God's Game

CHAPTER 1: Hunting Disappointment

CHAPTER 1

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The chirping of the birds, the occasional cricket sounds and the cracking of dried leaves under our footwear as we stride were all I can hear in this forest. No sound of hooves anywhere. The world has seen some drastic changes ever since they came down here, and for the first time, I saw a creature I only see illustrations of in books at the library mother made us dwell in.

"Are you sure you saw a Sagittarius? I'm pretty sure it was only an Astrological Sign a hundred years ago." My brother inquires.

Despite my childish demeanor, Alexander always tries his best to go along with what I'm doing as I'm his only brother. He taught me a lot of stuff he learned from his trainings, like how to camouflage, and how to gather and cook with only camp fire. A lot of times though, he just wants to explore and be adventurous with me, which is why we're here right now— hunting for a creature that is only mentioned in mythological and history books. I'm not sure if he believes me but seeing that we are already miles from where we came from, I'm guessing he's quite curious too, or he's just here to help me satisfy my curiosity.

"I am sure of it. I saw a Sagittarius! He was huge, like the descriptions in the books mother used to make us read. I'm sure you've read about them too! He even talked to me, said that I shouldn't be here, which was honestly scary. He was really fast too! He galloped quickly when the symbol on his forehead glowed." I rambled.

One of the million reasons why I wanted to hunt this creature down is because he talks. I used to imagine talking to creatures like that, and now I finally can, if he talks to me. I want to know how our conversation will go. He'll probably be bombarded with questions when I get the chance.

I want to know more about him; if there are more creatures like him; and which god do they worship. It's uncommon to find talking animals while running away from your brother during a game of arrow-tag. I just hope that he doesn't kill us when we find him— to be fair, he did warn me to leave the forest.

"Yeah, yeah okay. But, we have to be back before supper for our worship." He reminds.

"You know Lord Levi isn't the type of god who wants to be praised all the time."

"Yeah, tell that to Nekros or Aquarys and they'll be happy to chop off your head." He laughs.

We crouched and halted in shock when we both saw a hoof-print embedded on the less leaf-covered soil. An astonished Alexander stepped forward and knelt to the ground to examine the print. His fingers could barely reach the edges of the hoof-print when he placed his hand over it. With a loaded bow, he stood up and nodded forward as a signal for me to follow the faint hoof-prints.

At this point, my heart was racing both in exhilaration and unease. My mind still couldn't grasp the idea of seeing something fictional be so real up close, with an ominous threat at that. I'm not even scared of an 8-foot tall bow-wielding half-human, half-horse anymore, I'm beyond amazed.

Now, I can tell, Alexander is now riding the same curiosity boat that I am currently aboard on. Since he also studied about this during our primary days, I am certain that he is now as excited as I am. However, his excitement is underneath a mask of courage and sternness while mine is evident on the huge grin I am currently wearing.

We followed into where the prints were heading and saw that it continued down a path that leads to the river and a huge rock. Towering trees surround the path and a few bushes grew under the trees. Sun rays shone into the pathway majestically; implying that the sun was still up and the time is probably around noon. Birds were flying from tree to tree overhead, casting shadows on the forest floor.

The hoof-prints stopped just by an opening by the river bank. I looked around this wide area enclosed by large trees and bushes but saw no signs of a horse. Across the river were nothing but few bushes of berries, tall trees similar to ones on our side, and a dark setting inside the enclosure of the trees.

The river was flowing calmly to the south. The water was surprisingly clear despite it passing through the wall and a few other cities outside the wall. It waved past us and continued its way towards the sea.

I looked at my brother disappointedly. He shrugged, lowering down his bow. I'm guessing we're both disappointed, he's just relieved that it was all over.

Just when I lost all hope, I heard a rustling in the bushes just to our left. We quickly hid to the nearest tree to our right, froze still and waited for the creature in the bush to show itself, hoping that it is the Sagittarius. Alexander's grip on the bow tightened and he pulled back the string farther. The rustling continued, and each passing moment was filled with rushing anticipation.

And finally, the creature revealed itself.

"Oh man!" I yelled out when the creature in the bush showed itself to be a deer with a berry in its mouth. My face fell down in disappointment.

"Come on little guy, we need to find our way back before supper." My brother said. We turned around and came out from where we came from.

I'll find him another time, I thought to myself. I know I wasn't crazy and that Sagittarius really did come face to face with me. I wasn't just tired nor hallucinating; I was sure, with the entirety of my heart, that it was a half-man half-horse. It was real, I felt the fear and curiosity standing in front of me.

