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ARN ARMUNDSON

Prompt from: @oc-tober2023 [ I am not following the same order ]

~ Ritual

"Are you Ulgrim, the god of Mountains?" Even if you did not perform a great hunt yet, could the god have noticed your fight with the Underfolk? Was this your chance to prove yourself? To be of help to your mother? No longer be a mere burden?

You only further prove my point as to why I do not lower myself to the likes of you. Insulting me, is not doing you any favours. 

If its not the god of mountains you are speaking to, then who is it?

You see the little beetle turn towards the shining light in your hand, it wiggles its legs and tentacles wildly and exasperated now, as if chastising this… god?

Well, fine. That will be the last favour I will do for you, Bramble. Will you waste it for a mere human?

The beetle gives a small assertive nod.

Then let me introduce myself to you, human. It spat the last word and you doubt this will be a pleasant conversation, I am the god of Nothing, I am everywhere and nowhere, I am everything and I am nothing. Is that clear for you now?

You look at it for a moment, never have you heard of the god of Nothing before. What do they do?

As if sensing your questions, you saw the light flicker in annoyance, before it continued.

I am the wind surrounding you, tingling your skin, yet you cannot see me. I am the father of all the crawling insects you know and do not know about. I don't care what my siblings are spending their time on and I do not care for mortal affairs. They are petty at the least.

I do not have a name but the one my creatures give me from time to time and I do not have an appearance, because I see no need to be perceived. The insects know I am there without using their eyes. Humans do not, but I won't do you more than this. Speaking to you is already more than I would do for your kind.

"I-" you are speechless, a god of insects hating humans and they speak to you because of a favour from a Rose Chafer. Perhaps you were never meant for the god of mountains, perhaps this meeting was not by chance, but by Fate. "Can you hide from the Underfolk? If you are nothing, can you be invisible to other humans as well?"

The light flickers, a scoff. I just told you that I showed myself for your pity's sake alone. You wouldn't have even known of my presence otherwise. 

"And the Underfolk? Can you hide from them too?" You sat up, now eager to question this being in front of you.

It did not answer right away, instead it floated to the side, a little further away from you.

You felt the beetle tickle in your hand as it spoke to his god.

I am not-! The god snapped at Bramble, before taking a moment to calm down, You have a lot of questions, human. I promised Bramble to help you, but not to answer all your foolish thoughts.

Well, at least you know they could hide you from the humans hunting you and when you are bound to a god in any form, you could deal with the Underfolk yourself too. You could help your mother, you could have her stay.

"Then be my god! Let me perform the ritual and choose you."

The light stood still, no words were echoing through the forest, no rustling of the leaves ahead - no wind. You almost feared it would leave, so you lift the little beetle still in your hand and spoke to them:

"Bramble, tell them if they want to help me, they need to accept me in the ritual. I am of age, all I need is for them to say yes too."

The beetle tippled along your hand, a moment of hesitation as well, before they turned towards the glowing light standing still in front of you. At least you can read the beetle's reaction.

It spoke, you couldn't understand it, then the light prickled as an answer, but you did not hear it speak. Bramble spoke again, inching closer to the edge of your outstretched hand.

Then the light poofed and disappeared. You felt your heart sink, seeing your only chance gone.

"Where did they go? Did they agree?" You frantically look around, not yet giving up hope. It doesn't have to mean anything.

You watch Bramble stomp his little feet, he too seems displeased with his god, but then he pushes himself upwards and with a loud buzzing noise, sours into the air.

Fearing he is going to leave you too, you instantly spring to your feet. As you jog after the green shimmering beetle, you wonder where your mother was. What will she think when she returns and finds your shelter shattered? You shouldn't roam too far, or she might not find you, but you can't let this chance pass by either.

