THAT Dav

What was I doing all of this for again? I couldn’t remember. I could remember the Apostles still screaming. The crack of bones and pleas for mercy echoed through my head, repeating and repeating. I could remember the way they all shared the same look on their faces. Fear. Pure fear. The way they would cry out for their life right before becoming nothing more than fertilizer for the soil. The way I watched the light dim from their eyes. I remember them. But I don’t remember why.

The Fates were truly devilish beings. 

I sat up in a cold sweat. My breathing quickened as I took in my surroundings. My hands trembled and my mind was sent into full panic mode, expecting to see dead bodies lying across the ground. There were none here. I calmed down, holding my throbbing head. The adrenaline rush was hitting me harder than expected. It was like I was struck with a sense of vertigo. 

I groaned, rubbing my eyes and forcing myself to stand up no matter how much my legs begged me not to. I walked by the river, cupping my hands in the deep water and splashing my face. I felt bags under my eyes. Every inch of my body was screaming at me to run as far away as I could from the god. Run. Get away. I didn’t want to die like this. I’d end up driving myself to insanity before I die at this point. My stomach wouldn’t be able to handle another massacre like yesterday. It was wrong of me to trust this god. Maybe he wasn’t even a god at all. 

The water felt cold and refreshing. Just a few feet away was the god. The one who ruthlessly murdered all those people. The one who I mistakenly let out and was now on a killing spree, no matter how innocent or guilty they were. None of them deserved to die like that. 

Who’s to say that I wasn’t next? 

He was sitting up, glaring down at me. He was waiting for me to say something. I knew it. But I wasn’t going to. I wasn’t going to foolishly run off either. Not when he could easily capture me again, and then I’d be the one receiving all the torture. There was no reason to take such a risky chance. Especially when all the limbs and muscles in my body felt weak. 

I glared right back, splashing my face with water one more time, a little bothered by the subtle metallic taste of it. Blood. Was it from last night? When I became conscious after the… incident, it looked like he washed it all off. Or at least what he could wash off. It was hard to tell in the dark. But it didn’t matter.

I sucked in a deep breath and stood up, swinging my bag around my shoulder, nodding to myself that everything seemed to be in order. I backed away, staring off into the forest that lay behind us. Surprisingly, birds were chirping. Meaning that none of the animals were bothered by the fact that there were several dead bodies somewhere out there. By his prison that caved in. I never did ask how the prison was able to keep a god in there. Nor did I ever ask for his name. Not that it mattered either. He was inevitably going to kill me in the end anyway. 

The god started moving slowly. Leaning over the river and cupping his hands. I held my breath, watching cautiously in case he was going to try something, but it seemed more like he was waiting for me to move before he even tried to. That didn’t sit right with me. He wasn’t nice. He wasn’t merciful. He was a killer. Why care if he might make someone scared all of a sudden? 

But thinking back at it, he let that one kid go for seemingly no reason. 

He cleaned his face just as I did and sighed, frowning, and then looked back at me. The piercing golden eyes stabbed me straight through my chest, almost as if it was tearing apart my soul by the seams. What was he planning to do with me? What could he possibly have to gain from me? Why make me slowly deteriorate for his selfish gains? 

I was creating more problems than I was answering. 

“Your favor won’t end with me six feet under, will it?” I groaned, my voice low and loud enough just to reach his ears. It was unwise to speak to a god like this, but I was tired. I was mentally exhausted, and I don’t think that he deserved an ounce of nobility from me after killing all of those people. Not after nearly killing me countless times. He didn’t deserve anything. So why did I sympathize with him? 

He started chuckling, as if amused by my small outburst and smirked, “I like you.” He leaned over me. It took every ounce of strength not to jump on my feet and run as far and as fast as possible from him. 

“No.” He simply answered, and all I could do was take his word for it. 

Relief hit me like a tidal wave. I couldn’t even remember the last time I felt this way. Not to be so scared of what could happen to me. I mean, his response didn’t exactly let me know if I’d get out unscathed, but I think I could deal with a few scratches here and there. If that’s what he meant at least. Now it was just a matter of figuring out what exactly he wanted from me. Obviously it wasn’t to use me as some sort of sacrifice, which was great news, but there was no other reason to keep me around. 

“Then what do you need me for?” This time, I made sure that my voice wasn’t as low and tired. Just in case he was on the brink of ending my life and finding another human he could force to do his bidding. 

