Chapter CIII: Gods to Come

Jaden was still limping from where Yubel had shattered his shoulder after their consummation. The pain had been blinding and infuriating and she'd lashed out so quickly he hadn't been able to defend himself. He hadn't blamed her, as he'd known from her bared teeth and ragged breathing that she was in pain. He'd apologized multiple times, as had she, but they had not discussed much else. In the silence so often between them, there had seemed to be an initial space like a chasm. But it had seemed to pass after a few days.

The disquiet between them was slow to heal. But just as his shattered shoulder had begun to repair, so had their relationship. Yubel was still somewhat withdrawn, spending more time by herself and with a strange but vibrant pain in her sides. Jaden had taken to providing much of their meals, though hunting clearly caused him agony. All of his meals had been hard-gained from the shoulder wound, and Yubel had watched him stumble upon dragging the food to her more than once.

Jaden hadn't left the territory but for once or twice, but when he did he sometimes seemed more troubled than happy.

"Ironheart…"

Yubel looked over in confusion, blinking at the Prime Material Dragon. Jaden hesitated a few feet back, head lowered and tilted.

"He said congratulations earlier."

She blinked again. "About what?"

The God Dragon hesitated for a long time, then narrowed his eyes. "Being a father."

Yubel stared, then snorted and shuffled to her paws. Her sides pinched with pain again as she shook herself out. "Did you run off with another?" she laughed, turning back with a shake of her head. Jaden kept watching her, an almost wary expression clouding his face, and she huffed. "Jaden, I already told you I'm barren."

He opened and closed his mouth. "He said something had changed and you were expecting," he finally mumbled, tilting his head again. "I… Wouldn't that explain the pain you keep mentioning?"

She blinked, bewildered, and shook her head again. "I don't think that's possible." She hated herself for the crushed look on Jaden's face, but the immediate frustration that came after made her blood hot. If he'd wanted a clutch, he should have done as she'd so often suggested. Why had he wasted his time and hers in doing this if he'd been so hopeful?

Or was this because someone had even hinted at the possibility?

Had he truly not minded until someone had dangled the idea in his face?

Yubel looked away after a moment, shifting her weight. Her sides throbbed and her wings almost trembled. Vaguely she remembered hearing of similar pains from the expectant mothers, their sides swollen and aching from the pressure of various eggs. Sometimes their wings ached due to moving their shoulders, and their limbs would pulse with their heartbeats if they were far enough along. Maybe Ironheart hadn't been so delusional…

But what if it was just false?

She was a third Wind Dragon. It wouldn't have been so hard to believe the genetics had twisted enough to give her false labor pains…

And without the urge of a heat cycle…

She looked at him for a moment. "I don't know. Maybe…"

She hated herself when he raised his head and blinked huge eyes, hopeful once more.

Maybe she should hope Ironheart was correct.

"The third God Dragon just showed himself," Jaden said quietly, both excited and subdued. He looked uncomfortable and small as he searched her face. Yubel watched him, uncertain what she should say. They studied each other for a long moment, until Jaden finally turned away and whispered, "Shadi wants me to join him in training him."

She bristled though she'd known this would happen. It was always a matter of time before they found the others and demanded Jaden join them. She'd been hopeful, however, she realized as she stared at him. She'd been hopeful somehow, as if she were awaiting a miracle in the avoidance of the subject. Somehow she'd almost managed to convince herself that Shadi wouldn't ask it of him, that Jaden wouldn't be necessary in their training.

She wondered then when she'd become so blind and gullible.

"For how long?"

Jaden was silent for a long time, then slowly shook his head. "I don't… I don't know. He said six moons at the minimum," he admitted reluctantly. He flexed his claws, clearly anxious, and exhaled slowly as if he were struggling for words. "Apparently it's a Leviathan, so one of the Divine Serpents…"

Yubel nodded slowly. "That's exciting," she murmured, trying to sound somewhat upbeat. She knew she'd been nasty the last few days, and the moon they'd been together had been uncomfortable. Every other day she'd woken in pain and wanted nothing more than to scream at him. She nodded again and offered him a smile that felt miserable on her face. "Well, I'm glad he's going to let you train the newest deity alongside him. That's a good thing."

