A pulse shudders through the room when our blades connect.

A scraping sound echoes throughout the room, singing against the walls and clearly startling Daniel into the reality before him.

Two Gods drawing swords against each other.

The room spins around us, flashes of the fireplace dancing and swaying, colorful paintings in the middle of a tornado. His elbow smacks against my ribs within the same moment my fist pounds deep into his sternum. The pressure sends us both flying into opposing walls.

I flip the dagger in my hand and take a stance, feeling the heat and sweat loosen my grip ever so slightly. The pain will catch up with me progressively, unlike Kiel. I'll have to find a way to take him down in succession if I want any chance at winning this fight.

"You won't win this time, Iridian," Kiel remarks, pulling himself off the floor. "You're too weak, too empty..."

Before he can get another word out, the steel of my sword is centimeters from his neck. "You know nothing," I hiss at him, grunting with the strain. "You're nothing but a child compared to me."

Kiel's eyes darken, thrusting me off of him, and sending me skidding backward.

"A weak, stubborn child throwing a tantrum-" my leg hooks his knee out from under him quickly, dragging him down. -"A spoiled brat who has tormented this planet enough."

His speed is wicked. Within a single blink, he's standing behind me again, pressing the hilt of his knife into my back. Smooth, sleek steel with dark black curves. The etchings engraved along the side whispering deity slayer.

My throat stiffens, new twists forming in my head.

Sizing me up, Kiel's stance shifts slightly. It feels as though my shoulder is ripped clean off, a deep gasp escaping my mouth.

"What do you think antagonizing me is going to accomplish, Sister? Mercy?"

I roll my eyes, panting enough to pause for a moment and stare up at him from the floor. Daniel watches in horror, body stiff and rigid. Just a boy compared to us, scared and so far out of his depth.

Acquisition of power is driven by insanity.

Kiel's features are more worn than I would've ever expected. I did not attack him expecting to win. But I have to try. I have to submit him and restore the balance he once swore to upkeep.

It appears he ate through many oaths, our siblings included...

"What could ail you so much you decide to destroy the world, Kiel?" I mutter, wiping what I can only imagine being blood from my lips.

He flinches only for a second, long enough for me to stand.

"It's so much bigger than me, Iridian."

My heart aches when I get a good slice on his arm. He does not bleed red or blue, nothing but an amalgamation of deep purple and black. Kiel takes this in stride, though he cannot heal it. He retaliates accordingly, putting a deep gash into my stomach and knocking me into a coffee table.

"You've lost yourself," I say, trying to prop myself against the breaking wood. "But controlling a God isn't something simple. Even if there was something outside of you, what has that much power?"

He doesn't answer me, gripping onto my upper arm and tossing me on the floor.

"Please go on, continue to exhaust yourself, I'll be right here."

When my head collides with the marble, Daniel shakes, going to take a step forward. My eyes light up again, glowing at him in a menacing warning.

Stay out of this.

He swallows, clearly in conflict with the order.

"What would you have done then, if I had gotten Lindon? Surrendered? I don't imagine so if this is so much greater than your own prerogative."

Once again Kiel chooses not to say a word.

My mind goes numb and I carry out the only action my body remembers. Attack. Throwing myself at him one more time, Kiel parries the blow and sends me sliding across the floor and into a wall.

The God of Karma attempts to follow me, Mana radiating up and down his arms as if he's getting ready to dissect me. What I don't see coming is Daniel, slipping in front of me and trying to stand against his own father.

They only begin to look alike in the light of a faint sunrise, but with only a few similar features, it's almost hard to believe.

My ears ring but through the sharp screaming of pain, I hear something ever so faint. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

"Why wouldn't I?" Daniel growls back.

"Your actions, your decisions, everything you've orchestrated... These are your consequences too, Son."

A sharp stab to the heart and I get up, throwing Daniel across the room and far out of the way, before aiming to twist Kiel's arm behind his back. It pops and I hear a cough.

