The Prodigies: The Return of Equinox

Chapter Thirty: Fated - The Beginning

It had started many years before Aviagard was in the minds of any single man. During the time of Demigods and their reign. It was then that the curse had started. That blood was spilt for no cause other than itself. Testing what needn't be tested.

"I challenge you Gorund!" Exclaimed a large man. He was a staggering 7 foot tall well proportioned man. His body looked as though sculpted by hand to be a tribute to the strength of man. He used both an axe and hammer for combat, two hands to fight were always better than one.

Gorund, the son of the warrior Goddess Of Strength, was overseeing the training of some disciples when he heard the call to challenge. As he turned he looked down to see a man that was a foot shorter than he. It surprised him to find that normal men grew to be that big. He saw a man that, through good intentions or otherwise, had gained strength for surpassing all obstacles that came before him.

"Hail challenger!" He laughed. "Do you wish to test your might? To seek for your inner strength? To find lands of strength beyond the ones you know?" Gorund was excited. He had no intention of killing this man, he was all he could have hoped for in a disciple. Strong, big, looking for challenge. And big. And strong. And looking for a challenge.

"I have no petty quest like that O' Strong One. I wish to prove the might of men against the gods. To prove that men shouldn't have to depend on the gods to save them, and that their own strength can save them. We had never need of them in past, now, or the days to come."

Gorund's face changed to excited delight to great disappointment and disgust. Another god hater. Another godless that believed that nothing stronger than he should exist. What a waste of a perfectly good strong man.

"So be it. Your challenge starts now. Let's see how long you last." Gorund hadn't bothered to unsheathe the sword at his hip. He widened his stance prepared to toy with the large man that stood small before him. "If you wish to kill me, you had better try your best while you can. At best you'll die quickly, at worst you'll live in agony for the rest of your years."

The large man felt a sudden unfamiliar tremble in his body. A feeling that, before now, had never had place in his heart. This feeling of delighted dread. Anxious excitement. He held his weapons ready to fight and he charged into Gorund. War cry sounding out to let all know within earshot to witness him try to kill a demigod.

"Too slow." Gorund lunged forward towards his challenger and punched him right in his gut. The blow sent shockwaves throughout the man's body and sent him flying tens of meters away. "If you're lucky then you'll be dead already."

And even so, the man was very unlucky. He lived, without any broken bones, with no damaged organs, and no large wounds. Though he had never faced opponents like Gorund, he would need more than a single punch to stay down.

"All right! Let's get back to training, runts!" He was excited to return to training his disciples. Yet, before he could he heard the war cry again.

"I will not fall that easy O' Strong One." He threw his axe towards the demigod and landed a hit on his back. While Gorund wore no armor except for his blessed sleeves of gold and silver pauldrons of might the axe found no bite into Gorund's flesh. It made a clanging sound and dropped to the ground with an embarrassing thud.

Gorund had enough of this man. He turned and rushed him. The man had only a second to realize he had made a mistake and by then it was already too late. He was punched again in the gut, but rather than being sent back he was sent upwards. As he was lifted in the air Gorund grabbed the man's leg with such a strong grip it crushed flesh and crumbled bone. Gorund then slammed the man back down to the earth. Had the challenger been a normal man he would have died with the first punch he took. If he was a strong man he would have died with the second. If he were an extraordinarily strong man he would have died with the slam. He lied there, nearly dead. He was still much more.

Gorund turned away again. For sure that he was dead. Yet, to his surprise and disappointment, he heard the man call out again. What it was, Gorund did not know. Nor did Gorund care to know. He walked up to the man and shouted to the heavens.

"Hear me O' Mother mine. Vera!" Gorund pleaded. "My Goddess and mother! I wish that you lay upon this man a curse. A curse that would grant him the strength to kill me. A curse that required he die to gain new strength."

"What are you doing?" Wheezed the dying man.

"If I am truly your son then you will do this for me. I have asked naught from you til' this day. Do this for me mother and I will gather more to the cause of strength."

From the sky came down a beam of light that was no color and all of them at once. It hit the dying man. He rose slowly up towards the heavens. His final thoughts were that the Goddess had saved him, and how he had failed to save himself when he had always preached of not relying on gods. Before he got to high he sent back down faster than he could comprehend and died instantly.

"It is done." Rang a voice that came from every direction. "He will return whenever a man makes way to this valley. All men he slays will have their strength added to his own once he returns. He will live and die over and over until he is strong enough to kill you. And when that day happens you will be summoned to fight him if you remain alive, and will be brought back to life if you do not yet remain."

"I understand O' Mother mine." He bowed as he spoke. "I will wait patiently till that day."

And he did. Until his dying day. Long after his fight with Equinox, and long after he created his standing army. He died knowing he would live again to face the challenger. This time he would ask of his name. It was a great dishonor to oneself to not know the name of a good challenge.