Short Stories <3

Divine Punishment

One would be a fool to believe that the kings of Bellecombe were caring and gracious. One would have to be completely brain dead to believe that they gave their countries any ounce of worth. They took their ancestors' glory and built their reign upon it, shaming their legacy in the process. They ruled with fear as their advisor; saying that they ran their nations with an iron fist would be an understatement. Most citizens shuddered at the mere thought of a crime, let alone committing one. But there were always the few—the gangs—who had no choice but to. Their choices were limited; anyone would choose to be flogged than death.
Funnily enough, their actions went against every scripture read for their God. The benevolent and merciful Elkos never encouraged such violence; such hostility. She was a goddess of peace and prosperity—one who believed that all deserved a second chance and redemption. The entire continent worshipped her and she always did her best to thank them. She blessed their crops, their children, their kingdoms. The temples dedicated to her taught everyone well, that is, before the Kings burned it to the ground.
Money and power stained their minds. They believed they were better than everyone—even their own God. It was laughable, really, how they let themselves get corrupted by such materialistic ways. As more and more power was handed to them, more and more people went to pray. The temples were their safe havens—a place of refuge. Elkos looked down from above, doing her best to protect them from her spot in the heavens, but what can she do against roaring flames?
As the flames consumed her people, a seed of anger was planted in her heart. As the years passed, the more roots it sprouted. It slowly wrapped around her heart, entangling every beat of her heart with anger. With every breath she took, her people suffered and another rush of anger flowed through her.
She didn't fight in countless wars to watch her people live in fear. She conquered an innumerable number of Gods for them—and she'd be quick to do it again. But now, her enemy wasn't another God. Rather, it was her own people. The very same people she risked her life to protect were making everyone suffer.
Eventually, something in her snapped. What happened next was a blur, a haze, but she couldn't care less. She just knew that she was suddenly in the Kingdom of Sakarnia—where King Theron was hosting a grand party to celebrate his birthday.
'At least they somewhat follow tradition,' she thought, remembering the years prior. Each of the five Kings never failed to throw an extravagant party for their birthdays and, to show goodwill, the other Kings of the continent would attend with gifts in arms. They'd leave their wives to rule over the kingdoms in their absence and forget about monogamy for the night. With girls hanging off their arms and drinks in hand, they tended to party until the sun rose; the nobles followed. While Elkos despised their repulsive ways, she at least respected the simple fact that they upheld tradition.
Gold eyes glimmered with fury as it landed on the lively castle. She could hear the music from miles away. She could already imagine how the other Kings were behaving without their wives present (as well as the disgusting way everyone encouraged it). With a sigh, she began her trek to the castle. She didn't need to alter her appearance—she resembled the destroyed statues of herself perfectly. Long, wavy hair pulled back in a bun with a few strands framing her face. Her black dress was embroidered with gold jewels that resembled flames with the way it crawled up the gown. Excess fabric trailed behind her and the slit at the front exposed her heels as she walked. However, the gold embers left beneath her steps remained hidden. Her ebony hair and gold eyes were a giveaway for her identity and she was hoping that just one glance at her will have everyone at her feet.
No one noticed her when she entered the party. She inwardly bristled, but kept up her façade. Beckoning a servant over, she asked for a bottle of wine. The way his eyes lit up in recognition didn't go unnoticed, leading to a small smirk appearing on her face as he walked away. Pride blossomed in her chest; at least she wasn't forgotten by her people. The second the bottle was in her grasp, she ushered the servant out the door. Her smile faded as she pondered her next set of actions, but she knew that it was what she had to do. And so, she spun on her heel, approached the stairs leading towards the throne and hurled the bottle towards King Theron.
It narrowly avoided his head, crashing against the gold crest rail. Glass shards sliced his cheek as wine seeped into his greying hair. His eyes went from shock to fury as he stood, his beard even contorting in rage with the rest of his face. Stormy grey eyes landed on the crowd below him as he bellowed.
"Who dared to attack me at my own party?!" Everyone simultaneously stepped back—it was so perfectly timed that it could have been rehearsed, Elkos thought. The only person who was brave enough to return Theron's glare was Elkos herself, except hers was far colder and far harsher than his. While his could freeze oceans, hers could freeze over hell and light the nation ablaze in an instant.
"Who dares to treat my people like vermin?" She countered, slowly ascending the stairs towards the King. Fear shot through his body when he recognised her and he took a step back.
"La-Lady Elkos," he trembled as much as his words did—which is more than the stars blink. A shaky smile stretched across his lips as he folded his hands. "Forgive me, but I don't see what you mean."
"You don't see what I mean?" Her voice was colder than death and cut deeper than a dozen knives. She looked down at him, a murderous glint in her eyes. "Do I need to spell it out for you?"
"P-Please, Lady Elkos, I'm sure we can sort this out-"
"I will listen to you when I'm given the respect I deserve," she hissed before turning to face the other Kings. "From all of you." Fear choked back any retorts they had in their throats. The glow of the chandeliers glinted off the golden crowns as each of the kings dropped to their knees and bowed to her. The ghost of a satisfied smirk brushed against her lips.
