Two chapters in one day is my celebration gift for starting the school year. Enjoy :)

The Last Deity

"It's nice to know there's someone who knows I'm here," I say to him.

"I wouldn't forget about you. Especially Death. He knows all about your future," he explained.

"What's going to happen to me?" I asked.

"Well, I'll explain later. You need to know what happened to you before you were born," he said.

"What do you want me to know?" I was curious.

"Firstly, your mother is a lying harlot. Excuse my language but she's manipulative. She's responsible for my death in every way. She's also responsible for your father's. If he could come back to this land, he would surely get rid of her, for you. I could see him now. He wouldn't want you to be treated like this," he ended.

"I know what Reina is. Please don't call her my mother. I hate to have that title. We're unknown to each other," I explained.

"This is why I'm here. Not only are you a true princess but you are the Last Deity," he said.

"The Last Deity? I've only heard rumors and stories about it. The human has the power to manipulate even the impossible! I can't be the Last Deity," I laughed.

"They say only the Last Deity can enter the fiery pit," he said.

"I wouldn't like to try," I pouted.

"Don't worry. Death knows you are the goddess. We wouldn't have told you if you weren't," he pointed out.

"If I am able to go down there, take me to my father. He's down there, isn't he?" I asked.

"You aren't a dead soul. The Last Deity wouldn't be allowed to go," he shook his head.

"Then I'm not going anywhere with you," I explained.

I folded my arms and just stopped talking. This was a nonsensical dream that I needed to get out of. My uncle explained that I could either be used for evil or good. Fortunately, Reina nor the Bride know of this power. Uncle is here to help me choose right instead of wrong. My powers come from three branches: weaponry, magic, and combat. I know nothing of these. Telling me that made me believe less of my godly self. Shouldn't the Deity know all three of these branches? Liam explained that some Deities hadn't known until they were much older. Some Deities knew when they were children. It depended on the caretakers. Uncle told me it would take time for me to learn of these three branches.

"How are we going to see Death now? How did you even get here? There's a spell on the castle that operates by Reina," I told him.

"I dug deep into the grounds of the castle to find that the spell only wears off about twenty feet from where it began," he explained. "We should go. We might be overheard and caught," he started for the hole.

I paused for a second, thinking about the decision I was making. I already knew I should go with my uncle. I'm not a girl who's up for adventures yet, though. I think I'm ready. I have to learn what I can about being the Last Deity.

"I'll go," I whispered.

He took my hand and led me down into the ground, me first. Once we were down in the cavern, he lit a lamp and came down. I finally got to see what he looked like. His face was quite pale and swollen. He had facial hair but not much. Some blonde hair strands stood out. He took my hand again and led me down the stairs. I heard droplets of water falling down. The lamp was squeaking every step we took. I felt like we were walking forever and in silence. I could only hear the water droplet patterns and our footsteps.

"Wait! What about the hole?" my voice echoed.

"It has already been taken care of, Ofelia," he sounded grumpy.

I shrugged and continued down the steps, further into the ground. The pressure was definitely changing every ten steps. Finally, he revealed the gateway to this pit. The doors were large but not as big as the kingdom itself. Fire spit out from every spout. Some cries could be heard but not all.

"We're already here. We've been waiting," Liam explained as the gates opened.

As we walked inside, he let me go in front of him. There were spirits everywhere. They came to see who the new girl was. Without hesitation, they all bowed down. I turned around to see that Liam had done the same. I stared at each and every one of them. When I looked up, Death was at the other end of the path. As I started to walk, the spirits stood up and smiled. They all whispered to each other in another language.

Once I finally reach the end of the path, Death was still standing. He had no face and wore a black robe. He had no hands and didn't seem to have any body. He was taller than anyone here. His metal staff lay snug in the middle of his sleeves. Somehow, he was holding onto it.

"Ofelia Stiltzchen, daughter of Rump and Reina Stiltzchen," he called me.

"I am called here," I answered.

"Please, come inside," his soulless voice spoke to me.

He turned his back and opened the large kingdom doors. Liam followed behind me, keeping the spirits away. The interior was as dark as I imagined. There were no lights except for the candles that were strewn across the room. Death's throne sat in the middle of it all. Another chair sat right next to his. He sat down first in his and motioned me to sit in mine.

"Thank you," I stated as I sat down.

"Liam, we have some things to discuss," he bellowed.

"Of course. I think you may want to know why you are down here and not anywhere else," he asked.

"Out of anything else in the world," I answered.

"Death's job is to maintain the flames of all these people in the world," he pointed to all the candles in the room. Some where dimly lit, powerful flames, or in the middle.

"As I can see," I saw them all.

"He knows all of those who are born and who have died. As he lit your flame, it was stronger than ever. That is the usual flame for newborns. Year after year, Death came to check up on your flame. It was still in the same flame. It hadn't grown dim at all. He was very surprised," he explained.

"I noticed that not only were you immortal but you held the powers of the Last Deity," Death bellowed.

"Are you keeping me underground forever?" I was afraid.

"Absolutely not. The Last Deity is here for a reason. You have a mission to complete," Liam interjected.

"To destroy Reina?" I questioned.

"Yes and to keep ties with all four kingdoms of this land," Death said.

"Is it truly possible?" I asked.

"Yes. This land needs you. Elsief, the Assassination Alliance, Shaman, and Alik," I didn't know who they were.

"I want to do my best to help but I'm afraid I'm not skilled much," I admitted.

"The Last Deity passes on its abilities. You have already known weaponry, magic, and combat. You haven't even practiced," Liam explained.

I nodded and continued to sit in silence. Death motioned me to come with him. He took me to a series of rooms with everyone's flames. He told me to stop for a moment. His sleeve pointed to a certain flame that stood high above others. I slowly walked to it and stared. He was showing me my flame. As I got closer to it, my heart felt warmer than ever. My life was in this candle.

"You have a special flame, Ofelia," Death said.

"Where is Liam's?" I asked.

"I don't have one, Ofelia. Mine went out a long time ago. I work in the kingdom," he stated.

"You came up to Reina's kingdom, though," I spoke.

"Death gave me an exception," he said.

"I'm going to have to give you another one," Death suddenly uttered.

"Another one? What for?" Liam asked confused.

"Liam, I want you to protect your Deity. You must be her follower and guide her to the right way. We must keep her in good choices. I'll allow you to have your soul back on Earth," he led us to another room.

We found a small candle that had no flame. The wick was hung over and completely dead. Wax had dripped down from the burns. Death moved his sleeve over the candle to create a new flame. Liam's face had brightened and he put his hand to his heart as well. He thanked Death quickly and allowed us to stay here for a few days and nights. First thing I wanted to do, would be to get into this Last Deity character.