Divinitas

057 - Sunset Slaughter

~ * ~

They left the newly born God of Earth sleeping under the watchful eyes of the Chimera. It didn\'t matter, they had said. The God of Earth would waken and come to Ten when called. It was better, this way. For him not to see the slaughters that would take place.

Air followed. It was into the high ice-topped mountains that they were taken, where howling winds circled and ripped mercilessly at any traveller. All the Children of Air were set down on a wide plateau, with a sheer drop on one side, and jagged grey rocks on the other. The rest of the Children watched from the surrounding mountain sides, silent watchers of the prelude to their fate.

If there had been some speech to announce the battle royal that would take place, to explain the terms and what would happen afterwards, Phoenix didn\'t hear it. His blood red eyes searched the unprotected plateau, singling out the Griffin who stood in the very center, eyes closed and smiling. The Griffin of the Dark had already come out to play.

Everyone who stood on that plateau, save one, knew they were going to die. The Griffin of the Dark would spare none, and none of the killings would be done in a simple and clean manner. His nature would never allow it. He was like a tornado that wanted to twirl you about in an intimate embrace before ripping savagely through every fibre of your being.

It started with a sudden silencing of the winds. Everything just stopped. The icy, biting winds that had tore and snatched at them died, replaced by a heavy, cold stillness.

A softly flowing current of air began to swirl around the Griffin of the Dark, gently rippling his white and silver garments. The soft smile he wore on his beautiful face widened and changed, becoming the sinister smile one saw in their most frightening nightmare.

And then his glittering silver eyes snapped opened, and screams ripped through the air. Invisible blades of air whipped out from the Griffin of the Dark, slicing through skin and flesh, severing limbs and heads, sending blood spraying through the air.

It rained blood. It splattered the Griffin of the Dark, streaking his white and silver with hot red. The Griffin of the Dark only continued to smile, lifting his face up to feel the warm red rain fall upon his face.

Those Children of Air that had not been killed immediately or wounded fatally seemed to come to two conclusions. Run or fight. Those who ran were slaughtered, cut neatly in half by a spinning circle of air that surrounded the edge of the plateau. Their screams echoed down into the depths of the chasms as their guts heaved from their severed halves and tumbled down and down, only to be broken and shattered further on to the rocks below.

And those who fought… for them, the Griffin of the Dark drew his twin daggers, and set about the task of playing with them. There wasn\'t another word to describe it. The handful that had the courage to face the Griffin of the Dark received for their trouble cuts and slashes that severed fingers and ears, that ripped into faces and stabbed into guts. Slow, torturing, hopeless deaths for all their effort, that in the end, did not even scratch the Griffin of the Dark.

For the last candidate still among the living, a stubborn and proud youth bordering on manhood, the already chosen Child of Air slide one bloodied blade back into its sheath and reached out with his free hand to close around his wounded throat. He struggled weakly, like a worm ady sdy skewered on a hook, spitting vulgar words at the Griffin of the Dark.

The Griffin of the Dark just laughed. His twirled his dagger in his hand, switching his hold on it to that of a stake, and stabbed down into the youth\'s chest. Blood spluttered out from the edges of the wound, and screams and convulsions raked through the youth. With a sweet smile, the Griffin of the Dark dragged the dagger downwards, cutting jaggedly through cartilage and flesh with wet slushing sounds that reached even Phoenix\'s ears over the screams in the deathly still air.

The screams finally died. The last Child of Air hung limp and dead in the Griffin of the Dark\'s grip. Slowly, with leisurely grace, he withdrew his dagger with a flourish, sending more blood flying through the. Sl. Sliding the remaining dagger back into its sheath strapped around his thigh, the Griffin of the Dark dug his fingers into the wound and ripped. The sick wet sound echoed through the air, and more than a few of the watching Elemental Children wretched, heaving up what little food they had forced down earlier. But it did not end there. The Griffin of the Dark plunged his hand into the dead youth\'s chest and tore out his bleeding heart.

The dead youth crumpled onto the rocky ground, already forgotten by the chosen Child of Air. He turned, holding out the still warm and dripping heart, and set his chilling silver eyes on Deus as the God of Ten descended from above.

\"Is this enough blood for you, Lord Deus?\" the Griffin of the Dark asked, mockingly sweet. His fingers clenched around the heart, squeezing it into a final death, and forcing from it a gushing stream of blood that poured down onto the already bloodied ground, splattering up onto their legs and feet.

