Jezrien’Paliah: God of Balance, Mediator Supreme, Ambassador for Righteousness, Hero of Urithirium, and Law Incarnate, was content. His brothers and sisters were squabbling over minor holy fiefs during their bi-seasonal forum. Of course, if one God gains another must lose. As was only right to maintain the Scales.

“My kingdom hasn’t seen an expansion in millenia! And now Olzanel suddenly receives his third temple of the century!” Yurtil said to the room.

“I agree.” The gravelly voice of Minshewan, the God of the Forge, agreed.

“You are obviously giving favoritism to your newest child, and I will not stand for it!” Minshewan said with a slam of his hammer.

Whispers broke out throughout the grand cathedral, echoing off the thousand meter high ceiling. They were quieted abruptly as Battar’Vedel: God of Gods, King of Kings, Supreme Leader, Righteous Ruler, Father of All, Savior of Eternity, The Pointer of the Way, and Master of Arms, stood.

“We will have peace in this holy forum,” he said while spreading his arms wide, as if to unite the gods who all sat beneath his glory.

“Olzanel has recently joined us, and he deserves the right to power and progress. The same resources given to all of you when you ascended will be available to him as well,” Battar’Vedel said with confidence.

Jezrien’Paliah examined his Scales. They were even, a perfect balance. All was well, his father had made the correct decision again. Competition between Gods was necessary to keep progress smooth and political parties stable. A breath slowly eased its way from his lips, but it stuck in his throat mid release.

“We will now move to the matter of holy acquisitions. Pythagorin, I believe you…”

Jezrien’Paliah jumped to his feet, panic obvious on his features.

“Father! We must speak at once!” He shouted.

Achilleus, Knight of Battar’Vedel, rose to his feet in anger. “You dare interrupt his Holiest! Shame on you, sit down at once!”

Battar’Vedel held a calming hand in the air.

“Let him speak before us all. Jezrien’Paliah, what troubles you so?”

In response, Jezrien’Paliah said no words. He simply held the Scales before him with shaking hands in answer. Gasps rang throughout the room, murmurs and outright shouts cascading throughout the room. The Scales had tipped, and they had tipped a lot.

Battar’Vedel, God of Gods, struck his staff upon the ground thrice.

“Gods! The time has come. It may be sooner than expected, but we are ready. Prepare your realms! Ready your champions! We shall prevail!” A cheer shook the foundations of the cathedral.

Thousands of kilometers beneath the Dungeon Incarnate, trapped by the God of Chains, bound by the Sigil of Stillness, and buried for millenia, lay Ishniel’Whragthiri: God of Wrath, Scourge of the Heavens, Holy Persecutor, God Slayer, Vanquisher of Righteousness, The Red River, Eruption of Suffering, The Mad Priest, The Fallen One, Brother of Battar’Vedel. He smiled his vicious smile as an inferno burned behind his eyes.

I rose to the sound of rustling tree branches. Fog clouded my mind, and I groaned as sharp twigs poked at my body.

“What the hell,” I murmured. Did I fall asleep in the fucking backyard? As I shifted more, a searing pain shot through my arm. It all came back at once. A sword chopping into my arm. The village. My mother’s eyes. Running through the bitter smoke to arrive in that hellish room. Tearing those soldiers apart in a mad frenzy. Mom’s vicious smile. Speaking those words.

This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Tears leaked from the corners of my eyes as I remembered the smiles my family wore just yesterday morning. But my sorrow was not alone. I could still feel that terrifying heat behind my eyes and burning within my belly. As I slowly rose to my feet, I realized something. I had to go back. My family needed a proper burial, and I needed to see the final state of my village.

I turned in a slow circle, quickly realizing I was completely lost and surrounded by wilderness. Panic rose quickly, but I squashed it down quickly. The ocean was to the east, so I must have ran towards the forest in the west. I looked to the sky and saw it rising. With a groan but a direction to follow, I started walking.

