"Aureus."

I shut my eyes, calling out him with all the love my broken heart had. I called him with every ounce of myself. I called him with all the dedication that I could muster. Somehow I thought it would be enough.

I wasn't even sure what I was trying to do. My rational thoughts had abandoned me completely. Was I trying to call him back? Was that even possible? I placed my open palms on the grass and took shuddering breaths. Somehow, the eerie atmosphere of the cemetery was not affecting me at all. I couldn't understand why.

Perhaps my grief left no place for fear.

"Aris," I whispered in a prayer. "Aris...keep your promise. You said you won't leave me."

I gasped as I suddenly became aware of the rapid temperature drop around me. It was cold. Frozen. My teeth chattered, my breath escaping in thick fog in front of my face. I was aware of a presence. Who could it be in the cemetery apart from myself? I slowly realized that it wasn't just a single person, multiple people were there.

They were here.

I took a deep breath, feeling raw, intensive power focusing through my veins. A putrid scent entered my nostrils, almost making me gag. The darkness behind my eyelids seemed to be the solitary absolute. My ears rang with the gradually increasing loud wails and painful moans. People, lamenting, crying, screaming hysterically, howling.

People no longer alive.

I shivered slightly, opening my eyes as I gazed around at the now occupied cemetery. Phantoms. A thick fog encircled me as I sat on my knees as if in prayer. The fog was cold, deathly cold and still, unmoving. As if the very air had solidified. I was no longe aware of my breathing lungs or my beating heart. I gazed at the silent fog.

"Aris?"

The wails quietened down as if on my command, the fog however remained still as before. I had been able to call for my mother. If Aris had truly left me, he would have to yield to my calls as well. Frustrated, I shut my eyes and called for him again.

"Aris..."

My frustration mounted the longer that the emptiness did. The silence rose to deafening as if even the spirits were waiting for his response.

Why wouldn't he answer?

I wanted to grunted in frustration, grabbing my hair and panting. I swayed on the spot, shutting my eyes so tight that it was almost painful. With every ounce of my powers, I called for him.

And then, the earth was ripped apart.

The ground under my feet rumbled, as if awoken form a slumber. I opened my eyes and gazed around to see that the spirits had disappeared, what was happening right now however, was beyond my most horrifying nightmare.

Cracks appeared on the mossy grounds, scraggly, decaying arms reaching out, clawing through the surface. I watched, my chest heaving as under the ethereal lights, corpses rose from the dead all around me. The dirt and soil flew helter-skelter as scraggly arms appeared, slowly, their entire bodies rose from the earth. I watched, paralyzed as what looked like human bodies with varying levels of decay staggered to their feet.

Their frail forms were shadowed by the silver moonlight. Rotting, decaying skin hung off limply, half eaten by microbes. Some had their tattered clothes still hanging off them, others were completely naked, revealing pieces of flesh gone beyond recognition. I could see men, women even children. They stood still around me, moaning, wailing, howling in pain. Others remained quiet, stupefied.

I should have felt repulsed. I should have felt my skin crawling and my chest freezing in terror. However, all I felt was still emptiness.

I searched among the unrecognisable faces. What was I reaching for? I wasn't sure. I let out a frustrated sigh, my brain incoherent and called again. I was no longer aware of anything, an expanding infinite darkness took hold of my chest. The air was rife with the smell of rotten flesh, making me feel sicker. I didn't relent my calling as more and more corpses rose till I was surrounded what felt like at least a hundred.

He wasn't here. I had to have him back.

I took shuddering breath and tried to call again before a shrill cry pierced the silent air.

"Asterius!"

I slowly rose to my feet and turned around. The circle of corpses around me gave way and I saw the tall, muscular frame of Helios, flanked by a horrified Azure.

"Ezekiel," Helios spoke, "stop this right now."

I gazed at him. His face was pale, his eyes trying hard and failing to mask the fear. Azure looked similarly terrified, his eyes struggling to hide some hidden emotion. I sneered. Fucking cowards.

"Bring Aureus back," I spoke through a haze. I was mildly surprised to find my voice steady. It seemed to echo around the empty ground and even through the terrifying sound of the corpses, it held more command than Helios' had. "Bring him back."

Azure took a deep bretah, his voice trembling slightly as he spoke. With sadistic pleasure I realized he was scared of me. "Ezekiel, I understand the loss-"

"You don't understand any fucking thing, Azure," I said, taking a step closer to him. "You only care about your fucking prophecy."

He flinched slightly at my harsh words, but I didn't care. They couldn't harm me. They needed me alive to kill me at the right time.

My body vibrated with anger. Or was it my own powers? I wasn't sure. "Bring him back or else I'll fucking destroy everything."

I didn't know why I was threatening him. I needed to do something. I needed to know that he would come back. The anguish was unbearable.

I advanced on them, my brain incoherent with anger. What gave them the right to stand here in front of me?

"Ezekiel," Helios began. "You...you need to accept in order to move on-"

I laughed deliriously, my brain unhinged. "Fuck you, Helios."

I was perhaps committing some sort of blasphemy,but what punishment could they give me that would cause pain greater than this? It was impossible to.

He recoiled, his eyes expressionless as he studied me.

"Aren't you fucking Gods?" I couldn't keep the mockery off my voice. "Aren't you supposed to be all powerful? Why the fuck do you need me then? You have temples in your name. You are immortal. You are who people worship. I had one fucking thing and that has been taken from me. Give me one good reason why I shouldn't burn down everything this instant?"

They stared at me, horrified.

Pathetic. All of them.

I opened my palm, feeling a swirling orb of light revolving on it. Azure eyed it warily, his gaze returning to mine, calmly.

"Burn it, Ezekiel."

I stared at him. The air around us had solidified, the temperature dropping to negative. He gazed at me, his eyes impassive. I glanced at Helios and saw that he looked as shocked and terrified as I felt. Azure advanced on me, his gaze unwavering.

I glancd between the two of them, the monster inside me finally unleashed.

Azure took a deep breath and spoke, "Destroy everything."

And then I did.