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Long ago, before anything had been created, there was only a single being floating around in the nothingness. Her name was Jessica, or Irene, as she called herself in her fantasies. Jessica often made fantasy worlds that she loved to play in or just create for the fun of it, but most of these worlds were quickly abandoned. Most of these worlds turned into mere hunks of rocks once Jessica left. One particular world, however, was very lucky.This lucky world Jessica had called Earth. This was where she went wild with creating many different beings. She created gods and goddesses, animals, and even a new species that she had invented for that world in particular called "humans". She rather liked this world, but, like all the others, it was abandoned, so that she may start a new world and a new story somewhere else.However, since it was the world she spent the most time and effort on, it stayed. It grew, the humans quickly becoming the alpha species on the planet, the animals staying out of their way for the most part. And the gods? They mostly stayed up in the sky, not really bothering with anything down on Earth, only coming down to help sometimes, or start a religion.You'd think that everything was perfect, right? Wrong. The gods rarely got along; all thanks to a particular god named Michael. He was the God of Mischief and Lies, always playing tricks on the others and whispering lies into their ears to start arguments.Soon, however, Jessica came back, curious as to how this planet was doing, seeing as it was still alive. When she found the gods in utter chaos, all because of Michael, she chained him up and buried him deep underground with rats that would scratch out his eyes, which would regrow overnight, ripe for scratching the next morning.She explained to the gods and goddesses who she was, and they began to worship her, like the humans worshiped them. She was able to stay for a few thousand years, but, eventually, left to see if she could improve any of the other worlds that she had abandoned.Since then, the gods have all lived in harmony, any new arguments quickly settled as they began to assign themselves jobs for running Earth.It was all unraveled once a small, human boy, Ein, went wandering into a cave, finding an old god who had since turned into nothing more than a spirit.
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"Aphmau!" Zane yelled across the palace, looking for his opposite. It was almost time for her to raise the sun and he wasn't able to wait to lower the moon. She was going to throw them off schedule.Zane was a guy of average height, his black hair long for a man. His complexion was rather pale, though that isn't too weird when one remembers that he's the God of the Moon. The one eye you could see was a brilliant blue. He was wearing a grand outfit: a loose fitting with tunic and pair of pants, a black cape, and black, pointed shoes. A silver crown of stars sat upon his head.Suddenly, he heard a giggling coming from around the corner and rolled his eyes. Well, eye. He had lost his right one in a fight with his brother, Garroth, long ago. He keeps it covered with his hair, since a god cannot regrow body parts, unless that ability was put in place by Irene, their creator.Zane followed the sound of the giggling around the corner and saw a large lump behind a tapestry of all of the gods, a small pair of feet beneath it.He sighed and pulled the tapestry back to reveal a small woman curled up where the lump had been, a large smile stretching across her face. This woman was quite short and had short, black hair pinned up in a bun, some strands of hair falling out in the front. Her skin was a soft caramel and her hazel eyes sparkled. She was wearing a purple dress that went down to her knees, a white cord wrapped around her waist, and no shoes on. This was Aphmau."AH!" she screamed with joy, "You found me!" She threw her arms around Zane's neck and gave him a big hug that nearly knocked him to the ground."Aphmau," he said, removing her from his person, "I've been looking all over for you. It's nearly time to lower the moon and raise the sun."Aphmau's face instantly fell as she whipped her head around to look at the grand clock at the end of the marble hallway. It was indeed 5:30 A.M., and sunrise was at 5:45."Oh, geez," she exclaimed, "I had no idea what time it was. Come on," With that, she hurried off down the hall, Zane pulling up next to her, his stroll matching her run because of the height difference.They reached the Celestial Balcony at 5:40, just five minutes before sunrise. They found Sylvanna, Aphmau's guardian and "mother", waiting for them.Sylvanna wasn't really Aphmau's mother, but she might as well be with how she treated her. She was a short woman, much like Aphmau, with long, black hair and caramel skin. Her eyes were a soft hazel that could burn with fury when she was mad. She was wearing her usual: a long, maroon dress that went down to her ankles, and scandals, with her hair tied up in a loose bun."There you are, mija," she said upon seeing Aphmau. She took off her scandal and smacked her over the head with it. "Why are you so late?""Ow, mama," Aphmau said, rubbing her head, "I was playing a game and lost track of time."Sylvanna pursed her lips before turning on Zane, who had been standing off to the side trying to hide a smug smile. It vanished once he saw Sylvanna looking at him."Why didn't you tell my daughter about the time?" she said, brandishing her scandal like a club.His hands went up in surrender. "I tried," he said, "but she kept hiding from me."Sylvanna glared at him for a second, then put her scandal back on in one, quick movement. "Well, come on, you two. Time for sunrise."Sunrise was a lovely time. All the other gods and goddesses came to watch it, even if they never wanted to see sunset. The sun was something they loved, the moon was not. The only goddess that did come to watch sunset every night was the Goddess of Love: Kawaii~Chan. That wasn't her real name, but most have forgotten it in favor of calling her that.Aphmau and Zane looked down from the Celestial Balcony to see all the other gods and goddesses watching the horizon. They went back and raised their arms, Zane facing west and Aphmau facing east. Zane lowered his arms, the moon following until it touched the horizon. Aphmau began raising her arms, the sun following her movements. They moved in tandem, the moon disappearing beneath the horizon as the sun rose above it completely. Everyone below them cheered."I'd say that you guys did a pretty good job," a voice said. Aphmau and Zane turned to see the Goddess of Water, Katelyn, standing in the doorway of the balcony.Katelyn looked like the embodiment of water. Her hair and eyes were matching shades of baby blue and her porcelain skin reflected the sun beautifully. She also shown with great power, like the strong current of a raging river. She was wearing a flowy, blue shirt and pair of pants that seemed to ripple, and she wore a pair of grey scandals, like the stones on a riverbed."Thanks, Katelyn," Aphmau exclaimed, running up to her friend and giving her a slight hug.Zane murmured his thanks and quickly left, already getting uncomfortable with the amount of people on the balcony. He soon ran into Kawaii~Chan.Kawaii~Chan was what one would call a meif'wa, which meant that she had a pair of cat ears and a tail. They were black. She had bright pink hair and bright, round eyes that were a brilliant shade of gold. She had a pale complexion, but it was still quite a bit more tanned than Zane's. She was wearing a light pink dress that parted at the skirt to reveal a white skirt underneath. On her feet were golden shoes that sparkled in the light."Oh, hi Zane~Kun." she said, looking up to meet his eyes. She was a slight bit shorter than him."H-i, Kawaii~Chan," he stammered, his ears turning a slight shade of pink. Kawaii~Chan usually did this to him."That was a beautiful sunrise," Kawaii~Chan continued, stepping back to give him space, "Kawaii~Chan liked the way the moon glowed next to the purples of the sky." That was another thing about Kawaii~Chan: she talked in third person. No one knows why, it even annoys some others, but she usually shuts down when someone points it out, so no one really questions it anymore."Th-thanks," Zane stammered out, curling up.They stood there in silence for a moment before Kawaii~Chan cleared her throat. "Well, Kawaii~Chan has stuff to do, so..." and she quickly left.Zane breathed a sigh of relief, his ears returning to their normal color, and briskly walked down the hall towards his room in the west wing.Meanwhile, Aphmau and Katelyn were having their own conversation on the Celestial Balcony."You know that Aaron is coming back from his trip tomorrow," Katelyn said absentmindedly, brushing a stray hair from her face.Aphmau froze, joy written all over her face. "He is!?" she squealed, clasping her hands together and jumping up and down.Katelyn watched her, an amused smile creeping its way onto her face. "Yeah," she said, "I heard that he was even more buff than the last time you saw him."Aphmau froze again, narrowing her eyes at Katelyn and shoving her slightly. "Sh-shut up," she stammered, her face turning red. Katelyn laughed as Kawaii~Chan poked her head around the corner. She had heard them talking.Now, Kawaii~Chan may be the Goddess of Love, but she doesn't work like one would expect. She doesn't walk around making everyone drool all over her with her looks, nor does she make sure everyone likes her. No, she's more of a fangirl. She sees people that she thinks would make a good couple and starts shipping them, a power of hers that can cause the individuals that she ships to fall in love with each other. She, herself, can't seem to find anyone that she likes. She's dated a few people, like a handsome human named Reese and a servant of Aphmau's named Damien. Neither of the two relationships worked out."Did Kawaii~Chan hear Katelyn~Sama say something about Aaron~Kun?" she yelled, coming to stand next to the two other goddesses.Aphmau hid her burning face with her hands. "Nooooooo," she moaned out, earning her a laugh from both of her friends. They began to have a shoving match, running around the balcony, then the whole palace when it escalated to a game of tag.Unknown to any of them, a man by the name of Ein was heading into a cave that would soon lead to their doom.
