25. Divine Sacrifices
25
Divine Sacrifices
Ki’REMI
T he following day unfolded in a slow, decadent haze of luxurious captivity, where time stretched and bent.
Ki’Remi spent the morning on the terrace, shirtless and barefoot, sipping a bitter brew of divine-tasting kahawa.
Issa lounged beside him, draped in nothing but silk sheets and indolence, her curls spilling over the divan like spun gold.
They bathed in a marble pool infused with minerals, the water curling around them in lazy, bioluminescent tendrils.
When hunger called, a feast materialized.
Honeyed fruits that melted on the tongue, meats so tender they dissolved at the slightest touch, wines distilled with the breath of stardust.
The Sacran gods, for all their arrogance, were experts in the art of indulgence.
Yet even amid the opulence, Ki’Remi remained restless.
His mind whirred like an unsilenced engine, his noids cataloging each detail of their prison, escape route, and watchers lurking in the shadows.
Ever perceptive, Issa read the tension in his shoulders and how his fingers curled into his palms, softening him with a brush of her lips against his jaw.
He got the hint, and he let himself breathe for now.
He savored the temporary peace, knowing all too well that war and reckoning lay waiting.
As celestial dusk settled over Sivania, the chamber doors whispered open.
A procession entered, figures that did not walk but glided, their movements effortless, their presence commanding.
They were the Sazarhi, attendants of the Divine Immortal.
Their forms flickered between flesh and light, shifting as they moved.
Their golden robes flowed like woven sunfire, their limbs were impossibly long, and their eyes were faceted like the purest diamonds.
Each bore a name spoken in reverence:
Asarei, Keeper of Cloth and Form, had skin like burnished copper, and eyes glowed with a supernova’s intensity. He announced the intent of the Zavei.
‘You are both summoned to attend the Lustrum of the First Tear, a sacred and secret feast of the Ascended Sedevan Deities.’
Selatiel, Weaver of Deific Thread, a creature of high cheekbones and dark, silken hair cascading down his back, his fingers shimmering with spun stardust.
Ishtari, Handmaiden of the Sky-Walkers, smiled with lips painted the deep blue of twilight, her voice a melody threaded through space.
They carried garments, unlike anything Ki’Remi had ever seen.
The robes shimmered with power, their textile constantly shifting. One moment, dark, like an abyss. The next, radiant like a nascent star.
The Sazarhi bowed, presenting the clothing with precise, measured grace.
The Rider frowned, glancing at Issa.
‘This is not a choice,’ she murmured, her fingers brushing the fabric of her gown. ‘It’s a test we’ve no option but to participate in.’
Of course, it was.
The Rider sucked his teeth, rolled his shoulders, taking the tunic and fitted trousers meant for him.
The material shifted under his grip, adjusting as he pulled it over his skin, molding to his form like a second layer of flesh.
A subtle energy wrapped around him as the garment fanned out into a celestial robe swirling with the colors and light whirls of distant nebulae.
Issa’s attire was just as exquisite. Her flowing gown was of dusk and fire, the hues varying as she moved as if woven from the fabric of the cosmos.
‘You look beautiful,’ he rasped, desire mounting him.
She caught his gaze, her expression caged and wary.
‘My love, while we are dressed like honored guests, don’t be lulled into thinking we are being lionized and esteemed. Nada , we’re the freakin’ entertainment, the ceremonial pigs readied for sacrifice.’
‘ Fokk .’
Their guards escorted them through the winding corridors of the celestial palace, their footfalls silent on the luminescent floors.
As they walked, Issa explained the intent of the night. ‘Every nine hundred and ninety-nine years, the gods partake in the Lustrum of the First Tear, which honors the mythic moment when the first god fell in, then lost their first love. Only the oldest gods attend, and only those who have known both ecstasy and loss may taste the final offering: the Starfruit of Longing, whose sweetness fades the moment it touches the tongue. Tis a chance for them to sight the demi-god who blasphemed Sulfiqar by stealing from the repository. Also, an excuse to party and make fun of those less deific than the guests. So buckle up, Rider.’
