Soul Scale

Chapter 10: Allegiance

“Will it ever stop?! It just keeps coming... I don’t even know from where.” Forte said as he managed to find a moment to breathe.

“Oh, Fuck... Not again!” He exclaimed as he bent over, and dark green colored vomit continued to pour out of his mouth.

“I tried to warn you.” said Apollo as he began laughing.

“No matter how many times I see it, its still funny. Even I have a sense of humor.” He leaned down and placed a hand on Forte’s shoulder.

“This should help. Hold still.” A comforting warmth washed over Forte.

“Better?”

As he stood, he felt all the nausea and discomfort leave his body.

“You mean you could have done this the whole time?? What the hell??” Forte tried to be angry but couldn’t help but smile.

“Do you know any other cool tricks?”

Apollo nodded. “Of course. When you’ve been around as long as I have, you find ways to entertain yourself. You get very bored otherwise.”

Forte smiled. “I used to pull pranks on my brother all the time. I remember this one time; we were out playing at a farm. Verdant was always scared of cows. I tricked him into locking himself in the barn. I left him in there for hours.”

Apollo’s brow furrowed. “Cows?”

“He used to have this one nightmare about people with cow heads. They’d always chase after him with torches and pitchforks. I have no idea when that started. He just randomly began waking up in the middle of the night screaming about the cow people.”

“Very interesting.” He said with a grin.

“I don’t suppose you could make a giant field of cow people appear and scare Verdant away?”

“As much as I would love to see cow people randomly appear out of nowhere, I don’t think that would help this time. I’ll add it to my list of pranks though.”

After a brief laugh, an aire of seriousness slowly fell upon them.

They looked at each other. “So... This is really happening, isn’t it? My brother and I are going to war... I never thought those words would leave my lips. Sure, people aren’t exactly happy with how things have been going, but I never thought that it could come to this.”

Forte began looking toward the sky. “Honestly, I have no idea what I’m doing. I’ve been trying to figure it out as I went. I barely knew how to talk to girls when my father died. Much less, how to be a king. He tried to teach me, but he wasn’t exactly patient. My father was the kind of man who just expected you to know how to do things. If you didn’t figure it out within a few seconds of trying, he’d get very angry and turn into an abusive asshole.”  He paused.

“I... I remember the last time we argued. The wheel of a merchant’s wagon had fallen off. Seeing as how he and my father were friends, I had to help. Because of course I did. I was never one to tell him ‘No’. Not that often anyway. My father was given the nickname ‘The Mountain’. His biceps and forearms alone were as thick as a tree. I was scared of him. Just being in his presence, made me feel like a dwarf…”

“Even though I knew how to put it back on, he got angry because I wasn’t working at the pace he wanted. I didn’t do it exactly the way he wanted. I got pissed off and stopped what I was doing and told him he could do it himself. I stormed off in a rage. Not long after that, he became sick. His sickness progressed very rapidly, to the point where he didn’t talk much anymore. To me or anyone else. I’d go see him every so often, but... I never got to apologize to him. His last words to me were “It’s up to you now. You know what to do.”

Apollo’s expression became very sad and painful. “I’m... sorry.” He started to place his hand on Forte’s back but froze.

“I wish I could help him... But I don’t know how. I don’t understand mortal emotions that well. Perhaps I should just stay quiet.”

“It’s ok. It’s in the past and I can’t change it. It’s time to look forward. Where are we, exactly?”

“We are currently in one of the forests directly outside of the city. I thought it would be better for you to vomit out here than on the great stairs in front of the city gate.”

“I appreciate you doing that. I’d rather not attract that kind of attention. That wouldn’t be the kind of first impression I’d want to make.”

Apollo began to look around at the vast expanse of thick, soft green grass, and the vivid and lush green trees. "I come here a lot. It’s normally empty. It’s a shame really. This beautiful piece of my home. It goes unnoticed... It’s a great place to enjoy solitude and meditate.”

Forte was taken aback. He was pleasantly surprised by this softer, more… Human side of Apollo.

“I didn’t take you for the ‘romanticist’ type.”

“There’s a lot you don’t know about me.”

“I’d like to change that. When this war is over, I’d like to sit down and have a long conversation with you. I could see myself calling you ‘friend’.”

“Really? A friend? Hmm... Perhaps.”

Forte beamed. “For now, ‘ally’ works just as well. So, where do we go now?”