Jaden looked up hesitantly, as if he was unsure whether to trust her optimistic tone. He almost looked as if he were waiting for the inevitable backlash, as he so often had in the time they'd lived together. Yubel had been misery incarnate for him, though he'd never wavered in affection or shown her the smallest speck of disloyalty or frustration.

"Yeah, I…" He grinned, hopeful. "I'm pretty excited, actually."

She nodded and the smile felt more genuine. Jaden deserved the opportunity. She knew he'd been somewhat anxious about being able to train with the newest deity when they finally came to attention. Shadi had been searching almost relentlessly for a while from what she understood, but somehow he'd been blind to the next until then.

"And, then, maybe if this one is doing well, then the fourth will come too!" He almost trembled with excitement. "There's no reason for them not to be born by now, too, you know?"

Yubel nodded again and smiled a little wider. "You know it takes a little while sometimes." Although, a majority of the Lore also said the God Dragons could be born instantly upon the death of another. She'd heard Jaden was a case of that, though she wasn't quite sure how true it was… And she wondered then why the other might be so late in hatching regarding the legend surrounding their births. "But, either way, it's a good thing. I'm glad Shadi finally found the third, even if it takes a while for the fourth to appear."

It didn't take long for the fourth to arrive, nor for Yubel's hopes to plummet.

Jaden had spent an entire four moons with Shadi and the third God Dragon, and he'd been told to extend his time when the fourth was discovered. Apparently the fourth was an Ice Dragon, a Stardust male with brilliant blue eyes like gems. He'd been immediately identified by the ability to talk the moment he hatched and the pheromones he had displayed.

Shadi had found him almost the same day of his hatching, though he had not approached the next until moons afterwards. Yubel supposed she respected his decision to let the parents raise their hatchling for a little while before they were removed from the nest.

It just didn't mean well for her.

Jaden hadn't been there when she'd wound up laying eggs. He wasn't there when they'd hatched a moon later, one so much larger and seemingly healthier than the other two. He hadn't even been there to tell her the news of Shadi finding the fourth.

One of her sisters had come bearing the news.

And she'd chased her off when she'd seemed to realize she smelled something extra on Yubel.

Hateful, Yubel stretched out beside the three of them. Sartorius bounded after a tumbleweed and Zane and Syrus rolled about, growling and wrestling. She watched the sand drift with the wind and fought a snarl of frustration. What good was it to be a mother when the father was not present and did not even know of the hatchlings' existence? Hadn't Jaden promised her he'd be there no matter what? Hadn't he planned to remain at her side?

She huffed and ignored it when Syrus whined about Zane hitting him too hard. Sartorius rushed over to inspect it, snorted when he didn't find any actual damage, and went back to chasing his newest toy.

She lay her chin on her paws and watched them, dismissive as they squeaked and played about. She'd watched them so completely and motionlessly for days now, unmoved by their curiosity with the world and less than impressed with their laughter and games.

She hadn't made up for the blood loss from laying their eggs as it was, and she felt justified in being so annoyed and discontent. Not only had Jaden been absent all this time, he had not even been there to help her recover. It was hard to hunt for the four of them in such a secluded area, and she sometimes wondered if she'd be best taking them to the outskirts of Clan territory and leaving them to be found by a patrol. Let them decide their fates…

"Mommy!"

She fought a snarl as she turned her head. Sartorius was standing at the edge of a shallow puddle as the rain came down. Syrus and Zane had scrambled back to the den in a frenzy, laughing but squealing at the onslaught of water as well. She watched him, suppressing a furious noise, and forced her voice to remain calm.

"Sartorius, come."

He looked up at her for a split second, then turned back to the water. "But, Mommy, come look!" he said a bit more insistently.

She barely suppressed the snarl and shook her head in annoyance. She padded toward him, prepared to bite his back leg to get him to start moving again. He was always the one who drifted behind the other two, more willful and harder to discipline.

