The Void Wolf

A day passed since the war had come to an end. The next step for the Dark Elves was to rebuild. Ira was the one who drove the process forward and set about to accomplish some unknown task while instructing everyone else to look for survivors of the Unified Army. If they were without major injury they would be sent off with moderate supplies. If they were in critical condition they would be put out of their misery.

Of course, sending away wasn’t an act of mercy but a way to send a message. The survivors of the Angel’s war would tell everyone else what happened which would prevent anyone else from taking action. After all, if a God and an army of Angels, as well as millions of mortals, failed to stop Ira, who could?

“Anyone alive?” A Lycanthrope asked as he tossed away a boulder.

“No, not a soul.” His Dark Elf companion responded. “Wait…”

She lifted a few loose rocks and found a withered and pale body of what used to be a young man. His hair had lost its color and fell out in some places while his body looked emaciated.

“Wait a minute, come here!” The Dark Elf called the Lycanthrope over.

“What? If it’s someone who is wounded just kill them.” The Lycanthrope trudged over while frowning but as he laid eyes on the shriveled body his expression changed.

“It’s him...Randolph. The one they called the Champion of the Gods.” The Lycanthrope sneered.

“He’s still alive,” The Dark Elf said grimly.

“Good.” The Lycanthrope cracked his knuckles with a smile, making his intentions clear.

“Are you an idiot?” His companion asked with a shocked expression. “We have to bring him to the Keeper. If you killed him the Keeper would surely be disappointed and do you know what her Majesty would do to you? Haven’t you heard the stories?” The Dark Elf grew frantic at the thought.

Although Ira hadn’t punished anyone, Sylun was quick to do so for anyone who she deemed to have failed in their duties or disappointed Ira. It was a rare event for her to do so but she would gladly get rid of an incompetent individual without hesitation.

“You’re right!” The Lycanthrope became aware of his mistake. “I’ll go tell someone you keep an eye on him!”

With that, he ran off into the distance as fast as he could.

…

Inside of the Underground City, Ira walked through the streets with his family in tow. Lauren and Casey were also following them per Ira’s request. Sylun also hovered nearby with a contingent of guards but kept her distance as to not interrupt Ira’s moment with his family. Since the citizens of the Underground City had yet to return to their homes due to the destruction, Ira was able to move in peace.

“I’ve spoken to the Gods,” Ira said suddenly.

At that moment, everyone seemed to stop except for his children who followed him like ducklings.

“What?” Avery was the first to regain her calm and asked him a question. She resumed walking and caught up to him while everyone else reacted a second later.

“Before I get into that, I should tell you that I’ve seen Kara Thynne in the Divine Realm, at least I think I have.” Ira glanced over his shoulder at Lauren.

“My Mother!” Lauren couldn’t maintain a calm expression. “She really did ascend?! Did she say anything?”

“I wasn’t able to speak to her. I just recognized her from that old statue you used to have in front of the Thynne Family Manor.” Ira grinned. Since he was technically sharing knowledge from the Divine Realm it stood to reason he should’ve been activated the Trumpets of Punishment but nothing happened. He was the only who noticed it and understood what it meant. Whatever the presence was that allowed him to stay in the Mortal Realm had truly given him free reign.

“Ira...what did you speak to the Gods about?” Avery asked with waning patience. Recently, it had seemed like he began to keep more secrets from her.

“I just left them with a few threats but I really plan on killing them.” Ira looked down at his children who looked clueless at the subject matter of the conversation.

“You would have to ascend and leave this world for that to happen.” Avery raised her voice. "That's not something you can just say lightly, Ira. You must understand what you're saying."

Even Rhys looked shocked since ascension, as far as people in the Mortal Realm knew, meant never returning. Though Ira had other plans and wouldn’t permanently separate himself from his family no matter what.

“Yeah, I know,” Ira responded calmly. “If I left things as they were what would stop the Gods from attacking again? I'd rather not go through that again. You were injured and our children were forced to fight. If I hadn't escaped from the Tartarus what would've happened then?”

An uneasy silence fell as Ira defended his plans to fight with the Gods. Thinking logically, Avery was unable to disagree with him. Think emotionally, she hated the thought of it.

The only reason that Ira could remain in the Mortal Realm was due to the mutual understanding between him and the presence that spoke to him before. If he never ascended and gave up on killing the Gods it was likely that the presence would allow the Gods to do as they like.

“Does that mean you have to leave?” Raveria was quick to catch on. Her shaky voice broke the silence.

