The Tales of The Forest Goblin (A Dɴғ Fᴀɴғɪᴄᴛɪᴏɴ) ✔︎

27 - A God Reborn

-Dream's Pov-

The mask felt right against my face. Like it was my own.

It played it's part well too in hiding both my identity and the tears that streamed down my face out of both pain and loss. I've been lied to for years. And when the truth finally reveals itself it's through my long dead father- hell, a god and only through a few unkept words.

I feel so lost. I don't even know who I can trust at this point but right now I had a mission to do. The mask drew eyes that I couldn't bother to acknowledge, except for my mother's who looked my way after seeing me pass out. Stun and pride filling her eyes as she then looked at me in what I would assume was disbelief. 'You look like your father.' She then mouthed, smiling ever so weakly.

A smile so weak that this was the first I'd seen her so.. broken, in a way. But she smiled. She smiled as her sword sat held down to her side in a sign of respect and honor. But despite all that, even with the lies me and my sister had to grow up with, looking at her right now, I couldn't be mad at her.

I couldn't be mad at her because I would've done the exact damn thing for George. I lifted my mask just above my mouth to flash her a smile.

It disappeared as fast as it came though.

It felt like my heart was forced into my esophagus and breathing was a struggle.  A pillager was running up behind her. Sword raised and thirsty for blood. I felt paralyzed, stuck. And when I could finally move my legs, I broke out in a sprint. This can't be happening.

"No! Mom get away!" I screamed, arms motioning her to get away as I tried to get to her in time- but it was too late. I was too late.

The sharp end of the the sword stabbed right through her chest and a blood-curling scream forced its way out of my lungs. I couldn't lose her, I couldn't. The sword was coated in the blood of both our own people, and now my mother's. No. Her eyes were wide. Almost like she was stuck in her shocked state to process the weapon of steal ripping her heart. Her reaction was too slow but the life leaving her eyes was so damn fast.

The sword retracted from my mom's chest and I practically threw myself down to my knees just next to her. Lifting her body close to mine, like she once did to me.

"M-Mom- please you can't do this." I whimpered, snatching the mask off my face as I tried stopping the blood. Shaking my head in stubborn denial as I watched her blood soak through her armor and through my hand and pool around her slowly. "No.." I whispered, letting out a broken sob as I held her close.

It was too soon. It was too soon to be true. I felt suffocated, I felt like I was drowning- it's not fair, she didn't deserve this, she couldn't.

"Please mom.. Not you too.." I choked. But her eyes held a look of acceptance, like she knew this was her fate. No.. please.. "NOT YOU TOO!" I screamed out as I cradled her desperately with a broken son. Too broken to notice how all my enemies were sent flying back. The power of my voice shielding us from the cursed weapons of our attackers as their bodies flew back all at once. The grass around us forming unto a little circle that we now sat in, from the blast.

A single drop of blood slid down the side of mom's tilted lips, tilted into a smile that was just too inappropriate for a moment like this. But I knew she was in pain.

Oriana's hand shakily and slowly reached for my mask as I sobbed next to her and tried to somehow save her after all. But there was no use. Her bloody fingers shakily lifted the mask up where she then pressed it against my face. I looked at her through the mask. Her smile never wavered.

"I love you, son.. tell- tell Drista I lover her too.. forever." She whispered, voice shuddery and weak and almost barely heard as she squeezed my hand in hers.

I failed. Oriana thought to herself, looking up at me one last time, and just like that her eyes turned dim almost. Lifeless. Losing any signs of life as I chocked out a sob and hugged her close. Possibly the last time I could ever again.

Around us both villagers and not watched. Some pressed their hands against their hearts in respect and grief. Some drew their swords or weapons to their sides and drooped their heads in honor to fight alongside her. Some let tears or anger consume them.

The rest who hadn't been there to see continued fighting. The battle was going on but I appreciated the few who took their time to pay respects. But God have mercy on my enemies because I won't.

Laying my flesh and blood against the soft grass below, I stood up. Staring numbly down at my dead mom's corpse as the grass around us very slowly started to cover her with a blanket of green. It would've amused me in any other situation, any other situation than this.

In the distance howls and roars of the wilderness around us grieved. Above the sky's turned cloudy and sad. Rain began to pour and the sun that had once risen now hid behind emptiness and loss and the dull clouds.

But aside from that, the grass around me began to glow. Fireflies fluttering out of hiding, followed by a familiar golden mist that slowly formed a bubble around me. Climbing up my arms, my legs only to soon send a rush of adrenaline and energy to swim through my veins.

I glanced back once to see wings of pure cotton white stretch on either side of me. Surprisingly they felt natural against my body, like another limb that I was born with. When I then looked back down, I was dressed in a pure forest green cloak similar to my father's did and I soon enough began to realize what the hell was happening.

I was the next in line, I was the chosen one.

And suddenly, I felt invincible.

Like a surge of energy burst through the entirety of my body and a strong gust wind formed around me. Moving with striking speed that annihilated the swarm of pillagers that tried to surround me.

My eyes scanned the battle around us. The fallen and the injured and the ones still fighting. I would avenge them all. My wings immediately brought me to the sky and a loud, booming thunder roared through the sky.

Then, just below, my people- my family screamed back "Still, he rises!"

and lightning began to rain.

Raining over the men and women who caused us death, pain, over those who got eaten by power and instead brought a new protector to the world,

a god reborn.