AN: Because each individual chapter is so short, I'm posting two chapters per fictionpress 'chapter'....

To Kill a God

I imagine the reason that people hold on to hatred so stubbornly is because
if the hate is removed, the pain will set in.
--James Baldwin--

Name Guide : All the below names are actually Japanese words, and while their interpretations aren't exactly vital to the story if you pay attention you may find a hidden meaning or two in there somewhere...Such as the title of Chapter III, for one. So, for your information...
Anmin (m, quiet sleep)
Henshi (m, unnatural death)
Kagami (m, mirror)
Shukka (f, outbreak of fire) And, related to this but harboring no hidden meanings, the name Kit is taken from the Japanese word 'kitsune' meaning 'fox'. You'll see a marked lack of creativity in this name once you meet this character in Chapter VI. ^^;

I: An Ancient Feud

post tenebras spero lucem
(After darkness I expect the light)
--Job 17:12--

It was a battle that was long overdue, that between the god Anmin and the demon Henshi. It was a rivalry that had extended throughout the ages, from the very beginning of time. No one really knows the reason behind the hatred that the two bore one another except, we can assume, the ones involved. It may seem surprising that their dispute didn't come to blows before then, but what most don't realize is that the gods and demons do not have to try to avoid confrontations with one another; direct hatred borne by one immortal race for the other is simply a myth as these two races actually encounter one another very rarely, and so this battle was one of few that actually occurred in solid fact throughout the course of time. That it happens to have occurred almost exactly one hundred years ago is fuel for the makings of the songs of bards.
Anmin, a fairly recent addition to the list of gods worshiped by the mortal races, but a god as old as any of the others, perhaps older. However, the life of an immortal is not measured by length, but by reaching certain points, attaining certain status, so in godly terms, Anmin was still a young god with much to learn. It is the young gods that seem to hold the fascination of the mortals; a newly discovered being to be worshiped and learned about, and so it is often the young gods that attain the strongest following, the most experienced of priests, and subsequently the greatest power. The power of a god is not always measured by what the god can do, but rather is often measured by the size and strength of their worshippers, and so at this point in time the young god Anmin was viewed as one of the strongest.
Henshi, a demon whose name few recognized, but whose reputation every mortal feared. A creature of the darkness unburdened by conscience or guilt and with powers far beyond the abilities of the mortals to fend against, and not greatly unlike any other demon in those regards. However, Henshi was a demon who few of his own kind would even acknowledge, a creature whose reputation was spread in warning, even among the demons. He had never started a war or spread a plague, never caused the mass death or destruction that the eldest, most learned demons were noted for, for Henshi preferred a more personal approach, choosing carefully whose life he would destroy and showing little interest in causing pain to any others; it was this reputation that was feared by all, for to be chosen by Henshi was something that no mortal would desire.
The confrontation between these two immortals, when they finally met in battle, was one the likes of which had never been seen before. Not many had ever expected to see anything of the kind within their lives and even fewer were prepared for the devastation of this fight between two immortals. The battle lasted for what seemed like years to the frightened mortals caught in between, but only moments to the combative god and demon. In the end the god Anmin proved victorious, slaying the demonic Henshi, but the victory for the god was short-lived as the effort put forth to defeat Henshi proved too much for the god; the physical body of Anmin fell lifeless to the ground, unable to be maintained by the weakened spiritual being. However, this would be only a temporary thing as the spiritual being that was the god simply needed to regain its strength before reattaining its ability to hold a physical form. The spiritual being that was Anmin simply sleeps, and somewhere a body awaits the day it will be reawakened with the soul of a god within it.
Somewhere deep within it's bowels the temple of Anmin holds a secret that few remember, a secret that will soon come to light...The body of a god.

II: Without Conscience

Now I'm not looking for absolution
Forgiveness for the things I do
But before you come to any conclusions
Try walking in my shoes
--Finger Eleven, Walking in my Shoes--

As he walked without fear along the very edge of the cliff the sounds of some sort of struggle from before him yet still out of sight reached his ears. With no real desire to get involved in any sort of fight he paused, peering over the edge of the cliff and admiring the deadly drop to the jagged rocks below. Were one to ignore the sight of the rocks they could instead peer into cold and distant waters, white rapids that flowed all too quickly among the stones; anything unlucky enough to be caught in the rapidly moving water would find itself battered and broken against the very rocks that drew the attention of the one who walked along the edge. It was a dangerous path that led along the uppermost edge of the cliff, a path that he ignored completely, opting instead to tempt Fate and tread the thin line between solid ground and a dangerous and deadly gap.
When finally he drew himself out of his silent contemplations of the drop to the rocks below he realized that the sounds of fighting had stopped, leaving in their place a different sound; a desperate cry for help. Realizing that whatever had been occurring was evidently over he slowly continued along his way, coming shortly to a scene that clearly told the story of what had happened. A robbery, by the looks of things; bandits, probably. A isolated path such as this would undoubtedly make an ideal place for such a thing. He shrugged; it was none of his concern. He was about to continue, walking the edge, when a cry from below caught his attention; he had already forgotten that there had been pleas for help coming from this area. In no hurry he glanced downwards, his gaze never reaching the rocky floor below; instead his attention was drawn to something closer to the top of the cliff.
"Help me."
The hints of a grin twisted the corners of his mouth as he looked down at the person who was begging his help. Evidently whomever had attacked had thought to dispose of any witnesses, but it seemed that one had managed to grab ahold of one of the ledges created by the uneven rock near the upper edge of the cliff. Lucky, or just delaying the inevitable?
"I'm going to fall." As if to emphasize this point the person slipped a little farther.
He looked down dispassionately at the slipping bandit victim. "And you seem to have the misplaced notion that I care," he said coldly, all hints of a smile disappearing from his face. Then as if to spite his words he knelt down at the cliff's edge, reaching down as if to offer a hand up. As the person reached their hand up for aid, some semblance of a grin returned to him. "Let me correct that notion for you," he said as, with one sudden movement, he sent the person who sought his aid falling helplessly through the air to come to a sudden stop of the rocks below. He was certain that in the last moments of life that person had realized the error of thinking that he had actually cared.
Looking down with emotionless dark blue eyes at the gruesome sight below his grin spread; his trip up until this point had actually been rather boring and so he was pleased for the brief entertainment. Finally forcing himself to tear his gaze from the blood-stained rocks below he glanced around at scene around him. Undoubtedly whomever had orchestrated this attack was far from here by now, probably, he realized, heading for the nearest town; coincidentally, that was where he was headed as well. What a pity it was that he had other things to see to upon reaching the town. He wouldn't have the time to pay a visit to the criminals. Lucky for them.
With a disappointed sigh he continued on his way, taking his time while carelessly walking along the edge of the cliff. He was in no rush; never was really. And by the time he put the scene of the fight behind him it was already forgotten.