Divinitas

058 - The Final Fall

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He could still feel the fingers invading his flesh, ripping free the newly born wings. His screams were still echoing through his mind, and the intense desire to grasp his reborn sword that Deus had thrust down before him at the ceremony’s end still revibrated through his body. Because… because if he did not have that sword, that which symbolised his choice and gave him the link to the Divine Beast of Fire… what would he have?

Nothing. Nothing, nothing, nothing… except the deaths of his own kin forever staining his hands. For all the experiences he replayed of his divine rebirth, none could block out the faces of the ones he had killed to gain the white wings that now adorned his back.

The phoenix hadn’t returned to his body yet. It had watched over Phoenix’s slaughter of the other Children of Fire, and played its part in the ceremony. Now perched on a rock formation close to where Phoenix laid, watching the newly born god stare up into the twilight sky.

All the Tenshi had left. And Deus had departed with the command to return to Ten when called. The God of Air and the God of Water had gone with them. All that remained was the Divine Beast of Fire and the bodies of those he had slaughtered… not even He had stayed. As if he wasn’t interested at all in Phoenix’s welfare now that he was a God. Yes, exactly that. Aether would now only be concerned with the exchange of half his soul for the utter possession of him and the other three Elemental Gods.

Elemental Gods… The ceremony had healed every cut and scratch on his body, save for the three burnt arrow shafts that still protruded from his flesh. It had gifted him with an immortal vessel and a pair of white wings that every deity of Ten, save Ashura, possessed. He could fly to Heaven whenever he wished. He was a God now. Wasn’t that what he had wanted?

But he didn’t feel like a God. He didn’t feel like a higher being. He just felt like a selfish child who had snatched away another’s future and hope so he might realise his own. The Elemental Children who had died… they might not have to suffer the possible segregation other humans might subject them to, but they were no longer alive either. They would never experience the simple joys of life again. That was what Phoenix’s choice had cost them. Did his Dream of living, of being recognised and acknowledge by those who had spat upon him still shine as brilliantly now? When the blood of so many obscured the fire which had burnt so brightly and attracted so many angels and devils?

What had Deus said in the closing stages of the ceremony, that his one track mind had barely comprehended?

“And last, but far from least, the God of Fire…” Words meant for him alone, spoken in a voice that was both cruel and mocking. “Who welds the element of Fire and plays vessel to the Divine Beast of Fire. You are master of no creature that lives out their pitiful existence on Earth, but…” Deus whispered, leaning close enough for Phoenix to feel his warm breath brush against his ear, “you will be master of something far greater. Indeed, you will own Aether’s Heart and Soul. Or what’s left of it…”

Yes. That. Aether’s Heart and Soul. Or what was left of it, after Dues had taken his fill. Aether. The God of Soul with the perfect golden body that an angel might possess, and those deep amethyst eyes one would bargain with the devil for.

Would Aether even want him now, when his desire for life wavered so precariously, threatening to extinguish? Ah, don’t lie to yourself, Phoenix. Named by Aether himself. As if he would ever give up his selfish little Dream. The exact reason why Aether wanted him. He would never break. Not even if Aether himself tried to break him. Perhaps be damaged for awhile, like he was now, but it would strengthen again, his selfish soul that so desired love and need and life.

The earth beneath him suddenly trembled, as if something of great power moved underneath its surface with terrific speed. A great explosion in the ground sent dirt and rocks raining down on Phoenix and the Divine Beast of Fire, causing one to shield himself with bloody wings, and the other to squawk in a most undignified way.

“Mou…” a youth’s voice complained through the noise of clattering rocks and clumps of earth. “Can’t you be a little more gentle when you exit the earth?”

Phoenix lowered his arms and wings, peering through the settling dust and dirt to see the cause of the commotion. “Chimaera,” Phoenix managed between coughs, pushing himself to his feet to try for a less dirt-filled breath of air.

“Phoenix!” the youth cried, glomping onto the God of Fire without the slightest consideration for his state of dress… or lack of.