Making up your mind, you steer your eyes upwards, following the shimmer of Bramble, determined to not let him out of your sight. You will have this god as yours and do as any young boy your age should do - fulfill the ritual. [ ~ 893 words ]

SAEL

unknown | he/him | 195 cm | Saelethir | from the Stars

Visions of you Make the vision of me seem So in touch only to see Call from the mountaintop What you desire from me You never need, you never needed anyone

— Temples

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Prompt from: @oc-tober2023 [ I am not following the same order ]

~ Home

It is strange.

To walk this earth, when it no longer resembles his memory. The brightness of his surroundings has stolen his sight, along with the absence of the moon and stars. He feels lost in a world that once was his home.

Those were the most drastic changes he noticed and felt everyday. The smaller ones only occurred to him with time. For one, they seem to favour community. The more people, the better. They prefer being around others and even crave their attention and approval. This concept of needing others has never occurred to him before.

Furthermore, they can see and yet they are blind to the many things that he saw as essential. That one took him a lot of studying and listening in and it was the most difficult to understand. He still wasn’t quite sure, he completely gets it.

They don't touch him to understand him emotionally or mentally, because whenever he reaches for them, there's no response. It seems that talking is their preferred method of communication. And they do talk. A lot.

“Sael!” He heard one of them shout the name they had given him, “What are you doing moping around in the corner on your own. You can help us.”

Sael only knew who the one speaking was, because while his surroundings remained invisible to him, he could see their essence. Each one had a different colour, a different light within them. It was alive, it told Sael of their feelings too, but some shone brighter than others and the one speaking, had a weak one. He was almost certain, he called himself Ralof and his essence was a mix of red and orange.

“Come on. There is a lot to do.” The one called Ralof said and as he moved closer, Sael could see him a little better. They liked to give people names, Sael had noticed them call each other by it to get another's attention. As they now did with him too. Which is why he needed a name, they said.

It took him some getting used to. He had never been called before, there had never been a need for it. When this place was still his home, there had been only him and the lost souls of the dead. They searched him out on purpose, for the moon and the stars were connected with Sael and he was able to guide them back to them. They needed him and thus came to him willingly. He never needed to get their attention and they didn’t need to get his.

Sometimes he wonders if that is the reason why these people killed the moon and stars. They didn’t want him to guide them back – they wanted to stay down here at all cost. Sael wasn’t sure he approved of their method though and why they kept him around if there is nothing he can do for them.

When he looked for the one called Ralof, he was already gone and off to somewhere else. Sael did not see where he went, his essence too small to track. They were all moving around a lot, Sael had listened them for a moment. Sometimes they speak to each other, other times they argue. They seemed busy and at the same time, he did not know with what exactly.

Sael’s attention was grabbed when one of the brighter ones passed him by, a shining blue, it sometimes reminded him of the light of the stars. As the only clearly visible thing to him, he followed him instead. When he stopped, Sael attempted to reach out, until he remembered, that as usual, it would be a one sided conversation on his part. So instead, he put to use his many hours of observation.

“Aegon.” He called him by his name. A shout for attention, something that should work. It was strange, hearing the sound of his own voice, foreign and clumsy to his ears.

“Ah, sorry, didn’t see you there.” Aegon’s essence flickered for a moment – he was happy to see him.

“You’re just in time to witness how marvelously I can tie a net.” Sael heard him struggle with something, then a tiny snap, “Ah, never mind, it snapped. I guess we will never know. To be honest, I don’t know why Elora has us set up decorations this early. It’s still a few weeks away and she always puts me on the most boring of tasks.

Why don’t we try something else. Something more fun. Let me see.” Aegon seems to be thinking, looking at something Sael couldn’t see.

Then suddenly, he grabbed his wrist and Sael instinctively read his feelings - there was excitement, mixed with a certain focus. He was thinking about thousands of different things at once, but all were bright and warm like his hands. At first Sael thought he liked sharing his positive emotions with others, because he was very tactile and seldom in a sour mood, but since they don’t do it to communicate with him, he wasn’t so certain why he did it at all.

