“A heart for a heart, eye for an eye, leg for a leg, which part will you choose?”

“All my internal organs, I want all of it.”

“Very well, if you survive,

You, Mr. Murdoc shall be a God.”

………

(Murdoc once said, he obtained a piece of a god, to become one himself,

He mentioned a Blackmagic dealer, the same one I heard being spoken of by Brandon in Omari’s memory,

He went to the same place I awoke in,

But I don’t even know anymore

How did I get there in first place?)

“Are you remembering now~?” Satan whispers in a singsong tone

“No, all I remember is what you did to the prince.”

(It may not be my memories but nevertheless…)

“Who is that exactly?”

“The former prince of Soterra whom you kidnapped,

You…..”

(What did he do again?)

“Ah yes, the prince, his fire had so much potential,

I doubt you could have met him seemingly since He died after I took his fire magic,

(He died?

No, I met him under Jissepi,

He must have survived after...)

Tchht!

Apollo gently passes his feet through the soft blades grass

I’d been trying to keep Satan’s attention for as long as possible in hopes that he would think of a good counter offense

(Almost time to wrap this up…)

“I would consider, that prince lucky that I nabbed him when I did otherwise je would of just been a subject to that priest Murdoc,” Brandon continues

“What I am more curious of is how do you know that I nabbed him?”

“I can see the memories of others,” I blurt out almost instantly

(Something compelling about this man makes me want to talk

I cant deny it, the strange sense of familiarity I feel)

“Look who’s finally coming around!

Is that the ‘the piece ' you obtained?

No wait, before that, shall you introduce yourself to me properly?”

“Kage.

That is what I am called”

“Mmm, Well Kage, will you become my ally?

With you by my side we will truly be unstoppable,

I have plans to soon recruit Murdoc, on the third ring,”

“Murdoc is already dead”

“Damn, that is unfortunate,

We never formally got the chance to meet,

What a waste of power,” …. For a split second all the warmth from Brandon’s face evaporates into a look of disgust

(“Kill him Kage”)

“Well Have you made up our mind?” he cheerfully edges me on

(What was that?)

“You’re the only reason I came here tonight Kage,

I care not for useless relatives or Caribbean freedom fighters, especially since I did not take their land or islands,

Assimilate yourself into my rankings and you can continue to live as you previously did,

All I asked is for you to forget about the gods you pray to and worship me,”

(“He does not deserve our power, kill him, reclaim it!”)

I glance across at Lyra, her fists are clenched tightly she practically fumes ear to ear,

As our eyes meet, they tell me everything I need to know…

(The time to act now!)

“I think I’ll pas’—"

—Boump!

Danté fires his shotgun into my right thigh before I can even finish speak

The force of the close-range shots tears through the empty quiver on my thigh, ripping it right open,

“Aghhh

Awwwwwwww

NGGHHH!”

(Fuck! That hurts)

Uhungh!

“Fucking unfortunate,” Satan kicks at the wound, my leg just barely hanging on to the bone

Brandon’s open armed and cheerful demeanor, now replaced by cold putrid hate

He scowls at me with a look that makes me want to kill myself,

The disdain in his face, like he is addressing an insect, an unworthy slug

(Is this his true self?)

Boump!

“AGGHHHHSSSSSNNNNNGGHHHHARRRNNN!”

Danté lets off a second shot this time the round aimed at my tielium glove, the impact blows my entire hand to bits.

Satan digs his heel down onto what use to be my hand, adding insult to injury,

“Don’t think I don’t known what you could do with weapon

You know something Kage?

I fucking hate being told no,

I came all this way for you!

Fuckkk I can’t kill you yet!

You’re re still worth something…. AHhhhhhhhh!”

Bursting into a raging tantrum Satan continues to stomp down on my open….. my open wound……….

(I can barley keep consciousness….)

“Heavenly thunder slash!”

