ARC 1 - TWISTS

The sword glaring in the sun, slashing down as blood spilled over her face.

Rhaia watched the fresh blood gurgled seeping through the white hands holding onto the wound she made.

She laughed out loud, a broken laugh filled with fathomless sorrow as she watched the woman fall to the ground, lifeless beside the man she loved.

Rhaia watched the filthy soul, its eyes fearful as it tried to escape before her sword tinged blue and the soul was sent into nothingness.

Rhaia stared blankly at the bodies on the floor. Her enemies had been conquered and her battle was won easily, but after that, what is next?

She walked out of the room, staggering out while holding onto the smooth walls leaving blood stained handprints on them. The strength leaving her body .

Tears fell from her eyes across the disfigured face, a result of her actions to avoid been discovered. Rhaia touched it and it felt strange. For ten years, she forgot how it felt to cry, she never cried the tears of pain anymore.

Rhaia had always thought she was numb, an emotionless doll as she planned out her revenge, the only driving force in her miserable life.

Now finally it was done.

She walked out of the halls, the home of the scum couple, a sword in hand dripping with their despicable blood.

Rhaia thought she would be free, but she felt the pain squeezing her heart once again like it did ten years ago.

"I am not strong Alaric, I can't hold on" Rhaia cried burying her face in her bloodied hands as she felt the pain eating up her innards.

Ten years is a very long time but it couldn't heal the pain, neither could it fill the void.

The sword fell from her hand and clattered with a loud sound in the empty halls. The Curiel army had emptied the castle and that made her revenge easier.

A revenge that took so long. Regardless of the setbacks, obstacles and difficulties, Rhaia did it.

It is a bittersweet victory but she won, walking down that thorn filled bloody road. She did it for her father, mother, her son Alden and her love Alaric.

She did it but she was not at peace, She feels incomplete, this revenge doesn't solve anything.

Rhaia closed her eyes as she breathed out a sigh of relief. Well all that had to be done had been done.

Clutching the crystal necklace around her neck, Rhaia remembered all the memories, the confusion, the murder, the fearful wails and the shattered soul fragments.

She felt tired, exhausted and drained.

Tearing off the crystal from around her neck, Rhaia looked at it and placed a tiny kiss on it. She crushed it and watched its fine dust slipped from her hands. She could feel her already weakened soul fading.

Rhaia smiled in relief.

"Wait everyone, wait for me, I am coming" She said as she closed her eyes, a smile on her face and she took her final breath.

Meanwhile in the heavens,

"How dare you?! Heraldus, how could you? Why would you do that to me? I trusted you so much that I could place my godhood in your hands, yet you betrayed me. Why?!"

"Please ease your temper my Liege" Heraldus said in solemn voice with his head bowed

"I could never hurt you, you are my sister's only son. I locked your memories so the emotions would not affect the balance of your soul. Your soul was too powerful for that world."

Heraldus raised his head and looked at the soul of the young God in front of him. In Alaric, he saw his young, vibrant self who was once in love but when troubles came there was nothing he could do to save his lover. Well this time he wouldn't make the same mistakes.

Alaric looked at Heraldus for a long while before he sighed and said

"Uncle, can I really trust you? I know I am your nephew and that you love me, but she is daughter of the woman who caused my mother, your sister so much pain, can I trust you with her, uncle?"

"Hmmm, I have live for a long time before you were born Alaric, I have been through so much pain, I almost lost my sister and I lost my lover to the hands of death.

Alaric, I would not allow you be like me, I would never allow you go through so much, because you are like the son I lost, and if he were to be alive now, I will not let anything wrong happen to him.

Moreover, the past is in the past and we don't decide the future by it."

Alaric moved closer to Heraldus, sighing heavily and bowed his head in shame

"I'm sorry for doubting you uncle, I'm sorry I was impulsive. But..but what am I to do now? I'm about to lose her and I can not afford it."

"There's a way to correct all this, Alaric. Her soul is too unstable right now, and could self destruct anytime. The crystal I gave you should calm her for a while, so there is no need for panic.

I have looked through her nine lifetimes and realized that the pains she went through in three of her lifetimes were too extreme and that is the cause of the instability of her soul.

