God of War: Ares, Guardian of the Lost Sands

Chapter Four

Newly Born God

Darien opened his eyes and blinked, finding himself in the middle of nowhere once again. He was still stuck in the Lost Sands. Sitting on a flat plain of sweltering, hot, sand, the boy looked around him and saw that he was no longer in Zerzura. And the girl, Ra, was gone. He exhaled. A dream, so that was what that was. A relief, none of that made any sense anyways.

He felt the ground rumble and he turned to his right to find that Amon, the humungous rock golem, had plopped himself in a sitting position right next to Darien. The two looked at each other for a moment and Darien blinked rapidly, unsure of whether or not he should be surprised, shocked, or terrified.

"S-So, it wasn't a dream?" Darien whispered, staring at Amon. He remembered that Ra had explained that this golem was to become his Guardian. What was that supposed to mean? Did that mean this giant monster was just going to follow him around everywhere? It didn't seem to mean any harm; otherwise Darien would probably be crushed into little bits already. The boy sighed, scratching his head as he reluctantly waved to the elemental. "Uh, h-hey there, Amon. My name is Darien."

Amon cocked his head to the side and grumbled. Your name is Ares.

Darien frowned, realizing that the golem hadn't actually talked. But the words that the creature had meant to speak had just formed in his head somehow. What a unique form of communication. Was it magic? "Uh, no. My name is Darien."

Amon grunted. Your new name is Ares. You are a god now. Gods cannot have human names.

"A god?" Darien frowned. "I don't feel like a god. I mean, aren't gods supposed to be like able to fly around and stuff? Don't they get supernatural powers and watch over the humans from the heavens? And how can a simple human get transformed from a human to a god just by sipping some water from a random city?" He hoped that the blood was a mirage.

Amon reached up and tapped his giant chest with his rock-hand. You were chosen.

"Oh, lucky me. So you're going to follow me around then and make sure that I don't die in this blasted place?" Darien smirked.

The elemental nodded. I am your Guardian and will make sure to protect you from any harm. I will also teach you how to survive in the Lost Sands. Finding water and food is easy if you know how to do it. I'll also oversee your developing control over your new powers.

"New powers?" Darien exclaimed. "So what, I can shoot fire from my mouth or fly?"

Amon snorted with amusement, releasing a gust of hot air from two holes in his face that were supposed to be his nostrils. Something like that.

The prince scowled, disbelieving the words that the golem echoed in his head. He folded his arms and looked away. "I don't believe in gods!"

The golem grunted. You didn't believe in magic either until Persia's Magus used it to knock you unconscious. Just because you don't see it doesn't mean that it doesn't exist. You are a very small boy in a very large world, Ares. There is much that you don't know or understand yet.

"Fine! Show it to me then! How do I demonstrate my powers so that I can see that I actually am a god? Prove to me that this isn't just some crazy dream or a hallucination," Darien said.

The golem nodded. As you wish. Amon swung his rock arm at full force and smashed it into Darien, which would've easily splattered his body into slush. Instead, the boy went flipping wildly through the air, spinning uncontrollably into the sky.

Darien screamed in absolute terror as he found himself thousands of feet above the surface, practically flying. He crashed down into the ground, slapping across the sandy plains like a skipping stone. He finally landed with his face buried deep into the hot sand a mile away and he groaned, pulling his face from the earth. Shaking grains off his face, the prince turned to find that Amon was storming in his direction skipping across the desert with ease. "What the hell do you think you're doing? You could've killed me!" Darien barked, his face red after such a terrifying experience.

But the fact that you're alive proves that something has changed, no? Amon halted before Darien and plopped down in front of the boy. An ordinary human would've been smashed into tiny pieces right now.

Darien stared at the golem. He looked down at his hands, which trembled before his shocked face. A small smile spread across his lips when he realized that he had somehow become superhuman. "Pinch me, I must be dreaming...!"

Amon flicked him in the face instead, sending him sliding onto his back. The flick was equivalent to a direct strike from a battering ram. I flicked you instead.

"It's just an expression!" the boy yelped, leaning forward, rubbing his nose. There was pain, though miniscule. That meant that this wasn't a dream. His body was somehow hardened to withstand stronger blows. He wasn't even bleeding and there were no signs of bruises. Darien leaned forward, eying the golem curiously. "What else can I do?"

Amon cracked a tiny smile, opening his gigantic mouth. Run and find out.

The prince raised an eyebrow and pushed himself to his feet. Fine, I'll do it. He looked at the stretching sands that extended for as far as he could see. He broke into a sprint and his eyes widened as he propelled forward, faster than any horse or any vehicle could ever travel. He flashed across the desert sands in an instant, the pounding wind rushing against his face. An ecstatic smile stretched across his cheeks and he hooted as he jumped, flying hundreds of feet into the air, pumped with energy and excitement.

Every physical aspect of himself had been enhanced drastically, turning him into a powerful superhuman. He beamed. He wasn't weak anymore. He wasn't powerless anymore! With this newfound strength, he could become more than just an ordinary human. More than just a banished prince. He was a god. And with this power he could change anything he wanted.

Descending down to the earth, the boy smashed into the ground, sending sand spraying outwards into the air. He arose, running a hand through his blonde hair. He had created a crater of sand in his landing, proof of his tremendous power. The prince turned to Amon, who lagged behind him slightly. Is that proof enough, Ares?

"Yes," Ares replied.