CHAPTER 26

“When Gods Falter”

???? ????, ????: The Bloodplains, Somewhere In The Astral Plane

Standing tall, covered in thick purple blood with only a few spots spared from the spray, Bellam’s silver armor and shortened ahlspiess glistened in the full moon. Lying at his feet, the pit fiend nearly twice his size lay torn open. It had been a long and grueling battle. He was exhausted but finally, he had defeated it. Another of Kvdur’s abominations unto creation undone. Another creation that would not reach the mortal realm.

As he walked away from the fallen demon, a prideful Bellam couldn't help but feel a sense of accomplishment with this hunt. Seen as a part of the “Young Generation”, he faced an uphill battle against those he was forced to call his superiors. He had used all of his strength and intellect to emerge victorious, and it had paid off. Hopefully this time, it would bring some respect to his name. Or at the very least a nice warm bath.

But as he picked up his weapon and motioned with his left hand in a circle Bellam felt his forearm buzz with static. Continuing with the circular motion, sparks began to form with colors ranging across the entire spectrum.

“Huh… that’s not right.” Raising a curious eyebrow Bellam focused his mind on creating a circular pattern; not long after the sparks complied and began to move, though the weird, fuzzy feeling in his left forearm persisted--and only ended once the circle was complete. Then the center quickly filled with a flat white wall. Looking towards his left hand, Bellan rotated it a few times as the odd sensation slowly left. “ Hmm, interesting…”

Stepping through the portal, Bellam found himself inside Aro's botanical garden. With the portal closing behind him, he looked around in bewilderment as this was clearly not the bathhouse; which was still about an hour's walk away.

“So I’m not the only one having issues wielding magic currently.” A male voice from inside a nearby chestnut tree chimed. Bellam looked in the direction of the voice, as a golden eagle swooped down and landed in front of him. “Or I would hope so. Ugh, I would like to believe that your intended stop was the bathhouse.” Repulsed by the pungent smell of demonic blood, the golden eagle hopped off the path and into the grass.

“Good to see you too Jiom-Ki.” Returning a smile to the golden eagle, Bellam noticed that the air was lighter than usual--much lighter in fact. “Why is the air so empty of magic?”

“Your guess is as good as mine. Though I suspect Kvdur is attempting a demon-summoning ritual. You did recently take out half his army.” Jiom-Ki flapped his wings in response.

“And one pit fiend just now. The last thing we need is for something like that to run wild in the mortal realm.”

“Speaking of. How do the mortals fare on your side of the board?”

“Well Potias, Kriwelf and Aurtas sparked a famine with a severe and long winter and high precipitation during spring, hoping that it will cause their respective empires to start expanding again. Aro also has her hands full with her kingdom as the queen is doing everything in her power to drive it into the ground, yourself?”

“I am, unfortunately, not faring any better. Emperor Rang Dae-Jung recently passed, leaving no heir. As such, the empire has broken into multiple warring factions, with my favor being towards a high-ranking noble, Jang Youngsoo. But at this time, I cannot say for sure who will win. I’m more worried about Seon Dong or Dae Mal-Chin using this to pick apart my border regions.”

As the conversation drifted, Bellam and Jiom-Ki started the long walk to the bathhouse. Following the paths, they made it out of the garden and into Luxrum proper. The roads and buildings were made from large stone and marble bricks, some decorated with immaculate carvings and decorations on their respective pillars, the walk made more lively by the children playing stick and hoop (yes that is a real thing).

“I must say, spending time walking these streets never gets old.” Perched on Bellams right shoulder, Jiom-Ki’s vision wandered to the sights around them.

“Couldn't agree more. Although the air still feels rather…drained.”

“Maybe if you stopped getting in the way of Kvdur, then he wouldn't need to use so much magic. Bronze-man” A brash, young male voice rang out. Quickly spinning on his heels in response, Bellam spotted a young man with flowing blonde hair smiling at them; all the while with a rather pretentious posture as he leaned against a marble pillar. “You should just accept that the mortal realm is in need of a bit of cleaning.”

“Aurtas. And what is it that you want?” Tightening his grip around the ahlspiess, Bellam stood his ground as the young man approached him.

“Watch your tone, boy. You are speaking to a god.” Aurtas sneered, small amounts of crimson-red electricity emanating from his eyes. “I, the supreme overlord of The Autoriario Empire, demand it, and expect it, from lesser beings such as yourself.” Aurtas halted a few feet from Bellam and Jiom-Ki. Bellam took a single step forward.

“All I see is a child who is blinded by greed and loathing. Feared by the beastfolk for simply being better humans than anything you could summon. And if I’m not mistaken, when have you ever faced an opponent on the battlefield, child?” Bellam openly challenged his authority--ripping him off his high horse. Aurtas ground his teeth together and also took a step forward, now nearly touching noses.

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“You are a demi-god, Bellam. If I wanted to kill you it would be an easy feat. As for you Jiom-Ki…why are you even here? In Luxrum?” Slightly changing his tone towards Jiom-Ki who technically had seniority. The golden eagle flapped his wings.

“I am here because I want to be. And Bellam just so happened to stop by where I was, and I wished to accompany him. I could ask the same thing of you…sapling.” Hiding his massive grin behind his eagle form, Jiom-Ki and Bellam watched as Autras’s lips twitched in rage, but failed to form words.

“Oh for all the things that are holy! If you two are gonna stand that close you might as well kiss!” A female voice rang out from the rooftops to the right of Bellam. Looking up, a large timber wolf stared back. “Though if you are going to fight, at least have the decency to not do it here. You’ve already scared off everyone else. Not to mention Potias won’t approve of it…”

And she was correct in saying that too. With all the arguing, none of them realized that the street they were on had quickly become devoid of life. Deciding that this battle really wasn’t worth the consequences, Autras took a few steps back.

