Strings of Fate (2)

Akuro braced himself, waiting for the strange sensation that came with falling through a dimensional mirror. It was much the same as being on a roller coaster, when your stomach rises up. It also makes your body feel fuzzy and strange. He turned his eyes to watch as Darius waved his hand and a mirror appeared before Inari, in which she then sent a wave of stark white flames through. Akuro looked to Moorza as the opposite mirror formed above his head and the flames were about to come rushing down on him, but in an instant he waved his hand, the orb held in his palm, and shouted "ENOUGH!!"

Suddenly the flames vanished and the mirrors shattered to nothing. Akuro felt dizzy as his Aura Cloak faded out and he returned to his normal human state. He glanced over at Inari and Darius and realized they had the same thing happen to them. Akuro attempted to activate his aura and summon his Aura Cloak, but no matter how hard he tried he could not. It was as though he were sealed by the curse of the God Slayer again!

Akuro also could feel his sense weaken, and as he looked back up at Moorza, he realized his eyes could no longer follow the god's movements. The god suddenly shifted out of sight and seemed to teleport to them, standing before the Deities. He waved his wings back, sending a gust of wind that knocked all three of them back onto the ground.

"Do you see now?" Moorza spoke, looking down on them with contempt, a look that Akuro hated above all others. "You assumed, just because you could kill a few mid rank gods and just because you became the king of hell, you assumed that you were the strongest. In reality, you are nothing. You are no more than a cheap knock off of the original."

"Original?" Inari echoed.

"Azazel. You copy everything about him, his aura, his darkness, he cold demeanor, but what you lack.. is his power. You are nowhere close to that demon. You are just a cheap imitation, yet you act like you rule the world." The god held out his hands, his talons curling inward. "But now you see for yourself what real power is! You can see now how futile your actions have been up to this point! You are an insect to me, and I shall smash you beneath my feet. This is my realm, you have no power here."

Akuro was about to speak, but before the words could roll off his tongue, the ground began to tremble violently as the pearl floor shifted and churned and the four pillars from before suddenly burst from the floor, rising up into the air around them. A field of pressure once again enveloped them, bringing Akuro and the others to their knees. A soft ring resounded across the area inside the pillars, slowly growing louder and louder until it felt like their ears were being ruptured. Silver light flickered atop each of the pillars, slowly expanding before the silver lines from before began to flow out from them. Three strange silver wires like strings extended down from the top of three of the pillars. They then reached towards each of the Deities, the strings attaching to them. First was Darius, and when the string made contact he let out a loud cry of agony, as a second later his body seemed to become almost astral. It had its solid form still, but at the same time it was like it had a copy or after image following it, like a spirit clinging to his body and imitating his movements. Akuro's eyes widened. It was Darius's soul, it had been manifested into this realm, meaning it could be shattered. Next came Inari, who let out a scream of pain as her souls was manifested by the string, then she hunched over, whimpering.

Akuro tried to force himself to his feet, but his legs refused to move. He was unable to stand, even though he tried with all his might. He was painfully reminded of how he was unable to move, pinned to the ground in agony, as his father shot and killed Hope... This feeling was very similar to that time. He felt helpless, something he never wanted to feel again. Not ever. But yet, here he was, on his knees and powerless.

The string then made contact with his back. At first it was an intensely cold feeling, like ice being touched against his back, but then it changed to a hot burning feeling, as if his skin was being seared off and blades were being dragged over every inch of his body. He grimaced in pain, though he never let out a cry. He was used to pain, after all he'd been through. This much was just annoying to him, it wasn't that bad compared to being repetitively burned in lava, or having your eyes gouged out time and time again.

The thing that bothered him the most was the cold feeling that ran through the inside of his body, that ran through his heart and his gut, as his soul was manifested out of his own body. He felt strangely isolated and it was so cold. It was a horrible, uncomfortable, uneasy feeling that caused anxiety to rise up in him as a knot formed in his stomach.

"Now then..." Moorza hissed as a loud hum ran through the area and the chakrams appeared around his arms. "Allow me to cut the strings of your fate."