001 - The End of Divinity

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My body burned as it fell from the sky, but the heat and pain were nothing compared to the fires of hatred raging inside my heart. I looked to the heavens with disdain and contempt, but a sense of loss overwhelmed me when I remembered what had happened just a few minutes prior.

I could barely believe it.

Even now, after all this, I couldn’t reconcile that this was reality. It felt more like a nightmare—I wished it was.

A large gaping hole stood in place of my heart, and despite its absence, my lungs still seemed to be working, drawing burning lungfuls of air into them while my blood circulated throughout. Though my injury was severe, it was slowly healing, creating new flesh to fill the hole, but my divine aura was quickly being consumed—or at least what remained of it.

I had lost my Divinity.

Correction: It was stolen—stolen by someone I once called a friend.

Although the betrayal came unexpectedly, if that was all he sought, I wouldn't have batted an eye and gladly offered it to him. I was never interested in such a thing, to begin with. Still, being driven to this state by someone I considered an equal stung more than I would like to admit.

No, what I honestly couldn't forgive was his intent toward her!

From the first time I came into her presence, I knew he had a thing for her. It wasn't hard to understand, as I felt much of the same. She was like the sun, shining bright and pure, untainted by the mortal world I came from. She felt so out of reach, but that was all the more reason for me to attempt to reach her.

Attempting the impossible and succeeding was simply in my nature. No challenge was too arduous for me to overcome, no mountains too high to scale, no ocean too deep to drain. I had done it all once before—from the lowest of mortals to one of the few Divinities.

I could do it again, and I did.

I managed to reach her heart like none had done before.

The heart of the Goddess of Mercy, which beat for every living being under The Divine, beat for me alone!

This was my greatest achievement yet. More than reaching the peak of humanity. More than transcending the limits of my own species. More than ascending to a higher plane of existence. All of those paled in comparison to this one.

Elation swelled in my heart when The Divine accepted our union, but my joy was short-lived. On the day of our marriage ceremony, when all Divinities congregated in one place, a plot most sinister took place.

The wine that should have cemented our union had been poisoned, sealing most of my powers. I then felt a hand on my back piercing through my flesh, grasping at my heart. The hand was cold even as my warm blood drenched it in red—freezing.

I had turned to see my assailant, disbelief in my eyes, only for my mind and body to grow cold—much colder than I ever felt before, and surprisingly, for the first time, my mind was clearer than it ever was.

There stood the man I called a friend—a brother even.

Unlike what I expected, the man wasn't gloating at his victory, nor was there pity in his eyes. They were cold—even colder than mine. At the time, the sight of them chilled me even more, especially since all of the guests we had invited to our wedding showed no signs of surprise as if everything was as it should have been.

It was only then that I realized my predicament. Everything had been planned from the start!

But what about my betrothed? I asked myself, slowly turning to face her.

Back then, I dreaded the worst. I could handle being betrayed by the world itself. Even if everyone I knew were to turn against me, I knew I could prevail.

But not her.

I wouldn’t be able to stand if her gentle eyes were to look upon me with the same disinterest.

Fortunately, my fears were unfounded. For the first time, I saw concern in them, a different kind than the one she looked at the rest of all living beings. It warmed my heart enough to struggle against the frozen, vice-like hand that gripped it.

I unleashed my weapon and brandished it before the man I once knew. Yet by merely turning his way, my heart had been ripped out of my chest, but I didn't care. I had no need for a physical one, as my heart now stood behind me, watching over me as I went about to slay my aggressor. Though a slight trace of affection for this man lingered in my heart, I would show no mercy, for he seemed inclined to do the same.

The battle was fierce and—had I been in perfect form—would have been swift also, for the man knew he was no match for me. However, without my heart to supply my body with divinity, my strength was slowly running out. The longer this continued, the greater his advantage would become.

So, I struck with all my might.

I held a halberd made of my own blood firmly in my hand—my weapon of choice—while he had a sword and shield. I panted and tasted blood in my mouth, something I hadn't tasted since my rise to godhood, but my breath calmed itself as my concentration rose, engulfing everything around me as I felt the world slow down, like many times before.

I then let my strike loose while he did the same.

The space between us shattered, and a void was created.

Our fight was intense as blood clashed upon steel. An aura of slaughter engulfed the premise where our vows were to be exchanged, yet a light pierced, dissipating it to the four winds almost immediately.

No matter how much of my hatred I channelled into it, I could do nothing to contend against the pervading aura of self-righteousness spilling from my foe. My aura of Divine Slaughter was slowly leaving me while he only seemed to grow, fuelled by what he had stolen from me.

“Why?!”

I cried out with a blaze in my eyes, seeking to sear through this facade of justice he exuded if only to reach his rotten core. Yet, the man remained impassive, expertly parrying my blows with his shield, awaiting my end as I slowly bled out the last of my divinity.

He didn’t even have the decency to finish me off with his own hands.

“Why betray me?" I added as my emotions ran wild, unable to restrain my breath from further unravelling. Only through ragged pants and the taste of iron filling my mouth did I manage to add, "How can you go against your own Divinity? Where is the Justice in all this?"

“Balance is where Justice lies," the man finally said, his voice low and firm as steel and just as cold. "This union cannot be allowed, for Slaughter and Mercy are antithetical to one another. Your joining would be nothing short of sacrilegious."

His words stunned me long enough that I felt the blunt side of his shield as he rammed it into me. I reeled from the blow but planted a single foot into the ground to stop myself from retreating further, yet I felt my breath cut even shorter as my chest caved in slightly.

I held myself up by leaning on my halberd, observing as the man slowly walked around me, positioning himself between me and my beloved, acting as an obstacle between us.