When Ira looked down at her he could see her yellow eyes stared at him blankly on the verge of tears.

“At some point, but not right now.” Ira stopped to kneel down and look her in the eyes. “I promise I won’t leave that easily.”

He looked at Zephyr and Valeryn too in order to share the same message with them. After that, he stood up and continued walking. Everyone had to adjust to the new information and there were many questions they wanted to ask but it didn’t seem like Ira wanted to answer them.

Ira finally came to a complete standstill when he reached a portion of the Underground City that was exposed to the sky. The sunlight beamed down, causing him to glance at the clear sky above him.

“I know there are things that you might want to ask me but I’m really tired. I just want to close my eyes and rest for a few days.” Ira lifted his marked arm, pointing it upward. The black lines that covered it weaved together, producing a strange pattern.

“But I guess there are things that need to be done before that.” Ira continued with a sigh.

He had taken Rythar’s Divinity and consumed it and it, in turn, became something else. It didn’t give Ira divinity but it altered something inside of him.

Under his command, the sky began to turn black, casting a shadow on the Underground City. From that shadow, a faint cloud of black mist swept over the entirety of the city for a few seconds. The broken and shattered buildings that made up the city were rebuilt in an instant. It was similar to Raveria's ability to manipulate time but he altered reality itself, shifting the affected areas back to a previous state. Though, that was probably the least surprising thing he would do.

The Red Moon appeared and served as the only light in the darkened sky, illuminating the Underground City. The ground outside the city shifted, a massive stone wall was created around the entire city. Meanwhile, the aged cavern which obscured the city from sunlight was eroded away by the black mist, exposing the entire city to the outside.

“K-Keeper!” Sylun and the soldiers with her knelt down.

“Ira? What are you doing?” Avery asked softly. The pure astonishment could be observed on her face.

“I’ve fixed things,” Ira replied.

“If the cave is gone what happens when the sun comes out, Dad?” Zephyr asked.

“Ah, you won't be able to see it from inside the city,” Ira answered with a warm smile.

“Forever?” Raveria asked with wide-eyes.

“That’s right. Unless I change my mind and revert it back, this city won’t ever see sunlight.”

Valeryn’s eyes flashed with admiration after hearing his father's words.

It wasn’t long ago when he had learned to cut through space, taking after Ira’s footsteps but now he couldn’t even begin to fathom how to replicate his father’s actions. Luckily, he wasn't discouraged and his mind began surging with thoughts. Valeryn’s eyes allowed him to see a world of things that could be cut apart. If he wanted to grow he knew that he would need to look beyond that.

Ira looked at Valeryn, instantly understanding what was on his son’s mind. Raveria and Zephyr had shown growth but they weren’t as enthusiastic as Valeryn. It seemed to be the only thing that really grabbed his interest was advancing his own abilities.

“Keeper, please accept my heartfelt thanks.” Sylun pressed her forehead against the ground. Ignoring all pretenses of a ruler and showing the utmost amount of respect to Ira.

“Hey, come on, stop that.” Ira helped her up. “You don’t need to do that, really.”

Prior to consuming Rythar’s divinity Ira’s might have been able to maintain that he wasn’t a God. After killing a God who possessed a mortal’s body and driving away the Angels, there was no way he would be able to convince people he wasn’t.

“If you wish, Keeper.” Sylun stood up slowly.

“Now, the real issue here is what to the name the city.” Ira stroked his chin.

“What are you talking about?” Avery asked.

“It’s not underground anymore so we can’t really call it the Underground City can we?” Ira’s question caused her to be a bit dumbfounded. The fact that his focus was on something as simple as the name of the city instead of his own power made her brow twitch in frustration.

Noticing the change in Avery, Ira hurriedly changed the subject. “We can think of the new name some other time. How about we go back for now?”

“Keeper!” A Lycanthrope ran toward Ira, interrupting him. He knelt down immediately and passed over the news before Sylun had a chance to reprimand him.

“We’ve discovered Randolph’s body outside the city, Keeper. It appears that he managed to survive but he is extremely weakened.”

“Oh? Well, bring him to me.” Ira looked genuinely surprised. He had to give Randolph credit because, in Gavreel’s memories, there was an insignificant chance of Randolph surviving the possession. In fact, even if he did survive he would be stripped of all power and effectively crippled from the shock which seemed to be the current case.

After Ira gave his orders, Sylun instructed a group of Dark Elves to go retrieve while they returned to the palace. Many still remained in awe of the darkness covering the city and it was likely that they wouldn’t get over it for some time.