Apollo nodded. “First, we must present our case to Zeus. We must convince her that it’s in her best interest to assist us in the upcoming war.”

“That doesn’t sound too hard.”

Apollo laughed. “We’ll be lucky if she lets us walk out of the room. In your terms... She’s everyone's boss. She rules over everything and everyone. No one makes a decision without running it by her.”

Forte’s blood ran cold, and his normally masculine low voice became high pitched and squeaky. “R... Really? Well then...”

“Fuck me...”

Forte began looking around him, but all he could see were tall and mighty trees that seemed to go up forever. He focused his hearing, trying to make out any sound at all that might indicate signs of life or a city nearby. Yet, there was nothing. Nothing but the sound of the soft, gentle breeze whistling through the forest and the rustling of the grass and leaves. Even amongst the destructive fires of panic and anxiety raging inside him, he couldn’t help but become overwhelmed by an indescribable and otherworldly sense of peace and comfort that was so strong, he briefly forgot why he was even here in the first place. Forte stood in quiet contemplation.

“I see you get it now. The reason why I come here.”

Forte was brought back from his deep state of meditation.
“Wha… What?? Oh. Yeah. Sorry.”

Apollo chuckled. “There’s no need for apologies. Honestly, I’m happy that someone else understands.”

“I wonder if he has anyone…” thought Forte.

“So, where exactly is your city supposed to be? There’s nothing here but trees.”

Apollo shook his head. “Where is your sense of adventure and wonderment, young king?”

“What are you talking about? What do either of those have to do with finding the entrance?”

Apollo walked over to Forte. “I was hoping you’d ask.”

Forte became visibly confused. “Why?”

“For a while now, I’ve had a sneaking suspicion that there was something different about you but I haven’t really had the opportunity to test it until now.”

Forte’s eyebrow, along with his curiosity, rose. “Meaning what, exactly? There’s not a whole lot about me that’s special.”

Disappointed by Forte’s negativity, Apollo sighed. “I thought you were past all this? After Melody healed you, you were brimming with newfound confidence and drive! Where has that man gone?”

Forte stared at Apollo with an intense gaze. “He hasn’t gone anywhere! It’s just that… All of that still doesn’t change the fact that things are happening faster than I can adjust to them. It has been one thing after another. It’s a lot to process.”

“Which is why it’s very crucial to remain strong. Especially now, when we’re about to be in the presence of Zeus.”

Forte took a deep breath in then exhaled. “I know. I’ll be fine. What’s this test you wanted to perform?”

“Very well. I believe that you and your son hold the key to humanities salvation.”

Forte began laughing. “You’re joking right? Like… what the actual fuck?”

Apollo’s expression began to stiffen even more than usual. “No. I’m deathly serious. Listen to what I have to say.”

Forte’s mouth and throat became dry as he realized that as much as he wanted it to be a joke, it wasn’t. His demeanor changed instantly to that of a child entranced by a parent telling a bedtime story.

Once Apollo saw that he had Forte’s full attention, he continued.

“As far back as I can remember, there has been a story told amongst my people. However, after witnessing recent events, I believe it to be more than just a story. I believe that it’s a prophecy.”

“What does the prophecy say?”

“It says that one day, an evil will descend upon the world. An evil so great and powerful, that everything will cease to be… Terminus.”

Forte became extremely pale, and his voice a whisper. “Terminus?”

“The absolute end. Everything that ever was or ever will be. Gone. In an instant. Nothing but a void of complete and total emptiness will remain.”

Not being able to comprehend what he just heard, a vacant expression shown on Forte’s face as he fell to the ground, sitting in total silence for several minutes.

“So…” he said breaking the uncomfortable silence. “What do we do about this?”

Apollo, bending his knees, lowering himself to be at eye level with him. “Don’t give up just yet, Forte. I wasn’t finished. The prophecy also speaks of one who shall bridge the gap between mortals and all other races. One who will completely eradicate all evil and bring absolute peace everywhere.”

“How do you know it’s about my son and I?”

“The hero is said to be of pure royal blood and come from a kingdom in turmoil. He will be pure of heart, intelligent, courageous, a natural leader, a selfless protector, and use magick without needing a tether. Which brings us to the test. My city is hidden by a magickal barrier. If you are what I think you are, you’ll be able to use magick to find and open the door, allowing you to enter into the city. Are you ready?”

Forte rose from the ground and nodded.