Father Time and Graadithane

Strange noises emerge from the lighthouse. Disfigured ticking of a clock echoes throughout the strange silver land. A winding and bending dock extends into the silver lake. The tower extends into the clouds that hang over. Vines have claimed the building and the stones cracked over time. The wooden door was rotten and falling apart. It was light inside, almost blinding. A staircase led to the roof. Inside there was a man. His beard drooped down to his feet. His hair was white as freshly fallen snow. His face was covered in wrinkles, and looked the most human out of everything Lavernius has seen in this realm so far. His eyes were bright gold.

"Lavernius Bear... I have been expecting you." Father Time said

"Father Time." Lavernius said

"Sit down, please." he said

"I don't plan to stay long." Lavernius said

"Just a small chat before my demise." he said

"Alright. What do you want to say?" Lavernius said, sitting down across from him.

"You are going to kill me. All because of your brother." he said

"You knew it was going to happen. HE knew it was going to happen and yet you did nothing." Lavernius said, getting frustrated

"Not true. He did not. I cannot intervene with every person. People die all the time. It is not the responsibility of the gods to keep the peace between people." he said

"You said 'He did not'. What does that mean?" Lavernius asked

"You are truly ignorant." he said

"What?" Lavernius said

"You hold the power of three artifacts, and yet you are just as ignorant as a new born baby." he said

"Shut up." Lavernius said.

Lavernius unsheathed his sword and stood up. He pointed his sword at Father Time's neck.

"You don't want to do this." he said

"Yes, yes I do." Lavernius said

Lavernius forced his sword into Father Time's throat. His body jerked and blood leaked out. Lavernius pulled out his sword and stabbed the corpse's chest many, many times. The light faded from Father Time's eyes. He used fire Energy and burned the body. Lavernius stepped back and looked around the room. There was no sign of any other life. Father Time's corpse was burnt away. Lavernius went upstairs, leaving behind the burnt remains of a once powerful deity.

At the top of the tower was the clock, that once ticked had stopped. The sky remained dark, but now the stars shone. The wind stood still and the lake looked like glass.

"What did he mean by saying He did not know?" Lavernius asked

"You will understand." Owen said

Lavernius placed his hands on the rails. He pulled out the map and looked at how big this world was.

"Where to next?" Owen asked

"Graadithane in the Dark Forest." Lavernius said

Lavernius walked up to the dock and placed his hand into the silver lake. The water was freezing and his fingers were numb. The sky was dark and littered with stars. Lavernius stared off into the distance. He opened a portal behind him and walked through.

The Dark Forest was lush and the trees were thick. There were no paths to get in. Lavernius forced himself between the trees and made his way to the center. In the center was a poorly made cabin. He walked up to it and saw Graadithane sitting on a fallen tree behind the house. Graadithane's skin was made of tree bark and his hair was made of leaves. Next to him was a giant wooden axe. The blade was thicker than Lavernius' chest. He looked at Lavernius sternly as his eyes glowed gold. Graadithane's voice was deep and scratchy.

"What are you?" Graadithane asked

"I am Lavernius Bear." Lavernius said

"I know why you have come. You are a murderer." Graadithane said, grasping his axe.

"You will soon be reunited with your son." Lavernius said, unsheathing his sword.

Graadithane lunged at Lavernius. Lavernius dodged his attack, but the god was faster than he anticipated. Before Lavernius could attack, Graadithane was already swinging his mighty axe at his neck. Lavernius ducked under the swing and attacked his face with his sword. Graadithane swung again and Lavernius rolled out of the way. Graadithane swung his axe overhand. Lavernius blocked the blow with his sword and then quickly cut Graadithane's leg. The god didn't even flinch, he kept pushing forward. Lavernius imbued his sword with fire Energy. He flaunted his sword as he increased his attack speed. The god got weaker and slower. Lavernius charged at Graadithane with his sword raised high above his head. Graadithane tried to block, but Lavernius knocked his axe out of his hands. Lavernius shoved his sword into Graadithane's chest. He grabbed Lavernius' wrist. The ground began to shake. Tree spikes emerged from the ground underneath them. Lavernius broke free of his grip and let go of his sword to dodge this attack. Graadithane pulled the sword out of his chest and threw it as hard as he could at Lavernius. The sword impaled him and left a gaping hole in his chest. Fear overcame Graadithane when the wound healed in less than a second.

"You are not human... you are a monster." Graadithane said, catching his breath.

"That attack took most of your strength. Also you are healing from my assaults." Lavernius said

"The same goes for you. You used Energy and healed yourself. You must be getting tired." Graadithane said, picking up his axe.

"I'm just getting started." Lavernius said, picking up his sword.

Graadithane's attacks were slower and didn't have as much force as they did before. Lavernius, on the other hand, got faster and stronger. His sword felt more like an extension of his arm. Graadithane couldn't keep up.

Graadithane's eyes glowed brighter and brighter, "Why won't you die!" Graadithane screamed.

Lavernius laughed and ran towards Graadithane with his sword drawn back. Graadithane's face was contorted in pain. He lifted his axe high over his head. Graadithane struck downwards into Lavernius. Lavernius sliced his axe in half. Graadithane stumbled back.

"Protect me!" Graadithane shouted

The trees began to move. Their branches extended and wrapped around Lavernius. He used fire Energy to break free. Graadithane used this time to make a new axe. The branches squeezed Lavernius' arms and legs. He was trapped for a second. Graadithane didn't hesitate and swung at his neck. When the axe made contact with Lavernius' skin, the axe broke and Graadithane fell to his knee. Lavernius pulsed a wave of plasma Energy, and melted the branches that held him. Graadithane got hit by the wave and half of him got burned. The area around Lavernius was withered away. He was radiating Energy. Graadithane was full of fear. Lavernius walked towards Graadithane. He swiftly cut off the god's head. The lifeless body fell, cold to the ground. The Dark Forest's trees became thinner and the grass turned brown.