Calm Before The Storm

Synthara stood in shock at the destroyed city as Jupiter had the last laugh. In one moment, she was about to bask in the glow of victory and gear the army up for war. A second later, and the city was leveled into a smoking black scar on the land.

“Wait, I was about to wi-”

Lost in her thoughts, Jupiter regained his bolt and was upon Synthara in an instant. Taken by surprise, Jupiter batted away Synthara’s feeble defense and struck her in the chest with his bolt. He finished his attack by throwing the bolt like a javelin and slammed Synthara to the ground in an explosion of lightning.

Synthara screamed as a torrent of electricity wreaked havoc on her body, causing her to spasm and shudder. Then felt her body crushed against the ground followed with even more electricity.

Jupiter looked down at the broken woman in the crater as he recalled his bolt, gloating even as he was covered in black flames. “You assumed that this was a duel, what an amateur mistake. This is war! You’re a thousand years too early to be challenging me. Now I will collect your he-.” Jupiter groveled in the air as he could no longer ignore the black flames. He tried to shake them off but the fire was too spread throughout his body to fully extinguish. It was only through his great strength that he was still alive.

Synthara smirked through the pain, coughing as she spoke. She used her strings to quickly stand up, taking care not to stumble or otherwise show weakness. She stared defiantly at the old man in the sky. “If you want my head, come and get it, but can you take it before you crumble to ash?” Synthara spread her arms outward in challenge. “Come on old man, afraid to lose to a ‘little girl?’”

Jupiter screamed out as he was wracked with pain. He no longer had the strength to extinguish the flames through sheer strength, he could only endure it until the flames burned out. He needed to see a healer immediately. The warrior within him urged to meet her challenge, but his inner general told him to retreat.

“Human whore! Watch the skies and stand ready for my return!” With that, Jupiter disappeared in a flash of lightning. In his wake, the clouds began to thunder and rain.

Synthara felt the rain fall on her, dripping down the sides of the hole in her chest. First it came in a small drizzle, then a downpour. She had to move and find Morgan who might be able to fix her. The magic system she made did not have healing spells.

Her body did not respond, so she beckoned her strings to lift herself and force her to move, but even her fingers barely responded to her commands. She needed shelter and a place to hide. She can't afford to be unconscious when the war has just started.

After several torturous minutes, she finally reached the city gates, now reduced to charred wood. As she walked through the gates, she saw Morgan quickly floating towards her with only one of her undead bodyguards, fussing over her and checking the damage.

“My lady! You’re alive! You look horrible! Er, I mean you look great as always its ju-”

“Can you fix me?”

“Yes!” Morgan quickly took out a knife and cut a large chunk of flesh from her undead bodyguard in the exact same spot as Synthara’s chest hole. She then casted a spell to rejuvenate the flesh and carve it to fit perfectly in Synthara’s hole. The bodyguard collapsed in a heap of inanimate flesh as she did this.

“Hold still my lady.”

Morgan slipped the hunk of flesh inside Synthara’s hole. Synthara felt a strange, warm squelching noise as her innards incorporated the foreign flesh. Now that the bleeding has stopped, she felt somewhat better but she was still drained.

Synthara quickly slipped back into her all-knowing goddess persona. “Impressive Morgan, you remember that spell.”

Morgan gleefully nodded. “Yes! It's not on the same level as the Ultimatist’s healing miracles, but I uncovered the secret to healing with necromancy. Of course I know you were just testing me of course. In your boundless mercy and foresight, you used the opportunity provided by your damaged body to test me and provide a learning moment for your humble servant.”

Synthara smiled wearily. “Yes, and you passed my dear student.”

“To think the legendary Jupiter was so powerful as to push you so far, I can see why he’s called the pinnacle of strength that all mortal warriors strive to reach. He’s said to have never retreated from a battle.” Morgan smirked. “But of course, mortal strength only goes so far against the divine.”

Synthara took pleasure in that she managed to force the so-called ‘pinnacle of strength’ to retreat. “Right, were there any survivors?”

Morgan looked around the wreckage sombrely, “There are some survivors in the castle shelters, but none who were outside of the castle made it.”

“And the prince?”

“He’s alive fortunately, his body was strong enough to withstand the lightning but he’s unconscious. I took him back to the castle.”

“Then let us go there to discuss our next steps.”

Synthara moved to reform her flame wings but even as she said the words and made the gestures, nothing more than sparks appeared. Synthara felt panic bubble up from within her while Morgan frowned.

“It's as I feared. You were struck by Jupiter’s weapon, the bolt Fulgora. If its sheer power did not kill you, then your magic will be sealed away.”

Synthara’s eyes threatened to bulge out of her skull, if she could not use magic then she was all but useless!

“H-how long does it last?” Her thoughts drifted towards the one time she attempted to take her own life when she was a child and was just barely stopped by her parents.

Morgan brought her finger up in thought. “Most who are struck by Fulgora do not survive, but the few that did are reported to be unable to use magic for the rest of their lives. But I wonder, my lady, could you try and cast a fireball?”

Synthara did her best with her shaking hands, she swore to never pray to any sort of god in her youth, but she was damn close to doing so.

The spell goes off, but the fireball was underwhelmingly weak. The explosion only encompassed 3-4 men standing abreast and just as deep, with little of its original explosive force.

Morgan raised both her eyebrows. “As expected of the goddess of magic! A mortal weapon is not capable of sealing away your strength fully. I believe with time and recovery, you will be restored to your full strength. How long I cannot say sadly, but you will recover!”

Synthara let out a sigh of relief. She felt a hand on her shoulder, it was Morgan’s from the front but she still twitched out of reflex. “If I may my lady, even if you had lost your magic forever, I would still follow you to the ends of the world.”

Synthara slapped the arm away. “Are you pitying me!?”

Morgan was afraid but she needed to bare her heart out. “No! I just want to let you know how much you mean to me! I was born unable to use magic, yet I was still fascinated by your arts and human anatomy! As I grew up, I became a doctor, the closest thing to being a necromancer. But my practice became outdated when the Ultimatists came with their healing miracles. I couldn't even use magic, so I was quickly regarded as useless, dangerous even.Yet when I prayed to you at my lowest point, you bestowed upon me your necromantic knowledge and the ability to use magic. I climbed the ranks among the priesthood and became your foremost Godi. It is not your power or your saving me that got me so enamored by you, it's your passion for what you love.”

Synthara was astonished. She felt oddly…warmed by the confession. It was an unfamiliar but not unpleasant feeling.

Synthara looked away. “Hmph! I'll forgive your transgression just this once. Shouldn't we be getting back to the castle now? I'm still tired, you know? As punishment for speaking out of turn, you will be carrying me back to the castle, is that understood?”

Morgan blushed. “Y-Yes my lady! At once!”

Morgan quickly flew Synthara in her arms towards the castle where the king managed to save some of the people by taking them into the castle’s underground shelter. The castle was the only thing standing amidst the rubble. She felt her eyelids grow heavy as she found comfort from the cold wind in Morgan’s bosom.

It felt good to let someone else bear the weight of the world for you sometimes.