Deus returned the smile, folding his brilliant white wings against his back. In reply, he lifted his gaze to the cloud covered skies, and invited the Griffin of the Dark to do the same. And high above, slowly growing larger against the heavy clouds, spiralling down and down, was a silver winged griffin. His golden body and lethal limbs stood out against the pressing clouds, a faded sun that grew brighter as it approached.

In a whirlwind, the Divine Beast of Air landed, its silver feathered eagle\'s head opening its sharp beak and letting out a keening shriek. Its sharp bronze eyes locked upon the Child of Air, shifting slightly to ehe she still dripping heart in the silver-haired boy\'s hand. The Griffin of the Dark smiled, opening his fingers and offering the heart on his palm to the Divine Beast of Air.

With a predator\'s speed and grace, the Griffin pounced forward, its lethal body rearing up and sinking its massive paws into the Child of Air\'s arm and shoulder, sending both crashing to the ground. The Griffin caught the offered heart in its beak and swallowed it in one swift motion, its claws digging into fabric and flesh as it did so. The Divine Beast then lowered its head and stared down at the grinning silver-eyed boy beneath it, flexing its paws as it did so, forcing blood to gush from underneath its claws.

\"Apparently the blood you have spilt thus far is not enough, Child of Air,\" Deus finally answered, smiling down at the pinned Griffin of the Dark.

The silver-haired boy smirked. \"Then, perhaps, this will add what\'s required,\" he answered, and in the blink of an eye, a dagger had been drawn and stabbed into the side of the Griffin\'s neck.

Blood gushed forth, splashing hot against the Child of Air\'s neck and chest. The Divine Beast did not move, did not even cry out in anger. Only its icy bronze eyes narrowed, glaring deep down into the silver eyes that returned its stare with insolence.

\"I will allow you to use His body as your vessel, Beast,\" the Griffin of the Dark whispered wickedly to the Divine Beast of Air, \"if you vow to protect Him above all else, from everything and everyone, including himself… but excluding me.\" The sadistic grin that spread across the boy\'s lips would have made a lesser creature back away with ill ease. The Griffin, however, glared for a moment longer, and then bowed its silver-feathered head, accepting the offer without a second thought.

Slowly, the Griffin of the Dark withdrew his bloodied dagger from the Divine Beast of Air, just as the beast lifted its dripping claws from the boy\'s body, their sharp points catching on the material of his garments, and ripping great tears in them as it did so.

Both Child and Beast eyed each other as one rose from the ground and the other backed further away, folding its silver-feathered wings against its gold-furred back. The lion\'s tail swished back and forth slowly, its tip trailing on the blood soaked ground and absorbing that richly spilt liquid.

The Griffin of the Dark ripped the remnants of his blood-splattered and torn clothing away, letting the once white and silver material fall through the windless air. Naked and smirking, the Child of Air stood before the God of Ten, unaffected by his current state, seeming to enjoying every passing moment as his smile widened on his blood streaked face. \"Shall we start then?\" the silver-eyed boy asked mockingly, withdrawing the other dagger, and with a twirl, offered them handle first to the patiently waiting Deus.

The mocking smile was returned. \"Yes. And may the Divine Beast of Air honour your proposition…\"

Deus\' touch on the twin daggers infused them with power and light, and from their hilts bloomed two silvery blue-white jewels that shone with the same power. The weapons continued to change, morphing into masterpieces that matched the grandeur of the scythe that had been presented to the God of Earth.

With these blades, he sliced open the Griffin of the Dark\'s back, and thus began the Divine ritual.



~ * ~
Red eyes squeezed shut as the Child of Air\'s blood splattered onto the already stained ground, flicking onto the Divine Beast\'s silver and gold coat. The only cries of pain that issued from the bloody stage were the keening calls of the griffin, struggling as the red threads of fate bound its body and soul to the Child of Air.

The Griffin of the Dark never cried, never screamed. He only grinned, revealing in the pain. This was what he wanted. It was with this that he would achieve his desire. So what was there to cry or scream about?

And wasn\'t that exactly the same as Phoenix\'s position. Would he cry? Would he scream? Or would he rejoice at finally having his Dream realised? That lie of a Dream.

