If mortals have Gods to turn to in times of despair, where do Gods cry for help?
Ferlon's eyes wavered as his green orbs slowly darkened like the night. Tints of darkness crawled, tainting his clean face. His slightly tanned complexion gently paled against my skin. His body, enveloped and taken by my essence, fell against my towering stature.
"Let me borrow this vessel for a while," I mumbled as my consciousness slowly drifted onto his less appealing form.
Blinking, I raised his hand as I looked at my very form that finally gained his desperate slumber. My long, dark hair fell across the void, and my pale skin shone as if it were the only light that Devas could ever have.
I raised Ferlon's fingers, his nails clean and neatly cut unlike mine, caressing my form's pale cheeks. Cold and unmoving, the form of the god of death truly is magnificent.
A cheeky grin appeared on Ferlon's face as I gently scratched my own skin, letting my blood color the very stale, bland void.
"And they say that death does not know how to admire beauty... ha. " I scoffed and gently raised Ferlon's legs, one made of an unknown mineral, making it a trouble to control.
I tilted his head to the side and looked around the void. His consciousness flickers inside his vessel, struggling to give a tiny space for mine. I hummed and then picked up his green dagger and stabbed the slight opening of my home.
"Hush down, you stingy fool." I gripped onto his dagger and let the dull handle smack his head forcefully, blood dripping from the frail vessel, forcing him to hush down.
I felt a sudden dizziness and an unfamiliar sense of pain, quite different from what I was used to. I frowned, and then froze for a while...
Ah. I forgot this vessel can die.
A heartfelt laugh escaped his lips, courtesy of my joy, as we both walked into the crack of the space. The ground opened up as both he and I, in one body, dug out the soil and emerged from earlier's live burial.
The mortal air was peaceful, almost singing praises to my stolen body, the wind blowing gently, as if hugging him in a warm welcome. Fairies that fled in fear earlier gave me a condescending yet alert stare, not recognizing their lord.
"Hm... easily tricked, these shallow souls," I murmured and then raised my hand, forming Ferlon's tall sword.
The heaviness and the extravagance were worthy of his name. Blades are rarely shiny, rarely beautiful, as they end lives regardless of intention. However, my foolish friend was obviously too fond of mortal gems; sprinkled all over its handle.
The sound of slow-moving chains echoed, confused as to why it senses death but sees only the god of fortune. I smiled gently at the frozen law of the lands, laughing, unable to contain my joy at its obvious helplessness.
I flipped the tall sword in my hand, inspecting it as it resonated with Ferlon's soul within this body. The lightness it willingly offers to its wielder is worlds apart from the heaviness and ferociousness it spits on its enemy.
Gently, I let its blade touch the ground, as both death and fortune entwined in this poor body. Dragging the tall sword, the metal crashed and left an immersive track in the forest, as the march of the mortal soldiers slowly came to a halt.
At an ample distance far from me, both armies faced each other without moving. Bodies were under the control of my energy, dispersing and crawling throughout the realm.
A commander missing on Heroli's side.
Clang. Clang. Clang.
The blade dragged on the ground, making perilous sounds as it recklessly bounced against the stones. The soldiers who were silently staring at each other all moved their eyelids to give me a deserving gaze.
"Father!" Ferlon's hand waved joyfully as I leisurely walked towards Heroli's side, my grin fixated on the mortal commander of Ares' kingdom, Ro En.
The realm couldn't do anything as the chains remained chasing after me, but unable to shackle this divine body I had stolen. Ferlon's feet slowly marched and stopped in front of his people, our orbs that flickered between green and black wandered and took in all of the both unfamiliar and familiar faces; all contorted in fear and confusion.
I gave them a solid nod and bowed elegantly with the sword still carelessly dragged on the dirty ground.
"Pleasure to be your commander, Heroli," I announced, and then spun Ferlon's suddenly heavy leg to face Ro En's army.
The body that was so obedient grew heavier to manipulate. I forcefully tilted Ferlon's head and raised his hand to run against his chin, seemingly thinking, as his head is tainted with a thick, almost dried-up blood.
I bowed down to the commander of Ro En, this body's neck almost breaking due to resistance.
"Forgive me, a friend needed help in commanding his troops... and I couldn't bear to reject his pleas," I mumbled. Ferlon's voice overlapped with mine as I dropped his treasured sword on the ground.
The realm trembled in agony, not able to make a move. I raised Ferlon's hands and then gently performed a war dance of a long forgotten kingdom... along the mechanical hum escaping from this body's lips.
"Da~"
"Da~"
"Da da~"
Both hands on top of our head as both forefingers gently intertwined, as the right hand slowly caressed the other down to Ferlon's injured head and neck.
I stayed in that posture for a long time, letting both the angry and kind winds encircle this body that holds two gods. Rain poured unforgivingly, as the soldiers remained in their post unable to mutter a single word.
No one dared to move.
After a while, Ferlon's body stood properly and then dropped to the ground to hold the sword that I let go. A chuckle hidden beneath his slow breath.
"... This God's memory has always been poor, this performance shall end here," I mumbled and then raised the sword with its blade pointing to the commander of Ro En, who was darting me with both terrified and hateful gaze.