Yet it wasn’t entirely unwanted, since it gave Sael a short glimpse of what they try to tell him with their many words and with Aegon, it was always a pleasant experience. Like now, he knew whatever Aegon had spotted, he was excited to share with him.

“We can choose the hanging decorations. Usually that’s what Elora does, she has a set plan for what goes where, but she always needs a ladder.” He chuckles as he pulls Sael after him, “Don’t tell her I said that.”

Aegon was also the most talkative, which was helpful, because Sael hadn't figured out how the rules of talking to each other worked yet. He was told however, that there are very strict rules to follow. Yet no one had explained to him those rules, but he doesn’t blame them. Afterall, he hadn’t told them that he mostly communicates through touch either.

“I think I will take this one, I always wanted to hang it up." He snickers as Sael hears something shuffling about in front of them, "Elora never hangs it up because it reflects the light and 'it could distract someone', but I like it."

"I like bright things."

He sees Aegon’s essence swell, glowing even brighter. "You get me." He's happy.

Not knowing what was lying there in front of him, Sael used his hands to feel about. It was a strange act in itself. Inanimate objects don’t have feelings or thoughts and yet he is touching them.

“Take the one that speaks to you the most. Whichever it is, we hang it up.” Aegon explains, “If you want me to describe them to you, let me know.”

Some were with sharp edges others were of a more fragile material, it crumbled when he touched them. Then he found one that was solid and smooth. It was thin and boney. It felt familiar. It felt like home.

He still remembers the lost souls that came to him with sorrow and grief. Anger and desperation. Their lives had ended, but their struggles followed them regardless and tied them to the ground. Touching them, it felt like the decoration in front of him. Even if the item had no feelings to get rid of, no need for him to guide it to the stars. It was familiar enough that he liked it.

“Ah, yes, that’s a classic. Good choice.” Aegon praises and with a bit more confidence, Sael draws it closer to him, “Now let’s see where we can hang it up…”

Sael took the object with him as he followed Aegon, blessed to have found a piece of home, despite it no longer resembling his memories. It seems that home was never really gone and he wonders then, where else he could find similarities. 

It made the drastic changes to this world, a little less overwhelming. [ 1.447 words ]

Next Part ➜

RALOF REILIFSON

Prompt from @oc-tober2023

[ I am not following the same order ]

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~ Fun

"They seem important. Are they our trainer?"

Merko, the young recruit next to him, shook his head, "That's the new Sovereign. You remember the tournament held in the city? No one expected it, but they were the one competitor that won the throne. People call them the foreign scholar."

"Don't they live in the castle?" Ralof asks, confused.

Merko laughs: "That doesn't mean they can't leave. Despite, if we become guards, we'll be under their command. I guess they just want to inspect the new recruits. Get a better picture to decide who is worth coming back."

"Oh, so they will decide who can come back?" Ralof stands straighter, trying to catch the Sovereign's attention with a wave of his hand, "I could ask them, tell them of our ambitions and maybe get a good word in for the three of us."

"Are you mad!" Merko pulls him back, making him stumble. "You don't just go and approach someone like them!"

"Why not?" Ralof frowns.

"You have to be careful with whose attention you grab. I heard they are a real snob, just look at all the jewelry. They think themselves better than us and I don't want to know what they'd do with your enthusiasm. Better to stay down, friend."

"Merko's right." It was Salek that joined them, a close friend of Merkos, all three seemingly the only ones here today coming from the lower districts, "I heard they even yelled at the merchant's guild for making their floor dirty. Made them run back out with their tails between their legs. The scholar is daring and cunning and they don't understand no fun."

Ralof frowns. "That sounds stressful."

Merko laughs, clapping Ralof on the back. "Don't break your head over it. Trust me, they don't care one bit about us either."

Ralof couldn't quite believe that. After all, they were training to become their guards, they must care about that. Otherwise, why would they be here?

