Uphill Struggle

Darius lay in the sand outside Fort Arashi. He had walked a couple hundred yards before just lying down, letting the night air soak into his skin. It wasn't hot but it also wasn't cold. The sand stuck to his skin and his clothes, some of it going down his back and some clinging to his hair.

He stared up into the night sky, the stars shining down on him and reflecting against his eyes. In his mind he re-ran his battle with Akuro over and over again, imagining what he could've done differently to stop Akuro. In the end he could find now way that he'd come out on top. Akuro was just too strong..

Darius's hand began to close around the sand. Bits of sand got into his nails and scratched his skin. He was frustrated. He felt worthless, he couldn't do anything right. He remembered the sound of Inari crying her eyes out and screaming in despair... his hand so close to her door... what if he knocked? Would she of answered? Probably not. He knew he wasn't the person she wanted to see. He wouldn't be able to help her.

He then heard the sound of someone's feet sinking into the sand as they approached him, the dry crunching sound drawing nearer and nearer.

Darius turned his eyes to look at who it was. He was surprised to see it was Sedori.

Sedori had sank deep into the water of the Long Island Sound, hitting the bottom of the lake. He had sat there for a long while, just dwelling on the thoughts of his mind. Eventually he snapped out of his reverie and swam to the surface, which, by the time he made it to land, the battle had already ended.

"Sedori. It's been awhile." Darius spoke, his tone that of someone who had no interest whatsoever on the topic.

"Yes, well, I figured that had been the proper time to show myself." Sedori spoke, standing over Darius, who sat up now.

"Thanks for helping us. Not that it ended any better." Darius said glumly.

"Well, you could've died."

"Might as well have."

"Mm. Not necessarily, you may be mortal, but you still have the aura of the Origin Deities in you. Meaning you still have power."

"But not enough." Darius said, "and any hit taken could mean instantaneous death."

"You really have a hard time looking at the good, don't you? Is that a mortal thing?"

"Says the guy who shattered his own soul because he didn't want to live anymore."

"Fair." Sedori kneeled down and sat, legs crossed, beside Darius in the sand. "You know, it's not impossible to get your power back."

Darius looked up at Sedori, eyes wide. "What? How?"

"The way you got it to begin with."

Darius's eyes darkened immediately. "The gods would never grant us that power back. We are mortal enemies at this point, at war."

"Well.. there is another way." Sedori said, "but it isn't exactly an easy way."

"And what's that? Eat the souls of the innocent?" Darius joked.

"Good to see your impeccable sense of sarcasm has returned." Sedori said. "It's better if i don't tell you how to do it. Just.. get Inari and meet me..." Sedori looked about the desert, as if searching for a meeting place. "Hmm. Meet me about a mile out in the desert tomorrow night. I'll have things ready by then."

"Why can't you just tell me what it is?" Darius asked, irritated.

"Trust me. Better if you don't know."

Darius glared at Sedori for a moment, then sighed. "Fine." He stood, brushing the sand off of him. "Do as you will."

"First I'll need something." Sedori said, his tone more grim now.

"And... what exactly do you need from me?"

"Do you still have what's left of that dagger?"

Darius's brows furrowed and he looked at Sedori with a look of distrust. "Why..?"

"I can repair it."

"But why would you?"

"Because. You are a mortal as of now, at least for a while, you will need it to protect yourself." Sedori said.

Darius studied Sedori. He couldn't read the man-no-demon. Sedori had his soul shattered, meaning he's been reincarnated as a demon now. But... Darius just didn't trust this. He was unsure, but he did want his dagger back. It was his best weapon.

"Fine." He said, then reached into his pocket and pulled out a baggie. The bag was silk and tied at the lip with a little black string. Inside was the dust that once was the dagger. As Darius placed the baggie in Sedori's palm, he wondered if the weapon was ever given a name. Possibly.

He grinned, thinking back on the day Raijin had given him that dagger in exchange for Darius to kill Akuro. How funny that, back then, he'd actually wanted to kill Akuro.. and now he wanted to save him. It was amusing. And then that second wish Raijin granted Darius... too bad he never got that. He would have been rewarded with it if he successfully killed Akuro, but he never did. He doubted he ever could.

Akuro was just too strong... he was out of reach now.

Sedori took the baggie, then turned and strode back towards Fort Arashi.

"Take care. Remember when we meet. You will find me, shouldn't be too hard. I bid you ado."

