6 A God's Game

Wind whipped across Kai's face as he clutched Leeva tight to himself. They hurtled towards the ground face first. At the height they'd fallen off of, they couldn't even see the ground below – a certain death drop.

He felt Leeva's arms cling against his back, firm with fear, yet she kept her eyes trained to the ground, brave enough to want to know whether she would make it or not.

Kai couldn't let her down.

He managed to force his wings to spread apart, the flexible membrane between their spines catching the wind and getting him to glide. It was a far cry from flying, but it was still enough to slow their freefall into a gentle descent lazy enough that they could enjoy the miraculous view below.

"I think this tops the view from Golden Peak," commented Leeva.

Kai peered at the wide swaths of metal plains and hills below. "I don't know. Looks kind of boring. It's all just a ton of rusted out scrap."

"But it's not something you see every day," Leeva persisted. "Nobody in the Fields can enjoy this. It's so…special."

"Just because something's special doesn't mean it's good. And besides, it isn't special anymore considering I can do it anytime now."

Leeva looked up at Kai's wings. "About that. Those wings, that sword you're still holding. You have a lot of explaining to do."

"I sure as hell do." Kai grinned. "But to be honest, I have no idea what happened to me either."

"Of course you don't."

"Come on, I just saved your life. Don't insult me like that."

"That's a fairly good point." Leeva sighed. "Sorry."

"Love hearing that apology." Before Leeva could retort, Kai twisted in the air, fluttering his wings a little to make them spin. Leeva yelped in surprise and he laughed at her reaction.

"Do not do that again," she said firmly.

"Roger that."

Kai steadied his wings until he could feel they caught the wind right. He was getting better at using his new body. When the ground got closer and closer to the point where he could make out what parts stuck out in the sea of scrap, he put his wings horizontal against the wind like two walls, slowing them down until they landed roughly on an open, relatively flat patch of corrugated steel.

Leeva leaped off from Kai and turned away from him.

"What?" said Kai. "Don't like me teasing you?"

She looked around her, eyes sharp and darting. "Keep your guard up."

"Oh, look who's changing the topic."

"If you know that, then play along." Leeva shrugged. "I swear, you have zero tact. I worry for any girl you take a fancy to, and if she's the one that takes a liking to you, well, I fear for her too."

"Yeah, well, whatever."

Leeva rolled her eyes and took a light step towards home, but her ears twitched mid-step, her brows raising in alarm.

"Copters." She pointed a finger to the sky.

Kai couldn't hear it at first, his ears weren't as good as Leeva's, but he acted without a second thought. Considering what had happened up at the peak – Redband soldiers from Elsia did not come to the Fields – he figured that any drones that showed up now were related to the corpses up there. And since he was the prime culprit for those, he couldn't afford to get spotted.

"Guess we gotta hide," said Kai, his feet already moving, eyes scanning for a good place.

"And all thanks to you."

In the end, they managed to huddle behind a hill of scrap. They'd cleared out some of the stuff at the base to make a tiny hollow where they could fit into. They had no idea how long the drones would buzz above, but if it lasted to the night, then they needed some semblance of protection against the coming cold.

And the damn things stayed in the air for a long time.

At first, they'd been too nervous to talk. But after an hour of waiting, they got bored.

"Damn Redbands," said Leeva. "Why'd they come out of their happy little city, anyway?"

"I figure it has to do something with the god I picked up." Kai touched his chest, remembering the unpleasant feeling of being audience to himself. "Maybe they wanted to get to it. Good thing I got there first."

"Is it a good thing, though? You almost killed me."

"The results speak for themselves. There are several dead Redbands and you're still alive. Pretty good deal. Plus, I feel right in control now."

You are in control because I am allowing it.

That voice, rumbling and sinister, powerful enough that Kai thought Leeva could hear it.

"What's wrong?" asked Leeva.

"Nothing."

