The Chronicles of Exodus 2: Wrath of the Fallen

Chapter 8 The Mourner

I jolted awake, streaks of sweat boiling on my forehead and cheeks. I breathed heavy, heavier than the sky that Atlas holds on his shoulders. As heavy as Thor's hammer. I looked around. Mimir stood next to the wall, looking as if he had just seen a ghost. I sat up, rubbing my face. Mimir approached. I looked at him, confused. "Why do you look so surprised?" I asked. He gulped. "We attached you to a heart monitor we got from the hospital in Adelaide. Your heartbeat was all over the place. You started calm, then it shot into high gear! But brother, the last thing it did, was it flatlined." My veins ran cold. I died, or at least I should've. Even after I dipped into the lake of souls, I could still die, at the hands of another immortal or if I wanted to. I stood up, pulling the cords off from my chest and walked past Mimir. "Mimir, prepare a meeting for tonight." I said as I left the room.

I looked up at the sky. The shape of Hellfire circling the area above like a vulture was almost unsettling. I sighed and walked down the path of dorms. I continued walking before stopping. I walked up the steps and placed my hand on the door. I looked to the scrapes on the door, above the door handle there was a name engraved in the wood. "Astrid." I whispered to myself. I wanted to knock but I knew there would be no answer. I pushed open the door. The lights were off and a layer of dust coated everything. It hurt to see this place so uncared for, I should've been the one to clean to it. It was my fault she died. With a heavy heart I looked to the kitchen counter. On it were multiple photos, but one stood out from the rest. One with Astrid and me. We looked so happy, like nothing could break and separate this unbreakable bond. I wiped dust from the picture and its frame. It brought tears to my eyes. Astrid was wearing a red jumper and her hair in a ponytail, while I wore my hair spiked up. I had sunglasses covering my eyes, a burned cigarette popping out from my mouth and a necklace my father had given me around my neck. We looked so happy. She was like Mischa reborn. But now I had no one, and nothing. I rolled my shoulders, tensing my muscles and stepped outside.

I sat down at my resting spot. The pond with the tree and reeds in the back. Where Astrid found me after my fight with the camp. I dropped my hammer onto the floor, unclipped my shield from my arm and unsheathed the Banes of Destruction. I held the blades firmly in my hands, the rusted metal and leather handles brought back the memories of terrible times. Times when a destroyer should've been a hero, a protector. I grabbed the sleeves of my shirt and tore them. I placed the fabric on the floor and rested the blades on the fabric. I wrapped the fabric around the blades and took one of the chains from my bracelet and wrapped the fabric round, tightening it. Afterwards I sat, looking out at the city of Adelaide. I remembered seeing a kaiju tear through the streets less than a decade ago. I think its name was Bombideer or something like that but that doesn't matter. What does matter was the thing that combatted it, a jaeger. Jaegers are massive robot mech suits that are used by humans to combat the devils from the pacific. I dreamed of being a jaeger pilot but the amount of stress I am constantly under was apparently "unhealthy". I soon learned that it was due to the fact that in order to pilot a jaeger you would need to essentially fuse yours and your copilot's mind together. It was smart that I didn't become one. The last thing I need is for the entirety of Australia to know I'm a god. I sighed and picked up the cloth containing the blades. I tied it to a strap on my back and picked up my shield and hammer. I was going to do something I should've done decades ago.

