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So, the next installment is here. Thanks for reading this far and for the reviews!^^




Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.


Failure and death 10

 

The wind was angry. The trees bent and swayed as did the tall grass in the birch woods and  water in the ponds protested against their cement confines. The farm animals were restless as did seem the clouds for they raced through the sky. Today Daniel was up early for a run and she ran with purpose. For what she wasn't sure, but something needed to be done. Her mind was on Kurt, but she ended up hopping from one foot to the other in front of The Human Story. She walked back and forth to cool down then walked in. No one was there.

 

She took it upon herself to bound up the stairs and walked in on Faza sitting in the tea room. He looked older.

 

"Faza?"

 

"My dear."

 

"Faza, I'm..." He held up a hand.

 

"I did suspect you were the chosen vessel. I suspected it immediately. I felt you coming. When you opened the door I was shocked. I thought I had made a mistake. I came to realize that I hadn't." He looked at her, "I just couldn't figure it out. You were not from Bağlılık. You didn't know anything." He shook his head.

 

Daniel came to rest in front of him and dropped to her knees, "Faza."

 

"You were so innocent. But you were lively and clever. You were adventurous and interested. I was taken with you. I should have come forward sooner, Caninae was right. Even though I felt it, I was still uncertain, so I gave you the relic."

 

"Relic?"

 

"My book. It has a seal on it made of enchanted metals. It protected you at night while you slept."

 

"The dream that was real?"

 

He sat back, "oh, it was very real. Buthidae tried to kill you. He's a slick beast. I directed you to the three estates to initiate the meeting between you and Kurtarıcı. I had no idea the gods would put you together so soon. I could have...made it easier for you."

 

Daniel crossed her legs as she sat on the floor. "I'm not quite sure that was at all possible. If you had told me I was the chosen vessel of a fox demigod I would have extricated myself from your premises and never come back." She laughed then he laughed. "Whether you should have or what you could have done differently, I couldn't say. Faza, I don't hate you, I never did. I was angry, but I'm not anymore."

 

"Daniel." He blinked the moisture from his eyes.

 

"I'm sorry I've been so unkind to you. I've been perfectly dreadful and not just to you. I'm a very imperfect candidate for a savior." She grabbed his hand gently, "I want us to be friendly like we were before. Can we do that?"

 

He leaned forward and squeezed her hands, "yes."

 

"Yes? Yes." She moved up on her knees and hugged him tight. After the embrace he put her hands together and patted them.

 

"Well, what would you say to some tea my dear." He smiled broadly looking his old self. He pushed himself from the love seat and she followed him to a kitchenette.

 

"What can you tell me about the dark vapor?" Her eyes took in the small porcelain sink, microwave atop a mini refrigerator and gas burners. A narrow window sat open and a miniature mandarine tree sat poised for sunlight that hadn't arrived yet.

 

"It's the negative side of the life force. All creatures posses it, none of us being pristine, but the condemned are consumed with it." 

 

"Caninae absorbs it."

 

"Caninae being a fox demigod is carnivorous, she consumes any life force be it negative or positive. It is like food for her and makes her rather formidable, like an apex predator." He carried the tray into the tea room and poured.

 

"She also eats the carcass," she took her tea and added milk and honey.

 

"You have seen it then." Faze looked apologetic.

 

"I have done more than seen it." Daniel sighed. She looked at Faza as he drank his tea. "Faza, what is your position in all of this? You said you knew I was the vessel, how?"

 

He placed his cup in its saucer gently, "I'm the keeper. The gods designated my family as helpers to the line of Yalnız. My ancestor, Dalibor, on the portrait downstairs was exceedingly loyal to General Öküz. He loved the general, fought with him against both physical and paranormal enemies. So we watch over the line and the vessels."

 

"Like a shaman?" Daniel's eye were wide in fascination.

 

Faza laughed heartily, "very similar I guess."

 

~~

 

Feeling much relieved, Daniel jogged back to the mansion in the clouded midday light. She was feeling much more at peace about this absurdly bizarre situation. It didn't seem so bad anymore. For the moment BGU was out the window. So was moving on. Who knew, maybe later she could still indulge her love of traveling. Maybe to the African continent next.

 

You have done well.

 

"I still have much to do Caninae."

 

You must make amends with Yalnız. Nexus will not occur if you do not.

 

"Nexus?" She sighed, "we really need to have a meeting about how information is dispensed." She was cutting through a cow field. They lifted their heads one by one and watched her jog through. They're lower jaw in constant rotation. She came close to one tethered to a stake. Hay littered the ground around it. "Are you all alone?" She bounced beside it and it edged away looking at her with both curiosity and apprehension. "Here let me give you some of the hay over here." She bent over, "make it a little easier for..." The trickling sensation passed through her body at more of a rushing speed.

 

Daniel Chordata!

 

There was a roar of wind then the clash of cymbals. The cow jerked up in the enormous jaws of a flying crocodile with the body of an eagle. It was ridiculously large. Blood rained down as Daniel stumbled in horror. She fell to the ground as the beast's head thrash back and forth. A leg of the cow flew one way and a whole flank the other. It's organs hung from the jaws. It lifted its head back and the cow disappeared with a strangled moo down its throat. The wings flapped wide as it hovered in the air, its tail twisting left then right behind it. It roared at Daniel, a mix of screeching and growling.

 

"Oh my God!" Daniel lifted to her legs, but slipped in the muddy mix of dirt and blood. She regained her balance and ran across the open field as fast as her legs could move. "Caninae!"