I'm still wondering as we are making our way back. I'm frustrated and disappointed. Unanswered questions remained in my mind, and it will forever haunt me.

"Brother?"

"Hmm?" My brother replied.

"If, and only if, that Sagittarius was real and I find out I wasn't crazy, which god do you think it worships? Which empire do you think it is from?" I asked curiously seeing how complicated things got when the gods were brought upon here on Earth.

"Hmm, that's a tough one." He slowed his paced for a bit and thought. "It wouldn't be from Atlantoss and definitely wouldn't praise Lord Aquarys if it is in the forest" He responds, implying that since the Sagittarius is Earth-based, it would not be from the god of water, sea and storm.

"Maybe he's from Thanatos?" I tried to guess. "You know, Lord Nekros must've killed a horse and a man and combined them?" It makes sense knowing that the Goddess of discord and spirits is known for killing and experimenting with her people.

"Probably not." He disagrees. "My hunch is that he was accidentally created by Celsior Terrae. Maybe his spit gave life somehow." He said with confidence. He does have a point knowing that the God of Earth and nature can bring creatures to their full potential. "If what you saw was actually real. He would probably be from Eastlanta and is serving Lord Terrae." He added.

I nod in agreement. If it is real and it really was created by Lord Terrae, I find it very cool that Gods can create life down here on Earth. According to the stories, before the gods came down here on Earth a few hundred years ago, it was only humans and animals who roamed and I find that boring. A lot has changed since humanity was divided under the 7 gods that nearly wiped us out and I am fine with that.

"We're here." Alexander took a breath of fresh air. We finally made it out of the woods and the huge walls of Hustasia, our home empire, can be seen from here. "Come on. We still have a long way to go, Nicolous. Let's not play here ever again."

Hustasia has grown to be a peaceful empire. There hasn't been a single report of a crime ever since my mother became priestess. Life inside the walls have been prosperous, however the outside seemed to be a barren wasteland. The ruined cities around the walls have been bleached and the resources garnered have been distributed even to the farthest city of the empire. As far as I know, everything is going great in the empire.

Lord Levi, our god and the god of justice and peace, is probably the only God who interacts with his people. Unlike the other gods in the other empires, Lord Levi took on a human form and lives with humans. At some point in their life, every Hustasian have interacted with Lord Levi in human form before. They just don't know it. He is still worshipped in his church but he seldom appears. Sometimes, he appears as a buyer of corn in the market, other times he appears outside the walls as a soldier guarding the gates, and he even appeared as a commoner during his own worship. In human form, no one can really tell that it is him except families with holy blood; and god form, only the family with holy blood can talk to him.

We, Hustasians, are lucky to have him as our god. I, personally, feel honored to have him as my god because he cares about his followers. It is why I thread into this forest with great confidence, because I have faith that he is with me.

After an hour of walking, Alexander and I finally made it to the thick and huge walls of Hustasia. The walls have always astonished me. It was said that these walls were built in order to separate Hustasians from the world and allow them to praise Lord Levi in peace. Others believe it was built in order to separate the powers of Hustasia, making it the center of power within the empire like in the other empires.

Before we even make it near the walls, the guards formed in combat position with their spears and shields and wearing their white and gold armor. "Who is it that wishes to pass the gates?" The lead guard, who was wearing silver and gold armor making him stand out from the rest, yelled out to us.

"Alexander Nasier. I passed the gates with my brother, Nicolous Nasier." He yelled back not stopping from his tracks.

At the sound of our names, the guards immediately stood at attention and granted us access to the gates of Hustasia. The cogs that lift the heavy iron gate made a creaking sound. As we pass by the guards, they beat their spears to the ground three times to show respect.

The gates closed behind us and we were greeted by the city noise of Hustasia. From the gates, you can see the market that is usually packed with people wearing white cloth draping from their shoulders. The men wore wreaths and the women of Hustasia wore headbands.

At the dead-center of the city lies the white, gold and black outlined temple of Lord Levi. Story has it that the temple was built after humanity conceded defeat. They say that the early Hustasians chose Levi as their god for he is the least cruel among the gods.

We serve and worship Lord Levi a few times a week after supper even if he is not there. Though on special occasions, he would most likely be there.

As we were walking towards the temple, I felt a sharp pain on my ankles. I looked down to check and saw that my abyssal scales were bleeding.

Panicked, I tug on my brother's arm, "brother.." I whisper. Amidst the noise of the city, my brother still heard worry in my voice. I saw concern in his eyes. "My abyssal scale is bleeding."

His eyes widen and before I know it, we were running as fast as we can towards the temple of Lord Levi.