A sudden gush of air, accompanied by the sound of strong wing strokes, pulled Phoenix\'s mind up from the dark ravine of his doubts. Bloodied hands suddenly fastened themselves on his collar as overly bright silver eyes grinned at him, and the weight of the God of Air shoved up against him, sending them crashing to the ground.

\"Did you witness, Phoenix, oh destined God of Fire? The price we pay for what we want. The price you will pay soon enough and share this lovely bright glory?\" The bloodied wings brushed against Phoenix, smearing blood on skin and cloth. The naked god\'s body pressed down against him, flattening him to rock, too close and too intimidating. \"And I know this hasn\'t ended. This is all for you. Whatever the details, I care not, but if He is hurt… I will slaughter you… in the most… painful way possible… a thousand… times… over…\"

The words slipped and died, falling into silence as the bright light in those silver eyes died and the body slumped forward fully onto the shocked Child of Fire. Too surprised to act, Phoenix found his body automatically accepting the God of Air, his arms encircling the slender body and pulling him up against his chest. The touch of the bloodied feathers against his arms felt warm and caressing, soft and welcoming, something one could fall asleep on.

Phoenix swallowed the derailed thought, struggling to his feet with the God of Air in his arms. The silver haired deity tensed suddenly, as if waking up from an unpleasant dream.

\"What has he done…\" the Griffin of the Light whispered, voice barely audible against Phoenix\'s ear. Weak as it was, there was ill ease in it, confusion. \"He has never… faded like that before.\" Unfamiliar wings fluttered, confused and too new for their host\'s weakened body.

\"He endured the ceremony…\" The words \'for you\' remained unsaid on the tip of Phoenix\'s tongue. Why didn\'t he say them, those two simple words that might have made all the difference? For the Griffin of the Dark maybe? Because this was their relationship, not his, and he had no right to interfere, even in this small way.

The silver-haired deity made a small sound of disgust, and taking his own weight upon his weary feet, drew roughly away from Phoenix\'s supportive arms. For a moment he seemed lost, a frown marring his smooth and perfect brow, giving him the air of a innocent child who could not explain the streaks of blood that stained his silken skin. Then the coldness fell over him, and his body steeled itself, forcing his eyes to harden into glittering ice that glared sharply at a Tenshi standing nearby. \"A higher ranked deity stands naked before you, and all you can do is stare, Tenshi. Perhaps you should rectify that.\"

A white blanket was hastily handed to the God of Air, and snatching it from the Tenshi\'s hands, the Griffin of Light pulled it around his naked body, fumbling for a moment to keep his wings free. Without another word or glance at Phoenix, the God of Air lifted into the air, gliding on wing and wind back to where Deus waited to bestow upon him the final signage to his divinity.



~ * ~
The twin daggers were presented to their rightful owner, and slipped with too much ease and familiarity back into the sheathes that had never left their place at his thighs. A single glance from the God of Air brought the silver and gold griffin to its feet and unravelling into a chaotic dance of winds. The twirling and twisting currents of air leapt almost eagerly towards its newly tailored host, and winding up the beckoning arm, surged into the awaiting vessel.

That brought an end to the birth of the God of Air. A silver angel dragged through blood now joined the ranks of Ten.



~ * ~
It was calm, the water. A lake that was a mirror to the sky and surrounding ice-capped mountains. One could see the glint of ocean far, far away, a sparkling blue blanket that sunk out of sight as they descended from the air onto the green shore.

The Children of Water all stood on the lake\'s surface, standing upon that too blue eye in the very land itself. Blue, blue, such a deep, bottomless sapphire that could all be lost if one just shifted their focus to the flawless reflection.

And then the glint of silver steel shining in the sunlight could be seen sparkling bright upon the lake\'s surface, like diamonds knitted into the fabric of the water, that glittered as the wind rippled its surface.

Light footsteps sent circular patterns rippling across thtiretire lake, merging and expanding, overlapping, crisscrossing, until it was one complex pattern that meant nothing, but might have been the steps to a dance of death. For within that pattern\'s center there moved one Child with such fluidity and elegance he may well have been mistaken for a dancer. Each limb moved with deliberate grace and control, welding the long broad sword more as an ornament of sorts rather than a weapon of death.

But that did not lessen any of the red that dropped into the blue. Nor did it stop the lifeless bodies from following those droplets into the depths to rest there for all of time.