Before them, another set of colossal doors shimmered away, and Ki’Remi’s breath stalled.
The Divine Immortal’s dining hall was a place of paradox, a construct of excess and primal chaos.
He sent an invisible cloud of noids to help him make sense of it all, and in seconds, data tracked into his node.
Columns of raw nebulae twisted toward an endless ceiling, their gaseous forms fluctuating with colors that had no names.
A massive sky table stretched long and wide, its surface carved from what appeared to be solidified cosmic dust. It shimmered under the weight of celestial delicacies that defied logic.
Food hovered above in platters like floating ethereal displays of culinary alchemy.
With each air movement, the dishes pulsed, glistening as a reminder that this was no ordinary meal; this was divinity transformed into pure gratis.
Everywhere, beings of immeasurable beauty and power lounged, sprawled, laughed with abandon.
Some sat cross-legged on levitating cushions, others reclined upon gilded thrones, draped in silks spun from the breath of black holes.
The atmosphere was thick with the scent of ambrosial wines, spices harvested from far-flung dimensions, and a primal force, raw and unfiltered.
The moment Ki’Remi and Issa stepped in, the atmosphere shifted.
The female deities turned, eyes gleaming, smiles curling, predatory, and intrigued.
The male gods stiffened, their expressions flickering between irritation and thinly veiled disdain.
As they approached, the goddesses swarmed.
A voluptuous celestial with hair resembling cascading waterfalls leaned forward, golden fingers trailing along Ki’Remi’s arm.
‘What is this, Issandra?’ she purred, vocalization rich as molten honey. ‘Did you bring us a gift?’
Another, with obsidian-dark skin and piercing emerald eyes, traced a delicate nail down the collar of his tunic, appraising him.
‘Strong,’ she mused, edged with sultry amusement. ‘And beautiful. Your mortal is well-made, Issandra.’
The Sableman’s jaw tightened.
His silver meta tattoos flared, reacting to his annoyance, shifting in a silent warning.
The male gods sneered.
One of them, tall, angular-featured, clad in celestial blue robes, folded his arms across his chest.
‘A flesh-being among us. How quaint.’
Another, with a crown of star-metal woven into his braids, sipped from a hovering chalice. ‘What’s next? Shall we let the beasts of the lower realms live with us as well?’
Chuckles rippled through the hall, some lighthearted, some cruel.
Issa’s spine stiffened.
‘Careful, Yzhael,’ she murmured. ‘Your jealousy is showing.’
The male deity snarled.
‘Jealous? Of a mortal?’ His eyes flashed. ‘I’ve forgotten insects with more relevance.’
Ki’Remi smirked, tilting his head.
‘Strange, then,’ he drawled, ‘you sound so bothered.’
A tense pause fell.
Then, the goddesses burst into laughter, some tossing their heads back, their amusement like the chiming of celestial bells.
The gods’ expressions darkened.
Ki’Remi let Issa lead him to a divan, where he sat beside her in rigid silence, his eyes tracking the divine chaos around them.
The gods indulged with reckless cruelly.
One moment, mirth. The next, malice, laced with bored entitlement.
‘Watch, they’ll soon begin playing with fate and showing off,’ warned Issa as a plate of food and goblets of wine appeared before the couple. ‘Don’t take any insult to it. Don’t react either.’
A deity at the far end of the vast room lifted his hand as a cloud erupted from his palm.
A dark mist spread from it in an ominous ripple, latching onto the servers.
They cried out, their luminous bodies dimming as fever overtook them in an instant.
The god leaned back, watching in amusement.
Then, with a flick of his fingers, he rescinded it.
The servitors stumbled, gasping, eyes dilated in terror as their vitality returned in a flash.
His laughter rolled through the hall, cold and merciless.
