Master of Death

Chapter 10 - Massacre

Massacre

It is with power that man may choose to spare life. Or to destroy it.

After I noticed the beyond abnormal flow of energy within Thanatos, I pretended not to notice. Of course, he has probably caught on to me by now. But this bath I am currently in gives me time to think, not only about him, but about this entire situation as well. There has to be something else here that Thanatos is not telling me. There absolutely has to be. He is still keeping secrets, particularly about what is living inside of him as of this moment, and by my assumption, it is larger than he can contain for much longer.

The stars are very clear from this temple, and I find myself gazing up at them in complete captivation. After a while I fully take in the marble pillars decorated in gold around the square of this extravagant creation, and the constant heat of the water produced by underwater springs. Then all the questions I must ask Thanatos return to my mind, and I simply recline my head and think deeply. First and foremost is what is being kept here. Secondly, I must ask why on earth he knew that I would be revealed as the goddess I apparently am, before anyone else even considered it. Everything else can take a back seat. I am also concerned about what will become of the gods that have had their primary sources of added power has been stripped from them. Ra is such a fool to go to such measures to ensure his success in the brewing war. That war has not even begun yet. At least, not until someone gets killed.

After my skin begins to prune beneath the water, I step out in time for two maidens to gently dry me off, then slip a thin, silver silk gown over my head, and a robe over my shoulders. They add a bit of oil to my hair as well, then comb it throughout my strands and leave it loose down my back. After that, I excuse myself to wander around the temple. I find myself returning to my apparent room, decorated in gold and mystic topaz, with a bed more extravagant than anything I have seen on earth, and jasmine insence burning next to the balcony. And on that balcony, I notice the black fabric swaying in the breeze on Thanatos' body, and his hair trying to do the same, though it is still half up so it is limited to its wildness. Silently, I come to stand beside him, gazing out over the trees and mountains, valleys snaking between them like the rivers that flow at their core. It's cool out here tonight and the wind is strong this high up, tossing my free hair across my face, so I do my best to keep the locks away from my eyes.

"You wish to know how I knew that you were coming," Thanatos states quietly.

"I do," I reply after a moment.

He takes a deep breath and begins to explain. "That time I met your dragon, was also the very first time that I ever saw you. She was guarding you deep in a forest where the stars shine the brightest when I happened upon her. You were still so very small- only an infant- and your dragon was very protective of you. She seemed to remember me well from when we first came into creation. I asked her why she had come out of hiding after all that time she spent keeping away from the gods, and she told me that it was time for the goddess she had been keeping safe to be released into the world. She could see the impending catastrophy that would befall both realms, and knew it was time that you were freed in order to save it. She then asked me what I saw when I gazed upon you, the child." He raises his head to stare up at the stars with a certain radiance in his dark eyes. "I told her that what I saw was a beautiful soul filled with courage, love, and hope that was second to none, and she simply looked at me for quite some time. Finally she told me that until the time is right, I could not search for you. I could not make myself known to you in any way, and I was to keep my distance,"

"Is that why you were following me the night we first officially met?"

"Yes. I recognized your aura and I saw that same beauty through your eyes,"