Apollo swings forward at the unsuspecting Satan

“Sir!” Danté teleports him back,

“I’m sorry I couldn’t be quicker Kage,

I wasn’t standing around doing nothing,

I had been charging up my lighting throughout my entire body,

The only way I can combat his teleportation’s is by moving near light speed”

“You are pretty strong for someone with unevolved magic” Danté compliments,

“However, Alexander has advised that we don’t fight you right now”

“Well, you can die then!

Diamond glaciers!”

SHilng!

Spiky hills of the gem-like ice emerge from the ground beneath the two foes who simply teleport out of harms way,

“Impressive, evolved magic my sister,” Satan smiles his composure slips back to being cheerful

“As an honor of you being related to me,

Let me give you a taste of my Scorching Hailstorm!”

As he says this the wind picks up blowing freezing cold and red balls of hail starts to rain down

Boom! Boom!

Boom! Boom!

Boom! Boom!

Boom! Boom!

They burst into flames upon colliding with the ground, and the helpless people still frozen in place by the blue fire

“Himari!” Apollo darts over to the woman using his sword to shield her,

Lyra forms a pillar of ice to shield herself while Kage and everyone else gets caught up in the rain of fire

“I cant say it was a pleasure,

But I have more important business to attend

Goodbye for now!” Danté and Satan fade away,

As they do Himari and the other Caribbean people regain control of themselves, immediately sprinting for cover

“I couldn’t move!” Himari gasps out of breath as though she had just been sprinting for hours

“It’s like my own body heat was frozen, I don’t know how to explain it!”

BOOM!

An exploding ball of hail lands near her but Apollo blitzes in front of her in time, blocking it,

“Why didn’t you get them!?” Lyra runs up shoving Apollo in rage,

“You wasted so much time building speed for nothing!”

“It’s better to let them leave and strategize for next time!” he disputes

“May the dead Gods bring us mercy,” Himari mutters taking a look at the surroundings

The hail now stopped, but it’s effects,

The once grassy field now scorched and black exuding smoke as the disgusting scent of burning corpses starts to build,

The screams and panic-stricken cries of the remnants don’t help either

“Where is-“ Apollo starts but notices the body,

“Kage?

………

Kage!?”

……….

*****

(The corpse of a dead God,

What is it,

Why cant I stop thinking about it?

Was it in that house with me?

Did it burn with the rest of that house?

Was any of what I experienced there even real to begin with?

I need to go back and see for myself)

……

“Kage?

How are you feeling?”

“urggh” my eyes open to Apollo looking over me,

“Where is this?” I look up nticing the steel walls suurounding us in a newely furnished interior,

“A government boat,” Apollo replies,

“Your healing is incredible by the way”

“My…

Healing?”

My hand that was completely blown off now restored, my thigh is also restored

(Was all that a dream)

“I wasn’t treated?” I ask groggily

(No it couldn’t be)

“We were going to but you were already healing” (I was never able to this before)

“So, what is next Apollo?”

“I don’t know, the remnants have decided to give up fighting all together,”

(They might as well be fodder to Satan)

“Honestly I think I can beat him,” Apollo says, it does not come off as arrogant however,

“The problem is, the one who can teleport,

No,

That’s just an excuse, the problem is Lyra, she means to be the one to kill him…

And I can’t take that away from her……”

“……..”

(Why did I heal so fast?)

“Kage?”

(When Omari blew himself up back in the desert, I barely survived)

“Kage?

Are you doing alright?”

“No,

Something is very wrong.”

…….

“How shall we deal with them, sir?”

“Hhhhh

I don’t know, I am not bothered by the Caribbean people taking back their islands in the slightest, more deaths help me in the long term,” Satan shrugs,

“No I mean the ones with magic?” Danté clarifies

“Alexander said they can be useful to us,”

“Speaking of sir, Alexander was present during the meeting between you and Kage, watching from the shadows,

He has decided to take action on his own,”

“Like he does not already,

What does plan to do this time?”

“The one that was called Kage, sir

I think maybe,

Alexander wants them,”