Center of Suffering

Dragomir shot her a piercing glance.

“You did?!”

“When we traveled to Prav… he refused to have Morena’s pocket watch ‘anywhere near him’.”

“That’s what he said about Lada’s ring, too! And for some reason, his white gloves remain spotless no matter how dirty the things he touches are!”

“And remember how careful he was not to touch Perun’s axe when he searched for Rohd’s little egg?”

“You’re right! His weakness must be other gods’ artifacts!”

Dragomir clenched his fist.

Then released it.

“But no… he just touched your staff. And you got that from Morena.”

“Maybe the staff wasn’t her artifact, but the pocket watch was?”

“Maybe. But… no. That can’t be it. He’s the God of Trade. There must be something else we’re missing…”

“Either way, let’s try getting your axe into those clean hands of his!”

Milena tightened her grip on the staff and fired an icicle spear at Veles.

He spun out of its path. “Hey! First you mumble to each other, and now you try to kill me?!”

Veles grabbed Dazhbog’s candle and poured its wax into Perun’s.

Milena fired another freezing attack.

He dodged, only to crash into the wall of a pub.

Dragomir lunged at him, swinging Perun’s axe at his wings, but Veles shot upward.

Then he grabbed Perun’s candle and poured its wax into his own.

His wings grew.

He became much faster.

Think, Dragomir, think… What’s the natural enemy of a trade?!

Perun’s and Dazhbog’s candles still gave off faint embers.

“Milena! Can you freeze his candle?”

“Yeah!” She aimed the staff. Ice shot toward the flame… and passed straight through. “…I guess I can’t!”

“Can you command the spirits to catch him?”

“I don’t want to force them into doing things!”

“Well, I’m out of ideas!”

He’s the most powerful god now… Why can’t he just take what he wants?

Veles reached into empty air and pulled out a crystal orb.

Dragomir’s battle-axe suddenly flew straight toward its former owner.

Dragomir jumped aside. “Hey! I thought you weren’t a fighter!”

“I’m not!” The battle-axe vanished and reappeared in Veles’ hand. “It’s self-defense!”

Milena fired another freezing attack, but Veles deflected it with the weapon.

What’s so different about Perun’s axe compared to Morena’s staff?

An arrow suddenly flew at Veles.

CLANK!

It bounced off his golden eye.

Dragomir looked down at the arrow that landed beside his boot.

Wait… that’s it!

“Did you forget what you sold me… Zduhach?!”

Zduhach stood nearby with his bow, the right corner of his mouth curled into a smile. A burn scar covered the left half of his face. “Just because you’re immune to my attacks… doesn’t mean they can’t distract you!”

Veles suddenly lost his balance.

He looked back.

Ice.

In that split second, Milena had managed to freeze his wings.

Veles crashed into the ground with a loud thud.

The bohatiers immediately surrounded him.

Milena froze his legs.

Dragomir raised Perun’s axe.

Veles stared at it.

His face went pale.

“Can you… hold this for me?” Dragomir smiled.

“No… no, no, no!” Veles squirmed against the ice. “Put it away from me!”

“What’s this guy’s problem?” Zduhach tilted his head.

Milena gently touched the burned half of the half-god’s face. “Does it hurt…?”

“Nah. Just a small price for proving my father wrong!”

“Where is Dazhbog?”

“I actually brought him here! But he’s out cold, haha!”

“Will you die if you… get your hands… or rather, gloves… dirty?” Dragomir asked.

“I won’t, but…!”

“Good. Because I really don’t feel like killing you.”

Dragomir grabbed Veles’ hand.

And placed Perun’s axe into it.

Blood immediately soaked into Veles’ white glove.

“No!”

Dragomir grabbed his other hand and pressed it against the handle as well.

“Aaargh!”

Veles cried out.

He dropped the axe.

But it was too late.

Dirt and blood spread across the once perfectly spotless gloves.

The white fabric corroded.

Burned.

And disappeared completely.

Veles covered his eyes with his bare hands, revealing the blue tattoos on the backs of them once again.

Then… Countless crystal orbs began raining from the sky.

“What just happened?” Zduhach looked around.

“So it was the gods’ artifacts after all?” Milena asked.

“No,” Dragomir replied.

