Where The Dead Ones Go Book 4 -Union-

Chapter 7

"Five sleds full of supplies, gears, and things you might ever need in your journey," Volker said proudly as the children finished securing the cargoes being pulled by Asher's four regimented dogs and him, "If you need more supplies, His Eminence knows how to contact us and we can send more on the way. We do have several skilled fliers here who can do it."

Zenith looked at Volker and the rest of the children who are outside the gate to send us off in our journey, "I somehow feel guilty leaving you all behind like this when it is my duty to guard you all."

"No, Your Eminence. Your duty is to join up with your friends and end this gloomy world we are in once more," the heritor answered that made me smile at him, "Seeing you walking, talking, smiling, and laughing is enough for us all who protected you. Just show us that the future our parents and guardians died for is real, High Priest Zenith. Show us the bright tomorrow full of hope and we will not ask for more."

Asher barked confidently in return that made the children cheer loudly our names.

"You heard the dog. We will do it," I promised not just to them but also to myself, "This is just the beginning, this isn't the end."

"Also, don't forget to keep doing your training and such. There might come a time when we need to battle against our foe side by side. I don't want to be embarrassed in front of my friends, Volker," Zenith reminded the heritor which bowed lowly in answer, "You take the helm, welp, you already the moment I lost it all."

"But!"

"Do it, that's an order from the High Priest of the Heran Temple," Zenith said curtly that made Volker bit his lip and nod slowly showing his youthful personality, "Also a request from the helpless, lifeless demigod you took care of day in and day out. I swear I will make it up to you."

"Thank you, Your Eminence."

Zenith nodded at me and Asher as a signal to do what we planned a few days into our stay here.

I raised my hands before slamming the snow, "Athena: Systematic Encasement!"

Grey metal bars of gigantic proportions erupted from the ground and encased the walls of the settlement further reinforcing it as Zenith summoned howling winds and thunderclouds above the settlement.

"Zeus: Eternal Voltage!"

Electricity began to drop in jagged streaks of light around the settlement's immediate vicinity, protecting it effectively from any intruders who dare enter it.

Asher and his dogs howled in four cardinal directions creating a loud echo of disorienting sound that will surely send any monster horde scattering in fear just the way he did to the Howling Forest before he left it to protect the settlement.

Our canine companion barked in our direction and we knew what he meant so Zenith ordered Volker and his men and women to contact the small settlement where I found Asher and if they can, bring them here for their safety.

After a few minutes of goodbyes and reminders, the three of us are finally on our way to find more of our friends' whereabouts in this torn world we are living in.

-0-

"Say, Gala," Zenith said as I am busy weaving new clothes after eating our excellent dinner by the campfire more than a week after the three of us set out together in the journey I started alone.

"Hmm?"

He pointed at Asher who is busy cleaning our plates and his cooking utensils that I made for him a while back at the nearby river stream with his paws and mouth.

"Why isn't Asher returning to his human form?" Zenith asked quietly that made me stop what I am doing and looked at our friend who is now catching some fishes that suddenly jumped in front of him, "Is he shy? Or angry with me? I know he didn't mean any harm when he dumped me at the necropolis. I know he did it out of concern and wanting to see me up and about once more."

I took a deep breath and sighed and Asher caught his fifth fish all the while washing the cooking utensils, "It's not like that, Zenith. He just can't. I found him literally feral and near bereft of humanity back in the forest. I think he spent too much time in that form, he lost the ability to reverse it."

"So that's the price he paid to survive," the son of Zeus said in barely a whisper as our friend returned happily to show the fresh catch he made, albeit with bite marks, "Do you still wish to turn back to human, Asher?"

The giant scarred dog stop arranging the newly washed wooden plates neatly and look at Zenith curiously.

"I mean, it will be a heck lot easier to understand you if you turn back to human rather than let Gala here translate your words for me."

Our companion let out a long, sand and regretful howl to the lightless skies above us as tears fell from his eyes.

"It's easier to numb the pain of loss when you're not human, huh," I translated his words that made Zenith tear up as well.

"I can't argue with that, my furry man," he agreed as he touched his own heart, "We can act as if it doesn't affect us in the slightest but deep inside, we can barely handle the sadness and grief yet still, we have to pretend that we are fine."

I nodded in agreement as Asher let Zenith put an arm on his neck as he sat beside him, "That's the advantage he has over us. But he paid in spades, so to speak. Me? I have to pay with my love, my life, my time, and my dreams."

"While I paid for by my sanity but really," the High Priest muttered quietly as he threw more wood on the fire, "Just how much more payment this journey of ours will ask of us?"

"I guess the real question here is if we can even pay what the future asks for us?"

We all fell into silence as we ponder where our journey will take us and if we can even pay the toll to get to our destination.

-0-

"How did you crossed the ocean from Luzon?"

Asher glanced at me as if thinking that he is not capable of explaining what the heck happened back then and looking back if I am the only one who was there, I would've told myself that it may just be my imagination.

