Absolute Chaos
Chapter 34.

Temu had built the shaft that led under the pyramid to the East of the pyramid, it ran in elaborate underground tunnels in a confused tangle of mazes, the main chamber been perfectly aligned with Azure-Alkun and her three dwarf suns.

He had constructed this strange complex for two reasons, the true purpose was never disclosed to any of the humans.

The people of Otamia believed the pyramid they built was a great temple, Temu had told them the great chambers under the temple held a huge empty tomb. This tomb was supposed to hold him when he passed. It would be where they laid their great King when he left this cruel world.

However the true reasons were quite complex, the first was the easiest to explain. The elaborate web of tunnels under the tremendous pyramid led to a chamber, this is were the ‘Ark of Chaos’ was to rest. Temu had built a secret room as far to Earths core as he dared, laying a curse over the golden box to keep all evil and humans at bay.

The second purpose was to open a gateway, a portal back to Chaos.

But, Temu never completed his journey. Am-heh had taken his life, he had snatched his pure soul and stolen his ‘Rib of Chaos’ from within and buried it deep in the sands of Otamia. Am-heh had been the one to return to Azure-Alkun, not Temu.

Earth had masked the insanity below her obscure atmosphere, Chaos could not see this one planet, she could not see past all the sin. So it was easy for Am-heh to lie to his creator, he lied to Chaos in the pitch black above all the galaxies.

Chaos had allowed him to dwell back on the prodigious blue planet, but not in the twilight of the Divine, he could never again dance with the purest of angelic beings on Azure-Alkun.

***

Sapphire light poured from each of her irises, Amaunet could feel the precious gems incredible pull beneath her, calling her, daring her to hold it. However something was not right, its force was too strong, almost as if the diamonds two halves were both near.

Snapping her attention back to Am-heh had Maia and the painted words in Kaija’s blood in the great pyramids chamber. ‘Bring me your Chaos or your other friends next Goddess!.’ The putrid God had graffitied in crimson.

Darkness loomed above Amaunet, dark clouds had covered Otamia, shadowing the trapdoor in blackness.

The door lay on the ground next to two giant boulders, it was left gaping open, the thin layer of red sand had scattered over the rocks at its sides.

Knowing it would be a labyrinth down there, she stepped into the pitch black shaft, its depth of about 75 royal cubits. Grooves had been cut at regular intervals into the cool harsh granite walls, these acted as a ladder all the way to the ground.

Dark blue light poured from the Goddess of Obscurity, glowing into the claustrophobia, her Chaos had now filled her core, ignited the suffocating dark around her, lighting the way ahead.

Finally she reached the bottom of the long dark shaft, rapidly spinning on her heels, the air leaving her lungs at the horror that lay at her feet.

The small broken body of Kaija lay before her. Her throat had been torn, her spine was fractured and the poor woman had been completely gutted. Kaija’s intestines had spilled all over the ground around her.

Amaunet knelt at her side, holding her hands to her heart and spoke silent words to her lifeless form. Hot tears of pure Divinity fell over Kaija’s still warm corpse, blessing her spirit as she gently closed the beautiful souls eyes.

Amaunet stood, knowing she had to replace Maia and fast. She did not have long before Maia would join her friend in her tragic destiny otherwise.

Peering into the long passageway, an intricately carved archway lay up ahead, leading to three tunnels, the walls made of huge red granite blocks, packed with quartz crystal, their weight unimaginable.

Amaunet stood frozen, her eyes shone like smokey blue fire over the arch that led to the second passageway, it was intricately carved with designs from the cosmos above.

Tiny planets, stars, moons, and other celestial objects were etched into the smooth rock, along with strange winged creatures of exquisite design.

Back to the task ahead, Amaunet flowed down the long dark passage, entering another dark tunnel further down to her right. The walls were made of limestone and covered in beautiful depictions, all in different shades of blue and silver.

These pictures told a very ancient tale, a tale Amaunet scanned as she rushed through the tunnel, the true story of what happened to Temu in his very own words. Angered at her own ignorance, she hadn’t thought of what happened to the God Temu for a very long time. It had happened so many moons ago now she had almost forgotten about the incident all together. Now that the great Gods rib had merged with hers, it had shown Amaunet his gut wrenching fate.

Now coming to a tunnel that led directly to the North, Amaunet sprinted silently down the long passage, halting abruptly as she came to a huge granite stair case carved deep into the rock.

Amaunet could feel the Alzphaeta Diamond’s incredible pull beneath her, calling her, daring her to hold it.

The air smelt foul, she stood frozen, there was an unknown sinful presence surrounding her and it was not the putrid scent of Am-heh, yet there was a pure presence mixed amidst the stench, another of the Divine had graced these grounds. Their scent was veiled, clouded in a grey stormy cloud. Amaunet only knew of a few celestial beings that Chaos had created who could shadow themselves from all of the primordial Deities and even Chaos herself.