"Do not waver," with a fast, unhesitating cut, the sword in my hand severed the control on all mortals' bodies, causing them to fall on their knees.
"— for no death shall find Ro En in this war."
The beat of their hearts went wild, almost screaming, as the giggles of the fairies surrounding us echoed in the forest. The moment these mortals realized that the control was lifted, their souls immediately flickered to flee away.
Legs weak and bodies exhausted, they desperately clung onto the muddy soil to crawl away from each other, finding their way back to each side of the forest.
"H-Have mercy! Have mercy! "
" We didn't know!"
"PLEASE! Please! We were wrong! We— I don't want to die!"
Screams that I was deaf for echoed, as Ferlon's soul timidly flickered in the sudden surge of prayers that now, only he and I can hear. I raised his hand, resting it on the head, his consciousness clashing against me.
I shook my head recklessly, shutting him down, as I watched the mortals cower in fear. Their eyes hold no devotion to their kingdoms, to their promised victories—they only showed one thing, and that is the need for survival.
Foolish ants, they'll be reborn anyway. Why the desperation?
I scratched Ferlon's face as it started to itch in resistance to the scene in front of us. My kin is so eager to join in on the fun... I shook my head as a grin remained on my lips, walking back to the mortal commander of Ro En, who was simply frozen in his spot.
His hair was long, dark, and as straight as the softest silk in the realm. Eyes hold nothing but anger that shone beautifully against its black hue... if not only for his slightly warm skin, he'd be the perfect father to me.
I raised Ferlon's hands; his tan skin overpowered the mortal's fairness, as his cheeks trembled. His broken sword, that he still desperately holds on to, slowly raised, stabbing Ferlon's body with a non-existent strength.
The sword broke into pieces as it only gently made a slight mark on Ferlon's armor.
The black-green orbs stared innocently at the mortal as I slowly tilted this vessel's head to the side, a pair of long, thin braids fell on the shoulder, adorned with tiny gold ornaments.
"Do you not recognize me, Father?" I mumbled and let my essence overpower Ferlon's soul, the vessel's orbs darkening like the night, and the skin evidently grew paler like a fresh corpse...
Contrary to my expectations, the mortal's eyes bore more hatred staring at my attempt of introduction, as he found the strength to throw a punch at Ferlon's face; the world spun hazily as my head felt a familiar drowsiness.
The body staggered lightly... as I took a step back.
The darkness intensified surrounding us; even the fairies had momentarily gained their physical form, sending shivers to the mortals who had seen them with their naked eyes. The vessel glitched from Ferlon's face to mine, and eventually settled on his.
I caressed Ferlon's frail face that made me experience such mortal pain, and closed my eyes tightly as I let out a deep, impatient sigh. "Have you...."
I licked the drying lips before I pursed them tightly in one straight line. Orbs fixated on the mortal who trembled as he desperately reached for a neglected sword on the battlefield, "—gone blind that you no longer recognize your son?"
"IT IS ME!" I screamed, the veins on this body's neck almost exploded weakly against my growing displeasure.
I can feel Ferlon's soul flickering, almost as if he dared laugh at me being hated by my own father... a mortal father.
My soul flickered against the vessel, my own essence rejecting this worthless body, as Ferlon's soul quickly regained his consciousness just because of a slight, uncontrolled temper I exhibited.
The vessel with two consciousnesses went stiff. Ferlon remained unmoving as I forcefully broke his bones just to take a few steps towards the mortal who dared not recognize his blood.
Chains echoed loudly as they quickly enveloped my shadow, the vessel still free from the realm's hatred, but I paid no mind. Ferlon's limbs tore as he stubbornly resisted the actions I wanted his body to do.
Blood, and blood. The god's vessel was filled with dirty blood. Screams of agony surrounded us as Heroli's soldiers were forced to retreat back into the battlefield by the fairies waiting for them in the far forest.
"Y-you... you are not my s-son!" The mortal who was suppressed by my concentrated energy muttered in a weak voice, his lips almost curving in a rebellious smile as he raised a sword to his neck.
His gritted teeth and bleeding gums were full of disgust as his gaze bore on me; a gaze that I... was so familiar with.
A gush of wind circled Ferlon's body, rain poured harder, washing off the blood that I shed, immediately killing off the spark of anger within me; a tear almost fell from this stolen body as I kneeled in front of the mortal and snapped my fingers, abandoning Ferlon's vessel.
I have ruined my adult form to rags... now I'm left with nothing but a troublesome vessel that needs more nurturing.
My essence dispersed and slowly concentrated into a smaller, weaker form: pale skin, black hair, dark orbs, and tiny limbs... small fingers touching the mortal, taken aback as its eyes showed utmost horror.
"Do you know where Gods cry to when they're in despair?" My soft, small voice echoed as black tints formed on my pale, clean face, chains finally free to ruthlessly shackle me, almost bursting my neck and limbs.
The mortal's eyes were dark, not as dark and deathly as mine, but it was enough of a black hue to reflect my child-like appearance; bounded and tormented by the laws of the realm.
"—they turn to their Fathers," I whispered gently, almost with no voice coming out of my choked throat, my once clean form bled profusely as I leaned my tiny vessel to his trembling, unmoving, warmth.
Such a perfect father... So warm.
_____