If there was sorrow, Draco did not show it. His face was a mask, blank, smooth, as if chiselled out of marble that was bled through with red. He did not feel, and each Child of Water that faced him was felled with clean strokes of his sword that wasted neither power or movement. Quick clean deaths were the only mercy the already chosen Child of Water displayed.

Water dance around him, snaking up into the air and striking out at any opponent that attacked from behind. It was a complete defence that none of the other Children of Water could counter. More and more fell, the tendrils of attacking water easily deflected by those Draco\'s commanded.

And then it was over. The last water user slid off Draco\'s blade, falling with a splash into the red tinted lake. Even from such a distance, Phoenix could see the look of anger and fear and pain etched forever onto that youth\'s face. Even as the water spilled over it, and gravity dragged the lifeless body into the depths, the widened blue eyes, and the mouth open in a voiceless scream… these things did not fade into the darkness as the corpse did. And yet… Draco seemed to see nought of this. None of it seemed to rippled the depths of his soul, or perhaps everything was just like water, and rolled off him in droplets and mattered just as little.

The slaughtering sword was dipped into the tainted lake, as if its bloodied waters could wash clean the blood that still clung to the blade.

A throb echoed forth from the blade\'s kiss, and the entire lake rippled. Something stirred in its depths, awoken by the simple act of touching metal to water.

As Draco withdrew his sword from its watery sheath, so too did the water rise, erupting in a great fount from which burst the streamline body of a silver and blue dragon, showering the entire lake with blood scented rain.

The blood tinted water rolled off its scaled serpentine body, its rippling muscles sliding underneath its sleek scales. Water dripped off its claws, was shaken free of its fine silver mane as it reared up in front of the calm Child of Water, its reptilian eyes narrowing as they focused on Draco. Then both Child and Beast looked upwards as the God of Ten descended. And there was no more need to watch or witness the events that would unfold a third time.

The blue eye had turned red. The God of Water had been born.



~ * ~
Phoenix sunk onto the floor of the carriage, pulling his knees up against his chest as he wedged himself into the corner. He had made up his mind! So why was he doubting, why was he thinking that the outcome could still be changed. He would pay the price. Just as Draco and the Griffin of the Dark had. He would slaughter, he would kill. But… he couldn\'t halt the tears that now spilled from his eyes. He couldn\'t not feel sick to his very soul at the mere idea of what he would soon do.

A great bubble of anger welled up from the depths of his being. Anger at Draco for killing so easily, so apathetically. These were their own kin they were killing. They were human, just as he had been, just as Phoenix still was. And the Griffin of the Dark. Killing to protect that which was precious to you. Was it any better or worse than his own reason? Killing to merely survive?

The distressed boy was suddenly startled out of his chaotic thoughts by a soft small hand gently touching his own claw-like fingers that dug into the cloth and flesh of his legs.

The anger dispersed as tear-veiled eyes looked up into the large red ones of a young girl. The same one who had been crying what seemed a lifetime ago, as she and her brother rode in the carriage with him towards the lush green valley.

Her eyes were large and shinning with tears that could not hide the fear that beat throughout her small young body. Phoenix\'s heart shattered, and all he could do was return the innocently questioning gaze with a tragic look before pulling her close and burying his face in her shoulder. Silent sobs wracked his body as he cried, and it only hurt more when the girl\'s hand gently stroked the back of his head. This was tenderness as he had never known it. And it cut him to the core.

Somewhere, distantly, the sound of the carriage door opened, allowing the red and gold sunlight to pour in and spill upon the three occupants of the carriage. The weight of another being entering the enclosure caused it to sway, and the large wings that adorned the person\'s back blocked out the warm sunlight.

\"It\'s time, Phoenix.\" That familiar and now hated voice. Liar, manipulator. Betrayer or trust. But who\'s fault was it to trust in the first place?

Phoenix didn\'t move, ane yoe young girl continued to pet him on his head, stroking his flaming locks of hairs. To the side, the girl\'s older brother looked up at the grey-winged Tenshi who had entered their carriage. The Tenshi\'s face was kindly, sympathetic… pitying almost.

\"You can still change your mind,\" Ashura said softly in the silence that had followed. \"You don\'t have to kill anyone. You can simply die. Forget what I said… my suggestion for you to win no matter the cost. If it causes you this much pain now… the murder of the other Children of Fire will not be something you can bare for the rest of eternity. Especially not when you must kill ones as beautiful and innocent as the one you hold in your arms now.\"

Something snapped. The brother realised the danger too late, his body too sluggish from the long day of witnessing nothing but blood shed. Hot flecks of blood had already splattered on his face by the time he was standing, and the sword that had been thrust through his sister\'s chest was already being withdrawn. The words \"I\'m sorry,\" were whispered with a broken voice before the body of the girl was shoved into her brother\'s arms.