A ethereal chill of awe rippled throughout Amaunet’s blood, she could feel the dark purity of the Divine presence and the evil of the other being seeping through it. She did not want to think of what may lurk deep beneath and quickly pushed her focus back to Maia and what little time she had left

Slowly, Amaunet moved down the forty two steep stairs. These were made of massive granite blocks the same size as the shaft and corridor walls. Each step was carved with a different symbol, some of Earths unique animals, others of unusual creatures unknown to mankind, every pace she took was closer to an unknown destiny.

Carefully descending into the darkness below, no light was here only inky blackness, each step felt like she was falling into nothingness.

She pushed the light further throughout her core, the blue glowed like a beacon, surrounding her ashen flesh, casting dark moving shadows over the massive carved rocks.

Once at the bottom of the staircase it opened to a large rectangular room, it was cut out of the beautiful white limestone rock.

Huge red granite and limestone columns lined each wall, they were lit with dull quartz crystal and carved with strange planets and stars.

Forty two columns, twenty one on each side lined the huge space. Hieroglyphs telling the story of the God Temu, Am-heh and their fate ringed the pillars bases.

She knew each pillar was not entirely solid, Temu would have built them with a small, perfectly round duct running directly through each columns centre, these ducts were all connected to other ducts and pipes under the elaborate complex.

Freezing air wafted around each column, claiming them as its own. She knew the foul God was here, however she could not see him.

A small muffled cry came out from behind her, quickly Amaunet swung her body towards the noise.

“Ha ha ha ha ha ha”, a pealing of wicked laughter resounded around the large chamber. Not quite able to pin point exactly where Am-heh was, the echo bounced all around her.

“Show yourself Am-heh,... or are you A COWARD?!.” Amaunet was enraged, he had Maia, she could now feel the poor woman’s fear and fury, it was seeping amid her bones from the entire shadowed room.

Am-heh again laughed, however this time it was filled with rage, she knew her accusing him of been a coward would anger him, it always seemed to with a lot of the lessor Gods, their pride been more important than common sense.

Coming out from the column closest to the stairway, Am-heh held Maia by the hair, dragging her by her long plait, naked and screaming.

He swung her up off her bloody grazed knees and lifted her in the air, holding her by the neck high in front of him.

“Your Chaos, for her life,....YOUR CHOICE!.” The depraved soul roared, whilst squeezing the sheer life from Maia, whom was trying desperately to claw his huge hand from her throat.

Amaunet looked up at Maia, she did not hesitate in her decision, she would fight or die trying.

The fear in Maia’s eyes tore at the Goddesses true heart, the sound coming from her near crushed windpipe terrified Amaunet, she knew she did not have much time.

Taking two steps towards Am-heh, she held out her palms to show her intent.

“Take my Chaos Am-heh, but you MUST GIVE ME MAIA.!” Screaming these last words, the walls and floors vibrated with her rage, the huge pillars shifting nervously beside them. Amaunet’s Chaos was not happy, she could feel the tiny sapphires erratically lighting up within, unlocking her unique code.

Shadows danced in cruel hectic loops, veiling her flesh in sheer sadness. Her dark raging oceans pierced Am-heh’s beady eyes as she watched him drop Maia. She hit the hard granite floor with a sickening “Thunk”, landing on her hands and knees. Maia was gasping for fresh air, yet only managed to gulp in the stale putrid odour of Am-heh, gagging violently at his bare feet.

Am-heh forced his massive wings through his bones, bloody white feathers shattered the air and he rested his filthy foot between Maia’s shoulder blades and head, he would crush her if Amaunet did not give him what he wanted, he would shatter Maia’s bones and squash her human skull, the jolts of desperate agony as she died would be beyond brutal.

Maia could not die!, her beautiful human soul would live!, live until fate decided, not die from this foul beings bidding!.

Quickly she nodded towards Am-heh, he saw right away that her heart was true.

Immediately the putrid beast released Maia, his foot moved from her neck, releasing the intense burning pressure off her delicate bones and allowing her to breathe a bit easier.

“No..Amaunet...No.” Barley a harsh whisper escaped Maia’s burning throat, the amazing woman had no fear of death.

Taking another strong step towards Am-heh, she ripped clean through her flax linen wrap, screaming out to her creator.

“By all the creatures Divine,...PLEASE HELP ME CHAOS!”. Screeching these words, the anguish coming purely from her soul, Amaunet now fell to her knees, her small hands tearing into her own flesh.

The extraordinary Goddesses eyes did not leave Am-heh’s dark pools of sin for a second, even as they sunk to dull murky lakes of pain, turning her already ashen skin into the colour of freshly fallen snow, she still drilled her fury deep into his dark soul.

Her sleek fingers moved further through her muscles and nerves until she came to the elegant curved rib that lay under her left breast.

It was her beautiful Chaos, it had merged with the first God Temu’s rib and she was loosing it, her heart shattering with the realisation.

However what happened next was beyond Amaunet. She watched Am-heh’s eyes change from victory to confusion.

