Realm of Monsters - Chapter 729: The Chosen of Gods

Chapter 729: The Chosen of Gods

  After lunch, Lunae led Stryg and Gale to a private balcony on the highest tower of the castle, overlooking the lake. Like most places in the castle, the balcony had been made for titans. The stone rails were taller than any vampire or drow. Lunae raised her leg and stepped up on the rails with ease and hopped onto the statue of a wolf that protruded from the balcony. She sat down cross-legged on the wolf’s head and watched the shimmering blue lake.

  “Join me, you two,” Lunae patted the spot next to her.

  Stryg eyed the marble wolf and the ground hundreds of paces below. “Right… I can fly… this is fine,” he muttered to himself.

  Gale grabbed the top of the railing and pulled herself up and over in a smooth motion. She landed on the other side with a grin. “What are you waiting for?”

  Stryg twisted his lips and followed after her, though he discreetly made sure to connect a shadow tendril from his foot to the bottom of the statue. The two of them sat on Lunae’s right and left, and waited for the goddess to speak.

  Lunae said nothing for a few peaceful minutes. She simply watched the scenery; The water that stretched over the horizon and the city hued from blue stone that sparkled where the sunlight hit it just right. “It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”

  “Very,” Gale said in a soft, content voice.

  “This is my favorite spot,” Lunae smiled reminiscently. “My brother and I used to sit here and watch the sunrise every morning over Lunis. Back then, things were simpler.”

  “Do you miss it?” Stryg asked.

  “In some ways, yes. I miss my brother. I miss what we shared. But that does not mean I am not happy with the people that have come into my life since,” Lunae flicked his nose.

  “Ow,” Stryg rubbed his nose. He had forgotten how hard she could hit, even when being playful.

  “I have brought you both here for two important reasons. The first is to discuss the new nature of your relationship. Stryg has made you his Chosen, Gale. I take it neither of you truly understands what that entails?”

  “Not really,” Stryg admitted.

  “I am afraid not,” Gale said.

  “I suppose I should start with what you are, Little One,” Lunae said. “You are not only a titan, you are a god. Few among titan-kind are born with natural power so great that it sets us apart. We have a connection to the World Soul, and through Aleirune, a connection to the people that live on our planet. You inherited your connection from your father, Stryg. It’s why you sometimes hear those little voices in your head.”

  “You know about that?” Stryg asked.

  “They are the prayers of your followers,” Luane said. “You hear them because you are open to their words. If you so wish, you can close them off. I will teach you how to regulate their prayers. From closing them off completely, to hearing only a select few followers, or being able to hear only the collective and greatest desires of all their prayers. Such as salvation from an incoming attack on their city.”

  “So I can just hear people from anywhere?” Stryg scratched at his pointed, droopy ear.

  “No. There is a range to these things. Somewhat limited, really. And only the voices of those who truly worship you can reach across that distance,” Lunae said.

  “Okay. When can you start teaching me?” Stryg asked.

  “Relax. I will show you this evening, if you’d like.” Lunae shifted in her spot and looked at Gale, “As for you, Shield of Veres, you may not worship Stryg, but you are connected to him in a different, far more important way.”

  “Chosen?” Gale said.

  “Yes,” Lunae said. “A god can bestow a small ember of their power to a mortal. This is what we call Favored. Ordinarily, a god only bestows a Favor upon a mortal in exchange for something. A deal is struck. In your case, I charged you with protecting my son, which you have done admirably.”

  Gale blushed and bowed her head. “Thank you, my lady,” she mumbled.

  Stryg grinned, “I could not ask for a greater Shadow and Shield.”

  “Indeed,” Lunae said. “Now, a god can Favor several individuals at once. But a Chosen is something different. It is a unique blessing that a god can only give to a single individual. It is a greater blessing that empowers the mortal in ways unique to that god.”

  Lunae held up a lock of Gale’s snow-white hair, “The mark of your hair and your purple iris is a sign of the power that now courses through you.”

  “What power is that exactly?” Gale asked.

  “I do not know, for each god is different. Chaos is never the same. The one certain trait that every Chosen has is everlasting youth,” Lunae said.

  Gale frozen. “What?”

  “So long as Stryg lives, the flame of power within you will not die out. You will not age. You will live to see millennia. Unless you are killed, of course.”

  “I… I didn’t know,” Gale said stiffly.

  “It is a lot to consider. Which is why such a divine boon is rarely given.” Lunae glanced at Stryg, “I had hoped you would understand the full implications of a Chosen before you had given it. Immortality is a gift like no other. It should never be lightly given. There may have been another you would have wished to save. A lover. A child.”

  “Is there a way I can give it back?” Gale asked.

  “Not unless you were to die,” Lunae said.

  “No. Don’t even think it. I am satisfied with my choice,” Stryg said. “I would not have any other. Gale is my Shield. She has sworn to spend her life protecting me at any cost. She almost died last night for me. If there is anyone who deserves to be my Chosen, it is her.”

  “Stryg…” Gale mumbled, tears in her eyes.

  “Very well, I am glad you are satisfied with your choice,” Lunae said.

  “Wait. You’ve told me before that I was your Chosen. I thought only a mortal could be a Chosen?” Stryg said.

