Dozae-Rae

Sam and Vinisnu reached the top by morning.

The air was thin, and the thin light of dawn was their only guide as they ascended the final staircase up the mountain. The overlook stretched far over the ravines below as if the platform was airborne. Ahead of them was the final altar, a statue with an offering table and a perch made of iron. Vinisnu guided Sam, and the remains of the old caretakers were carefully placed on the table in a row. Over a dozen corpses in total.

Past the altar was a large, flat plaza surrounded by stone pillars, and toward the very end overlooking the mountain sat an empty nest, one of the ceremonial like the one in the palace. It was a barren sight. What was once soft, man-made bedding was torn to shreds, and sand, branches, and skulls lay about the outside as if regurgitated.

"He seems to be missing," Vinisnu noted, unfazed. "I wonder when he'll be back?"

A shock blew through Sam's system. "What do you mean, 'when he'll be back?'" she asked with gritted teeth. "You said there was a god up here."

"He might be out because of all the commotion," Vinisnu said. "He's usually around this time of year. If only my mom was here to call him."

Sam was so enraged she could barely stammer out a sentence. "Oh my god! We did come up here for nothing!"

"It's not a big dea-."

Sam grabbed him. "What were you thinking!? I thought you had a plan! I thought you knew someone who could help, and this is what you give me!?"

Vinisnu turned a ghostly blue. "No, I mean-."

Sam scoffed at him. "People are dying, Vinisnu. The palace, those people. W-We're going to die, and I trusted you! Why!? What were you thinking!?"

"Hold on!" He shouted, but his gears were still turning. They could return to find his mother, but they had already released the Kukchis. No one else was around for mountains. They could wait until God returned, but they didn't bring enough supplies either.

Sam could see the boy's gears turning, and it overwhelmed her with frustration. Why didn't she say anything? Why did she trust a child with saving the world? Who was he planning to call anyway, this "God." It was over, she thought. She wanted to bring up his sobbing a few hours earlier, anything to get back at him, but even she wasn't willing to inflict a wound like that. 

A few minutes of silence passed before Snu went quiet, then nodded as if he had locked himself in, and he approached the nest as if he were a warrior armed to the teeth. Sam could feel it. There was a change in air pressure, denoting the presence of an aura. Vinisnu Vinisoya was practically glowing. It was apparent that he was using his mind, boosted and empowered by his psychic mutations, and from behind, it looked as though Sam was observing a demigod, a true chosen disciple, and for a moment, her worries ceased.

His voice was like an angel, unsure, wavering, but had the sincerity of one actively choosing to speak forth. The Pandemian boy climbed up a singular raised stone that stood between them and the nest, and he clasped his hands. At first, his voice came out weak, but as his tone continued, it became louder and louder until it echoed clearly across the sky. It was a song. Sam had heard Maed-Laio's tones before, but this was an unfamiliar tune. It was apparent that Vinisnu was singing from memory, his notes giving away his lack of practice, but he wavered not. For that moment, the boy did not care if anyone else could hear them, only that God did.

Sam covered her ears at that point, not because it was loud but because it made her cry. Her neural translator told her a story of loss and ruin, of great structures and might, of love between peoples torn asunder by folly and tragedy, each syllable matched with the melody to extract moments of pure beauty. There were no instruments, but Sam could imagine the orchestra playing behind this dirge. The world was as she imagined, the last remains of a once great civilization, an echo of a golden age long past, just waiting to be reborn at the Black Obelisk. Why did she ever doubt him?

Like a lightning bolt from the sky, a massive golden dragon slammed into the nest and stood over the young man. It growled at him, spitting out droplets of fire with each breath. Vinisnu's heart skipped a beat but maintained his composure to finish the song. Sam very well fainted. The magic was real. God was real, and it stood before them. The apex predator of Pandema, one of four great gods, last to present himself. He was Dozae-Rae.

"It has been an age since you have summoned me, Maed-Laio," said the dragon. It blinked. "Ah, or should I say, Vinisnu."

Vinisnu coughed, his throat dried and wheezing. "I did it…Lord Dozae-Rae."

The long, fearful beast stretched its neck out to the small boy. "I thought more time had passed, boy. You sing like a disemboweled bugrat."

Vinisnu blushed. He wished he had practiced beforehand, but now wasn't the time. He folded his arms and prostrated as hard as he could. "Time requires it once again, my most benevolent lord. Do you know what has happened to this world?"

A moment passed as Dozae observed his surroundings. The two children shuddered in its presence. Every breath vibrated the air. The floor shifted with each step. The beast noticed the wrapped corpses on the offering table and strode forth, almost trampling Vinisnu. The dragon expected him to move, but the boy was too awestruck to move quickly.

"My caretakers," the God grumbled. "Such a shame." He then drooled fire. A gelatinous, flammable substance, one that smoked and secreted a pungent smell, dripped onto the former priests and guards, and their remains were drenched in flames so hot it broke down even their bones. The heat could be felt meters away as Sam spasmed, realizing she was next to a dragon. She wondered if Snu would understand the similarities.

