Rebirth

STRIFE

I helped Dhara up and I couldn't help but notice how cold his skin was. His eyes fluttered with slight difficulty and when they finally opened, Kaos's cold blue orbs stared back at me. He grunted as he took a wobbly step forward, catching him short before he fell flat on his face. Dhiji giggled.

"he's like a toddler..." tears dripping from his eyes, presumably, tears of joy. "sorry..." he wiped them off with the back of his sleeve.

"we should take him home, he needs to rest" I said. "There is nothing for us to do out here" I bit my lip in regret. I should have gone with her.

"where's Naga anyway?" Dhiji looked around, whipping his head side to side. "She was just here..." he looked worried, casting a short glance at his brother and back at me.

"She is gone." I averted my eyes when Dhara perked up, his eyes pensively demanding answers from me.

"Where is Kaos?" he finally spoke and I wish he hadn't.

His voice sounded like a thousand voices speaking at the same time, saying the same thing. My ears bled and my head pounded like a giant bell was ringing right inside my head. I dropped to the floor, my head at his feet, Kowtowing for him to spare me. This was the same way Kaos made her presence known. A simple question with the Thousand voices that caused every single god in the arena to fall on their knees.

His cold hand caressed my scalp and I shivered. The pain ceased immediately and I slowly stood up, panting in relief as I did. Dhiji, who was oblivious to everything was standing by him, wondering why my ears were bleeding and why I was bowing to his brother.

"where is Kaos?" his voice was much calmer now.

"She is gone. She is ordinary now." I replied quickly "She gave everything to you and left with the godslayer" he frowned at the mention of the godslayer. "He threatened to kill us, so she surrendered to him..." in a flash, he grabbed me by my throat.

"Hey! let her go!" Dhiji pushed, alarmed. "Dhara, stop it... you're going to kill her! stop it!" as though he weighed nothing, Dhara held him up too, without touching him. He was using Omen.

"and you let her go? you let him take her?" he screeched, my head started to pound again. "Aren't you a god too?"

"Dhara, please..." his brother wheezed and I felt sorry for him.

"I am sorry...my lord" I struggled to breathe and he dropped me "she... specifically warned me not to follow" Dhara suddenly screamed, clutching his chest. We both rushed to him, trying to calm him down.

His irises flickered from cold blue to an unfamiliar dead black. It seems he is fighting for control.

"your brother's eyes...what color is it?"

"Hazel, why?" Dhiji looked back at his brother and saw his eyes finally switch from blue to black "his eyes..." he trailed off

"yeah...Help me hold him up..." I saw his hesitation "it is not his fault. He is fighting for control too...your brother would never try to kill you, or hurt you...I promise..." he nodded slowly and helped him up.

"Fuck!" Dhara cursed. "that was excruciating!" he breathed. He saw his brother and me, looking at him worriedly "shit! I'm so sorry, I didn't mean that... I don't know what I was thinking! I'm so sorry" he apologized, berating himself.

"I..."

"It wasn't your fault, man" He pats him on the shoulder "let's get you home" He smiled, hopping onto the driver's seat.

DHARA.

I floated around in nothingness until Orbs of light approached me. I was cold and as they neared me, warmth engulfed me.

"She is ordinary now...She gave everything to you...she left with the godslayer"

That was Strife...what was happening? I tried to find solid footing but failed.

"You are killing her..." one of the orbs whispered, taking an unfamiliar form, a little girl not older than seven years old.

"What is happening? Where am I?" I queried. she didn't reply and just kept floating away from me and the other orbs, so I followed, desperately trying to keep up and float flawlessly like she did. "who is the godslayer?" I caught up to her and managed to block her path. I had questions and I wanted answers now

"She sacrificed her godhood to save you, Dhara. Your life has been entwined with hers since your birth, I don't know how but I felt it when you touched me..." Her black eyes stared at me. They looked sad somewhat "...It's not a rare occurrence for a god to have their fates locked with a mortal so don't think you are special in any way" the little girl sounded so older than her age and all the while she was speaking I was quiet, I was listening.

She looked wise beyond her years and she could have fooled anyone just by keeping quiet and they would have made a grave mistake because it's just dawned on me that this was the god Kaos told me about when Yara captured me. she was the god of death.

"You are Tsatu." her dead black eyes lit up in blue fire and bared down into my soul.

"You know my name?" She snarled. "Did she tell you?"

"No. Your eyes gave you away earlier. I have read about you. You are the god with many names. You overshadow every pantheon that has ever existed" I recited. "After Kaos, you were the one I was going to find next"

"It's good you didn't. You would have wasted away the moment, you embarked on that quest" she hissed.

"Why am I here?" She was as elusive as the temple of death.

"You are here because, Kaos wants one of the gods who is willing to use you as a host...because technically, I should be holding your soul in my hands since you are already dead"

"What the fuck! I died?" My eyes rounded in shock.

"Yes, you died...and you're still dead and will stay dead if we don't find a willing god"

"I don't blame them if they are not willing... I mean this whole thing was my fault anyway."

"Yes it was. Is that what you wanted to hear? sure, it is your fault she's happy" she snapped "we don't have the luxury of talking about whose fault it is...You're the priority here so shut your mouth and keep moving"

Suddenly the darkness changed into where it all began, The temple of death. It was devoid of dust and debris and it looked much cleaner now. The golden spirals on the walls glimmered from the burning torches that lit the room. The orbs we left behind descended, taking their physical forms as they took a seat.

They all didn't have human forms, some looked like aliens and all in their ethereal forms stared at me with the same expression. Pity.

"This place..." I mumbled but Tsatu cut me short, nudging me to pay my respects. I curtly bowed.

"Kaos, gave us a task and if we don't make a decision quickly, we won't be able to save our mistress and you know what that means, If this human die, we cease to exist. Shall we begin?" Tsatu stepped away from me and one of the gods stood up and approached me.

They pressed their hand to my forehead, trying to pull a thread that surprisingly I could see but as soon as a god pulls out the thread, it slips from their grasp and they step back. One by one they did until it was Tsatu's turn. She looked at me without a hint of fear but for some reason, I could feel her hesitation.

"For your sake and ours, I hope this works" I went down to her level. she let out a shaky breathe and pressed her hand on my forehead.

Her cold hand sent shivers down my spine and I could feel something being pulled out from my being and it didn't stop. She kept pulling until the thread wrapped around her small body pulling her to me, my body painfully absorbing the dead cold. I fell to the floor, shivering and writhing in pain at the same time.

It was excruciating being pulled in different directions all at once, I felt like I was being quartered. I felt multiple warm hands holding me down and I'm guessing it was the gods. It didn't take the pain away but I felt better, comforted even.

"Dhara..." I heard Tsatu echo in my head. "Dhara, how do you feel?" She nudged me

"so freaking cold and exhausted, man ...I feel like I took an Ice bath while being quartered, I don't understand that logic but that's how I feel" I muttered and the gods laughed.

"What happened is incredible, Dhara. You have been reborn. You are my host now and I'll do everything in my power to help you understand how this works and Dhara...Welcome to godhood" I could imagine her shaking her head.

"we are saved!" the excitedly murmured amongst themselves.

"Are you ready to save Kaos?"

"I'm ready...I think"

"now stop, choking your brother and Lady Strife" I felt my head being smacked upside.

"wait, what?"

I was pulled back into the waking world and I screamed.