Deicide: To Kill The Gods

My mother had forced me to dress well, as well as making my two sisters put on presentable clothing, since we would be out in town for the day. Hua had promised to show me around– I couldn’t remember when the promise had been made, but she wanted to make good on it now. So, I was greeted by the youngest princess of Huagong standing outside my door shyly as my mother and father excitedly let her in and left us alone to talk– though I had seen them more than once peek their heads round the door smugly, so there was a sneaking suspicion in the back of my mind that they were listening in.

She was dressed… well. In comparison to the shabby clothing we both had been wearing before, we were both styled quite nicely. I wore a pair of black shorts with a white shirt, leaving the collar unbuttoned along with white socks and a pair of shoes. In comparison to her, however, I seemed like a poor beggar. Fitting for a princess, she wore an elegant white hanfu, green hair mostly hanging down her shoulders, but it was done up in a small bun with an ornate, golden pin through the middle at the back of her head.

“My family and I were about to go out for the day,” I said lightly, “and you wanted to show me around. Wanna come with?”

“I know,” She said smugly, “They told me.”

I let out a sigh. Of course they had.

“Well then, that’s settled.”

Stuffing the map the king had given me into a pocket along with the pseudo soul cores and materials necessary for the blacksmith to make me a weapon, I strapped Requiem to my back, following Hua out the door, my parents behind us, with my father carrying my sisters, since they would grow tired of walking quite quickly as four year olds.

The city of Xing was very beautiful in comparison to the shabby town I had woken up with. With large bridges made of stone over a winding river that led to a reservoir near the edges of the city, my eyes simply sparkled as I couldn’t get enough of the architecture. The roads were cobbled, and in the larger rivers, people with boats could be seen making their way down them, presumably fishing.

Buildings towered overhead with Xie Shian roofs, sloping upwards to form a point. The city was far more civilised yet ancient all the same. But it carried a far more welcoming vibe, I noticed, than the world I had been so used to.

Hua was having fun dragging me around to different places, but the one place her and my mother agreed on taking me was to get my hair cut– again. Likely due to Diana healing my body, but my hair growth had accelerated somewhat and it was now ponytail length, reaching down to my mid-back. And so, to my horror and despite my persistent complaining, I was put before a large burly woman with a pair of cleavers and a thin sheet of polished steel for a makeshift mirror.

After some time, I was left with short hair down to my ears. I had noticed that ever since Isabella had replaced Diana and I had become more in tune with my Kismet, my hair had gone from being mostly black and white at the tips to being a mess of different colours right from the roots, with most locks being either white or black in a mess that I was unable to section.

I stared, lip curled at my own reflection, Hua looking at me with a grin on her face as my two sisters nodded, Evelyn even going so far as to voice her opinion.

“Look like pretty Brudder now. Fit to be Evie’s brudder.”

I sighed. Well, that couldn’t be helped. Even Isabella looked at me with what appeared to be a smirk.

‘Well, aren’t you looking like a dapper young lad. I fear for all the ladies whose heart’s you’ll be breaking in the future once you’re grown.’

‘Not you, too…’ I responded, groaning internally at their antics and teasing. However, I was also inwardly smiling. Even as I was being teased, it was nice. It was what a ‘normal family life’ felt like. I loved that.

Opening up the map the king had given me, the barber’s we were currently in was undeniably close to the smithy. So, after giving my mother the cutest face possible, she had allowed me and Isabella to split off from the group. Though, the look in her eyes told me somewhat that she wasn’t worried for me if anything happened. Rather, she was more worried for the person that ended up on the other end of my fists… and I didn’t blame her, either. But I could hold back for whichever poor petty thief tried to steal from a twelve year old! Hopefully.

Rounding a few corners, we slipped into an alleyway, Isabella becoming more and more on edge as time passed. I could feel her emotions through our bond and radiating off of her was nothing but anxiety, which was an unusual emotion, especially for her. She wasn't normally on edge, afraid.

But before us, there was nothing– until a voice rang out.