He takes another look up to the walls, the Sovereign stands tall, hands clasped behind their back, speaking with the older man, their Commander, beside them. They did not smile once and maybe Salek was right. They hadn't had any fun in awhile, hadn't smiled in a long time. Ralof wondered how anyone could want to live like that. He's certain that it can't be by choice.

"Hurry, Ralof." Merko shouted, snapping Ralof out of it only to realise that everyone was gathering to line up. Damn, he was late again.

"Coming!" He ran as fast as he could, seeing Merko and Salek have saved him a spot next to them.

[ ~ 400 words ]

As a blacksmith he was used to only working with his dad and at times alone too, but he had to admit, training together was already alot of fun. If working together would be the same, he might have just found his callig. If he makes it into the recruitment that is.

He looks up one last time and noticed the Sovereign was watching them now. As if they were feeling his gaze on them, their eyes meet and with a kind smile and a little wave of his hand, Ralof greeted them. No smile from the Sovereign however. Then the Commander roared for their attention and Ralof had to look away.

RALOF REILIFSON

Thirty | he/him | 182 cm | Human | Nord

The self is not so weightless, nor whole and unbroken Remember the pact of our youth Where you go, I'm going, so jump and I'm jumping Since there is no me without you — Gang of Youths

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Prompt from:@oc-tober2023 [ I am not following the same order ]

~ Found Family

Chirp, chirp.

Ralof was awake even before the birds had sung their first tune. The floorboards creaked as he quickly reached the end of his small room, throwing a simple shirt and trousers on. The bed groaned as he sat back down to squeeze his feet into his way too small shoes. It was a simple life, but he did not mind, because looking up, hanging on the loose nail opposite of him, was his leather armour.

Reaching for it, he drew a tentative hand over the fabric, it too wasn't much, worn and a little too small for his broad frame, but it was his and he is going to wear it with pride.

Running down the stairs, he was now fully dressed, passing by the kitchen, he already saw his father prepare some breakfast.

"Morning, dad. You're early." He noticed, as he pressed himself next to his father to steal a stale slice of bread, biting into it.

"You won't leave the house without a proper breakfast." His father chastises, making Ralof halt in his quick escape, "And you need to take something with you for lunch."

He held out a small package, the breakfast he had been preparing all wrapped up in a clean cotton cloth.

"You got up this early to make me these?" Ralof was touched, usually his dad was more than grumpy about his sleep.

"I was awake anyway. Couldn't sleep. So I made use of my time." He deflects and it draws a smile on Ralofs lips.

"I couldn't sleep either, so I thought I will get there early." He gently takes the package from his fathers outstretched hand.

"Thank you." He leans forward to give his father a kiss on the cheek. "I'll tell you everything tonight."

"May Fate favour you today."

Ralof was out of the door with a light skip to his step. The air was stuffy and it had recently rained, making the path muddy and dirty but he did not mind. It was his home and he liked it here very much.

"Good morning, Ralof." He looked up, seeing his elderly neighbour throw the night pot out the window, "You're early today."

"It's the first day at my new job!" He shouted back so she would hear him.

"A new job? I thought you would take over your father's smithy. How strange."

"As of today, I am a recruit guarding the outer Walls, so if you have any concerns regarding your safety, I can be of help." He pushes his chest forward, presenting his new leather armour.

"Oh, my door has been giving me troubles lately. I fear it will fall off its hinges soon. You father had crafted them for me when he was learning under your grandfather. If you could take a look before it falls open? I am afraid of having to life without a door in these dark times."

He could surely spare the time.

"I can take a look, no problem."

She smiles brightly. "You are a darling. Thank you, Ralof."

It turned out, the hinges were just slightly loose and he walked back home to get the right tool to fix it. Then she invited him for a small cup of tea, when she took out the baked loaves, he declined and instead took them with him as she insisted on repaying him.

Now, no longer as early as he was, he resumed his walk towards the outer walls of the fortress, his little lunch package, a little fuller.

