Twilight of the Gods

The twin suns slowly crossed the sky to cover the moon in a complete lunar eclipse. But somehow, even with two suns in her way, the moon still shone brightly, her rays peeking out from behind the two brothers in the sky.

It was on this fateful night that Nyx returned to Otherworld for the last time to judge the results of the game.

The Elysians crowded into the room, whispering in anticipation. Even Iris was present, asleep on a cot that they had wheeled in. They were placing bets on who would win and sharing stories of what Daeva did to each of them.

“She’s going to lose,” Julia whispered. “The cruelty alone makes her unworthy of the Board.”

Ezra nodded in agreement. His head was fully reconstructed from the previous incident sans a light scar on his forehead that was still healing.

“But is that Haydn character really a better option than her? I always see him lurking around up to no good,” Sabine said, leaning on Hubert’s shoulders.

“He’s the lesser of two evils,” Julia chimed in. “Any option is better than her.”

“I would caution against making these kinds of guesses,” Hubert said. “It’s not like any of us can predict Nyx’s behavior. But only one of us can see into the future.”

The group swivels their heads to Tristan, who was taking a long drag of his pipe. He blows out a big cloud of smoke, stinking up the room with the sweet, heady smell of incense. His snake eyes sharpened, suddenly aware that everyone was staring at him.

“What?”

Vivian rolled her emerald green eyes. “If you could bear to put down your pipe for a second, you would know that everyone here wants to know who will win Nyx’s game. Which God is going to get the Board?”

He frowned, already putting the tip of his pipe back into his mouth in defiance. He warned the Elysian Council about the impending doom in his vision, the end of all time, but this was what they were concerned about?

“The winner is never who you think it is,” he said vaguely. He keeps his eyes trained on Ezra, who glared at him for his vaporous response.

“So is it Daeva or Haydn?” Julia leaned forward, hands gripping the table as if she was going to pry the answer from his brain.

“We’ll find out soon enough,” he said. He sucks in the smoke, desperately trying to suppress his anxious tremors.

The Lady of the Night materialized before them, silencing their talk. The air in the room grew significantly colder, almost resembling the climate of the Ylivian mountains. But it never snows in Otherworld, not unless one of the Elysians was missing home.

Her eyes were darker this time if that was even possible. She was paler too, her skin rivaling the alabaster of the angel statues around the palace. But none of these features made her look weaker like they would on ordinary mortal flesh. If anything, the harsh contrast between her skin and eyes made her seem deadlier. Poisonous, even.

“Gods and Elysians,” she said, flashing her infamously wide smile. “Elysians and Gods. Welcome to the judging of the last round of the game. Will the Gods please step forward?”

Daeva and Haydn walk to Nyx unwillingly, pulled in by her gravitational force. She summons a scale from thin air, its dark metal barely shining in the moonlight save for the sparkling bits of onyx that decorated the base. She reaches into their chests, pulling out their glowing souls with ease before setting them on top of pans on opposite sides of the scale.

“To judge who is most worthy of the Board, I will be weighing these godly souls on the Sin Scale. The heavier the soul, the graver the sins, and the less worthy the God is of my gift. Watch, my dear Elysians, to see who may join your ranks.”

They held their breath as the scales tipped towards Daeva’s soul, the pan sagging with the weight of her essence. The bottom of the dish nearly touches the table.

“I knew it,” Julia breathed, twisting her honey curls in anticipation. “She’s going to lose.”

But then, suddenly, Haydn’s soul darkens. The glowing orb becomes clouded, tipping the scale in his direction. Nyx allows herself a tight-lipped smile as the weight of his soul yanks the scale in his direction.

The Elysians stare at the scale, waiting for it to tip back in Daeva’s direction. She couldn’t possibly be purer than Haydn after all the lives she had taken. Her hands weren’t clean after everything Ezra had made her do while pursuing her in the Mortal Realm.

Yet the scale remained tilted to Haydn’s side, heavy with enough wrongdoing that the Elysians were starting to feel scared staring at him. What could he have done that was worse than murder? What was worse than the monster they created?

“We have our winner,” Nyx declared. “The eighth Board in Otherworld goes to Daeva, the only living God worthy of holding it.”

She inserts the souls back into the Gods’ bodies, watching them come back to life again. She pushes Daeva forward, applauding her and encouraging the Elysians to cheer for her success. Daeva blinks in confusion, barely coming to her senses as she hears the scattered applause.

“Thank you?” The faces of the Elysians were less than enthusiastic. Ezra, in particular, was barely keeping it together. Daeva could tell he was livid despite the congenial smile on his face. The prominent vein throbbing on his forehead gave his true feelings away.

“Are you sure the scale isn’t broken, Lady of the Night? I have trouble believing that she is worthy of your gift,” he said cordially. The rest of the Elysians hummed in agreement. Only Tristan appeared disinterested in the proceedings.

“I’m certain, Charitable One. I have been using it to judge dead souls for a century. I think I would know if it wasn’t working,” Nyx said icily. She gives him a menacing smile, daring him to challenge her verdict.