–

“WHO GOES THE– ack–”

The voice started to boom, but it ended in coughing as the space before us warped, seemingly covered in illusion magic before revealing a large smithy at the end of the alleyway. The door burst open, smoke billowing through as a lady dusted soot from her trousers.

Wearing a short, cropped top with sleeves– which I was sure people no doubt commented on, considering how archaic the time was– along with some long, baggy bontan pants which were tucked into boots. Her hair was black, with the tips ending in a crimson colour, tied into two braids which hung over either shoulder as well as a short, spiky explosion of a bun at the back. Her fringe had been pushed up by a set of goggles removed from over her eyes as she wiped the dark soot from the lenses. Noticeably muscular, she was, but rather short– taller than me, but in comparison to others, she was small.

“Sorry ‘bout that. The furnace exploded– the materials I used weren't good. Wait, who the hell are ya, anyway?”

“The King said you were the best blacksmith in town, and that I could get a good quality sword made here.”

“Well, he's right! As long as ya got the right materials and I like ya, this is the best place in town. Seein’ a good swordmaster with a good sword is the best feelin’ in the world, after all.”

I took the pseudo soul cores as well as the titan's stones from my pockets. She took them excitedly, looking them over, eyes simply sparkling as she glowed with curiosity. Pseudo soul cores were a rare commodity, I knew that much– but she was treating them like they were the most valuable thing in the entire world.

“Gods above, these are real!” She exclaimed, after a few moments of holding them up to the light. “You said you wanted a sword made? With these materials… gosh, this might be the best sword I’ve ever made. Come on in!”

After ushering us into her workshop, which notably smelled like smoke and burnt charcoal, we were led through the shop (which was surprisingly empty for ‘the best blacksmith in Xing’) and into a small back room. Dimly lit, in the centre there was a furnace, with an anvil situated right next to it. The flames of the furnace glowed brightly, but they seemed… unnatural. The woman clearly picked up my confusion, turning her head towards me.

“Ah, I’ve forgotten to introduce myself. My name is Hotaru.”

“I was just curious about your fire, Miss Hotaru. I’ve never seen anything like it. Is it magic?”

“It is, in fact, yes. More than, actually. It’s my Soul Art– ‘Ignis Dei’.”

Soul Arts were a curious, yet unexplainable phenomenon, normally passed down through noble families. Some thought that they were engraved into the very soul of a person, allowing them to manipulate basic soul particles in inexplicable ways. Some appeared as elements, but others, like the Larsa family’s ‘Psychostasia’, did not.

“And, in terms of your fractured soul core, I may just be able to fix it– simply because it’s still mostly intact. A little more time left alone, and you could’ve died.”

“W-what?” I did not understand how she had known, unless she could see or sense it– though, in response, she simply just smiled at me.

“Before we begin making your sword, your core must first be fixed. After all, I need to gauge your full strength– not a half of it, or a quarter.”

She beckoned me over, closer to the fire than I ever would’ve gone were I given a choice. The warmth emanating from the flames was violent and explosive yet controlled all the same– a beautiful, yet terrifying juxtaposition which only spoke of this mysterious blacksmith’s power more and more.

My bond gave me an apprehensive look due to the trust I was placing in this woman– but I responded in only a few words.

‘It’s not that I trust her. We just don’t have any other choice. I can barely keep up with my father, we’re no doubt going to be facing nobles stronger than him, and it’s only going to get worse from now. It’s our only option.’

Isabella remained silent, but I could feel that she had accepted it. This was our only choice– and we were lucky to have it in the first place.

“Direct your soul to your core. We're going to be using it to forcefully seal the fracture. Along with my flames.”

I closed my eyes, pushing the soul that was circulating through my body directly to the centre of my chest. In doing so, I was reminded of the Aevum– but I didn’t take much notice. It was a ‘key’, as Meryll had said. One that could break the deities’ stalemate. A key to what, I didn’t have a clue. But I needed to find out before they found me.

“I haven’t actually done this before, so pick a god and pray.”

“Erh, wha–”

My eyes flashed open, and she had conjured a tangible hammer made from pure flames– similar to what that thing that had killed Meryll could do. They closed again, and I continued to concentrate. Feeling a burning sensation throughout my body, it didn’t take too long until that subsided, and I was… completely pain-free. It was.. Oddly comforting.

