Indras was floating in the upper levels of the Divine Realm and could see the Red Moon clearly. Distance in the Divine Realm wasn’t the same as it was in the Mortal Realm and what should’ve been thousands of miles away could be traveled to in a short amount of time for those who had the power or ability. That was a part of the mystery of the Divine Realm, it defied all common sense.

The Red Moon, also known as the Blood Moon to the Avarus, had a constant glow to it. Even if there was no sunlight present it would continue to glow. It was said that the Gods created it together but they technically altered a moon that already existed but that was neither here nor there.

Indras was isolating the space around the moon in order to have full control over it. From there he wanted to create a separate space inside of himself to contain the moon. The slightest mistake would lead to his death and the bloodshed between the Avarus would continue.

Indras exhaled while ripples began to appear around the entirety of the huge moon. The Gods would never have guessed that the Avarus could easily traverse the different areas of the Divine Realm let alone steal the moon, so there were no defenses in place.

Indras grit his teeth while stretching his arms out and slowly bringing them together. Beads of blood began to emerge under the strain but he silently endured while focusing on the Moon. His parents, his mate, his children, his pack, the entire species, he reminded himself of them to forget the pain. He sucked in a breath and moved his hands once more, in response the space around the moon began to compress and it was slowly fading from sight.

The next part was to implant the space into himself. Like Gods created their own domains and self-contained dimensions, Indras would do something similar. There were many things about the process that were groundbreaking, but the most important was the sheer pain that ripped through Indras’ core.

“Aaaaaaah!” Indras screamed and his smaller form almost came undone.

He suppressed the urge to transform because the smaller form allowed for more precise control. Blood filled his throat and spilled out of his eyes while his body contorted strangely. There was a certain threshold where it became impossible to think and the body acted on instinct. Maybe someone else’s first instinct would’ve been to flee or to give up in order to alleviate the pain, after all, it was more than any being could bear alone. All Indras felt was the urge to protect, maybe it was due to him being the most powerful of the entire species or maybe it was his family. It didn’t matter because whatever it was helped him hold on under the extreme stress.

What happened next was simple to describe. There was a loud pop and then a huge ripple was sent across the Divine Realm where the air contorted in a wave-like manner.

Indras smiled weakly as he began to fall toward the ground. He could feel the Red Moon, holding a dimension inside of him felt as if something was constantly about to burst. He closed his eyes as he fell toward some uncertain fate. There was no way he could lift a finger let alone teleport away so he accepted it. He fell through the upper levels and came close to hitting the ground.

“Oreyna…” Indras whispered as if feeling his impending death and closed his eyes.

“Indras!” A voice dripping with anger, joy, and sadness filled his ears. Then there was a warm feeling surrounding his body.

“Indras!” Oreyna’s tears fell onto his face as she held him tightly.

“...Too loud,” Indras answered as a small smile formed.

“Shut up!” Oreyna kissed him while ignoring the blood covering his body.

“You childish mutt! I don’t know why I love you so much!” Oreyna continued to embrace him as she teleported them away. Indras passed out at some point and it caused her to push her own limits in order to move faster.

After several leaps through space, she arrived at the place where all of the Avarus were gathered.

“Move!” Oreyna fell to the ground but made sure to protect Indras. It was something they may have made a joke about before, but after seeing the state of Indras’ body a solemn air floated over them.

“The healing spring! Take him to the healing spring!” Oreyna shouted.

Barah and Amari eventually made their way through the crowd with Indras’ children following behind them.

“Papa! Mama!” The children were about to charge but Barah stopped them.

“Patience. We need to move him to the healing spring first.” Amari said as she nodded to Barah who took Indras’ unconscious body from Oreyna.

The healing spring was as described, a natural place with restorative qualities. Such places weren’t uncommon in the Divine Realm due to the high concentration of spiritual energy.

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“My child.” Barah wiped some blood from Indras’ face before giving a meaningful gaze to Oreyna and disappearing.

After seeing that Indras was in safe hands, Oreyna fainted on the spot, but Amari and her children supported her.

…

At the foot of a snowy peak, there was a small cave filled with fluorescent stalactites. Deeper inside was a small pond that was incredibly clear with a pure feeling about it. Barah slowly placed Indras into the water and then moved backward. Even though Indras was covered in blood, none of it stained the water. Instead, it began to glow brightly and Indras floated atop its surface with a tranquil look.

“You’ve done enough, Indras. Rest now and come to us when you’re ready.” Barah gave one last look to his son before exiting the cave and sealing it with boulders and trees. It wouldn’t be hard for Indras to find his way back and there was no worry of him getting stuck since he could easily teleport outside of the cave.

