Elysium
Achilles sat on the edge of the main island, looking out towards the multi-colored skies staring at the gates of Eden.
Freya and Inari’s alliance in the Tryfing was made public just a few hours ago. Many of the deities had started to complain and protest on the main Island about the sudden turn of events that led to the two battle sisters’ alliance.
Many believe that Judge Achilles had rigged their meeting, from there the rumors grew and some deities created a new Tryfing conspiracy theory. That Achilles was in cahoots with Lugh during the whole Joáo incident.
“Why else wouldn’t he have used his Judge abilities to stop the fight between Nuada and Lugh?” one deity said with incredible conviction.
“Now his old lover is getting assistance from him!” another yelled, trying to rally others behind this theory.
Now some of the deities have started to protest Achilles being the judge of the third Tryfing. Achilles just didn’t want confrontation at the moment and decided it was best to go hide.
Achilles really thought he was doing a great job as a Tryfing judge but after the retainers entered the Fantasia world he was starting to doubt himself and the decisions he was making.
“Lost in thought? That’s always been a bad omen.”
Achilles turned his head to see his eternal battle brother Patroclus chuckling to himself, he held two glass bottled drinks in his hand and shook them in front of Achilles.
Sitting down next to his fellow Greek deity, Patroclus handed one of the drinks to Achilles. Achilles summoned Pelian, his godsend spear and used the spear head to pop out the bottle’s cap. He then handed the drink back to Patroclus and took the other unopened drink and popped the cap off the same way. This time he kept this drink and sent Pelian back into its place of rest.
Achilles thanked Patroclus and the two tapped their drinks together as a toast, then chugged the drink simultaneously.
“Damaris asked me to check up on you. I saw the current retainer roundup. I dare say it was quite a coincidence that Charlie started in Tir, the closest location to Soppio,” Patroclus said.
Achilles kept staring at the gate, occasionally taking a swig of his drink and then side eyeing Patroclus.
“What do you want me to say, Patroclus? That I rigged placements and events?”
“That’s what everyone is currently saying, they are gossiping and spreading rumors that Achilles is giving special treatment to his ex and her battle sister.”
Achilles sighed, finished his drink and then laid his back on the ground looking up at the Elysium sky.
Patroclus hated being ignored by Achilles, that usually meant that whatever Patroclus was saying was correct and Achilles couldn’t defend himself. So he would just shut down and ignore him.
“You’re blocking certain events from being shown and the events that led up to the Inari-Freya alliance was one of them. You didn’t think people would automatically assume this?”
Patroclus stood up and then kicked Achilles in his side. “Achilles this is serious, they know Lucifer has broken his seal.”
Most of Elyisum believe Lugh's claim about Lucifer, while others think he is tricking them into believing that. About sixty percent of deities believe Lucifer has returned, while the other forty percent think Lugh was lying to get sympathy.
Achilles closed his eyes and turned away from Patroclus, which only annoyed Patroclus even more! And to think he brought him a drink.
“The Nerve.” Patroclus shook his head in displeasure, he then grabbed Achilles’s empty bottle and started to walk back towards the main hall. Achilles groaned and pushed himself off the ground.
“You know better than anyone that’s not true,” Achilles said, quickly jogging towards Patroclus to stop him.
“Yeah, but they don’t, so go get into the studio and shoot down these rumors and allegations. Either way, it's true, right? You placed Charlie in Tir, didn't you?”
Achilles sighed and ran his hands through his silver hair, looking away from his battle brother. He finally responded, first it was inaudible causing Patroclus to ask him to speak up.
“Yes, I did. Freya never gave us a definitive location for Charlie, just that they needed to be in an assassin guild. So I waited a bit, saw Sanosuke claim Soppio as his base of operations and just placed Charlie nearby.”
Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.
“Should a judge act that way in the Tryfing? If you were one of the deities chosen and you heard two other deities got special treatment like this, wouldn’t you be pissed?” Patroclus said.
“Yeah…”
“And it would be even worse if you found out that the judge had special relationships with the two he helped! Achilles did you know that some deities and angels are even talking about Inari kissing you on the cheek out of nowhere?”
Damn it, Achilles thought, he still didn’t understand why she did that. She had never done something like that before; Damaris was ticked off for a few days and Achilles was stuck thinking about it.
“She was just messing with me for some reason.” Achilles was slightly red in the face as he argued with Patrlcus.
“No… Don’t tell me… You're in bed with Freya again and this time Inari is with you guys? Poor Damaris, how could you do that to her? To think my eternal battle brother is a womanizing charlatan.” Patroclus just shook his head and started to walk away, although he was also just messing with Achilles.
“I wouldn’t do that.” Achilles's voice was firm and filled with a tone of seriousness, as if to tell Patrolcus no more joking around. “Everything I did, I spoke with God beforehand and I was given his blessing. I didn’t move humans around in the Fantasia world to set up events. Charlie had different paths she could have gone down and she chose to head to Soppio. That was Team Freya's decision.”
“Wait… why did God allow that at all?” Patroclus asked.
Every decision that the judge made always needed to be relayed to God or Metatron. Patroclus knew his battle brother was telling the truth, so while some questions got answered new ones emerged.
