The Chimera (Legends of the Dark Creatures Book 2)
Chapter Thirty-Seven: Darkness That Will Always Protect

Never before had Deimos felt such a dark aura. It was vile, powerful and was spreading into the halls of the holy temple. Ethan, with his blood-stained clothes, was still on the floor; but not for long. Deimos was certain that the Chimera was already destroyed when he crushed his heart but something was preventing him from crossing the void.

“You all need to leave,” said Deimos. “And Richard. Before you try to protest know that you can't fight against what’s about to come.”

Boiling with anger, Richard’s hands folded into fists and he let go of Samantha. The girl ran to her friend, Ashley, who fell unconscious ever since she gave them the warning to leave; or rather, ever since Ethan had used her as a medium to send everyone a warning to escape.

Richard and the rest were behind a barrier; one set up by Deimos the moment he felt something off about Ethan. The barrier protected them from Ethan’s dark aura.

“Well, looks like my work here is done,” Talya said with a devious smile. “I will be rooting for you, my lord.”

After those words, a thick cloud of dark smoke surrounded Talya and she vanished from everyone’s sight. Since he first appeared before her, Deimos had been unable to peer into her mind. She might have been using very powerful magic to prevent him from doing so. But now that he had the power of all the twelve Olympians, Deimos could have read her thoughts and finally replace out what exactly her motives in all this were; had she not vanished.

“Ethan?” Samantha gasped.

It’s here, Deimos thought and turned.

The hole in Ethan’s chest had already healed; as did all his previous wounds.

Ethan’s eyes were glowing red, focused on Deimos.

“Death… Darkness… Destruction…” Ethan said in a whispery tone.

Deimos channeled Zeus’ power to his hand.

“Get ready,” he said to Richard. “I am sending you to the mountain on the other side of this island.”

“Make sure that monster suffers,” Richard said, looking at Ethan.

“That goes without question,” Deimos replied.

Thunder resounded everywhere and streams of lightning hit Richard and the rest, sending them far away from the temple.

Deimos conjured two large golden broad swords and pointed them at Ethan.

“It appears it will take more than ripping your heart to destroy you, Chimera,” he said.

“Death, darkness, destruction,” Ethan muttered and began walking towards Deimos.

Death, darkness, destruction…. Death, darkness, destruction…

The words echoed throughout the building and every time Deimos tried to gaze into Ethan’s mind, that’s all he could hear.

Deimos gasped when Ethan was suddenly standing in front of him.

At that moment that Deimos heard his words.

“I am death, I am darkness… I am destruction”

The blast of dark power from Ethan’s hand hit Deimos, slamming him through the wall and out of the building. Quickly gathering his thoughts, Deimos twisted his body and levitated in the air.

A powerful wave of air tore the holy temple apart, throwing some of its rocks in Deimos’ direction. Deimos clenched his fist and punched through an incoming rock.

Ethan was standing at the center of the destroyed building. Gusts of wind and a multitude of rocks began to gather around him. Deimos then heard the sound of trees crumbling behind him and when he turned he saw a tsunami-sized wave coming in his direction. He flew slightly higher and watched as Ethan gathered all the water around and below him.

The ground was shaking. Tornadoes were gathering not only around Ethan but all over Olympus.

Three seals, Deimos thought. This is the Chimera’s strength at three seals. His lips curved into a smile and he charged at the Chimera.

Ethan raised his arms and sharp projectiles of rocks came at Deimos. Swinging his sword, Deimos sliced and deflected each rock. He reached Ethan and fired lightning at him but Ethan blocked by creating lightning with the air around him.

Deimos dashed behind Ethan only to have his boots caught by a tendril of mud. Ethan controlled the mixture of water and earth and threw Deimos in the air. Teleporting with lightning, Deimos managed to dodge a gale of sharp scythes of compressed air and water. He conjured two bolts of lightning in his hands and channeled the strength of seven of the Olympians.

