Book 2 Chapter 26

The stone Titan leered down at them, its yellow eyes flashing as their glow washed over them. The moment stretched into what felt like an eternity as the two sides stared at each other.

“Tirr…” Maria called, breaking the quiet first, she pulled at him gently, prepared to run. Nerida followed her example, backing up slowly as if in front of some predator. However, Tirr didn’t move… He stood in place, his face blank as he looked up at the Monster before.

Tirr hadn’t heard Maria’s voice… Or felt the tug on his shoulder. He stood with an empty face as he stared down the titan in front of them. But it was not because of a lack of emotion though, if anything it was the opposite…. His head was swirling with the sudden surge of disparate feelings that seemed to well up at out some fragment of his mind.

It was almost like the feeling he had when he saw the Fire Shard for the first time. The sudden press of unfamiliar feelings coming from places he didn’t understand…But the difference between then and now was clear to him.

The fear and revulsion he had felt then came from the pain Bren’s death and its memory had brought him. It had been a part of him from the beginning, no matter how hard he had tried to deny it. His hostility had been one-sided form the start, with the fire shard patiently waiting for its master.

This feeling though… As he looked at the yellow eyes that peered down at him… Somehow that stony face gave off the impression of hate so strong, it made his skin crawl. Yet his body replied in kind… Within him rose a hate so deep it shook him to his core… A fear so ingrained that it felt as if his heart had stopped…

He stood, pinned down by the weight of the emotions within him as he looked at the Titan. It looked back at him, its killing intent spilling off in waves. Suddenly it let out a furious roar, the Titan’s body shook with rage built up over countless years.

Tirr found himself thrown backward, he landed deftly as he slid back across the caverns icy floor, Maria and Nerida landing nearby. They looked up at the Titan, its body struggling as it tried to lift itself with its mangled arms, its struggling legs smashed into the ice-covered floor as it fought. The ice encasing its body cracked and shattered, leaving only the pillar that pierced into its chest.

Its one remaining hand rose and gripped the pillar forcefully, clenching it tightly as it strained to pull it out. The pillar held fast though, resisting the Titan’s will as the aura of cold around it seemed to grow even stronger. Frost spread quickly over the giant’s hand, making it look as if the pillar itself was fighting back.

“Tirr!” Maria cried again snapping him out of his thoughts.

“Should we run?” Nerida asked looking worriedly at the still struggling Titan.

“Can we?” Maria replied looking at the size of the thing. It seemed large enough that it would have no problem forcing its way out of the caverns, probably crushing them in the rubble as a side effect.

Tirr frowned, letting out a growl as he watched the Titan fight against the pillar. Its hand had completely frozen over now, parts had shattered under the extreme cold, yet still, it pulled... The pillar of ice started to shift slightly under the persistence.

The sight made Tirr shudder, he suddenly sprang forward, wings of brilliant white appearing for the first time since he had fought Torn. His strength had grown greatly since then because of the diligent work of Maria and Claire, and it was obvious in how clear and vibrant the wings on his back were.

Caught by surprise, Maria didn’t get to say a word before he suddenly jumped towards the Titan’s chest. She started forward, but stopped as a hand grabbed her shoulder, she turned to see Nerida looking towards Tirr with an almost fanatical smile. Her eye’s almost bulging as she watched him soar toward the stone giant.

“To think I would get to see God in all his glory…” She turned towards Maria, “Even if it’s you… If you get in the way of what God has decided… I’ll do everything in my power to stop you…”

Maria resisted the urge to shiver under the Priestess’s glare and turned back to see Tirr had reached the Titan’s enormous body.

The young god channeled his Blessings to their fullest as he soared forward, his target the back of the pillar that had staked the stone Titan to the wall. Feeling the strength in his body, his wings wreathed themselves in flames as the power of Fire and Life mixed. He hurtled toward the pillar, both feet forward as he came down with the force of a meteor.

The Titan noticed his decent and its struggle grew frantic. The ice pillar started to creep out faster and faster as it pulled with all of its strength. The pillar shrieked as it moved, first in inches, then in feet… But just as it seemed as if the Pillar would come loose, Tirr struck it with all the force he could gather.

The sudden impact crushed and shattered not only the ice but Tirr’s legs as well, as the intense cold froze them even before contact. But the rest of the force transferred through the ice like lighting and the pillar was driven forward, slipping through the Titan’s grasped to pierce deeply. Quickly the Stone monster found itself impaled even worse than when it had awakened. As Tirr fell off the back of the ice, he watched as the Titan gave once last pull before its hand collapsed uselessly at his side.

Maria had already sprinted forward, no longer held back by Nerida who followed closely behind her. She reached him just in time, catching his body easily. As soon as they knew he was safe they turned back to the Titan. Whose glowing eyes now flickered as they dimmed…

It once more lowered its head to look at Tirr as he lay in Maria’s arms. Tirr smiled triumphantly and was about to shout at the Titan, mocking it for daring to be his enemy… When a quiet voice seemed to ring inside his head.

“Ahh…”

Suddenly Tirr’s view shifted as the Titan’s figure was replaced with that of the large indistinct shadow, looking down at him as Maria cradled him in her arms.

“So, you’ve awakened too…” The voice said quietly, letting out a soft laugh.

Suddenly the Titan was in front of him again, its eyes now dark as it lay motionless against the caverns icy wall. The pillar slowly encasing it in its prison once more…

“Well done god! Utterly amazing…” Nerida started, until she saw the pale look of shock on his face.

He clutched at Maria, not even bothering to heal his legs as he buried his head into her chest and pleaded.

“Get me out of here…”