He rolled his eyes, “You’re small.” Was all he replied with before his hand began reaching down for me. Digits that were nearly as big as I was slowly but surely about to reach out. I stared, horrified by the sight, my hands clenched and my breathing shallow. A shadow was cast over me, their fingers nearly curling around me before I ducked underneath them and out of the way of being grabbed, nearly tripping face-first into the ground in the process. After I saw what he could do with those hands, I wasn’t sure I wanted to be anywhere near them. Or him, for that matter.

His hand stopped as he just stared at me with a look that said, “really?” I knew that I couldn’t actually hurt him even if I wanted to. Which is why I hadn’t tried to before. But I was willing to at least fight for my life before he forced me to go anywhere with him. 

“No more questions.” His tone alone was enough to send shivers down my spine. Cold and intimidating. He was getting annoyed with me. It made my stomach churn at the mere thought of travelling with someone like him. Could I handle being with him for another day? A week? No, I don’t think I could. 

And yet he was right again. I couldn’t read what was on the paper. If the words were somehow the map, then it was useless to me. The old lady knew that I wouldn’t be able to. Did she know that I was going to set him free? Did she know what was going to happen when I did? Did she know what was awaiting me if I did join him? I was so sure that I’d be driven next to insanity and would kill myself. 

I sighed and nodded my head. He smirked, and this time, he flipped his hand over palm-up. An odd gesture coming from someone who was a heartless monster just a few hours ago.

I struggled to climb over, the vertigo hitting my head as he lifted his palm and stared down at me, his face twisting into several different emotions that I couldn’t read in time. I couldn’t say that this was easy for me either. It felt even worse than the first time. I was more than just terrified of him dropping me. I was terrified of him wrapping his fingers around me and squeezing until all my bones went crack. He could play with me like some fidget and break me beyond repair. Or even hold me hostage and torture me. That’s what I was most afraid of. 

He scoffed, holding me out before the vertigo hit me again. This time, it was a million times worse. It felt like gravity just decided to push down on me. My insides felt like jelly for a split second. My body was pressed down slightly. My head throbbed as I groaned. My vision grew blurry. This was going to be a rough few days. Or weeks. However long I’m stuck with him. 

It took a few blinks for me to be able to see clearly and to sit up. It still felt like I was moving, but I could see from the distance the tall trees growing smaller and smaller. Further and further away.

My stomach dropped at the realization. 

I was high up in the air, moving. 

I frantically looked around. His fingers were slightly curled to prevent me from falling off due to my own mistakes. I dared to not go near the edge of his hand. Any big movements and I was sure that he wouldn’t hesitate to remove his hand from underneath. Surely this fall would be enough to kill me, right?

I sucked in a deep breath, hugging my bag close, waiting for our destination. Wherever that might be. He said no questions… but I was full of them. I mean, he was a god. He’d have all the answers I wanted. He knows what happened in the past. He knows what humans did that we claim we didn’t. I had an idea after being locked up, but I wasn’t so sure. 

“What happened? L-like before all of this.” I wasn’t expecting an answer, but it was worth a shot to get at least a few answers. 

He glared down, rolling his eyes once again like he was annoyed with me already. My heart skipped a beat, expecting him to threaten me, but it wasn’t anything like that. I was more shocked that he actually decided to answer. 

“Is that why you were down there with me?” He didn’t look angry at all. He didn’t look malicious. It didn’t even seem like he was angry. Was there something he was trying to hide?

I shook my head, not earning a reaction before he sighed, “I’ll explain when we get there.” I frowned at the response. I just wanted to know. Even if he told me everything, I couldn’t escape no matter how much I wanted to. He said he needed me because I was small, meaning that there was something else that he couldn’t get to without a human. Wherever we were going. Judging from the direction, it was towards the mountains. Hopefully, he would be smart enough to hide from the Apostle camps stationed there. 

“You never told me your name.” I was getting too comfortable talking with him. Especially after he killed so many people right after freeing him. Who’s to say he wouldn’t do it again? But, I have to admit, it’s amazing to be talking to a literal god. What would my mom even say? She wouldn’t believe me even if I told her. 

“I didn’t think I had to.” He smirked, fingers twitching. Even if he was a sadistic person and murdered dozens just the night before, he was nice to talk to. It was almost as if nothing terrible had happened in the past, then he’d be an entirely different person. 

“It’s only fair.” 

He shook his head but complied.

“Evander.”

It sounded familiar. There had been so many gods that my mother would talk about. When a god dies, they get reincarnated which is why there’s been so many. Too many to memorize, but Evander felt like one that stuck out in history books like he’d done something good. Or maybe even horrible.

