Remnants of Worlds

Chapter 4 - The Stand

Etheera stared at the door leading to the big room where the others from her family resided, then waited for Annabel to push it open. As they stepped inside, they found everyone wide awake and in a state of panic. All of their eyes locked on Annabel, with a few people cowering away in fear while Seuss and Hedda stood in front of them with angry expressions.

“Ozias is here,” Annabel announced, her heartbeat quickening as words left her mouth. “It’s time.”

“No,” Seuss said with such confidence that Etheera felt Annabel hesitate. “This is suicide! There is no way we can win against him, even if we combine all of our powers! One touch and we’re done. We need to hide in the deepest hole we can find and pray that he doesn’t find us. Because if he does, he won’t stop at our bodies this time. I’m not going to die for—”

Use the dagger, Etheera started, but Annabel was already raising the small, sharp weapon. Etheera settled down, smiling with pride as the girl cut her hand to activate the blood oath. Everybody in the room tensed, Seuss and Hedda’s faces twisting in rage.

“You are all coming with me to face Ozias. You will fight alongside me until you die or we take him down,” Annabel said loud and clear, the runes on the dagger’s edge glowing in bright red as her blood soaked into the blade. She put the dagger in its sheath and looked at them. “Gear up and meet me in the Control center in fifteen minutes.”

Annabel stepped outside the room, ignoring their shouts, and closed the door. She let out a deep sigh, heading back. Etheera reached out to take over the body, and Annabel reluctantly let go.

“You did well,” Etheera said, resuming their walk down the hall. “You don’t have to feel bad about them. They have all lived long enough and they have already stolen the bodies they inhabit now. They owe this world at least that much.”

Where were you? Annabel asked, their mind filling with annoyance and fear. Where do you disappear for days at a time? And when are you planning to tell me what you’re planning? Because I know you’re planning something!

“Soon, I promise,” Etheera replied, smiling to herself. “Once we get this over with, I will—”

Don’t speak like you know for sure we’ll survive. Annabel cut her off. You were the one who told me that beating Ozias is close to impossible. And you saw what he did to all those people. So why not tell me now? If we die…

“Annabel, do you trust me?” Etheera asked, stopping in the middle of the corridor. They had almost walked back to the Control room and she could sense people inside, so she had to finish this before they set out.

I…want to. But you have been way too suspicious lately, Annabel replied quietly. I hate lies and secrets.

Etheera held back a sigh.

“That’s fair.” She nodded, looking down at the floor. “But I will still need you to trust me one more time. Please. And if we survive today, I will tell you everything. And if we don’t…well, then it won’t matter. But I am sure that wherever our souls go, we will meet again and I’ll tell you everything then. I give you my word.”

Dejection took over their body until Anna finally regained control of her feelings.

You better, she mumbled, sinking deeper into their consciousness.

Etheera pushed the door of the Control room open, stepping inside to find it much more crowded than when they left it. Peter and Rashid were there, staring at the black screen with wide eyes, no doubt just as shocked at the video as Annabel had been. They all knew what was going to happen when Ozias got here, she had explained time and time again to prepare them, but she couldn’t blame them for the fear and disbelief in their eyes. They had never seen that man slaughter thousands upon thousands, guilty or innocent, without stopping to even acknowledge their deaths. William was there too and so were a few of the others that had taken leadership roles while the dead kept piling up.

Iris was missing, which was a good thing. Even though she knew what the plan was for facing Ozias, Etheera was sure she’d try something bothersome, like insisting on coming along. That would only make Annabel anxious and distract Etheera while she tried her best to keep the older sister alive.

“Are you sure you can do this?” Peter asked, turning his back on the monitors. “You saw the video. His power is not like William’s, bringing pain and stealing energy. He can slice through people with it!” Peter licked his lips, glancing at William, then returning his eyes back to her. “I am not saying you guys are weak, but…”

“We don’t have a choice,” Etheera replied. “If we don’t go now, he’ll keep moving and he will keep killing everything that stands in his path until he gets here. I told you already, he is here for us. He wants us to face him, he wants to make a speech, and he wants to see us grovel at his feet again.” She looked at William, searching his face for the hesitation and despair that had appeared in the others. Yet all she saw was determination.

