Author Games: Ragnarok

Quaterfinals Entries: Balder

The edges of my vision, no, my whole field of vision, was coated with black, darker than even that of midnight. My own light was all that I could see by, but seeing more than a few meters in front of me proved impossible. I raised my hands, illuminating a few meters more, and there he was. This monstrous figure was not unfamiliar to me, he frequently appeared in my worst nightmares. I'd always taken them at just that, though. The thought of them being visions for the future had twisted my stomach into knots.

My nightmare replayed itself before me. The horrible bat god, more monstrous than holy, raised a dagger high. Black as midnight, with twisted embellishments covering the handle, the dagger retained a dark sort of beauty. The same could not be said of its owner. A webbed human hand, coated with black fur, fingernails substituted with long, curled claws, gripped onto the knife. The rest of his appearance was equally, or more terrifying.

His mouth curled upward into a grin, revealing fangs already drenched with blood. My own blood ran cold at the thought that he'd already killed at least one of us, and was in the process of killing another.

With a monstrous shriek, he brought his dagger down, into the delicate back of the moon goddess. Her small frame arched upwards in pain, and, as though that was exactly how he planned for it to happen, the bat god grinned victoriously, and sunk his fangs into her neck. Her already light skin paled into an impossible shade of white, only marred by the crimson blood spreading across her back, leaking from her neck.

I'd already seen it before. I knew what was going to happen.

I was next

Lowering my hand, I drew the sword at my side. If I was a mortal, I might have prayed to the gods for strength, for anything that could help me defeat him. Who was there for the gods to pray to? We could only lean on our own, failing, strength.

"Light god, I had planned on saving you for last, just as I took the Queen Goddess' life first," Camazotz hissed, an insane glee evident in his voice. "I only thought it fitting that light would be the last thing to be vanquished by the dark."

My sword shook in my hand, but I still held it out in front of me. As powerful as he might be, his voice gave away his position, and I didn't have to fear him sneaking up on me despite the overwhelming darkness.

"Of course," he continued, his voice moving around me. "I extinguished your light long ago. The Fates had me give you a weapon, I figured yours would be fitting."

I glanced down at the inscription on my blade's handle, one I had almost entirely forgotten about in the chaos with the god of darkness. Every time the sword is drawn, it must take a life, it reminded me.

"How many times have you drawn the sword?" he taunted, his voice suddenly coming from behind me.

Turning back that way, I raised my left hand, trying to reveal the bat god's location. He lunged forward into me, baring his teeth angrily. At meeting the light, he recoiled slightly, hissing once more. Then, with a wave of his left claw, all the light coming from my hand was extinguished, not just my hand, all around me. I couldn't even see my sword.

"You silly god," he laughed. "Your light is nothing in my darkness. You are weakened, and I am stronger than-"

I lunged forward, and my sword pierced his stomach, cutting him off in the middle of his sentence. He gasped, and the darkness around him receded.

Finally, the sun rose in the distance, the end of my dream finally coming true.

Light always outshone darkness.