It was weird talking to a god. One second, they were off murdering people, and the next, they’re friendly and caring. Maybe not so much as caring… more like he was aware. Of course, it was terrifying because if I asked one wrong question, I knew how he would react. A glare. A threat. Something even worse. 

A shiver ran down my spine at the thought. Vertigo suddenly hit me hard. My stomach did a flip, and my body was a few feet in the air before I was back in his palm. The wind was knocked out of me.  All of a sudden, the trees were now towering over me again. I groaned, my vision blurry once again as I struggled to get air back into my lungs. What happened? 

I sat up and looked around. The trees in this area were taller. This time when Evander tried to hide in them, they actually kept him hidden unlike in the clearing. We were getting closer to the mountains, meaning that the sequoias would only grow larger. Why was he taking us here?

We travelled for what felt like days. It was really only a few hours. We hadn’t talked much, and if we did, it was mainly questions from me that just went unanswered. He didn’t want me to find out anything about him, and I had no choice but to wait until he decided to tell me. Or until I figure out exactly what he wants.

The sun was just barely past the midday point. We had made some progress, but trying to stay hidden was a struggle. Especially since I knew that there were outposts close by. I had thought we were making good progress. At least before everything came crashing down. 

“What-” He glared down at me, eyes piercing through my chest. I slapped my hands over my mouth, my body trembling slightly. I didn’t want to be on his bad side. What was going on? I knew that we were close to a campsite, but not this close. I shouldn’t be surprised. He was a giant, he could move a lot faster. Still, it wasn’t as exciting to know that this could be another situation where I’d have to sit through and watch as people would get torn limb from limb or be crushed. 

My worst fears came to life when I heard voices. They didn’t seem panicked like they had known we were here, which was a good thing if we wanted to stay hidden, but that wouldn’t last for very long unless Evander moved away. 

Out of fear, I jumped off his hand, tumbling down and failing to stick the landing, but stood back up and quietly ran behind a tree. He stared at me closely, flipping the hand I was in just a few moments ago to lie on the ground. I still felt that he was watching me, almost like he was making sure I wouldn’t run off. Now would be a good time, but I doubt that he’d bother to stay hidden if I did run away. I’d like to avoid any more lives being lost because they threatened him. 

I stayed hidden behind the trees, but snuck closer to the voices that were growing louder. They were Apostles. Probably just walking around the perimeter, but it didn’t seem like they were really focused on any danger. 

“I heard that the thief stole a book of the High Mage.” 

“Really? You’d think nothing can get past her.” 

My eyes widened. At least they hadn’t heard about what else happened. That would’ve been bad. I peeked out from my hiding spot. They didn’t have any weapons. Or at least they weren’t carrying swords or spears. They only carried a few buckets. Meaning that they were most likely just told to go grab water. There was a small well nearby too. This made things easier for us. Evander just had to stay hidden for a little while longer. 

I snuck back, hiding behind a thick bush, and watched them walk right past, still talking about the “thief” that had stolen from the high mage. If I were ever caught by her, she’d have me beheaded for sure. Or worse. I gulped and looked up at Evander, who was watching the guards closely, his hands clenched into fists. 

I waited beside him until they were completely out of earshot and released the breath I hadn’t realized I was holding. Evander diverted his attention to me and sighed like he was irritated. He wanted to kill them. He could’ve if he wanted to as well. I swallowed hard, trying to think of a plan to get out of here unnoticed. I think Evander had better plans though. He started crawling out, and would’ve stood up carelessly had I not stopped him. 

“Nonono. Wait.” I shook my head. He scowled, but complied and leaned down, his shadow cast over me. 

“What?” His voice was sharp, but not loud. 

I trembled, unable to find my voice before I finally forced it out. 

“Just… stay here. You really want to lead them to wherever we’re going?” He stared, rolling his eyes. 

“It wouldn’t be hard to murder them. You saw what I did to the last unlucky few, hm?” The last sentence struck me right to my core. I felt the acid in my stomach rise to my throat as I remembered the blood and death and screams and cries for help. My breathing quickened for a split second, the world around me turning black and my vision turning dizzy. I groaned, blinking a few times and trying to control my heavy breathing. 

When I looked up, he wore the same expressionless face, but there was something else there that I couldn’t understand. There was no time to figure it out. 

