The day was drawing to a close, casting long shadows across the land as the sun began its descent below the horizon. The air carried a peculiar stillness as if nature itself held its breath because of this blood bath that is happening below its warm cover, anticipating the imminent arrival of an otherworldly event.
Only a few hours remained until midnight when the veil between realms would grow thin, and the ethereal glow of the full moon would bathe the world in its mystic light. It will be the night, that will decide the future of all three dimensions and all the beings that are living on it.
A sense of enchantment wafted through the air, as if unseen forces were at play, orchestrating a symphony of suspense and anticipation. The sky above, once a vibrant canvas of azure blue, transformed into a tapestry of deep purples and rich indigos. Stars began to emerge, twinkling with an intensity that mirrored the growing excitement within the hearts of those who beheld them.
"Ohhh~ in another few hours, it will be tomorrow, but before that, I will kill you, so Mother won't have to go through the pain of her son betraying her," Artemis muttered and looked at Apollo, who was kneeling in front of her with wounds all over his body.
Artemis's eyes glinted with a mix of determination and resentment as she raised her gleaming silver staff, poised to sever Apollo's head from his battered body. Apollo, bloodied and broken, could only offer a faint, defiant smile despite the excruciating pain coursing through his veins.
"Look at you! you're just as much as a clown I am," Anger flashing in his eyes, Apollo muttered those words weakly knowing that he would die If Artemis wish for it right now. The echoes of their once unbreakable bond fade into a realm of shattered trust. It was a scene that would forever stain the tapestry of their shared history.
But just as Artemis tightened her grip on the hilt, her fingers trembling with both anger and sorrow, a sudden voice echoed through the halls of their hidden sanctuary. The voice, belonging to Mother Superior, resonated with a weight that froze the vengeful goddess in her tracks.
"All children of the Edona, heed my words," the voice reverberated, carrying an ethereal power that demanded attention. "There is a greater threat approaching, one that transcends our personal grievances. We must unite, for our very existence is at stake. But don't try to fight it, go back and reunite in the village for now,"
Artemis's heart skipped a beat as the voice seeped into her consciousness. Her eyes flickered, torn between the righteous path of vengeance and the call of a higher purpose. Apollo, his breath ragged and body trembling, could sense the internal struggle within his sister's eyes.
She knew under the rules of heaven, if she kills a god without permission from the one and only superior goddess, Edona, She will have to face consequences. And it won't be pretty for her. She didn't understand why Edona would punish her when Apollo is the one who is wrong, but still, she couldn't take the risk and destroy her life, because she had to protect Tasha and her child.
"Tsk, when did I become such a pushover to worry about another man's child?" She thought with an annoyed look, while still choking Apollo with her staff.
The message continued, its words resonating with the urgency of impending doom. It spoke of a force that threatened not only their divine heritage but also the delicate balance of the realms they held dominion over. Mother Superior beseeched all those who bore the divine bloodline to set aside their grievances and join forces in the face of this impending catastrophe.
With a shuddering breath, Artemis released her hold on the weapon and dropped it to the cold, stone floor, but before doing that, she didn't forget to knock off Apollo by hitting his head with her staff. The metallic clang echoed throughout the chamber, symbolizing the end of her wrathful intent. Apollo, his voice weak yet filled with anger, whispered before falling onto the floor feeling weak, "Artemis, you will regret this day, I will kill you and that bitch too,"
"Yeah! Yeah! Whatever, you're not going to live anyway, If I can't directly kill you, I'll just throw you into the field where Fenrir is going berserk, he will crush you," Saying those words, Artemis picked up Apollo and went in the direction of the village.
Artemis rose from her kneeling position, her mind filled with a newfound sense of purpose. The weight of her unfinished vengeance still clung to her, but she understood that there were larger forces at play, threatening the very fabric of their existence.
As she emerged into the cool night air, Artemis cast a glance at the pale moon overhead.
"Another five hours and the full moon will start and then Fenrir will go back until then we have to hold him back if he tries to attack us," She thought as she ran, and on her way back, she met the other gods and goddesses that looked terrified for some reason.
The path back was familiar to her, winding through dense thickets and beneath the towering canopies of age-old trees of pure mana. The scent of the pure mana enveloped her, grounding her spirit as she ventured forth. The turmoil within her heart began to quiet, replaced by a renewed sense of purpose.
"Hey! Where's Mother Superior? Didn't she come back with you,"
"..."
"We don't know, she asked us to fall back and we did,"
"I couldn't stay there watching that horrible beast killing our kind, I just can't, It was awful,"
All of them looked extremely scared, which really didn't sit right with her.
'Fenrir, what did you even do?'
Artemis quickened her pace, her muscles rippling with grace and agility. The path led her to the outskirts of the village, where the flickering lights of humble dwellings cast a warm glow against the night's darkness. The gods that stayed in the village without going to the battle, ignorant of the celestial machinations unfolding above them, continued their daily routines, oblivious to the impending storm.
As soon as Artemis approached the village entrance, a low, menacing growl reverberated through the air, sending a shiver down her spine. Fenrir, the mighty wolf of chaos, his presence palpable in the air, filled her with a mix of anticipation and dread. She halted her steps, scanning the surroundings, her senses on high alert.
Artemis called out to her brothers and sisters, her voice infused with urgency. "Prepare yourselves! Fenrir approaches! Ready your defences!"
"..."
For a minute, they were hesitating to fight him, but having no options other than to fight, they had to do it even though most of them were shaking.
The gods, stirred by the imminent threat, swiftly gathered weapons and fortified their positions. Their faces bore a mixture of fear and determination, the weight of impending danger settling upon their shoulders. They braced themselves, ready to face the wrath of the apocalypse wolf.
Minutes turned into hours, yet Fenrir's monstrous form did not materialize. The village remained enveloped in an eerie silence, broken only by the whispering wind. Artemis stood at the forefront, her bow at the ready, her gaze fixed upon the horizon, waiting for the wolf's arrival.
But as time stretched on, doubt gnawed at Artemis's core. Could it be that Fenrir's growls were a mere echo, a trick played by the forces of chaos? Her brow furrowed as she contemplated this unsettling possibility. A sense of unease washed over her, tinged with a flicker of relief.
Just as she was about to give the command to stand down, a messenger arrived, breathless and wide-eyed. "Goddess Artemis," the messenger gasped, "the growls you heard... they were"
"They were"
"I don't know what happened but, Mother Superior and Fenrir again disappeared somewhere, she was trying to stop Fenrir from going berserk, but suddenly Fenrir caught her using his mouth and disappeared somewhere, I was scared, I wanted to help her but I couldn't," The messenger god said those words with regret, but Artemis knew that Edona is alive.
Because if she died her castle made out of her own mana wouldn't be there, so she wanted to quickly find her without letting that big bad wolf devour her.
"Also, most of the minion gods of Supreme Deity died after getting crushed and eaten by Fenrir, and even before the war began, they already lost it, so he retreated with his eyes shaking in anger," That was the only good news, they manage to hear from all these events, but it couldn't overwrite the fear and sadness they felt, as most of the gods looked depressed.
Artemis's brows furrowed in concern upon hearing the news of the Supreme Deity's retreat. The implications of his withdrawal echoed with uncertainty and apprehension. She understood the gravity of Mother Superior's conflict with the Supreme Deity, the clash between opposing ideologies that threatened to tear their divine realm asunder.
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