The God of Fire allowed the boy to squeeze him in a tight hug, ignoring the jarring pain it set racing about his body as Chimaera rubbed up against the arrows that still skewered his flesh. The top of Chimaera’s head almost reached Phoenix’s eye level now, when before he had barely made it to Phoenix’s chest. His voice too was no longer that ambiguous timbre young boys possessed. Though whilst Chimaera’s body had grown, it was obvious the soul inside had not.

“Chimaera, what are you wearing?” Phoenix asked, finally pushing the boy gently but firmly away from his own blanket wrapped body.

Large emerald green eyes glanced down at himself. “Err… is this bad?”

“… you’re wearing a leaf.”

The boy just blinked at him.

Phoenix sighed. “Never mind,” he muttered, and tearing off a portion of his own cloth, wrapped it around Chimaera’s middle.

“You’re hurt,” Chimaera said after a while, bright emerald eyes studying the burnt arrow shafts.

“It’s nothing,” Phoenix replied, gripping the wood and jerking it out of his forearm with a wince of pain, biting down on the cry that threatened to leave his body. Blood gushed forth for several moments before drying to a trickled that halted completely before long. The wound sealed itself, leaving not so much as a mark. Phoenix stared, surprised by the speed at which he had healed. “See?” he said, forcing the surprised tone from his voice. “It’s nothing at all.”

A heavy silence fell, the twilight giving away to starlight. Above them, the mouth of the volcano glowed its golden red, a furious caldron that burned away the remains of the Children of Fire.

“What happened?” Chimaera asked finally, losing a little of his boyish innocence in the serious words.

The God of Fire removed the last of the arrows, casting the burnt shaft away into the darkening twilight. “We can come home for good soon,” Phoenix said softly. “All the Elemental Children are dead, save for the God of Air and the God of Water. We killed them all.”

Silence. Just the deep rumbling of the volcano moving beneath their feet.

“Did you cry?”

Questioning red eyes glanced at the God of Earth who watched the phoenix and the chimera swat at each other, one pissy at the other for pelting it with rocks.

“Yes, I cried.” But I would still do it over again, if you gave me the choice. “What difference does it make?”

“It means you’re sorry for what you did, doesn’t it?” Chimaera wondered. “They might forgive you some day, because of that.”

“I doubt it.”

For one such as he, who had committed the atrocities he had committed, for the reasons such as he haorgiorgiveness would never come. ‘I want to live’ and ‘I want to be needed.’ Though they might have been utterly human and only selfish human nature… they were still unforgivable when the cost of realising them far outweighed his own life.

Phoenix had known that. And he had cried… but who had he been crying for?

Letting a sigh escape his lips, Phoenix closed his crimson eyes for a moment before opening them again. The volcano was located next to the sea, a rather large detail he had neglected to observe in his earlier state of mind. But even now, the sounds of the volcano muffled the crash of the waves upon the rocks below them, and the water looked more like a picture, distant and removed from his fiery blood-stained world.

It was dark now. Dark and cool, contrasted against the heat he could feel from the earth below him and the roaring caldron above him. The stars twinkled faintly, both in the sky and reflected in the water, and the moon had yet to rise. The Full Moon. Yet its light seeped over the horizon now, giving the water line an eerie glow.

“Do you want to go back yet?” Phoenix asked Chimaera quietly, without taking his eyes from the twilight dawn.

The youthful God of Earth shuffled his feet – something that looked rather odd when the body of a sixteen or seventeen year old did it – and gave some silent signal for his chimera to stop bickering and come to his side. “I never wanted to go in the first place,” Chimaera sulked, clinging to the Divine Beast of Earth as the creature rubbed up against him.

The phoenix seemed to take the friendly interaction between the God of Earth and the chimera as an invitation to land on Phoenix’s head, its flaming body shrinking in size to that of a small eagle. The God of Fire twitched, feeling rather silly with a bird perched upon his head of flaming hair.

Chimaera couldn’t suppress a giggle, and glomped the taller boy again, pressing his warm and dusty body up against Phoenix’s blood and charcoal stained one. “Waaa, you’re so cute, Phoenix!” the youth laughed, rubbing his cheek against the other’s chest, an innocent habit from a childhood mere hours ago.

