I can save Niada only by killing her.

The gold droplets of Meena's blood spattered against his skin, he could feel its burn upon his face and arms. The burn of the blood of the Goddess upon his fists reminded him of the time Veste had shoved his hands into burning coal. He hadn't done anything to warrant the punishment, he had screamed so as blisters formed. But still, his guardian had held on with the gleeful dance of the flame within his eyes.

The memory charged his fists, feeding chaos into his arms. He felt himself slipping away with each pound of his knuckles upon Meena's face, edging ever further into the darkness. Her entire face was covered in the gold liquid, he couldn't tell whether he'd punched through to the back of her skull, she didn't move her arms anymore but her chest still rose and fell.

She's a Goddess! Stop! A Goddess!

A part of him cried out, a part he no longer understood.

I can save Niada only by killing her.

And so he pounded on with his mind twisting away in a repetitive loop. One he couldn't bring to a stop for he didn't know how to. Whatever argument brought up against his actions was answered by the same thought.

I can save Niada only by killing her.

The light shining from above disappeared. Its reflection vanishing from the blood, it's glistening gold hue losing its luster. He did not pause to see if the Goddess still breathed, how could he? He'd forgotten how to stop, his every other thought was barred from becoming action by one single thought.

I can save Niada only by killing her.

Ovek gained his domain back in its fullness as the final sun vanished from above. The darkness he was so used to was a comfort he enjoyed. The God of chaos turned to Niada who was now kneeling on the black sand behind him, her eyes fixed on Ishar. "Call to him." He said.

Niada was stuck in a trance. His voice did not reach her and the God of chaos cocked his head at this, an amused grin on his face at what he saw and understood as his eyes took in the girl.

The Goddess she'd been raised in awe of, whose name was fed to her since birth and whose glory declared the ultimate goal of life was currently being beaten by a mortal, one who loves her. The fast paced breathing spoke of desire boiling from growing love, her nipples stood out against her thin white dress, sweat sheathed her slender neck. Her lips were gently parted and her breathing deepened with each resonating punch Ishar landed on Meena... Desire flourishing into lust.

Lust. Nyawe had made him understand it, her gift to him as Ovek recalled.

"Call to him." He said once more but this time he nudged her desire forward.

"Ishar." Niada called out and Ishar halted, fist hovering above Meena's mangled face. Her voice was a beacon of light that cut through the darkness, he ran to it and bathed in its glow. He looked up and watched as she ran to him, her feet kicking up the black dust of Ovek's domain. Tears trailed down his eyes from where he knelt upon the Goddess, mixing with Meena's blood with each drop off his chin.

Niada wrapped her arms around him, pressing her face into the nook of his neck and shoulder. He raised a trembling hand and pressed it to her back, staining her white dress with a golden smudge. He took in her warmth, her gentle kiss upon his neck as her head withdrew so she could stare into his eyes.

"I love you." Niada said.

Ishar cocked an eyebrow. "Are you sure? You've known me for like a week."

Niada smiled at him and he felt a fluttering within him. "You're silly Ishar. We've known each other since the first dew dropped from the sky and the first breeze kissed the realm. Our story was written before the Gods were birthed into existence." She leaned forward and met his lips with her own.

Ishar parted from the kiss and turned to Ovek, his breathing as heavy as Niada's. "Send us back now. I leave Meena to you." Ishar said. Ovek walked over to where Meena lay, his steps soundless upon the endless black sand. "She still breathes, I don't know how but she still breathes." Ishar said as his eyes turned to the Goddess.

"It'll take a lot more than that to kill a Goddess." Ovek said as he came to a stop before Meena, watching as her chest rose and fell. Her face was a mangled golden mess. Her eyes hidden beneath folds of swollen flesh.

"Well, send Niada and me away. I leave her to you, Ovek."

"You denounced me." Ovek said, not meeting Ishar's eyes.

Silence, then, "Curse me then, but let her leave." Ishar said and felt as Niada clutched tighter to him, unwilling to let him go. "Let her go, I don't want her here when Meena awakes or when you curse me." Niada sobbed and pulled him closer to her.

"If you curse him, then, curse me too." She said while turning to Ovek. Ishar's eyes widened, he opened his mouth to speak but Ovek waved a hand and suddenly Niada and him appeared four paces away from where they had been, they now knelt four paces away from Meena's feet.

"I'm not going to curse you Ishar. Like Niada said, you're silly. Even more so when it comes to love." Ovek said, amber eyes still fixed on Meena's body.

"But-" Ishar started.

"But what? You denounced me? Doesn't everyone denounce madness? Isn't chaos an unwelcome guest? I do not recognize the betrayal, Ishar, it's synonymous with not being wanted and to me that is worship." Ovek smiled. "Be at ease, Ishar, you have pleased me." The God of chaos said.

A moment of silence ensued that was punctuated by Meena taking in a deep breath followed by a raspy exhale. "Send us away then, Ovek. Before Meena rises." Ishar begged.

"Do not worry about the Goddess of Order rising." Ovek said. Ishar let go of a breath he did not know he was holding. Today I shall witness the death of a Goddess. He thought.