As I proceeded through the forest some of my soreness leaked away. Moving helped the ache that pulsed from every part of my body, but I was worried about the deep gash in my arm. It was still oozing blood, and was caked with dirt from my makeshift bed. I would need to wash it thoroughly, something I knew would hurt like the devil. A spike of anger shot through my like an arrow at the thought of that soldier, taking me by surprise. My face twisted viciously as I remembered ripped his throat out with my teeth.

I let out a deep breath as I felt the fire rise. It would help nothing to get unnecessarily worked up. He was dead, and I was happy not to feel any remorse for sending him to the Halls of Judgement. Eternal damnation was waiting for him, which put a smile on my face.

The walk home was a long one. My dash through the forest must have lasted for miles, I thought with a self-deprecating laugh. Why couldn’t I have just laid down in that room and met my end, then I wouldn’t feel this hollow. I concentrated on the warmth emanating from my stomach, it was comforting. Focusing on it let me ignore the aching sorrow and emptiness which threatened to break me.

It felt like hours had passed when I finally stumbled into my village clearing. Logically, I knew what to expect, but seeing destruction before me sent a spike of red hot anger coursing through my body. It looked like a fire tornado had swept through the town. Many houses had already collapsed, and the rest were nearing their end. There would be no rebuilding.

I began my solemn trek towards my home. There was Mr. Tanner, a hole in his chest where his heart was supposed to be beating. Our village elder, Mrs. Humphrey, lay trampled as I passed our village center. As I stepped past the burnt remains of our former tavern, I noticed a familiar body bent over a table, head laying in a pool of blood. Frederick would cause no more trouble for our town. No more stealing liquor and running to the fields to escape the wrath of the bartender. Each body I passed fanned the flames dancing in my veins. Eventually, I stopped noting the faces belonging to the corpses I walked past.

However, I did note the body of a Jihadian soldier sprawled against the front steps of our hunter’s house, an arrow still sticking from his chest. A small smile graced my features before crumbling to dust a second later. How could I smile here in this graveyard?

I rounded a bend, and my house came into view. It was still standing with scorched sides, but looking much better than the buildings surrounding it. Probably because the soldiers I killed were tasked with torching it. I hadn’t given them the chance.

The remaining block was sobering, eating away at me with every step closer to my ruined life. I hesitated in the doorway, knowing exactly what I would see beyond. A deep breath entered my lungs in an attempt to steady myself, but I could only taste the smell of death.

My father lay right where I saw him last, blood dried in a crusty layer beneath him. I could feel my mouth tightening, lips pressed together as I took in the scene. Trudging up the stairs made me relive my dash up them just yesterday. Johnny’s hysterical screaming seemed to echo down towards me as my mom cussed the soldiers.

Blood pooled from my parents door, and I pushed it fully open with a creak. The bodies were just where I’d left them, flies buzzing around their gorey wounds. I gazed upon my murdered mom and brother without so much as a twitch. Their forms had plagued me for hours as I walked through the forest back here. Their state did not surprise me. In fact, I barely felt anything at all. My emotions were beyond tormented already, adding anything more was like filling a cup past full. Except the water in the cup was boiling, leaving little room for anything else but vengeful movement.

Each bite of the shovel as it impacted the earth emptied my mind piece by piece of anything but determination. Every scoop of earth fanned the flames in my soul. Mom, Dad, and Johnny would not be forgotten. I would carve their suffering into everyone responsible for their death.

The last scoop of soil covered my mother’s face, marking the last time I would see her in my waking life. My family was truly gone, now that even their bodies were out of sight and taken by mother nature. I had nothing. No, I had something as the inferno raged within me.

Furious flames begged to be given release. I laid my palm against my childhood home, and I let that rage escape. A red gush of heat licked the wooden boards that composed my house. A new charred handprint stood in contrast to the rest of the wall when I stepped back. One panel caught an ember, starting the slow creep of flame across my prior home.

I sat there staring for hours, silent and unmoving above my family’s final resting place. I watched with eyes dancing in flame as my past burned, and my future began.