She didn't know who he took more after in that regard.

Yubel opened her mouth to snap at him again, but faltered.

What was that? What was she…?

"What is this?" she whispered, staring at the images in the puddle. The reflection of a brilliant red dragon with two mouths and a sky blue tongue flicking beneath its teeth peered back at her. It was facing away, snarling with disdain—and oddly enough hurt—and Yubel tried to see what it might have been staring at but the image never changed or expanded.

Abruptly the dragon in the water twisted around, trotting away with a gait of pure aggression and power. It looked huge, impressive and disturbingly powerful, and when it shot forward to slam into what looked to be a much larger dark blue dragon. They rolled about and blood flew. The image changed slowly then, to a deep black dragon with dark red orbs lining much of his muscles. He had tusks on both sides of his mouth and the sharpest fangs she'd ever seen lining his gums. He was all muscle and sharp claws, fangs and smooth gems. He was as dark as the night sky, with eyes like a galaxy, and he looked almost as fierce as the claws lining his paws. There was something odd and brilliant in them, almost ancient even, and Yami found himself unnerved and bewildered as the vision remained steady.

Yubel shuddered, excited despite herself.

Who were they?

Sartorius was frozen beside her, staring into the puddle as if his life depended on it. The image changed again, slowly, to what looked to be…him. It was Yami, standing perfectly still as someone raced forward. The dark blue form slammed into him and they rolled several feet. Blood oozed and sprayed the air and wings broke as limbs shattered. A few teeth were knocked away and a claw or two fell into the dirt. Blood swelled and soaked the earth in a massive puddle, and finally the dark blue form slowly stood.

It shook, panting and bloodied, around the crushed skull in its jaws. It turned just in time for the blades aimed for its throat. The dragon jerked, bleeding hideously, and then its bottom half collapsed even as its head toppled to the ground.

Yami stared at the image until his blood burned.

And then the image in the water shattered. It was as if a stone had been thrown through the center. Sartorius stared into the water a while longer, then looked to his mother.

"Who were they?" Yubel said quietly, as if compelled to inquire as to that rather than the impossibility of what had just happened.

"Gods to come." Sartorius blinked and his eyes looked bottomless and cold, like a chasm of ice that had opened and threatened to swallow whole anyone facing it. There was something in his eyes that almost mirrored the one of the Gandora in the image, intense and primal beyond comprehension.

But the image shattered abruptly just as the reflection in the water had.

Yubel peered at him, blind and searching, and Yami blinked stupidly as he tried to think straight. The Uria blinked again, focusing on her once more, as she stared blindly back at him. There was a long minute of silence before she finally growled, "Are you all right? You seem shaken."

He bristled and looked away. "I always see that same sequence of events whenever I look to the future. Dimitri and I… We kill each other."

She scoffed. "What would you expect to happen? Neither of you should exist. To right the wrong done, you must have both entities wiped."

"But that didn't happen before," Yami snapped, narrowing his eyes and baring his teeth. "The Divine to mirror Sartorius was still alive until recently. Shadi died in his place."

"Would you allow that kind of sacrifice of your parents?" she sneered. "They are there to raise you and take the death blow, and yet you seem to fight against it."

Yami snarled softly. "I'll gladly die for them, but why must it happen like this? I don't understand."

"Death requires a payment when it's tampered with. And you… You set things in motion, did you not? You saved them both once already. So how long until you kill them instead?" Yubel snorted. "You would see them both die alongside you should you be so selfish as to argue against it further."

He studied her face. "You're not dead. And neither is Jaden. And Leviathan…"

She scoffed. "Leviathan. The God Dragon who stepped aside when he was told, just to protect a dragon that wasted away rather than fulfilling any purpose. Shadi had a purpose. And he sacrificed it."

Yami snarled softly. "He saved his son from yours. Who are you to judge him when you wouldn't have died for your son?"

"Die for him? Why sacrifice myself for a monster like that?" she scoffed. "He tried to eat me alive in the Water Clan territory."

He shivered. "Yes." He exhaled slowly. "After he ate Shadi."