His path had him walk straight through the daily market. He liked the market very much, so many different foods and items to look at and people that came from all around Aestricca just to sell their things here. The stories he had heard them tell, always captivated him, but at the end of the day, he was still glad to be where he was.

"Ooh, look at you all dressed up." He stopped at the sound of the familiar voice. Turning around he saw a young woman with a headband wrapped around her head, standing behind a small stall selling vegetables. She was the daughter of one of the farmers living outside the walls.

He instantly stood a little taller, showing off his new armour. "I am on my way to my very first day."

"Never thought you would be the one joining the other side. Be careful not to forget us little folk here when it gets to your head." She quips, pushing her chin out.

"It's only a trial today, but I'm sure I will be taken in as a recruit. I do it because I want to help us here afterall. If there are any concerns for your safety, you can let me know. It's my job now."

She chuckles. "Careful not to say that too loud while wearing that armour. Someme might take it you feel the fortress is not a safe place to be."

He frowns. "But thats why we have the guards, to make it safe."

"All I'm saying is, that this armour gives you authority. All kinds of people will turn to you just because of ehat you wear. Use that power wisely. Saying the wrong thing to the wrong person can get you easily killed and not all take kindly to the guards."

Ralof was quiet for a moment, stunned she would think so. He had never been very good at reading situations, at least that's what he'd been told. His father always said, he better stay away from jobs that require smarts. Politics make too much troubles, and do something with his hands. He was no longer a blacksmith apprentice but is being a guard so different?

"I didn't mean to scare you. Just wanted to give you a proper warning, in case no one did. I'm sure you do fine though, you've always been enganging with the community anyway, if anyone, you will give the position a better name. You're one of the good ones, Ralof."

"I dont think there are bad guards." He shakes his head, "They follow a code, you know. I had to learn it too, the preservation of the community comes first. We need to act for the greater good. That's what I intend to do. Help people."

She gave him a weak smile. "Sure you will do great."

He nods, no doubt he will, he wasnt sure why she was so worried. Why everyone seems to want to warn him. First his dad, now her too. Then he gets it. They were afraid he'd be too busy for them. "I will still be able to help you out with setting up the stall. Don't fret, I might be more busy than usual, but I will be here if you have to carry a prized pumpkin again."

She laughs at that, "You almost dropped it last year insisting on carrying it all on your own. I'm not sure I will entrust my prized pumpkin to you again." She winks at him.

"But I will be training harder than ever now. So give me the biggest pumpkin you have and you'll see I will carry it for you with ease." He grins and she matches it easily.

"I will hold you up to that. Now I think you should be on your way. The sun is already rising above the walls." She points into the distance, where the high stone walls of the fortress loom over them all. "Dont think you want to be late to your first day."

"By the gods! I forgot the time. Let me know about the pumpkin!" He shouted the last words, already jogging down the street, dodging shoppers and merchants alike as he easily navigates through the masses of people.

A few more greet him, call him by name, but he excused himself, not having the time to stop and chat this time. He liked this city. Many speak bad about the lower district of Skaeld but he wouldn't be anywhere else. It's where he grew up, it's where everyone knew him, everyone was family to him, if blood or not. Here he would always stay and being a guard won't change that.

He had found his home, his family and choose to keep and support it as one should.

[ ~ 1.387 words ]

International Mountain Day 2023

Norway Mountains for this year 🏔

Happy Mountain Day everyone.

NULBURNAD

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~ History

The wind was ice cold so high up on the mountaintops, the path snakes along through the gaps of the rocks, unsteady and loose. 

Nulburnad was cold when they arrived at the top, another reminder of their mortality.

There stood a statue, the image of a giant wolf with long teeth and three eyes looking down at the fortress below. The people of Skaeld had built it to honour their god, but knowing the god of mountains, its size did nothing to his real image.

"I need a favour." Nulburnad throws the dead rabbit they had carried onto the stoney ground in front of them.