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Ein had grown up in a very poor home, his mother dying when he was three, and his father leaving him with nothing when he was only thirteen. He had been living on his own for about fifteen years now, working as a miner, but always wishing he could have some sort of bigger purpose in life. He would often look up to the gods for help. Especially Aphmau, the Goddess of the Sun. He considered her the most beautiful and vibrant, always daydreaming about meeting her one day."Hey, Ein!" his boss, Mr. Galena, yelled from across the mine. Ein looked up from the ore he had been trying to mine and walked over to him.Ein was a slim man, always hungry, because of the lack of food he had available. He was also quite short, a few inches shorter than what was considered average. His hair was a pitch black and his eyes were a shade of light grey, no sparkle present. He was also a werewolf, a follower of the Werewolf God, Aaron, his ears and tail a shade of navy blue. He wore a pair of ripped overalls, a dark blue shirt underneath. On his feet were a pair of wrapped scandals that protected his feet from the rocks. All of him was dirty."Yes, sir?" he asked upon reaching Mr. Galena.Mr. Galena was a portly man, never having done a day of mining in his whole life, having inherited the rights to the business from his father. He was beginning to bald, what hair he had left turning grey. His eyes were the same color as an obsidian rock and he was always wearing some form of loose fitting clothes, usually red, and a black sash that wrapped around his middle.He pointed down a long, dark cave that seemed to go on forever. "I want you to go scout that cave." he said, "We haven't explored it yet, so we need someone to go see if it's safe." He looked down at a small stack of papers in his hand, apparently already having dismissed Ein."Yes, sir," Ein sighed, beginning his trek down into the cave. He saw sunlight streaming in through a crack in the cave wall, noting that it was a little passed sunrise.The cave was rather deep, and the torch he was carrying didn't light much of it up. He walked on for what felt like hours even though it was most likely only 30 minutes. He stopped when he came upon a stone door. Now, since this was something unusual, he should've reported this to Mr. Galena, but it also sparked his curiosity.He pushed the door open, using as much strength as he could muster. He walked inside a small room and nearly screamed. Inside was a slab of stone, a bloodied corpse tied to it with golden ropes. The only thing left on the corpse was a pair of bright green eyes in the eye sockets.As Ein stood there nauseated, a very large, black rat, came out of a crack in a nearby wall. It regarded Ein for a short second, then scurried up to the corpse and began scratching at the corpse's green eyes. Now, I'm not gonna go into detail, but I will tell you that Ein threw up at the image. What was worse was that the corpse began moving. It convulsed, its limbs jerking around in their constraints and its head swiveling, like a dead frog getting electrocuted.Once the rat had finished, it scurried back into the crack in the wall, the only proof that it had even been there was a small trail of its bloodied footprints and the remains of the corpse's eyes.Ein's stomach lurched as he turned to leave, but the door, that had somehow closed, wouldn't budge, no matter how much he pushed. He began freaking out, wondering how long he'd be down there before help came, if any would ever come."Calm down, young man," a silky voice said from behind him.Ein whipped around, head swiveling, looking for the source of the voice. His eyes landed on the corpse and he froze. It had somehow picked its head up and was staring at him with what was left of his emerald eyes."I can help you," it continued, sitting up as best it could in its constraints.Ein, still frozen, got curious. He was rather interested in what made this corpse talk and move, and why it was so important that it was strapped down to a stone in a dark cave with a rat that came to eat its eyes. So, he began to move towards it."Who are you?" he said, his voice shaking slightly.The corpse chuckled. "My name is Michael and I was imprisoned here by an evil goddess, just for doing what I was created to do."Ein furrowed his eyebrows. "That's not right.""Indeed it isn't," the Michael agreed, lying back down and nodding his head. "I would need some help to get out and get my fair revenge." If he had had eyes at the time, Michael would have been slyly looking at Ein with a look of cockiness.Ein's eyes widened. This could be his greater purpose! He could help this old god get his revenge and he might even be rewarded! He nodded vigorously. "What can I do to help?" he asked.Michael smiled with whatever of his lips was left. "You see, young man, I am merely a spirit, now. The only reason I can move is because I am anchored to my body by these bonds. I would need you to break them and allow me to use your body as a vessel."Ein barely even gave it a second thought, already hacking at the golden ropes with his pickaxe. After a few minutes of hacking, he was able to break all of them."Thank you," Michael said, before his corpse went slack and a green smoke left its mouth. It flew straight into Eins' who instantly saw all of Michael's memories. Well, only the ones he wanted Ein to see. None of the bad, only what good he could think of and the gaps filled with lies.When Michael, now in Ein's body, looked up, one could see that his, once grey, eyes were now the same shade of emerald green that Michael's were and there was now a blue streak in his hair.A few minutes later, back at the main mine, Michael emerged from the cave, a coy smile upon his face."There you are, boy," Mr. Galena barked at him, walking briskly up to him. "Why were you in that cave so long!? We needed to get down there and now we have to wait until tomorrow!" He looked back at the papers. "This is coming out of your paycheck, kid."Michael smiled, not a warm smile as one might think, but a cold and heartless smile that suggested something wicked."Oh, sir," he said in his silky voice, "I'm not sure you'll live long enough to do something like that."Mr. Galena turned back towards him. "Was that a threat, boy?" he said, his voice a low growl.Michael put his hands up in faked reassurance. "No, sir," he said, "I just wasn't sure if you knew about Cole's little excursion." He gestured to one of the largest workers. He had chocolate skin and black hair, and he was very obviously the strongest one there. He was wearing the same pair of overalls as everyone else."Excursion?" Mr. Galena asked, crossing his arms."Yes, sir," Michael said, feigning innocence, "I heard that he had developed a bomb just for you. I'm pretty sure he hid it near the entrance to the mines."Mr. Galena turned towards Cole, his eyes lit with fury. He marched over to him and began shouting things at him that Michael couldn't really hear. After a moment, Cole's expression turned from confused to angry and he began shouting back at Mr. Galena. It got so heated that when Mr. Galena smacked Cole across the face, Cole grabbed his pickaxe and buried the point into Mr. Galena's temple, killing him instantly.Other workers rushed to restrain him as Michael slipped out of the mine and into the sunlight, breathing in the fresh, morning air."Now," he said to no one in particular, "Let's see what other troubles I can make."
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Everyone was outside, enjoying a good breakfast picnic that Kawaii~Chan and Aphmau had made. Everyone was there, even Zane, who had been persuaded by Aphmau to come and enjoy the sun. They were all spread out on one, large picnic blanket that covered the whole hillside."Zane, come play with us!" Aphmau yelled at her opposite. Zane looked up from the book he was reading to see Aphmau gesturing him towards the forest, Katelyn and Kawaii~Chan already running towards it."Uh, sure," he said, setting his book down and following her. They ran after the two goddesses, Aphmau jumping on Katelyn once they got close, knocking both of them down."Let's go exploring!" she exclaimed, helping Katelyn up, "I wanna see what we can find!" Then, she ran off into the forest, leaving the other three to follow her.They all walked for a while before Kawaii~Chan spotted a deer. "Oh," she breathed, "It's so beautiful. She walked up to it, wanting to pet it. However, when she laid her hand on its soft hide, it exploded in a burst of green light.She screamed, falling back into her friends as something rose out of where the deer had been standing. It sounded like laughter was coming from it.When the light cleared, they looked at the spot and saw a man lying on his back, laughing. The man had stark white hair and tanned skin, his eyes a sparkling emerald when they were open. He was wearing a loose pair of white pants and a green shirt, a laurel wreath atop his head, and no shoes. Travis, the God of the Forest."Travis!" Katelyn yelled, smacking the god, "You scared Kawaii~Chan half to death."Travis looked up from his place on the floor, his smile fading as he saw Kawaii~Chan's tear-filled eyes as Zane helped her up."Sorry, KC," he said, sitting on his knees, "I didn't mean to scare you that bad." He got up and walked over to Kawaii~Chan, giving her a small hug. She hugged back, laughing a little."It's okay, Travis~Kun," she said, pulling away from the hug, "It was actually kinda funny."Travis smiled before turning back to the others. "So, whatcha doin' here?" he asked."Exploring," Aphmau said, climbing a nearby tree."Oh!" Travis exclaimed, clapping his hands together, "I've got the perfect spot for you to explore!" He ran off between some trees and the others followed slowly, not as used to the forest brush as much as Travis.After about five minutes, they emerged in the most beautiful place in the world. There was a waterfall that fell into a sparkling pool of clear water. The grass around it was the most clear shade of green ever and even the trees surrounding it seemed to be smiling. Animals, like elk, bears, and squirrels, walked around playing with one another. It looked like a place from a fairytale."Welcome to my waterfall," Travis said, gesturing around the whole place, "I come here to hang out sometimes."No one said anything, just standing there in awe. Then, Katelyn rushed up to where the waterfall began, her clothes shimmering until she was wearing a modest, blue bathing suit. As soon as she reached the top, she jumped right into the lake, her laughter scaring some of the animals. She hit the water with a splash, then came up, still laughing."Come on, guys," she yelled, diving back under the water.Travis shook his head to take the love-sick smile off of his face, before following the others, who were all repeating Katelyn's actions. Well, all except for Zane, who didn't feel like getting wet. He actually had a bad feeling in his stomach; something that told him that something was wrong.And he was completely right. Back at the picnic, Michael rose up, capturing all the other gods, no one escaping. He took them all and hid them deep within the dungeons of the palace."Guys," Zane yelled towards the others, "I think we need to head back." Aphmau looked back towards him from her spot in the lake, and her smile fell as soon as she saw the worry in Zane's face.She gave Katelyn a look and she used her water powers to lift Travis and Kawaii~Chan from the lake and dry everyone off. After a short explanation to them, they all sped off back to the picnic, their normal clothes back on.What they found was not pretty. A sharp wind was stinging their faces, and the sky was a dark red. Michael stood in front of the castle, his form within Ein's body now big enough to hold all of the gods that he had captured within his two hands. He had turned the castle from its beautiful marble to a bloodied stone, the form staying the same and terrifying the five gods.They tried to head back into the forest, but Katelyn, angered by Michael, leapt at him, her clothes turning into battle armour. She clashed with him, causing him to drop a few gods, who all sped off in different directions. Michael went to grab her, but grabbed Travis, who had come to help Katelyn, instead."Go!" he yelled, pushing Katelyn back down to the others before he was taken away. She fell down towards the others, who all pulled her back into the safety of the forest, much to her protests."Katelyn, we have to go!" Aphmau shouted at her over the whistling of the wind. She felt Katelyn go slack and pulled her towards the forest, barely hearing her soft goodbye to Travis.They all ran back to the lake, the beauty of it already beginning to fade with Travis' capture."What are we going to do?" Kawaii~Chan asked, shaking from fear."We should find some help," Aphmau said, sitting down on the grass."Where?""Mt. Flame," Zane breathed out, his eyes widening. "Blaze wasn't at the picnic and Lucinda lives at its base, so maybe we could get help from them."They all nodded and got up. They looked towards Mt. Flame in the distance, planning on saving all of their friends.
