Shadow Slave

There was a heavy silence in the Sun Temple, the burden of Ketzelkun’s words coloring the darkness in the hues of calamity. After a long time passed, it was the Eagle who spoke, surprising many.

“You paint a dreary picture, Winged Serpent.”

The ruler of the Skull was as nebulous as he was fearsome. In fact, among all the Supreme beings of the Sun Realm, he was the only one Ketzelkan was truly wary of — the same held true for the other kings and queens of Mictlan, who regarded the Eagle with a hint of apprehension.

It was understandable. In Mictlan, being close to the sky meant being close to death. So, all those who chose to soar its cloudy expanse, beyond the safe darkness of the great bones, were seen as faintly mad, even if they carried the sacred responsibility of breaking the Cloudveil in case the Jungle had grown too strong.

Ketzelkan carried a bit of that stigma, himself.

The Eagle glanced at him somberly.

”But you are not wrong. As things stand, Mictlan is indeed doomed to be swallowed by Corruption... which is why I have been advocating for an alternative solution to simply growing stronger. A solution that you and the Fallen One kept rejecting.”

He cast a heavy gaze at the rulers of the Sun Realm.

”Now that the boundary of our home has been breached and we are not isolated from the rest of existence anymore, we can traverse the frightening expanse of the fallen realms and reach the borders of other Divine ones. There should be plenty of mighty warriors and noble creatures living safely there, still.”

The Eagle smiled chillingly.

“You said it yourself, Winged Serpent — the Sun Realm is the first to bloom with the Seeds of Nightmare, but it won’t be the last. So, it will be in their interest to help us fight against the Doom. We should rally champions from all of existence to halt the spread of Corruption... instead of relying solely on our own strength.”

The Fallen One spoke then, his voice sounding ancient and inhuman:

”You cannot.”

The Eagle did not seem satisfied with that answer.

”Why?”

The towering figure of the Sun Temple’s prisoner shifted faintly, his twelve wings casting vast shadows upon the walls. ”Because you carry the Nightmare Spell within you, and therefore the seeds of Doom as well. If you ever enter a realm that has not known their curse yet, you will bring those seeds with you, planting them into fertile soil. You will only hasten their demise.”

The Eagle smiled.

”Hasten it, not cause it. Why postpone the inevitable? Wouldn’t it be better if all of us united against the Great Threat, even if it meant that many would die earlier than their time?”

Ketzelkan shook his head.

“You are growing madder with each decade, Eagle. What use will the children of other gods be? Even if they are many, none of them is more powerful than we are. And if even our power is not enough to prevent the Doom from swallowing everything, what could they do?”

He crossed his arms.

”No, there is only one answer to our plight — it is for us to grow even stronger.”

He glanced at the rulers of the Sun Realm and bared his teeth in a furious grin.

“And luckily, I bring the news of a good omen. I have discovered a path for us to do just that.”

Finally, the rulers of the Sun Realm showed a strong reaction. Some were skeptical, others suddenly seemed full of focus... but none remained indifferent.

In truth, Ketzelkan’s powers of precognition were not that impressive. The omen of doom he described to his high priest was not his own — it was a prophecy that the Fallen One had shared with him once, a long time ago. The Fallen One saw too many things and knew too many truths, which was his burden.

But Ketzelkan did sense a shift in the laws governing the Sun Realm recently, and confirmed his suspicion after sacrificing the Great Beast to himself.

So, he was confident in the news he brought.

”Rejoice, my brothers and sisters! A Nightmare Gate unlike any before has opened in the Spinesea. The Eel is most likely dead by now, and Cursed Ones have invaded Mictlan. They must have conquered the Spine already. From there, they will enter the Cage Bone, the Skull... and in time, the rest of our realm as well. The Corruption they have brought upon is already poisoning the Jungle, making it greater and stronger. Soon, calamity will descend upon your kingdoms, washing away our peace.”

His bright smile did not fit the grotesque promise of destruction his words carried at all.

The rulers of the Sun Realm stirred.

“Have you lost your mind, Winged Serpent? Why would we feel joy at the news of such powerful enemies invading our realm?”

The Otter sounded disgruntled.

“Is that why you called us? To launch a joint campaign against these horrors?”

The Ape was ready to wage war.

“We’ve slain Cursed Ones before.”

The Hummingbird was unimpressed.

The Leopard just smiled quietly.

Ketzelkan shook his head.

“The Cursed Ones do not matter. The Nightmare Gate does not matter. The only thing that matters is the Seed that bloomed to manifest it... the Seed of a Fifth Trial.” Scathing the rulers of the Sun Realm with a smoldering look, he bared his fangs again and said in a damning tone:

“I intend to challenge the Fifth Trial of the Nightmare Spell and conquer it. I intend to break through the wall of Apotheosis and ascend to the sky of Divinity. I will become the first god to be born after the great gods died... and I invite you to come with me.” His voice echoed in between the ancient walls of the Sun Temple.

”Together, we will sanctify Mictlan and make it a Divine Realm once more. Then, we will burn away Corruption from the bones of the Sun Killer and bring upon a new Golden Age. What say you, Children of the Sun?”

The rulers of the Sun Realm glanced at each other.

Then, the Leopard finally spoke.

Turning to the Fallen One, he bowed faintly and asked in a calm tone:

“You know more about the world than we do, Elder. Tell me, is what my brother says true? Can we really conquer the Fifth Trial, and if so, what should we do before answering its Call?”

The Fallen One remained silent for a long while.

Eventually, his wings moved faintly, making the flame burning in the braziers dance.

His voice resounded from under the hood, sounding hollow:

“The Fifth Trial of Weaver’s Spell is a cruel one. It can make you into deities... but to do so, it must undo you as humans first. Not everyone can survive the unmaking, and not everyone can survive what comes next.”

He lingered for a moment, and then added in a solemn tone:

“You must conquer the Trial together, but you can only face the unmaking alone. Every weapon you wield, and every power you possess, will weigh you down. Worst of all, your very own Domains will turn against you.”

The Fallen One shuddered, as if burdened by his own prophecy.

”Out there in the Nightmare, you will only be able to rely on yourself to survive. But maintaining the truth of your self will be far more difficult than staying alive. That is the true peril of the Fifth Trial, and that is what you must overcome.”

Ketzelkan smiled, undaunted.

”I have faced the White Abyss alone. I have survived the Jungle alone. I have built myself from the many enemies I’ve slain... do you think that the Nightmare Spell can unmake me?”

He shook his head.

“I will not be condemned by its Trial. I will triumph over it and save Mictlan instead, becoming the God of Salvation.”

Such were his prideful words.

Ketzelkan, the Winged Serpent, the God-King of Mictlan was not daunted by the Fallen One’s words. After all, he was the heir of Sun God and the strongest Supreme among the rulers of the Sun Realm.

His will was absolute.

...If only he’d listened.