Episode 2- His Name is Thanatos

    Dyce P.O.V

My conscience had slipped away, the convergence robbing me of my senses. I can't say exactly how long the process was but every second seemed to dilate. Touch was the first sense to return but it was more of a sensation than actual feeling. My soul felt like it was plummeting down and I braced myself for an impact that never came.

Instead of a crushing fall, I felt myself gently land on my feet and light returned to my eyes. The empty sky above was a dull grey color and I was surrounded by a bed of flowers at my feet. There were beautiful lilies and roses, the kind you see at funerals. Their beauty was a nice contrast to the barren Rocky terrain up ahead.

"Where the heck is he?" I thought. I searched around but my deity was nowhere to be found. How could he hide in my own mental realm? I was about to sigh but was startled by the rattling of chains.

I looked behind me and caught sight of a man remarkably similar to my dad. His long shaggy black hair trailed down his bearded face and his violet eyes stared at my very core. He had a pair of deep purple wings but they were chained down. I intimidated yet also amazed appearance so silence was my only response.

" I'd rather we get the formalities over with instead of wasting both our time. Introduce yourself and I'll do the same then we part. The end."

Of course, I get stuck with the snobby one. I can tell he's the type who likes to make things harder than they need to be.

" I'm Dyce of the Averruncus family. We specialize in dark magic and-"

" I'm very well aware of your family name. Your aptitude in dark magic is what connects us. Truth be told, I would've chosen your brother Darren had he not already formed a contract with that demon Asmodeus. Your potential as a mage is noteworthy but his skill in the chthonic arts is only rivaled by a few", The man spook with a booming baritone voice.

How the hell did Darren manage to find his way in this conversation? I already know he's a great black mage. He reminds of the fact. Constantly. I don't need someone who's pretty much bound to me for life telling me that either.

" Oh, I bet you're disappointed. I may not be my brother but I day I'm better than average at what I do. It helps that there aren't exactly a lot of dark mages these days."

" Right you are. It seems I still haven't properly introduced myself. I'm Thanatos, the deity of death. I'm not exactly fond of lending a mortal such a power this destructive but I also believe an Averruncus can control it more than Anyone else ."

My heart paused for a bit once his name was revealed. Thanatos. He's the son of Erebus and Nyx, the deities my dad and mom respectively own. It couldn't have been a coincidence our family was chosen by his. Even the familial status if vessel and deity aligned with each other. The gods must have a weird sense of humor.

" The power of death, huh? It's not something I can leisurely use against human enemies but I won't have a problem killing monsters. It was an honor meeting you Thanatos. I hope our bond is an inexorable one."

" The same regards as to you. I'm curious as to what your bloodline will lead you."

Yet again the scenery around me had shifted to pitch darkness. Instead of falling, I could feel my soul shooting upwards to a speck of light.

"Yce......"

"Dyce!"

My eyes groggily open as they adjust to the invasive light. My surroundings slowly come into focus and I see Evelyn looking at me with worry in her eyes. I see that I'm no longer in the middle of the room with the oracles. I'm laying on a bench just outside the auditorium.

" Thank goodness you're finally awake. When you were the only one who didn't return we got worried." She let out a held breath in relief.

" You don't have to overreact. Me oversleeping is hardly anything new." I reassured her.

Gazelle flashes a toothy grin with her hands in her hips. "Well, you were certainly being inconvenient to everyone else. You took so long to awake we had to drag you out of the way. Did you happen to meet Hypnos god of sleep?"

" No, but we'd get along quite nicely if I did. I got his brother instead."

"Oh! That means you have Thanatos inside you right now. Was he as scary as the legends say?"

" Hmm well he was a bit standoffish but I didn't sense any malice in him. He's kinda like my dad actually. what deities did you guys get?"

Sukochi stood forward and gave his trademark arrogant grin.

" Don't mean to brag but I think my flame god Kagutsuchi just might be the biggest badass of them all. You guys should've seen how my inner realm looked. The ground was charred like the inside of a volcano and Kagutsuchi was this giant dragon. But made of flames. Doesn't get cooler than that."

" Impressive but the flame is useless without air. I don't care much for all that blubber in his belly but I'm sure wind good Vayu lives up to his tales. He constantly bragged about his adventures to me I was definitely surprised by his floating temple in the sky. It reminded me of a book I read as a child." Gazelle flipped her hair and looked over at Evelyn.

" My God is a bit different since she doesn't come from my elven pantheon. Fjörgyn is a nature goddess who has a really nurturing aura to her. She was kind and treated me like I was her daughter. We chatted away in a forest similar to where I grew up in."

"Isn't Fjörgyn the mother of Thor?" I ask.

" I believe so." She said

" Sweet! If that's the case then Evelyn's a badass by association. Of course, that was already the case when we became friends ." Sukochi made a show like he always did.

" I really wouldn't go that far but thanks for the compliment. Since we're all up to date do you think we can leave early? I was hoping we could go on a group date at the central." Evelyn said innocently.

" Evelyn, dates are between romantic pairs. Like you and Dyce. Friends hang out. And yeah, I was planning on going there anyway." Gazelle said.

What was this woman's deal? I know girls love seeing romance where it doesn't exist but she really wants me and Evelyn to pair up.

" Just because you keep saying me and Evelyn are in love, doesn't mean it'll be true. I'm not even interested in the girls "

I probably chose the wrong choice of words since they all looked at me in surprise.

" So that's why you never change in the locker room with the guys. Hey man, I'm not one to judge. We're still cool." Sukochi said.

" I always did think you had a good eye for fashion for a guy. If Evelyn's off the table I know a guy on the wyvern ball team you could talk to."Said Gazelle.

" Can you two cut it out?! I'm not gay either. I'm just not interested in things like sex or romance."

" I know. I just wanted to see you get annoyed. It's fun seeing you break character for once. "

Gazelle let out a hearty laugh. It was one of those contagious laughs you couldn't help but join in. I loved these people and they made school worth it. I wish I had known just how quickly our fun would be cut short.

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Authors Note

And so, another revision is done. I feel that the pacing is better handled here and not as rushed. There's some comedic dialogue I added which I really liked. The next chapter will feature Victoria's perspective as she attacks the city. I'll try to add more descriptive language as civilians fall victim to her magic.stay tuned.