Thirty Minutes to Heartbreak

Chapters 25 - End

Chapter 25: A Twisted Path

Sakra stood with his back turned to the two determined women clad in aramid armor. His hands rested loosely at the sides of his robes as he stood in motionless silence. Neither Pax nor Amara spoke as they waited for the hallowed Lord of the Devas to pass his judgment.

“After observing your recent activity,” the man said quietly, “I have had to reconsider my decision to allow you girls to enter the vector zone.”

“Reconsider?” Pax asked in a cautious tone.

“As you know, the portal to the Spiritual Pseudosphere leads to a dangerous dimension. The world on the other side of the door was created by ancient gods, tens of thousands of years ago. They were much more powerful than even the strongest of us. Only in times of dire need should access be granted to this realm, when earthly gods need to strengthen themselves to defend against wrongdoers and threats to the peace.”

“We’re aware of this Sakra,” Amara said politely, “but don’t you think…”

“I am very disappointed in you girls.” Sakra clasped his hands behind his back, causing his wide embroidered sleeves to create a V-shape at the base of his spine. “You have chosen to direct your time, energy, and knowledge to scheme against two of our strongest warriors. I thought that you both knew better. I thought that you both had seen enough suffering to not to wish anguish upon others! Especially upon those whom you love: your own family members!”

Amara and Pax shared a look of defeat. They were duly humbled and humiliated before the great demigod. Amara dropped the heavy duffle bag she carried and sighed. She had really been looking forward to the escape. “I'm sorry if our actions have offended you, Sakra. They were just foolish games, and I am willing to give them up forever if you let us leave the dimension.”

Pax nervously adjusted the straps of her own luggage which dug into the flesh of both her shoulders. She gazed off the edge of the mountain temple down at the Earth far below. She really did not want to return to her insipid and increasingly meaningless daily life. When Amara had stepped in front of her car with the proposition, it had felt like she had been offered salvation. It was not just the concept of leaving Earth which appealed to her; it was the concept of leaving her mundane, earthly self behind. Each time she had ventured beyond the planet’s atmosphere, she had discovered a greater value in herself than she had previously known. It was all a matter of perspective. Pax had always needed to be on the outside in order to more successfully peer in—and now she needed it desperately.

No escape could be as thorough as the vector zone. No excursion could be as taxing. Pax closed her eyes tightly, feeling a bit like her passport had just been declined at a border crossing. The image of the white-haired goddess Suja came to her mind. She considered contacting the woman and taking up her offer of overthrowing Sakra just so she could access… she stopped the thoughts before they could be completed. The demigod standing before her was a good friend of her father’s, and he had not, in fact, gotten fat.

Pax bowed her head slightly. “We know that we’ve been acting in unorthodox ways with respect to the deva code.”

“Who told you that?” Sakra asked curtly. He was still facing away from the women.

“Well, my father always says that devas have certain responsibilities,” Pax answered.

“Phooey,” Sakra said, lifting his hand and waving it in dismissal. “Raymond has always been so solemn. Most of my ‘training’ him consists of trying to get the boy to loosen up and quit going on and on about his fictional responsibilities.”

Pax smiled at this apt description of her father. “Sakra, if you wish for us to stop using the coalescence technique…”

“Nonsense!” said Sakra, turning around and cracking a large grin. “It’s very entertaining to watch.”