God of Nothing

Marduk stood there, as if he had been there all this time. He greeted Aleph in turn.

"Greetings, godling. You have returned. Far later than I expected, if I'm being honest."

"I have come to learn that in order to truly honor the sacrifices of my comrades, I must be doing far more to help the humans of the next world."

"Have you come to reclaim your power?"

"...You know I cannot bring it with me. The causal ramifications would be immense."

Marduk simply stared, and although Aleph was sure that the god could read whatever was going through his head right now, he still couldn't shake the feeling that he was skeptical.

"Forgive me, child, but I admit that although I hoped otherwise, I thought there was a chance that once you discovered Erebos had survived, you would reclaim your divinity and challenge him regardless of the consequences. I have come here to try and dissuade you, but from your words, that doesn't seem necessary."

Aleph looked at this man he had once just referred to as the overgod. Master of innumerable worlds, he was a softer reflection of the Abyss' ghastly shadow. God for far longer than he, it always astounded him how he moved with far more compassion than is necessary.

Marduk laughed bitterly at that.

"Compassion? Is that what it looks like?"

"Is it not? Forgive me for making assumptions, but I believe if you seriously moved to destroy Erebos, you would surely do so. You stay your hand only because for some unfathomable reason, you choose to care for our meager lives. Even now you come to warn me, not for my own sake, but for the humans of your world."

"Erebos and I come from a bygone era. We've fought with and against one another for eons, culminating in today's landscape. We have come to learn that pitting our powers directly against the other does nothing but clear the board. What you call kindness is simply by necessity."

"Does the god of the abyss not want such an outcome?" Aleph was surprised. When he faced his avatar, it seemed bent on destroying everything.

"I do not believe so. Otherwise, he would have already descended. No, Erebos is many things, but a fool is not one of them. His plan is the same as mine, and that is to grow his power until he can suppress me completely."

"'Grow' his power? How does one become even more of a god?"

"By usurping the power I use to create. Every time a planet falls, some of my strength passes over to him. My own forces move to retrieve them, and so the cycle goes. Until Earth."

Marduk had put a hand on his shoulder, looking at him with sympathy.

"You and Emily have sapped some of his divinity, Aleph. By destroying his avatar, you had ascended into godhood, along with the power of an entire galaxy. For the first time in millenia, a new god has emerged. Not of life nor the void, but God nonetheless."

"Then, is Emily also–"

Hope flashed in Aleph's eyes. His voice trembled as he dared to ask, desire overcoming him like a wave. He felt the god's hand grip him more firmly.

"...No, my friend. She passed before completing her ascension. She remains lost."

Aleph reeled aback as if he was struck, but he struggled to recover. He should have known, of course. He held her as she died. But hope intoxicated him, blurring reality for a brief moment. He settled his emotions as Marduk continued.

"Aleph, your fate lies with Erebos. What you desire lies in felling his demon lords. You have already faced one of them, but there are two in the world beyond."

He thought back to his escape from the dragon rider. The dragon by itself was powerful, perhaps stronger than Agony itself. He and Vaynard had to expend every single card just to flee. 

"One of them was strange. It hardly moved as we escaped. It would have wiped us out if it attacked along with its dragon."

"Make no mistake, that one will be the hardest enemy you will face."

"Harder than Erebos?" He scoffed.

"Just make sure your preparations go smoothly, godling. Remember, beyond him lies a second, and beyond him, Erebos himself. Despite his madness, the god of the abyss carries a certain cunning. Your war requires a lot more than strength."

They stood side by side for a while, watching the portal swirl in silence.

"Thank you for liberating my champion."

"I heard you referred to Vaynard as such. Can he really stand against a demon lord?"

"Lapses in judgements lie in the mortal realm, child."

"The same lapse in judgement that saw me vanquish a god?"

"Hahaha, fair enough. But you would do well not to underestimate him. His blood ruled this planet long before I granted them my blessing. I believe that is why Erebos covets him so."

He turned to continue the conversation, but he felt Marduk's presence recede. He found himself alone in the cave. The god was strangely forthcoming, but Aleph felt that he left out some key points.

"It's fine." He told himself. After all, no earth shattering secret could change what he needed to do. He made his way out, greeting his new disciples. They faced him with tears in their eyes, presumably from having read of his tragic life on the epigraph.

"Are you prepared? Good. Let us begin."

__________________________________

It was dusk, and Rayse and his friends were cleaning up. They had just finished their spars, and the results showed in their faces.

Aleph's group had rejoined them after some time, each one having just heard of Aleph's past. The adults went to their personal business, but the twins stayed by Aleph, clinging to him tighter than usual, or so it seemed to Rayse. He remembered having a similar reaction when they left the sanctuary, so he understood.

Good work. Especially you, Rayse." Aleph said. Rayse was beaming. He had easily dispatched Brandon in the spar, after all, making up for his poor performance the other day.

"Your growth is remarkable. Your abyss attribute spells were great and decisive. You had Brandon in the palm of your hand for much of the bout."

"Thank you, master."

"Brandon… You had no trouble adjusting against Brig, but your failure to do so against Rayse was your downfall today."

"Sigh, sorry master. He fought differently than I expected. It will not happen again." He said dejectedly. 