No sooner had the brother wrapped his arms around his sister\'s body did Phoenix\'s blade thrust through the lifeless girl, exiting through her already ruined chest to stab into her brother\'s. The brother swallowed, tasting the blood that welled up from this throat. He couldn\'t comprehend the blade that impaled his chest, or the way his sister slumped over him, connected by cold metal, unmoving. Pleading, questioning red eyes looked up into the bleeding crimson ones that belonged to the one who welded the sword.

\"It\'s better, this way… don\'t you think?\" Phoenix\'s trembling voice whispered to the dying youth. \"To die here, with your sister, instead of being on display as you\'re all massacred by me. Because I will kill every Child of Fire they ask me to. I want to win. I can\'t die… I can\'t die and be worthless again. I would rather live with this guilt and burden on my soul for the rest of eternity than be worthless again. I… want to live…\"

The brother was already dead. And his sister along with him. He was a murderer. By his own choice, by his own free will.

The stunned Child of Fire wrenched his double ended sword from the two siblings, staring wide eyed as their bodies slumped to the floor of the carriage.

\"Is that how you really feel, Phoenix?\" Ashura asked, breaking the heavy silence that had fallen. \"Isn\'t it more than that? Isn\'t it: you want to live so you will be worth something to Aether? Knowing as you do now that Ten never wanteu exu except as a bartering chip?\"

\"Shut up.\" Blood red eyes flashed at him, bright with the tears that still streamed down his blood splattered face. \"I\'ll win. Isn\'t that enough? Isn\'t that what will make everyone happy, and realise my own Dream?\" Silence, and the in barely a whisper, \"Aren\'t I the most selfish and cowardly fool you have ever met… killing for such a reason? Shouldn\'t I be damned to Hell for what I\'ve just done?\"

Ashura didn\'t reply, and the boy brushed passed him wearily, stepping out of the carriage and into the sunset-lit landscape. How fitting. He would paint the ground with reds… and it would match the sky.

\"Si tu amitto tuus somnium tum omnia is conficio,\" Ashura said, making the boy pause and glance back towards his Keeper. \"If you lose your Dream, everything is over, Phoenix. A fool is one who does not have a Dream. Don\'t forget that.\"

\"To crush another\'s Dream to realise your own…\" Phoenix breathed in a barely audible voice, fingers tightening around his guilty sword. \"I never thought the a Dream would cost so much. I never thought I would have to pile up bodies of my own kin to pave the path to my Dream.\" The boy closed his eyes, trying to gather his thoughts together in the chaos that was reality. \"I remember saying to you, what seems a lifetime ago… that I would mercifully kill every Child of Fire to free them of their cursed fate and gain Divinity. I remember saying it without an ounce of guilt or regret, believing that it was necessary and right. But now I\'m crying, and the tears won\'t stop. Where is that conviction and certainty now?\"

The Tenshi stepped up to the trembling Child of Fire and enfolded him in a brotherly embrace, pressing a kiss to Phoenix\'s brow. The boy didn\'t struggle. He just continued to let the tears stream down his face as the one he hated and no longer trusted soothed him.

\"Be glad, Phoenix, that you can still feel guilt and sorrow. Be glad, that you can still cry and feel pain. At least, if you can feel those things, you know you still have your heart and soul.

\"Look now,\" Ashura commanded, directing Phoenix\'s tear stained gaze towards a volcano whose slops shone golden in the setting sun. \"The place of your mortal death and your Divine Rebirth. Kill, or be killed. Dream, or be swallowed by another\'s Dream. Choose now, your final mortal action. For tonight is the Full Moon, and with its passing, so ends your chapter within Heaven, whether you live or die.\"



~ * ~
Suffocating heat choked Phoenix, and the red light from the molten lava in the caldron of the volcano lent everything a bloody tint. This was the battleground for the Children of Fire. A lake of molten rock with only small islands of solid ground. The sky above them had turned a darker red as the sun sunk deeper into the horizon.

