Deva, Temple of Treachery

Chapter 16

Amara's eyes followed the strange creature,"Is that the archon who banned all the gods from our world?"

"No, he was an archon of justice and balance. Zarazen is not," Prahlada said. "She should have known better, but Parvati's pride took the better of her."

"What did the archon do?"

"Not much, he just gave her the means to kill a god," Prahlada replied, nodding towards Zarazen who pulled out a moon shaped sword. The same one who Amara has seen in depictions of Kali.

"The Khadga of Kali?"

"Yes, it was created by the same archon who banned all the gods, to kill them if they ever dared to cause trouble in the human world again."

"Then isn't it a tool for good if it is made by the archon of balance."

"Yes, though balance is a fickle thing, but in the hands of the Archon of taint..."

"He had done something with it." Amara's eyes went wide as she watched the scene turn to a battle field. Tripura was filled with clashing swords and bodies littered the ground.

Andhaka was fighting fiercly, cutting through his enemies like they were nothing. His enemies cut him but each time Andhaka's blood fell onto the ground, a duplicate of him sprang forth. There were over a thousand of his duplicate by now, littering the battlefield.

Shiva, wearing his trishula, walked through the battlefield. Eyes searching for his wife. Amara knew, she felt it. He was there to stop the war. He had not wanted it. "Did Kali start this attack?"

"Yes, when Shiva had refused to attack Tripura, she had turned to Vishnu who for long had considered this place a threat to the balance. I had been sent here to try and bring balance with peaceful means but-" Prahlada closed his eyes,"I failed."

A shrilling scream echoed in the city, Eyes turned to a horrifying sight as Kalika cut through her enemies with the khadga. For each enemy falling, she seemed to go more and more mad. The eyes were glowing red, her tongue hang out, showing her iconic and terrifying stature.

"And Kalika lost herself in the battle," Amara concluded, but Prahlada shook his head.

"No, it is the khadga. The souls of the gods she cuts down isn't destroyed, but devoured by Zarazen. In return, the khadga becomes more and more corrupt which spreads to the wielder. Kalika is being tainted by the khadga."

Shiva spotted his wife, his eyes going wide as he approached him. Laying down his weapons on the ground and raising his hands in surrender, trying to reach his wife.

"Father," screamed a young man in a battle armor.

"Stay back Kartikeya," Shiva shouted back, closing in on the maddening Kalika. "Lay down your weapon, my love. This isn't you."

The seconds went by, Kalika stared at the man with no recognition on her face and then in a flash she attacked. Shiva had no chance, his head had separated from his body before he could register what had happened.

Amara could feel the cut, the pain and the betrayal. She could feel hers, no Shivas soul being ripped to pieces devoured by a darkness who craved the god's magic. A piece escaped though, a small piece floating away to heal what was left of the god. A piece that would eventually go to the mortal realm to be reborn.

Kalika lifted her husband's head and drank blood from it, an escalated look crossed her face before tears of blood flowed from her eyes. The blood of her husband had awakened her, and what was left was only grief.

Andhaka stood up at the golden city, staring at the scene is horror. Another one was not afraid though, he was enraged. Kartikeya roared and threw himself onto his father's bow, as he did a golden arrow was formed, sparking and sizzling as he aimed at Andhaka.