  “Yes,” Lunae said. “When you were younger, your second heart, the one that carries chaos, was infantile; it still somewhat is. As a child, you possessed very little chaos. You were mortal. Ordinarily, it would have stayed that way. A titan hybrid that has inherited their divine parent’s power will show signs even from birth. You did not.”

  “So that’s why you Chose me?” Stryg asked.

  “I have borne much loss in my life, Little One. I could not bear to lose you, as well.”

  “So… I’ve had your power coursing through me all this time?” Stryg asked.

  “Why do you think you’re still alive? You were still mortal when you had that nasty fall at the end of your first year at the academy. Why do you think the cold does not bother you? Or why you can understand Blueberry or any wolf, for that matter?”

  “I… I never really thought about it.” Stryg stared at the scar on his palm. “Is that why I could command the storm when we were out at sea?”

  “That was different. The Sigte bond allows the two individuals to draw power from each other. Now that our Sigte bond has recovered, you can draw upon a certain portion of my power.”

  “Does that mean you can draw upon my power, too?” Stryg asked.

  Lunae gave a wry smile. “Ordinarily, yes. But no.”

  “I don’t understand.” Stryg wrinkled his brow.

  “When I made the bond with you, I wanted you to be safe. You were my Chosen already, but for some reason most of the blessing’s power wasn’t manifesting within you. I can only imagine it has to do with your twin hearts. Most of your titan abilities only began to show in later life.

  “At the time, I wanted to give you what every mother wants. The best chance at life. I changed the Sigte ritual. Using our unique relationship as a goddess and Chosen, I was able to make it so you could draw even more power from the Sigte bond, in exchange for only a small drawback,” Lunae said.

  “You are unable to draw upon my power?” Stryg guessed.

  Lunae shrugged. “It wasn’t as if you had any power to give.”

  “Still, you tipped the scales. A Sigte bond is supposed to be about equivalence. If I die, wouldn’t you die as well? I mean, why would you ever make the Sigte with a mortal child?” Stryg asked her the question that had been burning in his mind since Bellum had told him the nature of their bond.

  Lunae ran her finger across his cheek. “You are my son. I will always value your life more than my own. Someday, if you have a child of your own, you will come to understand the lengths a parent will go for their child.”

  “But if I die—”

  “If you die, I see no reason to go on living.”

  “That’s…” Stryg didn’t know what to say. “I love you.”

  Lunae smirked. “I know.” Her expression grew solemn, “As for the second reason I brought you here. You should know that the broken enchantments of the shade walls and the departure of the Sylvan armies from Holo’s Shade have not gone unnoticed. Frost Rim’s armies have marched down from the northern mountains and are making their way through Dusk Valley.”

  “…Huh?” Stryg blinked.

  “How far are they?” Gale asked. “What are their numbers?”

  “8,000 strong, give or take. Moving such a large army takes time. It will be a little less than two weeks before they reach Holo’s Shade,” Lunae said.

  “Hollow Shade is still recovering from the siege. Our men are not ready for another all-out battle,” Gale said.

  “They are not the only ones interested in your city,” Lunae said. “Undergrowth has regrouped their armies under the leadership of Ophelia Thorn’s son, Calex. They march to Holo’s Shade as we speak.”

  “Both armies?” Gale paled.

  “How long would it take to move the Sylvan army?” Stryg asked.

  “Oh, Little One. I am not sending my armies to Holo’s Shade,” Lunae said.

  “What? Why?” Stryg asked.

  “Murkton may have fallen but there is still plenty of resistance,” Lunae said. “Not only within the city but in all the towns and villages sprawled throughout the Silent Marshes. If I am to rebuild Lunis, my goblins will be needed to crush all such rebellion before it festers.”

  “So you would just let Hollow Shade fall? After everything? You fought to save it!” Stryg said.

  “I fought to save you. Caligo was a threat I could not let you face alone and my brother’s imprisonment was something I needed to keep intact. But Solis is free now and Caligo does not lead this army. I have no interest in saving Holo’s Shade, not after their betrayal.”

  “So what are we supposed to do? Abandon them?” Stryg scowled.

  “My place is here, Stryg. But you,” Lunae smiled, “Your people need you. Before I would have been afraid to let you go off on your own, but you’ve shown me tonight how much you’ve grown. I know you can handle whatever these mortals have in store.”

  “And what if I can’t? I mean, how am I supposed to fight two armies? I’m just one person,” Stryg said.

  “No, you are a god. Do not try to act like a mortal. Be the god the people of Holo’s Shade need.”

  “How is that supposed to help me save a city?” Stryg said.

  “Who said you had to save it?” Lunae cocked an eyebrow.

  “What?” Stryg frowned.

  “Holo’s Shade is more than the city. It is its people. You taught me that when you stood in front of the Lunar Elect and spoke of Lunis,” Lunae said. “Rest for now. I will teach you more about your abilities this evening. Tomorrow, you can make a decision regarding the fate of the City of Shades.”

  Lunae stood and walked back onto the balcony. “Remember, Little One. You are a god. Act like one.” She gave him a wink, then disappeared into the castle.

  “Fuck,” Stryg muttered.

  “Indeed,” Gale sighed.