We dived toward the station, exceeding the speed of sound and caused the initial barrier to break. What followed us was the cracking sound of thunder as the air shook and exploded after we entered the station atmosphere. My wings embraced Aki tightly, preventing any harm to befell onto her body. We fell straight down toward a flat roof, before we crashed into it, my wings expanded outward and slowed us down. Like a feather floated down, my body hovered down until my feet touched the tile roof.

I lay Aki’s body gently on the cold tile then sat near her, her eyelids trembled as she gains conscious again. My gaze rested on her hair, with a smile, I stroked it gently, the feeling was soft and silky.

“A-Andre...The wings...It’s so beautiful.” She mumbled.

I think I started to cherish everything once more, thanks to her. Half and half, what a reckless statement, how could she bear my burden? And yet, why does this hope inside of me appear when I heard it. Could it be that I believe what she said?

Slowly but surely, my wings turned to dust, so does my new arm. I felt a rush of weariness throughout my body as Aki began to wake up. I lay by her side, facing her, she turned her head to me, she smiled and I smiled. My eyelids closed as I took a long breath in and exhaled it out.

“I don't know if I deserved this.”

“Deserved what?”

“You.”

“Me?”

“Yes, you, how could someone so kind like you managed to find me?”

“To tell you the truth, I’ve always been there.”

“Been there?”

“Of course, you just never noticed me. I’ve been watching you, and I noticed that you are always in a depressing mood with anger and rage in your eyes, and talking to yourself.”

“Are you a stalker?” I snickered.

“No...I’m not, but our path frequently crossed each other.”

“Then you must think that I’m a crazy person.”

“I won’t lie, so yes.”

My shoulder sighed.

“But, It’s not until I saw you fed the dog in the dark alley that I had a change of heart.”

“The dog?”

"Yeah, the same dog you always fed after you get paid from a fight. Do you know that dog never once came for other people? Even though someone else leaves some food there for it, but it only came for you. That dog trusted you, I think you managed to tame it, even if the dog always bites your hand. Sure, you maybe don't care about other people, but I believe that once upon a long time ago, you cared deeply for the people around you, even if he or she was a stranger. You’re a good person, Andre.”

“Me? I just killed a lot of people, I’m far from being good.”

“That is why I said you are a good person. ‘Person’ is included, a person makes mistakes, they make choices that seem bad because they had too, a person is...a human.”

“Human? It has been a while since someone calls me that.”

“Well, in the inside at least,” She pointed at the small horns on my forehead.

I finally noticed it, my appearance had stayed this way since the corruption, my teeth are still sharp so do my nails. The black fur all over my body had shed though, at least there is some good news, but now there are two small horns permanently attached on my forehead. I rubbed it a little and I felt it, and I’m totally weirded out by the newfound sensation.

In the end, I sighed heavily.

“Can I go to sleep?”

“Yes, you can and I will be here when you wake up.”

“You promise?” She caressed my cheek and caused me to smile.

I heard Aki’s body shifted, then a sudden soft feeling rested against my face, she had embraced me into her bosom, It felt warm and comfy. One of her arms rested on my shoulder while another gently patted the back of my head. The comforting touch mix together with the peaceful sound around me, slowly drives me to slumber, a night of peaceful sleep for once. It has been a long time, I finally felt relaxed, no more haunting nightmare, but the guilt is still there, yet, it is tolerable for the moment.

"I promise."

…

..

.

A peaceful sleep like I have always wanted, but it doesn't last as long as I wanted it to be because a terrible vision had plagued it. I saw Mount Olympus in all of its glory, far in the distance, however, something is amiss, something darker. Beneath the glorious mountain, in the dark abyss, a sinister cloud hid a terrible enemy. It moved slightly and warped, one could see a glimpse of their unfathomable numbers.

The Darkness.

Twelve glowing gods in towering form, hovered side by side, clad in magnificent and various kinds of armor from Asian to European style, some wore heavy while others fought in light. From the left, Dionysus, the God of Wine. His armor was made to show his androgynous slender body, while a silky white cloth draped over his body in a sensuous way, but the dagger in his hand isn’t something to mess around with.

On Dionysus right, Aphrodite, the Goddess of Love. She wore a simple, barely see-through, and yet, an elegant dress that amplified her beauty. One could say that she prefers style over function, but who could argue with a goddess, especially the Goddess of Beauty.

Beside the goddess is none other than her ex-lover, Ares, the God of War. The intimidating god wore a spartan armor along with a spartan helmet, gold plate, and red cape. He wielded a spear and a shield. If one stares into his eyes, they could see the horror of war, and the burning fire of a battle born soul.

However, the terrifying aura emitted from Ares was dispelled as Demeter stood beside him with her motherly aura. The Goddess of Harvest wore a crown of flowers and a long flowery dress that matched her crown. In her right hand, carried a torch long enough to be called a staff. She bore a saddened expression on her face as she rested her gaze at the Darkness.

