This one was kind of exciting
Hump and the others gave chase, proceeding with caution. The courtyard surrounded by temples continued around them, every one of them far grander than even the temple district of Elenvine. Even the streets were of fine stone, tiled in elegant patterns and with great precision.
A few demonic stragglers lingered in the wake of Karlac’s escape, but they were dispatched quickly. None of them posed any real threat. For the most part, they were alone.
Save for Karlac.
Hump’s unease grew with every step. The devil advanced through this place with a certainty that suggested he knew where he was going. His objective seemed to be the great palace that loomed overhead, but his path meandered through temples and grand mansions.
It was like he knew this place. From how he moved, to his confidence that the gods were not here when he’d first arrived. This was meant to be Heaven—a place lost to time. He didn’t understand where that confidence could stem from.
What will we find when we catch him? Hump wondered. The thought plagued him. With any luck, Karlac was simply trying to escape, but his instincts told him to expect something much worse.
The warlocks wanted to free the old gods, the Alveronians wanted to stop them, but as for the demons and Karlac… Hump wasn’t so sure. From his perspective, it seemed like they had nothing to gain. With the veil open, they could already enter Alveron from their own worlds with far more ease. Yet instead of causing untold suffering to his people, they were here, fighting the same battle.
He wondered if the battle had already broken out in the fortress fragment. It wouldn’t take long for the Tree of Damnation and other rift to open. He only crossed his fingers that amongst those that crossed, some would be friends.
Nishari circled high above, her presence a constant thread in Hump’s mind as she tracked Karlac’s movements. Below, Emilia and Celaine scouted a path ahead. While they didn’t expect a trap, one could never be too careful, especially in unfamiliar terrain such as this.
Yet they found nothing. No life, no movement, and no sound beyond their own. Only empty courtyards, gardens, and temples.
Outside of Uvdar’s temple, there was nothing to sustain life. No food. No drink beyond what had long since been preserved. The world beyond the temples felt hollow, its essence thin and worn, as though time itself had drained it dry.
But inside was different. The decay didn’t reach within the temples. Essence lingered there, preserved in a way that defied reason, though Hump supposed that was to be expected where the gods were concerned. Emirai’s temple stood as the clearest example. Its halls were filled with greenery and blooming flowers, vibrant and untouched by time. Despite the countless years that must have passed, they were not overgrown but perfectly kept.
As though the god himself had only just left. There was a presence in those places. Even just in passing, poking their heads through the doors, the quiet divinity that lingered inside brushed against Hump’s senses like the fading echo of something once immense.
“It’s strange looking upon lush plants here,” Dylan said. “So unnatural.”
“Divinity is the opposite of natural,” Bud said. “It’s no surprise.”
“Why are the temples untouched when the rest of the fragment feels so barren?” Celaine asked.
“I suspect this lingering power is this only reason this fragment is as intact as it is,” Hump said. “Otherwise I’d think it would look far more like the Remnant Realm.”
“That could be it,” Dylan asked. “The nature of divinity could slow down the deconstruction of essence. The power in these temples could be what’s just about holding everything together. I wouldn’t be surprised if the key to returning life to the Remnant Realm lay here.”
“Of all the places you might find it, Heaven seems the most likely,” Hump agree.
“It’s a shame the power is wasted on this empty place,” Emilia said softly. “I’d have liked to see it when it was lived in.”
“As would I,” Bud said. “There is much I wish could have been different.”
They passed more temples, and structures that could only be described as palaces. Grand estates, each beyond even the palaces of home, their architecture flawless despite the passing of ages.
Yet even these… diminished in comparison to what lay above.
It could only be the Palace of the Gods. It didn’t sit upon the land, but rose above it, suspended as though the very sky had been shaped to hold it aloft. Vast terraces and towering columns stretched up into the heavens, vanishing into light.
As the minutes passed, it became more and more clear that it was Karlac’s objective. The structure seemed unreachable. Beyond them. Beyond anything grounded in the world.