Suddenly, the rock before them moved, it leaped into the air and landed only inches from them. Now in the form of a gigantic wolf, blaring its teeth.

"Not even polite enough to grant me a reaction, sibling." The wolf smacks his tongue, backing away disappointed at Nulburnads absence of a reaction.

"And all you bring me is a tiny rabbit." The wolf pushed the dead body with his paw, watching it flop over, "Should I eat you instead?"

"I am here on serious business."

"Why not chat with me first? I've met Arcos the other day, they said they wanted the items back they gifted you." The wolf cackles, a strange sound coming from a giant animal.

"You told them of me?" Nulburnad frowns displeased.

The wolf just walks around them, wagging his tail as he does, "I told them that you supposedly died. Thought you both were quite close to each other back then. Guess I was wrong. They were more interested in the lost treasure that you hid away. I still wonder, why did you come to me for help and not them?"

"I had to finish what I had started." Nulburnad says, serious.

The wolf flops down next to them, inching closer to the small Sovereign.

"You've made yourself quite cozy in the fortress have you not? Didn't the former Queen help in killing you? Sounds to me like you're after revenge."

Nulburnad scoffs, "I am not so petty. It's just a bad coincidence."

"Coincidence." The wolf muses, lifting his paws to draw the Sovereign closer to him, "Your heart tells a different story."

Nulburnad turns away from the wolf's penetrating gaze, his nosiness nothing they enjoy.

"I want to open mines into your mountain. Help the north support itself." 

The wolf didn't seem eager to talk about business, as he flops down on his side with a huff.

"Whatever you want to do, you always have good arguments for it. Do what you must." The wolf yawns, scratching its chin, "I'm glad you came actually. Heard alot about you stirring up trouble with that one mortal. You're rather fond of him, aren't you? Ralof, isn't it? He is one of my most loyal followers. I could tell you what he thinks of you too." The wolf smiles a toothy grin.

Nulburnad heard their heart beat faster, daring to deceive them. "I came here to discuss the mines. The Nords respect you greatly, Ulgrim. They wouldn't let me proceed without asking you first. I wouldn't be here otherwise."

"What are you afraid of? You know I can read your thoughts." Ulgrim smiles delightedly as he plants his giant head flat onto the stone, one yellow eye looking closely at the small person beside him, "Oh, he reminds you of someone. He is not so different to Ral the sun god, your former friend. Both are very positive and honest personalities. Wearing their emotions on their sleeves. How very human of them. You do have a type, don't you? I can see the resemblance now."

"Get out of my head." Nulburnad hisses, irritation in their movements as they pierce the wolf with a warning glare.

"Then you shouldn't have become my follower, you know. I always wondered what was going on in your head. Even back then when we were racing through the lands. You were so distant, so cold, but I liked your ruthlessness." The wolf then lifts their head again, placing one leg over the other, thinking, "Wasn't Ral there with us? I've barely ever seen you two apart. He was always a delight, wins everyone's hearts so easily, doesn't he? I never thought he could melt yours too. You have a lot of history together. Don't you wonder how he is doing today? If he regrets killing you or do you think he would try again?"

"There is no need to think about what is no longer important. I came to you for matters that impact the present." Nulburnad stared at the wolf, daring him to say anything else about the topic.

The wolf hummed, Nulburnad knew he would have liked to say more, but at least he knew when to stop. It seems the respect they both had for each other, had remained.

Ulgrim walks to the edge of the mountain. Below them sleeps the fortress of Skaeld restless and vulnerable. After a while Nulburnad joins him.

"There are many that disapprove of your arrival. They fear the changes that you will bring, the ones you already made. The Nords value tradition very much - threaten their beliefs and they will cut you down."

"They wouldn't be the first." Nulburnad crosses their arms in front of their chest, looking passively down onto the city, "I am not playing their parent like the former Queen had, there is no need to coddle them. The situation is getting worse, change is inevitable."