Apollo, God of the Sun, a young man that wore a light armor of leather and plate. He held his bow tightly as he saw the ocean of darkness beneath him and saw multiple futures at once, which he could have won and lost. As he is not just the God of the Sun, he also held domain on all forms of Oracle, the power to see the future, and what he saw on the other side was more horrific than he could ever admit.

“Everything is going to be fine.”

Yet, Apollo stood bravely once more as Hades rested his hand on the god’s shoulder and reassured him. God of the Underworld, handsomely than one might expect, he had turned into his towering form to fight the incoming threat. He wore a spartan armor like Ares, but more humble-looking than him, none of the gold plate, just regular armor. However, what separated him from Ares was the weapon, as Ares wielded a spear, he wielded a Bident. A blue fireball hovered in the middle of the two prongs.

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Beside Hades was none other than Zeus, the God of Thunder, also known as the King of Gods. He held the famous thunderbolt that defeated the Titans. Occasionally, a few lightings would crackle from it. His armor was none existent, he only wore a simple, loose, white cloth over his body and a crown of gold leaves on his head, because of a being as powerful as he needed none. Maybe it’s arrogance or suicidal thoughts, or maybe he is as powerful as he thought, or maybe he knew something than most, but whatever it is, as someone mortal we are, we wouldn't be able to understand how a god think.

“If the information from Ares’s candidate is correct, then the answer to stopping this is deep in that ocean of horror,” Zeus spoke as he stroked his white lush beard.

“How could a mere candidate found out about this, but not us?” Hera clicked her tongue.

Hera, the Goddess of Women. The Queen of Gods frowned in annoyance as she looked upon the sea of horror. A white dress with a cape made from peacock feathers, a headband of gold called Diadem, and a beautiful gold scepter decorated with diamonds. Her eyes were as cold as snow, one could wonder how someone that was supposed to be the Goddess of Marriage, be so apathetic towards everything. Something in the past must have affected her somehow because underneath that uncaring nature, lies a deep sadness.

“Something as this must have slipped our sight,” Poseidon replied.

As someone who looks slightly similar to Zeus must be closed to him, maybe a brother. As a matter of fact, he is Zeus's brother; His name is Poseidon, the God of the Sea. He wore a crown made from coral with shiny pearls attached to it, his armor was the same design as Hades, but ocean-themed carvings decorated his. He has a full white beard as Zeus and white hair. He carried a weapon that so famous amongst his peers and mortals that one could not forget about it when trying to imagine how he looks; A trident, a three-pronged spear.

“Slipped? That excuse may work for you and everyone else, but not for Apollo and Athena. They were supposed to be our eyes and ears, and yet, a candidate managed to notice it first before us. Shameful,” Hera scoffed.

“So you admitted that you are not as powerful than you might think?” Athena jab.

Athena, the Goddess of Wisdom. That sharp tongue isn’t the only trait that the goddess had, she had the brains, the smart, the wisdom than most of the gods. But all that knowledge had possibly created a side effect; ego, prideful behaviors, arrogant plagued her heart. She knows that she is smarter than most, and that kind of thinking has led to undesirable personality traits. Nevertheless, her white dress with a gold breastplate hugged her body while a helmet keeps her head safe, but the set would not be complete without a spear.

“Watch your tone, Athena. Remember who you are speaking too.” Hera warned.

“To who? Zeus’s wife? Or wait, is it the Queen of Nothing?” Athena taunted further.

Beside the Goddess of Wisdom, a snicker could be heard. Hermes, the young lad with a smile is none other than the Gods of Trade and the Messengers of the Gods. The fastest gods in the entire existence, a little bit of a trickster, but as kind and fun-loving as he looks. This god doesn't need any armor, all he needed was the winged sandals because how could one strike an opponent faster than everything. However, he was not just fast, he is gifted by Apollo with the ability to heal as he held the caduceus, a winged staff with two snakes entwined around it, also known as the Staff of Hermes.

“Enough.” Zeus silenced the two of them.

“Artemis, do you see it?”

“I see it. It’s there, just like the candidate theorizes.”

The one that replied is none other than Artemis. Her sight is non-comparable to any other gods or goddesses, as she is the Goddess of the Hunt. A goddess that wielded a bow and arrows. Her leather armor complimented her bow in term function and look, she needed her arms to be free so she could pull the string more effectively, that why the armor doesn't cover her arms. Only one could match her prowess with the bow, and it is her twin, Apollo. That’s why she respected him the most.

"Everyone prepared yourself, we are going to make a hole directly toward the core," Zeus commanded.

I was mistaken, there weren't just twelve gods, there is another. Someone very close to me, someone who gave me a second chance, someone who I once looked up too, someone who betrayed my trust, someone who has taken my life once. It was none other than Adrestia, the Goddess of Retribution. Her armor up to her white wings and brown hair, all of them are familiar to me, unforgettable no matter what.

