The Coming From the Shadows Series
The Rage of a Celestial
Introduction:
422 B.C.
Athênai
The air was stifling and tense with the Bouleuterion – a scent of lamp oil mixed with desperation; Athênai – the jewel of the Aegean, the foundations had begun to tremble, Generals with their grim faces stood alongside politicians, tunics crumbled by agitated pacing “Amphipolis!” a General shouted; his voice raspy with fury as his fist slammed the polished table making various scrolls jump “Yet another defeat; another city falls to Sparta!; and this happens because we spend our time bickering about ‘middle ground’ and ‘negotiations’…, they gnaw at the border!” the General glared at the assembly “We should push!; we should fight and achieve victory regardless of the cost, the only path to secure the very soul of our Democracy!”
A chorus of dissenting murmurs rose “And sacrifice every able-bodied man!” a politicians shouts out, his voice laced by fear “We need time to regroup, to reorganise; talks are not a sign of cowardice, but of wisdom!” another shouted “There are limits to our endurance; the people grow weary of endless war, we risk their fury upon us, and what then; we fight ourselves as well as Sparta!” another politicians shouts
The General would not back down though; he would not yield – he was directly in opposition to the growing dissatisfaction that gripped them; debates would rage on and on.
Chapter 1:
Miles from the city a different kind of tension brewed beneath the relentless sun that baked the countryside; an Athenian phalanx, dust-caked and weary advanced into a small village nestled amongst the olive groves; the sight of their plumed helmets brought not relief, but a palpable chill – villagers, their faces hardened by hardship emerged from their modest homes, their gazes wary of the arriving soldiers; almost hostile in fact.
An elder quickly came forwards “Withdraw!” he demanded raising a gnarled stick – his voice was surprising strong as he issued out the order “Go back!; the Spartans are only a days march away from here, you will draw their wrath upon us!”
A collective grumble passed amongst the Athenian ranks; one captain – Akadios, his bronze cuirass glinting, moved forwards quickly, he recognised the worried faces and he understood the desperation and fear, he moved to the General; Lysander, he was a man of ambition that so often outstripped his foresight “General” Akadios began, his voice was calm, measured “If Spartans are not far from here, perhaps we should withdraw; perhaps a feint would be wiser; avoid drawing a larger Spartan army onto these unprotected people”
Lysander however, scoffed, waving a dismissive hand “Nonsense Akadios; these farmers are merely exaggerating heir plight; we are Athenians, we shall hold our ground” he stated firmly “Secure the position!” Lysander ordered turning to his soldiers “Prepare to billet; take what you need from these…, ‘hospitable folk” he punctuated the last statement with a sneer
A tense silence descended before being broken by the clank of arms as soldiers moved to obey the General’s words – heavy with the implication of the threat in his words; as soldiers spread out; the villagers wouldn’t be idle; they would try to resist, most of them being elderly stood little chance.
One young lad; barely fifteen tried to resist while protecting his mother – he would become the first victim in a horrifying escalation.
Akadios watched in horror – despite attempts to intervene, everything would continue to escalate; Lysander simply displayed indifference, shouts, screams – they al rang out as soldiers stormed buildings of those that resisted.
As fires began to burn, weeping and screams continued – then a voice, clear and resonant despite the growing turmoil cut through the din “Enough!”
Silence; sudden and absolute descended like a heavy cloak – heads turned to see a lone figure standing in the village square amidst the chaos and dust; a woman – she had an ethereal beauty about her, her long, her hair as dark as a midnights river cascaded down her back like a silken waterfall, and her eyes; an impossible shade of amethyst violet burned with a terrifying intensity.
Akadios felt a cold dread grip him; a primal recognition that reach into the core of his very being – he knew her, he recognised her from previous encounter, while he did not know the true extent of the power held, he recognised it was beyond his comprehension ‘No; Not here, not now’ he thought as a wave of horror washed over him his eyes darted back from the woman to the soldiers then back to ‘Her’ – To Elpis.
Chapter 2:
The chaos had been stifled by the woman’s voice – Elpis; a celestial being that had fully crossed from her own realm to the human world, the air began to crackle, a low growl of thunder, impossible on such a clear day rumbled overhead, the sun, which had only moments been so bright now darkened as clouds formed overhead – the very atmosphere warped around her, reflecting the tempest of controlled power.