Dashing at unimaginable speed, Deimos grabbed Ethan by his neck and threw him from the sky to the ground. Where Ethan landed, the ground split open and trees were blown away. Deimos didn’t give Ethan a chance to recover. He quickly moved and stabbed Ethan with the bolts of lightning that he held. Dark red blood came out of Ethan’s mouth but instead of squirming in pain, a proud smirk crossed Ethan’s face. Deimos’ eyes widened when lightning hit his back and flung him away from Ethan.

I felt that Deimos thought and it was when he turned that he realized something. Ethan’s eyes were black and hollow. His movements were random and his mind was completely blank. Withered trees and dead animals surrounded him and more followed as his vile aura spread throughout the area.

Despite all this, what bothered Deimos was the wide smirk Ethan had on his face and the bloodlust it carried.

“You are not Ethan, are you?” Deimos asked but received no response.

Whatever entity was possessing Ethan’s body had neither mind nor soul. When Ethan arrived in the temple, Deimos sensed that he was hesitant to unlock more than the two seals he was already drawing power from. Perhaps this was the reason why. Seeing the Chimera—hailed as the most beautiful warrior in all creation— in such an unpleasant state disgusted Deimos. He channeled all of his power and returned to his god form. When his body had grown over twice the size of a human, Deimos stared down at Ethan. The Chimera kept looking at him with that eerie gaze.

“This battle disappointed me, Chimera,” declared Deimos. Dark clouds began to gather in the sky and a ball of raging fire, surrounded by yellow lightning, appeared.

“A fragment of the fires that forged the very weapons of the gods. This will be what purges you from existence, Chimera.”

An orange-yellow beam of flames and lightning fell from the sky and crashed on Ethan. The Chimera roared in agony. The lightning tore through the ground and the flames incinerated everything in sight. The scent of burning flesh reached Deimos’ nostrils and he increased the intensity of the flames by clenching his fist.

At the wave of Deimos’ hand, the flames dissipated. Nothing of Ethan was left; not his clothes, his blood, or his bones. There was a huge black crater left by the flames and Deimos shook his head in disappointment.

“I guess even the Chimera was not much for all the twelve Olympians,” he said to himself staring at his fist. “Perhaps now I can return home.”

Deimos thought about teleporting to where he’d sent Richard and the others but just before he could, an inconceivable thing happened.

It started as a small cloud of black dust on the ground. Slowly, it gathered. It took shape; a shape of a young man and not just any young man. From bones to flesh and finally, to the skin, Deimos witnessed as Ethan once again stood before him. The dark cloud culminated around Ethan and formed into his clothes.

After Ethan’s materialization was complete, Deimos— through Demeter’s power— heard the very earth weep. He felt it. With the power of the twelve Olympians, Deimos was spatially aware of everything on Earth. Quakes were starting, tides were rising, the winds were screaming, volcanoes were roaring and disasters, unlike anything mankind, had ever seen would begin if he didn’t stop the Chimera.

Then Deimos heard an ear-piercing roar. He recognized that sound. During the Divine Wars, it was a sound that echoed day and night in Olympus. Deimos turned and saw creatures that once aided the Titans creeping out of the ground. The gods had sealed them in the depths of the Earth thousands of years ago and it was believed no power could awaken them.

The creatures walked and stood like humans. A dark mist covered them and granted them the ability to fly. While it posed no threat to gods or dark creatures, the mist around these creatures devoured the life force of any living being.

The creatures began flying in different directions. Deimos raised his hand and lightning fell on most of them. Another roar came from behind Deimos. He turned and saw the Chimera viciously running his hand through his hair like a madman. Ethan was shaking his head and punching himself. He roared and screamed and when he tried to move, rocky spikes shot out of the ground below him; impaling every part of his body.

Is he trying to fight whatever is controlling him? Deimos thought.

As if Deimos hadn’t witnessed enough madness, a thunderous growl came from behind him. Deimos’ eyes widened when two large giants rose from the ground. They each had humanoid bodies of rock and lava; and each time they roared, the creatures of mist came from their mouth. Even with just half their bodies out of the ground, they were already taller than all the trees in the area.