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The group was only half-way to Mt. Flame when Zane and Aphmau had to do sunset. It was a schedule that they had to keep for the humans, they couldn't just leave the sun up in the sky. So, they both lowered the sun and raised the moon, which was a great struggle when they were on the ground, rather than the Celestial Balcony.They all decided to rest for the night, Zane offering to keep watch for the first half of the night, then Kawaii~Chan would take the second half. They found a small shelter within a small cave, then they all layed down to sleep, Zane stationed at the cave's mouth.Nothing remarkable happened for Zane's watch, just the forest beginning to droop with Travis' absence. After a few hours, when the moon was at its peak, Kawaii~Chan came to sit next to him, a pink shawl wrapped around her shoulders."It's Kawaii~Chan's turn to keep watch," she said, sitting down next to Zane. Zane nodded, though he didn't get up.This confused Kawaii~Chan. "Isn't Zane~Kun going to go to sleep?" she asked."No," he said, staring up at the stars, "I'm not tired, so I'll just keep you company until I am."Kawaii~Chan nodded, looking up to the stars. After a few minutes, she began humming a small tune, like a lullaby."Whatcha singin'?" Zane asked, shifting his position to get a better look at her."Huh?" Kawaii~Chan said, turning towards him, "Oh, just a tune Kawaii~Chan made up when she was younger. Kawaii~Chan put it into a music box. It lulls Kawaii~Chan to sleep when she can't.""I didn't know that you liked music," Zane mused, propping his chin up on his hand.Kawaii~Chan sighed sadly, looking back at the stars. "I'm actually the Goddess of Music." she whispered."What?" Zane yelled, his brows furrowing together, "I didn't know that.""You used to," Kawaii~Chan said, taking his hand in hers. "May I?" she asked, looking him dead in the eye.Zane nodded his head, knowing that she wanted to share some of her memories with him. She closed her eyes and channeled all of her memories into her palm. Zane felt himself leave the cave as he traveled into Kawaii~Chan's memory.He opened his eye and found himself in the god's palace, most likely a few thousand years ago. He looked around and saw that he was in Kawaii~Chan's room. Most of it was pink, a few golden accents here and there. The walls were pink, golden musical notes spread out, seemingly creating a song as Zane read them. There were a hugs array of musical instruments around the room, like guitars and harps.Zane's eye fell on the large pink bed in the corner and he gasped. He saw Kawaii~Chan before she became Kawaii~Chan. Her ears and tail were the same, and so was her hair and eyes, but the rest of her was so different. She was wearing a pair of overalls, a light pink shirt, and no shoes. Her hair was down and longer, and she was writing in a large book as she played a small tune on a lyre she was holding."This was me right after Michael was chained," a current Kawaii~Chan said, materializing next to Zane."Nana," Zane heard someone call out from outside the room. To his surprise, the younger Kawaii~Chan looked up from her work and got off the bed, running down the hall as Zane and the older Kawaii~Chan followed invisibly. They made their way down the hall and into the grand throne room, the place where all the gods came to meet."Music was never really looked upon as anything special," the older Kawaii~Chan said, "so I was considered a minor god and never got much attention."Zane watched as Irene looked down at the younger Kawaii~Chan and smiled. Irene looked just as she did in all of the tapestries. Her long, black hair flowed out and around her dark caramel face as her dark eyes sparkled. She wore a simple, white dress, a golden hood lined with blue draped over her head and shoulders. Great wings burst from her back."Nana," she said, coming off of her throne, "We have a new job for you," She knelt in front of the younger Goddess of Music and held out her hand, leading her up to her own, small throne."As Michael had created many bad emotions, some new ones came to combat them," the older Goddess of Love said, "Like, Love."Zane watched as Irene explained the same thing to Nana and placed a scroll in her hands."The humans began to look up to me as the Goddess of Love, since they had chosen pink as the color of love and I embodied pink." Kawaii~Chan said, smiling sadly, "So, that's what I became. When Irene and the others heard about it, they decided to give me an official title."Nana began glowing, then, and, when the pink light cleared, she looked exactly like the Kawaii~Chan standing next to Zane did, an astonished look on her face.Kawaii~Chan waved her hand and the image shifted. They were on the Celestial Balcony, now, watching a conversation between Zane, Aphmau, and Travis. Nana wasn't too far away, just reading a small book as she sat on the balcony edge."Even after getting the new title, I was still looked upon as a minor goddess and ignored." Kawaii~Chan said, waving her hand once more, changing the scene and taking the two of them to her room. There, they saw Nana holding the book she had been reading and a pair of scissors.Zane watched as she began to cut her hair and changed into an outfit that made her look more like the character on the front of the book. She stared at herself in the mirror for a second before taking a deep breath."My name is Kawaii~Chan now," she said, "and Kawaii~Chan will not be ignored."The memory ended and Zane found himself sitting in the mouth of the cave, Kawaii~Chan's hand still holding his own."Kawaii~Chan..." he said, his voice low."You can call me Nana," she said, looking up at him, her golden eyes brimming with unshed tears.Zane smiled as he bent down, but was stopped when he heard a twig being broken not too far away. Both him and Kawaii~Chan jumped up and stood, facing where they thought the sound had come from.They stood there in silence until they heard a low growling and spun around to see a pair of bright blue eyes growing larger as whatever they belonged to stalked towards them. They stood there, getting ready to fight, but then the creature started barking? Happily?Zane lowered his fists and slowly walked towards where the creature was and sighed when he saw who it was. It was Dottie, a werewolf who had gone with Aaron on his trip. Dottie's fluffy ears and tail were a bright shade of dark blue and her eyes were an even brighter shade, matching her hair. She wore a blue and white shirt and pair of pants, no shoes present and all of her covered in dirt."Dottie," Zane said, coming out of the bushes and leading said werewolf towards their cave. "What are you doing here?""I'm scouting ahead for the rest of the group," she said, pointing behind her. Sure enough, a small group of werewolves emerged from the same bush she had been in, including Aaron.Aaron was a rather buff werewolf, his tough, tanned skin covered in scars from his adventures. His eyes were a dark shade of grey and his hair was a dark black. His ears and tail were a matching shade that faded into red at the tips. He wore only a red pair of loose fitting pants, a black cord keeping them up."Zane! Kawaii~Chan!" he said, standing up from his crouched position, "What are you two doing?""Uh, we were just, um, keeping watch," Zane said, his mask barely hiding the bright red blush on his face.Kawaii~Chan nodded, then motioned for the werewolves to come into the cave.After waking Aphmau and Katelyn up, they gave the two goddesses a brief explanation and they all sat in a circle, telling them of their adventures.Aaron listened intently as Aphmau recounted the encounter with Michael, his eyes turning a dark shade of red, which happens when he's angry."He escaped!?" he bellowed, causing the cave to shake a little.Aphmau nodded, looking down at the fire that had been set up, seeing visions of Michael taking all the gods in the flames. Tears began to fall from her hazel eyes."We don't know how, but he did. And, now, he's raising havoc in the palace." she said, wiping the tears from her face.Aaron calmed down a little and went to sit next to her, wrapping an arm around her shoulder. A small bit of red creeped onto her ears, but she didn't notice. Instead, she buried her face in his chest and began to cry silently as he held her.Another werewolf, Rylan, cleared his throat. "So, what are we gonna do about it?" Rylan had light brown hair and maroon colored eyes. His ears and tail were smoothed down and were dark shades of a pale purple. He wore the same thing as Aaron, only in white.Katelyn stood up. "We're going to Mt. Flame to find Blaze and Lucinda to see if they can help us." she stated in a powerful voice."Sounds good," another werewolf, Daniel, said, "Hey, do you guys have any bread to eat?"Daniel is what one would call a pure cinnamon roll. His hair was a dull green, his fluffy ears and tail matching, and his blue eyes held a lot of happiness. He was absolutely adorable and wore a light green pair of pants and a matching green shirt. No shoes, just like every other werewolf currently in the cave."Here," Kawaii~Chan said, handing him a small piece of buttered bread, which he tore into."Do you guys have a plan passed that?" Aaron asked.Zane shook his head sadly. Then, he got a small pain in his stomach, indicating it was time for sunrise. Aphmau got it too and they both rose from the cave floor and went outside to do their job.While they were gone, Aaron began discussing a plan with Katelyn. They decided that, once they got as much help as they could, they would sneak into the palace and free everyone. Anyone who was willing to fight would join them."I know it's not much, but it's what we got so far," Aaron said, lying down on the floor. He looked over at the wolf pups, who had all curled up in a small corner and were sleeping in a small pile. That was how they always slept, no matter what.Aphmau and Zane came back in after a minute, looking exhausted."Sunrise is a lot harder when we're not on the Celestial Balcony," Aphmau yawned. Then, she dragged herself over to a small part of the cave, curled up, and went to sleep. Zane did the same, going over to a part separate from everyone and lying down in a fetal position."Well," Katelyn said, looking towards Mt. Flame, where the sun was framing it in its golden light, "I guess we shall see what happens when the time comes."
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Meanwhile, back at the palace, Michael had completely taken over. He had brainwashed any werewolves that were left, so that they obeyed his every command. He, then, stationed them at any entrance that he knew of as guards. As for all the gods, he had chained them up and put them in their own individual cells in the palace dungeons.While all of the stuff with Aaron and the others was going down, he could be found strolling down the halls of the dungeons, having a conversation with Ein. While Ein had allowed Michael to take a hold of his body, he was still able to take control over it when he wanted. Like, when he was talking. (Think of it like when Ghost and Kim are talking)"Michael?" he said."Yes, my friend?" Michael said, stopping near one of the few empty cells."Why did you chain up all the gods?"Michael coy smile spread across his face. "Oh," he said, "If I am to get Irene's attention, I have to do something to her creation.""How will it get her attention?" Ein asked, skeptical.Michael took a deep breath, obviously annoyed with all of these questions. "They will pray to her for help and she will come when she finds out who locked them up." He pointed to himself."But what about the gods that escaped? Like Aphmau, the Sun Goddess?" Ein said, "I want my queen.""They will come and you will get your part of the deal," Michael stated, leaving the dungeons.What he didn't know was that a certain God of Power was being held in a nearby cell and he had heard every word.Once Aphmau and Zane had woken up from their map, the group set out for Mt. Flame. Everyone had joined them, except for Rylan. He had decided to go back to the palace and scout it out to see where they could best get in. The rest of the group would meet up with him once they were done at Mt. Flame.They all walked through the forest, Katelyn stationed at the front and Zane stationed at the back. Aaron, who had been in the front near Katelyn, began to fall into step with Aphmau, who was still a little groggy from her nap."You okay?" he asked her.She yawned. "Yeah, just tired." she said, "I'm not sure that my nap was long enough,"Aaron thought for a second. "Do you want us to stop?" he asked, "You should be in top shape when we get to Mt. Flame."Aphmau shook her head. "We need to keep," she yawned, "going," Her eyes began to get heavier the longer she walked. She nearly tripped over a fallen tree branch. Aaron was not having it. He stooped down and picked her up, putting her on his back.Her face turned beet red. "What what are you doing?" she stuttered out."I'm letting you take a longer nap," Aaron said, continuing to walk. Aphmau was too tired to really argue, so she let her head fall on his shoulder. Soon, she was fast asleep.Kawaii~Chan was right behind them, trying to hold back her screams. She had been shipping Aaron and Aphmau for years and she had been starting to wonder when the effects would start to take place. She was so absorbed in her own fangirling that she didn't notice Zane come up next to her."You look like you're about to explode," he commented, making her nearly jump into a nearby tree."Zane~Kun!" she exclaimed, "You scared