Chapter 3: Not A God Yet

An eternity has seemed to pass since Natalie sunk into the deep abyss that laid underneath Silas realm. His home no longer existed and only a black sky illuminated by the countless bright universes reflected his figure.

He was as thin as stick with sunken cheeks. His eyes were glazed over and did not hold a shine, only an emptiness comparable with the vast space around him. His legs were crossed and seemed to have not moved in a long time; the bones of his knees were ridge and deformed from not being used. His once luxurious robes have been dirted and faded from existing longer than it should; if the gentlest wind brush against his robes they might crumble into nothing.

The only thing that hasn't been worn from time was the lonely bar. Its sat while his world was crumbling and supported the young god in his darkest times. His blue eyes stared at the spot his wife disappeared at with gaze of indifference. Those waters stayed the same ever since she disappeared, still and cold like his prison.

Then something happened.

It was a bubble, a tiny inconceivable bubble that floated at the surface then more appear until the water looked as if it was boiling. The bubbles grew in size until they were the size of his head and when they burst, hot burning steam came from them. They spread rapidly, like a disease spreading throughout the body. Shortly the endless plain was covered in bubbles; the steam made a thick fog where he couldn't even see two inches before him.

He wasn't bothered with the steam as he was staring down at the same spot Natalie disappeared. His eyes were frantically searching the barely visible surface of the abyss, looking for any sign that his love was alive. He saw a strand of curly red hair floating at the surface and reached out to pick it. His joints cracked and ached after years of nonuse but he didn't care. He scooped the strand, gently like touching a snowflake and brought it to his heart.

A hand flew out of the water and gripped the bar; then with a splash, a young woman appeared. She managed to pull her body onto the bar and rested on it. Her long red hair spilled over the bar and her face was relaxed, almost as if she hasn’t spent years fighting to survive.

She looked at Silas and asked. “I’m a god now?”

He gave a weaken chuckle. “Not yet my love. You have to gain the power to be one.”

She sat up and watched the universe orbit about them. “How long have I been gone?”

He glanced at her. “Long enough for your family too long disappeared and for you to have many grandnephews. Humanity has gone through four wars, one resetting the world back to its primitive state.”

She sighed and ran her hand through her hair. “I have to leave soon, don’t I?”

He nodded, the bones in his neck cracking loudly. “Indeed, Natalie. I didn't leave to serve the minor gods for crumbs of energy and instead waited for you. I don't have much time to live as I spent most of what I had maintaining the leftovers of this world and myself.”

She chuckled. “I haven't heard my name in so long…”

“You can always change it.” He muttered.

She patted him on the shoulder. “Let’s worry about you first.”

“Where do I need to go?”