“I am Unas, god of fire and revenge," boomed the large man. “In the name of Solara, I will defeat you and restore the balance of good and evil in this world."

Unas was not a small man.

He towered at almost seven feet tall, and everything about him was large. The smell of ash and smoke permeated the air as he strode towards Almuz. His skin was dark and brown, his eyebrows thick and made of flames.

His ears stuck out, tall and pointy, and his fangs poked through, even with his mouth closed. His flaming hair and brows added more to the fearsome presence he exuded, and his muscles rippled with every breath he took. He looked more like a demon than a god.

Almuz was not afraid, even though what stood before him was pure anger and fire personified. Almuz knew his skin was impenetrable, that nothing could kill him except time itself.

Knowing all this, Almuz doubted he could kill Unas, but knew he could probably tire him out.

Almuz’s red ruby eyes shone as the cavern began to shake. He grinned and his golden teeth melted from the heat, spilling onto his quartz chest. The large gems throughout the cave rose from the ground, the walls, and the ceilings, spinning and twirling, and they flew towards him, creating a barrier.

Some of them were small and insignificant, while others were as large as boulders.

Almuz outstretched his hands and they all went flying for Unas and Adonis. Adonis let the smaller pieces bounce off of him and focused on dodging the larger gems. He flew through the hail of stones, as Unas simply rose a wall of fire in front of him. The smaller stones were incinerated, and the larger ones pierced the veil.

Unas simply stepped to the side as the boulders came crashing down behind him, calm in the face of danger, more focused on his next meal than the walking bridal and jewelry store in front of him.

Adonis flew close enough to get next to Almuz and beat his wings as hard as he could. The wind usually toppled his enemies and he could surprise them when stunned, but it had no effect on Almuz. His armor had grown, making his body heavy and thick.

“Try again," he said.

Adonis flew straight towards Almuz, opening his beak wide. He snapped down hard on him, but it was useless, and instead hurt himself.

He flew around with Almuz in his jaw, smacking his body against the walls and the floor. Almuz didn’t bother to fight back, as he felt nothing. Exhausted, Adonis dropped him to the ground, flying above him, circling him, trying to come up with a plan.

Almuz stood in the cave, waiting.

He didn’t take any of Adonis’ attacks seriously, and neither was he taking the fight seriously either, and decided to play along, to see what else Nero could do.

Unas stomped his foot on the ground, and a trail of fire lept forth, a trail moving, leaving a trail like a snake going through the sand. It encircled Unas and Almuz, trapping them in together, his first step of ensuring his meal would be his.

“Nowhere to go," said Unas. “Nowhere to hide."

“I have nothing to hide from. I simply want what is mine, and it’s that power of yours, " said Almuz. “I bought you. It’s mine. ”

“ Filth such as you only take and take, ” Unas replied.

He raised his arms and the walls of fire leaped even higher, an intimidation tactic, but Almuz didn’t flinch, nor did he sweat as he strolled leisurely towards Unas. It was more like a drag, as the weight of the stones and gems weighed him down.

Unas ran towards him, sword ablaze, straight for Almuz’s neck, but the armor he made was too thick to pierce it. Again and again, Unas hacked his sword against Almuz’s tough skin, but all he did was receive blowback with every hit.

The harder he hit, the more Unas started to hurt himself, the sword still his vessel.

“You are no god, you’re a little boy, still playing dress-up," Almuz laughed.

Unas wouldn’t stop hitting Almuz, it was the only way he could deal with any problem, just like Nero and Alto. By killing it.

Almuz interrupted his relentless attack by using his knuckles. Long, thick crystals sprouted from them, and when he swung his arm low for an uppercut, the crystals shot out, the combined impact pushing Unas across the cave.

His pain turned into excitement, it had been so long since someone had made him bleed. The flames turned from dark orange to a hot intense blue, now brighter, the heat violent and frantic.

Blood dripping from Almuz’s knuckles only highlighted his inhumanity. No longer could he bleed, but the immortal in front of him could.

Adonis swooped down to defend Unas and stood in front of him. He let out a giant roar, and the stalactites from the ceiling fell to the floor, piercing the beautiful marble floors. Almuz raised his bloody fist and more large gemstones and rocks lifted into the air.

“You need to be taught a lesson,” Almuz shouted.

At the same time Unas propelled himself, fire at his feet, and brought his sword low, Almuz pointed his index finger, launching more ores and rubble his way.

Each and every gemstone, and rock went straight for him when Unas swung his sword up. The smaller ones combusted, and Unas swerved around the larger boulders, but they continued to whiz and soar, crashing overhead.

He braced for impact as the gemstones were about to pierce his skin but Almuz pointed his finger in the other direction, and they flew away, straight for Adonis.

A small cry echoed through the cave.

Blood splattered onto the beautiful floor and adorned the wall.

Adonis fell to the ground, his body reverted to that of a man, jerking around on the floor like a swatted fly, his wings fluttering up and down erratically.