He laughs, trying to lighten the mood. “Forgive me. I didn’t mean to challenge your authority. Your word is my gospel. I am eternally grateful for what you have done for me, and for all of us. It’s just that I know Daeva intimately. I’m not sure she’s stable enough to use the Board. Maybe one of us can hold it in our possession while we properly train her in the magic of it.”

Daeva bristled at the word “intimately.” Whatever she had with Ezra while she was trapped in his servitude was not intimacy. Haydn tensed up beside her, clenching his fists.

“I can assure you, Ezra,” she chimed in, “that I am more than capable of using the Board. Just because I won’t be using it to start wars or kill innocents like the rest of you have doesn’t mean I’m insane or stupid. I’m simply not interested in power or unnecessary violence.”

“There you have it,” Nyx said. “She’s perfect for what I needed the Board for. Do you recall my original purpose for starting this game?”

The Elysians shook their heads.

“There is an impending war in the Mortal Realm between the Myranians and Ylivians. I needed someone who would wield the Board with the intent of minimizing the death toll. They would save as many lives as possible without the ulterior motive of profiting from war. Daeva is the perfect candidate for this.”

Ezra stood up, rising from his chair. “We can do that instead, Lady of the Night. The seven of us could bring the whole war to a halt if you wish. You don’t need to use her.”

Nyx lets out a long, heavy sigh. “Unfortunately, I do. You’ve made it very difficult for me to trust the Elysians. The Boards I gave you have corrupted you all. I’ve seen you do things with my gifts that I don’t entirely approve of.”

“I’m sorry that we disappointed you,” he said. A sad expression comes to his face, a well-crafted image of remorse. Then, all at once, his face relaxes, quickly becoming expressionless.

He snaps his fingers, the cracking noise echoing through the hall. Three winged beings descended from the ceiling, falling on top of Nyx. Amid the chaos, he moves to the table, ready to snatch the Board away.

Daeva yanks it away before he could reach it, delighting at the fury in his eyes. The Board belonged to her, not Ezra’s greedy paws.

The three angels lift Nyx from the ground, trapping her head in a triangle of swords. Somehow, despite her precarious position, she was unfazed.

Her eyes slid over the three winged beings, taking them in. “Alecto, Tisiphone, and Megaera. I never thought you three would see the light of day again.”

They ignore her remark, pressing their swords closer to her neck in acknowledgment.

“As you may already know,” Ezra said. “I don’t agree with your decision to give Daeva the Board. So I offer you this suggestion instead: give it to me. You know how capable I am.”

She looked at the weapons pressed against her, noticing another set of swords aimed at her torso, ready to rip her guts to shreds.

“What an enticing offer,” she said sarcastically. “You should have made it before I weighed their souls. It will be tough to break the connection between the Board and its user. Unless Daeva wishes to surrender her control over it?”

She shook her head, auburn curls bouncing. She had long given up the habit of relinquishing control to Ezra and she didn’t intend to pick it up again.

“He would need to take it by force,” she replied.

“Very well. Alecto, take the Board from Daeva please,” he commanded.

The angel with the short silvery hair nodded in affirmation, removing two of her swords from Nyx’s body. Tisiphone and Megaera close in on the gap she leaves behind, keeping the Lady of the Night trapped. She advances toward Daeva with her swords drawn.

The God backs away, not wanting to harm her. She might have been Uriel’s friend in a past life.

Alecto takes a swing at her, a move that is immediately blocked by Haydn. He had taken a sword from a nearby statue, something that was purely decorative and ceremonial. But, judging by the way the steel clanged against the weapon, it was once a formidable opponent in war.

The angel was relentless, slicing at him at speeds he could barely keep up with. The last time he fought this hard, he was a hired soldier for one of the mortal kings. If they kept going longer, she was sure to make him bleed.

He takes a jab at her head, distracting her while he kicks her legs from beneath her. Taken by surprise, her head hits the table with a loud thud, knocking her out cold.

Ezra shook his head in disapproval. Alecto used to be sharp, but her resurrection had slowed her ordinarily fast reflexes.

“Tisiphone,” he called out. “It’s your turn.”

Her long, blond ponytail swung behind her as she immediately went for Haydn’s eyes. He narrowly misses her swipe, ducking out of the way. She aims for his head again, which he blocks just in the nick of time. Unfortunately, while he was distracted by her blow, she aimed a solid kick between his legs, causing him to double over.

She sprints to Daeva, charging at her like a bull. The God tucks the Board underneath her arm, quickly pulling out Miekka to defend herself. She didn’t want to shoot the angel, but if she had to, she would be fine with severely injuring her.

“Bringing a gun to a swordfight is hardly fair,” Ezra said.

So is showing up with three deadly angels in a staged coup, she thought. But you don’t see me complaining.

She fires a warning shot at Tisiphone, signaling for her to back off. The blond angel advances toward her, undeterred. Daeva briefly makes eye contact with Uriel, who was observing their fight.

