Nothing brought peace like the night sky.
The cave mouth was quite the trek from the town, but she could sense its nearness. Electricity buzzed against her skin and lifted the hairs off the back of her neck. The need to fight or run was an urge creeping through her blood, but she focused to push it back with deep breaths. Chaos was heavy in the air, and she hadn’t even stepped through the entrance yet.
When the cavernous opening came into view she stepped eagerly into the dark and quickened her steps. She wanted to get through the creepy worship site as fast as possible. Something about grown men worshiping another grown man made her skin crawl.
No canals or side tunnels branched off from the main entrance and it sent beetles crawling through her stomach every time. Walking into a place where the only exit was the entrance was a death sentence.
The patter of her boots and heavy breaths bounced off the walls and echoed back, filling the empty space like tiny explosions. She wondered in passing if that was some sort of safety mechanism the holy men had in place to alert them to trespassers.
It was about a ten-minute walk through the winding hallway before she got to the great open room housing the statue and altar. She stopped as she did every time to survey the room of worship. Delicate flourishes were carved into every inch of wall space and up to the round ceiling. Splashes of color from crushed flowers and fermented fruits painted along the swirls in intricate patterns had long since faded, and the pews that used to hold hundreds of worshippers had crumbled to dust.
She let her eyes follow the single walkway between the rows of pews up to the main feature. Several steps covered in dripping wax candles led up to a well fashioned from fine metals and jewels, a silent sacrifice to the god who would neveranswer. If Nyx had her way it would be dismantled and sold to feed their town, but as long as there was a holy man occupying the altar she was shit out of luck.
The gilded monstrosity stood at the base of a great monolith where Chaos himself was carved into a single piece of marble. He stood strong, his naked body lean and carved with fine-tuned definition. He wore a crown of stars upon his head, the eight pointed symbol of his power accentuated in the middle.
Nyx stared into the eyes of the forgotten god and pushed back the anger. She would never, as long as she lived, understand.
“Protect me or else, motherfucker. These people believe in you and die upon your altar hoping themselves worthy enough of a resting place at your side. The least you can do is make sure I don’t die as I risk my ass to feed and care for them.” She used her hand to cross her chest in eight directions to honor Him, and then threw up both middle fingers as she walked down the deserted path to the well without giving Him a second glance.
Nyx made quick work of navigating the maze of ruined candles and side stepped the gaudy well to stop at the statue’s feet. Illuminated in a soft blue glow was a free-flowing shape that rippled around the edges like a pool of water. The portal was faint and could be missed if you weren’t looking, but the power radiating from it was unmistakable. Pure chaos charged the slice of marble between the great legs of Chaos, and it would bend to her will.
Tonight, Nyx had her mind set on the biggest target yet– Club Hel. Situated on the island of Anthemoessa was the epitome of sin where daemon of all types converged to revel in their darkest of desires. From the moment she heard whispers of its existence, she knew it would be a prize.
Nyx had spent weeks scoping the place out and it was now or never. She was out of options and people she cared for were starving. Tonight, she would break into Club Hel and stealenough from Level Pride to keep her town full for the coming months, even if she had to damn her soul to do it.
Brooks fell from the memory as Chaos receded back into the dark corners of his mind. His well was utterly drained. Chaos couldn’t hold on long enough to see Nyx go through the portal, but Brooks was confident that the unforgiving part of himself found what he needed. Nyx slumped to the floor as the onslaught ceased and was a mess of curses and tears. Guilt was a heavy weight in his stomach.
“How could you have done that? You just shredded through her mind like she was nothing, Chaos! You can’t do that to people!”
Next time, she will do as she’s asked. She chose her actions knowing what consequences would follow.
“What the fuck did you do to me?” She coughed and sputtered, her words coming out choked as her brain fought to function.
“We will use the portal in your place of worship to travel to Dion,” Chaos spoke. “The blood moon is in two days’ time by your calculation, so we'll spend tomorrow preparing. By sunrise we'll be through the portal.”
“And then what?” Nyx spat as she stood on shaky legs.
“Then we wait until the portal makes itself known as the invitation said,” Brooks sighed.
“I know you don’t know anything because you’ve been frolicking in delusion for the entirety of your life. Sit still and play house with your little girlfriend while I figure this shit out like I always do. You’ll just get in the way.”
“I will not sit idle just as I will not place Xia’s fate in your hands.”
She vented a frustrated growl as she pulled her hair. “You are so impossible.”
Nyx paced the length of the open room and he stayed silent as he watched her wear the wood down step by anxious step. Theclick of a door closing sounded, but he was too focused on the girl in front of him to turn.
“Xia and I will be leaving by the second sunrise whether you like my plans or not. You will say your goodbyes and put your affairs in order if you want to come.”
Nyx stopped and stared, her contemplative gaze boring a hole through his forehead.
She’s probably trying to set you on fire with the chaos she does not possess.
“What did you do to me?” Her voice was low, but each word was said with deadly precision.
“I tasted your memories,” he answered plainly.
“Meaning?”
