Harudan and Ishin had been travelling for days, walking close to the cliffs that made up Minisia's southern border. It had been a long time since he had seen any life, the last being when he extinguished it in Maeve. It wouldn't be long before they met up with the army, but he was still surprised by how quiet Minisia was. He'd expected to see remnants of his army holding down towns, but for a place that was known for being cramped, there weren't many towns to the south.
For the last few days, he had stayed on Ishin's shoulder, watching the world go by. Minisia looked the same as Brenmar, but he chalked that down to the snow that blanketed the land. In spring, maybe there would be something different, but it would still be a while before he saw that.
He didn't know exactly where he was, just that Minisia's southern border was nearby, a few hours walk away if he wasn't on the shoulder of a God. They had to be getting close to General Juna and their army after days of walking and seeing nothing. He and Ishin didn't speak much, but he didn't mind. There wasn't much he could think of to say.
There were so many things he could ask when it came to the realm and the New Gods, but Ishin wouldn't be able to answer any of them. He'd been trapped in the crystal for centuries, he knew nothing about the current situation of Vishera. He could easily ask about the origins of Vishera and it's two nations, but he didn't care anymore. It wasn't important to what he was doing.
All he wanted was to get to Ziya and win. According to Ishin, the only thing that could stop them was the Beast, which Jonin was dealing with. Once Ignis came back with the note that said the Beast was dead, he could relax. He wouldn't have to wait much longer if he was lucky.
Nerin's translations had been more than useful, even if the last of them hadn't been given willingly. All that mattered was getting Ishin to Ziya and winning the war. He'd put so much effort into trying to mend his relationship with his baby brother, but that had been impossible from the moment Nerin had seen what he'd done at the treaty. He'd never trust that Harudan wanted the best for the realm.
It hurt, that much was true, but it was also something he couldn't worry about. Nerin would never go against him, not really. He would probably leave Ishmar at the first chance he got once he hit adulthood, but it wouldn't matter. Once Harudan got his hands on Ziya, he could relax and start doing his other duties as King, like having a family. He already had Jonin, all they needed to do was make it known to his people.
He was sure they would take it well, they had to. There was nothing they could to their King. And it wasn't as if he couldn't have a family. At least a century ago, a Queen had made it possible for adopted children to take the throne of Brenmar. There was no pure Oshana bloodline, so it didn't matter.
He probably should have been focusing on where he was going and what he was doing instead of dreaming about the future, but he couldn't help it. He was so close to winning, he had time to think about what he wanted when the war was over. All he needed to do was talk to Jonin about it next time he saw him. They'd spoken of children briefly, not long after he was crowned, both of them wanted at least one. One was enough to continue the line.
Only a few more weeks and all of Minisia would be his. Everything he set his eyes on belonged to him, belonged to the new Vishera he would create the second he sat on the throne in Ziya. He still needed to figure out what to do about Ishin once the war was over, but it was something that could wait.
He was pulled from his thoughts by a loud squawk from above him. It was something different from the monotonous pounding of Ishin's feet against the ground and the empty fields of snow. He shifted on Ishin's shoulder and stared up at the dark clouds, trying to find whatever it was making the desperate noise.
Ignis rammed into his shoulder before he could even see him clearly and he almost fell from Ishin's shoulder. If it weren't for the two fingers that reached up to push him back, he would have slipped and fell. The drake squawked again, a plume of smoke rising from his nostrils and he bumped against Harudan.
"What are you doing here, boy?" he asked, grabbing the drake in an attempt to soothe him.
Ishin made a noise in the back of his throat. "This drake is yours?" he asked and stopped in the middle of the field. The flames may not burn Harudan, but there was a trail of melted snow behind them, leading all the way back to Ishmar.
"His name is Ignis," Harudan said and tried to scratch his pet under the chin, but Ignis dove away, struggling from his arms and squawking at him again.
"What's wrong with him?" Ishin asked.
