~52~ Dawn of Grace

Akuro and the others were pinned. They had no way to fight back, and no way to run. They couldn't even stand on their own feet, whilst everything they've done till now has been wasted effort. Moorza was without a scratch and didn't even seem to be exerted in any way. He was unfazed, as if nothing had happened to begin with, while Akuro and the others were brought to their knees.

Akuro watched, helpless, as Moorza raised his hands into the air and silver chakrams formed about his forearms.

'We are gonna die..' Akuro thought, the realization sinking in now. There was nothing he nor the others could do. They were trapped, with no way out. No help would come to save them. No stroke of luck would give them hope. They were finished. Akuro felt an ache in his chest, a strange throbbing he'd felt once long ago. This feeling… what was it exactly, he wondered. Was it fear..? No. That's a much different feeling. Anger? No, that is more of an anxious feeling. It was… regret. But why was he feeling this way? At that moment Akuro realized all the things he should've done, all the things he should've said. And now he would die, his second chance at life wasted, just as the first was.

He remembered then, so vividly, how his father's foot felt, crashing into his frame time and time again. He could hear, almost as though it were real, the gunshot, resounding through the air and bringing a soft ring to his ears as the bullet embedded itself in Hope's body, which then fell limp, empty and devoid of life.

At the moment of her death, he clearly remembered the distinct, cold feeling that came with it. An unbearable sense of loneliness, solitude, and abandonment. He felt left behind. He felt lost, and he felt broken.

And now, as he was forced to his knees, death unavoidable, he felt nothing but regret at the fact that he'd never been able to do the things he should have. He'd only ever pushed Inari and Darius away. He never let them be his friends, and he never tired to be theirs, yet they tried so hard to be his. Only now did he realize that, and only now did he regret not seeing them as anything other than allies. Maybe, he wondered, if he had allowed himself to forge bonds with them, would they be winning? Would those bonds make them stronger?

But he never did let them in, did he? He was so scared to make new bonds. He was scared that if he allowed himself to connect and care about someone, then he'd lose them, and he broken and lost all over again, so he'd closed them off. But it didn't matter, because he felt that same loneliness now, as well as regret.

Then he grinned at his own stupidity. He had tried to block them out, but he realized that he had bonded to them. He had created emotional connections without even realizing it. When he'd lost control when a Inari was hurt or when Darius was "killed". The reason he'd lost control all of those times was because he was hurt. Because in reality, without even realizing it, he'd grown attached to them. That's why he pushed Inari away. He thought she was weak. He didn't want her to get hurt, not because of him. But what he didn't realize was that she was a valuable ally, and a friend. But now he was not only about to lose them, but he'd also lose his second chance at life, he was also going to fail in his goals. He'd failed at everything he had aspired to be and achieve.

"Damn.." Darius cursed, releasing Akuro from the grip of his own mind. "You really scared of us?"

"What?" Moorza asked, his tone one of indifference.

"You can't beat us without taking away our powers? Are really so scared that you aren't willing to fight us honorably?"

"Honor? I have no need for such things. Not do I fear you, you've simply grown annoying and I've lost my patience." Moorza spoke.

"Sure, buddy." Darius mocked. "You're just scared that we might actually defeat you."

"Watch your tongue, boy!" Moorza snapped, the chakrams spinning about his arms wavering.

"Are you trying to get yourself killed?" Inari hissed at Darius.

"No.." Akuro interjected, realizing what Darius was up to. The sun would come up soon. "Inari, let him be."

"What? But-"

"Moorza." Akuro said, the god's cold eyes turning to him. "You said I was the first to actually challenge you in a long time. What happened to that? What happened you wanting to defeat me?"

"I am defeating you."

"I mean defeating my power with your own. What happened to the thrill of the fight?"

"I have no time for 'thrill'. You've bored me. I do not fear you, nor am I weak. The fact that I can cancel out your power is proof enough of my strength."

"Really?" Darius spoke. "Cuz from our point of view it just looks like you are a pussy."

An expression of rage crossed Moorza's face, and as it did it seemed he lost hold on his aura. Suddenly the floor shook and a moment later the heavy force put on them was lifted, allowing them to move again.

Akuro rose to his feet and turned his eyes to the tops of the pillars. There had to be a way to get free of the Fate Strings. But how?

"The fact that you are able to stand is of no help. There is nothing you can do, there is no way for you to defeat me. Just give up already! You've lost!" Moorza roared, waving his hand, sending out two chakrams flying through the air.

One of them came soaring at Akuro, but not directly at him. Instead it went for the string attached to him. As it drew close, the blade a breath away from the string, Akuro felt an overwhelming sense of danger and jumped aside, rolling to the ground, as the chakram soared past and sank into the ground, narrowly missing the string.

"Don't let him cut your string! It will shatter your soul!" Akuro yelled out to the others, who began to dance about, avoiding the blades as they flew to and fro.

"It is trivial for you to even try!" Moorza spoke, the ground rippling as he flashed out of sight, dashing straight to Akuro, scaled talons gripping around his throat. The god's eyes drilled into Akuro's as he lifted him up, his feet hanging off the ground by a few inches as rough scales choked him and crushed his windpipe.

