The realm was in chaos.

It's skies dark and heavy as the thunderstorms grew, the ground shaking periodically, forming a crack in the ground every time it shook.

It was a sad day.

Not that it was ever peaceful or happy. Only the mad lived here and it was nothing but a world of chaos. It was by far more chaotic now with bodies lying everywhere, and more bodies dropping as time passed by. It was so because one of the rulers of the mad was about to be killed.

She was relentless, her arms swinging, attacking and damaging anything and everything it came in contact with, scaring the soldiers. She was brave, for that much was certain. She had ruled with an iron will.

Nothing was more dangerous, more deadly than the death goddess.

From the skies, another bolt of lightning gathered and rushed downward to the ground. Surrounding it was a thick dark cloud, forming a hurricane it followed the lightning on it's journey from the sky. With the speed it moved, there was no way she would be able to avoid being struck by it and she was too weak to make a counter strike.

It hit, the lightning killing everyone except herself and the hurricane throwing the bodies from the deep crater formed by the blast. All she could do was stand and endure the attack. She screamed, loud enough for any existing creature to hear.

She fell, her body failing to continue the fight she had been engaged in. Through her long life and vast battle experience Aru-menan knew one thing: once a god fell, it was over. She looked up, her eyes full of anger and desire to continue. She didn't want to die this way, not until she finished her mission, not until she brought order to this chaotic realm.

Not until she ruled it all.

She looked around, the other gods surrounding her. She knew what they would do; seal her and strip her of her powers. There was no other thing they could do that they hadn't tried already.

The first of the gods to walk into the crater was Hovsebanek, the lightning god. He walked towards her with a chuckle, the skies mimicking his laughter. His dark skinned body covered in armour from head to toe, a contrast to the state his strike had left her.

Aside the skies interpretation, she could feel his mockery and jest. He wanted her to feel the pain she had always made him feel.

She couldn't move a limb. Her body still jerked with the lightning's energy still within her, torturing her beyond any mortal could withstand.

With all the gods now surrounding her in a tight circle, he spoke, “Do you like the feeling, did you enjoy the lightning, how it turned the almighty goddess into the mockery in front of me?” Crouching, he raked through her hair. “You may have noticed, you no longer possess the gift of the mind. Well it is simple, she is here as well,” Hovsebanek moved out of the way, letting Aru-menan see her only sister betraying her.

Aru-menan spoke weakly but her feelings about her betrayal clear, “At least we now know her worth,” to her sister, she said, “do you think, you would get a seat at father's table, become a goddess? You will never be great and you would not leave here alive.” she groaned after that, still suffering.

“He already has and I already am. The goddess of souls. Only one of us die tonight, and it wouldn't be me,” she replied with mockery and anger in her voice. Unsheathing a knife, Onaiah began walking towards her. Getting close enough, she lifted her sister up to her feet. “I, Onaiah, Daughter of Zeto, astral goddess of souls, by law of superior authority strip you Aru-menan daughter of Zeto of principality as the death goddess and banish your soul from this realm. Begone!” With that, Onaiah drove her dagger into her sister. And Aru-menan began glowing, a dark aura appearing on the spot she was stabbed.

She had killed her. Aru-menan's body dropped as Onaiah let go of her sister. Aru-menan dead, her essence drew out from within her, it hovered for a while and disappeared. Onaiah turned around walking gallantly to the circle of gods.

Soon enough, the aura of death rose within Onaiah, she was dying as well. She was shocked. Dropping as she became weaker, she asked, “What is this?”

The clouds chuckling again, Hovsebanek replied, “You just became goddess of souls, you can't be that in this form. Off you go, enjoy eternity as a mad raging soul queen.”

She screamed, realizing what her sister meant. She clawed trying to get Hovsebanek who evaded every attack. She gathered her power to attack but it was too late. She became ash on the very spot and her essence traveled far from where they were.

Hovsebanek walked back to the group of gods who had been standing and watching the fray.

The black steel goddess was the one to ask, “Is this what Zeto wanted? Losing both daughters, he might rage again.”

“Who cares what the old goat wanted, all that matters is that Aru-menan is gone for good,” Hovsebanek replied.

“What becomes of her essence?” another god asked, his arms folded across his chest.

“She was banished to the human realm, to be lost in the body of the dead. One her possession cannot control, she would be alive in an eternally decaying body. It is the perfect way to spend damnation.”

■

September 26th, 2003.

The young doctor looked smart in the dress he was wearing, his stethoscope hanging on his neck. Despite his look being immaculate, his mind was unsettled. There was nothing beautiful about the news he was about telling his patient's husband.

He was used to it, telling the news that no one wanted to hear but he was attached to this family. David practically called him brother and it was one of the reasons he didn't want to perform the surgery. But he was the best, and David didn't want anyone else.

Reaching the hall, Henson Maxwell walked to his friend. Noticing him from a distance, David jogged to him. His eyes weak from a night of no sleep.

“Well, how was it?”

“David... She's uh... Safe. Evelyn survived and is well,” he replied.

“And my daughter, is my baby okay?”

Henson couldn't reply. Couldn't say it to him.

It didn't take David another minute to notice the elephant in the room. “No, no, no. We deserved her, Evelyn worked so hard for this. What am I going to do. How—” He couldn't talk anymore. Henson hugged him and he let the tears he had been holding flow. Both men remained in that position for a while letting their emotions pour.

“Sorry man,” Henry said, his voice hard. “You have to be strong, for yourself, for Evelyn.”

Sniffing a bit, David released himself from the hug. “Can I see her, my wife I mean?”

Henson nodded and they began walking to the ward. Getting there, they met nurses at the door. Terrified.

One spoke, “She requested for her baby, the room got dark and then... Sh... She—”

Not letting her finish, Henson and David barged into the room. There were tears in David's eyes, he couldn't loose her too, not after this.

Seeing Evelyn, David got confused. Henson even more so. His wife was safe and his child, his daughter... She was fine. Alive.

He rushed to his wife and sat besides her, kissing her forehead. Her arms holding their child. Her eyes opened unlike a newly born child's should.

“It's a miracle,” Evelyn whispered.

“It is, it is,” David replied.

Coming out of shock, Henson walked over to his friend's wife, using the equipment around his neck to check child and mother.

“Why is she so pale, is she alright?” David asked, looking at his daughter and touching her with concern.

Looking up to the family, Henson spoke, his voice relating his confused mind, “I think the better question is,”

“why does she have no heartbeat?”