Ovek went down on his knees. He spread himself next to Meena's body, parallel to it with his feet facing the same direction as her own. He crossed his arms and tucked them beneath his head, cushioning it from the black sand. Ishar paid careful attention to the ritual, noticing the way Ovek's face faced the darkness above his domain, noting the small distance between the two Gods.

"Heal." Ovek said and Meena's blood drew back into her body. Ishar watched as the blood gathered in golden puddles upon his skin before floating away from him and anywhere he'd stained Niada with. The gold liquid touched upon the Goddess and Ishar watched as her body reformed, as the smashed flesh that was her face regained it's form and symmetry, as the skin tightened upon her relaxing flesh and as her red irises beheld once more.

A sun formed in the sky of Ovek's domain. Meena's sun.

"Ovek what the fuck!" He started to get up but Niada held him.

"Trust your God." Niada whispered to him and kept him in place. His heart beat as another sun formed and the darkness faded further away, retreating from the light's piercing embrace. Another sun formed and Selarch Vigon rose from the gold grass spreading out beneath them in every direction, a warm breeze carried to Ishar as he took in the Binorian King, his head on his shoulders, his eyes fixed on him with hatred. Selarch turned to Meena and smiled.

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"Goddess, you prevailed." Selarch spoke as he started to walk towards Ishar and Niada, a gold sword forming in his hand out of nowhere.

Meena shot out a hand, her fingers curling around Ovek's neck. "Of course I prevailed, order always prevails. Do not harm those two, yet, I have a more fitting end in store for the Kolotian and his lover. They shall know pain." Selarch stopped in his tracks and bowed to his Goddess. If the grip of the Goddess around his neck caused Ovek any discomfort, the God did not show it. His arms remained cushioning his head, his gaze fixed on the three suns above where he lay next to Meena. "Chaos has gotten the better part of you, rendering you incapable of logic. Your flaws have stripped you of your upper hand and brought you to my mercy. And now you shall watch as your champion and his partner suffer."

"Flaws? What flaws?" Ovek asked.

"He has gone mad." Ishar mouthed and fought back a sudden urge to giggle.

"You dare speak to me in that tone? You choose your last words to be an insult to me? So be it!" Meena declared.

"I don't always have to aspect my voice with chaos, you know I'm a God. I have nothing to prove to you in that department." Ovek answered. Meena rose and fully faced Ovek where he lay, she switched her grip on his neck to her left hand. Silence.

"The flaws, expound on them." Ovek punctuated the silence, unmindful of the strangling hand of Meena, his voice was also unperturbed by it.

"Chaos, it is a collection of flaws. You are made of them." Meena said.

"Yet you love me." Ovek said.

The Goddess dragged his body closer to her face that was scrunched up with anger. "That is Nyawe's meddling."

"There is chaos to order and order to chaos."

"LIES! YOU DISAPPEARED WITH HER FOR A MILLENNIUM AND NOW YOU SPEAK LIKE HER." Meena screamed and Ishar flinched back, dropping onto his backside with Niada in tow. He looked at Niada and saw blood trickling down her nose, he felt a wetness to the side of his head as blood trickled down his right ear. One more sun appeared and everyone was fully in Meena's domain once more. The Goddess flashed a full smile with even glistening teeth and cocked her head to the side while observing Ovek, her golden hair dropping down one side of her face. "If we exist within each other, then why does her presence dictate that our love is one sided?" She straightened her head. "Shouldn't it be shared?" "But it is shared." Ovek said.

"The rope-"

"Can we switch back to my domain?" Ovek interrupted and turned his head to Meena, her hand moving with his neck as he faced her. "Those suns up there unsettle me. I've grown too used to the darkness at the gates of Oblivion. You spend eons peering into that absence of color and you'll find yourself appreciating the depraved harmony of its aesthetic." He smiled at her. "Also, the grass tickles my back."

"I do believe you prefer Nyawe's domain. Complain away, Ovek darling. You will not fool me into throwing away my upper hand as you've done." Meena said while baring her teeth.

"No. Nyawe's domain is just full of fluffy clouds, it's too soft. And colorful. The particles of sand scraping my back are a better fit for me and neither do they tickle." Ovek glanced to the side and then returned his gaze to Meena. "They do tend to stick in odd places though."

Ishar wondered at what was going on. Ovek wasn't fighting, neither was he struggling. It was as if he'd surrendered to Meena. Thrown away the upper hand as the Goddess had said. Is this the lesson for denouncing him? Throwing us at the mercy of Meena? Ishar realized just how mad his God was. Yet Niada's fingers tightened upon him with Ovek's every word.

"I'm sorry Niada." Ishar whispered as he watched the two deities silently stare at each other. "I'm sorry fo-"

"Hush, Ishar," Niada said. "Your God is fighting for our lives. Let us witness." Fighting for our lives? Ishar stared at the Gods.

"I will not relinquish my domain to you, Ovek. It is sad that the softness of Nyawe's domain didn't sit well with you despite the thousand years you spent with her. She no doubt tainted you further than you already are with her seductive allure in her exulting of flaws." Meena said.

