First of all I am sorry for the delay, this was supposed to be published a month ago, but some difficulties arise. Also I have to thank my poor stressed beta, Pio, you are going to fucking end that doctorate, and then you are going to go to a spa and never leave. Love you, and don't worry about this n3n
In any case people, hope you like this one, we are coming to and end.
"We are not necessarily doubting that God will do the best for us;
we are wondering how painful the best will turn out to be."
―mortal priest on the Inverness cónclave
The capital of the gods was a peaceful and beautiful place. As everything that lived in this lands of power and magic, it was perfect. The roads were straight and luminous, painted with the bright and beautiful mantle of melted gold. Trees of different natures grew on their sides, older than humankind and with branches that stretched far into the sky. There were fountains, parks, little works of art on every corner that no mortal mind would stand to see.
However, the most wonderful things in the city were the houses and palaces in which the gods lived. Some were smaller than a cottage, with barely space to walk in, other sprawled like the mists on an autumn morning. Each god constructed and built their own domain, and as a strange competition, each house was more extravagant than the next.
Ace, the god of fire, had a house covered with red and yellow flames, the light and heat so strong that it could be seen from any part of the city. Nami's palace floated above the rest, levitating through an invisible air current that engulfed the whole structure. There were palaces of deep black stone, of lightning and flowers, some of them were creations that defied logic and comfort, but all of them bore the same statement: Power. Full raw power.
This was a place not meant for mortals.
Among it all, in the center of the magical city, in the middle of the world, lay the most wonderful creation that had ever existed: The god's court and Robin's palace. Rising among it all, overlooking the city and the now green hills of their world, it's tower seemed to be able to touch the sky. Created by the night itself, its big and strong walls seemed to absorb the night, different lights shone on it's windows with the brilliance of stars and galaxies, and strange creatures patrolled its walls, fae, a slaved kind of mortals that had dared to rise against the Queen long ago.
Gods walked within those walls, wearing their most beautifuls dresses, and cruel and fake smiles. The court had been beautiful once, respected and loved, but now it was rotten to the core, treasons and murder happening every hour, the fae now hidden in the corridors from the fearful gods and their plays.
Robin, the mother of all creation, sat among it all on her throne.
She observed her children, uncomfortable and uneasy at what had happened just mere hours ago. The first generation of gods sat on thrones around her, their faces unmoving, unchanging and regal as they faced the rest of the court mingling about in the throne room.
This first generation were her pride, her strongest children, the first ones who had walked with her among the world. Ace who controlled fire. Nami who controlled the air. Boa who ruled over the land...And Zoro, still with chains around his wrists.
Zoro had been the first, her beloved one, her favourite one. Together they had shattered the worlds, they had gone to war, the Queen and her dear general, and the lands had trembled and cried after them. They had lived for each other, they had shared moments, lived and loved like no other. She had seen her child grow with pleasure. She had seen him become the strongest and wisest man she had ever met. Robin had never found such acceptance and love from any other of her children, it had been a wonderful time.
But Zoro had fallen in love with a mortal, and had left her side.
That time had been the first time Robin had hated humans. But then the prophecy had arrived and she had hated them for a very different reason. When she had asked Zoro to forget about his human lover, a famous knight from the mortal realm called Mihawk, Zoro had refused.
She had had no choice but to kill the mortal for Zoro's sake and close the borders so no other of her children would fall again under the dirty creatures' spells.
However, when killing the mortal, she had also lost her dear son. She remembered the screams of her dear favourite one. The cries for forgiveness, the pleas and begging. She still hated those memories. To see Zoro, the pride of their race, reduced to begging for a mortal had been disgusting, dishonourable. She had felt pleasure when stabbing the mortal, when seeing those yellow eyes lost their shine, when hearing his weak heart stopping.
Zoro hated her since then. She suspected he would always hate her for what she had done. Love was a thing she would never understand. Still, she wouldn't change her mind, she won't go back and spare that man's life. A mother had to do the best for her children, and that mortal had been a threat, a threat to her favourite son.
Still, when she had regarded Kidd's new mortal, she had doubted. She could have killed him, but...she couldn't bear another of her children hating her. Not another. Not another one of her favourite ones, a strong one, one of those who still controlled their powers.
So he had let that mortal live.
It still unnerved her, after all, the prophecy had been clear:
"A mortal will come in the darkest of times.
Royal blood in his veins. Nasty scars on his hands.
He will trap a god's heart. He will tear it apart.
The angered Queen will rise in a fight.