Titans. These were the Titans; Coeus, and Themis. During the great Divine War, they were the only two Titans who helped the gods archive victory. Zeus had vowed not to have them destroyed but then when the war was over, he sealed them on the grounds of Olympus. Only the power of a god could have released them yet, Ethan’s aura alone was enough for that task.

Deimos gritted his teeth. There was a technique he was planning on using on Ethan as a last resort. It would have guaranteed the monster’s destruction. The gods could only use it once every fifty millennia else they would risk the destruction of the very realm they were swords to protect.

The power of this technique was what obliterated the Titans. But using it against Ethan would mean leaving the Earth realm to the mercy of these two Titans.

Deimos turned to Ethan. The Chimera was still fighting the darkness trying to control him.

“A worse fate awaits the realm if the Chimera’s existence continues,” Deimos said. “Humans have stood up to gods and Titans before so my choice is clear—”

Ethan blurred past Deimos and flew toward the Titans. By the time Deimos turned, Ethan was already standing underneath them. Coeus raised his leg and lowered it towards Ethan. The Titan’s foot hit the ground. Deimos flew in the air when the ground below him opened; spitting out fire and brimstone.

However, what shocked him was seeing Ethan flying and pushing Coeus’s leg. With a roar, Ethan managed to lift the mighty Titan and threw it against the other one. The Titans crushed into the trees as they fell. Harsh storms were gathering around Ethan and when he raised his hand, tendrils of rocks grabbed hold of the Titans and pinned them to the ground.

Ethan held his position in the air and roared like a wild animal.

Why was he fighting the very creatures he had just helped awaken? Deimos thought and when he tried looking into Ethan’s mind, his eyebrows rose in shock at what he saw. It was no longer darkness that Deimos just saw but amidst the darkness, he saw Richard, Samantha, Luke, Claire, the whole town of Ravenhill, and its people. Deimos saw the faces of people he didn’t quite recognize and to his surprise, he also saw Ashley.

Protect them

That was the only thought running through Ethan’s mind.

“So even you have those you wish to protect,” Deimos uttered.

Deimos flew into the sky and looked down at Ethan. He was still holding the Titans down but the rocks holding them were beginning to crumble. Gesturing his hands and interlocking his fingers, Deimos made a hand sign. Golden lightning sliced through the sky as he begin to chant an ancient spell. He was using the old, divine magic of the gods; summoning a power that not only defeated the Titans but was once almost used to exterminate the human race.

Large golden magic circles appeared in the sky, right above Ethan and a barrier engulfed The Chimera with the Titans.

Ethan was able to survive the heat of the sun but what would he do against the searing flames of a thousand suns?

Should the Celestials permit us, we can call forth unfathomable power. Power enough to destroy this universe and realm as we know it.

Deimos remembered Zeus’ words and grunted as he channeled all his power into creating a barrier around Ethan and the Titan. If any fragment of the power he was about to summon escaped, the Earth realm would be no more.

He looked at Ethan. The Chimera was no longer roaring and making wild movements. Instead, he was calm as he held down the Titans.

Is what you wanted, Ethan? Deimos thought. So yours is a darkness that will always protect. Shame that what I desire can only be achieved by your destruction.

Deimos released his power and a blinding white light engulfed the entire island. Though Deimos couldn’t see what was happening within the barrier he felt the presence of the two Titans disappear and eventually, even Ethan’s aura vanished.

The scorching heat uncountable stars. No being could have survived this power. What Deimos did was open a portal that connected him to the numerous stars of the universe and channeled their energy in one place. Opening the portals was easy; the hard part was maintaining the barrier that held the flames.

After holding the barrier for a few more seconds, Deimos closed the portals and opened another that would dissipate the remaining flames into nothingness.

Once done, Deimos dropped the barrier. Smoke was rising from the hole that had formed in the Earth and everything was still. Both the Titans and Ethan were nothing but dust by now. Deimos could still sense and hear the creatures that the Titans had produced on the other side of the island. That was where Richard was.

Deimos decided to help Richard fight the creatures. It was the least he could do considering how big a role Richard played in his return.