Kawaii~Chan,""Sorry," he said, putting his hands up in mock surrender, "Just wanted to talk."Kawaii~Chan's face brightened. "Kawaii~Chan was just watching Aarmau take place," she said, going back to looking at the two in front of her, one of which was beginning to snore softly.Zane furrowed his eyebrows. "Aarmau?" he asked."Mhm," Kawaii~Chan said, "That's the ship name Kawaii~Chan made up for Aaron~Kun and Aphmau~Chan."Zane blinked a couple of times, still not following. "Okay..." he said.They all walked in silence for a little bit for reaching the Rocklands. The Rocklands was the place that surrounded Mt. Flame and kept out intruders. It was basically just a vast expanse of black and red rocks that would burn anything that touched it. Only gods could get across it, but, unless they were Blaze or Lucinda, it was still quite difficult. Mt. Flame stood about 100 yards within it."We're here," Katelyn said to the rest of the group, waking Aphmau and getting the attention of the wolf pups.Everyone stopped and gazed out towards the volcano. It was a standard, black composite volcano that rose up towards the clouds and glowed red with the godly power that had been infused within it."Everyone have their shoes?" Aaron asked the rest of the group, setting Aphmau down. Everyone nodded and held up a pair of black scandals. These were what enabled the other gods to get across the Rocklands. If they didn't wear them, they would be burnt, just like a regular mortal would. It wouldn't necessarily kill them, but it would definitely hurt enough to land them in the infirmary for a week.They all sat down and laced them up, anyone who had already been wearing shoes tucking them into the hollow trunk of a tree nearby. This tree had been hollowed out by Lucinda for this exact purpose. She was also the Goddess of Prophecy, a power that came with her witchcraft. She could sense what would be needed for something important, and she had once felt that the tree would need to be hollowed, so she did just that. She used magic to keep it alive."Ready to go?" Aaron asked everyone. They all nodded and set out.The reached the base of the volcano in less than five minutes. They decided to see if Lucinda was in her cave before they went up to the peak, where Blaze lived. They all walked inside and looked around.Lucinda's cave was the embodiment of witchcraft. In the center sat a large, black cauldron, and bookshelves lining the walls housed the most insightful books. The walls were decorated with masks from a lot of different places and had a ton of noted scribbled across them from Lucinda's research. An alcove sat opposite of the cave's mouth, keeping different potion ingredients safe. No Lucinda in sight."She's not here," Aphmau said, going to the center of the room and leaning against the cauldron."Maybe she's out getting potion ingredients?" Daniel said, inspecting the alcove and shying away from a lizard's tongue."No," Aaron said, leaning against a bookshelf, "The shelves are all stocked completely. Besides, she's most likely hiding, if she hasn't already been captured."Katelyn sighed, taking a green book off of a shelf, but it was stuck. The wall began to move once Katelyn had pulled on it, scaring her enough a jump back. When the shelf had stopped moving, everyone could see a secret, spiral staircase that lead to somewhere that they couldn't see."What the....?" Zane breathed out, looking down into the passage."Where do you think it leads?" Katelyn asked excitedly, stepping closer to the entrance."I don't know," Aphmau said, a confident tone to her voice, "but we're gonna find out." With that, she grabbed a torch from a nearby wall and began walking down the stairway."Aphmau, wait up!" Zane yelled, hurrying after. Katelyn and Kawaii~Chan followed soon after.Aaron turned back to Dottie and Daniel. "You guys stay here and guard the door." he said before disappearing down the staircase. He was pretty sure that he heard a relieved sigh come from them as he turned the corner.The room they found at the bottom of the stairs looked like a bedroom. The stone walls were painted purple, green accents that looked like vines climbing up them. A dark oak bed was pushed into the corner, a certain Goddess of Magic sitting on its green covers.Lucinda had bright orange hair that sparkled with magic and dark red eyes that scared those who didn't know her. She was wearing a dark purple dress that went down to her ankles, a black cord wrapping around her waist. She wore black scandals and a purple witch hat that sat on a nightstand nearby. She was currently immersed in a large, red book, and had not heard the others come in.Aphmau coughed, getting her attention. She looked up and gasped."Aphmau! Aaron! Katelyn! Kawaii~Chan! What are you guys doing here?" she exclaimed, getting up. Her expression turned sour before she could hug them. "How did you find my passageway?" she asked."We were just searching through your lab," Katelyn said, "Finding the passage was a happy accident. My happy accident.""Oh," was all Lucinda said before she went around hugging everyone, avoiding Zane, since everyone knew that he didn't like hugs that much.Instead, he began to walk around the room, just kinda exploring. He ended up pulling a book from a small shelf and sitting on the bed to read it. Kawaii~Chan joined him after a bit."What are you guys doing here?" Lucinda said once she got done hugging everyone."We need your help," Aaron said, stepping up to the front of the group."With Michael?" she asked, folding her hands together."Yeah," Aphmau said, "How did you know?""When Katelyn attacked him when he took over, a few gods fell out of his hands. I was one of them.""Oh," Aphmau said simply."I came back here and I was trying to form a plan, while also trying to stay out of sight."She walked over to her green nightstand and picked up the book she had been reading. "I've been reading up on his lore from all those years ago, to see if he had a weakness." she said, flipping through the pages."Did you find one?" Katelyn asked, going over to read over Lucinda's shoulder."Yes," Lucinda said, stopping on a page and turning it to face the others. Zane and Kawaii~Chan got off the bed to come look."Michael has only one flaw that I know of." Lucinda read from the book, "He is easily distracted, always looking for something new to exploit before he has finished with what he has started.""So," Aaron began, "If we can keep him distracted, we'll be able to free the other gods?""That's right," Lucinda replied, closing the book and putting it back on the nightstand.Suddenly, Aphmau's eyes lit up. "I think I have a plan that might work, but we're gonna need Blaze on board."
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They ended the meeting and quickly sped up the rest of Mt. Flame, grabbing Daniel and Dottie, and reaching the top in a matter of minutes. They looked down the vent and saw Blaze on a large platform in the middle. Now, since volcanoes go very deep into the Earth, Blaze had to create a series of platforms made out of obsidian to make up his house. Each one was a different level, connected by some obsidian stairs. A set of stairs led up to the top, where anyone who wished could enter."Blaze!" Daniel and Dottie yelled down at him. He looked up from what he was doing and his face lit up."Brother! Sister!" he yelled back up, motioning for them to come down. All the gods walked down the stairs, making sure to keep their clothes from catching fire.Blaze had fiery red hair that seemed to glow, and a single blue eye, the other green. He was incredibly tanned, most likely from his time in the fire and he was covered in scars. He was also a werewolf, so he had super fluffy ears and a tail, which were both a dark black, like coal. He was currently wearing a pair of pants that faded from red to orange to yellow, like a raging fire, and a pair of black scandals."What're you guys doin' here?" the God of Fire asked once they had all reached the platform he was on."We need your help," Aphmau said, taking on a serious tone.Blaze's face instantly turned dark at the urgency in her voice and his ears perked up. "What's up?"They quickly informed him about Michael and what he had done. Once they were done, Blaze looked at the ground and quickly turned, punching a wall."HE WHAT!?" he yelled, causing the whole volcano to shake."I think you heard, but we have a plan," Aaron said, being the only one brave enough to speak after Blaze's outburst."Fill me in," he said, turning back, his eyes burning with the rage of a thousand suns."We found out that Michael has only one weakness," Zane said, stepping up, "He gets easily distracted.""So," Lucinda said, "we need you to create some distractions while we get into the castle and free the other gods.""Like, create a fire or something?" Blaze asked, sitting on a nearby rock."More like an explosion," Katelyn informed him, picking up a small rock and examining it, "A big one,""Go on" Blaze said, a scary smile spreading across his face. The others began informing him on the plan.Back at the palace, chaos was raining. Michael had begun to torture the gods for answers on where to find Irene."I'll ask you again, where can I find her!?" he yelled, pushing the knife further into Travis' chest. Travis' screams echoed throughout the castle, causing several plants to wither and die. He took a deep breath and looked Michael dead in the eyes."And I'll tell you again, go die in a fire," he wheezed out, spitting blood into Michael's green eyes.Michael closed his eyes, and wiped the blood off in disgust. He pulled the knife from his chest and swiped it acrossed Travis' face, creating yet another scar.Travis had been going through this for hours, his white hair matted with blood and his eyes beginning to lose their brightness. His shirt had been ripped off at some point and was lying, bloodied on the floor near where he was chained to the low ceiling. Multiple scars and stab wounds riddled his body and face, making him nearly unrecognizable. He couldn't die from any of them, since he was immortal, but it did hurt him very badly."Why won't you tell me?" Michael growled, grabbing Travis' face and making him look into his eyes, "All this suffering would end and I would let you go,"Travis laughed, the sound coming out as more of a dry wheeze. "Even if I knew, I know you wouldn't let me go. You're the God of Trickery and Lies, remember?"Michael, enraged by the statement, brought his fist back to punch him, but stopped when the palace began to shake. He turned towards the door and walked out, leaving Travis to dangle limply from the ceiling."Everyone clear on what to do?" Aaron asked. He and the others were stationed right outside of the palace, about to execute their plan. Rylan hadn't been able to find any kind of unguarded entrance, so they had to sneak into one of the guarded ones."Got it," they all said, nodding their heads and getting up. Aphmau and the wolf pups stationed themselves near the entrance, where two werewolf guards were stationed. Aaron, zane and Kawaii~Chan hid a little ways away, in case things got ugly, and Blaze and Katelyn flew up above them. Lucinda began walking towards the guards. The guard were both werewolves, and were wearing matching red uniforms and silver helmets, a spear in one hand."Hello, boys," Lucinda said, beginning to lace some magic into her words."Who goes there?" The one on the left said, pointing his spear at her."Dormio," she said, the spell floating out of her mouth and into the guards' ears. The two instantly began swaying and soon fell to the ground, fast asleep."It's clear," she called out to the others. They all came out of their hiding spots."So, that was a sleep spell?" Katelyn asked, floating down to the ground."Yep," Lucinda replied, watching as Aaron and Blaze began to drag the guards behind a rock, "It should hold for a few hours, so we've got some time to work with."Daniel and Rylan then changed into the uniforms the guards were wearing. They were both a little bit big on the two, but it would have to do."So, we've just gotta stay here and wait for Dottie?" Daniel asked, holding the spear tightly."Yep," Dottie said, "I'll come by with any gods unable or unwilling to fight and we'll evacuate them,"Daniel nodded in understanding and stood up as tall as he could to make himself look bigger and scarier. Kawaii~Chan stood next to them, a small first aid kit in her hands."Then, Kawaii~Chan will try and heal them to the best of her abilities," she said, taking a deep breath."You gonna be okay?" Zane asked, going over to her.She nodded. "I'll be fine, Zane," she said. She, then, stood up on her tiptoes and planted a small kiss on his cheek."Wh-what was that for?" Zane stuttered, his face turning bright red."Good luck," she stated, smiling a little.Zane quickly shuffled away, getting into position as Aphmau began to tease him. Then, it was time for the first distraction.Blaze and Lucinda sneaked towards the front of the palace and began their distraction. Blaze created a small, contained explosion and pushed it up into the air. Lucinda then blew some expansion magic into it and made it about the size of a small house. They led it a little ways away and Blaze set it off, causing the palace to shake and crumble a little bit."Go! Go! Go!" Zane yelled at everyone, pushing them inside. They quickly made their way inside the palace and looked around. They seemed to be in a small hallway that lead towards the dungeons."Down there," Aaron said, beginning the trek down. What they found was something that still burns its way into their nightmares every night.