The realms will cry. Blood will cover the land.
But it will be to late, and the gods
they shall fall."
No mortal was to enter the world. Not now, not ever. Vivi had never been wrong and Robin would protect her children and her world. She would destroy the mortal world. She would kill every little mortal if it was necessary, she would make her dear sons hate her, she would suffer their disdain.
She would find a way to stop the sickness spreading over them now that Kidd had regained his powers. She would separate them from the nasty untrusting mortals.
They would rule forever.
She observed her court. Her dear first sons were here, seated next to her, but the second, third and fourth generations were also gathered. Even the filthy fifth and sixth and below were present. She didn't normally allow this. Her lesser children were an atrocity, with barely power to survive in this world, they were a disgrace in the world of gods, in a world of perfection. They still served the higher generations, but Robin knew that some of her dear sons killed them for sport, as an entertainment, as if they were just play things.
She approved of such behaviour. Power was perfection. Even if they were her children, only the most powerful ones should be allowed to remain.
However today was different. Today all her children were gathering, even some of the fae, the slaves of this world. Today, for the first time in centuries, for the first time since Zoro had betrayed her and had been banished from the court, a trial was about to happen.
Eustass Kidd, a second generation god, would be judged and sentenced for his relationship with his mortal lover...well, she had let him live, Kidd couldn't blame her, but the mortal world was a dangerous cruel place, and humans were so, so weak. It would be so easy to kill him. The mortal would die, but not directly under her hands, Kidd would have no reason to blame or hate her, she had just separated them, but cause no harm to the boy. She would be considered merciful in her dear son's eyes.
Kidd would still need to face a trial for breaking the law. It was part of the rules of this world, but as a second generation god, nothing bad would happen to him. Maybe a few centuries of punishment, but after that, her dear child would realize his mistake and come back to her.
They would be a happy family again.
...oOo...
Zoro walked among the corridors of the palace full of night and stars. Memories of his childhood, or running and playing in this place filled his mind, his mother laughing, his brothers smiles. But then the things had changed. His brothers had started killing each other and her mother had stopped smiling.
And then he had needed to get away from this place.
Walking towards the darkest parts of the palace, his hands bound in chains and his eyes full of despair, Zoro couldn't help but remember that time. Mihawk had been his everything. He had been one of the first mortals that had dared to cross the door of stones, and Zoro had found the man fascinating.
His ideals, his honour, his way of fighting. Zoro had fallen in love with the man almost at first sight. Then had been months of courtship, of passionate hidden kisses and meaningful touches, until finally, they had been unable to keep their hands away from each other. Zoro remembered the happiness, the shining yellow eyes, the smiles and feel of accomplishment, of having discovered the most wonderful thing in the world.
But then his mother had discovered what he had. And had killed Mihawk.
Zoro remembered it, the moment would be engraved in his mind for eternity. He had entered his own palace in the capital, wanting to meet with Mihawk, to spend the night with him, to make him laugh and smile, when he had found his mother looming over the corpse of his beloved. Mihawk had died alone. Without him being able to protect or do anything for him. Gutted. Screaming. Alone.
His mother had been covered in blood, Mihawk's eyes had been glazed, his face a grimace of pain. Robin had never been merciful, but that scene had screamed of a sadistic and twisted mind. Robin had made the love of his life suffer, beg...blood, blood had been everywhere.
He would always hate his mother. No matter what she did or said, some things couldn't be forgiven. His memories would never be erased.
He had tried to help Kidd this time as the story repeated itself, he had tried to warn them, to protect Law, he had tried to make them have a happy ending. Not like him with his beloved frozen forever in the hearth of his palace...
Finally stopping in front of a known cell, Zoro glanced at his brother, at the only brother he had cherished above all others. Kidd had never been twisted. He had never killed for power or pleasure. Like him, he had never enjoyed the court.
Kidd was the best of them all. How a god should be.
But seeing him now, chained to the cell, his wrists covered in blood from fighting his ties, his face covered in tears as he repeated Law's name with a broken hoarse voice...it broke something inside Zoro. He had been there too. He had suffered even worse despair. Zoro swore then that he would help his brother, for Kidd and for himself, this time the ending of the story would be very different.
"I will save you" Zoro whispered to his brother "I will protect you both"
Kidd didn't react to his words. Probably he had tired himself screaming. Maybe they had drugged him. Zoro wanted to break the cell and hold this man, this powerful and amazing creation, but the chains around his wrists prevented him from doing anything, the laughing eyes behind his back, around every corner prevented him from showing any weakness yet.
