"Where's my fucking son you shithead."
Clouds, heavy with rain, hung low over the desolate, moss-covered field. Each drop that fell seemed to amplify the oppressive tension, the pitter-patter on the waterlogged ground a morbid drumbeat to the impending clash. Here, on this forgotten patch of earth, Everest faced Ahelia, his grin sharp and predatory.
Everest, a being of shadow and calculated malice, clutched a gleaming sword in one hand and a leather-bound spellbook in the other. He shifted his weight, a cruel amusement dancing in his eyes. "Ready for a dance, my sweet?" he purred, his voice a low rumble that echoed through the storm.
Ahelia stood firm, her back ramrod straight despite the tremor in her hands. Her bow materialized, crafted from moonlight and solidified hope. An arrow, tipped with pure intention, followed. For a moment, tiny hearts fluttered around her, luminous and fragile. But then, with sickening cracks, they shattered, dissolving into shimmering dust that the rain devoured.
"Everest," Ahelia began, her voice strained against the wind's howl. "Why? Why this? What has possessed you?"
He chuckled, a low, grating sound that sent a shiver down her spine. "Possessed? Darling Ahelia, you always were so dramatic. Let's just say I've shed the tiresome disguise. No more playing the benevolent husband."
"Disguise?" Ahelia’s brow furrowed, confusion warring with the rising tide of dread. "What are you talking about? This isn't you, Everest. This isn't the man I –" She choked on the words.
"The man you thought you loved," Everest corrected, his voice dripping with mockery. "A cleverly constructed facade. I played the part well, didn't I? Even fooled a goddess of love."
"No," Ahelia insisted, even as doubt gnawed at her resolve. "You wouldn't. You couldn't."
"Oh, but I could," he said, taking a step forward. The ground beneath his feet seemed to wither and blacken. "All that light, all that saccharine sweetness... it was suffocating. I needed... freedom."
A flash of lightning illuminated his face, revealing eyes that burned with an infernal glow. "And speaking of freedom, I've taken care of our little problem. He's... occupied somewhere.. Somewhere you won't find him."
"Don't lie, Everest," she hissed, her voice a low thrum of power. "I know you. You might be a master of manipulation, a demon god steeped in darkness, but you underestimate a mother's love. You think Brutus is lost because you want him to be. But I feel him. He's… he's in pain."
"Pain is a lesson, Ahelia," Everest countered, taking a step forward. "A harsh one, perhaps, but necessary. He needs to learn that love is weakness, empathy is a burden. And I, his father, am teaching him."
"You're torturing him!" she shouted, drawing back the arrow. "He's your son! How can you do this?"
"Sentimentality," Everest spat. "A useless human emotion. I am forging him into something stronger, something… more." He opened the spellbook, chanting words in a guttural tongue that seemed to claw at the very air. Shadows writhed around him, thickening the darkness, and the rain seemed to intensify, as if mirroring his rising power.
"I won't let you!" Ahelia cried, releasing the arrow. It streaked through the rain-soaked air, a blinding streak of light aimed directly at Everest's heart.
He barely reacted. With a contemptuous flick of his wrist, he deflected the arrow with his sword. The impact reverberated through the field, sending sparks flying. "Pathetic," he sneered. "Love is a shield of tinsel. Now, let's see if you can withstand the real power, Ahelia."
He lunged, the sword a blur of steel. Ahelia dodged, nimbly evading the deadly strike. She conjured another arrow, releasing it in rapid succession, this time aiming for his joints, his legs, any weakness she could exploit. But Everest was too fast, too strong. He blocked each shot with practiced ease, the spellbook glowing with an unholy light.
"You fight with the sentimentality you preach, my dear," he mocked, his voice dripping with contempt. "No killer instinct, no ruthlessness. You'll never win this way."
He pressed his attack, forcing Ahelia to retreat. She was a goddess of love, not war. Her strength lay in her ability to inspire, to heal, to nurture. But faced with raw, brutal force, she was at a disadvantage.
Suddenly, Everest changed his tactics. He slammed the spellbook shut and, with a flick of his wrist, unleashed a wave of dark energy. It slammed into Ahelia, sending her sprawling into the mud. She gasped, her body momentarily paralyzed by the shock.
"Now," Everest said, striding towards her, his sword raised high. "Let's end this. And then, I'll show you exactly what your precious Brutus has become."
The blade sliced through the air, aimed for Ahelia's heart. But with a desperate surge of power, she rolled aside, the blade embedding itself in the mud where she had been moments before. Ahelia scrambled to her feet, her hand instinctively going to a wound on her arm, where the dark energy had burned away a patch of skin. The wound pulsed with an unnatural blackness, spreading rapidly. She hissed in pain, her beautiful face contorted in agony.
Everest laughed, a cruel, triumphant sound. "Interesting. My little curse seems to be working. It seems your love can't heal everything, can it, darling?"
Ahelia ignored him, focusing on the encroaching darkness. She closed her eyes, drawing on the last vestiges of her power. A faint golden light emanated from her, battling against the encroaching shadow. But it was a losing battle. The darkness was too strong, too relentless.
"Give up, Ahelia," Everest urged, his voice almost gentle. "Forget Brutus. He's gone. Accept it."
Ahelia opened her eyes, her gaze fixed on Everest. A flicker of something – defiance, perhaps, or maybe just plain anger – ignited within them.
"Never," she spat, and with a roar of rage, she charged.
She fought with a ferocity she didn't know she possessed. She used her bow as a bludgeon, smashing it against Everest's face. She kicked, she punched, she bit. She fought like a wild animal, driven by a primal need to protect her son.
Everest, caught off guard by her sudden aggression, staggered back, a trickle of blood running from his nose. But he quickly regained his composure, his eyes blazing with a dark satisfaction.
"So, you finally decided to fight dirty," he chuckled, dodging another blow. "Good. Now, let's see if you have the stomach for this."
He grabbed her arm, twisting it behind her back with brutal force. Ahelia screamed in agony, the crack of breaking bones echoing in the rain-soaked air. But she didn't give up. With a surge of adrenaline, she kicked him in the groin, sending him stumbling back.
He roared in pain, his face contorted with rage. "You bitch!" he snarled, and with a move so swift it was almost imperceptible, he brought his sword down, slicing through Ahelia's leg above the knee.
Ahelia screamed again, collapsing to the ground, a fountain of blood erupting from the severed limb. She stared at the stump of her leg in disbelief, her face pale with shock.
Everest stood over her, his chest heaving, his sword dripping with blood. "That," he said, his voice cold and devoid of emotion, "is what true power looks like. And you, my dear, are nothing but a broken relic of a bygone era."
He raised his sword again, ready to deliver the final blow. But as he did, a flicker of doubt crossed his face. He looked at Ahelia, lying helpless in the mud, her eyes filled with pain and despair. And for a moment, just a brief, fleeting moment, he saw the woman he had once loved, the woman who had captivated his heart with her kindness and compassion.
But the moment passed. The darkness consumed him again. He hardened his gaze, and with a guttural roar, he brought the sword down...
Everest felt his body shiver, feeling like a sword went through his body, and thats what it was. Everest's sword fell, aiming towards Ahelia's heart, before a pitch black vine stopped it.
Ahelia's eyes darted to the figure behind Everest, her eyes widening.
He breathed heavily, black blood pouring down his sword, staring down at his father's body. He was a god. He wouldn't die. But he could still give him a piece of his own medicine.
Ahelia looked towards the vine's source.
Her body shook as her glasses fell to the grass, rain fell onto it silently..
At last. A peaceful ending. The Engel Family lives another day.
But will it last forever?
Only time will tell.
