Authors Note: Hello everyone. Some stuff came up and so writing was put on the back burner for a bit and I was only able to write here and there. I finally finished the chapter, but because I didn't finish it in one sitting like normal, it might not come off as I originally planned.

I should be able to write more so there hopefully won't be such a huge gap between chapters.

Here is the chapter. Enjoy!

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Chapter 17

Everything was dark. No matter where Yumi looked, it was pitch black. She hugged herself and shivered as if she was freezing. Wherever this was it was cold. Cold and lonely.

She began to walk aimlessly. After what seemed like an eternity, she found something amid the darkness. They were fuzzy humanoid shaped creatures. She couldn’t make out any distinctive features, but for some reason a sense of calm came over her while looking at them.

They were friendly to her. They gave her food and shelter and made her feel like a part of their community. Slowly the darkness faded and was replaced by vivid colors. Lush grass, tall trees, clear water and blue skies as far as the eye could see.

Yumi had a sense of belonging. She felt that if it was here, she would never be lonely or sad, it was happy and peaceful.

Then the sky clouded over and on the horizon, red flames could be seen. The fire rapidly approached, consuming everything in its path. Yumi screamed for everyone to run, but the creatures stood stoic in face of the fire. They wouldn’t run, they wouldn’t hide, and the fire washed over everything.

Yumi had closed her eyes expecting to be turned to ash, but it didn’t happen. All she felt was a warm sensation. She opened her eyes and witnessed the destruction. Houses were reduced to cinders and the lush greenery was scorched black.

Lying on the ground were the creatures, but they had not been burnt. They had been killed. Weapons were strewn across the ground and blood was everywhere. Looking down, Yumi then knew what the warm feeling was, it was the fresh blood that soaked her clothes and covered her hands.

She trembled in fear. She looked up and was going to try and find a survivor but the world returned to an empty void. Again it was nothing but darkness in every direction. She wondered if she imagined the creatures, that what just took place never happened. But the blood on her body reminded her clearly.

Again she would start walking, but this time, her footsteps felt heavy. Her body didn’t want to go forward. What if she came across more creatures? She didn’t want to see them die. Her body was telling her to just stay here. Her mind however coaxed her forward. If she stayed here nothing would change. Did she dislike death? Then become strong enough to overcome it. Do you fear blood? Then become stoic enough to endure it.

Before Yumi’s eyes, appeared a paved path. It extended far in front of and behind her. It was then she knew. There are only two directions to go, forward or backward. Would she overcome her fears and worries, or be forever crippled by them?

Looking behind her, she could see nothing, but felt safe and comfortable. It would be easy to take this path.

Looking ahead again and she could see a faint light in the distance, but the feeling of fear, dread and unease spread through her body.

She hesitated. To go forward or go back? After a while she took a step back. She felt calm. She took another step, then another. Finally she began to walk down the path that leads to nothing. At first she was happy, but as she walked something began to bother her. It was a little nagging feeling. She stopped and wondered what this was. It came from her chest, and looking down she saw a bright light.

Upon touching it, something had passed by and brushed her shoulder. Turning around she saw it was Calgar. He was walking in the opposite direction. Yumi tried to call out but her voice didn’t make a sound. As he kept walking, she grew anxious. She wanted to follow him, but that path scared her. She wanted to avoid those feelings, but the longer she thought, the distance between them grew larger.

She decided. Even though the path ahead was scary, she didn’t want to be left behind. She ran after Calgar and the gap between them shortened. She smiled as she ran, and as if noticing her presence, Calgar turned around.

“Yumi… so you were here…”

Yumi tried to respond, but again her voice wouldn’t make a sound. She began to panic but Calgar put his hand on her shoulder.

“Relax, your emotions can run wild here if you’re not careful.”

Yumi was confused, but listened to his advice and tried to calm herself.

“Feel better?”

She nodded. Then she looked around and gave Calgar a questioning look. She was curious to where they were.

Calgar answered her question. “We are in my mind. I’ve brought you here using the link, but I had some trouble finding you.”

Calgar motioned her to sit down. As she was going to sit on the floor, two chairs had suddenly materialized, one for each of them. They both sat down. Calgar took a deep breath then asked her.

“Yumi, do you remember what happened during the battle?”

She slowly nodded. Of course she did, how could she forget? The blood and gore made her sick to her stomach, but the worst feeling had to have been watching Calgar as he fought.

