Of Blood and Darkness

Defilement of Lightning

Trigger Warning : Fuck Khione

Valen stabbed the first wolf through its open jaw, killing it instantly. A burst of wind surged through his arm, throwing the dead wolf into a group of earthborn running towards him.

He saw Jason jumping on one of the storm spirits back, grabbing its neck for life. He could not waste time worrying about them, not when Erebus' blessing might leave him at any moment.

He turned back towards his assailants and stomped his foot on the ground. A dozen shadowy spikes shot out of the ground, skewering them in places that made Valen wince in sympathy.

He dodged a storm spirit coming towards him, putting Stormguard in its way, cleaving the spirit in half while it was still solid.

He advanced through a shower of golden dust, making his way closer and closer to the goddess who was fighting Leo.

Leo was the right man for the job. She kept summoning ice daggers to throw at him, blasts of winter air, tornadoes of snow. Leo burned through all of it. His whole body flickered with red tongues of flame like he'd been doused with gasoline. He advanced on the goddess, using two silver-tipped ball-peen hammers to smash any monsters that got in his way.

He tried to shadow travel to them, but the darkness was not the same as shadows. Instead of entering the realm of shadows and passing through, he arrived instantly between them, materializing from nothing but pure darkness.

His eyes widened, and his sword arm moved to block an ice spear that was headed his way. He did not get there in time, and the construct stabbed straight through his chest, in the same exact spot Ares had stabbed him so many years ago.

"Not again," he complained, strangely it didn't hurt him. He touched his chest where the spear had gone through, but there was no blood.

He looked down, his flesh had momentarily turned into pure darkness, rendering the wound effectless. He watched in morbid fascination and the wispy blackness shaped itself back into his flesh and lung.

I cannot keep saving your skin like that. Erebus warned.

I'll be careful. he said off-handedly.

He looked up to Khione who seemed just as surprised as him.

"Who- What are you?"

Valen raised his arm, "Do you not recognize his symbol?"

Khione's eyes went as wide as saucers, and she stumbled backward. "No," she said in disbelief. "He has never involved himself in our ordeals. None of them have."

"Is it really that surprising when Gaea herself is awakening?" Valen said as the darkness spewed out of him, casting a dome around them, covering the entire room and blotting out the light. Essentially trapping Khione inside with them. The black tendrils on his body visibly receded.

I need to finish this before I'm out.

"What did you do?!" she demanded, frantically looking around.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Valen smirked, but there was no amusement behind his eyes.

"You okay there?" Leo asked, walking up to him.

Valen nodded, "What about you, up to kill a goddess?"

"Fool!" Khione snarled. "Goddesses cannot be killed!"

"But they can be sent to Tartarus," Valen countered. "I've heard it's not a very pleasant place."

She paled even further, if that was even possible. "N-no," she stuttered, then regained her composure. She laughed haughtily, "You cannot defeat me."