“N-no. No killing. C-can’t you just use some magic or something?” I threw my hands up in the air, trying to avoid another massacre. I can’t have all this guilt weighing on my conscience. I didn’t want to anger Evander more than he already was, but it was getting to be too much. My mind was already on the verge of breaking. I had more questions than answers. I thought we were having a nice talk, but it all just came crashing down when we ran into the Apostle camp. Of course we had to run into them.

Evander just stared, scrunching his face together as if saying, “Are you stupid?” I just fidgeted with my hands as thoughts barreled down on me. One problem at a time. He can’t use magic for some reason. Is that what he needed my help with? To get them back? I don’t understand how any of this works, but that just leaves us at a disadvantage. Why was I trying to help him in the first place? Because if he gets caught, I doubt that no matter how physically strong he is, he couldn’t fight magic as powerful as the High Mage and her company. 

Well, the trees grew taller the further we walked. Soon, they’d be tall enough to be towering over Evander. If he could just crawl a little further, then it should be fine. I smiled to myself, waiting until they were out of earshot before jumping out from behind his arm. I gestured for him to look down, trying to ignore the way his fists were clenched so tightly that I swore I could see blood. 

“Can you crawl just like that?” 

“Yes.” His tone was skeptical, but when he looked up, he huffed through his nose and lifted himself a tiny bit to get a better stance on his knees. He knew what I was getting at. The trees were tall enough to hide him if he moved slowly. I breathed a sigh of relief. This might actually work in my favor for once. Maybe the Fates really were on my side. 

I ran ahead, scouting out the camp. There weren't really many people there, but it also looked like a few people had left in a hurry. Probably from what had happened yesterday. I shuddered, but kept myself hidden in the bushes and watched the three remaining sit around a campfire cooking food. My stomach growled lightly. I don’t remember the last time I ate, but this wasn’t the time. I didn’t even have any food in my bag either. 

Evander was making some progress. It wasn’t too long before he could stand up again. I’m sure that he wanted to rip me limb from limb right now despite saying that he liked me. It wouldn’t be the first time someone thought that of me, and I doubt that it would be the last. 

Everything seemed to be fine. Evander was just about to pass me up. Nothing could go wrong. Nothing would go wrong. Not when we were so close to getting out of here. 

Or so I’d thought. 

My eyes widened when there was screaming coming from behind me. I turned my head fast, my breath hitching in my throat as the kid Evander had let free yesterday stood there trying to reach for his sword on his belt that wasn’t there. He couldn’t be much younger than me. Maybe a year or two. 

Evander paused. His face was turned away from me. I couldn’t tell what was going on. My breathing quickened as the Apostles who were once sitting down were now getting up and grabbing their swords. I ran in front of Evander, trying to get him to focus on me rather than the kid who just stood there in utter fear and terror. 

Nononono- This can’t be happening again.

The Apostles didn’t even have any words to say when they caught a glimpse of Evander. I just stood in shock, my thoughts not working fast enough to get me out of this. What should I do? What could I do? I couldn’t fight. Evander could, but I didn’t want to witness anymore bloodshed. I doubt that the kid didn’t want to either… 

“Stop!” One of them barked at Evander. His piercing yellow eyes glared down at the three of them, and then looked back towards me. I was able to deal with pain and running until my lungs couldn’t breathe anymore and getting out of tight spots, but I wasn’t comfortable with seeing other people die. Why did anyone have to die? Why did people have to die for not knowing the truth? Why did people have to die for mistakes made in the past? Why did they have to die for trusting in those so-called angels? Why were the gods so merciless? 

Evander huffed through his nose, his eyes glowing a faint yellow color. The air seemed to freeze. My breath caught in my throat. My heart pounded hard against my chest, and I could tell that everyone here was feeling the same way. The terrified looks on their faces said it all. 

There was once a time when humans had no need to tremble before the gods. 

Well, now there was a need. 

His hand started reaching for the Apostles, malicious intent all but hidden on his face. The fear on their faces prohibited them from moving. The utter weight of his intimidating figure was almost too much to cut through. I needed to do something before he murdered them with no guilt.

My knees nearly buckled underneath me, but I forced them to keep me upright.

“Just go!” I yelled. Everyone’s eyes were on me now. All piercing through my skull. All tearing at my skin. Scared and helpless. If I hadn’t said anything, I wouldn’t forget their faces. All terrified and limpless. No glare in their eyes that signaled life. It made my skin crawl at the thought, but there was no time for that. Time seems to be running out these days.