Lysander, recovering from his momentary shock, drew his short sword and began to march forwards the blade glinting menacingly as he strode towards Elpis, his face contorted in a sneer that warred with a flicker of unease in his eyes “Repeat yourself woman!” he bellowed; his voice thick with belligerence “Do you have any clue to whom you speak!, I am General Lysander of Athênai!”
Elpis simply narrowed her eyes; she did not flinch – a subtle, otherworldly glow became present within her eyes as she held his gaze, she simply stated “I said; Enough!” her voice was a growl despite the calmness, but the world seemed to almost vibrate
Lysander’s face purpled with fury; the insolence – this defiance was directly in front of his men “Insolent wench!” he surged forwards, his left hand outstretched, he intended to seize her by the arm, to drag her away and punish her for the audacity
He would never even reach though.
Elpis now further incensed reacted – a simple hand gesture was all it took, turning her hand upwards there was an immediate response, like an invisible force that slammed against the earth – the ground, hard-packed moments before suddenly rippled like liquid, a colossal, invisible wave passed beneath it; soldiers stumbled, falling to their knee’s as a deep resonant groan tore through the very land.
Aftershocks soon followed each stronger than the last – the village shook at the foundations, though, the buildings would remain standing – dust motes would dance in the quivering light, a low terrifying him filled the air, the sound of immense, unfathomable power that had been unleashed
Akadios who had been frozen in terror snapped into action “Soldiers; Back; Fall back!” he roared, his voice cutting through the panic, he shoved one hoplite back, then another until the soldiers began to move in a hurried retreat away from the epicentre of the pulsating ground – Akadios knew what Elpis was capable of, he had bore witness to her power before on a far larger scale – what was happening at that village was only a small glimpse of what she was capable of
Slowly, carefully Akadios crept forwards; he raised his hands in a gesture of profound supplication and his voice was strained “My lady; have mercy, please”
Elpis gaze drifted to Akadios – her eyes still narrowed in anger, slowly she let them fall over the soldiers who looked towards her in terror; her violet eyes continued to blaze with unbound power as they finally settled back onto Akadios “Mercy?” she simply asked, the air around her continued to thrum and pulse “Mercy Akadios?” her voice was laced with a bitterness as she gestured towards the villagers “You beg mercy; how much more must your kind continue to prove my people right!” she snapped the air crackling once more as a rumble of thunder followed he shout
Akadios watched her carefully
Chapter 3:
Elpis’ gaze sharpened – narrowing onto Akadios, piercing his very core “I have watched your species for so long, I have stood in defiance of my own kind, advocated that your kind are worth saving, and every single time your kind display yet another act of cruelty, another act of depravity; your savagery seems to know no end, your kind are so cruel, discrimination, beliefs of superiority, hatred for things that are different”
A tremor, not of the earth – but of a profound anguish passed through her as her voice became a whisper “I am beginning to wonder; are your species worth saving Akadios; is this all your kind can offer?”
Her eyes fixed onto Lysander as her sorrow returned back to her controlled fury “Remove yourselves from this village” she commanded, her voice raising once more to an unyielding decree “Every last one of you; Now!, or you will face a response the likes of which would beyond even the wildest of your imaginations, one that will make your wars seem almost like the games of children!”
The message was clear; undeniable – fear, raw and absolute final broke Lysander rigid pride as he gave a guttural cry “Retreat; all of you retreat!”
There was not further hesitation; the Soldiers turned and fled; a disordered mass of humanity scrambling away from the wrath of something they could not comprehend, something otherworldly; they scrambled away from a Celestial being and her fury.
Akadios would stand his ground a moment longer, he simply couldn’t take his eyes from Elpis – each encounter she had seemed to hold out so much happiness, so much hope; and here, she seemed to have lost that spark, he couldn’t blame her, slowly, he followed the rest of the soldiers, he left with a heavy heart, but he kept glancing back to maintain eye contact just that little bit longer.
As for the villagers; they were left awe-stricken, few dared to approach her though – the first to even do was only a child, a young girl that looked up at Elpis with hopeful eyes, Elpis looked down towards her, her expression softening as she kneeled down to the child’s height – she simply gave a soft smile before patting her head gently and rising back up.
They would watch as Elpis would disappear from sight – leaving the human world once again leaving only the subtle tremors as a faint, lingering reminder of her presence.
Written By: Westley H.
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