Ki’Remi’s jaw flexed. ‘What the actual fokk was that?’
Issa sighed. ‘That is Sal’Zet, the deity of both plague and healing.’
The Rider’s narrowed gaze locked on the immortal in question.
Issa continued, voice steady. ‘Before germ theory, disease was not understood as a biological function. Twas considered a punishment, a divine impurity of the soul, so, the god who could restore health -.’
‘Would also be the one to take it away,’ Ki’Remi finished grimly.
She nodded. ‘Balance. Duality. It’s in their nature. As is their exhibitionism.’
A bark of laughter sounded at Ki’Remi’s elbow.
Another sleek, silver-eyed divinity with a knowing smirk reached toward the Sableman’s wrist and snatched his comm-link.
The device flickered to life in the god’s palm, cycling through holo projections as he played with the security encryption like a child toying with a puzzle.
Then, bored, he tossed it back to Ki’Remi with a lazy chuckle before strolling away.
‘That,’ Issa murmured, ‘is Saziel, the deity of commerce and discourse. And also, the god of deception and theft.’
Ki’Remi exhaled through his nose. ‘Of course he is. An infant, too, I see.’
The histrionics were not over yet, for the room shook next.
Goblets toppled, and the chandeliers above them swayed precariously.
The grand doors burst open, revealing a towering deity wreathed in mist.
His presence twisted the air, his eyes the heart of a maelstrom.
‘The God of the Sea,’ Issa murmured, unfazed. ‘As you can imagine, the god of tsunamis, earthquakes, and destruction.’
Ki’Remi muttered a curse. ‘This is fokked .’
Another deific creature raised a golden goblet, grinning with a wicked smirk before taking a long sip.
A moment later, a ripple of lunacy swept through the hall.
Some gods erupted into laughter, others howled, shrieking like unhinged beasts, while some slumped in absolute despair.
One deity leaped onto the table, knocking over entire platters as he sang in a voice thick with madness.
Issa shook her head. ‘Ssisfet. God of revelry, indulgence, and chaos. Also infamous as the one who inspires either ecstasy or complete insanity.’
Sammit, the controller of the Sullied, eyed it all with a cruel smirk.
His hand shot out, grabbing one of the female goddesses beside him.
She shrieked as the reality around them fractured, an invisible rift ripping open behind them.
With a single movement, he dragged her through it.
The sound of hell clawed through the air, screams, howls, whispers that slithered under the skin.
The goddess reappeared moments later, stumbling back into her seat, shaking violently, her hands covering her ears.
Ki’Remi stiffened.
Issa’s expression was neutral. ‘Sammit controls the veil betwixt heaven and Hades.’
Ki’Remi’s lips pressed into a hard line.
A stunning creature whose form flickered from flesh and light and whose golden eyes were bright with mirth and cruelty turned her eyes to the couple.
Issa leaned into her man. ‘Tis Solange, the divinity of attraction, is also a jealous witch, so secure your junk around her.’
The female deity in question sashayed over, hips swinging. She inclined toward Ki’Remi, her voice honeyed.
‘You are new among us, mortal. It’s a rare treat. Perhaps you could teach me a few new tricks?’
‘No chance,’ The Rider drawled, disinterested.
Issa snorted. ‘He’s not buying Solange.’
The goddess smirked, unfazed. ‘Love is fickle, you know. So am I.’
Issa’s expression turned wry. ‘Ain’t that the truth.’
‘Find me, mortal, when you get bored of her,’ Solange smiled and twisted away from the pair, sashaying as she searched for easier prey.
Ki’Remi exhaled, shaking his head. ‘This entire feast is a joke.’
Just then, a more brutish Athena leaned toward Issa, her countenance devoid of humor, her voice like steel wrapped in velvet.
‘We expected you,’ she murmured.
Issa’s spine stiffened. ‘Why do you say so, Somayeh?’
The goddess’s fingers traced the rim of her goblet, her nails taloned and shaped from black diamonds.
