Chapter 9: Erebus and His Confederate Zombies
Nova's been working in the forges for weeks. If ghosts could get blisters, starve, or dehydrate, they'd all be dead a hundred times by this point. It seems that Erebus doesn't think they need breaks. And since souls don't sleep, they don't need to take the night off.
So many spirits have been killed since Erebus, the god of darkness, took over the Underworld. Something Nova didn't even know was possible.
Nova grit his teeth. So many spirits were lost, never to be seen again. It breaks Nova's heart. At first, he attempted to help those spirits, but he was punished every time he tried.
Now, he's just trying to keep his head down until he can figure out a way to help his fellow spirits and stop Erebus. The first idea he comes up with is to damage Erebus's sword. When he is given the task to work on it, he decides to leave a crack in the blade, not one that is visible but enough that it will break easier.
Now he is working on a piece of armor. As he does that, he notices a soul being tortured by Erebus. Most likely for something they didn't do. Or some stupid reason made up by Erebus. The soul is screaming in pain. Nova has to use self-control to keep from going over to help the poor fellow. Interfering will just get both of them into more trouble.
A quote he learned in school resurfaces in his mind. It's an obscure quote from his philosophy class. Bad men need nothing more to compass their ends, than that good men should look on and do nothing.
Nova growls, his anger rising. There has to be something more he can do besides just defying Erebus. He doesn't know if he can save the poor tortured soul whose screams pierce his soul, but he has to do something else. He feels so useless. The entire Underworld has been turned into Hell. The people here need a hero, a deliverer.
After one last cry of pain, Erebus seems bored of torturing the spirit and sends him off to the fields of punishment. Nova stops what he's doing and watches. Erebus is insane, a sadist. He enjoys every moment of their suffering, evidenced by the fact that Erebus got rid of Elysium but kept that hell. Nova looks down, his shame building. He tries to tell that his small defiance won't be for nothing. It may not be today, tomorrow, or even this century, but Erebus will fall.
"Elijah!" Erebus commands.
The general of Erebus's army shoves past spirits and kneels before his god. Elijah looks like a young adult four or five years older than Nova, with auburn hair cut military style and a chin strap style beard. He wears armor over his modern-day clothing and a pair of black sneakers. His blue eyes keep an averted gaze away from Erebus.
"Stand, Elijah." Erebus commands.
Elijah stands up straight, arms at his sides.
"I grow bored of torturing spirits." He says, bored. Nova can't tell if Erebus is talking to Elijah or to himself.
"You can ask your soldiers to torture the spirits for you, my Lord." Elijah offers.
"I could." He agrees, mulling the idea. Ultimately, he shakes his head, "But it wouldn't be the same. I need more."
"More, my Lord?" Elijah asks, confused.
Nova narrows his eyes. Erebus has control of the Underworld. What more could he want?
"The Underworld is just the first step on my way to conquering the world," Erebus contemplates, resting his hands on his chin, "I believe we should take this battle to the land of the living."
"You wish to take control of the mortal world?" Elijah asks, shocked.
Horror enters Nova's bloodstream as he overhears Erebus's words. Erebus wants to become the ruler of Earth.
YOU ARE READING
Rosetta Dagotto and the Fight for the Underworld
FantasyA sixteen-year-old student named Nova Tyler McNaughton died on the way to school. Nova was hit when he saved a little girl who had been chasing after a ball. The last thing he saw when he died was the little girl and her Mom hovering over his dying...