Hump frowned suddenly as Nisha lost sight of Karlac. They were only a few minutes behind, soon coming to stand before a shimmering gateway set into an archway at the end of the road. Its surface rippled with light.
They slowed, instinctively wary. Karlac was nowhere in sight.
“Some sort of portal,” Dylan said.
Hump nodded. “I suppose we shouldn’t be surprised. It seems they were far more common in the past, or perhaps just for the gods.”
“I’d have liked to see the creations of Vesta and Loften working together,” Dylan said. “Imagine the possibilities.”
Hump nodded. Only with the traveller goddess to aid in the creation of such artifacts, could such marvels be possible.
“He could only have entered here,” Emilia said.
Hump nodded slowly. Of course he had. There was only one way up.
“Do you think he’ll ambush us?” Dylan asked.
“He ran away with his tail tucked between his legs,” Bud said. “If he ambushes us, he’ll only taste the bite of my sword.”
“Agreed,” Celaine said. “There’s no reason to hesitate. We have him.”
“We need to be prepared for more than just Karlac,” Hump said. “Just because we haven’t found any gods yet, doesn’t mean they’re not somewhere. And who knows what sort of guardians they have in place to keep visitors such as us where they belong. The last thing we need is to trigger some anti-mortal trap.”
“It’ll be fine,” Celaine said. “Let’s go.”
Bud held her back. “After me.”
The knight strode forward, the surface of the gateway shifting around him as he disappeared into it. First, he faded to shadow, and then he was gone entirely.
Hump and the others followed. The moment he was through, his head snapped to the side, eyes scanning, essence ready in his staff and a spell on his lips for an ambush.
Nothing came. That same silence from below continued here too.
All six of them gazed up at the great palace before them.
Columns rose before them, carved with scenes of gods, battle, life, and great beasts. Every inch of the stone told a story, each a fine piece of art that hadn’t dulled in the slightest. Terraces climbed the mountainside in sweeping tiers, each one lined with statues, gardens, and structures that blended seamlessly into one another. Great stairways spanned the outer areas, flanked by colonnades and open halls giving a glimpse into the palace itself. Domes of pale stone crowned the higher levels, gleaming with gold ornamentation, which bridges arched between the towers at the very top.
It was no simple palace, but an entire village contained within one building. The air was different here. Heavy with essence and rich with divinity. There was no sign of the destruction below. A sun loomed in the clear blue sky, comfortably warm. With every breath, Hump felt the essence of the world, invigorating and nourishing.
“This is more like it,” Bud said. “The Great Palace of the Pantheon. This is the Heaven I expected.”
Hump glanced at the knight, wondering if he was having second thoughts about the gods. There was an intensity to his eyes.
Hump stepped up beside him. “We can’t lose focus. Karlac could be anywhere, and gods know what he’s planning.”
Celaine snorted behind him. “I can’t believe you just said that here of all place.”
Hump smiled too. “I’ll admit, if they were ever to be listening, it would be now.”
“Better keep yourself in check then.” She smirked.
“I don’t know,” Emilia said, a nervous edge to her voice. “I can sense the divinity in the air, but… it’s just as empty as below. I don’t like the idea that Karlac is getting inside before us. Who knows what he might find.”
“Good point.” Hump started forward. “Weapons, relics, artifacts—there could be any number of things that could turn the fight on its head. Not to mention the gods or old gods might get involved, or some bloody sentinel guarding the place.”
The path beneath their feet widened into a grand approach, smooth white stone stretching forward in a perfect line. It was as pristine as everything else, untouched by time.
At the far end stood the open gates. They towered above even the colossal columns—vast doors of gold that caught what little light remained and held it, their surfaces worked with scenes of the Twelve in their glory. Each figure was rendered in exquisite detail, larger than life, their forms etched into the metal as though they might step free at any moment.