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"TRAVIS!" Katelyn yelled, rushing over to where the God of the Forest hung from the ceiling."Katelyn?" he coughed out, stirring in his restraints, "That you?""Yes, it's me," she said, tugging on the chains, "Someone help me unlock these!"Aphmau stepped up, pulling a small pin out of her hair. "Let me try," she said. She inserted the lockick into the lock at the top and wiggled it. It popped open after a couple of seconds.Travis fell to the floor, too weak to stand. Katelyn rushed over and cradled his head in her lap. "What happened to you?" she asked, tears beginning to form in her eyes."Michael," Travis coughed out, flecking Katelyn's shirt with his blood. His eyes closed and he fell into a dreamless sleep, too tired from the torture to stay awake.Katelyn's eyes harden, like stones. "I'm getting him out of here," she stated, standing up with Travis in her arms."Are you sure?" Dottie asked, placing a hand on Katelyn's shoulder."I need to know that he's safe," Then, she walked back up the stairs and out the door. The others could hear her shouting out to Daniel and Rylan for one of them to follow her. After that, silence."We'd better keep going," Zane said, turning and walking down the hall, towards the other cells.They walked past a lot of empty ones, only finding a few gods in some. Most were too badly harmed from Michael's torture to help, so Dottie led them up to where they had come in, bringing them to where Kawaii~Chan was gonna start patching them up.After a few minutes of not finding a single god or goddess that had not been tortured, they made it to the last cell. Aphmau used her lockpick and opened the lock. Inside, they found Zane's brother, Garroth, the God of Power. He was sitting in the far corner, curled up in a fetal position, his eyes wide as he looked up.Garroth, while he may be Zane's older brother, looked nothing like him. While Zane looks a lot like their mother, Zianna, Goddess of Young Women, Garroth takes after their father, Garte, the God of Young Men. The only trait that they did share was their blue eyes.Though, Garroth didn't look like his usually handsome self right then. His smooth, blond hair was caked in dried blood, and his light blue shirt and pants were sweaty and bloody. His usually soft, tanned skin had hardened and was riddled with scrapes and bruises. So, by default, he was the least banged up out of all the gods to be locked up."Garroth!" Zane yelled, running over to where he was and checking him over, "Are you alright?""Yeah," he said in his rough voice, "Just got a little roughed up when Michael threw me in here," He got up with Zane's help and brushed himself off. Then, his face became serious and he stood up straight. "And I heard something,"He began to tell them about the conversation between Michael and Ein that he had overheard. "When he came down here, I could hear him talking with his vessel. He seems to want Irene's attention." he said."Why?" Aaron asked, a concerned look spreading across his face."Revenge? I'm not sure," Garroth said, "But he said something else. Something about Aphmau."Aphmau's eyes widen. "Wh-what?" she asked, beginning to shake in fear. Aaron moved over to her to try and calm her down."He said something about a deal and you being his vessel's queen or something." Garroth replied, biting his lip in thought.Aphmau began to shake a little more violently, needing Aaron to wrap his arms around her. She buried her face in his chest. It took a little bit for her to calm down and, when she did, she came up with red eyes."We've got a plan," she choked out. The others informed Garroth of the plan to use Michael's weakness against him."Lucinda and Blaze 're already outside distracting Michael, but I'm not sure how long it'll last," Katelyn said, looking down at the diagram they had drawn on the cell floor.Garroth instantly perked up when he heard Blaze's name. "Blaze is okay?" he asked.You see, the gods didn't really care for gender roles; they hated them. Zane played with bright colors and horses, Katelyn has never worn a dress, and Garroth likes guys. He and Blaze had been dating for a few thousand years, and he had been worried about him, since he had been unable to know if he had been taken or not.Aphmau nodded and left the cell. "We should get going," she said.They all agreed and left the cell. They walked up a set of stairs and enter the kitchens. It was definitely a kitchen built for gods. The shelves were miles high and filled with the most delicious foods. A few fridges sat near to the stairs, also holding some delicious foods. The counters were a lovely shade of pale pink and white that matched the floor times."I know a shortcut to the throne room," Aphmau said, moving to one of the oak cabinets. She opened the door and pulled on a box of chocolates. A secret door, much like the one at Lucinda's cave, opened up, revealing a set of stairs going up."How did you find out about this?" Aaron asked, moving to look inside."I spend a lot of time in here with Kawaii~Chan baking," Aphmau said before grabbing a nearby torch and walking up the stairs. The others followed closely.They emerged into the throne room moments later, a feet which would've been impossible otherwise, since they would've had to go around the whole palace. It had a throne for each of the gods, Irene's stark white throne in the center on a raised platform. Each throne was decorated to match what each god represented, like how Travis' was wooden and covered in vines, and how Blaze's was obsidian and flaming. Michael was nowhere to be found.They all emerged from a hidden space in a wall, it closing behind them once the last person exited the stairway. They went a hid behind each of their respective thrones, while Zane and Aphmau did sunset, signalling Blaze and Lucinda to bring Michael into the throne room.They came sprinting in soon after and dove behind their own thrones. Michael soon came in after, rage blazing in his emerald eyes. He had since changed his vessel up a bit. It was a lot more tanned and he had gained a lot more weight. The overalls and blue shirt were switched for a dark blue robe with a golden cord and black scandals."Where are you, you little fire-starters?" he yelled throughout the room, his emerald blades shimmering into existence.He went around, knocking over thrones, most likely looking for Lucinda and Blaze.Aphmau motioned over to Zane from behind her sun throne and began shining a small bit of light towards him from her hands. Zane held his up and caught the beam of light, enlarging it and causing it to shine in Michael's eyes."GAH!" he screamed, turning around to look towards the two other gods, who both quickly hid behind their thrones again.He stalked over them, but was distracted by a wolf's howl. It was Aaron behind his own throne, howling at the full moon, which shone through the window.They all began to distract Michael, turning him around before he could reach the last person to distract him. While Aphmau and Zane did their thing, and Aaron did his, Garroth would pound on the walls, making them shake, and Blaze would set fire to Michael's backside. All while this was happening, Lucinda was getting the ingredients ready for a specific spell. It was called Impediendum and was meant to paralyze its victim. If done incorrectly, it could cause the effects to be reversed upon the caster.Then, Aphmau jumped behind Lucinda's throne to check her progress. "Almost done?" she asked, turning back to watch out for Michael."Almost," Lucinda replied, continuing to draw the symbol for the specific spell.
"K, you know when to cast it," Aphmau said, jumping behind another throne, Sylvanna's, and reflecting her light in Zane's hands again.After a few more minutes, Lucinda pushed her throne aside and turned towards Michael. "Ego Lucinda, Dea Magia et prophetia damnamus quamdiu vos volo paralyticus!" she yelled and slammed her hand into the symbol she had drawn.Time seemed to slow once the spell was cast. Michael turned and locked eyes with Lucinda. All the other gods jumped out from their hiding spots, triumphant smiles upon their faces. However, something went wrong. As the spell shot towards Michael, he held up one of his daggers and deflected it, causing it to start flying around the room. It bounced around the throne room, finally hitting Aphmau. She fell over, her limbs limp. She hit her head on the marble tiles and instantly fell unconscious.Once she was no longer moving, time sped up. All at once, Aaron seemed to vault over the whole throne room towards her, Michael shot out green ropes to wrap up the other gods, and Lucinda began to scream.Aaron slid to a stop in front of Aphmau and picked her head off the ground. "Aph! Wake up!" he yelled, holding her head between his hands. He suddenly felt a tug on his middle and flew back into the other gods, a bright green rope wrapping around all of them.Michael stepped closer to Aphmau, stooping down to get a good look at her face. "This is Aphmau!" Ein said, temporarily taking control, "I got my queen!""Yes," Michael replied back, standing up, "You will have your part of the deal," he turned to look at the other gods, "and I have mine."
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
They were all thrown into their own separate cells in the dungeons. Also, since they were within the belly of the gods' palace, it was infused with magic. Their godly powers and healing had been disabled, but not their immortality.Michael, after tossing them all in a cell, walked up to his room. He had managed to find where is old room had been and remade it to look like its former glory. The walls were an emerald green, and the carpet was a solid black. The bed was made of a rare, black oak, with bright green sheets. There weren't any decorations, because the room was being taken up by a large, wooden slab with a body on it.This body wasn't any ordinary, human body, this was Michael's corporeal body. He had instructed some of the werewolves to retrieve it from his old prison and began to regrow it. Once it had been freed from the golden restraints, it had begun to revive rapidly, a trait that all gods possessed. So far, the only thing that had noticeably happened was that the bones grew back stronger and some organs were present. However, with more time within the palace, it would grow back even quicker."It looks like it's coming along nicely," Ein said, looking down as the half-formed heart was growing rapidly, "When do you think it will be ready?" he asked."Soon," Michael responded back, "maybe two or three days, tops.""Then, I can marry my queen?" Ein asked, his eyes brightening."Yes," Michael said, inspecting his old, green eyes, "Then you will have your queen,""Alpha!" a werewolf guard said, appearing in the doorway, "We've found something that we think you might want to see," With that, he turned from the door and began marching down the corridor. Michael followed swiftly, his scandals making light noises upon the white, marbled floor.He followed the werewolf to the throne room. Inside, there were two other werewolves waiting and restraining a god. It was Kawaii~Chan. She had come back to see where the others were, and had gotten captured. She didn't look very different, just her hair falling out of place as she struggled, and her clothes were dirty and ripped. Currently, she was kneeling on the floor as the two guards held her arms to restrain her."Well, look what we have here," Michael said, bending down to get a good look at Kawaii~Chan's face. He grabbed it, so that it would stop moving and studied her facial structures. "You're the Goddess of Music, aren't you?" he asked, letting go of her and standing up."Actually," Ein said, his face shifting, "This is Kawaii~Chan, the Goddess of Love,"Michael hummed. "Well, she used to be a minor Goddess of Music."Just then, Ein took over and his face lit up. "If she's the Goddess of Love, then she can marry me and Aphmau!" he said. Kawaii~Chan's eyes widened and she began to shake her head, too scared to even speak.Michael thought this over for a bit, then smiled. "That does sound like a good idea." he said, looking back down at Kawaii~Chan, a wicked smile slipping onto his face.He later threw her into one of the cells, leaving her there to stay before the wedding. Then, he went to go see how Aphmau was doing. Said goddess was huddled in the back corner of her cell, eyeing the bars with a cold glare."Hello, Miss Aphmau," Michael said, coming into view. Aphmau did nothing but stare at him with a mix of hatred and fear."I assume that you already know of what's to come for you?" he asked, slipping his hands on one of the bars.Aphmau's glare hardened, but she answered. "Your vessel wants me as their queen," she stated, never moving from her position.Michael laughed a low laugh before Ein took over, looking at Aphmau in wonder. "You're even more stunning than your statues." he murmured."Thank you?" Aphmau said, shifting in her position. She was getting uncomfortable."I bet you'd look even prettier in the wedding dress I picked out," Ein said, a creepy smile spreading across his face.Suddenly, the green came back to his eyes as Michael took over again. "Boy, I'm gonna be in charge, now. Your thought are making me quite uncomfortable," He turned back to Aphmau, who was now pressed up against the wall, trying to make herself seem as small as possible."The wedding will be in four days," he said, "Then, I will be out of this vessel and you two shall be married." With that, he walked away and back up the stairs.Once he was out of sight and earshot, Aphmau began to cry. She began shaking in fear as great tears pooled into her vision and fell down her cheeks. She cured up and sobbed even harder as a pair of red eyes glowed in the cell next to hers as the owner began to start a small spell."Kawaii~Chan hasn't come back, yet," Katelyn said, looking out towards the palace. She was in the mock camp she had set up with the help of Kawaii~Chan and the wolf pups. The gods that they had rescued from their cells were resting a few feet away from where she was, waiting for their injuries to heal up. The gods that they had rescued included Teony, Goddess of Wisdom, Ivy, Goddess of Flowers, and Katelyn and Aphmau's protectors."Do you think she's