As for her, other than a look of concern, she made no indication of trying to help. I didn't blame her; taking my side against him would contradict her Divinity. How could she? Unlike me, she was born pure, untainted.

She was Mercy personified, unable to take a side in this conflict, for Mercy belonged to all. All deserved to—at least once—feel her warm embrace. I consoled myself, knowing she had once chosen me, not out of mercy, but out of love. At least—I believed so.

"The Divine approved of our union," I said with difficulty, expelling a mass of blood from my mouth. "You would dare go against His wishes?"

I was now surrounded on all sides. I once considered many of them friends, but now we stood on opposite sides. Most simply chose to sit back and watch, unwilling to take a side, yet four stepped forward, three men and one woman. They were his subordinates, their Divinity closely aligned with his. It was no surprise they would share his views.

How could I have been so blind not to see it coming? After all, most of those aligned with my Divinity weren't invited to the event, stating a fear of the friction it could bring. Blinded with love, I simply went along with it, thinking no one would dare stand against us now that The Divine had spoken.

What a fool I was!

“Not even The Divine is infallible," he said without a single ounce of shame despite his words being nothing more than heresy. "His love knows no bounds. How could he not feel the same for the man his daughter chose? How could he possibly go against her wishes? And yet, the balance must take precedence. Don't you understand?"

He spoke as if it were only natural that I should share his point of view, yet my mind was filled with nothing but pain and fury. If only he had looked at me as an enemy to destroy, I could have borne it, but his eyes showed nothing but blatant disinterest as if my destruction was inevitable.

I screamed incomprehensibly as a shower of red spewed from my mouth, yet the blood didn't even reach his golden armour nor the gleaming shield standing before him. The red beads burst into white dust as they vanished out of existence, thoroughly burned by an ethereal flame.

A woman with hair as white as snow appeared next to him, sporting a similar golden armour, looking just as dignified. She extended a hand toward me, her palm reaching upward as she softly blew upon it, creating a majestic gale that enveloped me.

The cold that once gripped my heart vanished, replaced with a searing pain that seeped into my very bones. This was no ordinary fire but Flames of Righteousness meant to smite evil. Of course, they were effective against me, for my hands were stained in unending blood and slaughter. I could feel the essence of what I was, the remnants of my divinity, being burned away until nothing remained.

I could only writhe on the ground, screaming in pain as all others watched. Some averted their eyes, wishing nothing to do with this. Yet, many more relished in the fact that the Essence of Slaughter that I possessed would return to the Void once again, patiently waiting for someone else to prove worthy of its Divinity.

Suddenly, the man in the golden armour put his palm atop his companion's shoulder, prompting the fiery blaze to stop. I could finally breathe again despite how difficult it was. Steam emerged from my flesh, but no burns could be seen, just a blood-red mist lingering around my body.

The man took a few steps forward and bent down, close enough that I could feel his breath on my skin. His calm voice echoed into my skull as he murmured next to my ear. Despite how I wished to strangle his neck at that very moment, I felt no strength in both of my limbs and could only glare back at the both of them.

“It’s over,” he said. “Never again will you sully her with your presence. She may mourn you—for a while—but she will soon return to what she ought to be. Her purity will last for eternity—as it should be.”

His words seemed final; my death loomed over me. I tried to struggle, anger and intent to slaughter fuelling me, but my body—stripped of the essence that was once mine—refused to acknowledge my will. I could only watch as that man took everything from me.

I almost felt despair crawl all over me—overpowering.

However, a single hope remained amidst the bleakness.

A gentle wind blew over me, soothing the empty cavity where my heart once resided. My gaze was drawn away from my aggressor toward the wind's origin, as did the man's.

As expected, it came from my beloved. Her very existence was like a breath of fresh air. Although she neither cried nor begged, I could feel how conflicted she was—between her Essence of Mercy and what I meant to her. As a Pure One, she couldn't go against her Divinity.

Mercy came over me.

I felt the anger in my heart fade—albeit only slightly. Yet, it was enough that both the man and her companion felt the change.

The man’s eyes narrowed as he gazed at the Goddess of Mercy, but then soon sighed and turned to me, raising his gleaming sword up high over my head, poised to take my life. For the very first time, I clearly felt his killing intent.

He wouldn't hesitate to perform the highest taboo among the Divinities: God-slaying. Only The Most Divine Of All possessed that right, and no other. Not even the Avatar of Justice. It would go against his very essence; he would forever be tainted by the events of this day, yet he didn't seem to care.

The blade fell toward my neck as all watched. I, too, had no way to oppose him, for my limbs refused to obey. I could only wait as this instrument of destruction would soon reap my life.

But then, the ground caved under me.

Was this a coincidence? Unlikely...

Fate had deemed that I should have died that day, yet a small mercy arrived at the opportune moment to safeguard it.

As I followed the ground in its free fall away from the Divine Realm to the world of man below, the Blade of Justice missed my neck by mere inches. And yet, I couldn't care less, for my gaze was riveted onto the only being that held my attention.

Her eyes—so full of grace and dignity—were now moist and filled with sadness. And yet, no tears fell from them, for my woes paled compared to those of the masses she watched over. Mercy wasn't meant for me alone, but this single instant amidst all was.

At that very moment, her sadness was all mine—and mine alone.

I fell away from her, unwillingness filling my mind. Yet, somehow content, knowing that just for a moment, however brief it was, she was entirely mine and no one else.

I burned in the atmosphere, headed toward the world of men, a fire raging in the empty cavity of my heart, a mixture of hatred and hope. This unwillingness manifested itself in a volition to climb up again, even braving the deepest pits of hell, if I could only feel her touch again.

This, I swore to myself.

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