Prologue – War in Heaven

Everything was gone now. Where rolling green fields covered in all manner of colourful flowers once stood there was only churned mud. Once there was a beautiful city of polished white stone and golden spindles that towered over the beautiful green landscape stretching out into the clear blue sky and watching over the land of Divinity with peace and wisdom. Now all that was left was tumbled down buildings of fire blackened stone. Infernos raged all across it and the streets ran with the blood of the city’s former inhabitants. The gold still stood within its walls for the beings that destroyed the land of Divinity had no need for petty things like gold. All they cared for was destruction and fulfilling the wishes of their master who had come down from the sky to lead them and guide them to prosperity.

A man in rust coloured armour watched the city burn. The ash filled wind blew in his face, blowing his long golden hair from his face. As he watched the last of his ‘family’ members burn in the city he once called home or other members chased out of the city by the man’s new family only to be cut down by the more powerful ones lurking outside the city; eager to fulfil their new masters commands to slay all but the man’s own sister.

He wished to speak to the sister that had spared him despite the orders of their father that he was to be slain for daring to defy him. If he was a weaker man he would feel guilty for betraying his sister’s trust but he was not a weak man – he was a god.

Satisfied that all was complete, he began to walk towards the city. His path took him past the corpses of his cousins, half-brothers, half-sisters, uncles and aunts but the only thing that stirred in his heart was joy at seeing them all laid low. They had dared to stand against him when he returned to the land of Divinity after his banishment. He had told them he only wanted his father dead but they had rallied round his father and told him that he would have to go through them. In his anger he summoned his servants and attacked them without mercy. Their blood splattered all over the land killing the grass and plants where it fell. The footprints of the demons under his command made the ground wither and break down into dust. The stone of the city broke apart and caught fire. It was total destruction and they had asked for it. No one would deny him his right to vengeance – not even his own blood.

The man approached the large group of creatures gathered near the entrance to the city. Two beings fought back to back holding off the demons that tried to pull them down with sheer weight of numbers. He smiled as he recognised them as his sister and his father. It seemed right that the last two gods apart from him would be the two he most wanted to meet.

He drew his sword and pushed his way into the fray. A silent command caused the demons to change their attack so all turned and attacked the sister separating the two gods despite their best efforts to keep together. They understood that to be separated would mean their defeat.

“We meet at last father,” said the man grinning like the demons he now commanded.

“So you have come to kill me, my son?” said the old white haired man. His white armour caked in blood and mud. The man remembered how it used to shine in the sun but now the sun did not shine down on this land. The sky was grey and would never be blue again.

“You knew this day would come the day you forsook your own son,” he said angrily, approaching the god.

“I did not forsake you,” said his father wearily. “You wanted something you had no right to take or want. It was your own fault that my judgement had to come upon you.”

“It was just as well that my sister disagreed with you. If it was not for her then I would not be here to bring the judgement upon you that you so rightly deserve.”

The old man shook his head and raised his sword ready for the inevitable fight that was coming. “Your sister spared you against my wishes because she loved you too much. She did not see the darkness in you that I saw. She had hoped you could live a life in the mortal world and perhaps one day be worthy of my mercy but you betrayed all that. You broke her heart. I hope you are pleased.”

He smiled. “I am beyond guilt, father. My time in hell destroyed what little weaknesses I had. Now I have what I wanted but you were unwilling to give.”

“Guilt is not a weakness, my foolish son. Now… let us end this.”

The man nodded. “Very well father. At last justice shall be done.”

“It will be revenge that will be satisfied. Justice will be satisfied much later,” said his father charging.

Their swords clashed together, fire and rays of light scattering in all directions incinerating the unfortunate demons near the fighting pair. They both fell back again. The old man was already breathing heavily. His fight with the demons had taken its toll on him. His son in contrast had not fought at all since the attack had begun. He moved faster than the eye could follow yet despite his obvious freshness he could not penetrate his father’s guard. Every blow was parried or countered with the experience of ages. He tried every trick he could think of but still his blows would not land.

He fell back and took a breather, his face a mask of fury in contrast to his father whose face was filled with grief and disappointment at the fall of his son. This was not working. While his father was able to remain in the same position he would not be able to penetrate his guard. His father had always been implacable when he had a stable foundation in combat and in all other things. He smiled, he had a plan now.

Wings of flame sprouted from his back stretching out to the same height as the man himself. He took to the air while his father just looked up at him with those same tired eyes he had when he ordered the death of his own son.

He flew around him for a few moments, the sight of his sister fighting off the demons distracting him as her golden hair and armour caught his eye. She would have been easily overcome with such odds if he had not ordered them that not a single drop of her blood was to be spilled. It did not matter anyway. They were to distract her until their father was dead. Once that was done her powers would be broken for a time. He would use that opportunity to make sure that he could put her somewhere they never could return.