gonna come back?" Daniel, who was standing next to Katelyn, asked."No," Katelyn responded, hopping off of the rock she was standing on and leaning against it, "If she was gonna come back, she would've been by now. She's been captured."Daniel's ears drooped and he walked over to where Dottie and Rylan were patching Travis up. He seemed to have taken a lot more damage than any of the other gods that they had rescued. The stab wounds in his chest and stomach were still prominent and his bruises weren't getting any better. The only thing even remotely better about his appearance was that he was no longer as pale as he had been, a little bit of color returning to his face.Teony walked up to Katelyn from where she had been resting. Teony was one of the sweetest of the gods, even if she was also one of the most lethal. Her skin was a beautiful brown, her hair looking like a chocolate river that was pinned up in a loose ponytail. Her brown eyes were hidden behind a pair of golden spectacles. She was wearing a yellow shirt and blue pair of pants that were riddled with stab holes that had since healed, and had spots of blood near each one, and a pair of yellow scandals. A blue shawl was wrapped around her shoulders."Is everything okay, Katelyn?" she asked, sitting down next to the Goddess of Water."Yeah," she replied back, turning to look at the other goddess, "Just a minor bump in the road." She looked down at the other goddess and noticed her chapped lips and hungry expression. She summoned a little bit on water and poured it into the canteen she had on her hip. She handed it to Teony."Here, there's some food near where my dad is," she said, pointing towards Eric, her protector. Eric did look a great deal like Katelyn. His hair was a slightly greener shade of blue and his eyes were only a bit darker. He was slightly tanned as well, contrasting with Katelyn's pale complexion. One couldn't see what he was wearing at the time, since he was sleeping in a cot, a white blanket laid across the top of him."Thank you," Teony said, going over to the small chest that was stationed next to Eric.Once Teony was gone, Katelyn's expression changed. Her eyes turned panicky and she began biting her lip. She was terrified of what was to come.Her small freakout didn't last long, though, because an image of Lucinda suddenly appeared before her. It was a message that all the gods could broadcast to each other, but the spell was very weak. So weak, Katelyn was barely able to tell that it was Lucinda, only the orange hair being prominent."Listen!" Lucinda shouted, her words coming out fast, but broken, "I heard Mi-ael talki-. Hi- vessel plans to ma-y Aph in fo-r day-! H-l-, us!" Then, the message was cut and Lucinda's image snapped out of existence.Katelyn looked around at everyone, who had all been listening, startled by the broadcast. They all wore looks of panic and fear, eyes widening at the mention of Michael.Katelyn stood up and began to address the group, a plan already beginning to form in her head. (The message Lucinda gave to Katelyn, for those who couldn't understand it: "Listen! I heard Michael talking! His vessel plans to marry Aphmau in four days! Help us!")
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It had been two days since everyone had been captured. No one left their cells, except Aphmau, who was constantly taken out of her cell kicking and screaming, in order to help with her wedding dress. Her screaming was the most gut-wrenching thing any of the other gods had ever heard in a long time, and they would shake the bars of their cells to try and stop the guards Michael would send down to get her, but it never worked. They always just walked right past them, like they couldn't hear them.On the second day, right after they had all gotten done screaming, Aaron turned around and screamed at the cell wall. He screamed until his throat was raw and he was in a puddle on the floor."Aaron~Kun?" he heard Kawaii~Chan say from her cell next to his. He quickly wiped his tears away, even though he knew she couldn't see them."I'm fine," he said, gruffly, sitting down, "I'm gonna take a nap until our food comes," With that, he laid down on the hard, stone floors of his cell and curled up, ignoring anything anyone else said to him.Kawaii~Chan sighed and slid down the wall of her cell, tears beginning to fall. They would rot in these cells, Aphmau would get married to someone who didn't make her happy, and they would eventually get tortured for Michael's amusement.Bad thoughts began to make their way into her mind. If you had been more careful, you would've gotten them all out. Why can't you do anything right? All you can do is ship and play music. You can't help them at all. They're gonna die because of your foolishness."Shut up," she murmured to herself. She began hitting her head to silence the thoughts. "Shut up! Shut up! SHUT UP!" she screamed to herself. She began to shake and scream even louder out of fear, squeezing her eyes shut. She almost didn't hear another god's frantic cries for her."Nana!" Zane yelled, shaking the bars of his cell to get her attention. Then, he began to hear things. He looked over to her cell and saw Kawaii~Chan's Inner Demons.One thing that Irene had made for flare was Inner Demons. Everyone had them, but some were more powerful than others. After some time, they began to evolve, and any one that got too powerful could be seen and would haunt their owner for the rest of their life. Kawaii~Chan's looked like little, grey cats, slinking around her head and whispering things into her ears.Zane could hear the things that they were saying to her. "Why can't you do anything right?""Why're you even here? You can't save them,""Love is useless in this situation. Probably why Irene gave it to you.""You should've helped more! You, and all your friends, are gonna die, because you were too careless.""Pathetic! Worthless! Stupid! Useless!" they began to chant, flying around her head. Kawaii~Chan curled up into a ball, batting at her Inner Demons. Loud tears were free-flowing down her face as she sobbed and yelled at them to go away. She felt like she was drowning, her Inner Demons pulling her down as she floated limply against them, waiting to drown."Nana, listen to me," she heard through the haze. It sounded like Zane was trying to speak with her while he was on the surface and she was drowning. "You are important!" he yelled, "You're not useless. You helped us so much and helped so many people that we evacuated from here!"Kawaii~Chan felt herself being pulled from the water, something pulling her up."You matter and you weren't careless when you came here! You wanted to help and you didn't know that you would be ambushed!"Kawaii~Chan felt like her head broke the surface of the water and she gasped for breath. She looked around her cell and saw all of her Inner Demons circling around her, but looking at Zane with a look of pure hatred. They began to hiss at him, ignoring Kawaii~Chan long enough for her to scoot away. Once she was far enough, her Inner Demons disappeared, whispering that they weren't gone, they would be back. She collapsed on the floor, her shoulders shaking."Are you okay, Nana?" Zane asked, craning his neck to try and see her."Y-yea, I'm fine," she stuttered out, sweat dripping for her head."How many times has that happened?" Zane asked, sitting on the floor and leaning his head up against the bars.Kawaii~Chan turned over on her back, silent tears coming out of her closed eyes. "Too many to count," she whispered.She heard a slight clicking noise, then another. She opened her eyes and saw Zane standing over her, holding a slightly rusted silver key"Let's get out of here," he said, extending his hand. Kawaii~Chan took it, standing up and embracing him."Thank you," she whispered into his ear.Zane's entire face turned the shade of a raging fire. "Uh, yo-you're welcome," He quickly pushed her off and cleared his throat. "We should get the others out,"Kawaii~Chan smiled. "Yea, that sounds like a good plan," Then, her expression turned into confusion. "How did you get those?" she asked.Zane twirled them on his finger, "Nabbed them off the guard," he said."No! No! No!" Ein yelled, pacing in front of where Aphmau was restrained, her wedding dress slipped onto her. It was a slim white dress with a sweetheart neckline that went down way too low, and was supposed to go down her her ankles. But, like many of the dresses, it was too long to fit Aphmau short body figure."It needs to be shorter!"Ein yelled at the werewolf who was making alterations to the dress. She quickly bunched it up and put a pin in it, so that it went up to her knees."Perfect," Ein said in a creepy voice, "Make it like that, the wedding is in three days!" He watched as the werewolf dressed Aphmau in her usual dress, still keeping her in her restraints.Aphmau eyed Ein with a look of pure disgust and hatred as the cord was wrapped around her waist. "I hate you," she said.Instantly, Ein was looming over her, his hand gripping her face. "Is that any way to talk to your future husband?" he bellowed at her, throwing her back to the ground. Her right eye collided with the floor."Boy, do try to act a little more mature," Michael said, coming to stand in the doorway of the room. He was in his old own body now. He had tanned skin and black hair, and his usual bright green eyes. He had a beard that matched his hair exactly and grew out to about an inch. He was wearing a loose fitting, black shirt and and green pair of pants, black, pointed shoes on his feet."She was sassing me and I'm not gonna put up with that," Ein growled, turning to face Michael, "She needs to start working on her act before the wedding in two days," He watched as Aphmau was taken back to her cell, a dark bruise forming on her eye.Her guard walked with her down towards the cells, ready to throw her back in, but stopped when he saw the other gods leaving out of the door that led to the one to go outside. The gods all froze before Kawaii~Chan frantically pushed everyone else out of the door. Before she could go through herself, she felt the guard grab her around the waist and began to tug."Nana!" Zane yelled, going back and pulling on her arm, but the guard was too strong. They locked eyes and Kawaii~Chan silently slipped him something and let herself be taken.Zane screamed and tried to go back for her, but Garroth quickly grabbed him around the waist and ran out the door with him over his shoulder. Struggling was useless, with Garroth being the God of Power and all, but that didn't stop Zane from trying. He slammed his fists into Garroth's back and struggled to get out of his grasp. He didn't stop until Garroth put him down a ways away from the palace."Zane, stop!" he yelled as Zane began to cry, "What did she give you?" Zane looked down at the crumpled piece of paper in his hand and unfolded it. It was a crudely drawn map of the palace that showed where they could find the camp she had made with Katelyn. "The camp," Zane choked out, looking it over. His fingers traced over Kawaii~Chan's loopy handwriting as he looked towards where she was talking about. He could she the patch of woods, knowing that that was the way to go. He stood up, ready to go and caught a glimpse of Aaron.His fists were clenched as he looked towards the palace, where many guards were coming out of. Angry tears were beginning to form in his eyes as they turned red. He was trying to keep himself from going back and getting Aphmau.Zane walked up to him and looked him dead in the eyes. "We'll get them back," he said, his voice taking on a hard tone. Aaron nodded, the red never fading from his eyes.Zane took a deep breath and turned around to address the group. "Kawaii~Chan gave me a map," he said to them, "I know where the camp is. We can go there and get help to free Aphmau and Kawaii~Chan from Michael. But we have to do it in two days.""Katelyn already knows about what's going on," Lucinda piped up from where she was standing, "I messaged her and managed to tell her,"Zane nodded and swiftly turned towards the forest. "Let's go, then," (Sorry for the picture quality, I don't have a webcam)