He looked down at Perun’s axe.

“A fair trade requires exchanging things of value. Veles’ weakness is… theft.”

“Huh?” Zduhach stared blankly.

“Perun repeatedly told me to give the axe back. So yeah… in the truest sense, I stole it. And Veles can’t touch stolen things.”

Dragomir glanced at him.

“He’s modest to a fault.”

Milena and Zduhach looked at him.

“That’s what the priest… taught me.” Veles rubbed his eyes. “I hated stealing. Ever since the day… those spirits stole our future.” He took a strained breath. “Well… you defeated me. I’m lying here helpless… All of you have earned the right to rewrite the rules.”

Zduhach and Milena exchanged glances.

“But each of us only has one dusha left, right?” Milena asked.

“Yes…” Veles panted. “You cannot write a Commandment without payment. Which means… giving up your life.”

“I’ll do it.” Dragomir knelt before him.

“What?! No!” Milena grabbed his right shoulder. “Don’t be so selfish!”

“Stop playing the hero again!” Zduhach pulled at his left. “Let’s ask somebody from Arkona who still has two dushe to write it!”

“They can’t.” Veles panted. “None of them earned the right.”

Dragomir sighed. “I already decided what to do.”

Everybody fell silent.

“There’s one thing that has always been at the center of all this suffering. I don’t think people should be playing gods. I don’t think anybody should be rewriting the rules.” Dragomir lowered his gaze. “And I understand that there are good spirits who don’t deserve what I’m about to do… but…”

“What are you getting at…?” Milena’s voice trembled.

“I…”

Dragomir looked at Veles.

“…will cleanse this world of dushe.”

“What?!” Veles, Milena, and Zduhach shouted in unison.

“Think this through, Drago!” Veles panicked. “If you do that, everything will crumble! The spirits will cease to exist! The Commandments will fall apart! I’ll lose my godlike powers, since they were bound by transactions that required dushe! And most importantly…” His gold eyes widened. “…you will die!”

“For once, I agree with the blue-haired guy!” Zduhach tugged at Dragomir’s shoulder again. “And what about Milena? Didn’t you come this far just for her? To restore everybody’s memories of you? You love her, don’t you?!”

“What?” Milena tilted her head. “I never heard about this!”

“You did! Multiple times!” Zduhach waved his hand.

Dragomir smiled. “Every time somebody tries to fix the world… it leads to more sorrow. So this will be the last time anybody gets to rewrite it.”

Then he placed his palm against Veles’ forehead.

Veles froze.

“I command you…”

“Dragomir, no!” Zduhach tried to pull his arm away.

“…erase dushe from existence. For good!”

Levoslav’s dusha tore free from Dragomir’s body.

The thread between them snapped.

The dusha sank into Veles’ chest.

Dragomir smiled.

Then his body crumbled to the ground.

“Dragomir!”

Milena and Zduhach reached for him.

Veles’ wings scattered into the air.

The gold drained from his eyes as his pupils and whites returned. His pale skin regained its natural color.

All around them, the crystal orbs cracked and their subtle glow faded.

The ice around Perun melted, and his body collapsed to the ground.

Zduhach’s remaining dusha flew out of his body.

Its thread snapped. Then it disappeared.

Milena’s staff disintegrated in her hand.

Her remaining dusha slipped out of her body. Deep within its chest, the pocket watch stopped ticking before it faded away.

Milena turned toward her army. One by one, the spirits began to fade. Her parents looked at her. At the very last second, they smiled.

Their lips silently formed two words.

‘Thank you’.

And they were gone.

Even Perun’s axe disappeared.

Elsewhere in Arkona, Jozef held Trpas’ hand. The Domovoy looked at him one last time. “Dragomir is your son. This is what he chose to do in order to save the world.”

“Trpas, no!”

Jozef’s fingers closed around empty air.

On a nearby hill, Dazhbog finally regained consciousness. His golden headband was gone. So was the shroud. And the blazing halo behind his head.

Back on the battlefield, Veles huffed, his body trembled. “I’m… hungry.”

Zduhach held Dragomir’s motionless body. Tears streamed down his face.

Milena lowered her gaze.

But then…

Dragomir snored.

Chapter 53: END