"I do hear it," he continued. "The bullets and fire and death, and that construct in the air, I can hear its unending whirr from here. It disturbed me from my nap not long ago. I had even approached the vessel itself to test its mettle. Perhaps that's why my servants were killed behind my back."

Sam gasped. "You tried to attack an alien spaceship?"

Dozae-Rae's eye locked onto Sam. Another alien. Perfect. "Those aliens gave me more respect than you do, untailed one." He growled. "I don't see you bowing to me."

Sam flailed around for a second before bowing, her head well past her knees. At least this Pandemian creature understood bowing, and it seemed to suffice for now.

Vinisnu brought the subject back to hand. "Great Dozae-Rae, we've come to you to grant us a wish. Please save us from that terrible vessel that assaults our skies and our cities."

"Yes," it grumbled. "Many Pandemians have died. I can sense it. But I ask you this. Why do you want to destroy these creatures?"

Vinisnu gulped, putting more thought into it than Sam expected. It wasn't searching for an answer that was an issue. It was telling the truth even if it hurt. "They killed my father."

"Kalin?" The beast perked up for a second, concerned at first until his voice turned icy.  "Is that all? I have lived for many years and been through many calamities. The fate of this world is often sealed quickly. Fates change, people die, and the world becomes that much more fortuitous. You Pandemians live fully underground and escape death far better than any other creature I've known. Why is it up to me to interfere?"

Sam moved forward. "Because more EVO are on their way, and then we'll all die!"

"See?" Dozae-Rae returned to his nest, getting more comfortable. "Your wish would be wasted otherwise. So what if all of the Pandemians die? I don't even remember my own kind. A god like me doesn't have to comply with the needs of mortals."

Sam clenched her fist. The God was hard to read, distant in a way. That would be fair given its inhuman shape, its large scaly exterior more similar to the aliens than men, but Sam could read the air. It was too quick. Dozae Rae wasn't an omniscient being or of colossal intellect. There was no philosophy behind his questions. He wasn't thinking much of the situation at all. He was annoyed.

"I beg of you, my lord. As the son of your most devoted servant, please help us." Vinisnu dug his head into the stone. "I don't care if they come later. What matters is saving lives now."

"Devoted? Pah! The tribute you Pandemians have brought to me has been meager and empty for a long time. Look at my nest! It's filthy, isn't it? I have no time for mortals who can't understand my law. Begone."

Vinisnu was on the brink of tears. This was only the second time he had met God, but his mother had spoken of his kindness and wisdom with exultation before. How could his character corrupt so suddenly? Had he truly abandoned them, their people? He didn't understand why he could be so cruel.

Indeed, the God seemed to thrash against reality itself as he pushed and kneaded against his nest with growing discomfort, an irritation growing so large it looked like he would kill the two children if it comforted him any. Vinisnu took this as the cue to leave, as his thoughts rushed to find a solution. He braced himself for heroism like his father would want him to.

Sam stepped forward with a militant vigor. "God of the west, Dozae-Rae!" she shouted. "I offer you a deal on behalf of the Kainian Empire!" 

The peak of the tower turned even colder than before. Dozae-Rae didn't appreciate the outburst from such a noisy rodent but allowed Sam to continue. 

"I would like to offer you full citizenship on behalf of Kain and its federation in exchange for your support." Sam's mind was racing. She put together the sentences as she went along. "I am willing to give you free and unlimited usage of our spacecraft for the foreseeable future to go to any destination in the galaxy. All you have to do is assist us in eliminating the EVO threat from this planet. My father will assure you that this benefit will come as soon as our fleet arrives in the system."

"Really?" Dozae paused. A slip of the tongue there, but that one outburst broke the barrier. He didn't intend that. "Watch your tongue, girl! Lest I destroy you myself!"

"I won't make any other offer. The choice is yours." Sam stood resilient. This was just another Szeer, and she knew better.

"I see." He drew his breath in, his mouth emanating a similar superheated plasma that the EVO used for combat. Sam tried to hold firm but was quickly losing faith in her convictions. However, the dragon, whether or not it noticed this, ceased its threat. "You are small, child. Still, I see a growing spark in you. Vinisnu?"

"W-What do you mean by that, my lord?" The boy flustered, interpreting something strange in his language. This made the deity laugh.

"It's nothing, yes." He wouldn't argue against the hospitality of the Vinisoyas. They have been good to him, even when he didn't repay the favor. It would be interesting to see what would become of the redhead if she were to unlock her full potential. However, that would have to wait. "Something's coming."

The two looked to the west, same as the beast. The wind was howling, and tattered flags crackled across the mountain. However, vaguely echoing across the sky was the sound of an engine whining. From a dozen kilometers away, a black dot was rapidly approaching.