“I see… I’m sorry to put you through that. Yumi, I haven’t been honest with you and was hoping I wouldn’t have to tell you, but things have progressed faster than I had anticipated.”

Yumi was puzzled. What did he mean by that?

“Let me start in the beginning. The Gods created the world, you know that much.”

Yumi nodded. As she did, the darkness was replaced by the night sky. Millions of stars shone and below them was the planet they lived on. She was shocked by the sudden change in scenery, but soon was able to appreciate its beauty.

“The Gods who created it were Raylen, Laanex, Measha, Nighorum, Auromi…”

As each name was said, an image of the God appeared behind Calgar. Yumi notice that while similar to the statues and pictures in books, the five gods behind Calgar looked different. Is that what they truly looked like?

“…and Calgar.”

A sixth God appeared next to the others. Yumi blinked a few times. The last God looked exactly like Calgar… Then she matched the names. They were the same. She stared at him as he stood up. Calgar put a fist over his heart and did a bow.

“I apologize for the late introduction, but I am Calgar, God of War and Valor.”

Anyone else would have laughed this off. But Yumi could tell it wasn’t a lie. She didn’t know how she knew it was the truth, but it was. Calgar sat back down and continued.

“During the War with the Gods, I too participated.”

The scenery changed again. It was a desolate plain. The ground was brown and the sky was gray. Shouts could be heard in the distance, along with the sounds of explosions and the clashing of metal weapons.

“And at the end, when we were about to fight each other…”

The six Gods were facing each other, with three on each side. Nighorum was about to strike down Auromi, but in the last second Calgar had jumped in the way.

Calgar looked over his shoulder and watched the scene again. He then turned back to Yumi.

“I was killed.”

Yumi watched as the five Gods shed tears at what had just happened. The scene changed yet again, however she recognized this place. It was the same plain the Gods were on only a moment ago, but the grass had returned and standing tall and proud was a statue in the image of Calgar. At the base of the statue was Yumi, hands together in prayer attempting to summon a spirit.

Yumi’s eyes grew wide and Calgar nodded. “That’s right. I don’t know why, but you were able to recall me to the physical world. I thank you for that. However a problem has also occurred because of this. Due to the absence of the other Gods, I have already begun to influence the world by just being here. The longer I stay, the worse it will become.”

Yumi was able to understand. Calgar governed war, which meant more fighting would occur if he stayed.

As if knowing what she was thinking he nodded. “That’s right. I intended to regain my strength slowly, believing I had time. However I was naïve. The war your country is experiencing has reminded me of what I need to be doing.”

Yumi had a bad feeling. The pit of her stomach churned in pain. She didn’t want to hear his next words. In a futile attempt she closed her eyes and covered her ears, but Calgar’s words still entered her head.

“Forgive me Yumi, to accomplish my goal we must part ways.”

Why? Yumi opened her eyes. Calgar just stared back. Why do you have to leave? Calgar turned and began to walk away. After I finally found a partner, why? She reached out to him, but he kept walking. Was all the time we spent together meaningless?

Calgar… She mouthed the words, but there was no sound.

Calgar. Again nothing was heard.

She took a deep breath. One last try, as loud as she could, she screamed.

“Calgar!”

Yumi’s eyes opened. A white ceiling greeted her. The soft mattress underneath her meant she was on a bed. She blinked a few times and lifted her hand to her face and pinched herself. It hurt. This is real. That meant what she experienced was just a bad dream right...? No… she knew it wasn’t a dream. She didn’t have proof, but her heart told her it happened. The aching pain she felt was real.

The door opened and a soldier peeked inside. He was startled to see her awake, but immediately rushed out. Moments later, General Velcose entered the room and closed the door.

“I’m glad to see you’re awake, Ms. Nishka. How are you feeling…? Terrible, by the looks of it.”

Yumi tried to stand and salute but her body wasn’t moving as she wanted it to. The General waved his hand telling her to stay put and pulled up a chair.

“It’s okay; you’ve been asleep for three days so don’t push yourself. However I need to ask you about your spirit. It’s of the utmost importance.”

“…Calgar? What happened? Is he here? Where is he?”

The General scratched his head. “Well, I came here in hopes you could tell me that.”

Yumi grabbed her chest. It was as if someone was stabbing it. “So it was true…”

The General asked her. “What was true?”

“He’s gone…”

“That’s right. After bringing you here, it’s as if he vanished. Do you have any idea where he is?”