Standing in the air and looking down at the crater in the ground, Deimos recalled the last thoughts that Ethan had; those to protect.

Thinking back, Deimos realized he’d never fought to protect anything.

He sighed at looked up to the sky. It was strange, he thought. Among the people, Ethan was thinking about was a little mer-girl. For some reason, Deimos couldn’t see her face clearly but he sensed the great affection Ethan had for her. Ethan had based his entire existence on this girl and for some reason still kept looking for her even until now.

Deimos felt like he knew this mergirl but regardless of how much he tried to recall he couldn’t remember; it was as if something was preventing him from remembering. Deimos possessed the power of the twelve Olympians and no power could stand against him. Perhaps if he used the twelve’s power again he could be able to remember—

Careful what you wish for, Deimos.

For a second, Deimos froze and for the first time he experienced an emotion that he’d long forgotten; fear.

Impossible, Deimos thought. That power he’d just used was enough to wipe out even the gods themselves. But then how?

I will show you how.

Seal of Fire… Release.

A spinning ball of flames appeared around the crater. It spread out and consumed everything in sight; melting even the rocks. Dark clouds began to culminate in the sky and the ground began to quake again.

The ball of fire formed into a rotating ring and standing at its center was Ethan Thane. Once again his body was restored; including the dark red apparel he wore.

But unlike before, Ethan’s face held no emotion. His eyes were fixed on Deimos and this time he spoke.

“Unfortunately, Deimos,” he said. “I cannot allow myself to be destroyed.”

“Even the power of the most powerful gods wasn’t enough to defeat you… how?!”

Deimos folded his fists and clenched his jaw. He couldn’t think of anything else that could destroy Ethan now. The Chimera had activated four of his seals and the power emanating from him was unbelievable.

Why? Deimos thought. Why did it have to be him?

Deimos conjured in the sky all the weapons of Olympus’ armory. Burning with anger he aimed them in the direction of Ethan. Calmly and gracefully, Ethan raised his right hand and flames burst out of it. All the golden weapons coming at him were vaporized and Deimos was shaking.

Hardly making his next move, Deimos saw Ethan disappear and reappear behind him.

“You can’t defeat me with a power that is not your own?” Ethan whispered in Deimos’ ear and landed a devastating punch on his back; slamming him to the ground.

On his knees, Deimos stared at his shivering arms.

“Father, I know I can defeat the Chimera.”

Why was he remembering this now?

“I have fought alongside Ethan before, so let me give you a piece of advice. There are two things I always seek in battle… Victory and thrill. To attain victory I fight with all my strength and the excitement of a battle comes from the small possibility that I might lose. However, in battle, one needs to know who they are. I am Ares, the god of war, my son. So, who are you?”

A smile crept its way onto Deimos’ face. His body wasn’t shaking because of fear… No this was another feeling altogether.

Slowly, he stood and looked at Ethan, who was standing in the air.

“I am not the twelve Olympians,” Deimos said, channeling power throughout his body; making all of it his own. “I am Deimos, the god of fear and dread, and I hereby challenge you to a battle, Ethan Thane.”

Deimos’ eyes widened when he saw Ethan bow his head slightly. He then formed a symbol with his right hand and pressed it on his chest. Deimos recalled what Ashley had said about that sign. It was a symbol of respect for one’s opponent.

“I, Ethan Thane, accept your challenge, Lord Deimos,” Ethan said.

Deimos fell into a fighting stance.

“Are you prepared for your demise, Chimera?”

“Why don’t you come and replace out?”

Deimos sprang into the air at incredible speed. When close to Ethan, he threw a powerful kick at him. Ethan vanished again but this time Deimos refused to be caught by surprise. He reflexively dodged a blade of air that came from behind and in one move closed the distance between him and Ethan. Deimos threw a punch at him. Ethan moved to his side and Deimos’ punch hit the air; causing a thundering blast that echoed everywhere.