It caused the God of Fire to blush, heat blooming on his cheeks. Chimaera wasn’t a little boy anymore, and the intimate gesture felt awkward. There was no way anyone could look at this striking youth with rich chestnut hair and bright emerald eyes and think him a cute huggable little brother. At least, not without some inappropriate thoughts tied to it.

“Okay,” Chimaera agreed after a long moment, drawing back from Phoenix and looking straight into the blood red eyes. “We’ll go back soon. But could we stay just a little while longer? I wanna see the moon rise.”

Phoenix nodded mutely, thinking that it might be wise to teach Chimaera to distinguish between innocent acts of affection and those that bordered on seduction.

Chimaera turned away from Phoenix and set his emerald eyes on the faint line of the horizon, losing all of his childish air, his innocent expression settling into something almost sad. The God of Fire watched his younger companion, feeling the twinge of regret at seeing the sombre expression. No matter what the other may say to him, the fact remained that Chimaera was completely against their current positions… or more correctly, how he and the other two gods acquired their current status.

Giving himself a mental shake, Phoenix lifted his arm up above his head, offering it as an alternative perch for the phoenix that currently resided on top of his head. Obediently, the fiery bird hopped onto Phoenix’s wrist, its golden claws digging just a little painfully into the youth’s bare skin.

Despite the slightly distracting pain from the claws prickling his skin, Phoenix could feel a calm acceptance seeping into his bones. The phoenix that perched on his arm was now a part of him. That lived within his heart and soul, within his very flesh and blood. It would protect him, always. It would be with him, always. It accepted him, loved him. Did not condemn him for the blood he had spilt or the selfish desires of his heart. So wasn’t that enough?

The first sliver of the moon peaked over the horizon, spreading a line of silver light across the horizon that soon contracted as more light was spilled over the surface of the water. The Full Moon was rising, and the Staircase to Heaven was stretching across the shimmering ocean like a magical road into a fairy tale.

“This is nice,” Phoenix murmured, watching the moonlight weave across the vast ocean to some distant point of land to their left.

“Mmm,” Chimaera agreed, a soft smile once again tugging at his lips.

“If I could just watch this, and time would stop… It would be good.”

But time never stops. And most certainly, finding peace of mind is never that easy. Never will be, for me.

The phoenix seemed to sense the dark thought shifting though Phoenix’s mind, and cocked its head to look curiously at the God of Fire, issuing forth a soft musical chirp as if to say everything would be okay. But suddenly its head whipped around away from Phoenix, ruby eyes focusing on some distant point towards the north, where the Staircase to Heaven touched the land.

Phoenix wanted to ask what was wrong. And Chimaera would have inquired the same from his Divine Beast of Earth, for both stared towards the path of the moon as if it mesmerised them and demanded their attention. The two gods might have, except they couldn’t.

No sooner had Phoenix opened his mouth, a head-splitting pain tore through his right eye. Jabbing, stabbing pains of a thousand needles sticking, pricking, digging into his eyeball, pass it, through it, deeper into his head, into his mind, down, down, into his very soul. It scratched, tore, ripped it in half and drew it out in a long slow torrent through the tortured eye.

A countless amount of time passed, with nothing but this sanity-sapping pain going on and on, and his screams that scratched his throat raw and pained his ears. And then all of a sudden it was gone, with nothing but a lingering emptiness and deep ache. His hands still pressed against his right eye, and he could still feel the rawness in his throat from screaming so long and loud. Not even when Deus had created and drawn out his wings did he experience this soul searing pain that had just tore through him without the slightest regard.

The God of Fire struggled to make sense of the world, to comprehend the screeches and roars that still screamed through the air, and the roughness of dirt and the hardness of rocks digging into his bare skin. He was lying, sprawled on the ground, with limbs contorted and muscles clenched. His breaths came out in ragged gusts, and his heart thudded loudly in both his chest and ears. Above them, the Divine Beast of Fire wheeled erratically through the night sky, a flaming star that had lost its course, and cried in pain for its loss. With great effort, Phoenix forced a hand away from his tortured eye, grasping his dropped sword and bringing to life the red gems embedded into the ends of the hilt with his touch. The tortured bird of fire burst apart into liquid flames and streamed back towards the God of Fire in a wild rush, desperate for a place to take comfort in.