 

I am here.

 

"Help me move faster!"

 

As you wish.

 

She felt her body surge, her legs and arms pumped faster. She felt a flash on her left and veered right. A large talon dug into the soil lifting a whole swath of dirt out of the ground. She felt another flash and dived to the ground as the jaws clashed shut overhead. She forward rolled out of the dive and continued running only to have a dark beast leap out from the right, winds wide talons forward. She could see it, unbelievably she could see its movements almost before they happened. She evaded and grabbing a leg called on Caninae before spinning around and letting it go right into the gaping jaws of Chordata. She flung herself backwards just out of their reach and landed with a thud. The force of the snapping jaws blowing her back several feet.

 

Before she could recover, another dark beast was coming down on her.

 

Daniel, you must let me out.

 

But she was frozen. What a poor savior she made. The dark beast was upon her and then a form flew over head and sliced it in two. The two half of its body fell to either side of her. Dark matter splashed down on her. She yelped. Kurt landed and slid under the flying beast dragging his sword through its scales and flesh underneath. It flew high as it cried and scored in the air circling around in their direction. Meanwhile, more dark beasts were charging him. Daniel watched as he took down one after the other slicing through them.

 

Still there were more and Chordata was headed back.

 

"Daniel!" Kurt called to her. "Daniel! Help me!" But she was totally paralyzed with fear. 

 

Daniel you must go. Daniel wake up! This is no time to be in fear. He needs you!

 

Her mouth quivered.

 

"Daniel! Please!" Kurt called again as the flying Chordata closed in. "Caninae! I need you!"

 

Daniel, I must obey Yalnız. May the gods have mercy on you and allow us to meet again.

 

Pain seared through her body as Caninae forced her way out. She opened her mouth to yell but nothing came out. Instead she was moving in the air. Her arm grabbed a beast and broke its spine before ripping it apart. Her joints stretched to the limit the pain making her eyes cross. Another dark beast went down its innards flying through the air. Daniel's muscles twisted her nails felt as if they were being yanked out. Then Caninae attacked Chordata head on. A burst of energy emerged from her body causing her heart to spasm, and flew into the the right side of it blowing out the flesh, braking bone and setting a wing on fire. 

 

Kurt attacked as well, puncturing its eye. They slashed into it together. It swung its tail around squashing some of its own dark beasts until Caninae took hold of it and flipped him over shoving his head into the earth. It's one wing flapped helplessly, Kurt severed a leg from it and plunged his sword into its back at the joint of its wing. Caninae let go of the tail and it boomed as it pounded the earth. Then she lit into it while Kurt disposed of the rest of the dark beasts.

 

This time Daniel could not block it out. She watched as Caninae slowly yet deftly took the helpless shrieking beast apart snapping its sinew with her teeth, consuming its flesh and organs covered in dark matter. She felt no surge of energy, just as if she was coming apart one limb, one bone, one nerve at a time. The pain was excruciating. And finally the pain took her under, mouth agape still trying to cry out in anguish.

 

~~

 

She was surrounded by light so bright she had to shield her eyes. She couldn't see anything, but she was walking. Daniel noticed that she too was bright and wondered if she were dead. Had she gone to heaven? Was there a heaven? She was so confused, but thankful to have escaped the pain. Thinking about it made her shudder. She didn't know for how long she walked, but eventually she saw a...bathtub? There was a person in it but she could not make them out.

 

"Of course not Daniel. No one can see a god and live. I have toned it down for you. You should be grateful." The voice was satiny and seductive.

 

"I would if I knew what was going on."

 

"In short, you froze at a crucial time and died little Daniel." The form stood and wrapped a towel around its body.

 

"I'm dead?"

 

"Yes." It walked behind a screen and moved around.

 

"So I'm in heaven?"

 

"Heaven is a place created by mortals. When a mortal dies, it does not come to the gods. How shameful." It came from behind the screen and sat at a vanity.

 

"So where am I?"

 

"My home, I guess you mortals would call it." It began to primp, "give me a moment and then we can leave."

 

"Where to?"

 

"The forum of the gods of course." It said as if it were obvious.

 

"Could you...just, who are you?"

 

It laughed at this, "I forgot you are ignorant. I am Freya the goddess of love, war, lust, hatred, pleasure and fertility."

 

"That's a lot."

 

"Which is why I have demigods." In the blink of an eye she was done. "Here we go." It was not so bright anymore, now everything was shadowed. Freya was still bright though.

 

"Little Daniel, we come to assign your fate." A voice said. Daniel stood in the middle of a circle. Her eyes couldn't seem to adjust to the change in lighting or maybe it was because no one could see a god and live. "Normally you would be dead and we would have nothing to do with it, but the circumstances are extenuating."

 

"Which means?" Daniel asked.

 

"Our beloved Yalnız throws himself on the alter night and day in your behave." Daniel was in awe. Did he love her? Love her so much he petitioned for her life? How could she possibly be a recipient of so much affection? "He begs us to take responsibility for you are a novice and totally out of your element. So we ask you, little Daniel, what do you wish for?"

 

What did she wish for? An end to this absurdity, to be rid of Caninae, to go back to being one of the ignorant masses. To travel, to be alone, to... 

 

"Please, please let me go back." She had made a mess of things, such a big mess. She had things to put right and things to finish. Most of all she wanted to be worthy of Kurt.

 

"And your freedom, little Daniel?" Freya's bright indiscernible figure sat forward.

 

"My freedom is Yalnız."







Chapter End Notes:

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Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.