My eyes slowly opened, and Hotaru wiped the sweat from her brow, Isabella pawing at my leg.

“How do you feel?” Hotaru asked, watching me stretch.

“Honestly– it’s weird. I don’t feel pain– and I feel far stronger than I did about an hour ago.” I admitted, glancing down to my palms and flexing them slowly. I felt stronger than I did facing that thing in the forest. Not enough to beat it– not nearly enough. It could have easily killed us all in moments– if not for the ‘Sin’. I still had no clue what that even was, but I didn’t care enough to find out.

“Good. We’re now going to make you that sword. And for that, I’m going to need everything you’ve got.”

—

Hotaru laid out the materials across the anvil, summoning the same flaming hammer she had used to fix me. I took a deep breath, slowly activating my Kismet in stages, taking my time. I had just fixed my core, and didn’t want to fracture it once more by overexerting myself– but I couldn’t deny the release of my power came with a certain relief that whatever that thing had done to me didn’t cause any permanent damage.

“Whatever you see here, speak to no one about it.” I said to her, voice firm. She responded with a simple nod, handing the hammer to me. Its form faltered as it was passed from its original wielder’s hands to mine, but with concentration on the particles that held it together, I was able to keep it somewhat stable.

“I'll be controllin' the temperature,” Hotaru spoke calmly, “And you'll be forging the blade. You gotta remain focused at all times, as losin' control could cause it to blow up, and then we'll both be dead!” She warned.

I didn’t respond. I was fully focused on the situation before me as she summoned flames to her hand, holding them over the materials and watching them bubble and melt. The hammer slammed down upon the materials, and I felt significant pressure preventing the materials from bending to my will, flames exploding outward. My eyes searched for Hotaru in a panic through the surge of heat.

“Ya need to focus. Imagine what's you want to create. Still yer beating heart, and truly think.”

My eyes closed. What kind of sword did I want to create? I was unsure. My mind had been a blur ever since Meryll’s death, with things only slowing down as I spent more and more time with my family. It truly was the only time I got to breathe, to calm the raging storm within me. I would be eternally grateful to them for that peace.

My mother’s words lingered in my mind as I continued to strike the anvil, with the flames more easily bending to my will as I continued.

‘Those people are always with you.’ Her voice echoed. My mind was filled with thoughts and memories that made my heart ache with nostalgia at those I hadn’t even realised I missed. Makko, Nessa, Mari, Anthony. Meryll, Diana, and even Xiao came to the forefront of my mind. I missed them all greatly. And finally… Isabella. Almost on cue, I heard her voice come from deep within the recesses of my mind.

‘I am always with you.’

It was the push I needed. The blade I wished to wield did not have a name, or a form in my imagination. I simply needed it to protect the ones I cared about. If they were against the world, I was too– because the world didn’t matter to me. I wasn’t on some inflated sense of justice. I wasn’t a ‘hero’. Rather– I would do whatever it took to protect my family. And this blade was my means of doing it.

The hammer slammed down one final time, as the anvil was covered in a glowing white light that prevented me from seeing the form of the blade. Hotaru proceeded to pick up the glowing object with a set of blacksmith’s tongs, and submerge it in water, coughing as vapour rose into the air with a fsssh from the immediate boiling of the liquid.

Allowing my Kismet to fall, fatigue immediately set in. My entire body ached as I fell backwards into a sitting position, leaning over with heavy breaths.

“It'll take about a month for me to finish yer blade. Return then, and it'll be ready for ya!"

That was just before the Succession Ritual Tournament. Until then, I’d have to use a practice blade as a substitute for my second one– but that was good enough. A month was more than enough time. With a nod, I heaved myself to my feet, heading out the door, Isabella trailing behind as I returned to my family and Hua.

“Why, he’s an odd kid.” Hotaru said, once I was out of earshot. “With a bond like that… I’m excited. After all– once they find out, they won’t just leave him be. Perhaps, just maybe…”

She pondered for a moment, before continuing.

“...’They’ will descend into this world to restore order once more.”