This time, Uvdar was not represented amongst them.
Inside, on either side, stood statues carved from stone so dark it seemed to drink in the light around it. One bore a spear, its tip resting lightly against the ground. The other held an axe, its edge angled outward, as if ready to strike.
Bud went first. Hump drew in a slow breath, steadying himself as he followed. A vast entry hall welcomed them, filled with the warm light of essence stones. They stood at the centre of the hall, surrounded by doors on both sides, a staircase above them, and another door directly in front of them.
It was that door that Hump sensed the source of divinity. There that he sensed a power like no other. It was even clearer now that they were inside the palace. Warm against his skin, yet somehow chilling against his soul.
Nisha rubbed against his leg, sensing his nervousness. He suddenly felt all too hesitant about continuing. It was all well and good seeking answers, but now that they were on the precipice, Hump had his doubts too. Part of him didn’t want to know what lay within the palace.
He glanced around at the richly decorated walls. There were many portraits, paintings, and sculptures spread out around the room. Lavish benches with plump cushions lined the walls. The ceiling towered overhead, images of Chosen in battle painted over the domed top.
“They certainly had no shortage of coin,” Hump said. “If we can bring some of this back with us, we’ll be rich as kings.”
“We arrive in the Palace of the Pantheon and the first thing you think of is looting.” Bud shook his head. “Control yourself. You don’t know who’s listening. Any idea where we go?”
“We need to go that way,” Dylan said quietly, pointing at the door in front of him. “There’s… I sense something. Like a pull calling to me. Tugging on my soul.”
“I don’t feel anything,” Emilia said. “Bud?”
The knight shook his head. “Nothing.”
Together, they advanced through the doors, passing into a long hallway. At the end was another grand gateway. Essence flooded through its runes as they approached, and it opened silently.
A brilliance light spilled out, and divinity with it, so powerful Hump had to brace his soul against it. Essence filled his staff in response.
“If anything happens, I’ll place a Shield over us all,” he whispered. “Stay close.”
“By all the gods above,” Bud muttered, stumbling forward.
Hump stepped into the room, eyes wide and roaming, stunned into silence.
They stood inside a cavernous chamber. The ceiling arched high above, supported by rows of towering pillars. A floor of marble and a fine red rug expanded before them. And spread out upon it were thrones.
Hundreds of them.
They rose in vast, sweeping tiers that curved around the chamber, each one carved from white stone and gold, each unique. Some were adorned with vines and beasts, while others with flames, storms, or stars. No two were alike, yet all bore the same unmistakeable presence of divinity. And at the far end of the hall, raised above all others, stood twelve greater thrones.
Figures were seated in most of them, and for just a moment, it looked as though they were alive.
Hump forgot to breathe. He took another step into the room.
The reality hit him. They were no living gods, but husks.
Bodies sat slumped upon their thrones, withered until their pale flesh was drawn tight against bone. Others looked almost untouched, their features frozen in time, eyes dim and empty. Crowns still rested upon their heads. Weapons lay across their laps. Robes fell in perfect folds, untouched by decay.
Light bled from them—essence illuminating them from within in an eerie light.
The source of the divinity.
Bud and Dylan dropped to their knees. Celaine just stood beside Hump, staring around in stunned silence. Emilia went to Bud, her hands on his shoulders.
“How can this be?” Emilia whispered. “I… I don’t understand.”
Hump didn’t know what to say.
The gods were dead.
But as his eyes went to the thrones of the Twelve, four were empty—from the designs of their thrones, Lady Light, Vesta, and of course, Loften’s. The fourth was in pieces, but Hump judged it to be Osidium’s.
“You have come,” came a voice. Not Karlac’s, but Loften’s.
He searched the room, then found him seated on an empty throne. The god was still as the others. He leaned on the throne, gaze fixed on the amulet of his wife, a vibrant light bursting from it.
Her Divine Spark had been missing. It seemed he’d found it.