The Fallen God's Redemption

Chapter 10: Betrayal ghosts

As Atheon and I traveled the small road, shadows wrapping around us alive with almost sentient activity, the silence descended like a weight. Every stride felt more weight than the next, and I could not get rid of the sense of anxiety biting at my consciousness, a sensation sharpened with every flutter of light, every change in the darkness.

Aramis's voice had boomed across the shadows, a memory of a betrayal that had once pierced deeper than any wound, one that had launched me on a road of blood and revenge. And now he was here, his presence like a poison threatening to undo all I had battled to reconstruct.

Atheon looked at me, his face inscrutable. Before all had collapsed, he had battled beside Aramis. And while he had turned his back on my road and betrayed me, Aramis's treachery had left an even more profound scar.

"So," Atheon remarked, his voice precisely neutral. You know he is waiting for you?

I nodded, my hand naturally swinging to the hilt of my blade. "Sure. I heard his voice, sensed his presence.

Atheon's eyes clouded as a flutter of something almost regret crossed his face. "Aramis was always aspirational, always ready to do whatever it took to climb in influence. But I never thought of it. I never thought he would reach this degree.

"He betrayed us both," I murmured, my voice low, slanted with the long hidden wrath. And now he is here, waiting for his opportunity, hiding in the shadows.

Atheon nodded with a sad look. "He is aware of your weakening, Kaelan. He is aware of your shattered might and mortal bound nature. And he will turn that on you.

I inhaled deeply to help me to stabilize myself. Sharp and harsh, the memories of Aramis's betrayal-of the way he had turned on me-rose unwelcome in my memory. He had been a brother-in-arms, an ally, someone I had unquestioningly trusted. And he had sliced that trust apart with one, merciless blow.

"Whatever his intentions," I answered, my voice calm, "I shall meet him. Though he may have betrayed my confidence, he will not undermine my will.

Atheon looked at me with both reverence and melancholy. Kaelan, be cautious. Aramis has developed in strength and danger. His power-l**t has eaten him and turned him into something unidentifiable.

The road ahead shrank and the darkness grew heavier, swelling like a wall pushing against my senses and making me increasingly uncomfortable. Just beyond view, I could sense Aramis's presence, waiting for the ideal opportunity to attack.

Then, without warning, a man emerged from the shadows.

It was Aramis, him.

Clutching darkness, he stood before us, his eyes icy, deliberate. His gaze exuded a smugness, a vicious satisfaction that sent off a flash of wrath in me, a memory of every lie, every treachery.

"Kealan," he continued, his voice silky and sarcastic. It has been far too long.

I clenched my teeth, willed myself to be calm, to control my rage. "You are naturally resilient, Aramis. I will provide you that.

He grinned, slanted his head in a mocking respect-oriented gesture. And you, it appears, are rather good at falling. Look at you-reduced to a ghost of what you once were, clutching to mortals, to memories, to illusions.

Atheon moved forward, his eyes turning harsh. You betrayed us, Aramis. You turned from all we battled for.

Aramis laughed, a frigid, sour sound resonating over the night. "I battled for strength, for victory, for control. I did not forsook my throne for the sake of ephemeral feelings; I did not fall in love with mortals.

I stepped forward, my hand squeezing on my blade. Your ambition blinded you, warped you. To please your insatiable avarice, you were ready to turn on anyone, destroy everything.

He arched an eyebrow, his darkly amused glance shining. "And yet here you are, crippled, bewildered, searching for a woman who might very well be lost to you permanently among shadows. Tell me, Kealan-was it worth it?

The inquiry touched deep, a reminder of every sacrifice, every decision I had made to get here. But I would not let him waver from my will.

"Yes," I answered, my voice calm and full of a conviction burning across the night. "That was worth it." And I would decide the same way once more.

Aramis's smile vanished, replaced by a cold, mechanical look. Then Kaelan, you are an i***t. And fools deserve only destruction.

He shot forward with that, his form blurring into a shadow and speed, his blade deadlyly precisely slicing through the air.

I answered his strike, our blades striking and the sound of our battle filled the darkness with its primal might. His motions were sharp, merciless, full of a darkness that seemed to pulse with every blow, a reminder of the might he had claimed, the strength he had turned to suit his own aims.

Our fight raged, every blow bearing the weight of our shared past, the resentment of betrayal, the relentless will to prove ourselves.

But even as I battled, I could feel the weight of my death weighing down, reminding me of the strength I had lost, the power formerly so readily available. And Aramis knew it; he saw the frailty, the fragility, and he took advantage of it with every blow, his motions mercilessly exact.

You are weak, Kaelan snarled, his sword dangerously close. You gave up all that endowed you with power. And now you hang on delusions, to hope that is inappropriate for the heart of a deity.

I tightened my teeth, willing myself to push past the agony, to grab the strength inside, the will that had propelled me so far. I would forbid his breaking me. NOT AGAIN.

Then he drove me back with a quick, forceful blow, his blade cutting my side and drawing blood. I stammered, agony burning through me, and he laughed-a frigid, mocking sound filling the room.

"Is this the Kaelan I once knew?" He teased, his eyes shining with nasty delight. Reduced to a mortal-bound i***t, bleeding for the sake of love? The god of war?

I steadied myself, the agony a vivid reminder of the stakes, of the will burning inside me. I wouldn't let him taunting me into losing control, or break me.

But Atheon came forward as I raised my blade, ready to strike, his eyes flicked hard with a flutter of sorrow.

Enough, Atheon replied, his voice stern. "Aramis, this road yields only ruin."

Aramis snorted, his eyes full of contempt. Of all the individuals, you would teach me about ruin? You, who abandoned power in the name of sentiment and followed Kaelan mindlessly?

Atheon's face grew gloomy, his eyes fixed with a great will. "I followed Kaelan since I thought of something better than power. I thought of loyalty, of strength restrained by goal.

Aramis's eyes flicked, a shade of something almost like resentment across his features. But it disappeared as fast as it had first shown, and a cold, merciless will took its place.

Then you are both fools, he remarked, his tone full of contempt. And fools do not deserve to impede me.

With a last, nasty smile, he turned away and vanished into the darkness, his presence remaining like a poison, wriggling at my head.

I inhaled deeply, steadying myself, felt the weight of the encounter down, the reminder of the bitterness, the betrayal, the darkness that lay inside Aramis crushing down.

But even as I stood there, a flutter of uncertainty tore at me, a reminder of the concerns I had tried to ignore, the worries I had avoided.

Could I really save Lyra? Could I really walk forward facing the shadows?

Atheon rested a hand on my shoulder and fixed a quiet resolution in his eyes. Kaelan, you are stronger than you would think. And this road is worth walking even if it is full of sorrow and sacrifice calls.

I nodded, his comments anchoring me and reminding me of the goal that had motivated me thus far. I would face whatever lied ahead and go through any challenges.

About Lyra. For the promise I promised.

The shadows grew thicker as we descended the road, the blackness pressing near like if it were alive, waiting, observing.

And as the silence descended, a fresh road opened itself, meandering farther into the darkness, a reminder of the challenges ahead, the strength I would need to recover, the sacrifices that would be expected.