"I don't know," he replied and reached for Ignis again. The drake ducked away and sent a plume of fire into the sky, screaming in something that sounded like pain. "Something's wrong."
Ignis flew away, heading towards the cliffs for a moment, only to turn back and fly to Harudan again, as if he couldn't make up his mind where he wanted to go. "He wishes for us to follow him," Ishin said. "It will not take much time."
"We can afford to do it?" Harudan asked, trying to ignore the sick feeling in his stomach. Ignis flew to him again but tried to nip his fingers when he reached out to pat him.
"Yes."
"Then follow him."
The first step south sent Ignis into a frenzy. He flapped around them, squawking loudly and throwing short plumes of smoke and flame into the air. Harudan had never seen him act like it before, and it only caused worry to settle like a rock in his stomach. He hadn't even remembered that Ignis had left Ishmar, sent off to give a letter to Jonin.
He gulped, his throat raw, and held on tighter to the flames of Ishin's hair. "I think it's best that we move quickly," he said, a half disguised order. As he had since the pair started their journey, Ishin listened, speeding up until they were jogging through the snow, Harudan bouncing on his shoulder as Ignis swooped ahead of them.
Closer and closer to the cliffs they moved, but Harudan had no idea where they were going. He waited in silence as Ishin ran, trying to ignore the confused thoughts raging in his mind. He didn't want to focus on any of the scenarios his mind was coming up with; thinking about them only made him feel sick.
"Do you know where we're headed?" he asked, whispering into Ishin's ear.
"The Sanctum of Belganine is this way. I remember it well, the crystal falls and pillars were our creation, a joint attempt at making something beautiful that did not go as planned," he said, sounding wistful. He continued talking, but Harudan blocked it out, watching Ignis scream and cry as he flew.
Then over the horizon came a sight he had only heard about in books. The crystal falls seemed almost dull with the dark clouds above them, but it was almost ethereal, frozen in time. Even on the shoulder of Ishin, it towered over them and as they got closer and closer, he caught more details. It flowed like ice, falling into a thick mist between the cliffs.
Ignis dove between the cliffs and Harudan caught sight of a broken bridge dangling off the edge. A sharp hill on one side led up to a mural of something he couldn't quite see and down at the bottom of the cliffs was a town. "That's the Sanctum of Belganine," Ishin told him before he could ask, but Harudan didn't dare tell him that it was actually the Sanctum of Askarune.
From somewhere in the mist, Ignis squawked again. "Follow him down," Harudan said, unable to take his eyes away from the broken bridge. The home of the crystal pillars, the crystal falls. It was where he had sent Jonin to kill the Beast. The bridge was broken, meaning that there had been a fight there and it hadn't ended well.
Ishin took him down easily, walking on the crystal river and shrinking until he was double the size of a normal person. He carried Harudan like a baby, despite his attempts to climb from his grip. "I do not trust whatever is down here," the God scolded, gripping him tighter. "It is best that you stay safe.."
Harudan didn't reply, too lost in his thoughts to form a proper response. Ahead of them, Ignis was circling in the air, crying out loudly. Every sound echoed off the cliff walls and he hissed in a breath, his stomach clenched painfully. He wanted to run, to turn away and never look back, because he knew what he was about to find.
A scream burst from his lips when he saw the crumpled bodies frozen to the river. Most of them he didn't recognise, but one of them, lying in a heap in the middle of them all, tore another scream from his throat.
He wanted nothing more than to get down and cradle the bloody mess that Jonin had become. The only recognisable part of him was his armour, which stood out against the blood and the crystal. He didn't want to believe that it was him, but there was no one else it could be. Jonin was dead, gone, never coming back.
Tears streamed down his face as he struggled in Ishin's arms, but the God was far stronger than him. His partner was gone, the one person who had stuck with him through everything, the person he based his plans around, the person he'd wanted to spend the rest of his life with. The one person who listened to his every word with argument had been killed in a useless sacrifice.