Akuro grasped at Moorza's arm and kicked with all his might, but it had seemed the god had not only sealed their aura but also their physical enhancements. His efforts had absolutely no affect and seemed to be of no concern to Moorza, who continued to crush Akuro's throat. Then something struck Akuro. If their abilities were sealed, even the physical ones, would that mean the wounds inflicted on them wouldn't heal?

Akuro heard a faint metallic whirring sound from above him. He knew it was one of the disc blades rushing at him. He grit his teeth and squirmed beneath Moorza's grip.

"You are strong." Moorza spoke with pity. "I will give you that. It is truly a shame that you will never be able to reach your full potential."

Akuro kicked and raged, clawed and squirmed, but he just wasn't strong enough to get out of the god's grip. The whirring grew ever closer and closer.

"This is the end of your tale." Moorza spoke. "If it is of any consolation, it was quite the intriguing one."

"Hey!" Moorza blinked in surprise, his eyes turning as he saw Inari running at him, her sword held in her hands. There was no time for the god to react, even if she could only move at a human speed, she was already too close. He had gotten overconfident, not expecting them to even attempt at attacking him. The blade's silver edge sunk deep into Moorza's him and out the other side, causing the god to collapse to the ground and his grip to be released on Akuro. As Akuro fell, he leaned back in an attempt to avoid the chakram. He had succeeded in keeping his Fate String out of its trajectory, but the disc's edge then raked across his left eye, cutting in deep and splitting open his eye as well as leaving a deep gash across his face that bled profusely as he collapsed to the ground and the blade sank into the quartz floor.

Akuro reached up to his eye, covering it over with his hand which was then soaked in blood. His prediction was right, the wound was not healing over. For the first time in his second life, he felt the fear of mortality.

"You…" Moorza growled. "ARE ALL DEAD!!"

With a wide swing, Moorza backhanded Inari, sendin her figure flying ends over end across the floor before she slammed into an invisible barrier at the edge of the area the pillars surrounded. Then the god turned blazing, hateful eyes to Akuro.

"Akuro!" Darius's voice came then from his left. Akuro had to turn his head all the way to see Darius as he ran towards Akuro, whilst in that same moment Moorza leapt towards him.

Darius raised his hands instinctually as Moorza's fist crashed into him, breaking his arm and sending him crashing into a pillar.

Moorza then turned to Akuro, chakrams flying about his body. Akuro looked about for anything he could use, but there was nothing. Then he noticed something. His wound had stopped bleeding, actually, it had stopped hurting. It seemed to have healed over, now a scar. The damage had still been done though, sight in his left eye permanently lost. He looked up and saw the sky was brighter than before and was also beginning to shift and waver like a fuzzy television screen. The sun was coming up.

Akuro lay on the ground as Moorza approached him, too blinded by rage to realize what was going on, and as he held out his hand, the chakrams failed to strike, instead they phased out and disappeared in shards of glass-like aura. Moorza's eyes went wide as his wings began to recede and his features began to return to how they had been before. The Fate Strings also vanished at that moment and the pillars began to sink into the earth. The sky suddenly turned a soft blue with splotches of rose pink and orange as the light of the sun alighted upon the clouds from the horizon. The ground lost its glimmer, returning to no more than dirt, rubble and scorched rock.

Black waves of aura engulfed Akuro's body then as he rose to his feet, his Aura Cloak forming.

"What.. but.." Moorza spoke in frustration, looking up at the horizon where the last glimpse of the moon vanished far beyond.

A soft, warm light then splashed color across the forsaken and obliterated landscape. It was as though an artist had finished his sketch and had then added the finishing touches, splashing the world with color and vivid detail. As the warm light enveloped Akuro and Moorza, Darius and Inari, they all could feel the heat sink into their bones through their skin, a fulfilling and calming feeling. A blissful warmth that gave a sense of peace.

Moorza bowed his head with a slight smile as he chuckled. "Damn. Of course, so that's what all the talking was for." The god leaned back, looking up at the canvas of the sky, filled with the light of the glowing sunrise, clouds fanned across the sky in strokes of orange and soft pink against the gentle blue of first light. "You provoked me to buy time until dawn.. Lady Luck seems to favor you upon this day."

The God Slayer materialized in Akuro's hand. "Game over, Moorza. It's checkmate."

The god let out an amused laugh. "I love how as soon as the sun rises and my realm fades away with the stars you begin to act all confident and powerful again. It's amusing, truly, I like you, boy. But, I'm gonna have to call it here. I want to see what you become. So let's call this a draw." Moorza bowed. "I bid you farewell. You and your allies."

Akuro's legs twitched, he felt the urge to dash at Moorza and behead him, but he knew it was pointless. The God Slayer would have no affect unless it struck his Soul Orb. So, instead, Akuro stood in silence, his grip tightening about his weapon as he grit his teeth and watched Moorza's body vanish in wisps of aura and flakes of silver like snow or glimmering stars. And then he was gone, leaving Akuro with a sense of both relief as well as disappointment. He'd never had a draw before, but when he thought of Moorza's talons about his throat, he could not help but feel that he lost.