“I barely even understand. Back during the selection phase Freya found Charlie dead, Charlie’s soul shouldn’t have been strong enough for the book of life to show him to anyone. So I went to stop Freya; this Tryfing isn’t a game like the previous two.”
Achilles remembered that day vividly, not because it was a recent event but because, for the first time in a long time, he saw the old Freya. He saw Fey, the deity he used to love. It embarrassed him to no end that he called her Fey by accident during that conversation. He was doing his best to not call her that old pet name even now.
He then saw the weakest human soul beg for a chance to even be the underdog.
“Lady Freya sensed my desire to be stronger. I want this opportunity more than anything in the world. Even if I can't win… I won’t be the first to lose!”
And that's when Achilles truly heard God's voice for the first time. Usually Achilles would feel God’s ather through him, this was how God would respond back to the Judge. A warm loving feeling for yes, a cold stoic feeling for no.
But back in Charlie’s apartment Achilles heard the voice of God for the first time in eons. “My daughter needs Charlie and Charlie needs her.”
God wanted Freya to choose Charlie, just like he wanted the archangels to be in this Tryfing and chose Aster, Lucifer's vessel. God also allowed Achilles to position Charlie near Sanosuke; just what else did God force into play for this Tryfing?
“I feel so out of the loop right now,” Achilles whispered. “ Patroclus’s every decision that was made, God told me it was fine. He even knows that Freya doesn’t want to win this Tryfing.”
The two Greek battle brothers stared at the regal chained gates of Eden.
“Well… Why don’t we go ask the big man directly?” Patroclus suggested. Achilles just gave him a look of bewilderment. “No one has directly spoken to God or entered Eden in eons. Every time I ask him something that doesn’t have to do with the Tryfing I get the silent treatment. How do you expect us to get in there or get his attention?” Achilles retorted.
Patrolcus thought for a while and then looked at Achilles, smirking slightly.
“Why don’t we just knock on the gate?”
///
Fantasia world
Unknown location
Hughes kept pacing around looking at the watch on his wrist.
“Come on, Dan…” he said under his breath.
He was currently in one of the undisclosed rendezvous points that he gave to his men.
Hughes was supposed to only wait two days for his men to return from the mission to attack Soppio.
He decided to wait an extra two days for anyone, mostly Dan, to return. As he looked at his watch again, he finally saw the lone figure of a man limping towards the rendezvous point.
He took out a pair of binoculars and looked through them to see that the lone figure was Dan.
Throwing the binoculars to the ground he ran towards Dan to provide support and help carry him the rest of the way.
“I’m… sorry, Hughes,” Dan said slower than he usually talked. “They had a monster protecting them and some little elf girl she—“
He paused and remembered the pain of his forearm getting blown to bits, he quickly went to grab his arm and asked himself how it was still there.
“Dan it’s okay, you need to rest, is there anyone else that survived?” Hughes asked.
Dan nodded his head no and then looked away in shame.
“It’s okay, we’re going to head back to Noin, so you’ll have plenty of time to give me your report. Just rest for now.”
Hughes looked towards the direction of Soppio with hatred in his eyes. Dan laid in the safe house couch finally taking a breather.
As Dan closed his eyes, he heard a deep voice barging into his mind.
“That’s the man you swore to fight for?”
Dan froze and then remembered the events after he escaped Soppio, his arm did get blown off. The dark oozey creature had entered his body and regrew his arm.
“What are you?” Dan whispered.
“I used to be an Angel; my master made me into a deity. He gave me the title destroyer from the bottomless pit.”
A bead of sweat rolled down Dan’s face as the gnarly deep voice roared in his mind.
“He also gave me command over locusts and bug-demons, what has your master ever given you, boy?” the voice asked.
Dan thought for a second, contemplating whether to even acknowledge the voice anymore, when the voice roared in his head to answer his question.
“Purpose and love,” he finally said, the voice laughed at Dan’s answers. “My master does the same, the only difference is that his purpose and love is something that is guaranteed automatically if we follow him.”
“Why does… that… matter,” Dan asked.
“Because your master is a piss poor excuse for one. He should have given you better men, or a strong artifact or weapon to aid you in that last battle.”
Dan's face filled with rage, no one was going to bad mouth Hughes in front of him. As he was about to speak up, the voice twisted something within Dan's soul which caused him to twist and turn in pain. The voice cackled in Dan's mind as he tortured him.
“You will help me complete my mission for my master. And I’ll make sure not to force you to kill yours.”
Dan was still in pain, tears had started to fall from his face, he nodded in agreement and the voice stopped twisting Dan’s soul.
“So, we’ve got to make this official. Make sure you respond to this in the correct manner,” the voice demanded.
Dan nodded his head slowly in agreement.
“I, Ababbon fallen angel, tenth rank of the Nephilim, ask you… will you fight for Lucifer's cause? Do you heed his call?”
Dan stared at Hughes, the man he devoted his life to. He bit his lip and grudgingly answered. “I heed Lucifer’s call and will fight for his cause.”
The fallen Angel cackled as the pact was made. “I order you to persuade your master not to attack that dingy little town. I need to rest before we can have a rematch with those two.”
Dan wept silently, nodding in acknowledgment.