“There, are you happy now, Yenmek?”

“Oh how naive you are sometimes, pup. You must do a great deal more to please me.” Deciding to lie down on the roof, Yenmek then looked to Bellam and Jiom-Ki. “As for you Bellam. Why didn’t you send yourself straight to the bathhouse?” In response, Bellam raised his left hand and facing his palm to the sky, poured magic into it causing another rainbow of sparks to shoot out.

“Magic has been doing odd things ever since I tried to leave the Bloodplains. The portal only sent me as far as Aro’s garden.” Closing his hand, he watched as Yenmek tilted her head in confusion.

“And I haven't been able to transform into my human form.” Jiom-Ki added. “I suspect that Kvdur is to blame. Demonic summoning has been known to cause this before.” Hearing that, Yenmek’s ears folded back with slight concern.

“That’s… not possible. Kvdur is sleeping. He has been for the past month. I thought the disturbance was you three fighting.”

With everyone now thoroughly dumbfounded as to why magic was being sapped from the air, they didn’t have to wait a moment more to feel a wave of energy wash over them. For Bellam, the odd fuzzy feeling returned, but this time it plagued his entire body.

“What in the divine arts is going on? Is someone conducting an actual nation summon without--” Unfortunately, Bellam didn't get to finish his question as a roaring scream of pain rang out through the city. A scream like nothing he had heard before, something deep and filled with emotion.

“That came from the colosseum! We must make haste!” Launching himself from Bellam’s shoulder, Jiom-Ki flew into the air and towards the colosseum. Leaving the rest to run the marathon sprint to it. With not a moment to lose, they all started running.

“Just who in their right mind would conduct a summon now of all times!” Autras questioned, though with Yenmek in her wolf form, she was far, far ahead of them; and Bellam was more focused on not tripping at the speeds they were going.

Once at the colosseum it was quite apparent that this was the source of where all the magic in the air--and by extension, now their bodies, was going. Not caring for architecture when life was potentially at stake, Bellam threw himself at the colosseum's outer wall, then at the inner divider, crushing right through. Now standing inside the area, his eyes widened in horror at the sight before him. At the center, a pedestal made from marble glowed a bright white, with wisps of white light streaming into it. A massive book floated above, its pages turning rapidly.

“Bellam!” Hearing his name called, he looked to his left to find Jiom-Ki and Yenmek backed against the wall. However, looking down at their feet, a third person was now with them. A much younger woman, Luvenum. Someone who was definitely far too young to be a god.

“Make it stop, make it stop! Please I beg of you!” She cried with streaks of blood flowing from her eyes, her hands turning deathly black.

“Stand back! I’ve got this.” Stepping past Bellam, Autras directed his right hand toward the marble pillar. Just as quickly, the pillar fired a streak of light back at him, sending Autras crashing through another part of the colosseum wall.

“Okay, time to end this before someone dies.” Bellam raised and drew back his right arm launching his ahlspiess at the marble pillar. As it embedded in the pillar Bellam snapped his fingers, causing the ahlspiess and pillar to explode. With no medium to allow magic to flow the book fell to the ground, and the ritual was cut short.

Running over to Jiom-Ki and Yenmek he examined the young woman who at this point had passed out. The necrosis had spread from her hands, and had consumed her forearms.

“This isn’t like anything I’ve encountered before.” Placing a paw on the woman's chest, Yenmek flowed what little magic she had left into the woman causing a light green glow.

“It is impossible to stop a summoning once it has started. She simply ran out of magic before it was completed… so it went after her life essence instead. We're lucky we got here before it reached her soul. It would have killed her.” Jiom-Ki looked back at the shattered pillar and the book that rested atop of the pile. Flying over to it, he flipped through some of the pages. Each time becoming more confused.

“What… realm is this? Mesopotamia, The Greeks, Persian Empire, The Holy Roman Empire, The British Empire. These names are not from anything I’ve read recently.”

“Sounds… ugh. Sounds like something from the first series. From which one, I cannot say.” Stepping back into the colosseum, Autras rubbed the back of his head. Walking over to the book, he picked it up and scanned through it himself, then flipped to the first page.

NOTICE: Under no conditions is this book to be used in any summonings. The first realm is to be left to its own devices and is under the direct protection of Gamult. If Gamult is not supervising the first realm this book is to be placed under lock and key - Aro

UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES ARE THE DEMI-GODS OR YOUNG GODS TO KNOW OF ITS EXISTENCE, OR BLIND LUCK HELP YOU, I WILL MAKE YOU WISH FOR DEATH - POTIAS

Autras eyed the notice again, and again. Each time a sinking feeling of dread filled his stomach.

“Hey Jiom-Ki, Yenmek. Do you know anything about the first realm?” In response, the two gods, still in their animal forms, looked at each other for a moment. Then back at Autras

“That is not for us to discuss-- wait you’re not saying…” Yenmek's voice grew worried.

“That is exactly what I am saying. Whatever Luvenum tried to summon, it was from the first realm. And by the looks of what just happened, it was a botched summoning too. She has quite possibly brought the apocalypse to the playing board. What I’m more concerned about is how did she even get her hands on this?”

“Beats me, if it isn’t with Gamult then it should have been in the archives. Guess he forgot to lock up.” Yenmek replied. “My question is what compelled her to do this? She isn’t even a full god, yet she tried to do this on her own.”

Listening to all of this, Bellam was quietly thinking. With Luvenum being the child of Aro, she would have great appreciation for all walks of life, and with all the chaos and death that had been swirling about in the mortal realm recently, maybe she thought she could be the one to bring peace? No, that would be too simple-minded for someone of her intellect. Yet she risked her life to do this.

“Just what was your plan…?”