She was quiet for a long moment. "Do you know why he tried to eat me?"

Yami faltered, suppressing a tremor. "No."

She nodded slightly and looked away. "Did you wish to see further or would you rather I simply told you?"

He hesitated, then looked at his paws. Which would have been easier? Everything about the situation made him nauseous now. He exhaled slowly once more, nodding slightly. "No, show me. I want to see it. I want to know…more than your words can grant me."

She chuckled. "Right. Because you hope the future shall change the longer you linger in the past," she sneered. "Right."

He flexed his claws, unnerved. She wasn't wrong. But was that so bad? Why couldn't he hope to live a life that wasn't cut short so easily or quickly? Why couldn't he spend time with his parents and not worry his presence would get them killed? And what was so wrong with wanting to keep them and Timaeus alive and well? Unnatural or not, he was alive now. Didn't it count for anything?

Why should his end be that of severing Dimitri's head as his own was crushed to nothing in his jaws?

Hatred swept through him for a brief moment, entire body hot with rage. But it faded almost immediately as he looked away again. Was it so bad, however, to know what he would do and realize it would all come to fruition later? If he was to die, wasn't it a good thing it meant his sacrifice was not simply in vain?

"Focus, Yami," Yubel spat, and he looked up to find her glaring at him as if she could still somehow see him despite her scarred eyes. "Focus on me and walk my memories again. You'll find what you wanted from it. And perhaps it will help you change what you seek."

Could it?

Yami almost scoffed, but instead nodded and watched her intently once more, focusing on the edges of what seemed an image of deep orange sand as it had been before. Sartorius had sprung up like a weed, graceful but seemingly indifferent as his siblings bounced about. He was much larger than them, almost twice the size, standing nearly at Yubel's ribs despite his young age. He was covered in scales that looked too hard to puncture, with a lithe frame wired with muscle.

His front limbs were thick, with needle-like scales which encompassed them completely from front to back. They looked like quills, as if they might break should he stab an opponent with them, and the length of his forelimbs were covered in raw muscle that frayed outward to make his paws the folding joints of his wings. His chest was protected by what looked to be hardened white muscle, though a brilliant red gem stood out in the very top of the protective plate. His scales were a pale purple which bled to a deep black like the night sky along his back. His scales from the crest of his head to the very tip of his immense tail were perfectly smooth, like a human had somehow polished them to perfection.

His belly was layered with sharpened scales, with each lined as if with barbs like claws. They were long enough to surely dig into prey if he pounced on them, with edges hooked to sink into flesh. It reminded Yami of centipedes, with long legs that never seemed to end, and the idea only grew more ingrained when he looked at the Divine's hind legs.

They were heavily armored, with huge tusks of keratin raised from his knees. The scales were barbed as the stomach, though with much longer spears of red, thick as tusks. Every bone in his leg was protected with a visible scale, almost like his chest plates, and his the tip of his tail was long and sharp, hooked like that of a scorpion's.

His skull was only narrowly sloped, his muzzle longer but thinner and his cheeks thickened with hardened muscle. The crest of his skull had two large horns that sprouted upward and out almost like a deer's ears, with a thin purple membrane connecting them to the neck. His teeth were stained red, like the quills throughout his scales and the gems that made the joint of his elbows. A single strip of brilliant red traced from both horns to the very base of his tail.

Yami had never seen such a strange dragon before in his life. There was something mildly enchanting about his design, though he was bewildered as to why even his teeth were so vibrant red like rubies.

The dragonet looked over after a long moment and seemed almost to stare into his face in turn, but the sensation passed. The other Divine glanced at his siblings, dismissive and annoyed, and turned angrily to stalk toward a small watering hole.

He'd been spending much of his time there. Yubel had spotted him more than once just that morning, peering into the water and looking at these gods to come as he called them. He'd watched Yami and Dimitri die the most, as if drawn to the absolute violence in the vision. Each time he'd bristled and growled, and Yubel had seen him salivate at one point though she couldn't pinpoint when.