Grimacing at the force with which the Divine Beast of Fire returned to him, Phoenix pushed himself to his feet, stumbling over to where Chimaera laid, a tight ball sobbing uncontrollably on the ground. The older boy laid a comforting hand on the other’s shoulder. “Come on. Get up and call your Divine Beast of Earth back to you. It’s hurting,” Phoenix said, striving to keep his voice strong and calm.

Slowly, Chimaera’s sobs subsided enough for him to do as Phoenix asked, and once the chimera was safely housed in its vessel, the youth calmed enough to pull himself together and look inquiringly at the older boy. “What happened?” Chimaera asked in a small voice, becoming once again the young child he had been mere hours ago.

For a long moment, Phoenix remained silent, unable to suppress the - betrayal? hurt? anger? longing? – from overwhelming them both via his voice. The god shut his eyes, breathing deeply before opening them again.

“Aether… sold half his soul for us.” Phoenix said in a barely audible voice. “So we might remain on Chikyuu, where we belong.” His heart clenched painfully at the thought, and an undeniable desire to see Aether seized him and would not let go. “We have to go, now.” And without waiting for the other god’s consent or acknowledgement, Phoenix spread his wings and took to the sky, allowing himself to be drawn towards the place where the Staircase to Heaven kissed the land.



~ * ~
There was a castle, old and strong, sitting on top of a cliff that jutted out to the sea. It stood, bathed in moonlight, and seemed to glow with life, yet appear dead at the same time. It faced the east, towards the moonrise, and backed on to lush forests and green hills in the west. The coast extended north and south to either side of the ancient castle, the waves lapping gently on the now faded golden sand.

This was the Castle of Genesis, where Aether, the God of Soul resided in Chikyuu. And at the edge of the cliff upon which the Castle of Genesis perched, was the Gate Into Eternity, controlled by the songstress Casimir, sister to Aether, and the only physical link between the three realms of Ten, Chikyuu and Jigoku.

As with all objects that were governed by rules, there was an exception with the workings of the Gate Into Eternity. No one could control it, save Casimir with her songs, that was true. No one could open the doorway between the three realms and let their power flow into each other save her. No one, but that did not exclude the orbits and paths of the earth and the moon, and the power conducts they formed at certain dates with the long passage of time. Such as it was, when the moon was full, and its orbital path took it in line with the Gate Into Eternity, then the Gate would open, and the three realms would be linked, regardless of the wishes of the Goddess of Song.

Now was such a time. And as Phoenix sped towards it, half spurred on by his own will, half dragged and pulled, with Chimaera close on his tail, the God of Fire could see the brilliant light of Ten pouring forth from the edge of cliff, through the doorway of the Gate.

He barely noticed the Castle of Genesis. Felt only its heart beat once, resounding with something utterly familiar, as if he had crushed it painfully close to his heart once, before he plunged headlong into the doorway of light, bordered by beautiful stone angels.

Through a timeless place he flew, with Chimaera gliding behind him. A split second and an eternity passed, and the two Gods burst forth from the Gate and exited into Ten.

“Phoenix!” Familiar yet unknown, the voice called out, making the God of Fire halt his headlong rush to twirl around mid air to stare with wide and furious blood red eyes at the source of that voice.

The eyes narrowed with Phoenix’s recognition, but still the scantily clad youth flew back to where Casimir stood in front of the Gate, looking at him with desperation and fear written over her face. “Why are you standing here like an idiot?” he growled, eyes flashing as he swept her up into his free arm, ignoring her squeak of protest. “You want to go to him, don’t you? Your selfish brother.”

The place of destination rushed up to meet them, lit up by the moonlight that shone through the Gate Into Eternity: a wide open circular platform of white marble veined with a spectrum of colours, made to seem alive by the power that streamed through the Gate. Designs in blood covered it, thick and thin lines tracing out circles and abstract symbols, all forming an elaborate pattern which wrote out the destiny of the soul that stood at its center.

