Chapter 24: Chapter 23: A Sliver of God Pt.2

Rayse's spear clattered on the stone floor as its master was disarmed by his own hubris.

"This…this can't be. H-how are you here?" He stammered.

Erebos looked away from the portal for a moment, as if just now acknowledging Rayse's presence.

"Marduk is not the only one who can come here. Causality allows me access while he is busy elsewhere." 

The incomprehensible response rattled Rayse even more. He shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts. Will you always freeze in front of the enemy like this!? Get a grip! If he wanted you dead, you'd be on the ground! He chastised himself, striking his shaking knees with his hands in order to bring feeling back to them. That helped a bit, although the reality remained that he was still facing an overgod.

Rayse focused, trying to understand whatever gibberish the God of the Abyss just said. For his part, Erebos just stood there staring at him, though Rayse could see that his eyes were slowly drifting back to the portal. He had to dissuade him from going through. Who knows what destruction he would wreak.

Rayse thought back to his short conversation with the other overgod… or Marduk, as Erebos seemed to call him. Equally as incomprehensible, the subject of causality was also brought up at the time. 

"T-then, does causality allow you access to the world beyond?" Rayse ventured.

"...not without consequence." Erebos admitted. Rayse thought as much. He correctly assumed that he was under just as many restrictions as the overgod Marduk had. His fears got the better of him for a moment there. 

"Then why risk it?" He thought aloud. 

"Your master keeps borrowing my power. He draws on it, brazenly using it for his own ends. It is… uncomfortable."

Rayse saw a subtle change in the god's demeanor for the first time. The aloof facade now had something swimming just below the surface. Before he could ascertain what emotion it was, however, Erebos turned his head to him once again. This time, Rayse experienced the full brunt of his scrutiny.

"Hmmm. I feel a similar power within you, child. Are you one of mine?"

"N-no, sir. I am Aleph's apprentice." Rayse said. He gave up on lying as he was pretty sure his thoughts were open to Erebos, as they were to Marduk when he was hosting them.

"Made with power stolen from me, but mine nonetheless."

Stolen?

"Yes, child. Stolen. I offered this world the honor of coming into my rule, but they spat in my face and usurped my power. Him and that woman of his…"

Rayse caught it this time. Irritation. It flashed across the god's face for a moment, imperceptible to him at first, but now he knew what to look for. He reveled in the realization that mortal hands can indeed inconvenience gods, long enough for Erebos to return to a seemingly emotionless state.

"But I am a gracious God. My gift is still available to him, and any who once struggled to receive it. Infamous as he has become, your master has now received the highest of gifts: that I may come and receive him personally into my embrace."

He walked leisurely towards the portal at this moment, as if speaking out the words had made the decision for him. Rayse tried to stop him, but he may as well have been one of the rocks on the floor. He pushed against Erebos with all his might, even rousing his recovering mana heart. Erebos stood tall and unphased, continuing his march without a care in the world. A dozen paces separates him from the portal now, causing Rayse to grow desperate. 

He remembered the explosive strength Vilam showed before his demise. That purple mana now flowed in his body.

"Berserk!" 

Not even pausing to think of the repercussions, Rayse called upon the image and uttered a spell, making his veins glow the same dreaded purple that Vilam had. His feet dug into the ground as he wrapped the God of the Abyss in a bear hug. He called his spear in his mind, and now it floated a distance away, ready to stab through the god as well as Rayse himself whenever he commanded. He never had a chance to.

Erebos finally stopped, though Rayse had a feeling that it wasn't his efforts that made him do so. The god looked at him then, the purple glow casting his face in a fearsome light. His twisted smile almost broke Rayse's spirit right then.

"So you ARE one of mine! Splendid! Come, let us welcome your master together!"

He continued his walk, heedless of the empowered young mage clinging onto him. Rayse was in tears. He felt the portal directly behind him now, despite his best efforts. For the third time today, he felt resigned to his fate. Hios was doomed. His fleeting hope was that his master had not arrived in town yet. He urged the spear forward in his mind, hoping to at least take the mad god down with him when, for the third time today, fate intervened.

"You should not be here, Erebos." A voice said from beside him. The spear froze in midair before shattering into a million pieces. Erebos turned to it briefly before looking back at who had just arrived. The smile he had was gone.

"Marduk, are you done with your machinations? I am only here to claim what is mine. Go back into your hallowed halls. I will be visiting you shortly." He said.

"And I will welcome you then, Lord of the Void, but now we must be away. The ruler of this realm will not abide by both of us staying here."

Erebos jumped back and glared at Marduk. His mask of contempt was vastly different from the measured expressions he held before. 

"You lied, Many Eyed One. A second spire for a godkiller is hardly a fair trade."

"Negotiating terms already agreed upon is in bad form, old friend. A sliver for a sliver: That was the deal. The fact that the other one was once yours is proof of equivalence." 

Erebos continued to glower at Marduk, who had eloquently stated his case. Marduk ignored him, looking kindly onto Rayse once more.

"Rayse. You've done enough." Rayse felt Marduk's touch on his chest, and at that moment, Berserk ended abruptly. Rayse gasped as his muscles started to spasm, a vicious blowback from holding back a god.