Swerving around, making a U-turn, opening his mouth, spewing hot flames, destroying more small gems that Almuz sent towards Adonis, he landed right next to him, and upon his wretched sight, there was now more sadness than anger, more Nero than Unas.

Slowly, his skin color faded, his body shrunk, and his eyes turned to a pale green.

The god was no more.

Nero tried not to cry as he held Adonis. Blood soaked through every inch of his clothes as he shook him.

“You need to get up," said Nero. “You need to… I can’t. I can’t do this, please.

He rubbed the blood off his face, and desperately smacked Adonis’s. His eyes burst wide open as if he was awoken from a nap and not an untimely death.

“Don’t hit my face, it’s ruined enough already,” he coughed.

“Don’t die then.”

Adonis groggily sat up, his yellow eyes bloodshot, and ruffled his feathers at the sound of the wet, gravely laughs, the sounds of crystals scraping against the stone floor.

“Are you going to cry again, Aelfric," asked Almuz.

“I am not weak,” he bellowed.

Suddenly he felt something warm on his back, and Adonis embraced him from behind, coughing and groaning.

“It’s okay to cry, it doesn’t make you weak,'' he said.

“It is okay to cry little one," said Unas. “It is okay to feel pain.”

” Nero shook his head. “I’m not weak. I’m not that person anymore. I’m not."

“Crying doesn’t make you weak," said Unas. “I cried many tears, for many moons, when I lost my daughter… and yet I am still strong.”

“My son is not dead!”

“Who are you talking to," yelled Almuz. “Have you finally lost it?!?”

“Denying yourself pain doesn’t make you strong, Nero," said Unas. “That man has denied himself all pain and is no longer human. He partakes in nothing but sin.”

“I can’t cry because it means he will have taken something from me again, and I promised I would never let him do that again.”

Abruptly, they all looked upwards.

The stalactites swung from the ceiling, the entire cave shook and a rumbling could be heard up above. Adonis brought Nero in tighter, shielding him with his wings, and they ducked, as the rocks cracked and crashed around them.

It went on and on, the rumbling, the crashing, the dust and dirt hanging in the air. More explosions could be heard, Almuz’s crystal palace caving in. All of Crest Manor collapsed, from the west to the east, the boards being blown into the wind, the marble statues exploding, the beams caving in.

Even Almuz was fearful, as the rumbling continued, and then finally a loud boom.

The screams of anyone left inside were inaudible, the bright light the last thing they saw.

Down below, underneath, all the exits blocked, ironically was one of the safest places in Atlaan. Cracks opened in the walls, the floors, and they all held their breath, waiting for the last chamber to collapse, killing them all.

And it didn’t.

Almuz held up the cavern, growing large pillars of glowing blue quartz to hold up the cave. They shot out, straight through the cavern and up through the bottom of the ground, diagonally, a new roof holding them all inside.

When the dust settled, all that could be heard was Nero’s soft cries. The tears left small trails, cleaning the blood smeared all over his cheeks. He held them in for so long, but now he believed his son was dead, as were his friends, all buried underneath his former prison.

Shame washed over Nero as Almuz saw him at his weakest. He had taken everything from him.

His body.

His hopes.

His dreams.

His child.

Nero sobbed even harder as flames erupted around them, a valiant but meager effort to protect Adonis and him, a small ring of fire surrounding them.

“You can’t have him. He’s mine. ”

Adonis’s eyebrows rose at the declaration.

“I own you," said Almuz. “Have you forgotten? I own you . Everything you own is mine.”

“No, you don’t. You don’t own my feelings, my friends. Especially him. Never him."

Nero’s opponent raised his hand to send more boulders but then grunted, taking in the underground trap. The fire, the smoke was no good, taking up all the oxygen. Using up more stone would ruin what little foundation was left of the cave, so Almuz had no choice but to meet him face to face, dragging himself over.

Almuz’s slow-moving body gave Nero time to think of how to escape, but he felt weak. He couldn’t think straight, and all he couldn’t think of a way to stall, forgetting he could leave by teleporting out, but he was too hell-bent on winning to see anything else.

“Aelfric," said Almuz. “Stop playing around and-”

“ Don’t say my name," barked Nero. “It's not yours to own.”

Almuz laughed but Nero’s grief had turned into intense rage.

“I can’t say it anymore. I can’t say my name. You stole it. I can’t…”

“How is that my problem," said Almuz. “You’re overdramatic and manipulative ."

“ No I am not," yelled Nero.

Adonis coughed and wheezed, struggling to breathe, when more flames were born. They soared even higher, dancing on the beautiful cave floor, fingertips grazing the stalactites on the ceiling as if it was nervous to touch it.

The cave echoed his screams as he hurled his last thoughts at Almuz.

“You took everything from me," cried Nero. “Everything. I can’t even look in the mirror most days."

“I don’t care for the tears of a child-”

“ I am not a child!" yelled Nero.

The flames around him soared even higher as his rage intensified. It turned from orange to blue, red, and then white, the colors shining together, it was now near impossible to see anything that wasn’t in front of oneself.