The most she knew was that it was the death sequence. She'd gotten close enough to see it only once before Sartorius had abruptly turned to her and stuck his paw into the water to sever the image. He'd waited until she'd left to resume watching, as if somehow it had all become his own most beloved secret and she was no longer allowed to see even the smallest bit of it.

It worried her, but she was also happy to see him preoccupied with something. None of them bothered her as much these days.

Yubel stumbled across it. Sartorius was standing beside Zane and Syrus, blood pudding upon the ground and soaking his large paws. He'd quadrupled in size in only half the amount of moons. He stood so tall he almost reached his mother's shoulders. His paws were almost the same size as hers, his claws just as long and sharp as her own.

Zane lay on the ground feet away, bleeding so violently his snow-white body was soaked red. Syrus was crouched over him, horrified and checking to see if he was still breathing.

The white and blue male panicked as his head snapped around. "Mom!" he called frantically. Yubel stopped short, watching them with narrowed eyes, and Sartorius remained staring down at his younger brother where he lay sprawled across the ground. Syrus rushed forward, blue paws hitting the ground rapidly as he bristled fearfully. "Mom, Zane is hurt!"

She blinked and wondered why she didn't feel anything.

Yubel glanced at Sartorius just as he turned to face her. They eyed each other and for a moment her son didn't move. Then he looked slowly toward Syrus. Something ancient and cold flickered in his eyes and Yubel barely had a moment to think before Sartorius launched himself. He dug his huge claws into Syrus's shoulder and skull and, as the youngest fell, he snapped his teeth into his throat and tossed his head back.

Blood sprayed and Yubel stared, watching the smallest of her clutch drop lifelessly to the ground. His eyes were still wide open, burning into hers sightlessly. Yubel stared at the body for a moment, then slowly looked over to Sartorius once more.

"Why?"

It wasn't said angrily or even with bitterness. It was so simple a question in such a noncommittal, quiet tone, that even Sartorius stopped short. The hatchling peered back at her in silence for a long moment, then jumped away from the corpse and stood beside Zane where he lay unconscious once more.

"Why not?"

There were a million things Yubel considered saying.

She wanted to snap that taking a life wasn't so simple. She wanted to spit that they were his siblings. She wanted to tell him his father would be disappointed and furious. She wanted to say he would never pass from Purgatory.

But, looking at Sartorius as he stood there, covered in blood and peering at her with such a bored expression, she could say none of it.

Yubel blinked and turned her attention to Zane. "You should kill him, too, then, if that's what you're looking to do. Why bloody your paws with only one corpse?" she scoffed. And then she turned to make her way back into the den. Sartorius didn't speak from behind her and she wondered how long it would be then before he came for her.

As she lay down and placed her chin on her paws she wondered if she should even fight him when he came for her blood as well.

Sartorius didn't kill Zane immediately. Yubel watched him as he picked off pieces of flesh, tearing off portions of his tail first and then slowly his legs. Zane fought back as if it might help, but Sartorius was so much larger that it took only a shift of his weight and a single bite to pin or exhaust him. The Eternity Dragon bit and snapped and tried his hardest, but Sartorius never so much as flinched.

Yubel watched each day pass. Zane was in agony and Sartorius delighted in it. Every day a new part of Zane was torn away and eaten, until finally blood loss and malnourishment killed him. Yubel thought he was oddly lucky to die then, because Sartorius had dug his way through his stomach by that point.

She didn't say anything when he ate his little brother.

"Mother."

She looked up to find him watching. Sartorius stood feet away, lashing his tail and studying her intently. Yubel didn't lift her chin from her paws, watching him in turn. She bristled when he came forward, and her son stopped short as if he were puzzled by her discomfort. After a moment he took a seat and stared, voice low with frustration.

"I'm bored."

"You killed your siblings," she snapped. "What did you expect?"

He huffed. "You act as if you care," he scoffed. "You didn't even say to stop. You didn't even try to interfere. You just watched me do it. Why?"

She watched him, then smirked. "Why not?"

Her son stared at her emotionlessly for a long time, then slowly turned away.