Of Gods & Champions: Book I: Fate

XIII. Into The Temple

FINALLY, GASPING AND WHEEZING FOR AIR, I pull myself over the last of the nearly impenetrable steps, and lay there flat, legs dangling over the edge. I rest my cheek against the cool marble as my chest heaves with shallow breaths.

After a time, I begin to push myself up, grimacing at my clothing that is now stuck to my body with sweat, my shirt see-through to reveals the sweat stained cloth of my chest bindings. Well, Fate didn't say I have to look presentable...

I shakily walk towards the temple entrance, the stone arched doorway gaping ominously. I stagger in, blinded immediately by total darkness. But with the darkness comes an overwhelming cool, the air frigid and cooling me from my exertion.

I stand near the entrance until my vision clears up, enjoying the relief from sweating, though now my clothes are drying and stiffening hard. My eyes slowly begin to adjust to the harsh darkness, and as I cautiously move forward, I gasp to see a high looming figure ahead of me.

As I squint, I begin to recognize it at as a statue of Fate, and I snort at the powerful stand he holds.

"Someone thinks highly of himself," I muse as I draw closer, the statue being the only thing in the temple besides myself.

Something glimmers in the darkness, despite there being no light for something catch, and I set about finding it. I turn around a few times like a numbskull until another flash catches my eye and I turn to face the statue again. There, glittering and flashing, are two large amethyst crystals, which stopped being mined over a hundred years ago. They serve as the statue's eyes, and I find that I can't look away from their purple brilliance.

My eyes begin to ache as I try to turn away, but I'm a frightfully unable to. To my shock, the amethysts begin to glow, and the purple light emanating from them strikes my eyes, practically blinding me again. I keel over, startled.

My hands rush to my face, and I rub my eyes as I feel a cool wind rustle my hair... a cool wind? My hands drop, and I open my eyes to see I'm no longer in the temple, but on my knees in a sunlit field where breezes strike down every few moments.

I try to gasp, but the sound gets caught in my throat as I glance around, slightly terrified.

"Ilah," I hear a man's voice say, and my head snaps forward, hurting my neck.

"Sorry, I forgot!" The voice continues, and I realize the speaker is right in front of me... I just can't see him.

There's a slow shimmer in the air, and a flicker of a purple cloak flashes in before my eyes, as Fate materializes in front of me.

I startle as the young God appears, cross-legged and slicking his hair back further.

"Where are we?" I demand of him, feeling acutely the loss of my rifle on my back.

"Just the Spirit Realm," Fate says nonchalantly. "This is where we Gods first take our Champions to meet with them, and several times afterwards actually."

In the distance, beyond the rolling waves of sweet smelling green grass, which I've never once seen, I spot the waving branches of tree, swaying in the wind.

Fate clears his throat. "So, I'm assuming you have some questions for me? The usual... 'What's the meaning of life?', 'Is there an afterlife?', and 'What's the secret to such fabulous hair as yours?'"

"Oh yeah, sure," I say, rolling my eyes. "Those are first on the list."

"Fine, what do you want to know?" he asks, annoyed.

"Well, for one," I start, leaning forward, "Why would you pick me , of all people, to be your Champion? And to kill the Wild, no less."