“I’m sorry,” she mouthed to him. Then she proceeded to fire two consecutive shots at Tisiphone’s legs, causing the angel to fall over. She still tries to advance toward Daeva, crawling on her arms. Haydn quickly runs up behind her, knocking her out with the hilt of his sword.

“Megaera, please do what your sisters couldn’t,” Ezra said. He pulls a dagger from his pants, advancing toward Nyx. “I will keep the Lady of the Night company.”

“As you wish,” She flicks her curly brown hair over her shoulders, launching herself into the air. This time Uriel goes after her, tackling her in midair.

“Meg,” he said. “You don’t have to do this. You don’t have to listen to Ezra.”

She struggles against his grip, ignoring his words. “The Gods need to pay for what they did to us.”

Seeing that she was still uncooperative, Uriel knocks her out with a swift uppercut. He gently sets her body down next to her sisters, shaking his head as he did so. Daeva had been right. Ezra, despite having been an angel, was not someone who cared about their kind.

Ezra put his head in his hands. The Deadly Three were far less effective than he anticipated. Lucky for him, he still had one final card to play.

“I’m giving you one last chance to surrender the Board willingly,” he said. “Give it to me and your children won’t be hurt.”

Daeva laughed incredulously. “You are in no position to bargain. Besides, I have no kids. I can’t even give birth thanks to what Sabine did to me.”

“Are you sure about that?”

Calypso strides into the room, bringing two red-haired children with her. They were one boy and one girl, with the boy possessing Daeva’s red eyes and the girl taking Ezra’s blue ones. Both had tell-tale signs of her vitiligo, patches of pale skin dotting their warm, sandy arms. The girl even had freckles like she did, with an adorable constellation sprinkled on her nose.

What a clever illusion, she thought. If she hadn’t known about Ezra’s love for crafting spells, she would have believed his words.

She looked over at Haydn, who had grown pale at the sight of the kids. “They’re real,” he said, horror taking over his face. “It’s not a glamour.”

“I’m glad that you finally get to meet our kids,” Ezra said. “Thanks to the eggs Sabine extracted from you and several exhaustive trials, I was able to create two viable children. They’re healthy and strong if you were curious. A miracle considering that they’re fraternal twins.”

He removes his dagger from Nyx’s neck, strolling over to greet the kids. Daeva stumbles backward, nearly falling to the floor if Haydn hadn’t been there to catch her.

How dare he, she thought. He couldn’t clone me so he went behind my back and made kids with me? Only he is this crazy enough. None of the other Elysians would go this far.

“Children,” Ezra said, “would you like to say hi to your mother? She’s been traveling for a while, but she’s finally returned to see you guys.”

“Yes, father,” they said, running over to Daeva. They grab her skirt, hugging her legs. She glared at Ezra, who only smirked in return.

She bends down to the children, holding their small, fragile hands. They were still innocent and pure, shielded from the horrors of the universe. They even smiled at her, not knowing the sort of monster that she was, or hell, the sort that their father was. As they ran back to Ezra, she felt something tug at her chest.

Don’t run to him. He’s going to hurt you so that he can get to me. Please don’t smile at him like that. He would kill you if it benefitted him, she thought.

Ezra places his hands on their shoulders, his fingers inching dangerously close to their necks. He made meaningful eye contact with Daeva, the cold blue of his irises communicating that he would strangle the children at a moment’s notice.

It’s not worth it. The Board isn’t worth the lives of these children. I am better than this. Hell, I’m definitely better than him.

She crosses the room toward him, tears streaming down her face.

You don’t have to do this, Anhel said. You don’t need to surrender to him.

He’s left me with no choice, she said, mentally communicating with him. She places the Board in Ezra’s hands, looking at the ground.

“I knew you’d come around,” he said, pulling the game piece away from her. He sets it down on the table behind him, ready for Calypso to take it away.

“Thank you,” Ezra sneered, pulling two daggers out of his pants. “Thank you for being so soft. Without your morals, I would’ve died a long time ago.”

Daeva screams as he moves to stab the kids. But their blood never spills on the floor. A loud snap echoes through the halls, causing ripples in the air.

Time freezes. Ezra’s arms hang in the air, his blades dangerously close to the red-haired children. The twins still stare up at him, eyes full of trust.

Haydn and Uriel stay still as statues, frozen in battle stances. They glare at Ezra, ready to fight.

The Elysians were watching the scene unfold with great interest, much like the way theatergoers would at the most exciting part of a play. They were frozen as they leaned forward like a bunch of dominoes about to fall. Tristan, in particular, had his lips puckered with a stream of smoke starting to pour from his mouth. Daeva stares at the whole scene in fascination. It was like being stuck inside a painting.

The only person unaffected by the strange spell that took hold of the rest of the room was Nyx, who was shaking her head in distaste.

“Such unnecessary violence,” she said. “I should have known Ezra would act so uncivilized. I apologize for the chaos, Daeva and Anhel. It was never meant to turn out this way.”

She places a cold hand on Daeva’s shoulder. “I suppose I owe you an explanation for this game and the real reason why I gave you the Board. I think it’s time you finally hear my story.”