Etheera wasn’t sure if it was his power growing, because that sure did happen, but something had changed within him and likely not for the better. But this plan was useless without him, so she had to trust he had control over the destruction in his veins or they were all going to die a meaningless death.

“Besides,” she continued, tearing her eyes away from William, “Ozias is at his weakest now. He just woke up from sleeping for centuries. He will need some time to get to his full power. This is our best chance against him.”

“This was his weakest?” Mary asked in a high-pitched voice, her eyes wide with horror. Etheera forced a smile on her face.

“We’ll do our best, won’t we?” she shrugged, glancing at William again. He nodded. “The others will be here any moment, so we should go.” She stepped toward the door and opened it, waiting for William to go out first. When Peter moved to follow, she raised her hand to stop him. “We’ll take it from here. You just stay put and watch our backs.”

Etheera waited for Annabel to say something or pass a message, but when she didn’t, Etheera stepped out and closed the door. She spotted William with his back to her, staring with his arms crossed at the six remaining gods that were dragging their feet toward them.

“I hope you said your goodbyes because we’re all going to die.” Seuss spat, a vein pulsing on his forehead as if he was resisting every step he took toward them.

“Maybe you’ll finally catch up on that sleep after today. You look terrible.” Etheera scoffed, stopping by William’s side. “What’s with the angry faces, it won’t be you that’s facing him, will it? All you have to do is provide energy and distraction.” Hedda opened her mouth to say something, but then quickly closed it. “Let’s go before he kills even more people.”

Etheera conjured a portal, feeling another open behind her back. She waited until a few hands touched her shoulders, then stepped forward. The moment the portal closed, she slipped the Ring of Dispel on her finger. She glanced at the others—one of the suppressing bracelets was hanging from William’s arm, blinking in red, while the others quickly powered down or used the artifacts that had been given to hide their energy levels. With the wraiths being able to sense them by their power, they had combed through the relics William had found and discovered a few more that could hide them—not as powerful as the ring, but still providing enough protection if used properly.

Etheera gave them a sign to spread around and everybody moved as quietly as possible, following her lead. It was not hard to find where Ozias’ power had stopped. The lush green field with flowers and trees overgrown with fruit or blossoms disappeared abruptly into complete blackness. Looking at it from the side, it resembled a weird painting that was trying to depict life and death facing each other in an eternal battle.

Etheera took a deep breath and stepped on the black soil, then another step took her even further into the land of death and silence. It had been a while since she felt the weird black substance of the Otherworld, the colorless, odorless look of this blighted place. She could not see any wraiths, but she could feel them lurking nearby, waiting for their master’s command. They didn’t worry her much, his three favorite pets did—they had started as wraiths as well, but through his power and the gods they had killed and devoured, they seemed to have evolved. They were capable of not only logical thinking but a wider range of emotions, not just the thirst for death. And their eyes were blue, not red, almost like a human’s.

She could feel their master, too. Despite the desolate look of the place, despite the strange darkness that seemed to be affecting even the sky, she could see his energy, just like she could back in the Otherworld.

Etheera looked at William, only to realize he was staring at the ground with a hard expression, picking his way around the bodies and the remnants of weapons, cars, and machinery. Etheera kept her eyes up, afraid that Annabel’s feelings might affect her if she saw up close all that death and gore.

They walked for a few minutes when she signaled for everyone to gather together. William moved to stand by her side while the others fell close behind them, looking around for any of the wraiths.

When she saw him, the calmness that she had forced around her heart faltered and so did her step. She had told herself that she could do this, she could face him and survive, she could save this world even if it meant dying. But feeling all that power emanating from him, she was painfully reminded just how strong they all used to be.

He was sitting on the hood of a car that had somehow remained whole, his legs crossed in front of him and his hand playing with something that suspiciously looked like a handgun. He did not look at them until they were almost in front of him, and even then he didn’t bother to raise his head as he examined the barrel of the gun and ran his fingers over the sleek, metal surface.

“That was faster than I expected. I thought you would all hide and make me look for you,” he said and after the heavy silence that had surrounded them earlier, his voice sounded loud and threatening. His hands finally stopped turning the weapon around and he let them fall in his lap before looking up. “Now. Have you come to beg for your lives again? Or are you ready to die with pride for once?”