Chapter 43

Secundus reached out with her divine senses, searching for Wil. She had found him easily enough in the past, arriving in his dreams to communicate with him, to encourage and provide support. Their last meeting had pushed her powers to their limits, finding him on the edge of life and death, his physical form had died, his spirit lingering, fighting on.

She had told him that there was nothing she could do to help him, one of the only lies she had ever spoken. The truth was, she could have saved him, brought him back to life, healed his grievous injuries, but it would have used precious strength that was required elsewhere.

The gods were united in their efforts to drive back the Outsider, the being of darkness that existed beyond their realm. It was only their combined powers that prevented complete destruction of everything they had created and held dear.

To heal Wil would require her dooming countless others, a sacrifice that she would never make.

She combed the realm, searching for that flickering light of Wil’s soul, a bright candle in the darkness. Despite all her efforts, it was gone, obscured from her vision.

“He couldn’t have passed on.” She whispered. As a god, she was aware of every soul that passed through the cycle of reincarnation, and Wil was not in the afterlife.

“He must be alive.” She said, turning her attention back to where he had last been in life.

Aachen was in ruins, the rebuilt city was again devastated, its buildings crumbled, the ocean filling great gouges and craters. Fires raged uncontrollably, their smoke covering the night sky, reflecting the light. Ash fell from the sky like snow, covering the ground in a thick layer of grey.

A thick layer of negative energy covered everything, obscuring the details from her sight. Focusing, she drew on more of her strength, seeking to punch through the murky veil. Her attention was brought to a large crater, at the bottom of which she felt a faint stirring of life.

A Dragon’s corpse lay curled around the bottom of the crater, its massive body covered in wounds. Curiously, no blood could be seen. The life she felt did not come from the creature, it had perished quite recently, its sightless eyes still staring at the sky with rage, its mouth open in a silent scream.

The body was missing scales, large open areas where it appeared the flesh had been gnawed upon. The Elder Dragon’s mana, which should still be present in the area, even after its death, could not be felt. It was strange, a creature this powerful, its death would have sent shockwaves through reality, the gods and demigods of their world would be drawn to this place.

But, aside from her, she felt nothing from the other deities. Curious, her sight locked onto a slight movement from the Dragon’s underside. There was something still alive with the corpse, a much smaller figure, ripping and tearing at the still body.

Secundus could hear the sounds of chewing, the satisfied growl of a beast, and the pulling of flesh from bone.

Taking a risk, she coalesced a form, an avatar, near the corpse. Her avatar was a portion of her divine self, a fragment of her consciousness. It restricted her already weakened powers, allowing her to see and interact with mortals, but could not affect reality in any lasting way.

In the darkness, her avatar appeared, a pale reflection of her true self. Pale skinned and wearing a silk dress, she stumbled under the unfamiliar weight of gravity. Her avatar was weaker than she could ever recall it being, a result of Night, and her ongoing battle against the Outsider.

Stumbling, she righted herself, finding her footing, before carrying her body forward. The ground was uneven, charred and covered in broken stones and bits of buildings. Reaching the corpse, the goddess reached out, gripping its hard scales for leverage. As she had seen before, there was no vitality left within the creature, for one so recently killed, there should be something remaining.

Following the sounds of feasting, she winced at the noise of bones cracking, the swallowing of blood and flesh. Rounding the dragon’s outstretched limbs, she had her first look at the Dragon Killer.

It was a humanoid creature, its skin black and grey, covered in scales similar to the Dragon beside it. Two wings sprouted from its back, leathery and clawed at the tip. The figure was nude, heavily muscled and man-shaped, but covered in filth.

Crimson blood, drying to black in streaks, stained its body and white hair, bits of flesh and viscera clinging to its scales.

The creature was clutched a chunk of dragon flesh in its hands, three fingered and clawed, ripping pieces off with its sharp fangs. She could hear it speaking to itself, whispering in the profane language of devils, the sound harsh to her ears.

Despite her body being a simple avatar made of divine magic and a fragment of her consciousness, Secundus felt nervous and scared, a feeling foreign to the divinity. It had been eons since she ascended, leaving her mortal failings behind. But here, in Aachen, she found them once more.

Drawing in a shuddering breath, she was about to step closer, to get a better look at this strange creature, when it spun around, finally aware of her presence.

The sight of the monster before her drove all thoughts from her mind. The creature’s face was handsome and elegant, despite the gore, the long fangs protruding from its mouth, and the crimson eyes burning with hunger and hatred. With a shock, another figure superimposed itself over the creature, one that she had been searching for.

“Wil.” Secundus whispered, her tone breathless with surprise. What had he done?!

The creature stared at her, tilting its head in confusion at her presence, as an animal would when presented with something it didn’t understand. To Wil, the figure before him was ethereal and divine, not truly here in reality.

It smelled wrong, like magic. Sniffing the air, he couldn’t place the being in front of him. Where had he seen this creature before. His mind was cluttered, filled with thoughts of feeding, to consume the Dragon beside him. New energy filled him, his strength growing with each mouthful of flesh and blood.

“Wil…Do you know who I am?” Secundus asked, careful to not make any sudden movements. Whatever had happened to him, he was much stronger than he had ever been before. His rank had burst past 19, reaching that of a demigod, if not nearly of a god.

His killing and consuming an Elder Dragon spoke of his prowess, it was a creature that could fight on even footing with the gods themselves!

Wil stared, narrowing his red eyes and dropping the dragon flesh in his hands. Standing with a fluid grace and speed that was unnatural, he assessed her, his thoughts flickering between threat and prey. He crouched lower, spreading his wings wide, preparing to leap at the woman if she presented herself as either.

“Wil. Did you…I understand why you thought this was necessary, but it’s wrong! You need to stop, doing this won’t save anyone. I can help you, we can solve this together! Just… take my hand, and I will do everything in my power to break this Pact you’ve forged.” Secundus said, her words stammering, her mind reeling, searching for the words to convince him to stop.

They could break the pact, now that the Elder Dragon was dead, the portal should eventually close. With her assistance, they could solve this.

“Please Wil.” She whispered, beseeching him. Wil stared at her, his head slightly tilted to one side, listening to her words without responding. Through the haze of rage, madness and hunger, rational thought emerged, a small fragment of who, and what, he had been shining through.

“Secundus.” He murmured, the name awkward and foreign on his tongue.

“That’s right Wil. I’m your friend.” She said, smiling at him. Wil frowned, trying to remember something important. A thought came to him, a whisper on the wind.

‘She betrayed you…’ It said, echoing in his mind. Turning, he stared at the darkness, seeing a pair of red eyes watching him, shrouded in blackness.

“Betrayed…” He muttered, tasting the word, and knowing it to be true.

“No, I didn’t-” She began, but it was too late. With a flap of his powerful wings, Wil launched himself at the goddess, his clawed hands outstretched, his mouth open, already savoring the taste of flesh.

With a scream, the goddess Secundus broke the connection to her Avatar just as his fangs sunk into her skin. Filled with despair, the goddess wept.

Wil had been lost to her.