‘Your presence here was long foretold.’
Issa swallowed. ‘Why?’
The immortal’s gaze slid in the direction of Ki’Remi, assessing him.
‘Because it was prophesied eons ago that Sulfiqar’s downfall would come at the hands of three potent wizards. At the behest of you both.’
A slow, predatory smirk curled Ki’Remi’s lips. ‘ Nada , no idea of what you speak of.’
The goddess tilted her head, eyes glittering with amusement.
Her stare locked onto him, raking over and impossibly through him.
‘ Naam , you do, for you are more than you seem.’
Issa’s breath caught, and Ki’Remi’s mind flooded with the vision of his shifting spirits.
The ancient warlock, witchman, and warrior.
The Seer, Soothsayer, and Sorcerer within him were like the echoes of a force older than time.
Somayeh raised her goblet, taking an unhurried sip.
‘Whatever you two have come to stir up, tis not a game, Issandra Elaris Astraeus D’Leqan. Tis war.’
Irritated, Issa clapped back. ‘Appears you’ve already started one by ridding yourself of Ssigard. Where is your husband, pray to tell?’
‘Tis not of consequence; all that matters is one deity. Sulfiqar.’
The name landed like an invocation to battle, laced with bitter anger.
She bent forward, her breath warm as it washed over them both.
‘The Divine Immortal is unwell.’
‘We know that,’ Issa gritted.
The goddess tilted away from them. ‘He’s now out of control, half out of his mind, an unchecked storm in a blitzkrieg of vengeance.’
Her gaze darkened.
‘And tempests destroy. We can’t have that.’
With that, she marched away, leaving the couple alone.
Issa exhaled, shaking her head. ‘They’re petulant children.’
Ki’Remi curled a lip, still unimpressed. ‘Agreed.’
Issa arched a brow. ‘However, all they do is amplify our behavior, for we demi-gods and mere mortals all have bad days, tantrums, and weaknesses.’
The Sableman scoffed, rolling his deltoids. ‘Not me.’
She snorted. ‘Arrogant mofo.’
His grin was slow and dangerous.
She shook her head, her voice softening. ‘Don’t tumble into the trap of thinking you are a god, handsome. The fall from that precipice is lethal.’
Her eyes flickered with emotion, a fusion of regret and nostalgia. ‘I would know.’
Ki’Remi leaned in, placed an arm around her shoulders, and kissed her temple. ‘It shall all be well.’
‘It better be, Remi, for my father’s sake.’
‘ Kidaya ,’ he murmured, lending her the strength to cling on as the feast continued in a surreal blend of hedonism and strategic jostling.
Platters shimmered, shifting into whatever its consumer most desired.
The drinks were no less mesmerizing.
Goblets of luminescent nectar transitioned from sapphire to liquid gold with each sip.
Some sparkled like suspended constellations, tiny flecks of celestial light swirling in intoxicating spirals.
Finally, trays were brought out, heaped with the Starfruit of Longing .
The gods clamored among themselves to taste their sweetness the longest before it faded away in seconds.
Ki’Remi observed the banquet with suspicion, his fingers tightening around his tumbler of straight rum as the gods indulged without restraint.
‘This,’ he muttered under his breath, gaze flicking to Issa, ‘is the most excessive shit I’ve ever seen.’
She smirked, swirling the glowing liquid in her goblet. ‘Welcome to a feast of the divine, Commander. Try not to drown in decadence.’
Through it all, Ki’Remi kept his narrowed eyes on it all, skeptical, listening, assessing.
The gods were not benevolent.
They were chaotic, indulgent, primal.
They fiddled with their food.
They toyed with their subjects and flaunted their powers.
They did not have one iota of graciousness, treating their servers with incivility.
He hated the entire charade but bore it for her sake because his woman wasn’t just enduring this.
She was waiting.
Planning, biding her time, and Ki’Remi was ready to torch it all down for her when she whispered the word.