Oh, but there is plenty wrong, my Chosen. You do not understand your place. I am Chaos incarnate, power embodied, the primal force of entropy in this universe. I am-

"Okay, I get it," said Kai. "You're really fucking strong. But can you let me stay in control?"

Leeva opened her mouth to question but stopped herself, leaving Kai to communicate to the being inside of him in private.

Amusing, but impertinent. Do you think you can survive with what you have now? With merely the wings and strength I have given you?

"Actually," Kai said. "Probably yeah."

I sense that you do not lie. Amusing. Yet disappointing. All I did was infuse some mana into you so that your Daemonic traits would fully awaken. If that is enough to stand strong in this world, then times have truly passed for the worse.

"No use crying over the past. Times have changed, and this is how things are."

And yet I sense you are hesitant. Your memories, your early ones, the ones buried under suffering – the ones where your parents were taken, in particular – I sense that you yourself believe you cannot stand against the culprits with the power you have now.

"Maybe." Kai knew the god was speaking truth. With the strength he had now, he could take on a soldier or two, maybe, but mechs? Powersuits? Not at all. "But so what. I'm happy with the family I have now. I don't have to worry about others as long as I can keep my own safe."

Amusing, but a lie. I did not choose a vessel that had such weak ambitions. I know that you wish to reshape this world. And for that, you need my power.

"This is suspicious as hell." Kai sat back, his head leaning against hard metal. "What do you get out of this? You looking to take me over again? Because if that's the price for using your power, I'm not having any of it."

I have mentioned this before. I am a god of chaos and destruction. I thrive off of it, grow from it. So long as you be my Chosen and spread chaos, then I will be satisfied.

"There's enough chaos already in this world."

It is not the right kind. Chaos borne without me in mind is not worship, it is foolishness. I would stand to guess that the reason this world has become so weak is because gods such as myself have fallen out of memory.

We balance. Regulate. I know when to stop my carnage to keep enough beings alive to continue the cycle. You mortals, on the other hand, are short-sighted. Stupid.

"Let me get this straight, then. If I just spread chaos, I can have your powers? No losing my body?"

Perhaps.

"Then what is 'spreading chaos'?"

It is what you make of it. If you see order in this world, then you strike it down. Kill all those in your way. That will fuel the chaos.

When Kai thought order, he thought Elsia. That walled off city that kept the Scrappers suffering while everyone inside lived in paradise. The city that had taken his parents, made Pops suffer for half his life, and indirectly forced Grunt and Leeva into the shittiest lives possible.

Hell yeah, he'd take that down.

"It's a done deal." Kai clenched a fist. "So, when do I get that black energy thing?"

Amusing, but hasty. Your mind is not ready for my strength. Nor do I wish to give all of it to you yet. Trust takes a full season to grow, my Chosen, and we are starting from zero. But do not worry, for I have devised a little game to acclimate you to my power.

Kai felt a burning in his chest. It moved up his body and into his head, and then he could see an image form in his head. A screen of sorts, the kind he'd see in one of the higher tech displays. On it, he could see a list of abilities.

Name: Kai Tsinfei

Patron God: Chaos

Powers:

Daemon: Level 3/5 (0/100)

The Chosen is a Daemon who has not reached the full extent of his Daemon bloodline. He can currently fly and observe good amounts of strength and agility.

Magic:

Hellfire: Level 1/5 (0/50)

The Chosen can generate a ball of hellfire from his hands to throw at enemies.

"These are my powers?" wondered Kai.

So far.

"So it's like one of those games they have in the villages." Kai remembered the virtual reality headsets that the main villages sometimes peddled. "Guess that 0/100 or 0/50 is an experience bar. How do I fill it?"

Absorb lives. You saw how I healed your body's wounds. I rendered that foolish human into dust and gave his essence to you.

"Basically, I have to kill a lot of people." Kai shook his head. "That doesn't sound all that appealing."

But so long as you kill the right people, then it is of no consequence.

A pause.

"Well," said Kai. "I guess you're right about that."