The Ruin

CW: Violence, traumatic loss, and psychological manipulation

The Goddess of Spring waved her hand over the weeds sprouting from the cracks in the earth. Elena watched breathlessly, flowers erupting from every inch as though the destruction that had once unfolded had been erased from existence. She leaned out from behind the wall, hoping to witness the beauty emerging unseen. The scent of damp earth and fresh flowers filled her lungs. Her eyes closed, imagining a time when she was once gardening in her backyard, feeling the dirt between her fingers𑁋before the world ended and the gods took control.

When she opened her eyes, the goddess was gone. Elena gasped, tucking herself closer to the crumbling wall and sinking until her body reached the ground below her. She sat there, counting the minutes with each frantic thump of her heart; a familiar feeling of the day the earth crumbled, the ground cracked, and the fear she had as she witnessed it all unfold. She grasped at the rubble beneath her hands, pushing the memories further into her brain.

After three years of surviving, she couldn’t bear the thought of being caught over curiosity. She would have been whisked away to the Oasis by now. She peered around the corner to ensure the coast was clear, finally releasing the breath she'd been holding. She quickly gathered her bag and moved.

Moments later, she was out in the open. With practiced speed, she took cover behind tall grass and the vine-covered cars that the earth had taken over. As she rushed past a broken-down van, she instinctively reached behind her, her arm extending towards an imaginary hand. She scoffed at herself. 3 years, and her body still reached for the husband she had lost. In seconds, her knees buckled, and a cold sweat broke across her neck as she took in a painful breath.

In the distance, a small tunnel caught her eye. She needed to stop for a few minutes to breathe. She crouched, scanned the area and the distance to the tunnel, then darted for the entrance. She counted the seconds it took to run to the tunnel: 23. Crawling into it, she avoided the sharp jagged glass and rocks on the ground. There was no time or resources for injury. When she settled herself comfortably, she placed her bag beside her, shuffled through the mess inside it, and pulled out a worn photograph. Her fingers stroked the picture, tears flowing down her face. She wiped her nose on her sleeve, sniffling and choking down a sob.

“Andy…” She whispered into the photo, bringing it close to her mouth. Her mind swirled with images of him. In the dim light, the photo was barely visible, but she didn’t need to see it to remember how his sandy-brown hair was filled with perfect curls, and how sun rays turned his eye color from hazel to green. Her thumb traced a jagged crease that ran through the middle of the photo. Every time she looked at it, it pulled her back to the day he died.

Five days. He survived five days in this apocalyptic nightmare. Within those days, the earth shook and parted, the oceans rose, and the skies were filled with darkness. It started with an earthquake, undetected by seismographs, creating a chain effect of natural disasters. The ocean water crashed through the streets, destroying everything in its path. The earth loosened, causing mass landslides. It didn’t stop. The ground beneath them began to split open. Nowhere was safe.

On day five, frantic and panicked, they had been running to find higher ground, tripping over uneven pavement. Right where he stood, the ground shook and groaned, opening beneath him. Elena lunged, her fingertips brushing his as he reached out to her, but the gap widened quicker than the breath that escaped her as he fell into darkness. She would never be able to rid the image of his face, scared and wild, as he fell. It wasn’t a brave ending to his story, but a frightening one. She sat there for hours, waiting for the earth to swallow her whole, too. It never happened. The only answer was the distant, eerie sounds coming from below her, like a melody. Then, the gods and creatures emerged, and the disasters stopped.

A sharp, metallic clink severed the memory that was taking hold of Elena’s mind. Her head snapped towards the furthest end of the tunnel, holding in the air that was begging to escape from her lungs. She didn’t have time to mourn anymore. The last three years taught her that safety was short-fused. She placed the photo back into her bag, mindful of every move she made.

Suddenly, a piercing shriek echoed through the tunnel. Elena’s hands flew to cover her ears, curling tight against the vibration humming through her body. The sounds tore through her and stabbed her skull. Her fingernails dug into her scalp, but the shriek was penetrating.

Move, her mind screamed. Run.

The shriek cut off abruptly, leaving Elena’s ears ringing. She briefly stayed folded into herself, her head throbbing as she took a shaky breath. Then came another sound𑁋rapid, wet pattering, closing in. Elena hurriedly threw her backpack on, scrambling out of the tunnel. She gasped as a piece of glass penetrated the flesh of her palm, but didn’t waver. As soon as she emerged into the sunlight, she darted towards the forest, not daring to look back. That was what got you killed.

By the time she arrived at the river, the blood from her hand had already soaked through the cloth she wrapped around it. She sat at the edge of the riverbank, letting the flowing water slither between her fingers, washing away the fresh blood. Examining her glass-covered hand, she picked out shards, rinsing it in the water when it became too bloody.