It all happened so fast. Phoenix\'s feet had barely touched the warm marble before he heard Deus\' cultured voice. The words rung out, clear and terrible in his ears. \"Your God of Fire as finally arrived, dear Aether... he\'s yours to keep for eternity.\"

There was no pause between words and resulting action. Aether opened his eyes - eye, for the right was only emptiness - and the symbols drawn in blood around him sprung to life, drawing on the powers of the three Realms that poured through the Gate, stretching outwards with lightning fast speed, greedy hands intent on ensnarling their prey.

On four points they converged, one for each of the Elemental Gods. The Gods of Water and Air accepted the binding chains of blood willingly, having witnessed Aether\'s trade from the beginning whilst Phoenix and Chimaera lingered on Earth. Both let the glowing red plunge into their bodies, threading through and through with vengeance. The lines of red raced out again, tearing with it threads of gold and silver, and surged back towards Aether, aiming with terrifying speed at where the God of Soul\'s right eye had once resided.

Phoenix didn\'t know what hit him. The blood lines skewered every limb of his body, weaving in and out, binding every muscle, every bone, every last blood vessel, all the while pounding into each cell of his body a single word.

Mine. Mine. MINE.

He could feel Aether in every particle of his being. Like a malignant cancer spreading through his body, corrupting every piece of him, invading, binding, making his body utterly his.

And then the threads of red left, having wrought their eternal damage, taking with it all the knowledge that concerned the God of Fire\'s body, every weakness, every strength. It left Phoenix breathless, a boneless heap on the ground. He felt utterly defiled, as if he would never be clean again.

The God of Fire wanted to curl up and wretch, but instead pushed himself up onto shaking hands and knees. His wings flexed behind him, blood stained white and trembling. His sheet too was a mess, tangled around waist and legs. The girl, Aether\'s sister, whom he had no doubt dropped along with his weapon when the shock of the blinding ritual had hit him, stood shakily beside him. Her large aqua eyes were filled with tears, staring at the space before him.

Phoenix closed his eyes. So that was why. He shouldn\'t have brought her here, even though it had been clear she wanted to be with her brother. Somehow, he knew. That Aether had left her at the Gate, knowing it would hurt her to see him sell half his soul. And somehow... it hurt him too.

\"You\'re an idiot,\" Phoenix whispered, untangling himself and struggling to his feet, his sword lying forgotten on the marble platform.

\"Why?\" Aether\'s voice asked, hand gently brushing against Phoenix\'s flushed cheek, fingers slipping under the other\'s chin to lift Phoenix\'s gaze to his.

Phoenix stiffened, blood red eyes hardening at what he saw. Gone were the twin pools of deep amethyst, replaced by an endless well of gold, punctured with a silt of silver. Aether\'s right eye...

\"Because you didn\'t have to go this far,\" Phoenix answered bitterly.

Aether laughed softly, hands slipping around to Phoenix\'s back, lightly touching the feathery place where his wings emerged. \"Didn\'t I?\" Aether asked as Phoenix tensed at his touch. \"You scarred your heart to continue living. Stained your eternal soul with the blood of your kin to gain your pure white wings... Didn\'t I have to match that, my Phoenix?\" Aether wondered, stroking his slender fingers down the length of Phoenix\'s wing feathers. \"I hate these wings,\" the God of Soul whispered, more to himself than Phoenix. \"I should tear them off.\"

He should have moved, should have tore himself away from Aether\'s touch. But he didn\'t. Aether\'s words rubbed salt into too fresh wounds, hurting him, threatening to drive him into a downwards spiral of regret and self loathing. \"Maybe you should,\" Phoenix found himself saying. The hate was there, and the anger too... but there was also pain, and the acceptance of one\'s punishment.

The God of Soul smiled. \"I will... later,\" Aether promised, tracing his fingers back up to the wing joints, and closing around feather covered bone. \"But for now, I just want you to fall.\"

It was like pulling the arms of a doll. Aether did it with that much ease, dislocating Phoenix\'s wings. \"So you can not fly,\" he had whispered into Phoenix\'s ears, even as the God of Fire had crumpled against him, overwhelmed by the shock and pain.

And then, like so much unwanted trash, he let Phoenix\'s decapitated body fall, tumbling down through the opening that had appeared in the marble platform. Down and down, through cloud and sky, falling, down to the world where he belonged.

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