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"Did you really think you would be able to escape?" Michael said, standing outside of Aphmau and Kawaii~Chan new prison. These new prisons were gright green bubbles that were suspended in midair in the throne room. There were no openings, but the two goddesses could breathe just fine, as well as watch the progress of the wedding decorations. White banners were hung around the room and tables of the same shade were being set up.Kawaii~Chan looked up at him, her golden eyes showing with pity. "No, but our friends got out," she said, abandoning her high-pitched voice."True," Michael growled, "You're friends may cause a problem," He swiftly turned around, walking towards the exit of the throne room. "Oh, by the way," he said before he left, "We know where your little camp is,"Kawaii~Chan's eyes widened and her breath quickened as Michael disappeared out of her line of sight. She turned towards Aphmau, seeing her friend just sitting there. She was sitting in her bubble, her legs crossed as she stared out towards a nearby window."Aphmau~Chan?" Kawaii~Chan said, putting her hands on her bubble.Aphmau looked up, her face red from the silent tears she had shed. "I'm scared Kawaii~Chan," she said, folding in on herself.Kawaii~Chan's eyes filled with tears as she looked out the window, the sun setting. The wedding was tomorrow."So, got the plan?" Katelyn asked, looking over at Lucinda and Garroth. The group had gotten back from the palace during the night that they had gotten out. Katelyn and the others were devastated to hear that Aphmau and Kawaii~Chan didn't make it back, but they quickly pulled themselves together to tell of their plan to storm the palace."Got it," Garroth said. Travis nodded. He was doing a lot better that day; he was in a fresh change of green clothes and his hair had been washed. There weren't as many bruises or cuts on his body, and most of the stab wounds had healed. The only one that hadn't was on his stomach and was wrapped in a bandage that had to be changed every three hours."Good," Katelyn said, standing up and walking over to Eric. He was doing much better, even getting firewood with Sylvanna a few times. Without the blanket, one could see that he was wearing all brown, loose fitting clothing."You okay, Dad," she asked him, sitting next to him."Yeah, sugarpea," he responded, watching an ant in the grass, "Just a little bit scared, 'sall,"Katelyn lightly punched him in the arm. "Come on," she said, "You're the Almighty Eric. You never get scared,""Sometimes, even the bravest people get scared, sugarpea," Eric said, turning towards his blue-haired daughter with a serious look.Katelyn's face instantly darkened and she turned away, choosing to stare at her knees, instead. "I know," she whispered.Before Eric could comment, she got up and left, going towards her own cot to get some food. Once she was there and was eating some the bread they had gotten, Travis joined her."Hey, Katelyn," he said, sliding next to her."Hey, Travis," Katelyn muttered, taking another large bite of her bread.Travis instantly saw that something was wrong. "Are you okay?" he said, angling his head to look at her face.Katelyn's head shot up, a sour look on her face. "Fine," she said, "Just tired," Without another word, she laid down on her cot and wouldn't say another word.Travis sighed and looked out towards where Zane was doing sunset. Since doing both the sun and the moon at the same time was taxing, once Zane was done, he stumbled over to a spare cot and was asleep before his head hit the pillow.Travis watched the stars, then looked towards Aaron, who was beginning to pack a bag full of food and a little bit of water. Travis, who was quite curious as to what he was doing, went over to him."Whatcha doin'?" he asked, leaning over the werewolf."Packing supplies for storming the palace," he responded, waving his hand towards the general direction of the palace behind the forest."Oh," was all Travis said, before going back to his own cot and lying down, hoping to get some sleep before the day they had planned."Alright, let's go," Blaze shouted once everyone was ready. Once everyone had woken up, they had all gotten together to discuss the plan. Some were not coming with: Travis and the wolf pups. Travis was too injured to storm the palace and the wolf pups were gonna take care of him."Good luck, you guys," Travis said, waving at them as they all shouldered their bags. Katelyn seemed to consider something for a second before walking up to Travis, her face pinched tight in concentration."Yes, Katel-" Travis was cut short by Katelyn quickly pushing herself up on her toes and placing a quick kiss to Travis' lips. She brought her self back down and faced a very startled Travis."Wh-what was?" he asked, barely able to get the words out."In case I don't come back," Katelyn said. She turned around, her face burning a bright red as she walked back towards the group. Thankfully, she didn't see the love-sic smile that spread across Travis' face, or she would've knocked him into next week.Aphmau was completely numb as her prison bubble was floated out of the throne room and into her a dressing room. Even as she was let out and changed into her dress, her insides were completely numb. She just didn't see any hope for herself.Kawaii~Chan was let out of her own bubble a little after Aphmau was. It burst open and dropped Kawaii~Chan to the floor."Huh?" she yelled, looking around. Michael was standing over her."You're going to be the one marrying Ein and Aphmau, remember?" he said, staring down at her.She scowled and said nothing, merely stood up and did as she was told as she was instructed to get into some nicer clothing and start reciting from the marriage book."Go!" Aaron whisper-yelled at Ivy. She immediately began to grow some poppies near the guards that were at the front door. They were confused and bent down to look at the flowers, when they suddenly burst, causing pollen to fill their noses. Soon, they were fast asleep in a big pile on the ground.Aaron, Garroth, Blaze, and Katelyn began to drag away the bodies when Teony walked up to Ivy. "I thought that poppies couldn't really put someone to sleep," she commented, watching Katelyn drag away one of the guards."They do if they're magical ones that I made," Ivy said, waving her hand and sucking the poppies back into the ground. Teony thought for a moment before nodding a little and going over to where the group assembled."Ivy, you and me are gonna go over to the Celestial Balcony and try to stop the wedding, everyone else, try to take out as many guards as you can, but be careful! These are still my werewolves and I want them to be safe." Aaron said, turning towards the group. They all nodded and ran over to the door, while Aaron and Ivy walked on, until they were right underneath the Celestial Balcony.Ivy began to grow some flowers, their petals large enough to carry them both, when they heard music. They froze and listened, their blood running cold when they realized the tune. It was the Song of Marriage."Get us up there, faster!" he yelled, eyeing the balcony with hatred. After a few seconds, the flowers were ready. They were very large daisy with petals that each spread out a foot. Aaron and Ivy climbed onto the flowers and Ivy slowly made them go up.Aaron saw the progress that the others were making when they passed a window. All he could see was Zane and Sylvanna taking down guards by punching them and knocking them out. All Aaron could see in their eyes was fear and determination. It, honestly, scared him a little.He and Ivy reached the top and peered into the throne room from around the corner. White banners hung on the walls and white tables were placed everywhere. Kawaii~Chan stood at the altar, right under Irene's throne, and she didn't look happy at all. Next to her was who Aaron guessed was Ein, dressed in a nice suit and staring at Aphmau, who was walking down the aisle.The rage that Aaron felt flared up even stronger when he saw her. Her eyes had lost their sparkle and her hair was half pinned up in a small bun that was intertwined with lilacs. The dress she was wearing was far too revealing and she was holding a bouquet of lilacs to match the ones in her hair.But what made Aaron angriest was her face. Her eyes her downcast to the floor as her feet dragged on the ground, and her smile wasn't present. Her shoulders drooped and, at the same time, were tense and made her curl in on herself.The red in aaron's eyes flared up as Ivy pulled him back. "I know that you're angry, right now, but we need to wait for the others." she reminded him, "We only act if absolutely necessary,"Aaron trembled in anger, but nodded stiffly. He turned back to see Aphmau finish her walk up to the altar. Ein smiled creepily at her and motioned for Kawaii~Chan to start.Kawaii~Chan sighed, but something caught her eye on the Celestial Balcony. She quickly faked a coughing fit and looked towards it. She saw Aaron! She knew she had to act fast, so she finished her fake coughing fit and cleared her throat."We are gathered here today to witness the union of Miss Aphmau and Sir Ein. Do we have any objections?" she began in her high voice, her eyes darting around the room.Just then, the doors to the hallway burst open and the whole gang walked in. "Yeah," Zane said, cracking his knuckles, "Just a few,"
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"Guards!" Ein yelled at the werewolves stationed throughout the throne room, "Get them," All the guards jumped into action, raising their spears towards the other gods. None of them were caught, though.Sylvanna and Eric grabbed the spears aimed at them and threw the werewolves holding them into a wall. Garroth grabbed three by the neck and bashed their heads together, knocking them out. Lucinda created a protection bubble around her and Teony, distracting four of the guards. Zane moved around them, avoiding the spears until the two guards chasing him ran into a wall. Blaze just stood there, shooting fire at anyone who dared to get within ten feet of him.While all of this was going on, Kawaii~Chan quickly grabbed Aphmau and pulled her behind the altar."Stay here," she said, sitting Aphmau down. Aphmau nodded and watched her go out and join the fight.She stuck her fingers in her mouth and blew. None of the gods heard anything, but all the werewolves quickly dropped to the ground, covering their ears. Including Ein and Aaron.Once Kawaii~Chan stopped, needing air, Zane ran up next to her. "What was that?" he asked, eyeing all the werewolves, who were still rubbing their ears."Built in dog whistle," Kawaii~Chan said, smiling smugly, "Goddess of Music, remember," Zane's face heated up as he watched her jumped into the fray of werewolves that were getting up.Once Aaron was done from recovering from the dog whistle, he stood up and walked up to Ein, eyeing his pitiful appearance on the palace floor. He grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and pushed him down onto the ground. He, then, used some rope he had brought to bound his hands and feet, and shoved him up against a wall."The Alpha has been taken down," one of the werewolves yelled, causing the others to turn. They all dropped to their knees towards Aaron."Alpha," they said in unison, "We are sorry for leaving you,"Aaron looked down at them and smiled sadly. "It's alright," he said, "It was not something that you could control,"The werewolves smiled and stood up, encasing Aaron and the others in a hug. It took a minute for Aaron to realize who was missing."Aph!" he yelled, ripping himself out of the hug and looking behind the altar. He found her, sitting behind it, knees drawn up to her chest. She still looked just as scared, but she was smiling."Aph, are you okay?" Aaron said, squatting down to her level. She nodded and he encased her in a hug of their own, wrapping his arms around her as she buried her face in his chest.Sylvanna and Eric walked up to Ein, who was still tied up and up against the wall. They stopped in front of him, their eyes burning with pure rage."You hurt our daughters," Sylvanna spat, her voice full of venom."And that is unforgivable," Eric finished, peering down at the blue-haired werewolf.Ein's ears and tail tucked in with fear, before perking up again at an unknown sound. He began to laugh quietly, but it rose in volume the longer it went on."I wouldn't be so confident," he snickered.Just then, a sharp pair of footsteps could be heard from outside the door. The volume of them increased as they got closer, making anyone who had been tortured cover their ears in fear. They knew those footsteps all too well.Soon enough, Michael came from around the corner, a wicked smirk snaking its way across his face. "Did you really think you had won?" he asked, his voice dripping with mirth.The others stood their ground, the werewolves forming a semicircle around them, their spears pointed towards Michael. "We will protect our Alpha!" one in the front yelled.Michael's grin turned into a snarl. "I see that you've won over my guards," he said, stepping further into the room, "No matter, I'll just take care of you all myself."He launched himself into the air as some emerald green whips snaked their way out of his sleeves. He landed right in front of the hoard of werewolves and began slashing at them. Many of them fell, blood coming out of the markings that Michael's whips left.Lucinda readied her potions, throwing one of them in Michael's direction, making him freeze over for a couple of seconds. However, because he had made alterations to his body, he was a lot stronger and broke free of the ice with ease. He whipped out one of his whips, twisting it around Lucinda's ankle. He sent her flying into the opposite wall, knocking her out. Ivy and Teony ran over to her, checking to make sure she was alright.Blaze summoned some fire, throwing it at Michael and setting his hair on fire. Michael merely snuffed it out and did the same thing he had done to Lucinda. Blaze laid there in a daze as Garroth checked him over. Once he made sure he was okay, Garroth turned around and went to punch Michael in the face.Michael caught his fist, but was pushed back. He and Garroth stood there, trying to push the other back, while everyone else readied what they had.Kawaii~Chan took out her claws and readied her sharp teeth, Zane held up his silver knives, and Katelyn summoned some water into her hands, getting ready to try and drown someone. Sylvanna, Eric, Teony, and Ivy all dragged Lucinda and Blaze out of the room, finding a safe spot to put them in. Aaron sprang up from behind the altar, claws at the ready, while Aphmau brought out her own twin daggers.Michael suddenly grabbed a hold of Garroth's wrists and threw him towards a wall. He didn't fall unconscious, but he did sustain a head injury.Michael turned towards the other gods. "Do you really think you can beat me?" he laughed, "I have ten times as much strength as I used to! The only one that could possibly stop me is Irene herself,""Well," said a voice from the doorway, "Lucky me, then,"Everyone looked towards the doorway and gasped. It was Irene! She stood there in all of her heavenly beauty, looking just as she did in the tapestries around the palace.Her long, black hair flowed down her back, like a river, and her brown eyes exuded fury, but it wasn't shown on her features. She wore a simple, white dress that went down to her ankles and a blue shawl lined with gold. Great, white wings burst from her back and dragged on the ground.Michael's eyes widened and his face paled. "How can-how can you be here?" he stuttered, his hands shaking. Not even he could lie himself out of his fear.Irene smiled a sickly sweet smile and dragged her hand across the wall as she walked into the room. "I just heard one of my gods praying to me," she said, "Something about you being loose and torturing them,"She walked over, her pace a little bouncy, like she was excited for an afternoon of fun. "If you wanted my attention, Michael, this was certainly how to do it,"She reached behind her back and pulled out a golden lasso. It didn't look like much, but it could contain hurricanes and was made out of the strongest metal.Michael quickly straightened his posture as his clothes shimmered into battle armor. With his face still pale, he pulled out his emerald swords and held them at the ready."Good," he said, and charged.