The beat of Phoenix\'s heart thudded through his entire body, betraying the utter anxiety he felt. He was here to kill. To add to the number of innocent lives he had already taken. Some part of him was screaming, \"No, no, no!\" in increasing volume endlessly in his mind. And yet there was a calm center that directed the body to be still, to breath, because this was something that must be.

But looking out at the remaining Children of Fire from his own little island… he almost wanted to claw out his own heart to stop the pain. How he wanted to cry and be comforted just now. But the tears wouldn\'t come anymore. They had abandoned him to his final choice.

So now he just smiled. A smile that would normally be accompanied by tears because it was forced despite one\'s pain. But now, there was only that tragic smile that might be wrongly perceived as perverse delight.

The beginning of the battle royal was only acknowledged by Phoenix when an arrow buried itself in his left thigh. The shock and pain sent him staggering onto his knees, his eyes widening as the jolt sent another intense wave of agony jarring through his body.

You could lose like this.

The boy\'s heart tightened, and the screaming voice in his heart faltered.

You could die, and the killings you have already committed will have been for naught. Hell would welcome you with open arms, because your God would not want someone as weak as you that they would allow themselves to be killed so easily.

Red eyes widened further as another arrow skewered through his shoulder, making him drop his sword.

Will you let that happen? Will you let yourself be killed? Will everything you have done and endured up until now be for nothing?

Another arrow punctured his left forearm, and the boy\'s silence shattered.

Phoenix screamed. Of pain, of anger, of helplessness. Screamed in hatred at himself for his own Dream and Wish, for his own undeniable desires.

Flames wrapped around the boy, setting the arrows that skewered his body on fire. The flames danced around his body and limbs, syphoning off his body in great streamers that flew up into the sunset sky to form the Sacred Bird of Fire.

Phoenix didn\'t notice. He only grasped the sword in his hand and leapt off the island of solid ground. One foot touched on molten lava, but did not burn nor sink, and then he was face to face with the opponent who had sent arrows flying into him.

That boy was the first. Felled with a savage slash that sliced open his chest and sent his dying body stumbling over the edge and into lava that welcomed it with a greedy appetite. The next followed, and the girl after that. Another girl, another boy. Phoenix didn\'t count. Didn\'t want to know. Blood was covering him from head to toe, and his clothes were now charred and blackened. The pain from the arrows numbed his limbs, but he was grinning. Grinning, because it was easier to do so and hide the soul wounds he suffered with each Child he delivered to the volcano.

An eternity passed. An eternity of slaughtering and blood shed. Would his hand ever seem clean to him after this? His body ached. Each heartbeat sent fresh throbs of pain echoing through his body. Everywhere there were slashes and weeping wounds. His clothes were no more than ruined black scraps of cloth that barely clung to his soot smeared body, caused by fire that burnt everything but a Child of Fire\'s flesh. The other Children had wasted their strength in using their elemental powers. Phoenix hadn\'t even tried. Maybe it was common sense. Or maybe it was just that the boy thought they deserved at least the personal death he gave them, so they could see his face and condemn him as he deserved.

But now it was over. Now he simply laid on one of the small islands, trying to breath the suffocating air. Pain racked his whole body, and it was hard to just keep himself from gasping in pain. But he wouldn\'t. He wouldn\'t cry, he wouldn\'t complain. He would endure this and a lifetime more because this was what he deserved for chasing after his own Dream and crushing countless others.

The phoenix that had watched over its chosen Child of Fire spiralled down from the sky, landing beside him with great beats of its fiery wings. Through glazed eyes, Phoenix looked up at the magnificence golden bird, wondering why it still accepted him, even after he had just slaughtered every remaining Child of Fire that had played host to it.

\"Stand up, Phoenix. The day is almost over, and you, the prized jewel, is still rough and uncut,\" Deus\' voice coded,ded, neither soft or gentle, but simply triumphant.

The words hurt, trivialising everything he suffered over. His Dreams mattered nothing to the God of Ten. His Dreams mattered to no one but himself. And that was the truth of all Dreams, wasn\'t it? They mattered only to the one they belonged to.

A bitter laugh welled up from Phoenix as he struggled to his feet, using his sword as support. His blood red eyes glared up at the God of Ten, full of hate and bitterness. \"Cut me well then, won\'t you?\"

Deus smiled. \"Of course,\" he answered, accepting the offered sword. \"You are worth half a soul to me, after all.\"

~ * ~

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