Bride of War (18+)

38

Slade

"I'm home,"

That's what I say when I enter the threshold of my temple. It feels different. The air. I frown.

"Monika? Fallon? Dion? Solice?"

I walk around, looking for them. I want to have dinner together. I don't enjoy eating, but I enjoy dinner.

The laughter around the table. Their faces.

I pause at the ballroom door. Why is it dark? I step in, waving my fingers for light.

"Po?"

As I enter, I stumble. I look down, my eyes widening.

No.

Dion's eyes stare blankly at the ceiling. Solice is across the room. Fallon is next to...no.

No. No. I am the god of war. If there's one thing I know...is death.

I step forward.

"Slade..." she whispered feebly. I drop to my knees, crawling toward her. I pull her into my arms. Her eyes can't focus to find mine.

A large burnt gash splits her torso, almost in half.

"You told me to watch them...I'm sorry."

I hold her wound, filling it with my energy. "It's going to be—"

This room is full of my dead children.

I swallow a rancid feeling. "It's going to be okay. I'll fix you. I'm going to fix you. Sh..."

She shakes her head. "Your babies. I'm sorry," a tear tracked down her cheek. "I tried I really...I really tried. They wouldn't...leave. I told them..."

Of course.

"Hey, I'll fix them too—"

You can't fix the dead.

There's that feeling again. Bubbling up from the pit of my stomach. It feels like it's eating its way up my throat.

"Everything will be fine. Save your strength."

Monika's face crumbles. "I tried. I wasn't...strong enough."

No. No. No. No.

"They're fine," I pull them in with my powers, pulling them into my arms. "We're all okay. Everything is...everything is fine."

She smiled touching Fallon's cheek. "Really?"

No. No. No.

"Yes. Really."

"Because...I promised," she pushes a stray bloody strand of Fallon's hair behind her ear. "I like them. I love them, Slade."

I nod. "I love them too." My vision blurs.

I can't...fix this. They're gone. They're gone.

How did this happen? In 3 hours how did this happen? Everything was fine today. I gave them my powers. How did someone kill them this is all I wanted to avoid!

"Who did this, Monika?"

She shakes her head, putting her fingers to her lips. "I'm not supposed to say his name."

Fucking Orion. I'm going to kill him. Balance be damned.

"Did I really save them? Did they poof away? Is that why you're back?"

It spills over. How pathetic of me. Crying over humans. But damn it...they're my children. And now they're gone. Gone.

Monika wipes my cheeks. "Don't cry. I'm relieved too, Slade. We should...through them a ball."

I shake, this body of mine trembling. It's trying to change. My titan form wants to come out. I want to erase Orion from this universe.

But I don't. I change, using my larger hands to scoop up my children, and my wife, and carry them out of that room, stained with their blood.

They're already cold. I should've never left them.

I was holding on. But now...I don't think I can. Is this grief? Is this pain? I hate it. I hate it. I hate it.

I don't want it anymore.

I don't want this anymore.