Not giving Ethan a chance to react, Deimos launched another kick in Ethan’s direction but the Chimera blocked it with his arm. Ethan grabbed Deimos’ leg with both hands and attempted to throw him to the ground. Grunting, Deimos twisted his body and escaped Ethan’s grip. Two black swords materialized in Deimos’ hands. Blades of nightmares. These black swords made an opponent live through their worst fears.

What are you afraid of Chimera? Deimos thought as he charged at Ethan.

But to his surprise, Ethan didn’t dodge. The swords went right through his heart and red blood spilled out of the wound.

Holding Deimos’ arm, Ethan said, “Y-you have become strong, Lord Deimos. Stronger than your mother ever hoped you’d become. But this battle must end now. You’ve turned the twelve gods’ power into your own so you can’t feel what’s happening. Not only does the Earth scream in agony but this entire realm and universe are being affected by my power. Therefore—”

Deimos wasn’t sure how but Ethan landed a fist engulfed with flames on his left cheek. He crashed into the trees and the rocks below. When he opened his eyes, Deimos couldn’t see Ethan. Deimos looked directly above him and saw Ethan moving towards him. He dodged Ethan’s punch which ripped the ground open when it landed.

Hardly gathering his bearings, Deimos saw Ethan launch at him with a kick. He flew backward and hit his back into a tree.

Tired of being on the defensive, Deimos clenched his fist and sprang behind Ethan. Deimos threw two punches. Ethan avoided both and two spinning blades of fire appeared in his arms.

Reacting quickly, Deimos dodged Ethan’s attack but the blades sliced through the golden armor covering his chest.

Dust and smoke covered the area but Deimos managed to see Ethan’s silhouette. He charged at it with a punch but Deimos’ fist crashed into a rock that had the humanoid shape of Ethan.

Earth manipulation, Deimos thought and dashed backward when Ethan shot out of the ground below him. Deimos avoided Ethan’s kick but could not dodge the blast of air, earth, and fire that Ethan fired immediately after his attack. Ethan followed through with his attack with a myriad of kicks and punches that Deimos couldn’t even see coming.

Deimos’ body stung with each attack that Ethan landed. The god of fear couldn’t even dodge and yet, Deimos had a smile on his face.

Was this the thrill of battle you spoke of father?

Ethan twisted his body and translated his motion into a devastating flying kick that sent Deimos crashing into the ground miles away from him.

Rocks the size of small hills, water as massive as a tsunami, and air as vicious as a tornado were all spinning around Deimos. Rising to his feet, Deimos felt something warm flowing along the side of his head. He slowly raised his hand to touch it and wasn’t at all shocked when his fingers made contact with the liquid oozing out the side of his head.

Blood, Deimos thought. It was red at first and changed into a glowing golden-yellow color when it left his body and dropped to the ground. Deimos looked up to the sky. Shining with an orange light that lit up the entire island, Ethan came with a fist engulfed in flames.

So that’s what this is, Deimos thought as he saw flames gathering around Ethan’s right hand.

There was no use dodging it so instead, Deimos channeled into his mother’s power. His mother Aphrodite wasn’t the strongest amongst the gods yet she wielded the greatest force of all; love. She was able to make even gods fall for one another and yet, she couldn’t make anyone fall for her. Deimos’ mother had immense love for all beings but there was one that stood out; Ethan.

I believe that with love, anything is possible; even miracles.

Deimos always thought gods created miracles yet his mother believed in them.

Channeling all his mother’s power and looking at Ethan, Deimos acquired something impossible.

All Seeing Eye

Tears flowed out of Deimos’ eyes. He saw it as if reading a book. Ethan’s past and his future. Everything that he went through, and everything that he would go through someday. Not only this, he saw the happenings of all the realms; both past and those to come. It was all before Deimos and he even saw an event that was wiped away from his memory a long time ago.

So this is who you truly are, Ethan. Deimos thought and fell to his knees. And even after what the gods did to your family, you still protected us in our greatest time of need.

Deimos could feel the heat of Ethan’s flames. It carried neither anger nor hate and Deimos welcomed it. But something was about to happen before Ethan’s punch reached him and the price of using the Eye of Time was that Deimos couldn’t do anything to change the future he saw.