“Don’t argue with him. It’s not worth it,” Adonis coughed. “We need to go.”

“No! He will know-”

“-such a vivid imagination-”

“-you never let me be a child. I was never a child!”

“Stop," said Almuz. “You’re imagining-”

“I am not. I know what you did.”

“Tell me then. What did I do?”

“You killed the person I used to be.”

A strange sort of relief washed over Nero as the words escaped his mouth.

“Liar. You liked it all.”

Suddenly the flames disappeared, Nero's mind went blank.

Adonis’s stomach churned from more than just the fumes and blood loss now that Almuz had gotten quite close to them during their shouting match. He could see the soulless, bloodstained, ruby-red eyes, spinning in their sockets, in excitement.

He was enjoying it.

Thinking about it.

Getting off on it.

“You didn’t fight back at all.”

“I was scared. I was a kid, and I was so scared.”

Nero began to cry again and the flames sprung forth once more. Bigger and hotter they engulfed the cave.

No longer were they different colors, but pure white. It added to the brightness of the room, as the lights reflected off the gems in the cave walls. The room looked like it was a scene from a dream, with little stars twinkling around the room.

Sadly it was just the beginning of a nightmare.

“ You took my body from me. It's not mine anymore, it's everyone else’s to own.”

At this point Almuz was towing over Nero, the flames had no impact on him. He continued to scream and shout at him while Adonis tried to drag him away, but the angrier he became the stronger he was.

“You have taken so much from me," sobbed Nero. “You took something from me that I can never get back, and you won’t even admit what you did ."

Almuz kicked Nero right in the chest and he fell over in agony, gasping and gripping his chest, curling on the floor.

“Get away from him,” Adonis shouted.

Almuz took the winged man by the leg and threw a few feet away, and he landed with a grunt. He grabbed Nero by his wrist and gripped hard, a small crack could be heard.

Nero waited for the pain from a broken bone, but none came.

“You always walked around the house in those slutty clothes," said Almuz.

“You mean the clothes that you bought me, you sick fuck?”

Nero spat in Almuz’s face.

Almuz didn’t feel the spit, but he knew what Nero did to feel enough anger. He threw Nero against the wall, and he cried out in pain. Adonis was stumbling over, teetering on his feet, refusing to die by the hands of the golem, he would rather by the flames.

“You’re still powerless, and I’ll kill you as I should have,” Almuz said.

“You can’t… kill me…," Nero said.

“I can do whatever I want, whenever I want. I own you . I made you. I will end you .”

Nero looked down at the ground staring at his hands. He knew the end was coming but didn’t think it would be like this. Suddenly he noticed something different.

It was gone.

The rabbit watch was gone.

He looked around the bright, blinding room and saw it broken into many pieces, burned and decayed.

Nero grabbed his wrist in amazement and then noticed Adonis coming from behind, groaning, a dead man walking.

“I’m tired of hearing you talk," said Almuz. “Let’s-”

Nero disappeared in front of his eyes.

One.

One tunnel was all he needed to grab Adonis from the other side of the room. He flinched when the wide-eyed, bloody, and soot-covered man grabbed his arm out of thin air.

“Let’s go,” Adonis groaned.

“No. No, I still want to kill him.”

Adonis told himself he knew what he was getting into but it still hurt anyway.

“I’m sorry...but you can’t kill him. You could leave him down here.”

“No! He could escape from here, he can control rocks!”

“Unless there’s a prison he can never escape from, I doubt we can-”

Nero put his hand over Adonis's mouth, and he groaned in exasperation.

Suddenly the word prison echoed through Nero’s mind and he remembered something.

His books on tape.

One of his books on tape was titled Religions around the Galaxy, And You! , had a small picture book to accompany it. He remembered the part about Hell because it reminded him so much of Paradis.

Hot, unbearable, and almost impossible to leave.

The tape described it as

“ A prison to punish evil beings for their sins, so that they can never leave."

Nero thought that it was silly, but he knew he could go anywhere as long as he focused and had a general idea of where it was. He just needed to know how many tunnels he would have to open.

So he closed his eyes and he tried to remember the images from the picture book. He remembered the picture clearly in his mind and suddenly he knew what to do.

Forty rang the number in his mind. Forty tunnels.

He held out his hand, and his trusty companion, the angry old man stuck inside a sword, flew towards him, and landed right in his hand, causing Adonis to ruffle his feathers again.

“No more tears," said Unas. “Only action."

“Only action," confirmed Nero.

Nero gripped his sword tight and his eyes turned black as coal.

“Can you run,” Nero asked Adonis.

“Do I have a choice?”

“Just hold on tight, and never let go.”

Adonis did not have to be told twice and wrapped his arms around Nero’s shoulder from behind, not wanting to be left behind.

Almuz slowly turned, incredulous, how his fear had suddenly vanished, and the last thing he saw was a large, bottomless black void open up underneath them.

“Go to Hell.”