The Forgotten God

Part Two

            Nightcriers filled the night with their cries as the winds blew with an ominous howl. Their screeching echoed loudly throughout the starry night sky. In the town of Bloomdale, residing on the continent of Gaiya, there were no voices to be heard outside. The only voices that could be heard resided within the home of the ‘Red Witch’.

            A purplish glow illuminated within the home of the “Red Witch’. And the others who resided within the home as well, all gathered around the illuminating light. From the illuminating light, two creatures stepped forward. “Aerose!” a woman in red reached for him, hugging him as she graced her hands through his hair. “I’m glad you’re okay.”, her voiced filled with worry.

            “Dahlia, it’s good to see you sister, to see all of you.” Aerose glanced around the room looking at the others that stood by him. He focused his attention to the man wearing a blindfold, “Apollo, it’s good to see you brother— even though you can’t see me.” He smiled at him.

            Apollo, wearing what looks like to be a bright golden yellow armor grabs Aerose’s arm and pulls him in for a hug. “I can see enough brother. And I can feel you too.” He gleefully responded.

            Aerose looking strangely at him for a moment. “Let’s not make it awkward now…”, he says as he releases his grip from Apollo and turns his attention to the other person standing next to Apollo. She stood shorter in stature to both Apollo and Aerose. Her lengthy seaweed green hair tied behind her. Her bare face looked up at Aerose, both locking eyes with one another before embracing with a hug. “It’s been awhile since I’ve seen you little sister. I thought you might have gotten lost on the seas.” He happily held her.

            “I’m sorry I haven’t kept in contact. But truly, I have missed you all so much.” She tearfully said as she squeezed onto Aerose’s body.

            “It’s okay Tabitha. All that matters is that we’re all together now.” Aerose reassured her, but Dahlia interrupted.

            “Well… not all of us is here.” her face dropped, filled with sadness. Madeline wrapped her arms around Dahlia shoulders comforting her. Aerose made his way over towards Dahlia, placing her hands in his.

            “Don’t worry sister, wherever Janu is… We’ll bring him back.” Aerose tried to assure her.  Dahlia wanted to believe Aerose, but there was something that filled her with doubt.

            “Are we even sure we can trust Janu?” Apollo intervened.

            Aerose, Madeline, Tabitha, and Dahlia all looked at Apollo. “How can you even say that brother, Janu is our brother!” Aerose retaliated. Apollo inhaled a deep breath before speaking once more.

            “Look. I know he is our brother and I love him too but—“ this time Dahlia intervened on the conversation.

            “But nothing!” Dahlia added, “To you, he is your brother, but to me he is more than that. He is a part of me as I am to him. And if something were to ever happen to him… I’d be empty.” A tear came rushing down on Dahlia’s cheek at the thought of losing her brother Janu. Apollo stayed silent and held his tongue—knowing the next words that came out would fill Dahlia with even more sorrow. Instead he walked over towards her— the two held one another as Apollo apologized.

            The five siblings sat down around one another— deciding their next moves. Aerose who was most recently attacked remembered what the shadowy figure had told him. “We need to know who or what the ‘Forgotten God’ is.” He calmly spoke. But Madeline interjected with her own plan.

            “Why don’t we just interrogate one of the attackers?” She added before conjuring a portal and pulling out a shadowy figure in the middle of the siblings. The shadowy figure laid in the center— bound and surrounded by the five siblings.

            “Wait, you’ve had one of them the whole time and decided to bring them out just now!” Apollo furiously hounded at Madeline.

            “Calm down Apollo. I wanted all six of us to be together, but since Janu’s missing, the five of us will have to do.” She responded. Aerose glanced over at Madeline, curious he wanted to know how she manage to capture him. But before he asked, Aerose removed the figure’s cowl, only to reveal it was just another witch.

            “He’s just a witch,” Aerose let out unimpressed by the man, “But how is it that you managed to capture him Madeline? I assume like my attacker, your attackers also killed themselves with an incantation.”

            Madeline grabbed the bound witch by his head, “I cursed his tongue before he could finish his incantation.”

            “Clever.” Apollo praised her.

            “If his tongue is cursed, then how are we supposed to interrogate him?” Tabitha wondered. The others looked at one another, but the clever Madeline already had a plan.

            “Easy, I’ll tap into his mind and I’ll be able to see what he’s seen. I’m sure if he’s with the Forgotten God, then he must’ve seen it.” Madeline confidently assured the others. “But in order to completely see into his mind, he has to be still as a stick,” she looked over towards Dahlia, “So Dahlia, I need you to use your blood magic to make him still. I know you’ve haven’t used it for years, but—“

            “I’ll do it,” Dahlia interrupted her, “I’ll do whatever it takes to find and bring Janu home.” The desperation in Dahlia worried Aerose. But he sensed dark times coming and he knew that his siblings would have to be prepared to do whatever it takes to fight against the oncoming force.

            Madeline laid the bound witch flat on Dahlia’s dark wood floors. She placed her hands upon his head glancing up at Dahlia, “Are you ready sister?” she asked.

            Dahlia nodded her head, “As ready as I can be.” She answered. Dahlia raised her hands in front of her, maneuvering her hands in an intricate pattern. And with her final gesture, a frightening force possessed the bound witch. With the bound witch compelled, Madeline began her incantation— her head tilted up and her purple eyes shimmered radiantly with the completion of her spell. Madeline was now entranced.

            Now the only thing left to do for the remaining siblings, was to wait. And hope that Madeline can find the answers they’re looking for.