Out of the corner of my eye, I watch Daniel slide up the wall. He braces himself, dusting off his shoulder and gripping his ribs.

Safe.

That's all that matters.

My knee slams into Kiel's spine with a sickening crack and we both end up on the ground, my chest against his back. "You don't want to do this," I murmur.

"I've wanted to do this my entire existence," he replies, bucking me off and landing straight on top of my waist. "I've wanted to know what it felt like to be the most powerful being in creation. Taste the air knowing I could destroy the world in a single breath. Feel the vibrations of every being on my skin all at once."

I can't help myself.

Laughter overtakes me, dry and breathy. The hilarity washes over me and bursts out of my chest. The weight he asserts warrants a cough, but my hand slaps down against the marble.

Even Kiel is frozen, confusion and astonishment written all over his face.

"What?"

My next inhale is ragged and shallow. "Why do you think we've been separated into different bodies, Karma? Hmm? Because we wanted to have sex? Because we were so vain as one being we needed to be separated? One soul cannot simply consume our power and live, Kiel. You will die."

Taken aback, he frowns. It's angry and nasty, the disgust contorting his lips and nose. "You know nothing!"

His hands clasp onto his dagger, both firmly gripping the hilt.

Daniel goes to yell, to launch himself once again at his father, but Kiel's obnoxious cry blankets it. He pushes all of his weight into it, throwing the steel down with all the force he can muster.

Mana sparks around the tip in a colorful array of light.

All for it to disperse upon impact.

The point pokes my skin and rattles uncomfortably.

I smirk, looking down at my chest and then back at Kiel.

Daniel's breath is held in the corner, tears in the corner of his eyes. I keep my vision trained on my brother, using only a quick glance to save us both.

Run and run fast, I whisper into his conscious. Run as you've never run before, grab the girls and flee. Find Lindon. Go, now.

The boy stands petrified, blinking as if he hadn't heard a thing.

Focusing back in on Kiel, I yank the knife off my chest and toss it across the room. "You. Cannot. Kill. Me."

Palming his throat and rolling on top of him, I smash his head into the floor hard enough to crack large chunks of marble into the air. "I don't know why you never listen, I've told you from the beginning of time. I am immortal."

Ripping back and slamming him down again, I feel the ground quake beneath us. A few more times for good measure. A sound echoes behind me, something familiar but distant. My hopes are that the boy is running.

Escaping the hell this is about to become.

The fight I am preparing for a better future in the long run.

"You're making a mistake, Ira-" he manages to say in a thick rasp.

I let the wicked part of me enjoy this singular moment, knowing full well it would be one of the last for a while. "No, Kiel. You made a mistake a very long time ago. You chose to never use Love."

A supreme second of bliss passes before his eyes shine into a bright green flame and The God of Karma turns the tables on me. With one fist in my hair and the other penetrating through my stomach, I get one more laugh out.

Sickly as it might sound.

Blood drips from my lips as his hand searches around urgently through my organs, looking for the most primal torture of all.

The most mythical defeat.

It is at this moment that Karma realizes I do not have a heart.

There is nothing that beats in the place he is expecting, nothing to hold onto or rip from my body.

The movements become frantic and uncontrolled.

I feel the fear and panic course through him and into me.

He throws my limp body against the fireplace, flames licking at my hair and cheeks, swirling around the wounds in my stomach and naturally finding ways to mend and cauterize the flesh.

I only laugh, my vision blackened by the insane impact on my head.

Heat warms my body until my consciousness falls away.

I find myself overjoyed, knowing I've won round one.

Good Evening Destroyers!

So, I got really trigger happy when I finished editing this chapter so I'm posting it a bit early. Only like 12 hours though. I'm really happy with how this chapter turned out! So let me know what you think XD

I know there is a lot going on in the world right now, with Covid making us stay home and The Protests for BLM. I just want everyone to know I support and love you. No matter who or what you are. Each of us is a special, perfect God or Goddess. Never forget that <3

Don't forget to vote and comment, Lovelies. The fire is just getting started! Lol.

Sleep well XD