She hovered close to the others, side by side with Artemis. The thirteen gods extended their arms forward and started to form a small energy ball in front of their palms.

“Released!” Zeus echoed.

All thirteen energy balls flew in unfathomable speed toward the center of the sea of Darkness. Thirteen explosions decimated The Darkness flesh like nothing, the force from the blast traveled back to the thirteen gods, waving their loose fabrics. The gods prepared their weapons and powers while waiting for Zeus’s signal. The king of Gods waited for the dust to dissipate, when it does, it revealed a glowing purple orb, and that’s when Zeus gave his order.

“Charge!”

The thirteen gods flew toward the orb with supersonic speed before the orb was covered up by The Darkness once more. Each one of the gods was stopped and was too late as the Darkness began to surround them, only Ares managed to make it through. However, his victory was a false illusion as his head suddenly rolled off his shoulder. It was quick, no one had seen it coming, the God of War is dead. His body slowly turned into stone and dissipated into dust.

“W-What happened?!” Hera screamed as she warded off the Darkness.

“I can’t sense him! His essence, it’s not there!” Artemis shouted.

“What do you mean, it’s not there? That is impossible, he should be there, only his body is destroyed. If we can't sense him, that means he is truly--” Poseidon blasted an entire row of Darkness with high-pressure water before turning to face Artemis.

The God of Sea’s eyes widened in fear as he looked down and found a black jagged blade poking out of his chest. Aphrodite screamed in fear as the blade was being pulled out from behind Poseidon.

“Dead…” Poseidon's body slowly turned into stone before someone kick him from behind, and let him fall into the sea of Darkness below. His trident fell with him and was buried under the unfathomable numbers of horrible monsters down below.

“Poseidon!” Athena yelled out.

A warrior clad in full corrupted and sinister-looking armor hovered behind where Poseidon stood. The armor itself poured out a terrifying aura, not to mention the glimmer of two grim purple light appeared in the helmet eyehole. The sword it held was jagged, misshapen, unrefined, almost seem it was made by unnamed evil itself. It pointed its sword at Artemis and suddenly disappeared.

“What was that? Where did it go?!” Dionysus panicked as he glanced around him.

“Zeus!” Athena called out.

“I know. Everyone gather up around me!” Zeus commanded.

Adrestia, Artemis, Hermes, Athena, Hera, Hades, Apollo, Demeter, and Aphrodite make their way closer to Zeus, but Dionysus was unlucky as the Darkness started to overwhelm him. He tried to fight them off, yet it was to no avail, so Artemis had to break away from the group and make her way to Dionysus. The God of Wine screamed in fear and rage as he blasted the enemies around him.

“Don’t worry, I’m here,” Artemis said, but she suddenly froze up as the sinister warrior suddenly stood between the two of them, it created another jagged blade out from nothing, threatening the gods.

Artemis quickly aimed her bow and launched an arrow at the warrior, but it only makes a small adjustment to its posture to avoid it. The warrior flew steadfast as Artemis kept on firing arrows at it, the missed arrows wasn't a waste as it turned its trajectory and chased after the warrior. Artemis's plan work as the warrior became occupied with the arrows, giving her the chance to rescue Dionysus from the Darkness. However, the warrior also used the arrows as its own advantage when it suddenly turned its course and flew straight toward Dionysus. Artemis had to cancel her arrows or risk Dionysus to her own attack, but that was a huge mistake as the warrior flew past the god of wine and about to strike Artemis.

Yet, Artemis was no fool in battle, she was ready to avoid… but, the warrior disappeared again and Artemis’s eyes couldn't follow it. How is it possible that her own eyes couldn't see where it went, then she felt it, the immense bloodlust. Artemis turned around and raised her hand, but the blade went through her forehead like butter and punctured her skull. Her eyes rolled back while her mouth agape, she slowly turned into stone and evaporated into dust.

Dionysus's scream caused him to be distracted, his mistake gave chance to the Darkness to pounce on his back and started to claw him to death. The Darkness was all over him, clawing, biting, and tearing his body apart. He had no way to escape.

“Artemis! Dionysus!” Hermes yelled as he heard Dionysus’s scream.

The scream stopped when the warrior planted its blade through Dionysus’s brain, killing him indefinitely. It turned its evil purple gaze at the rest of the gods, and for the first time of their life, they felt fear like never before. Zeus shot his thunderbolt at the warrior, the sinister warrior easily avoided the thunderbolt, but the thunder managed to snap everyone back from their frozen state.

“Strengthen your will! We are Gods, let them fear us, and not the other way around.”

Bravery finally makes its way into their hearts and strengthened it. Zeus extended his hand forward and everyone followed shortly. The air around them quickly spiraled around them as they gathered their magical energy inside them and let it flow to their palms. The warrior stood there, unfazed by the intense pressure it felt while the god charged their magical energy.

“Quickly!”

With their combined powers, a powerful energy beam expelled out from their palms and sped toward the warrior.