These pains are mainly as a result of betrayals from the ones she loved.

All you should do now is save her from these betrayals and give her the assurance of love again."

"Is that all Uncle?"

"Yes, that's all on your part Alaric. You should go."

Alaric nodded his head, mouthing 'thanks' and Heraldus smiled at him.

Heraldus stretched his hands into the space summoned a wooden staff.

Striking the staff in the air, cracks in space appeared and Alaric splitting into two identical parts of himself flew into the cracks.

Heraldus watched as the soul flew in before the two space cracks closed up.

He turned his back towards the cracks and a smile grew on his face.

"I have got my lover to save and a prisoner to meet. I am not just helping you, nephew. Your uncle is helping himself too."

And he left the heavens.

In the dungeon within the heavens, darkness was all around, and silence pervaded the surroundings.

Heraldus walked in leisurely, his steps relaxed as it echoed in the dark, when suddenly he stopped. He placed his hands in the air like he was opening a door.

A door appeared and was pushed open before Heraldus walked in.

In the dimly lit room, the back of a man in dark, mysterious hood was turned towards the door where Heraldus stood and his old voice sounded suddenly

"To whom do I owe this visit. Oh great Heraldus, Keeper of the gates to the mortal worlds."

Heraldus moved from the door, walking to the only chair in the room with a table in front of it, before having his seat.

He materialized a cup of tea and took a gentle sip, then placed the cup down.

He looked at the back of the man and let out in a deep voice.

"Zeddicus, I know how long you have wanted to leave this prison and now the time has come"

"I would not offer help to the Gods!" The old voice said, his voice raising, the anger evident in it.

"This is no help to the Gods, Zeddicus. You are helping yourself. You are blessed with the eye to peep into the secrets of heavens, so you know why I am here.

You need to accumulate a huge amount of Karma to clear your sins and escape this prison. Helping my nephew is the only way to do that.

Moreover, if you are smart enough to make good use of your choices, you can start life anew and save your sister."

"Shut up!"

Zeddicus bellowed, his angry face staring at Heraldus like he wanted to tear him apart.

Hatred clouding his eyes, as the veins crawled up his face, his hands balled up into fists and he gritted his yellowed teeth so hard.

"You evil gods punished my sister because she fell in love with you, Heraldus! Amelia was an ordinary mortal and you punished her with three lifetimes of doom!

Her soul perished because she couldn't take it anymore, and..a..and the piece of soul I retrieved and wanted her to live again? You made her be born in such a body filled with pain and sicknesses?!

All I wanted was for her to live happily, but you took her soul and locked me up here. I help no gods!"

Heraldus looked at the crazy man before him and sighed.

"I have done more than what you are doing Zeddicus. Amelia is alive, her soul can be revived again. All she needs is a newly born incomplete soul to complete hers. Although there would be a sequelae to this as she would inherit the behaviours of these incomplete soul. I am willing to live with it as long as she can be alive again."

Heraldus watched Zeddicus calm from the violent temper he had just shown, and he smiled.

"I know where the soul is, but I cannot retrieve it myself because it is a naive soul that would only follow a clean heart, and you and I know I have got so much in this heart of mine, Zeddicus "

Zeddicus sat back on his bed before going back to bow his head. His voice sounding mockingly, but not as old as it did before

"Yes I know. Your heart is full of hate and lust. Hate towards the King and lust towards my sister!"

Heraldus smiled, well he had always known Zeddicus never liked him from the moment he saw him with Amelia.

But this isn't about them now. It is about Amelia and his nephew.

"It is love Zeddicus, I loved Amelia and I still do"

Zeddicus snorted at his words.

Heraldus chuckled before he stood from his seat and walked to the door.

"My nephew's lover is the only one who could retrieve that soul. I would send her to you soon."

Heraldus threw a soul sphere that kept souls in it to Zeddicus.

"Take! You know what it is and what to do with it. Do not destroy things Zeddicus, I have waited so long"

Zeddicus snorted as he looked at the sphere in his hands, before waving Heraldus away.

"You don't need to tell me that. Go,go away"

Heraldus opened the door again and walked out of the room leaving Zeddicus looking at the soul sphere.