?” The three of them nodded in agreement. “Well ever since then I felt like this god from my dreams has been trying to locate me.”
“Why, would he be trying to look for you?” James asked “He did awaken your power.”
“That’s right, what would he want from you?” Joey added “Did he awaken you to recruit you?”
“Look, you guys are a part of me, if I knew the answer you would as well.” Mark said sighing. He stood and walked down the throne room to the hallway, his friends followed. “I think it would be best if we just allow him to show.”
“Are you serious, he could be a malicious god?!? We have no choice but to fight him. Show him how brutal the power of water can be. Therefore he will flee with his tail between his legs.” Joey said, “We must show that we dominate the seas and everything that is soluble. We must prove ourselves worthy if he is coming to test our abilities!”
“Yes, or we can distance ourselves, wait for him to show and evaluate and observe what he is doing and then assess from that point.” Tamika said, “There is no point in rushing into a battle, if that is not the reason this god is coming.”
They finally stopped walking once they reached the royal undersea quarters. Mark was debating whether to fight or to hide and observe. He turned to look at his three friends “The main problem is we don’t know what this god is coming for, so both of your plans are void since we have no real specifics.” He looked at James who was stoic through all the chaos Tamika and Joey were making. “James what do you think would be best that we do?”
James looked at Mark and smiled, “The best solution is this. Since we are all a part of you, Mark, we should combine into you. Therefore you will be at full power incase this god is here to battle. As four we are many but we are a lot weaker than all of us as one. Then after we combine we should then wait in the throne room for him but like fish we can feel the vibrations of water. We can then use the vibrations to assess the power and intentions of the god. If the vibrations let us know that he is coming with force then we, as one, will battle him in the throne room, and defeat him to show that we are and always will remain the god of water and anyone who is in our domain should fear out power. On the other hand, if he is not coming to battle then we must greet him with respect as he is another god, but also show him that we are the authority. There is no reason to neither run nor rush into battle. The best policy is to remain calm and focus on the matter at hand. We are gods after all we have unspeakable power and have the ability thwart any advisory that enters our turf.”
Mark nodded, “That sounds like the best plan. And the one we are going to do.” Tamika and Joey just looked at James dumbfounded. James nodded at them and smiled once more, “Alright, let us combine into one.”
The others nodded and turned to face Mark. Tamika walked up to him and smiled a tearful smile. She reached up and touched his head. She spoke only one word “Mind” and vanished becoming one with mark, among this his armor changed taking characteristics from the clothing Tamika wore. Next was Joey, he laid his hand on Mark’s shoulders and gave them a reassuring squeeze. “Body” he said as he faded combining with Mark. Lastly, James walked up to Mark, “You’re a good leader, Mark. We are thankful to have you as a friend.” He touched Mark’s chest “Heart” and faded.
Mark smiled as he felt the presence of all three of his friends inside of him, he felt his power growing. Along with that his final evolution to god status was now complete. He was now ready to greet this god with force or respect.