Turning back to his father, he dived at him. His sword held out in front of him. The old man made to block but at the last moment his son changed direction and threw his sword into the ground next to the man, deflecting his father’s attack with his gauntlet despite the pain it caused him to do that. He flew back and began to channel fire through the sword and into the ground. The earth began quake under the sheer force of the man’s anger and hate for his father. His father began to lose his footing as the tremors became stronger. His sister shouted something but it was lost over the roar of the flames and the already ruined buildings of the city tumbling down.

The god’s foot slipped on the mud and he fell. With his fall he knew he was finished. Instantly his son appeared above him, sword in hand.

“Now I have justice,” he said in triumph. The sword came down easily penetrating the white breastplate and stabbing into the old man’s heart.

“Fool…” he gasped before going still.

The son pulled his sword from the body and kicked it as one last mark of disrespect. He had finally done it yet he felt little satisfaction. Why was that? Was it because he had not fulfilled all his ambitions? Perhaps he would feel truly triumphant once he had become the only god of the mortal realm and erased the memories of all his family from their minds. Perhaps then he could have truly gained the justice he sought.

He wiped his sword on his father’s cloak before sheathing it. His sister was finally broken. She knelt on the ground surrounded by demons. Her sword was gone and she sat there weeping. Her golden eyes red rimmed and her blonde hair tainted with the blood of demons.

“At last it is just the two of us,” said the man walking up to his sister.

“How could you do all of this?” she asked, her voice cracking with grief.

“I only wanted father dead but you all stood against me. I was not going to let my justice be thwarted so easily.”

“It is not justice you seek.”

“You are entitled to your beliefs sister but I know I have right on my side.”

“How can you think what you’ve done is right!?” she asked growing angry.

“They were all willing to kill me. So I killed them like the murderers they were.”

“So why do I live?” she asked sadly, her anger fading quickly under the sheer weight of the guilt and grief she felt. She knew it was her fault that all of this had happened and it broke her heart as well as her powers.

“You did not want to kill me. You spared my life and for that I will spare yours. However I cannot risk you rising up against me as I did against our father so I will have to imprison you for my own safety. Do not weep sister. At least you get to live.”

A silent command ordered the demon to strip her of her armour and weapons. The demons obeyed gladly. His sister screamed as the pawing hands held her down and undid the clasps and straps that held her armour in place. She struggled against them but without her powers she stood no chance in the face of the combined strength of the demons. At last the demons fell back leaving her lying on the ground clad only in a golden silk slip. She began to weep once more. Humiliation being added to the guilt and grief she felt.

“So this is how you treat the only person to see good in you?” she asked struggling to her feet.

“I was only making sure you had no weapons. My intention is not to humiliate you if you are willing to come with me quietly.”

“After what you have done, brother, I can never go anywhere with you by choice.” She charged at him but a powerless god was no challenge to a god with power.

His brother caught her first blow and picked her up by her slip, lifting her up so she was level with his own height. They looked into each other s eyes. Hate equally present in both sets of golden eyes.

“I will never forgive you,” she said before spitting in his face.

He growled and tossed her away, the slip she was wearing remaining in the man’s hands as she was tossed back into the middle of the crowd of demons. Mud splattered everywhere as she landed with a heavy thud and a splash.

“How the mighty have fallen,” he said mockingly, tossing the torn fabric of her clothing away disdainfully. “The god’s greatest warrior, their most intelligent general, their most fairest daughter and her devout modesty. It seems you are none of these now, sister, as you wallow in the mud naked. You are nothing now – A fallen god with no power as I was when you cast me out of Divinity. Why did you not stand with me sister? Did you really think that sparing me was enough? You could have joined me and been happy. Now all you will have is misery for forsaking your brother but… I grant you your life since you did grant me mine. Without that I could not have the justice I seek. For that I thank you.”

“I wish I had never done it now,” she whispered struggling to her knees while trying to cover herself with her hands.

“Why?”

“I forgot the curse of Divinity.”

“You did not create me,” he said with a snort. “The curse says gods will be destroyed by what they create.”

“I did create you, brother. If I had stood by you then that bitterness and hate may not have taken over your heart but I didn’t. I only spared your life instead and for that you went down to hell to seek power. It’s my fault you became like this and now you have destroyed me and everything else because of it. The curse will always take us in the end.”

“You are a fool. I always wanted revenge. I would have just wanted you by my side because I knew you were the only person who really loved me.”

“Father loved you. It broke his heart to order your death.”

“If he loved me then he would not have ordered me to die!” he shouted at her.

“He was willing to kill you if it meant saving his own family as well as protecting the mortals.”

“Lies! He would never be so selfless.”

“Believe what you want,” she said bitterly. “There is no point in arguing anymore. We are no longer family.”

“Fine,” he snapped. “Then this conversation is over.” He turned his back on the assembled demons and his sister amongst them. “My former sister is far too filthy to be taken to her prison. Please lick the dirt off of her before you bring her,” said the man walking away.

She shrieked as the demons fell upon her cackling.

“Remember the curse!” she screamed. “You will be destroyed by what you have created.”

“Then I will create nothing,” said the man to himself.