Both Raijen and Kaydir came out from the darkness and sliced his two massive wings clean from his shoulder blades.

Each imposing man held a machete, they had been made by Temu many moons before. Each deadly blade made from precisely sharpened meteoritic iron and other strange metals not from this Earth. Their long, elegant blades, aflame with Chaos’s fire, easily slicing through the toughest of bone or stone.

The sound that came from Am-heh was mixed with horror and shock. His fetid eyes widened as he searched Amaunet’s, he didn’t understand what had just happened, he had been so focused on her tearing out her rib, he didn’t see his surroundings and neither did Amaunet. Maia was the only one who had seen her two saviours, they were carefully waiting in the shadows, waiting for the perfect time to strike.

As Am-heh’s wings crashed to the rock, Maia quickly rolled to her side away from the heavy falling feathers and scampered towards Raijen and Kaydir. The wicked God dropped to his knees taking in huge gulps of air, his dark skin had paled considerably and now glowed an eerie grey amongst Amaunet’s brilliant cool light.

Raijen and Kaydir slashed at his bare flesh, slicing huge gashes through Am-heh’s thighs and stomach.

Roaring, Am-heh swung his powerful arms at both men, managing to clip Kaydir, whom was startled that he had actually gained air. His huge form slammed into one of the central columns, cracking the ancient stone, showering dust over his dark sweaty flesh. Raijen just managed to avoid his sickening blow and rolled behind the fallen God with lightning speed.

Raijen came at Am-heh again, the sleek silver of the blade glinting with blue fire as it now tore into his forearm.

Amaunet could see the fury and pain ripple throughout the man she truely loved as he cut into the evil Gods soul, Am-heh’s vile blood spraying over the unique depictions on the cold white stone around them.

Through all the madness Am-heh began to transform, changing into his huge jackal form. Amaunet watched with sickening abhorrence, his bones cracked and deformed, his neck snapped backwards and his face rapidly lengthened and changed.

Am-heh’s nose and chin connected into a grotesque knitting of muscles and tendons. Fangs that dripped with a bloody stench protruded from his mangled mess of a face, clotted black fur covered his flesh and a large jackals head now faced her.

Although, it was only his head that changed this time, this would now be his infinite form, he would never change into the mighty winged God he once was again. He would always be a jackal headed man, stuck in this putrid form for eternity and beyond or until his soul was caged in the depths of hell.

Am-heh stood before Amaunet and her friends as a wingless man now, yet with the head of a huge wild jackal.

Panicking, he scrambled to his feet, blood spurt in hot streaks from his mangled flesh, howling as he fled towards the tall staircase, both Raijen and Kaydir quickly at his heels.

He managed to take half a dozen paces up the stairs before the two enraged men grabbed hold of his legs, yanking his huge bleeding body down them.

Flying to them with lightning speed, Amaunet halted Raijen and Kaydir, they would have killed the sinful God in that moment if it weren’t for her quick thinking.

Sapphire hues swum over the exquisite Goddess, brighter now that her Chaos was safe from the foul god.

The tattoo that ran down Amaunet’s left side and leg had lit up, dark blue light fractured from the strange design, now feeling her curved ‘Rib of Chaos’ pulsing in thick waves throughout her.

A showering of gorgeous blue plasma began to fall around Am-heh then, enclosing the terrified jackal headed man within it.

Raijen and Kaydir stopped short in front of the blue field. Kaydir daring to touch it, the result been most unpleasant, crying out in intense agony as the blue plasma threw him back into the stairway, winding him. Maia quickly staggered to Kaydir’s side, sitting on the bottom step of the grand staircase while he gasped the stale air.

Murder slammed through Raijen’s eyes, Amaunet looked directly at him, she could see he wanted Am-heh dead for what he had done. He opened his mouth to speak, yet she quickly cut in before he could.

“Killing Am-heh’s physical body will not kill his spirit, it would only make it harder to replace. His soul would become lost in the wind and sand until it latched onto some poor innocent soul and corrupt it with his own. That person would eventually become Am-heh and horrors unimaginable will happen here again.“

Raijen’s eyes softened some, he moved towards Amaunet. Her magnificent wings falling abruptly to her side, the light that fractured through her tattooed flesh now dulled and disappeared.

His huge arms were around her before she could take another breath, she could hear his strong rapid heartbeat as she held her ear to his chest. Smoothing her flaxen hair, he just held her for a time, Amaunet silently knowing what needed to be done.

Raijen moved Amaunet’s hair from her brow and tilted her chin towards his. He dared to touch her wings then, searching the deep ocean of her irises, softly caressing her silky silver feathers, although their spell suddenly broken, Am-heh howled and screeched from his plasma cage.

Now Maia and Kaydir approached their Goddess.

“What is that Amaunet.?” Maia quietly moved up behind her. Even in this situation Maia was more curious than scared. Amaunet smiled inwardly whilst the amazing woman held her head high next to her Goddess.

“It is hard to explain Maia, but it will keep him bound to this spot until I send him to Hell.”