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The two clashed, Michael's blades slashing at Irene, and Irene blocking it with her mighty wings. She opened them and flapped them, sending Michael crashing into a wall. He got up and charged again, anger clouding his mind with adrenaline."You guys get out of here!" Irene yelled at the gods, blocking Michael's blades with her wings again. The gods left quickly, grabbing the werewolves and a very delirious Garroth and dragging them down to the dungeons."Don't leave me here!" Ein yelled at them, but they either didn't hear him, or didn't care.They hid there, huddled up in one of the cells. An explosion shook the palace, scaring many of the gods. Aphmau quickly buried her face in Aaron's chest, allowing Aaron to curl around her. Zane jumped, his hand finding Kawaii~Chan's. Neither of them said anything. Blaze's tail quickly wound itself around Garroth's upper arm, the two hurt gods curling into each other. Lucinda, who had woken up when she had gotten dragged into the dungeons, quickly pulled Ivy and Teony into a magic bubble, holding them both close. Sylvanna and Eric sat beside their daughters, eyeing the bars with cold determination. Katelyn sat there, doing nothing, her glare hardening, like clay.After a minute, there was only silence. No shaking palace, no sounds of a distant fight in the throne room, just nothing. After another minute, a pair of footsteps could be heard from the hall outside. They all tensed up, expecting Michael, but Blaze's ears perked up."Those are lighter than Michael's," he managed, his voice slurred. All the other gods untangled themselves from each other and peeked out of the cell they had hidden in.Irene came down not too long after, looking a little different. Her dress had grey stains on it, her hair was frayed, and her rope was gone. However, despite her appearance, she still had a large smile across her face, like she had just done something fun."It's safe, now," she said, then walked back up the steps. The gods quickly followed, Lucinda, Blaze, and Garroth needing some support from the others. They all went back to the throne room and were amazed by what they saw.In the middle was a mark of an explosion, most likely the one they had heard earlier. A deformed Michael was in the middle of it, most of his body scarred and burnt, but his chest still rose and fell, so he was still alive. The golden rope Irene had brought was wrapped around him. Ein sat off to the side, right they had all left him, his face red and the ends of his hair singed off."Fiery explosion," Irene said, running and jumping into her throne, a purple cushion appearing to soften her fall, "I love doing that,"She opened her mouth to say more, but was stopped when Blaxe suddenly moaned, the pain in his head getting worse."Oh, dear," Irene said instead, her features softening, "Bring anyone injured to me." Blaze, Lucinda, and Garroth were quickly brought up to her. She laid her hand on each of their foreheads, stepping back once she was done. A faint, white light came from each of their heads and left as quickly as it came.Their eyes instantly brightened and became more alert and all traces of the crashes they had had left. They got up and looked up at Irene, getting a good look at her."Thank you," Lucinda said, bowing slightly. Blaze and Garroth quickly followed suit.They looked up when Irene began to laugh. "Please," she said, "You all went through so much, it was what you all needed." Then, she went around to all the others and quickly healed them. Zane asked her to leave his eye alone, saying that he had gotten used to only having one.When she got to Katelyn, she held up her hand. "We have friends who need healing as well," she said, staring up at Irene, determination in her blue eyes."Of course," Irene said. She waved her hand and Travis and the wolf pups appeared. They looked rather startled to suddenly be in the palace, but the looks quickly left once they saw Irene. The wolf pups kneeled down. Travis tried to follow suit, but fell to the ground, a pain in his knee keeping him from bowing.Irene walked over to him and placed a hand on his head. All injuries that had befallen him quickly left, and he was, once again, the bouncy version of himself that everyone knew.He smiled wide, thanking Irene before a certain Goddess of Water caught his eye. He swaggred over to her, her face heating up with every step he took. When he finally reached her, her face was a cherry."Now, about that kiss," Travis began, but he was quickly punched lightly in the arm."Later," Katelyn said, refusing to meet his eye. Travis smiled and quickly nodded, standing next to her and grabbing her hand. Katelyn tensed, but said nothing."Irene?" Aphmau asked, raising her hand. Irene turned around from healing the wolf pups and raised an eyebrow."What are you gonna do with Michael and Ein?" she asked, eyeing the grey-eyed werewolf with morbid fear.Irene walked over to Ein and squatted down, getting on his eye level. "Why did you do what you did?" she asked, her voice low.Ein eyed the floor. "I thought that he would give me a bigger purpose in life than what I already thought I had," he mumbled."And about wanting to marry Aphmau?""I wanted something more out of the deal," he said, raising his head."So, you were prepared to force her to marry you, even if she didn't agree?" Irene said, her tone growing increasingly scarier.Ein chuckled lowly. "Yes," he stated.Irene stood up, eyeing Ein with disgust. "You will be punished, but not with death," She turned to Aaron, who nodded and walked up to Ein.He squatted down to him and changed his eyes, channeling the anger within him. He met his eyes and his own flashed a bright red.Ein fell to the floor, his werewolf ears and tail gone. He began screaming, the pain hardly bearable, but they all knew he would live."Now, as for Michael," Irene said, turning back to the God of Lies, "I'm taking away his powers and dropping him off on another planet,"She picked him up and spread her wings. In a flash of light, she was gone, the mess in the throne room gone with her.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
"Irene soon appeared again, saying that the palace needed a makeover. The gods quickly agreed and went to work.Aphmau quickly painted her room a lovely shade of purple, then put up pictures of her favorite dog: corgis. Aaron painted his red, nothing special, just a nice shade of red. Kawaii~Chan kept her pink color, but added some red hearts and golden music notes. Zane painted his black, but added some silver stars to his ceiling and connected the constellations with pink paint. Katelyn painted a river on her wall, and added a fountain. Travis added a sunroof and grew trees, flowers, and a bed made of soft grass. Lucinda helped Ivy and Teony add some flare to their rooms, which included decorative ivy and a taller ceiling, so that taller bookshelves could fit. Garroth moved all of his stuff to Mt. Flame. The wolf pups were finally able to divide the room between themselves and paint their parts their own colors. Sylvanna and Eric merely rearranged their rooms for a different feel.It was all done within the span of a week, the gods having much fun. At some point, Travis went a little overboard with his trees and ended up growing one in Katelyn's room. She chased him around the palace, finally catching him after an hour. To make amends, he offered to grow some seaweed in her room, allowing it to stand and sway, like it would in water. Katelyn agreed and he walked away without getting punched.Irene went around helping the others, smiling at her happy family. She had to leave once it was all done, needing to get back to the world she had abandoned in her haste to get to the gods. They said goodbye and waved as she left in her flash of light.The held a massive festival, wind spirits catering to them as they played. Aphmau won a giant, stuffed corgi at the ring toss and carried it around for the rest of the festival. Teony had to be banned from the dunking booth, because she never missed a shot and Katelyn was getting tired of falling. Garroth won himself a stuffed door at the strength tester, and he hugged it for hours afterwards.At the end of the week, a beautiful dance was held. Kawaii~Chan enchanted some of her instruments to play for them while they all danced. They all wore masked that Lucinda had made, dancing through the night, laughter filling the air. The fight was over and the pain had ended. They were happy and that was all that mattered.Kawaii~Chan still had self-esteem issues, but she was getting better. They all still woke up screaming, nightmares plaguing their minds, but they found comfort in each other. The werewolves were healing and the played, like they did before Michael escaped. It wasn't perfect, but that didn't mean it wasn't getting better,"The girl closed the large book with a huff, looking it over with a curious expression. After a minute of thinking, she sighed and got up from the chair she was in, heading to the front desk of the library."Ah, 'Mythology of the Old Gods?" the old woman at the desk asked cheerfully, scanning the book. The girl sheepishly tucked a piece of her light brown hair behind one of her ears, looking to the ground. "Mythology has always been a guilty pleasure of mine," she said in her high, but small voice, "I thought I'd go looking for more reading material,""Well, you chose a good branch of gods," the librarian said, looking down at the girl's library card to get her name, "Kim," she finished with a smile.Kim smiled back, taking back the large book and hugging it to her chest. "I had a feeling I did,"