"Do not sacrifice yourself so willingly, child. Aleph still needs you. Return to his side." Marduk pushed him back, crossing the portal back into his world. He fell on his back as the passage closed before him.

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Rayse gasped, still winded from using Berserk. He found himself head down on the grass, wincing at his cramping muscles. He had blacked out due to exhaustion. It was already dark out.

"I need to be more careful with that." He groaned. He stayed laying down, letting the evening wind soothe his still tired body.

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Wait, wind?

Rayse's eyes snapped back open, looking up just in time to see a carriage trotting its way towards him. He spun out of the way, just in time to prevent getting trampled.

"Oi! You wanna die kid!?" The driver's angry voice called out. The carriage moved along, but the driver stood on top of the seat and shouted at him. He looked quite fearsome in the torchlight.

"Don't lie down in the middle of the road, ya drunk!" The lively old man shouted. A bit spry for his age, this one.

A procession of various wagons and such followed, all either giving him disapproving looks or ignoring him outright.

Rayse's heart was beating like a jackrabbit once again. He thought he was used to the portal thing, only to be spat out in the middle of nowhere. He gingerly stood to find his bearings, likely looking even more like a random drunkard.

He was at a familiar spot right outside the city. He used to bring out the horses here to stretch their legs.

"Wait." He heard a familiar voice say from the carriage ahead.

"Master? We're quite close to town now, just wait a bit longer…" He heard the old man say, but Rayse was already on the move.

He ran up to the departing carriages, heedless of his aching body. He caught up, running apace with the lead carriage almost instantly. That spooked the older man, likely working himself up to another tirade. Rayse didn't care though, only looking at the person on the passenger seat.

"Hello, Rayse. I-" Whatever Aleph had to say, it cut off when Rayse jumped on him in an awkward embrace. "Watch it!" The driver shouted. Rayse cared even less than the first time he got scolded.

"You're home." He sniffled. 

"Vaynard said you were something of a hero now, but I see you are still a child." Aleph teased.

"It was so hard. I thought we lost you…" Rayse complained. It's funny how he'd come to rely on this man. He's almost a grown man, and had always played the role of an adult for his siblings, but Aleph brought out the child in him. They stayed like that for a while, as Hios came into view. 

Aleph chuckled, "I knew you all would miss me, but I assumed Lacey would be the one to tackle me like this, not you."

Rayse finally broke off, scratching his head in embarrassment beside him.

"I guess Lord Marduk sent me here…"

"Marduk? What does he have to do with this?"

Rayse could only scratch his head some more at the question.

"Uhhh… well, ya see…"

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Aleph listened in awe as Rayse told him what he had just experienced. He had heard most of what occurred on the battlefield from when they had passed Vaynard and his troops, but what went on in his sanctuary was wholly new.

He could reach into demons and manipulate their mana from within. He didn't think much of it at the time, considering it an extension of his own abilities he cultivated on Earth. But it was a fraudulent power. Even Vaynard, the most capable mage he has seen on this planet, had not managed to do anything similar. It now made sense; His mastery over these untreated mana hearts was not a byproduct of this world's magic mingling with his, but a manifestation of his connection to Erebos.

A sliver of god, huh?

The only problem with using it was that it drew Erebos' eyes to him. Now he knew that Aleph had come to this world, working to disrupt his plans once again. He looked at Rayse, who was chatting away about this and that, retelling the past days' events animatedly.

They were fortunate that Rayse managed to distract Erebos, else his descent would have destroyed Hios. The child claims to have failed, but holding off the god of the abyss for any amount of time deserves praise. He was likely the first mortal to do so since Aleph himself. 

"...hey, are you listening?" he heard Rayse say.

"Yes, child. You were using my spears to carry you over the walls. Continue."

Rayse continued, giving a modest retelling of his fight with an emissary.

They're growing too fast, Aleph thought. It's only been a couple of months since they became mages, but they already distinguished themselves in a squad full of veterans. Lacey and Brandon seem to have found their own paths, while Rayse is unwittingly walking a path disturbingly similar to his own. Aleph could not decide which one he preferred.

In any case, it would be hard for him to keep them in town for much longer. If they continue the fight, more would come to recognize their talents and seek their aid. 

I must think on how to prepare them for this.

The carriage slowed to a halt, held up in front of the gate leading into town. They all got down from the carriage, stretching and taking a rest as Tom spoke with the guard up front.

Aleph inspected the walls as he waited, already thinking up modifications to the town's defenses. He was getting absorbed in it when a huge mob of people tackled him.

"Masterrrrr!" Lacey wailed, sobbing into his shirt. He looked around to see a group of people clinging to him. Brandon, Lacey, and even the twins were present, holding on for dear life. Their tearfilled faces made him bubble up with joy. Aleph swept them all up in his embrace.

"Still children, all of you." He laughed as tears formed on the corners of his eyes. He looked around at them all, along with Rayse, who was once again sobbing on the side, and felt his heart fill up with affection.

Their talents will drive them apart soon enough. But today, Aleph was their teacher. And there was still much to learn.

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