"You have always been good at filling in for others' movements in battle, but perhaps you need a more decisive way to finish the fight. You are skillful, but straightforward. That will bite you in a protracted battle."

"Thank you for your teachings, master!"

He then turned to Lacey, who looked even more depressed than Brandon somehow.

"Lacey… You did well, but Eric was too bad a match up for your current self. Do you understand why?"

"Yes… Like Brandon, I need to get better at fighting a strong opponent. Have to move away from simply trying to overpower them…" She said introspectively. Aleph smiled, mussing her hair affectionately.

"Excellent. Keep at it. Remember how you dealt with Rayse? A similar pattern could have worked."

"But it's hard! Eric keeps matching my spells, it's so annoying! Lightning's annoying!"

"I'm sorry…" Eric apologetically cut in.

"Huh? No, uhh, you did well, no need to say sorry." 

"She's just sulking, Eric. Don't mind her."

"S-sulking? Master!~"

Seeing Lacey's face all red made everyone laughed, including the twins. She puffed up even more in annoyance, but soon she joined in. Rayse wasn't worried. Lacey's coming back to kick all of their asses soon enough, and Brandon is actually pretty smart when he applies himself.

He was most surprised at how Eric did, though. He was able to fight Lacey to a standstill in his current condition. His reflexes were insane, casting a spell as soon as Lacey could fire one off. It disrupted and frustrated her. She tried to escape into the air, but that was a terrible idea against a lightning user. He summoned a thunderstorm while still having a lot of mana to spare.

The bout ended uneventfully, with the two just facing off, firing spells at each other. It was Eric's win, but they fought on equal terms until Lacey ran out of mana.

"Master, my Mom's been asking after you lately. Would you come to dinner with us?" He heard Lacey say.

"We're having beetroot stew."

"Beetroot stew, you say? That does sound nice…" Aleph hummed appreciatively.

"Rayse, you can come too if you want."

"I'll catch up, I gotta check on something first."

"More secret training? Really, Ray, after master's talk about knowing what each other could do?"

"Ahhh, no. Not exactly. Gotta go thank someone for their advice, is all." Rayse said evasively.

"Bring the twins, too. Oh, and this loser. I'll be there as soon as I can." He added, pulling Brandon to her side.

"Loser, huh. Guess that's all I am now… I lost twice in a row, after all…" He moaned. 

"Oh, stop it, you. Can't win 'em all, you know. You'll feel better once we get some of mom's stew in you. Let's go!"

Rayse waved them off, leaving him alone with Eric. It was a bit awkward, but as a senior disciple, he had to be the one to break the ice.

"Uhhh, so. How was today's training for you?"

"Hmmm? Oh, it was excellent. It feels like I could do things that I could never do before, and this power… ehem." He coughed, changing the subject.

"I do feel bad for Lacey, though. It feels like I beat her with skills that aren't my own…."

"Awww, she'll be alright. She's way tougher than you give her credit for. In fact, I'd get some extra training if I were you. God knows what she'll do to you in the rematch…" Rayse shuddered, putting himself in Eric's shoes for a moment. Eric looked horrified at first, but nervously laughed it off.

"Ha ha ha. Please go easy on me. Oh, it's Captain Iona." Rayse turned to see Iona coming from the side of the house. She seemed to be looking for something.

"Hey, you two." She called out. She made her way over to them, but he could still see her sneaking glances to the side. Eric stood at attention before Iona waved him down.

"You just missed master. He went to Lacey's house for some dinner."

"Ahh, yeah, I saw them on my way up here." She said distractedly.

"Hey Rayse, have you seen a woman up and about? She's around my age, long black hair, a bit of a weirdo."

Rayse broke out in cold sweat. He had in fact seen such a woman. She was in Aleph's sanctuary a few days ago. He thought it was another god, but this was completely different. Acting calm, he thought of a quick excuse.

"No, miss Iona. I didn't notice anyone like that. Maybe try the villagers? A-anyway, I gotta go do something, so if you'll excuse me…"

Rayse made his escape, leaving the two behind. He beelined into the portal, taking his spear with him. Iona seemed friendly with her, but to keep master's secret, he may have to get rough with her. He exited the portal and went upstairs, going straight into the guest house and sure enough, the strange woman was there, calmly munching on an apple.

"Hey. Miss Iona's looking for you." 

"Who? And oh, how did your fight go?"

She spoke with her mouth full, spitting out fruit juices with each word. 

"It went well because of your advice. And I am grateful, but you cannot stay here."

That got her. She stopped and walked up to him, instantly exuding a threatening aura.

"Oh, can't I? Says who? You?" Rayse stepped back, intimidated by the strange woman. She was unarmed, but her presence itself was like a weapon drawn.

"Uhh, please. I don't want to get rough…" Rayse hesitated, but keeping Aleph's secret was paramount. He casted Dark Haste on himself, giving him a measure of confidence. The stranger seemed unphased by the glow. To the contrary, it seemed to fire her up even more.

"You're serious… Well then." She silently reached a hand out, its purpose a mystery. A spine chilling aura made Rayse jump out of the way as a spear came at him from behind. It stopped in the woman's outstretched hand, and Rayse was shocked. 

The weapon she called was Emily's grave marker.