"Lady Elkos," one of the foreign kings—Bastian, she believed—began, "we have done nothing wrong. We provide jobs for our people and they've been living contentedly ever since we ascended to the throne."
"Really now?" She purred. "Then why did my people go to my temples to seek refuge? Was it not because of your tyranny?" The ends of her vision turned red and she decided to use her powers. Raising her hand, she formed a fist and the men suddenly couldn't breathe anymore. It felt like the world was on their shoulders as invisible chains wrapped around each inch of their body to drag them down to hell. Bastian struggled to respond, instead desperately trying to swallow air.
"Well? Aren't you going to answer me?" She asked, stepping on his shoulder. She released her control over the gravity in the room, making the men take large gulps of air. "How pathetic. To think my people are being ruled by the likes of you is ridiculous." She scoffed. "How could I possibly let such incompetent fools even grace this world?" She massaged her temple, turning to gaze out the window. The sky was so peaceful, so tranquil. The stars and moon were unbothered; existing quietly and untroubled. Once upon a time her people lived like the stars—what happened?
The kings shared looks with one another. Was this truly their God? Their kind-hearted, bountiful God? Were the stories they were told lies? Or were they such loathsome people that she's changed? Cassias scoffed under his breath. Elkos spun on her heel, eyes wild, and marched towards him. She knew who he was—he was the fool who suggested destroying her temples. Furthermore, he led the brigade that set it on fire! He may have been the youngest king there, but he was certainly the most foolish and definitely the most egotistic.
Kicking his chin up, she grasped his cheeks tightly with her frosty fingers. "Don't think I don't know who you are. I know what you did. I know what each one of you did. Did you really think you could get away with this?" Cassias trembled in response. Tears veiled his vision, blurring her face as she gripped his cheeks even tighter. Yet, through his tears, he managed to gaze into her eyes.
Her terrifying, sinister eyes. A beautiful shade of gold which could shine like the sun if she were happy, but Elkos was blind with wrath. The flames behind her irises were burning higher than the tallest towers but were far more spine-chilling than the Grim Reaper himself.
Satisfaction bloomed in her heart when the coward paled. 'He's even paler than the winter snow,' she mused. She tossed him aside, leaving him a hyperventilating, crying mess. Walking away, she heard the shuffling of the kings slowly getting to their feet. She paused by the edge of the staircase, waiting for them to notice her sudden stop, only to feel irritation claw at her throat when she heard metal scrape against the floor.
'Of course they grabbed their weapons,' she sighed, exasperated. Their footsteps thundered against her eardrums as they rushed towards her, battle cry at the tip of their tongues. Elkos twirled around with her hand out. With a mere wave, she sent them crashing through the thrones and against the walls.
"Surely you didn't think that would work?" She mocked, approaching them with slow steps. "I'm a God—pathetic imbeciles like you don't even deserve to utter my name." The nastiest scowl was scrawled across her face as she paused right before them. Five pairs of eyes shook—unfocused and panicked—but somehow never drifted away from her figure. Elkos, on the other hand, couldn't care less about their fear. Instead, she basked in the sense of accomplishment she felt now that she was finally addressing the root cause of her problems.
Even better, she was going to solve this whole conundrum in a way that landed her and the five dogs at her feet a spot in the history books.
"While I would love to play with you guys some more, it's better to simply get this over with," her smile was eerily hypnotic. The men could hardly focus on her words with the way their eyes were drawn to her face. Eyes closed and a large grin—how could she threaten them, her people, so nonchalantly?
"P-Please s-spare us," Hadar bumbled, desperately clawing at Elkos' feet. She kicked him away with a sneer.
"You didn't spare my people, now did you?" Her eyes glowed more magnificently than the sun on a clear day as she raised her arms above her head. Moss green vines suddenly began growing out of the cracks on the walls and floor. Violet flowers dotted the sturdy vines, blossoming under the moonlight as it encircled the men and dragged them against the wall. Elkos raised her hands even higher, making the vines drag the men up the wall until they were all splayed across it like decorations. Their screams went unheard, even before black roses sprouted from their mouths. Brown locks swayed gently in the air as it defied gravity. Elkos gazed at her masterpiece of five men splattered across a wall in an unseemly manner before one last idea popped into her mind.
She snapped her fingers and relished in the delight that rushed through her veins when the men screamed in agony. She felt like a child on a sugar rush and she enjoyed every bit of it. A twisted grin graced her face as she looked at the kings. What little light their eyes held was slowly leaving, similar to the way their blood trickled down the wall. Large, red thorns stabbed their bodies in multiple angles and areas. Her thoughts weren't specific when she snapped her fingers, resulting in thorns of all sizes. Some were even sticking out of their bodies.
A grotesque sight indeed, but it was brought upon themselves. Pleased with her handiwork, Elkos turned and left the scene. Streams of moonlight flooded the room through the windows, ominously highlighting the gruesome state of the corpses.
Elkos trusted that the queens could hold their own without the kings. They ran their nations well when the kings were away. If anything, they now had more freedom than before and could bring positive changes to the continent she'd worked so hard to protect.
With her guidance, of course. After making such a scene, she couldn't leave her people defenseless. Gold eyes met millions of blinking lights. 'Looks like I'll be here for longer than I thought. Maybe I should've let myself go a bit crazier back there.'

Author's Note: If you all don't like this format and prefer the one I use in "Blue Assassin", please let me know.