Suddenly, a hand grabbed her by the collar from behind, dragging her through the dirt. Elena flailed, trying to grab whatever had hold of her. They finally stopped, and a woman stood in front of her. She was unkempt, covered in dirt, and had a wild look on her face. Two other people emerged from the woods, one of them walking towards her bag.

Elena tried to lunge forward, only to be met with a kick to the face.

She muffled a scream, groaning as she put her hands to her face. Blood dripped into her already bloody hands.

“Please,” she gasped, blood filling her mouth.

The woman knelt to her, grabbing a fistful of her hair. Elena squeaked.

“Shut up.” She spat. She threw her head to the ground, a groan escaping her throat.

The man with her bag dumped the contents on the floor.

“Let’s see what we got here,” he examined, shuffling through her items.

Head to the floor, Elena tried not to lose consciousness, watching the man search through all of her belongings. She watched him pick up Andy’s photo from the pile. Then watched him throw it into the river. She groaned again, tears forming in her eyes. Her body was giving out; the turmoil of the entire day weighed on her.

A flash of light interrupted the commotion. The humans scattered, trying to run into the forest. To no avail, they were stopped by a man whose skin looked like polished marble. A god. His blue eyes swirled like water, freezing them all in place with a glare. His energy was cold and thick, calcifying everything around them. They begged and pleaded as he lifted his hand, turning to face each of them. With a swift motion of a hand flick, all three bodies dropped to the floor with a sickening crack.

Elena’s eyes never left the god's face. She trembled in fear as he walked over to her. She couldn’t even defend herself in this condition. He knelt to her, his hand getting closer to her head.

“No, please.” She whispered.

But when his fingers touched her, relief rushed through her. He stepped back, allowing her to take a moment for herself.

“Here,” he said, handing her the photo of Andy. Elena took it from his hands, putting it close to her chest. She still couldn’t find any words. Her voice was paralyzed both by fear and confusion. He hadn’t killed her or sent her to the Oasis. Instead, she was healed from her wounds. The constant ache that filled her body had been erased, replaced with an unnatural calm.

“Who are you?” She asked. The god stared at her, his beauty striking and sharp𑁋like the others. Ink-black curls framed an inhuman, porcelain face. His piercing eyes were both comforting and terrifying.

“I am the God of Tranquility,” he responded. He spoke with a terrifying smoothness, the words reaching her like flowing honey, but each one felt like shards of ice piercing her skin.

Elena grimaced. “Tranquility? You just killed three people.”

He huffed a laugh, “You’re quite brave for someone in the presence of a god who can end you with a flick of his wrist. You should be grateful. Those were shells of what once were humans. They would have ripped you apart, but I chose to save you.”

He was right. She wondered where her survival instincts had vanished. Had he taken them with him when he healed her?

“Why?” she asked.

“Because it would do me no good, “he responded, his voice sliding over her like a sheet of ice. “I need you.”

Elena recoiled, “You don’t even know me. What could a god possibly need from a human being other than to be a slave?”

“I’ve watched you from the moment I arose from the ground. I’ve seen you care for the abominations that crawl in the dark. You don’t have the same rage inside you as the other humans do. You’re curious. I can feel the fire inside you𑁋you want a world of peace again. Just as I do.”

“How is that helpful to you?”

“Because,” he leaned in, the air around them bringing chills down Elena’s spine. “You are going to be the one to confront The Pantheon.”

There was silence in the air. It was as though the river had stopped flowing and the wind had ceased to exist.

Elena’s stomach dropped, her chest burning as she sputtered out the next round of words, “I- I can’t do that.”

“You can,” he said, the honey once coating his voice turning as hard as steel, “and you will.” He placed a hand on her shoulder. The contact sent a shock through her, jolting her body straight. A strange calm washed over her, quieting her panic.

“Okay,” she breathed, the words feeling forced out of her, “I’ll come with you. But how? They’ll kill you for bringing me there. And they’ll throw me into the deepest depths of the Oasis, without question.”

“They need me. I am the anchor keeping their chaos and rage from consuming this earth and everything with it.” His gaze never wavered. “As for you? You aren’t just any human. They will see it. It is an inevitability.”

He turned and began walking alongside the river. Elena followed behind him, a million questions swirling around her mind, though the forced placidity in her chest muted the noise.

“Do you have a name?” She asked.

“Emir.”

“Where are we going?”

“To a portal. To The Oasis.”

Elena’s heart skipped a beat, the air around them humming with an electric static, making her bones vibrate. She recognized the unnerving melody seeping through the hairlines of the jagged, glittering crack in reality ahead. The same melody she heard the day Andy died. Emir slowed his pace, his eyes fixated on the portal.

“What awaits you on the other side,” he said, his voice dropping low. “My siblings are an inevitable storm.”

Elena’s eyes were locked on his. Fear was rising up inside her.

