A God From Below

The silence was tense between the three of us. Tenebris stood calmly, holding his arms behind his back as he waited patiently for one of us to say something. I looked over at Fesha and she nodded in confirmation.

"Tell us, what does thou hopeth to accomplish?" Fesha's voice echoed.

A smile of longing grew across Tenebris's face, as if he was remembering a happy memory from long ago. "I already have everything I need." He said with contentment. "I shall tell a story from long ago, before the fall of this beloved city." He took a deep breath, preparing himself for his monologue. Fesha and I kept our attention on him to make sure he didn't do anything sudden.

"The layer we standeth on was once my home, a slums for the citizens of Caelum who the gods never chose." Tenebris glanced at Fesha. "Perhaps thine kind has forgotten of us, since thou held ground so far up, dumping thine waste from above." There was slight disdain in his voice. Fesha, in response, looked down. Tenebris continued. "The slums were constantly plagued by illness, and because we lacked miracles of gods, we lacked a cure. The cure my son needed to heal." He sighed. "At some point, it becameth unbearable. We pleaded to the royal guard who kept watch over layer, begging for their miracles to cure our sick, but they wouldn't listen to the likes of us. Soon, a civil war ensued, and I witnessed my wife fighting to the bitter end." Tenebris's face saddened as he remembered his lost loved one. "I never had time to grieve, for my son was still waiting at home, bedridden with the plague that befell us." Though the story Tenebris told has been tragic, his face slowly shifted to that of triumph.

"Then came prayer." He stated. "Despite knowing no god chose me, I still prayed, and from the depths a voice emerged. A voice that promised me salvation." He said more confidently than ever.

"Thou'rt a fool. Thou prayeth to divinity that should've stayed forgotten." Fesha interjected. "Marketh my words, thou shall see an end like no other."

"Enough out of thou. My family has been given a second chance, yet thou wisheth to take it away. To hell with thou lot! I have finally been given power amongst the likes of thou, despite this world and the one above forsaking me." Tenebris said now angered. "My wife and son are once again full of life thanks to my devotion, how can thou not see!"

Fesha seemed confused and I was confused with her. We have gotten an answer as to who the body behind Tenebris was, yet there has been no sign of his wife. I looked at Fesha and her face seemed convinced that it was only the rambling of a mad man. "My how thou has been used. The god thou prayeth to will soon taketh everything back from thou." Fesha stated.

"And just what will mine god maketh of me, hmm?" Tenebris asked.

Fesha held a serious face. "It is not in mine realm to understand the mind of a god. I simply fulfill what mine god asketh of me, and unlike thine god, mine shall reward me handsomely. So I beg of thee, relinquish thine devotion, for thine god shall only rewardeth thou with misery once thou has completed what it wants."

"Thou could never understand. Thou was borneth into power, accepted by the gods. For I who remained powerless to saveth my own, I finally have the power to match a will such as thine." Tenebris sighed and took a deep breath. "As I have said, I am a man who no longer wisheth to fight. The miracles I now hold are more than enough; I no longer crave revenge. Ye may leaveth and take some rations, just don't intervene."

I looked at Fesha. "Maybe we should just leave, there's no need for more." I proposed.

"I apologize, I don't think we can. We cannot let this god be remembered once again. They thrive on human devotion. There is truly only malice and deception to be found here." Fesha said wholeheartedly.

Tenebris faced us with a lack of emotion on his face. "So dragon slayer, thou still wisheth to play guard despite the end of this city. Poor girl, so deluded, she cannot fathom that there has been nothing left to protect for centuries." He paused. "Fine, I shall meet thine request in battle." Tenebris glanced over at me. "Boy, if thou wisheth to avoid conflict, thou can leave with much more dignity than this one." He said while pointing at Fesha. Though I had been ready to fight the entire time, I had nothing to offer. This body I borrowed seemed strong, but my mind knew nothing of battle. I didn't even wield a weapon. I wanted to leave in peace, but I couldn't leave Fesha to fend for herself. I held my eyes closed, trying to think of what the right choice would be. I must have taken too long because Tenebris's voiced echoed from the other side of the church.

"Fine, stay put, thou may watcheth as well." He said. As quickly as he finished talking, he clasped his hand and put his arms out. As Tenebris did so, Fesha stuck her blackened fingers out and they began to spark. She glanced over at me. "If thou doesn't know the art of war, then just stay put. I'll finish this as quickly as I can." Fesha said with determination. She threw her bag to me and I caught it in my arms, carrying its somewhat heavy weight. "Tosseth the pouch of black powder when I say so." She said. Then the sparks began to fly and I ran and hid in all the commotion. Bright yellow bolts shot quickly out of Fesha's pinched fingers, igniting the air with brilliant strings of light. Tenebris held his defense, deflecting all the light that flew his way. As Fesha was still firing off shots, Tenebris began to unclasp his hands and stick his left arm out. With one fell swoop, an invisible force made its way toward Fesha, cracking the stone floor and tossing debris as it moved. Fesha side stepped quickly to the right and continued firing shots. Tenebris continued moving his left had back and forth swiftly, forcing more eruptions forward. Fesha dodged them with ease, landing gracefully with each step. Fesha's bolts of light soon dwindled, and the spark between her fingers died out. Then, I heard my queue.

"Now!" Fesha shouted. I clutched the black powder pouch in my hand, raised it over my head and threw it in Fesha's direction. She caught it with one hand and pulled the small string that was holding the pouch closed. Then she moved the pouch in an arch above her head, violently spewing the fine black powder everywhere in the vicinity and leaving a loom black mist over her head. Once all the powder left the pouch, Fesha dropped the empty pouch by her feet and placed her hands together.

"Bear witness, for I shall ravish thine wicked devotion in the name of my god." Fesha uttered.