Zoombieverse - Memory 2: The Knife

Part 4: The Princess and the Key - Chapter 6

The young god played with his beloved crystal to still his unsettled thoughts and process what he just learned. Despite his mistrust of the ancient Lord, he had listened with rapt attention at the history that has been hidden from most. The older god may be fond of his tricks but he always imparts his wisdom and knowledge with certainty.

The subject of war wasn't anything new to begin with. It was a common occurrence between gods vying for power and position as it is their nature, and was usually one of the things discussed in the meetings. His brothers and sisters have all taken part in more than one instance of it. He'd been told that his father and mother did too before they got their positions, and they constantly needed to defend themselves ever since. He too would eventually wage his own wars or have one waged against him. He had been and is still being trained in the many ways to survive, fight and defend himself. But the deaths incurred in those wars were never as permanent as in the ancient wars the ancient Lord spoke of. It was horrifying to think that the people he knew, both gods and servants, could simply be gone in each battle they participated in.

That the ancient Lord looked unusually uncomfortable further disturbed the young god. The older god had lost all the composure the young god had known him for. His posture grew tighter as he recounted the ancient past and his eyes took on a hard glint the young god had never seen before. For a moment after he had told his tale, he looked as his title suggests, a very, very tired and very, very old god. That he seemed to be being deliberately vague wasn't helping either. While the young god was sure that the ancient Lord was telling the truth, he seemed to be hiding parts of it as well.

After several minutes of uneasy silence, the young god decided to ask a question he wasn't sure would be answered. "You said some were disgusted by the method to create the Keys. Why? How were they created?"

The ancient Lord frowned. "I cannot tell you how the Keys are created. But I can tell you what they are created from." He glanced down at the young god's hand. "You're holding one."

The crystal slipped between the young god's suddenly numb fingers and tumbled down passively to the table. "W-What? T-That can't be true. T-This can't be right." Feeling nauseous, he closed his eyes and gripped his chair tightly to prevent himself from falling over.

"It is, child," the ancient Lord said in a calm voice. "It's why you were repulsed by the Key when you first held it. You've managed to grasp what it really was, and for you who has never known the permanent death of a god, it was wrong. Think about it. The only thing that could cause great damage to a god is something that is created by a god. And the only one that can kill a god is another god."

"B-But that would mean..."

"Yes. Gods are sacrificed to create Keys. A great amount of power was used to lock the ability and an equally great amount of power is needed to unlock it. Crystallized souls are the only ones that hold this amount of power."

The young god opened his eyes and looked at the ancient Lord. "Y-You said 'are'. Does that mean... Is that why you said there are plenty of Keys for everyone?"

The ancient Lord gave a small sad smile. "You really do pay attention to everything," he said softly. "Yes. Keys are still being created to this day using the crystals of whoever becomes a target for the missions."

"T-Then she--" Unable to continue what he was saying, the young god pressed his lips together and stared at the air with a grief-stricken face.

"Yes, her crystal would have been used to create a Key if you decided not to keep it. No, I won't be taking it from you by force and neither will I ever ask for it back. Letting you keep it is a small consolation compared to what I did to you."