"Yes. They really will fill the hole with an anchor and attach chains to it," said Nevyziel.
Kaelen's heart stopped. "A chain? But why?" he said, placing his hand on the armrest of Nevyziel's chair.
She stared at the hand. Not out of anger or discomfort. She was amused by his reaction.
Kaelen took the hand back.
"The chains will protect you. Instead of dying whenever you use a god's power, the chains will break for you instead. It's easier to add something like that than removing the effect completely," Nevyziel said immediately.
Kaelen sat on his bed. "Based on how I have been treated. Which hasn't been good. But it made me feel important. And according to it, I was supposed to be above these threats. I remember the gods bringing me inside their lair and attacking me. It didn't affect me even a bit. At least that's how I remember it. I am sitting here fine."
"The gods are supposed to be above Aurelion, and yet they haven't defeated him once," she said, opening Kaelen's novel.
"Well, if Aurelion is that strong, why does he need me?"
"The truth is." She stared at the ceiling for a sec and took a deep breath. "Things are getting worse at a rate we've never seen before. Humans aren't humans anymore."
Her voice changed to more warmth, as if explaining something to a kid. "There is no change in their bodies. Nothing they can notice. But inside..." She leaned back. "They've lost their interiority."
"They have lost themselves to God. And it wasn't because of God's intervention. It was their mistake. We don't fill our purpose anymore. We never reach what we were meant for."
"I am more interested in why you use 'they' instead of 'us'? Do you think you are superior?" Kaelen said, smiling brightly.
"Your book tells no different. You think you are better. You try to be understood, yet you never do."
Kaelen's smile weakened. Maybe she was right. He could never answer who he was. He only had vague answers that satisfied him, not because they made any sense, but because he had never thought beyond what he could see. The answers were hollow.
"No, I don't want to be understood. I wanna learn about myself. It was isolation that helped me through life. Nobody is coming to save me. I only need those who help me reach my goal, not their understanding," said Kaelen, his voice feeling like his own after a long time.
Nevyziel looked at Kaelen and rested her head on her hand again. "I like you," she said as she touched Kaelen's forehead.
For a moment, Kaelen was numb. His senses didn't work. His forehead was burning, but he liked it. He liked whatever had changed.
"So what will you do now? Gathered some info?" she asked.
"Yes, I did. I will end it tomorrow. I have to. But don't tell anyone else. Because if you do, we will fail. It will work because I will be the only one in there."
"But—" she stopped midway. She noticed the look on Kaelen's face. She could tell from his expression that he believed he could do it.
"Okay. I won't unless you are in danger."
Kaelen nodded.
Kaelen laid down on his bed with his legs hanging outside the frame.
A second later, the bed sank deeper, and Nevyziel appeared beside him.
They turned their heads toward each other. And smiled. For no reason.
The room fell silent.
Kaelen woke up. The bed felt deeper than he remembered.
For a second, nothing came back to him, not sound, not the weight of his own hands. Then it all arrived at once, too loud.
Something was on his leg, something thin. His vision was still recovering. Kaelen turned onto his side. Nevyziel lay there right next to him, her leg on top of Kaelen's and her hand going across Kaelen's chest.
Kaelen went back to sleep.
Morning came bright. The sunlight itched Kaelen's skin.
He stood up almost immediately. The realization hit him quick. Was Nevyziel sleeping next to him? He decided to leave that for later.
He checked the kitchen clock. Seven forty-five.
Before breakfast, before his clothes, he went to check the basement.
As expected, Aurelion was there waiting for him.
"Do it," Kaelen said immediately after entering the room.
"Sure. You seem awfully positive about this," said Aurelion, preparing the chain.
"Change of mind," Kaelen replied quickly.
Aurelion signaled to a chair. Kaelen followed.
Kaelen kept his eyes open. Aurelion picked up the anchor with chains attached and slowly placed it inside.
"Wait, that's it?" asked Kaelen.
Aurelion nodded.
Kaelen checked the chain's fitting. Even though it looked loose, the fitting seemed perfect. It didn't even tilt when Kaelen pushed it.