If they knew, if they heard his whispered words, this would be the worst. They would beat the chained Kidd in front of him for his entertainment, for their own amusement. Not yet. He needed to wait.
The trial would be held this same afternoon. In front of the whole court of gods, Kidd would be judged, accused and punished. Gods were still arriving from all parts of the world to attend the event, to see Kidd's shame, to see one of their best being ridiculed.
Zoro turned and walked away. He had to prepare, he had things to think about before the trial was held. He needed to calm down.
...oOo...
The trial was done quickly and with an strange sense of amusement and rejoice. In the throne room of night and stars, with Robin looking over all her thousand children but not participating. An accusation was brought up summing up all of Kidd's sins, they accused him from things in the past, for his disobedience and wilderness, of running away from the court and hiding with Zoro as a weakling. They accused him for things in the future, for what he could have done to them all if they had finished his relationship with the human, of what the humans would have thought, of how their world would have shattered.
Finally, they accused him for what he had done with the mortal.
It was utterly stupid.
Kidd, in the middle of the whole room, with chains covering him, didn't say anything. Zoro suspected he had been drugged, or that some of the mental gods had taken control of his head, subduing his anger and rage. Seeing him so calm and tempered as people screamed, laughed and insulted him, didn't seem right.
The gods who controlled the psyche always made Zoro cringe. The dreams, the thoughts, the aspirations, everything inside a man's head was stripped bare for this cruel beings, sadists that could break you with just a touch of their powers. But there was nothing he could do about it. The tradition and the raw new power Kidd had, made this necessary, the only way to control a second generation.
Ace, by his side on one of the first generation thrones, with his hair braided and his warrior clothes in an immaculate red, had clenched his fist long ago after the trial had started. Now the fire in his eyes was beginning to burn so intently, dangerously. Marco, a second generation like Kidd, was down with the rest of the gods observing the whole process with indifference. Still, Zoro could perfectly see the bird claws where his hands had been and his hair starting to turn blue and alive, merging with the long tunic down his body.
Killer...well, Killer was about to murder someone within minutes.
The trial continued for a while. In the human world it would have taken weeks, but here, in the land of immortals this passed in the blink of an eye.
The moment finally came, and a sentence was decided among the different ranks and powers. It was an important trial, so everyone had a vote on Kidd's punishment, opinions and ideas. Zoro knew what was coming. He had seen it hundreds of times, he had learned about that look in his brothers eyes. The greed, the sadism, the pleasure in seeing another being suffer under them, a life banishing on their wims. The gods had turned into monsters long ago. Abusing power, taking pleasure in seeing another being suffer, it was disgusting.
Kidd meant nothing to them, for almost everyone in this room, he was another form of entertainment. They could kill mortals, the fae, even a few of the lower gods, but Kidd had power. This was like drinking the finest wine of them. To kill one of their brothers, one of the powerful ones, was the highest sin, the biggest pleasure.
"We have decided" one of those gods said suddenly, a representative, approaching the silent Kidd with hunger in his eyes but maintaining still some distance. "Kidd will be killed. His limbs will be teared apart from his body with bare hands. His pieces spread all over our world. They will be burned with the hottest flame. He will be thrown into the deepest part of the ocean to be forever forgotten"
Ace at his side tensed. Zoro closed his eyes. So not just death, but humiliation and torture for Kidd, they wanted also to laugh at the first generation, provoke them into this shame too. They had targeted Ace and Zoro because they have been the ones visiting Kidd's jail, but insulting one of them was insulting them all. They wanted to show them how far they could go. How could they do this? How was Robin allowing this? The first generation had always been sacred, they shouldn't be able to cross such a boundary.
When he turned to his mother, she was only regarding Kidd. Her face one of concentration, unmoving, regal, but with a look Zoro understood from long ago. Zoro frowned. Was she the one trying to subdue Kidd? Make him tame? Why? Couldn't the other ones do it, the mental ones? Why was she doing this? Kidd wasn't so powerful, was he?
"Mother" the lesser god repeated with a wicked smile "Do you have some final words for the traitor?" he asked delighted, knowing that now that the sentence had been declared it won't change.
"Eustass Kidd is one of the most powerful gods alive, he had discovered how to recover his old powers and could teach us all to do the same. He is also your family and brother, older and more powerful than most of you. Do you see no other option but murder?" she asked.
