FATE\Deus Decipit

Chapter 11: The Other Side of Madness

1:35 am, The Cave of Heracles

Yanni paced in circles around the crystal ball in the center of the cavern, hands on his head. His 'God' had yet to return, so, for the moment, he was alone.

"WHAT HAPPENED!"

He pleaded with the universe itself; begging for some kind of explanation. Rage and panic rose in his chest, his furious, twitching expression not unlike that of his Servant, though that word, 'Servant', didn't mean anything to him. Precisely because of that ignorance, he struggled- racking his brain to figure out who, or even what, those figures were. He had seen the whole thing from a bird's eye view, the power of his family's crystal ball.

God was to make himself known to the world, and opposition was inevitable, but this was completely unexpected. "Rider", or so he had called himself, had moved to stop God for some reason. Who could he possibly be in the face of a god? No more than a mouse, a bug in the face of a supreme being, and so he dutifully recommended to his God that he be suitably squashed.

He recalled how his panic rose with each dodge, with each strike. Who was this man, no, this creature!? How could there be someone who rivaled a being from the Age of Gods!? It didn't make sense! None at all. He thought it might just be some mage here to investigate the surge caused by God's summoning, but that became harder to believe as the fight continued. Then, the second one came along...

For some reason, God followed his recommendations exactly. When he advised retreat, God retreated, and was on his way back now.

In a trance, he stumbled over to the staircase, sitting down and placing his face in his palms. He needed to collect his thoughts.

There were two beings not dissimilar to his god. Weaker, yes, but not so much weaker that they didn't pose a threat. What should he do? Should he try to squash them now, so that they didn't have time to regroup and strategize? Or should he wait and try to gather information before acting? He had the advantage... didn't he?

He punched the cavern wall. The hard cold rock cut into his knuckles, but Yanni was in far too much distress to be fazed by such trivial pain.

-Then, with rumbling like thunder, God manifested out of thin air in front of him, as if answering his unspoken prayers.

With the force of his undeniable presence stuffing the room, immediately Yanni felt ashamed of himself- ashamed at having doubted the power and majesty of his God, of worrying, and of feeling as if he was in some position of power over his God. He wasn't. He was nothing. He was nothing in the face of God. Trembling all over, a mess of emotion, he crawled forward and prostrated himself.

"God! Forgive my transgressions! You, and you alone- you are almighty and absolute!"

There was no visible change in God. Neither his stance nor the sound of his presence shifted even slightly.

Yanni didn't know how to respond. Was this mercy? Was this disappointment? He must want him to prove his loyalty. Yes! That must be it.

"I apologize for my earlier interruption, I worried for your safety and acted as such, but I understand now that I was a fool, a fool to think that those-" What should he call them, he wondered, "- creatures posed any threat to you, my lord."

No response.

"I am your humble servant. What should we do, my lord? How should we dispose of those who oppose your great works?"

No response.

Yanni's heart seemed to stop beating. He was so desperate for something- anything from his God, and yet he received nothing. Was he that unworthy? Was he that unsuited for the role he played?