Khronos told the group to stay inside, and gather the Enchanting Files, while he and the fairies battled Aeolus. He requested Myhrra and Aoife to be at his side, for aid. The two valkyries followed the God of Time and Creation out of Ener Keep. Prometheus, Sapphirus, Alex, Hecate, Eris, Iris, and the six toddlers- who were not much assistance- searched for the library. Sounds came from outside: maniacal laughter, explosions, and swearing. Prometheus held three toddlers in his hands, Sapphirus held two, and Alex volunteered to hold one. The entire keep shook after an explosion, and the spontaneous lights all came on at once. Prometheus found the library, and the search began. None of the small group could find the Enchanting Files. They split up, searched every piece of paper in the library and throughout the keep, and Hecate even used some of her Invidia to scan for the lost files, but to no avail. Things were looking bleak. Grace had come rushing in, requesting Hecate.
"Father Khronos requested you specifically." she said. Hecate followed the earth fairy outside, and saw the carnage. None of the fairies were injured, but Myhrra was laying on the ground, with Lizar, Malum, and Aoife around her. The valkyrie's right wing was bent strangely, and Aoife was cradling the younger valkyrie's head in her lap. Malum and Lizar were attempting to heal Myhrra, whose face was contorted in pain. Looking across the Underlands field, Hecate saw most of the statues were broken or damaged. The ground had new craters and was smoking. Strong winds blew around the area, making it difficult to walk. Hecate looked up at the sky to see her father controlling winds and flying around Khronos, who was standing atop a great saucer that hovered and hummed. Khronos was bleeding in many places, and he had lost his glasses. Aeolus looked perfectly fine. The gods dueled, Aeolus with air magic and wind spirits, and Khronos with his staff and any magic he could think of. Khronos glanced down at Hecate.
"My dearest goddex, you must help me!" he cried as he battled.
"Anything Sir!" Hecate yelled back.
"Promise me you will fight Aeolus! Promise me you will take care of your family!" The time god screamed.
"Lord Khronos-" Hecate cried, and then Aeolus summoned Khronos' staff to his hands. He then turned it on its owner, and threw a lightning bolt at Khronos. It hit him square in the chest, and the King of Gods tumbled down, and landed in a heap at the base of Ener Keep. Aeolus roared with laughter.
"I will spare you, today, daughter!" he cried, and broke the staff in two. Out of it, a single piece of weathered parchment fell. The Sky King roared with triumph, and took off into the skies. Hecate and the remaining fairies rushed to Khronos' side.
"Lord Khronos." Hecate whispered, but Khronos held up a bloody hand. She tried not to stare at his chest: it was blasted open and revealed his organs. Blood welled up from inside, staining his tunic. Khronos' Invida flared a faint purple before fizzling out.
"I never expected to win this battle, young goddex." he croaked, "I lied to you. Time has told me that this course of action would result in the least amount of casualties."
"You will not be able to escape death." whispered Hecate. Khronos let out a wet chuckle.
"I am old. As old as time itself, literally. I only wish for a long rest in a kind afterlife." Khronos sighed, then saw Hecate's face.
"Do not blame yourself, Hecate. I see great things in your future. When the time comes, you will do what you believe is right. That is all that matters." As Khronos was speaking, the other fairies gathered.
"Lizar." said Khronos softly, "Erin, Grace, Odin, Malum. You five are my greatest creations next to Lucifer. I am proud of all of you." He reached a hand out to scratch behind Lizar's ears.
"Perhaps I will see my brother, Abaddon." Khronos whispered, "Or maybe I will sneak into Niflheim to see Lucifer." As soon as Khronos said his son's name, his eyes went blank. The last word he said was more of a hiss. The hand scratching Lizar went slack, and the arcane God of Time and Creation died. The fairies howled to the sun, and Hecate silently vowed she would do everything Khronos asked. Even if that meant she would have to die again.
Hey everyone, this is the second to last chapter of Invidia GoM. Thank you all so much for reading and I hope it was enjoyable. Feel free to leave feedback, comments, votes, anything. The next chapter will be released next week and then this story (it does continue) will be on hiatus until mid to late October but it will be back. Please if you enjoyed, share the story with others. Thank you all so much!