The lesser god frowned looking again at Kidd. His eyes turned even more hungry after Robin's words, more desperate for blood and death. Kidd was powerful, Robin was trying to save him which made him a more valuable kill. Zoro observed the greed in the man's eyes as he circled around Kidd and waited for the decision.
They were beyond redemption. Zoro had learned this long ago, but his mother still couldn't see the corruption, couldn't understand what was wrong. Maybe that made her one of them too.
"Yes" the lesser god said eagerly "Kill him, kill him, kill him mother!" He almost sounded like a spoiled child.
Robin nodded. Her dark hair a reflection of the night sky. Her blue eyes shining with the light of thousand ancient stars. Her body and face perfection, beauty in its purest form. And yet so cold. So cruel and distant.
"So be it" she announced with an almost remorseful tone "The law is the law, and the sentence has been decided. Eustass Kidd will be erased from this world, his body scattered and hidden away from our sight. We will mourn his loss."
The god giggled happily, watching Kidd. As if he hadn't just sentenced a brother, but found a new toy. They were all so wrong, so corrupted, so sick. Even their mother, Zoro finally realized.
Robin was the law, she could change a punishment, she could stop this chaos, but instead she had chosen to kill Kidd. Instead of listening to reasons, instead of giving him a good trial, she had set up this farce. It was almost as if she also wanted her child's death and had been looking for an excuse. She didn't love them, maybe she had in the past, but now she was as corrupt as the rest.
However, before Zoro could do or say anything to save Kidd, Killer, on the other side of the room, attacked the giggling god.
Killer was a third generation. His power not so huge as theirs but also important, he had always been under Kidd's care since his power depended on Kidd's, so when Kidd lost his power, they had quite a fight. Apparently, that didn't stop their friendship. As Zoro observed, the throne room suddenly was covered with plants. Not natural, not beautiful and delicate, but deadly. Thorns the size of a hand, leafs and poisonous flowers that could kill with a touch, strangling ivy, mushrooms with deadly toxins...
All directed to the giggling one. A lesser god of the fifth generation.
As the corpse of the lesser god suddenly fell to the ground -stabbed by dozens of thorns, bleeding and decapitated - silence filled the room.
Robin rose from her throne, her face now one of rage towards Killer who walked to the front of the room as if to face her. A handful of the gods started cheering and clapping, some picked up the severed head and started playing with it, throwing it around the room as if it was a ball and not their brother's head.
Zoro stood too. He couldn't stand this anymore. He needed to save Kidd, take him away from this place, to Law.
Ace, Boa, and Nami suddenly stood with him.
Ace raised a hand and the ones who were playing with the head burst into flames. Killer kept attacking, god after god falling to the ground, unmoving, touched by one of the deadly plants. Nami clenched her fist and the room filled with air, spinning and spinning and fuelling Ace's flames. Boa roared and the earth opened to swallow the body of the offending decapitated man to punish him for his insolence.
Chaos erupted in the room. Screams were heard as the four members that formed the first generation started to attack the rest. They were the elementals, air, fire, water and earth. They controlled the rest, they could shatter continents.
"What is this?" Robin roared besides them surprised. Betrayed. Confused. "Stop! You are killing my children!"
"They are not your children anymore mother, they are monsters" Boa said "It's time you start seeing them for what they are".
"Monster's need to be eradicated from our society" Nami continued the wind playing with her hair. "Otherwise they will destroy it"
"They were laughing, they were laughing while they were going to kill Kidd!" Ace continued "THEIR BROTHER!"
"It's for the best" Zoro finished also raising his ornamented chained hands and calling his power. The power that gave life, the element that all living creatures had, and the one that could kill so easily too.
The world trembled under their fury.
They weren't like their mother. Zoro didn't know if they could defeat her, if they could stop the sickness that had consumed their family, but right now that didn't seem important. Now, together, they were the apocalypse.
I'm sorry for my bad attempt at poetry, as you all can see I'm should stick to narrative instead of poetry. Apart from that I want you guys to understand Robin in case I haven't been clear.
She loves her children, the other gods, but she is not seeing how wicked and horrible they are growing up, like a mother loving a horrible spoiled child. She is also not seeing how she is becoming like that too.
Zoro and the other first G. do realize how she had changed tho, they had been with her from the beginning and are seeing what she is becoming. Kidd was loved by the the first G, and some other people despite his rebelliousness. Kidd was a good and capable man and the First G. realized this, but he was treated bad at court by the other lesser and more stupid ones that sadly were the majority at court. So he left.
Still they are not going to let Kidd, a good one of their brothers die!