“Gone…” Tears began to well up in her eyes.

Velcose let out a soft sigh and told Yumi to take it easy and rest. It would be better to try talking to her later, when she had organized her thoughts. He then left the room and instructed the two soldiers standing guard to let no one but him in. As he walked down the corridor he spotted Callen Delgado, who quickly saluted to him. Sensing he had something to say, the General stopped.

“If you want to say something Delgado, spit it out.”

“Sir, I was only concerned about Yumi… Has she recovered?”

“She’s awake. That’s all I can say. Try not to think about it and focus on your duties.”

“Understood sir.” Callen looked one last time toward the room Yumi was in and then left.

The General had a small smile at the boy’s actions, but he quickly returned to his normal expression. He had to report to the King about the spirit that had enough power to decimate an army, and the fact that right now, nobody knew where it was.

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“Is it fine?”

Calgar stopped walking and turned around to see Auromi.

“I should have expected you to come.”

Auromi repeated her question. “Is it fine Calgar?”

“…It’s fine like this. If we remained together, she would just be exposed to unnecessary dangers. I’ve gathered enough power from the battle to be independent from her energy. We also can move faster, and don’t need to hide our strength.”

Luna added. “Y-yeah we don’t need her anymore. I won’t miss delicious chicken meals at all! Eating was over-rated anyway right sis?”

Sol agreed. “She wasn’t terrible for a mortal, but this was bound to happen sooner or later.”

Auromi shook her head. “I’m not questioning why you did it, but how you did it.”

Calgar didn’t answer her. Finally he turned away and said in a low voice. “It was fine.”

Auromi knew he was lying. Everything he said before were just excuses. He could easily protect her from anything, even while being so weak. Everything except himself. This is what he was truly afraid of. That Yumi would come to despise him or worse, fear him. So he left her behind.

Auromi caught up to him and matched his pace. “Were you always this cold?”

He looked at her. “Excuse me?”

She put her hands behind her back and looked up at the afternoon sky. “I don’t think the past Calgar would just sever ties so cruelly like that.”

Calgar grumbled. “Well, maybe I have changed.”

Auromi looked him in the eyes. “Is that so? Well I wouldn’t know, since you love to keep your thoughts to yourself all the time.”

“What are you implying?”

“It wouldn’t hurt you to share your thoughts with me Calgar. How else will I know how you truly feel?”

Calgar looked ahead. “I don’t need to burden you with my petty problems. It’s my responsibility to deal with them myself.”

Luna and Sol chimed in. “Because Father is perfect!”

Auromi frowned. “Are you saying that I’m not worthy enough to be relied on?”

“No, you’re plenty worthy. It’s just I’d rather not bother you if I can solve them myself.”

“But I don’t care about that.”

“I do, however.”

They walked in silence for a bit before Auromi sighed in defeat. She resolved herself to slowly break down this invisible wall Calgar had built around himself. If she couldn’t do even that, let alone advancing her love, getting him back to the Celestial Realm was nothing more than a pipe dream.

She asked him. “Where do you plan on going to restore your power?”

“I’ve thought about it, and decided to take it from the planet itself. If the other Gods left, then the planet should have been absorbing more magical essence than normal.”

Auromi agreed. “You’re right. Then you will be seeking out the planets power spots, where it leaks out back into the atmosphere?”

Calgar nodded. “I don’t know exactly how many I will have to visit, but it should be the quickest way.”

“Let me search for the nearest one.”

Auromi brought her hands together and closed her eyes. Through the ground, a blue ripple traveled in all directions. She opened her eyes and pointed towards Ganar’s and Nerim’s border.

“It’s that way. I’ll know more as we come closer.”

“Thank you Auromi. I’m in your debt.”

She smiled at the sudden opportunity. “Oh? Then how about repaying me right now?”

Calgar was startled. “Now? That’s quite sudden, but alright. How can I repay you?”

After all the wild fantasies played through her head, Auromi picked a small and easy request. “You have to start sharing your feelings with me, when I ask.”

Calgar grimaced. “How underhanded…”

Auromi showed him an innocent face. “Was that too much to ask?”

Calgar shook his head. “…No. If you absolutely have to know, then I guess I can tell you.”

Auromi silently cheered to herself. Luna and Sol, who had been watching silently, had a single thought.

“Father sure fell for that one didn’t he?”