Epitaph of a God in Slumber
The god of rage, cruel seas, and creativities felt his inky heart pierced by a single clumsy mortal. Vincent, in a moment of vulnerability, used the eight tentacles sprouting from his back to climb up Almond Mountain to Shade’s garden, where Shade and Tartu rested. He consulted with his godly parents, begging to be rid of the man. Shade, in turn, gave a chalice, whilst Tartu gave a rosebud and a geode. He didn’t consider the consequences of asking the gods of desire and love for a way to end his only possibility for either.
Vincent, not even questioning what the items were, gave the man a drink from the chalice and showed the two items. The Goblet of Godliness took well to the mortal, permanently affixing Inigo Rockbreaker to Vincent’s immortal life. As Inigo admired the two items, he wanted desperately for the two items to open and reveal their beauty. The newly-appointed god of magik and family held the fist-sized rock, tossing it up and catching it. Until, of course, he didn’t.
The rock shattered in half, and a tiny creature made of crystal emerged. A creature.
It had taken several hours for the muscular creature to go from rock to flesh, and as it turns out, the geode creature was a child. The baby resembled Vincent in curly auburn hair, angry eyes, and large eyebrows, whilst it resembled Inigo in catlike features and odd eyes.
After days of anger, confusion, and eventual acceptance, it was decided that the child would be named for its crystal heart and its once mortal family name: Zircon Rockbreaker. In only a few years, he claimed his godly territory: crystals, heroism, and adventure.
Devoted to mortals and the dangers they faced, the child god would charge into battles with bears, wolves, and godly beasts. At six, he was knighted by Coffel royalty, and by seven he killed three hundred beasts.
As he aged, his face remained a pillar of youth and bravery. He still looked much like Vincent, but with redder, curlier hair, more freckles, and the mismatched blue and green eyes that defined every portrait of the knight. Zircon was Vincent, but Vincent understood immortality. Zircon had Inigo’s mortal heart, and lacked an understanding of life and death.
Instead, he ached for other mortal hearts. In a sudden rush of youthful desire, he wore the crystal knight’s armor he would later see his end in. Attempting to begin anew against the guidance of all who knew him, he set off to live a humble life, one of the public servant he described himself of.
First, there was Elise, who took her life upon thinking of living an immortal one. Brie was bitten and digested by a dragon. Grant got taken for granted by thieves and murderers, while Rebecca made wonderful ribs for cannibals. A storekeep in Dragon Rock with a strange magik shop finally won the prize, offering mead to a weary traveller she’d never met.
Beasts lurked nearby, and she said she’d have a gift for his return. Days turned to months as the beasts fled to other countries, and after insane bloodshed, he returned to find her grave, “Pandora set ablaze.”
Sir Zircon Rockbreaker was hellbent to go back home, with rage consuming his immortal soul. At every corner, he’s cried for love, yet skeletal figures won’t comfort evermore. Death took away anything he could’ve protected otherwise. So, like any young, dumb adventurer, he decided to skip the army and fight the general. He let his horse carry him home as he created a crystal path over the ocean for it and drank what was left of his mead. Apocalypse would be travelling the world in a few days for her week of worship. She’ll be in Coffel in two days.
A good way to end death would be to kill the god who brings it.
Thus, came the day where all was silent. Death is not a party. She walked gracefully down usually bustling streets, silver hair and teal robe flowing together. Her icy eyes searched for any movement and any reason to make an example out of someone. The city of Carmel was dead, yet full of beating hearts stressing over the events occurring.
Stalking from the rooftops, he positioned a crystal arrow just right. It would go through her back, pierce her heart, and leave through the left breast. He wasn’t waiting for courage, he was waiting until she was in front of the windows to the artists’ workshop. He acted for humanity, and it was in humanity’s best interest to preserve a moment in paint and writing.
He took the shot as he finished a drink. Too busy in his mug, he failed to witness her slight rise off the ground as she decided against walking in favor of floating. The three inches told a new story.
The arrow pierced her, shocking her as she collapsed. Only parts of gods and godly beasts can pierce a god, and her robe was built to repulse bone and teeth. As her cold eyes looked to the arrow, she got her answer. Her husband’s grandchild that was completely unrelated to her.
Zircon jumped from the roof and walked towards her, forming a new zircon dagger. She stayed crouched down, letting the blood pour from under her breast. She grasped the arrow and, as Zircon swung to strike, she threw her arm back and dug the crystal arrow into his right side.
Apocalypse stood and turned her neck to glare at him as he drunkenly fell back.
“I’ll give you ten seconds to run, and we’ll forget this ever happened.”
He jumped up, sobered by the realization of missing the shot. He looked to her, thinking deeply. At seven seconds, his look turned to a glare, and the last three were spent summoning nine blades to shoot into her. He gave his second round, and as the bell in his mind rung, she shoved a bone shank into his right lung. He coughed up dark blue blood as she grabbed one of his blades and shoved it into his other lung.
He clapped, calling his horse to grab him and place him upon horseback. The steed ran fast, even with it barely getting a break in the past days. As the 19-year-old god coughed up blood and knew death was following closely, his mind wandered to from place to place.
Vincent’s houseboat, a luxury steamboat where his room was simply a floor made of bed, was comforting and always warm, shaking with gentle waves as he slept. The Castle of Coffel was giant and always full of servants, royals, and a single Archmage with intense stress. The floors were marble and the lights were all blue. Then, that cozy shop in Dragon Rock, Pandora’s Box…
The horse bucked him off. He landed on his chest, adding dirt to the wounds and moving the swords about. One pushed further in whilst the other shot out of his body. He got up, somehow, and saw the arrow in his horse’s head. A village’s church bells tolled, and Zircon ran towards it without thinking. All he could spot was the well. Without hesitation, she shot him in the ankle.
“I gave you a chance.”
Zircon glanced around, hoping for a way out of this.
“What, pulling a cowardly move now?” She smiled sickeningly and pulled a bone sword from her cloak. Her voice was as sickeningly sweet as death.
In a bone-cracking jump backwards, he caught himself on the stone well and leaned backwards. Closing his eyes, the world went black for five seconds, ending in blue light and the sounds of several snaps with one splash.
A hundred years unresolved brought a crystal ruin left to rest in the middle of a temperate forest. Workers hired by the castle organizer had created a new path to drive travellers away from the continually spreading infection.
Yet, the foolish god awakens, a forgotten arrowhead pricking a mage and spreading the infection through blood dyed blue by pristine zircon. Glowing blue horns reflect through the country of his dead lover as a man begins to plot to end death yet again.