A few hours later, Kaelen found himself at the heart of the city. The outskirts. The ritual could work only on those who believed in it.
Kaelen closed his eyes. And got down on his knees. He joined his hands, praying for them, even though he hated those above the most. Tears of blood ran from his eyes. For he could not forgive himself for the sin he was to commit.
He closed his eyes and accepted their fate, his fate.
He stood up and grabbed his chain almost immediately. His chains swung everywhere. Blood spilled everywhere. They ran. They screamed for their lives. Many begged him to stop. Many tried to kill him. Soon, it was silent. Kaelen looked around him.
He took a step back from exhaustion. He contracted his chest hard. Readied himself for it. Kaelen fell on his knees, blood coming to his chin. A pond of blood covered the landmark. It was more like a flood that didn't spare the houses too.
Kaelen surrendered himself to the innocence of those who died. The blood drowned him.
He was close to the end. He could hear them, watch them in front of his eyes. Finally, his body was free. His body lost every duty. He had never felt lighter. He stayed there, and for a while, nothing did.
Then, almost a minute in, Rowan took over the body. He stood up and left the outskirts for the city.
For one breath, Kaelen surfaced. "Why?" he screamed. "Why can't you just let me be?"
Rowan took control again before the word finished leaving him. He navigated through the blood that made it harder to walk. The road was empty, so he walked into the city. Even Kaelen could feel the pain.
Then it appeared to Kaelen, "Ravus Industries.co" standing in front of him. A surge of violent desires infiltrated his brain. His hands moved toward the chains.
The first floor was packed, just like the last time. Kaelen walked inside, drenched in blood. The crowd of people made a path for him to the elevator.
He knew the floor. He knew the pattern. But the pattern was broken. Guards stood in the hallway.
Kaelen rushed at them and swept his chains. One of them split into two. The other one caught the chain. He exploded. His flesh and blood spilled across the room. Some of it landed on Kaelen's face. But his hands were clean. Kaelen cleaned it up with the hand of the severed upper body.
The room was next. No one was inside.
The room had changed. The mess was gone. There were statues. Statues of Ravus. The room revolved around him, with quotes and prophecies written across the walls. Kaelen froze. A chain flying and killing people, carved into the stone. Remains of houses floating in a river.
"He knew?" he shouted in the room alone.
Kaelen sent the door flying. There was still a big part of the hallway left.
It was the same once again, another hallway. Until it wasn't. Kaelen remembered the hallway. Zephyr had dragged him from there on the way to the statue room.
A door was open. Kaelen peeked inside it. A ritual was taking place. A giant symbol was drawn on the floor. The followers sat on its corners, chanting prayers at Rowan.
Rowan stood in the middle of it, frustrated, his face red, his body itching to leave the center.
Kaelen reached for the door handle.
"No," he whispered to himself.
Kaelen took a step back and kicked the door. As soon as he did, he jumped to his side. He turned back at the door. Arrows were flying straight out of the door.
Kaelen relocated to the front of the door.
"You shameless bastard." Ravus's voice cracked. "First you took my daughter. Now you take my dream." Then, after a beat, "Kill him!" He screamed until his throat gave out.
Kaelen took a few steps inside. As the guards came near, he pulled the ground up with his chains.
The followers flew away from the center. Kaelen pulled them with his chains and punched them into what remained of the floor. Kaelen looked at the floor, nothing remained of the symbol.
Those who remained soon died from those chains. The feeling was too much. His hands shook violently. A laugh escaped him. A laugh that he didn't recognize. After taking so many lives and affecting the world's fate, the chains turned golden. Their lust for blood enraged Kaelen. He lost his senses to it. He couldn't feel anything anymore. The warm blood that irritated his skin was no longer there. The pain in his legs from walking, and the redness of his skin, were gone.
Kaelen chased Rowan deeper into the hallway.
"Behind me," Rowan said, looking above him.
The ceiling came down. And with it came even more followers. But one of them, special for Kaelen. Seraphina.