With a mighty roar, Deimos felt all his power begin to leave him. He turned and saw Talya holding an Orb in her hand; Prometheus’ Orb

This was always her plan, Deimos thought. He saw some of the blood he’d spilled earlier on the Orb. Talya had used this battle as a means to attain Ashley, Ethan, and his blood; the blood of beings who were the only ones of their kind. With their blood combined, she was able to activate Prometheus’ Orb and steal Deimos’ power.

Informing Sebastian about the Orb so he could free Ethan, coming to Ravenhill so she could have Ashley’s blood, and releasing Deimos from the Spirit Realm so that she could have him contain the twelve Olympians’ power and acquire it for herself; all this was part of her grand plan.

“This is only the beginning,” Talya said when she absorbed all of Deimos’ power and she vanished.

Deimos had only blinked when he saw Ethan’s fiery fist right in front of his face. He smiled and gracefully closed his eyes, waiting for the worst.

“I have no regrets,” he whispered to himself.

But the attack never reached him.

Slowly opening his eyes and panting heavily, Deimos saw Ethan standing in front of him and his fist just a few inches away from Deimos’ face.

“Aren’t you going to kill me?” asked Deimos.

Ethan withdrew his fist. The winds, water, and rocks that were spinning all calmed down at the command of Ethan’s gesture.

Unable to stand, Ethan sat on the wet muddy ground.

He then spoke.

“Regardless of what is said about me, I am not a senseless killer. Talya came and took all the power you had obtained. You are now mortal and powerless. This battle is over.”

“Ah yes,” said Deimos, closing his eyes in bliss. “This battle is over… You have won, Chimera. You know it’s strange, I feel neither ashamed nor angry that I was defeated. In the end, I fought as the god of fear and you fought as the Chimera… Well… At least at a fraction of your full strength. I now understand why you can’t release all your seals in battle and why you can’t use the ultimate forms of the creatures you possess.”

“So you saw my past?” Ethan asked.

“Your past and your future, Ethan,” Deimos replied.

“And that’s why you let Talya take away your power… Because she plays a part in my future?”

Just after Ethan finished speaking, electricity crackled in the air and after a blue light flashed, a blue-skinned creature wearing black and red clothing appeared before Ethan. Deimos recognized her as an Arzyrian.

“My Lord, forgive my interruption but the Supreme Ruler of Lideth personally instructed me to check on your well-being. She was sure you’d emerge victorious.”

“Why do I get the feeling you were hoping you’d replace only Deimos standing?” Ethan replied.

The Arzyrian smiled, “That’s where mistaken, my lord,” replied the Arzyrian in a resonant voice. “My new mistress helped me see things from a different perspective. That’s all I can say for now. I will now go complete the task you gave me before you came here.”

The gaze of the Arzyrian’s glowing eyes met Deimos and she asked, “You look like you’ve just seen a ghost, Lord Deimos.”

Deimos vaguely recalled her from the visions he saw. She was unaware of it now but one day she would carry the fate of the realms on her shoulders.

“Your name is Shira, right?” Deimos asked. “Know that your decision is the right one.”

“You don’t need to tell me that,” she said and looked at Ethan. “I’ll be taking my leave now. Oh, and a friend of yours came with me but says she is still angry at you so you won’t be seeing her today.”

“I know I will see you soon, Kyla,” said Ethan, speaking to someone who wasn’t among them. "And thank you for protecting them.”

A bright light shone and Shira teleported away.

“People say the Chimera draws out the darkness in people. But from the way I see it, you help people replace who they are. You even helped Ashley accept the truth about who and what she is. And that was very important for her.”

“Are you also going to tell me that she also plays a part in my future?”

“One need not peer into the future to know that,” replied Deimos with a smile. “I believe that the two of you are connected; I just wish I knew how. I saw all the happenings of the realms be it past, present, or future. But this new mortal mind cannot contain all of them so when Talya stole my power I chose to hold on to the most important ones.”

