Withering Lampgrass

Chapter 5 - The Arrival of the Archons

WARNING - a bit of swearing if you consider 'damn' swearing. Implied death.

Khaenri'ah is a land with no nation; it's people did not need an archon to prosper. It was the pride of humanity; evidence that people did not need a god to watch over and protect them. Alas, Celestia still bestowed doom upon such an achievement. A land without an archon? Pft. Pathetic. This nation must be obliterated.

8 floating beings came, one unlike the others. "Sinners. You're life ends here."

An 'archon' with white hair put her right hand forward, and cubes shot forward. People were engulfed, confined in these seemingly useless cubes. Khaenri'ahs sighed, relieved that nothing too serious had occurred. But that's the reason why you don't speak too soon.

Screams echoed throughout the cursed land, people were disappearing into these cubes. The 'archon' held her hand out, miniature versions of the cubes in her hands. The only difference was the cubes were glowing, as if there was a soul inside desperate to get out. The other archons separated. An archon with braided hair took his bow out, and pulled out an arrow. Whoosh. The archon let go of the arrow and it pierced through 3 skulls, and set a building alight. The other archon with a hood and black-ish hands sent meteors crashing down, whilst a purple-haired archon sent lightning down on any unfortunate souls close enough to be zapped. Dendro vines trapped people, the thorns piercing their skin, whilst bubbles trapped people inside,  immobilised and ready to be struck.  People got frozen in place, and others burned. No-one would be spared.

The army of Khaenri'ah fought in vain against the gods, their weapons unique and potent, but nothing compared to a god's strength. Gold, in the mist of all this calamity, was creating potions as fast as he could. Gold examined the bodies of people. A curse was taking it's place. Soon everyone on this forsaken land would be cursed to turn into vile monsters, bloodthirsty and to be slayed by the people of the over world.

"Here," Gold said, giving Kaeya's father a bag of potions. "This should delay the curse from eating you whole as quick as it should, but it will not impede the curse for long. You must do what must be done to exact vengeance on these damned 'gods'. I trust you know what to do." Gold said gods with exaggeration, sarcasm dripping out of his mouth venomously. "Archons be damned," Kaeya's father growled. Kaeya couldn't comprehend why he hated gods so much. Who were these people who could fly and float in one place? He wanted to be like them, he could make his father proud-

"Hurry!" Kaeya's father roughly tugged at Kaeya's shirt. Kaeya whimpered, wanting to run away and hide, but obliged anyway. Dainsleif's last words to him echoed in his mind. Go, Kaeya. We'll meet again one day. Sobbing, Kaeya ran with his father. People's desperate pleas and Khaenri'ahn cursing screamed at Kaeya's ears. His head hurted. He wanted to sleep...

Suddenly, he was abruptly pulled to a stop. Kaeya yelped, afraid that he was going to perish right on the spot, but death did not come. Kaeya opened his eyes, and stared right at his father. His father's eyes were unreadable, his complexion void of any expression. "This is your chance. You are our last hope." Kaeya's eyes widened. He opened his mouth to speak, to utter a word, but none came. Kaeya was thrown into the portal, the only means of escape; the way to the over world. Yet Kaeya could think of nothing but the words his father spoke.

This is your chance. You are our last hope.