As if to answer his question my chest let out a golden pulse of light and from it, visions of how Asher and I outran and defeated our pursuers.

"No way..."

"I am g*****a the First of the Scythian Emirate. Emira Regnant of the southern province! As the reigning ruler of the thousands of year dynasty of Scythia, in the name of my husband, Vaski Wilkins, the Emir and demigod of Poseidon, the Fluvial God, I command you to bend to my will!"

The vision showed how I literally split the ocean in half as Asher ran so fast, he broke the time barrier itself effectively making what should be dozens of hours of travel into mere minutes.

And then...

"Lord Poseidon, Your Fluvial Majesty, may these monsters be my humble offering to you, Great and Mighty King of the Depths! Oh, father-in-law, my gratitude as your daughter-in-law is as deep as the oceans you reign over!"

The waves came crashing down at my enemies as we stand looking down on them as the ocean drowned the horde of monsters out of sight, out of mind.

"I have to give you two more credits for reaching our settlement," Zenith said impressed as the light faded when he leaned at one of the gargantuan dogs pulling the sleds full of supplies, "Using your position as Vaski's wife and splitting the freaking ocean in half and riding through it in a large dog capable of breaking the sound, light and well into the time barrier itself. Truly, the capability of Athena and Lytta cannot be underestimated. Not to mention the great impression you left on the young minds of the children who saw how the goddess of strategy and goddess of rage's visage tore through the enemy lines like a hot knife through butter."

"Yeah, yeah, thank you, thank you, I thank you," I said sarcastically in a beauty pageant script that I once heard from Estelle who was begrudgingly reading because her mother forced her to join one that made Asher howl in laughter, "World peace, gods help us with that one wherever they are. But yeah, don't expect an encore. Like what we did out of desperation to defend your settlement it is a one-time display of powers at the very cost of our own life force."

He raised an eyebrow in amazement, "Manipulating one's own life force is something only demiurges can do freely. We demigods have to go through extensive training and requires absolute concentration coupled with self-discipline to pull one-off. You two mastered it?"

"Desperation for one's and other's lives can push someone, demigod or not, to do something normally out of their capabilities, Zenith," I said flatly that made him suddenly pensive, "Asher and I fear for our lives and the others that's why we can do, however sloppily, things that are beyond our regular abilities."

To mine and our furry companion's surprise, the High Priest pulled out the toy airplane Vivet gave to him from the inside pocket of the jacket I weaved, "She gave this to me as a symbol of how high I can achieve if I put my head and heart on it. If your fear of losing your own lives and the others you hold dear are the things that made you all push the boundaries of your powers then I shall use my fear of letting down the dead to unleash what I am holding back!"

He shoots up straight to the scarlet skies and threw the airplane above him as hard as he can, "I am the son of King of the Gods! One of the Olympian Heavenly Princes! For me, the sky is "not" the limit! Zeus: Majestic Aeroplane!"

His body let out an aura that reminded me and Asher of the blue skies that once covered the entire expanse of our world before directing all of it to the toy airplane which quickly grew in size so fast, the dogs of Asher yelped in surprise as its gargantuan shadows covered almost the entirety of the frigid shores we are in right now.

The eight powerful jet engines of what once a toy is steadily roaring in unison as our friend lifted us with his powerful winds easing to the waiting open doors of the plane.

"All aboard the AirCargo Elysian! Please go to your respective seats or designated comfortable lounges and prepare for a non-stop flight from the Northern Reaches to Visayas Island, Luzviminda, Maharlika!" Zenith said in a proud voice, not unlike those that we heard from the Golden Age announcers when the transport is about to depart, "Refreshments and other quality of life items will be delivered shortly after our departure. Make sure to watch the video guide about the emergency features and steps you need to learn and follow should the need arises. But have no fear for I, Zenith Mycenae, will be your pilot for today so expect a smooth flight with little to no turbulence!"

And with that, me, Asher, and his four dogs finally entered the spacious cavern inside the airplane that looked like fresh from the factory.

"Passengers, please head towards your designated seats and lounges. We will begin to take off shortly!" the perky voice of Zenith said over the intercom speakers announced as we scrambled towards one of the vacant chairs and large lounges obviously for large pets and demigods and deities who prepared to travel in their animal forms, "Please fasten your seatbelts, dear passengers for your safety during our ascent, thank you!"

I quickly grabbed the gray belt near my hips and clipped it in my waist as I looked around to see that Asher and his dogs did the same but with their bodies secured instead.

"Please hold on tight for this will be a sharp ascent, don't worry, once we reached a stable altitude, you will be able to remove your belts and roam around our spacious corridors and visit our buffet table and entertainment rooms at your leisure," the son of Zeus said as we really begin to fly upwards in a steady pace and when I looked outside the videos, I saw the majestic view of the lands and seas below us that made me gasp in amazement.

Even in the desolation and destruction, there is still beauty left to be found in our dying world.