“Interesting,” said Ethan. “Then perhaps what is happening to you will come as a shock.”

Deimos’ heart leaped when he saw bright white symbols appearing on his body.

“I— I am transcending?” Deimos said, his heart pounding on his chest. “But I failed to defeat the Chimera.”

“Did you think defeating me was the key to your transcendence?” asked Ethan.

“What do you mean?”

Ethan sighed. “A hundred fifteen thousand years ago a young merboy awakened his Fire Demon power. But unable to control it, the merboy went on a rampage and killed his most precious friends. Had a certain god not been around, the merboy would have probably reached his kingdom and many more would have perished.”

Flashes of the past began to run through Deimos’ mind. “My mother was the one who’d sent me there that day. I can’t believe I forgot about that day. It was the first time someone resisted the power of Blades of Nightmares. But I fail to see what that has to do with my transcendence.”

“That’s because you forgot the promise we made to each other that day,” said Ethan.

“Promise?”

“‘You are a worthy opponent. However, this battle did not satisfy me so I hereby challenge you, young lord.’” spoke Ethan. “You said those words to me, Lord Deimos and for some reason, I accepted your challenge.”

“Then why didn’t you fight me in the desert back when I challenged you again? Why did you seal me in the Spirit Realm?”

“Your mother came to me months before you did,” replied Ethan. “She offered me her blood in exchange that I trap you in the Spirit Realm. It was the only way to protect you.”

Confused, Deimos asked, “Protect me from what?”

“The very thing that forced the gods to leave the realms. I would tell you about it but you will soon be reunited with your family. You can ask them yourself.”

Deimos leaned his back against the large rock behind him.

“So in the end… It was still challenging you that kept me here.”

Ethan stood up, looked at Deimos, and said, “I never said that. Every god that transcended had fulfilled their respective purpose and had received the gratitude and acknowledgment they deserved. However—“

Deimos eye’s widened when Ethan fell to one knee and bowed his head.

“I thought the Chimera bows to no one,” Deimos said, his eyes wide with amazement.

“That is only half correct,” replied Ethan. “I never bow in submission to anyone but I will always bow in gratitude for someone who once saved my people. So, thank you lord Deimos for stopping me that day, and thank you for saving my people.”

The white marks on Deimos’ body began to glow even brighter and soon his body started becoming transparent.

“Gratitude and acknowledgment for my deeds,” Deimos said. “This is the first time someone has ever given it to me.” He then chuckled. “To think I desired something so petty. Well, I think I truly have no regrets about losing to you now… Ethan.”

“Tiami kalican, Lord Deimos”

“Wait... What did you just—”

A blinding light appeared before Deimos and when he opened his eyes he found himself sitting in an empty white space. He let out a weary sigh and closed his eyes.

“Took you long enough, my son.”

Deimos turned and saw his mother. She was as beautiful as ever. Long golden brown hair, crystal green eyes, and wearing a beautiful white line robe with golden embroidery. Her skin was smooth as porcelain with color as pure as soft moonlight.

Deimos realized that he was naked and saw his mother holding a white robe.

“It’s as if you knew I would come,” Deimos said.

“I didn’t,” his mother replied, placing the robe around him. “But the One we serve did.”

“And who is this that even a transcended god serves,” Deimos asked.

“You two will meet soon. But first I would like you to tell me everything about your adventures.”

“Mother, I was trapped in the Spirit Realm for many millennia. I had no adventures and could only observe what Ethan was doing but—” Deimos smiled and his mother reciprocated it. “So that’s whose adventures you want me to talk about. Honestly dear mother. I still do not get what you saw in him.”

“Well, you did battle with him right?” his mother replied with a bright smile. “Surely you must have sensed it. Plus you obtained all our power so you must have seen many things about his future too. So come on tell me?”

“You always act like a child, mother,” Deimos sighed and resigned. “Fine, where do you want me to begin?”

“His very beginning.”

...

I am not the best battle scene writer but I hope you enjoyed the fight between Ethan and Deimos.

Thank you so much for reading this far and I hope to enjoy the next chapters of this book.