At last, I arrived at Dragon Mountain, home of most if not all dragons in Australia. This was the place where I first met Hellfire and I learnt how to tame a dragon. I started making the perilous trek to the top of the mountain. I came to point of the volcano where a large mass of fog had consumed the land. Knowing I couldn't turn back I proceeded through the fog. The fog was hot and mucky. Vision was non-existent so I had to rely on sound and feeling. That's when I heard it, a growl. I stood still. Whatever creature this was, it was likely to assume that it could see through the fog while I couldn't. I dashed out from the fog, cracking my knuckles, getting ready to fight. I squinted my eyes. A tall, slim yet muscular shape loomed in the fog. I raised my fists. It slowly moved, walking straight before almost in an instant dashing around the fog. I breathed heavy. Finally, the creature charged, lunging out from the fog and striking at me. I dodged out of the way and retaliated with an uppercut to the creature's jaw. It lurched back allowing me the moment to examine it. I stepped back while analysing the beast. This was a wulver, monstrous versions of werewolves. This one had spiked forearms and claws as long as a machete. I could see its rage growing. The way it swung its arms and pounced around like a crazed maniac caught me off guard. I breathed in, readying my assault. I waited for an opening. Finally, it came, the beast charged me again but stumbled over and tripped. I ran at it, shoulder slamming the beast to the ground. I placed a foot on the beast's chest before stomping it down into the rock. It roared in pain, so I stomped harder, blood shooting onto my face. I reached down, grabbing it by the shoulders and head butting it into a boulder. Then I charged, kicking up rock and sulphur before punching the wulver right in the face. Bones cracked and blood exploded out from the creature's jaw. As it stumbled forward, I slid behind the beast and ran up its back, grabbing its mouth like King Kong before dropping down from its back and twisting, snapping the wulvur's neck. But I was far from satisfied. While still having the beast's jaws in my grasp I pulled hard, breaking, and tearing its jaws from its head. Stepping away from the corpse I tossed the jaws to the floor and continued up the volcano.

As I reached the top, I began to question myself. Was it right to kill a creature who was merely trying to survive in a harsh environment? Well, he did attack first, and that is not my problem. Reaching the peak, I turned to face the world. This whole event was the doing of the gods, gods like me. This apocalypse was my doing. As I turned away from the world, I set my focus straight. Unclipping the blades from my back, I stepped to the mouth of the volcano. Lava stirred bellow, waiting to consume the land. As I held the cloth containing the blades, the storm clouds from above began to part, allowing the briefest amount of sunlight to peak through the dark. With a deep breath I tossed the blades into the volcano. Sparks of ash and smoke rose up to greet the volcano's new meal. Lightning struck the volcano the moment I heard the splash and pop of the blades landing into molten lava below, illuminating my fiery orange eyes. "Throwing away the family heirloom?" a voice called out from behind me. "What do you care?" I scowled, turning around to face the figure. I stared them right in the eyes. "Brother." I growled, my fingers twitching eager to punch something. "God of Destruction. You know you're a hard one to find! I search all over the planet to find you after you left us to get with that pipsqueak girl!" He sneered. "Don't you dare bring her into this!" I yelled, claws beginning to poke through the tips of my fingers. "Struck a nerve, did I?" He smiled. "Jarell, you're a coward! You were the one who hid, cowering in fear when the demons invaded our home! While I was the one who drew my spear and tried to fight them off!" The images played in my mind like a slideshow. The fire, the screaming, the blood, and gore, followed by more screaming. The screaming never ended, not until the dust settled, not until the flames extinguished and all that was left were charred skeletons and our great protector looming over us. Thorvald, a Gojira. It was believed by many that he was the god of chaos, destruction, pain, and monsters. I saw him like a true brother, unlike my real ones, unlike Jarell. Jarell approached; I was ready to combat him if he tried anything. My strength could easily surpass his. As he came and stared me in the eyes, I readied an attack. He came even closer, less than a foot apart. He moved. My eyes widened in shock. He wrapped his arm around me in a generous, genuine embrace. "I'm sorry...f-for everything. I missed you so much! I wanted to come sooner, to support you with... you know who." I felt his tears soaking through my shirt and armour. I couldn't help but wrap my arms around him too. "I missed you to." I said, holding back tears. Gradually he slipped away, releasing his grip. "I'll see you around, soldier." He said, the sound of his voice trailing away and being drowned out by the wind. I looked up but all I could see was an empty place where he should've been. He was never here. He never cared about what happened to me. For all I knew he could be dead, his body in some far-off tomb. I sighed. I was truly alone. But that hardly matters now. All that matters is getting my allies to Sydney Base and putting those two devils to rest in Tartarus.