“You, my dear, are going to be a curiosity to them. They won’t even know how to weather the storm we’re about to bring to them. You have a power inside you, a power I manifested through you, that no one else has. If they won’t agree, you’ll make them.”

“How can I do that? They’re going to rip me to shreds.”

Emir placed his hand on Elena’s chest, coming close to her face.

“You have the power of a god inside you,” he whispered, his voice slithering through her like vines.

Elena jerked back, confusion written all over her face.

“When I healed you,” he smiled. “I put another god's grace into you. Now you have the drive, the desperation, and the power, Elena.”

“Another god? What god?!”

“The Goddess of Ruin. The fiery feeling you have inside you… Well, I am keeping it from boiling over. But if the time comes, I will let you unleash all hell.”

Elena paused for a moment. Could she really do this? Force peace between the gods and the humans? Was she as powerful as Emir was telling her?

“Let’s go,” he ordered, his voice returning to its ice-cold state. He reached back with his hand, waiting for Elena to take it. She hesitated before grabbing tight as they stepped into the shimmering void, the world around her blurring.

Elena stood trembling among the gods as Emire introduced them: Uneyr of Destiny, Vyna of Torture, Oteus of Honesty, Gevner of Death, and Arsus of Pleasure. They were as beautiful as they were terrifying. Inside her, feelings of dread and awe swirled around. She didn’t know where to ground herself. As she looked around, fascination took over her. The majestic beauty of the Oasis enchanted her. The gods sat on marble structures, making her feel small. Beside her, Emir stood tall with his arms crossed, radiating confidence.

“Brothers, Sisters. I have come to you today, in hopes of negotiating a peace treaty, as the humans say.”

Uneyr’s voice boomed around them, vibrating in Elena’s ears. “What is this, Emir?”

Emir put his arm around Elena. “This human is the one who is going to change this world for the better. Tell them, Elena.”

She froze, her feet planting roots in the ground beneath her. She hadn’t prepared a speech. She hoped Emir would do all the speaking; maybe she would chime in here or there. Unleash a little of this hidden power she had inside to show them she was serious.

Vyna chuckled. “Have you come to mock us, Emir? Surely you brought this human to dump into the Oasis. Get on with it.”

Emir sighed. “No, she will. This human is different, unlike the rest. She is going to be the bridge between peace amongst humans and gods. A way we can all live together.”

“And how do you suppose she’ll do that?” Oteus chimed in. He stared intensely at Emir, searching his brain for answers. “The truth,” he snapped, whipping his wrist at him.

Emir's words spilled out of him under the control of the God of Honesty. It terrified Elena how he could drag out the truth with ease.

“She has compassion for the gods, no hatred in her heart like the others. She will be able to convince the humans to make peace. We can show them too. And, if you don’t agree to it, I’ll let her kill all of you by opening the floodgates that are keeping her at bay right now. I slit the Goddess of Ruins' throat and took her grace to give to Elena.”

Oteus let out a loud laugh. “Now, Emir, why would you do something like this?”

Emir’s body shook as he tried to keep the words from escaping his mouth.

“Because I need her to take control of the world.”

Gevner clicked her tongue in a slow, melodic rhythm. “I knew he had ulterior motives, the little serpent. Do you not agree, Vyna?”

Vyna nodded, but stared directly at Elena. She arose from her throne and began walking towards her. Elena stiffened as she came closer, the smell of copper filling the air around them.

“Do you know who I am, little human?”

Elena stood up straight. “Yes, the Goddess of Torture,” she responded.

“And do you believe you have the power to save your human world. Bring peace between all of us? Did our brother truly convince you of that? What’s stopping us from throwing you into the depths of the lake?”

Before Elena had a chance to speak, Arsus sat up at his throne, head cocked to one side. He had been watching Elena without a word so far. “Emir, what did you do to this poor girl that made her able to withstand the grace? Your tranquility alone would not be enough for a human to control what she has within her. She had to have been hollowed out with grief for a god to take root.”

Elena’s head snapped towards Emir, her eyebrows scrunched together in confusion, then panic, as her breath deepened. Her stomach felt like it had caught on fire inside her.

“I did nothing,” he said, his voice wavering.

“Do not LIE!” Oteus roared.

“I killed her husband,” Emir admitted, his voice cracking under the command of Oteus. “I opened the ground below him as she stood there.”

The God of Pleasure leaned back, satisfied with the agony spreading across Elena’s face. He watched as the air around them was stripped of its coolness, leaving a scathing heat.

The words pierced through her like needles. They didn’t just hurt; they shattered the calm that had been shielded in her body. For a moment, her vision blurred, the ringing in her ears making her head spin. She swallowed down the acidic bile coming up from her stomach. She didn’t scream. She didn’t even move. The control Emir held inside had erupted in flames. Control ignited in her core𑁋complete control.

Elena looked at Emir, her expression vacant, and with one blink, his body burst into a cloud of ash.