Barah made his way back to the area where the Avarus gathered only to find them in full celebration. Giants Wolves playfully wrestled while those in their smaller forms ate and danced by the fire in the center. Children weaved in between the groups of adults while laughing gleefully and even if they bumped the occasional person all they were given in return was a smile or a hug.

The feeling of clarity reined in when the Blood Moon no longer appeared in the sky. There were talks of unification and the only one who they say fit to lead them was Indras. Barah found Amari and grinned with satisfaction as he stood next to her. Eventually, the Avarus took notice of Barah and settled down while waiting for him to speak.

Amari placed a hand on his shoulder before gesturing for him to oblige the crowd.

“...We’ve been freed from the endless conflict forced upon us by those who feared us. We no longer have to fight and kill our own kind for no reason other than keeping us leashed. All of this is because of Indras and it is a debt that we may never be able to payback. When he returns, he’ll be as childish as ever, but don’t let it fool you. He cares for all of us and would give up his life if needed so celebrate in his honor!” Barah yelled.

“For Indras!”

“For Indras!”

“Indras!”

The Avarus shouted and howled loudly as soon as Barah finished speaking. The celebration continued with no sign of slowing down at the moment. The packs of Avarus were sworn enemies with each other became friends, mates, or trusted companions with the ones they fought not too long ago. The complex relationships between other beings who could hold grudges for years held no place in the wilderness. The bestial nature of the Avarus was complicated at times but overall it was simple.

Still, most of the Gods were prideful and arrogant but they had the power to be. So one could guess how they would react to the destruction of one of their own creations.

…

In a Golden speaking hall that was saturated in a powerful light, nearly five hundred Gods were gathered. It was an incomprehensible number of beings with incredible power but in the earliest days of the Divine Realm, there were more Gods than could be counted. Of course, the established order of Primary and Secondary Gods didn’t exist at that time.

“There’s no trace of it?” A man with dark blue skin and metallic eyes asked with clear shock.

“The Red Moon has completely vanished and the Avarus seem to be free.” A huge muscular man wearing the skins of various animals answered. His Divinity leaned toward combat and hunting so it was natural he would be the first to notice something with the Avarus.

“So? How long has it been since it was created? It would take them ages to return to their previous numbers.” A beautiful woman with pointed ears and three horns spat with disregard.

“Whoever took the Red Moon is the problem. How is it possible for something a few dozen of us created to be hidden from our eyes? There is an Avarus with an ability to interfere with us that is the important detail. Before it was just our those in our domains that were threatened but now that may extend to us. The first to die would be the weakest among us and we all know of the Avarus Lupum and their ability to gain certain traits from those they consume. If we were to leave it alone for too long it would become a larger problem.” An impossibly handsome man with an intelligent look spoke.  

Although there was no need for the strongest among them to fear death since they could come back, the weakest had no such luxury and it showed by their darkened expressions.

“Ionus, what do you think? Have you seen a glimpse of the future that is to come.” An old man who couldn’t be called frail due to his muscular form asked a reddish humanoid man with gears protruding from his body.

“I will only watch what occurs, Xandes.” The reddish humanoid responded. Though not many would know it, he was one of the first Gods to ever exist but he had only appeared recently.

“We need to set an example for the entire realm! What happened to the Red Moon wasn’t an insult to all of us but it could serve to inspire all other divine beings to challenge us. It would be unprecedented chaos if that were to occur,” A man said with a righteous tone.

Many raised their voices in agreement but they had to know it was an excuse. In the back of their minds were fear and shame that turned to anger. To be afraid of a single Avarus while being called a God wasn’t something they could tolerate. Those weaker Gods justified those emotions as with the excuse that it was necessary to prevent chaos from spreading in the realm.

“I’ll send some of my angels to help wipe away those dogs.” A man with golden hair, fiery armor, and a staff bearing a sun announced. He was a prideful being, even for a God, and he didn’t have a real interest in the Avarus but the dignity of Gods. He felt as if the slightest blemish on their reputation as a personal attack on himself.

There were some surprised reactions to his words because it was Helion who spoke, an incredibly powerful God who created numerous Suns and lorded over fire. His endorsement of the attack on the Avarus drove more to agree and soon the majority of the Gods gathered made their decision. They would drive the Avarus out from the realm to make an example out of them.

The Gods who chose not to participate seemed to maintain a neutral stance, but those with foresight related abilities all felt something that made them choose to abstain. It wasn’t an overwhelming fear or an extreme wariness. It was just a simple thought, something that told them the situation would eventually trigger something else. A chain reaction that would lead to some unknown event.

It was just unfortunate that those other Gods weren’t able to experience the same feeling.