Because none of the other bodies were the two people he wanted dead. Neither the Beast nor the Princess lay there to be taken by the crystal river, just his partner and his guards. His earlier thoughts came back to him in a rush. He'd wanted to start a family with Jonin, in whatever way they could, but he couldn't. Jonin was dead. Jonin was dead.
Harudan wasn't breathing, couldn't force air into his lungs no matter how hard he tried. It shouldn't have happened. It was his fault. He'd been the one to send him off thinking that the Beast wouldn't harm him. Nerin had lied to him and because of that, Jonin was gone. His family was gone, taken from him with his dreams.
He cried out when Ishin clicked his fingers and the bodies caught alight, his breath coming back to him in a rush. "What are you doing?" he yelled, beating his fists against any part of the God that he could reach.
"Letting them pass in peace," Ishin answered in a calm voice. The sour smell of burning flesh reached Harudan's nose and he gagged. "He was the man you sent after the Beast, wasn't he?"
All Harudan could do was nod and watch as the body of the man who had been his turned to ask. The wind picked it up, swirling it around and taking it where he could not see. He never got a chance to say goodbye properly, wishing he'd done more before Jonin left Ishmar. He never should have sent him, he should have waited until he freed Ishin and let the God do what he wanted then. Jonin had been worried that the Beast was dangerous, but Harudan hadn't listened, and couldn't look at what had happened as a result.
The Beast would die for what he had done, so would the Princess and anyone else who stood in his way. He would kill them all, watch the life seep from them at his hands. He would kill them and win the war, no one at his side, but he would be the true ruler of all Vishera, as was right. It was what he deserved for what he had lost.
"Ishin," he said as the ash faded away, leaving the remnants of crystal and armour. Before he got a chance to say anything else, Ignis came to land on his shoulder, a sad noise escaping his throat with a burst of flame. The God leaned down and grabbed a sword from the river, twisting it in his hands.
"Is this his?" Ishin asked and Harudan nodded. It had been a gift from him when Jonin got accepted into the guard, one he'd had specially made. "Then hold onto it. He was dear to you, you need something to remember him by."
It was cold in his hands, but he gripped it tightly anyway. It took a moment of shifting uncomfortably to pull out his own sword and replace it with Jonin's heavier one. The sword wasn't designed for him, slightly too heavy, but he would still use it to cut down those in his path, as if Jonin was still there with him.
"Ishin. The Sanctum works with the Beast, do they not?" he asked, rage settling within him as he clasped tightly to the hilt of his partner's sword.
Ishin took a second to reply, turning and walking from the cliffs. "They do," he said.
"Destroy them."
"I will not," Ishin said as they walked back out into the open air. The Sanctum was next to them and the horrified cries that came from it made him sneer.
"Why not?" he asked as the screams grew louder and people clad in grey rushed for the riverbank, staring and pointing wildly. "They are our enemies."
Ishin began to grow, ignoring the terrified people below him. "They are no one's enemies. They are innocent and peaceful people. I saw what you did to the Sanctum that had my name," he growled, shifting to look at Harudan, who was still in his arms. "I would like to give you the benefit of the doubt and believe that you had good reason to do what you did, but I would not allow you to repeat it, especially not by using me.
"Take your anger to the war front and the Beast. Use it to kill him before he can ruin your plans. Do not kill innocents, but those guilty of harming the people you care for. Kill the Beast, and nothing can stand in your way."
The God didn't give him a chance to argue, walking away from the Sanctum and continuing east towards Ziya. The Sanctum shrank into the horizon, the yells of the people fading away with any sight of the falls and the place Jonin had been. The ash he had been turned into would continue on and on, forever with the realm, but no longer with him.
Harudan gripped the sword tighter, tears still flowing down his face. His throat was raw as he tried to speak, Ignis rubbing his head against him. "Kill the Beast," he muttered and glared at the ground as Ishin placed him back on his shoulder. "For Jonin."