-21 Years Ago-

Chaos could tell she was still in shock from what happened. Who wouldn’t be? Chaos just appeared out of nowhere and blasted an archgriffin that was soaring through the air with a stream of fire so hot it would put a spellcaster to shame.

“Wh-who... What…” was all that she could stammer.

“Are you alright?” He asked. He turned around, helping her up from the ground.

She nodded slowly. She seemed to be unable to find words or form any coherent sentences at the moment, so Chaos decided it would be best if He kept talking.

“You from around here?”

She nodded again. “Vladya.”

Chaos looked down. A bow and the carcass of a deer with an arrow in its neck laid haphazardly on the ground.

“You’re a hunter?”

“Mhm…”

It was getting dark, and it was getting cold. Apparently, mortals didn’t like either of those things. Chaos sighed, staring into blank space. What He just did was a huge display of power. For a mortal, at least. She was going to ask who He was. Where He’s from. He just knew it. He was going to have to pass off as a very skilled human mage. But the problem was that Chaos hated lying. What was the point of a god lying to a mortal? Answer: there is none. But He backed himself into a corner just by jumping in to help. Either He puts up a front that He’s just a normal yet very skilled spell caster, or He puts Jade through the shock of her life by revealing that He’s a god.

Chaos leaned down to pick up the deer carcass. “We should get going, ummm… What’s your name?”

“Jade,” she said, picking up her bow. “My name’s Jade.”

Chaos lifted the deer over His shoulder.

“Who are you?” she asked, struggling to keep up with His unusually fast pace.

“Nobody.”

Jade stayed silent, expecting a further answer. When she realized that was His only response, she said, “You gotta be somebody. No nobody is able to shoot down a griffin out of the sky from that far in the air like target practice. And, You burned that thing to a crisp!”

“I’m just a traveler,” He answered.

Technically, that was the truth. He had been on the road for days. Eight, to be exact. No sleep. No actual rest, besides the occasional stop at some out-of-the-way town or village. Why even do this? Why walk all this way for nothing? Why hide the fact that He’s a god? Long story. Suffice to say, He’s been on a long journey.

“Where are you from?” Jade questioned once again.

“Nowhere, I guess.” Also not technically a lie. “Far from here, that’s for certain.”

“No kidding. I never expected to find another human around here.”

Chaos was never good at talking. Correction: He was ever good at talking to mortals. It wasn’t inane things such as small talk that confused Him. It was more or less the fact that He had to be careful with what He said to them. He can’t just go on tangents explaining the fundamentals of quantum physics, or how black holes work or how there is plenty of life on different planets, living just how they are, or how there are things that exist in the vast emptiness of the universe which-

“You should stay for the night,” Jade stated.

“Sorry?”

“It’s getting dark. It’s freezing out here. You should stay at my home for the night.”

“That’s not necessary-”

“Please, it’s the least I can do. You did save my life.”

“I don’t want to intrude in-”

“I’m not taking no for an answer.” Jade turned around and stepped in front of him. Her dark green eyes stared intensely into His. “You didn’t have to step in when you did. You didn’t have to fight off that griffin. Actually, I don't think that was much of a fight. You know what I mean. You can continue whatever journey you’re on tomorrow, but I don’t want You to continue walking out in the dark.”

A million thoughts raced through Chaos in the span of a few milliseconds. On one hand, the Others are going to make fun of Him for staying at a mortal’s house. On the other hand, the reason why He was out here was to live like a human - and humans, of course, need rest.

“Alright,” Chaos finally answered. “Fine. But I’ll make sure to stay out of your hair.”

She smiled. “Good to hear. Vlyadia’s not too far down the way. We should be getting close.”

“So You’re a mage?” she asked, turning to him. “What am I talking about?” she continued. “Of course you are.”

He let out a silent breath of relief.

“Wait, I don’t know Your name. What is it?”

Shit.

Why hasn't He a name, yet?

Okay, Chaos, He thought. Kai. Common Orc name, but not uncommon in humans. Derives from the Orcish word for Kais - which in turn translates to Your real name. Technically the truth.

“Kai.”

-Now-

“Out of all the places You’ve reminisced at, in front of a dead griffin is one of the strangest.”

“Good afternoon to You too, Death.”

“Mara always said it was like love at first sight.”

“It felt like mere minutes ago when I first met her, and yet two decades have passed.”

“And yet, after all these years, how you managed to pull in someone way out of Your league remains a mystery,” She joked.

“Do You remember how Morpheus reacted?”

“How could anyone forget?” She laughed. “He wouldn’t shut up about how gods shouldn’t give any special attention to mortals, how We all have more important matters at hand, something-something-bullshit. I spent most of the time ignoring Him.”

Chaos remained silent for a few seconds.

“Talion. How is he?” Death asked.

“Seems like all his hopes and dreams are coming true. He’s part of a mercenary guild, and he’s on track of gaining this “fame and glory” thing mortals seem to love so much - though not for the reasons he may expect. No new power surges from him. Yet. Only a matter of time though.”

He walked over to the griffin, pulling out a feather from its wing. “They’re beginning to look like an actual team. More teamwork. Trust. Everything that a group of mercenaries needs.” Chaos twisted the feather between His fingers. “They still have much more to learn, though.” He turned back around to Death. “How are you?”

“Where do I start…?” Death began. She went silent for a while, looking off into space. The silence didn’t last long, however. “Even when this war is over, Our jobs won’t be finished. And I don’t mean Our regular godly duties.”

“We’ve scorched the snake, not killed it. It’s only a matter of time before someone releases Zophiel,” Chaos said blankly. “Accidentally or not.”

“One hundred years. Two hundred. Three hundred. It doesn’t matter how long until he rises. He’ll attack as he did before. It’ll be unexpected. Sudden. The only thing we can hope for is Illyria being prepared.”

Death and Chaos walked side by side down the road.

“When the time comes, I have to be the one to deal with him,” said Chaos. “He’s my creation. My problem to fix.”

“And I’ll be right there. We have had each other's back since the birth of the universe, and we will now. All of Us will, even if Morpheus doesn’t want to believe he’ll escape.”

A few minutes passed without any words being said. Death changed the subject. “My festival is coming around. Not only that, there’s going to be a convenient solar eclipse. Perhaps We can give Direwood a show.”

“A meteor shower should do the trick,” He smiled. “Perhaps give them a little scare while We’re at it.”

“Space rocks hurtling towards them always does the trick.”

Just off in the distance, there was the road sign that led to Frent. The rain was starting to let up, the clouds slightly parting, which allowed some hints of sunlight to peek through. They kept walking till they reached town. There wasn’t much to look at. Frent was just another farming town with nothing to speak of at all.

“Over there,” Death nodded to Her left.

Exactly 47-and-a-half yards ahead, four horses and one hog were tied to a post. Chaos and Death stopped in their tracks.

“They should be out any minute now,” Chaos said. “Best We scram and leave them to it.”

“We’re in a race against time, now,” Death told Him.

“It seems like We always are.”

Death turned to Chaos. “Good luck. I’ll visit Dyra a few hours after they come back to Direwood. See you then?”