"Oh, I didn't spend a thousand years with her. I mean, she was there at the start but only to tell me the rules then she left. Though she did occasionally pop up to check up on how I was doing." Ovek said.

Meena's golden eyebrows rose, she let go of Ovek's neck and laid back down on her back. Both Gods turned to face the four suns bathing them in light. Ishar knew the silence they shared was layered with information that no mortal could explain. Fighting for our lives...

"Expound." Meena said.

"I saw how you struggled to fix me into a pattern, to map my working so as to understand me, so as to grasp the part of you that is within me." Ovek said. "But by doing so you would destroy what I am and what draws you to me. What would I be then?"

"So that is what sent you to Nyawe? Your fear of abandoning chaos led you to chase the Goddess of love, one who wouldn't alter you? Nielda told me the minute you two met in secret, he told me your words were both hidden from him but he saw both of you. Right before you both vanished." Meena's tone was calm but Ishar was sure there was a raging current underneath it.

"Yes, Nielda is very nosy." Ovek said with a chuckle.

Meena balled her hands into fists. "So do not deny that you were with her, do not take me for one who shares in your stupidity."

"Of course I was with her, I asked her for a thousand years so I could learn." Ovek replied. "Learn?" Meena turned her head to him. "Learn what? What is it that she knows that I don't?" "How to love you." Ovek said.

Meena laughed, the humor not touching her eyes. "You're indeed a fool to think you'll bargain for the life of your champion using such a route." She turned fully to face him. "I see all the paths, Ovek, all the workings, their purposes and their results. And yes, maybe our love isn't shared and yes your works may lack meaning but I have learnt to interpret your touch of misdirection and randomness. I have already mapped you out."

At the side of Ovek's head a horn grew, long and curled at the end."Nyawe created a realm, in my mind." Ovek said. The horn was as black as onyx with a sharp tip that could tear skin and bone alike. "She made me slumber for a thousand years, one which I spent awake within my mind though my body was immobile. I was in a world of her creation. She had to be with me, you see, so she could work out the mechanisms of the dream realm." A purple rope formed, curled around the horn, the purple rope shot forward and wrapped itself around Meena's waist several times, tightening around the Goddess. "In that dream world I was a man not a God. I was void of power, all I had was my Madness and in that world you were a mortal, the empress whose heart I so desired." A pink pulse of light shot from the horn towards where the rope circled Meena and another pink light pulsed from Meena's end towards the horn."Nyawe formed your likeness, a thousand times. The Empress was order, to the smallest of its detail and I was a mad man, living on the streets, picking papers. She left me the task of awakening love within the empress, without losing myself. That was one of the rules, for a thousand years a mad man wooed an empress, an empress wearing your face." The two pulses of pink light met and glowed brighter as they crossed paths over and over. Selarch made a move towards the Gods but Meena raised a trembling hand to halt him, her face still fixed on Ovek.

"What is this?" Meena whispered.

Ovek smiled. "We've all mapped each other out, Meena, exist for as long as us and you'll find there's nothing else to do other than learn about each other. So I went to the Goddess of Love, for she sees love in everything. I asked her for understanding concerning what I feel for you and what you feel for me.

"I knew it could end with either of us devouring the other, transforming the other into the self, negating all that made us different and attracted to each other in the first place. I wanted a path, one where the end would be different from the expected and Nyawe showed it to me." Ovek concluded.

Meena sneered. "She does not know me."

"You always said you hated my horns, so I tethered Nyawe's presence of what I feel to what you wish concealed." Ovek smiled. "Do you still hate the horns?" He asked while staring at her across the pulsing purple rope running diagonally between them from his horn to her waist.

"A thousand years, Ovek." Meena whispered. "You were gone with her." Ovek didn't answer.

"Lies, what you're saying about learning is all lies. You do not know me and neither does she!" Meena raised a fist and the purple rope between them wobbled in place, Ovek turned his head from Meena and faced the four suns. The Goddess paused, her eyes darting from Ovek to the rope whose pulsating pink lights crossed each other's path repeatedly from either end, bathing the faces of the Gods in a pink glow each time. Proof of shared love.

Ishar watched as her fist trembled, poised above Ovek's face. The God of Chaos didn't flinch neither did he acknowledge the fist of the Goddess of Order. Meena lowered her hand, her eyes on the one horn protruding from the right of Ovek's head and the rope tied to it. The multiple suns abruptly vanished, Ishar looked up to see the sky of Ovek's dark domain. He looked at Ovek and found him alone, the Goddess Meena gone. He looked around and saw that only he, Niada and Ovek remained on the black sand expanse.

"Where have they gone to?" Ishar asked.

”Back to the battlefield in the mortal realm." Ovek replied with a smile, hands still behind his head and face turned to the sky. "You better hurry and return, if Selarch wakes before you he will cut off your head before you wake. You're probably already late." Ishar started to open his mouth but Ovek raised a hand and expelled Ishar and Niada from the domain of chaos.