Evander huffed angrily, but faster than my eyes could track, he grabbed me by the leg. Pain erupted, shooting straight up and making me squirm as I was held upside down like he had just caught a wild rabbit. In another quick motion, he stood up. My eyes widened at the view, trying to hold back a scream when I noticed how far the ground was from up here. Magnificent trees that seemed to stretch on for miles, in the very distance, the kingdom that claimed to rule the entirety of the world, a river that seemed to just keep growing and growing. And down below, the Apostles who just trembled in fear. And I did the same. 

What was he going to do with me now? I tried my best to hide him! It wasn’t exactly easy to hide a literal giant. 

My thoughts were interrupted when he quickly set me down into his opposite hand and hurried to get out of sight, his eyes still glowing a faint yellow color as if the rage hadn’t settled down enough yet. The vertigo hit hard. It felt like my organs were just threatening to burst right out of my chest. The bile built up, leaving a disgusting acid taste in my mouth. My vision was blurry, all I could see were blurred colors running past me, the sky becoming smaller and smaller. 

“How many times do I have to save your life?” His voice thundered above, practically threatening me. I clasped my hands over my ears when we had seemingly stopped moving. My breathing became ragged. It almost felt like I was going to choke on the thick air around me. I coughed for air and rubbed my eyes, hoping that at least one of my senses would be working right. That was only wishful thinking. 

We continued walking for a while. I tried my hardest to look up. I wanted to see how angry Evander was. I wanted to know why he was so angry in the first place. I wanted to know why he chose violence as his first choice for everything. I wanted to know why he needed me, all from the look on his face. 

Evander wore a frustrated expression. His fingers that kept me from falling twitched closer like he wanted to take his anger out on something. Or someone. I swallowed hard. He was going to kill me. He lied. I was going to end up dead by the time he’s done with me. I still wasn’t sure if it was a smart idea to uncage him. I did this. Now I have to see it through.

He stared at me, his expression unwavering. I was able to get us out of there without another massacre. Without having to watch them die right in front of my face. He huffed and continued to walk forward, staring up at the mountain that was before us. There wasn’t anything special about it. Why go through all of this for nothing? Did he even really need me at all? Was he just toying with me from the start? Was he keeping me around for company or what? 

“You owe me an explanation.” I spat out, anger surrounding my voice. Evander didn’t even turn my way. I know that I shouldn’t be getting angry with a literal god, but I was beginning to wonder if he’s just been playing me this entire time. Was he only being nice so that I wouldn’t fight with him?

He paid me no mind, only walking closer and closer to the mountain, the trees towering far overhead. I remember our conversation just a few hours ago. It was nice. Almost like we were both just human beings. What happened to that? Why couldn’t he be like the gods from the storybooks that my mother used to read to me? Merciful and full of love and life for humans all around. What happened? Why was he so bent on practically ending humanity? If that’s what his intentions were at least. 

“You wanted to know what happened?” Evander glared down, stopping in his tracks as we stared at the mountainside. Nothing out of the ordinary. It was just a cliff wall. It looked oddly shaped, but there wasn’t anything strange about it. 

Evander tilted his hand on the ground. The world looked so much bigger from this point of view. The trees looked like they stretched up towards the sky. The mountain looked even bigger now too. My chest tightened as I looked around, clutching my bag closely like something else was going to reach down and grab me. I stared up at Evander, scared that he would forget that I was right next to him, but he just stood still and stared at the rigid rock wall in front of us. I could run off. I could run all the way back home and let the world fall to ruin and succumb to the harsh monarchy, but I wasn’t going to. I was too far into this now. Was he… actually going to tell me? 

Evander took three steps forward and brushed his hand lightly against the rock wall, revealing faint writings. Their language. I’ve recognized it from books, but I’ve never been able to actually read it. 

He mumbled something, and soon the wall flashed a faint blue color. Writings and symbols and lines that stretched up like vines covered the walls. Magic. It was a door. My breath hitched in my throat, watching the wall slowly open up. It was pitch black. I couldn’t even tell if it was just another cave or not, but something seemed to call me in. It wouldn’t be this easy, right? This wasn’t what he needed me for. I stared at the ground, noticing the same blue glow underneath the forest floor. 

“I promised you answers,” He stepped out of the way, an expressionless look on his face, “This is where it all began.”

— — — — — —

I love it when they slowly start to get along and then the tiny realizes that difference between the two but chooses to ignore it for the sake of their sanity

I apologize if the writing isn't good it's been a while since I've last written to post. To be honest I had a different plan to do with this chapter, but I didn't like how I originally wrote it, so I redid it and I still kind of don't like it but oh well! This is probably going to be a scrapped idea unless people would like to read more, so please let me know!

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