Bloodlines of the Ancient Pantheons 113 CXIII. The Consolation

Making a lousy noise, Kenneth slipped down, leaving a blood print on the wall.

When he touched the ground, his head moved slightly to emit one last burst of nerves before he died.

Dag dropped the hammer to the ground.

His body returned to its original color, while the black liquid redistributed and was absorbed into the arms.

He looked at Kenneth's dismembered body, then turned to the farm.

Karl and Reidar were watching him and witnessing the whole scene.

Dag knelt down, desperate.

Tears also began to flow from his right eye, which returned to its original color.

"Why... why couldn't I stop?!" he thought, looking back at his hands, they too in their normal color.

Karl and Reidar looked at their Captain, terrified.

"Nooo! My son!" the woman yelled, making her way between the two warriors and running desperately towards the corpse.

Behind her, the old man stood at the edge of the door, his eyes lost in the void.

The old woman bent over to what was left of her son's body, crying like a wild thing.

"Why?! Why did you kill him brutally?! You're a monster!" he yelled at Dag, who was still with tears in his eyes.

Dag did not turn to her and closed his eyes.

He was deeply wounded: his body had prevailed over his brain and although he wanted to stop before killing Kenneth, he failed.

As he listened to the woman's weeping of despair, Dag knelt in the same position for a few minutes, until he felt a hand on his shoulder.

He opened his eyes and saw Reidar next to him, handing him the necklace with the bronze eye.

"This is yours, Captain. Now get up" he said in a cold tone, looking forward.

Dag got up and rested on his companion's shoulder, walking to the farm.

Karl kept staring at him, while the old man went to his wife, to comfort her.

Without saying a word, Dag picked up the Red Executioner from the ground, tying it behind his back and heading toward his horse.

Reidar nodded his hand at Karl, who seemed paralyzed.

"We can't stay here, we have to leave" the archer said, as the Sun began to rise in the sky, illuminating the forest around them.

With his armor, hammer, and arms still covered in blood, Dag climbed the horse, soiling his patchy hair after resting his hand on it.

He began to ride, moving away from the farm, and his companions followed him.

When they were far enough away to no longer hear the woman's screams, Dag stopped and got off the horse, lying on the ground.

Reidar grabbed Aslan's bridle, to prevent him from escaping.

"Captain! Are you all right?!" he said, trying to figure out if Dag had fainted.

But Dag's eyes were open and pointed to the sky.

"What have I done..." said softly.

His companions stopped beside him, after tying the horses.

"I've never seen you hit someone so violently" Karl said.

Reidar remained silent.

"I let the black fluid expand at will within me. My strength grew out of proportion, I felt I could lift a whole mountain" Dag said, continuing to stare at the sky.

Karl and Reidar remained silent.

"It was a feeling of omnipotence... but it wasn't just that. I could no longer control myself, I felt a desire for blood and violence boiling in my blood. For a few seconds it wasn't me who was in control of my body" he continued.

"Then you must continue to practice! I'm sure you'll soon be able to fully control your powers, preventing them from taking control!" said Karl, approaching Dag and trying to lift his spirits.

He held out a hand towards him, to help him get up from the ground.

Dag got up with Karl's help.

"I didn't want to kill him... his parents were there... and they witnessed their son's death" Dag said, whining.

"I'm sure he would have done the same to you" said Reidar, who was close to the horses.

Dag turned to him, looking at him with sorry eyes.

"If he could beat you in the fight, he would have killed you, I'm sure. He had also stated it before he started... I don't understand why you seem sorry now, Captain" he continued.

Dag walked up to him and said: "This is not the first time I've killed someone. He had one of the emblems and I was stronger than him... I've earned it. But losing control of your actions... it's the worst thing that can happen!"

Reidar looked down, understanding Dag's feeling.

"You must use your powers, as you said. Maybe increasing the concentration of magenta blood in your body will help you maintain control. It was a scary scene, but I assure you, I could sense your power from a distance, Dag. I'm going to study a method, I'll be able to figure out how to help you… this is a promise" Karl said, convinced of his thesis.

Dag calmed down and took a water bag, pouring some water to wash the blood out of his hands.

"We had a little rest tonight, but we must set out on our journey. Other days of walking await us" he said.

His companions nodded.

...

Meanwhile, near the farm, the two old people were still bent over the lifeless body of their son Kenneth.

Suddenly, they stopped crying.

They rose to their feet, looking in the direction in which Dag and his companions had strayed as if nothing mattered to their only son's corpse.

Both the old woman and her husband stood motionless looking towards the forest.

Their eyes were of an intense purple.

...

"As we continue in this direction, we should arrive at FossilWood Forest just before sunset" Reidar said, looking at the map while riding.

"All right. Lead the way, Reidar" Dag said.

Chapter end