The wolf snickers. "You always loved stirring trouble, speaking words no one wants to hear. Don't make it sound like you had no other choice. You're enjoying it, I can tell. It's why Ral cut you down too, there are only so many rules one can break without angering a few."

"Let them be angry then." Nulburnad says, "Someone has to say how is it. I wouldn't want to remain ignorant either. Besides, never thought you interested in the politics of mortals."

"Despite what our siblings say, I am not a feral beast like Shlaegor." The wolf growls, "I have my reasons."

They were silent for a moment, enjoying the night air, the blackened starless night sky pressing down on them from above.

"It's not so much the mortals that worry me. Some gods have become aware of your presence." The wolf was serious now, "Uwila has always been meddlesome in human affairs. She had asked me to investigate you and give her information."

Nulburnad looks at the wolf, the one confidant they entrusted their circumstances with and the one they had asked to keep it a secret.

The wolf cackles then. "I told her to suck it!"

Nulburnad found no amusement in it. Uwila was nothing but persistent. If they had raised her interest, she would soon send someone to investigate them.

"Even the old gods seem to take an interest in you. Seems like the old days, doesn't it? You are only here for a month now and already stepping on everyone's feet." The wolf speaks, restlessness making him stand back up on his paws.

Then he gets serious, head tilting downwards to better perceive Nulburnads small form.

"What I am concerned about is their constant presence. The old gods are lingering around my domain. They never cared for it before." The wolf fletched his teeth for a moment, a nervous habit perhaps, "I can live with you stirring up trouble with the mortals, but you are starting to attract the old gods, endangering my followers. Fate had watched Ralof rather closely as of late. I fear your meeting with him was entirely made by Fate themselves. So tell me, what have you done to get the old gods so interested?"

"Fate had sent the former Queen after me before, in an attempt to stop me. I am not going to fall for the same trick twice. If Fate wants Ralof to stand in my way, I will not be moved by it. The darkness has gone out of control and I will stop it."

The wolf tilts his head. "In all our history together, I never thought you had gained the title god of ice for your personality but I am starting to believe it now. Do as you please, but I draw the line at dragging my followers into your mess. We do not want the old gods here. If you keep antagonising them, I feel forced to act."

Nulburnad almost smiles at Ulgrims threat, it meant very little to them.

"Every god had turned a blind eye to the increasing darkness. As gods, mortals swear on our protection. Who else should be responsible for the misery that has befallen mortality if not to us. Your domain is said to have the highest increase of Underfolk, that should be something you worry about and not the interest Fate has in me."

"We were doing just fine hunting those bastards." The wolf bared his teeth, "It keeps them at bay and it will keep doing so. You're just holding onto your misplaced heroism because you're afraid that Ral has been right in stopping your madness!"

"Fighting them won't help the situation." Nulburnad remained calm, "You can't kill what's already dead. Don't you see? You're just avoiding the inevitable The darkness doesn't spare gods and if you keep eating them, you'll be the next to fall. They will devour you from the inside."

"Ral had killed you for overstepping all the boundaries there are. You are doing it again!" The Wolf barks, "I protect my domain as I see fit. Your criticism is not welcome here!"

"I am doing my responsibility as a god. I promised my followers protection and I will not let them down."

"And see where that has taken you. You are no god any more, dear sibling. Your influence is limited. Give up now, before it's too late."

Ulgrim looks down at Nulburnads small form. Mortal and fragile, but they refused to believe they hold no power. They had seen this coming. Friends and siblings turning on them, it was to be expected when Fate was on their game, but something they can look past. It's not their fault to not see clearly.

Nulburnad knew that they can succeed in their goal. No matter the cost. To achieve it, they could not waver, especially not when they want it the most. Even when they have to stand alone, facing friends and foes alike. Fate was nothing but persistent, but so could they.

Ral had caught them off guard once, it won't happen again with Ralof.

History will not repeat itself. This time, Nulburnad will be prepared and they will defy Fate and cure the darkness for good.