•

•

•

The gods were at a low point. Youlgnir felt defeated and helpless. None of the gods had the power they needed.. they were outnumbered and beaten in all ways. There was only a handful of gods who could even dream of challenging Akuro or Azazel. He and Moorza being two of them.

Before Youlgnir was his hall of gods. It was a long white hallway, a path leading to a brightly lit opening. On either side of the hall stood the strongest gods. There stood eight gods here in total, four each side. These were the strongest of all gods. The only ones that could even hope to do anything in this war.

Youlgnir began to walk forward, descending the pearl staircase step by step. As he reached the floor, he moved forward and passed the first two gods. Gwydion, the Celtic god of magic. He was able to use every element and all Magic's to the maximum extent of their ability.

The second was Nyame, the Akan God. He was known in Akan mythology as the Creator God, though this was not exactly accurate to his power. Though he could create, it wasn't quite what one would think. He was able to manipulate space, the ability to create black holes and white holes, destroying things then using what he destroyed to create something new.

As Youlgnir passed Gwydion and Nyame, he then came to the next pair of gods.

Next was a very prestigious god, known widely and extraordinarily powerful. Anubis, egyptian god of death.

Across from Anubis was possibly the exact opposite. Coniraya, the Incan god of life. Anything he came into contact with would spring to life, whether it be nature or creatures, he'd cause them to grow rapidly or evolve to impossible extents. He was able to summon magical beasts out of thin air and improve their capabilities to an extreme level. He could also heal any wound, including wounds to the soul.

The next pair included Hecate and Moorza. Hecate was the goddess of necromancy and witchcraft. She could make the dead rise, as well as give lost souls a physical form, much like Beelzebub's skeleton puppet.

Mímir, the Norse god of knowledge and wisdom. He had the ability to read aura currents, allowing him to read the future and predict attacks, it also allowed him to move with the current, making it so he could use external auras without having to absorb them first.

Across from Mímir was the goddess of shadows, Chhaya. She wore a black veil over her face and she had the ability to bring shadows to life, creating strange shadow beings. She could also manipulate the shadows into solid armor or traps. Her skills would be teamed up with Coniraya, his beasts would be shrouded in armor of shadow, making them even more difficult to defeat.

Reaching the end of his lineup, he faced the very last god in his legion, his own partner. Sun Wukong, one of the strongest gods of all.  Each of the gods was put into their pair. It went as so;  Youlgnir and Sun Wukong, Chhaya and Coniraya, Anubis and Hecate, Mímir and Gwydion, Moorza and Nyame. Each team was made keeping in mind the compatibility of their powers.

Youlgnir grinned, proud of his assembly.

"Has Fort Arashi been discovered yet? We need to kick them whilst they are down." Youlgnir asked.

"No. It would seem their new location is no longer on the continent." Sun Wukong responded.

"Damn. Well, have Mímir and Gwydion scout out for them. With their abilities it shouldn't be long before they find them.

Then Mímir and Gwydion came forward and kneeled before Youlgnir.

"We will do as you say, your liege." They spoke unanimously. Gwydion wore a black robe with runes stitched into the cloth in gold lining. Plates of delicately crafted gold armor covered his shoulder and chest while a javelin and spear were bound to his back. He had long brown hair while his eyes were an emerald green that, when you looked into them, looked like you were peering into a precious gem. His skin was tan and rough, his hands large and marked.

"It won't take us very long. Would you like us to notify you as soon as we find their stronghold?" Mímir asked.

"Yes, and retreat as well. I do not believe you should be the ones to fight them, you will be our scout team." Youlgnir spoke.

"Understood." Mímir wore a set of thin plated armor, the smooth surface engraved deeply with markings and symbols, gems embedded into the surface while curling patterns spiraled across it. He wore dark blue cloth, thick and layered, beneath his silver armor while lines of cloth hung from his shoulders. He was pale and had short black hair and intellectual blue eyes. A black tattoo that was shaped like a black wing, as though sloppily and quickly drawn with a brush that had too much ink, was over his eye, reaching from his hairline to his lower cheek. The tattoo seemed to make his eyes pop or glow. A bow was strung over his shoulder, lavishly designed and decorated with silver metal and precious gemstones.

"Now go, return only when you have completed your mission." Youlgnir said.

"Yes lord." They both said, then Gwydion waved his hand and both he and Mímir disappeared in a wave of multicolored light.