In the beginning

There were the heavens, the earth and the end

The realm of gods, the realm of mortals, and the space between

The great creator appointed the heavenly deities as guardians of mortality and its entities

Thus, they built the earth

From their lungs they exhaled the air we breathe

With their fingertips they drew out the constellations

Anger dug crevasses into the land and joy extended mountainous peaks into the sky

Where they walked, footprints filled with waters to form lakes and rivers

Forests and grasslands were spun from locks of their hair, life springing from seeds sown by their hands

Humanity was the final gift bestowed upon a glorious world

Our history has been long

We are no strangers to war, famine, disease and disadvantage

The gods wanted only good for the people of our world, but their meddling was not without flaw

Some sought to bring an end to their reign, to give humanity freedom from their will

But no human could compare to the power of the gods

Still, even with their disciples singing their praises, it was not enough to convince humanity of their purpose

So they granted a select few humans the gift of their power

We, the blessed ones

Chosen by the gods to guide humanity towards a brighter future

We are the guardians of the mortal realm

And unto that sacred vow

We shall offer our lives willingly

When he awoke, he knew something was different.

There was a stillness within him that was entirely foreign, as if his heartbeat had been stilled by a suffocating entity. A hollowness that comes with losing a part of yourself, that eats away at what remains within you. 

“A-Aru?” his voice broke the silence, cutting through it like a blade. There was no response.

So, he stands. He stretches out the ache in his joints, and leaves his bed. Whatever is amiss, it cannot be ignored.

He steps out of the small shelter that had become a temporary home to him. It is far too early in the morning for anybody else to be around, but from the light cast upon the clouds, the sun will soon rise.

He winds his way through the village, ascending the hill that wraps behind the buildings. As he reaches its summit, he casts his gaze across the distant water. As he observes the oncoming dawn, he cannot feel the familiar surge in power that comes with the day. If he has truly lost his power, what does it mean for this place that he had come to protect?

As light pierces the horizon, spilling hues of orange and gold across the sky, he breathes a shaky sigh. As he breathes in, he feels his lungs stick to his chest, as if he is suffocating on the very air he breathes. He is filled by a heavy emptiness, growing with each inhalation and sinking into the depths of his bones. It lingers there, clinging to his being.

But the world is calm. As the sunrise eases into day, it comes alive just as it always does. The wind rustles through the trees, birds sing to boast their voices, the scent of salt stings his nose as the ocean breeze comes in. In spite of his fear, all appears well.

“How long since they left?”

(Not long. You woke up the moment they vanished.) Odd. His entire life he’d never heard of a God leaving their blessed. So what now? (Somebody is-)

“Kou. Your immediate return is requested. Coordinates for extraction are being sent. Please make haste.”

That was a particularly bad sign. The Oracle hadn’t spoken directly to him since his awakening, so to contact him implied some great disaster had befallen his God. 

He felt the vibrations of his phone signaling the arrival of the promise text; the portal would open at 06:00. No time for goodbyes. The villagers would surely think he abandoned them. 

He grits his teeth as he returns to his temporary home and gathers what few belongings he’d brought with him. His bag, his clothes. He leaves what food and water he had left. They needed it more than he would. By the time he’s ready, the hour is already upon him, and he makes his way to the coordinates.

It had been more than a year since he last set foot in Sanctuary. Perhaps it was better that way, to never linger in Sanctuary. To always have one foot outside of it, to never know its flaws. It could remain the perfect home; one he always craved but could never truly settle within.

The portal opens, perfectly on time, as always. As he steps through the gateway, he can feel the chill of space warping around him. He steps onto the marble floor, nearly slipping on a slick substance that trails from the same gate he has come from. His stomach drops when he recognises the marks as blood, freshly spilled and leading to a familiar person. 

He’s not the only blessed who was summoned home. A few stand around in the room, finally reunited with their allies after whatever missions they’d been sent on. But the source of blood is only a few paces away, kneeling on the ground, hand gripping the wound responsible for the crimson trail that separates him from Kou.

“Ren?” Kou’s greeting betrays his horror. He acts on instinct, stumbling to the blessed’s side, reaching out to find the wounds. He bundles the cloth of his jacket, putting pressure on the injury and checking Ren’s pulse.

“Long time no see,” the man tries to smile, but even the great Hero of Taiwan cannot withstand the pain of a bullet wound. It’s a good sign, that he can smile. His pulse is steady, so Kou relaxes, if only slightly.

“What is going on in here?” 

“Fuck if I know. Gods abandoned us? Seems like everybody’s been called back.”

Everybody?

His first instinct is to search the room for the Life blessed, but if the Gods really did abandon them, she would be little help right now. Which means he needs real treatment. 

“Where are the Elders? Do they know you’re injured?” Ren only nods weakly, then rests his head on Kou’s shoulder. His anxiety returns in full force, “Don’t fall asleep!” If the Elders knew, they would surely fix this. They would fix everything. 

He can guess what went horrifically wrong. The blessed were practically superhuman; capable of incredible magic and unstoppable in the eyes of humanity. If the Gods truly did abandon them, taking their blessings away, it left them defenseless. Bullets were as deadly to them as any other person in the absence of magic.

Even without a halo, Ren was not so easily downed. But losing his halo, along with his power in the middle of battle would surely give his enemies an advantage. It looked like they’d certainly taken advantage of the situation. 

Ren was taken away by the first responders, leaving Kou with nothing more than his blood staining his hands. 

A deep breath in, and out.

When the Elders finally arrive, the whole room erupts with the many questions held by the blessed.

“What’s going on?”

“What happened to the Gods?”

“What did they say?”

All eyes turn to Subira, whose grave expression does not bode well. 

“The Gods have fallen into silence. They have offered no explanation. We are on our own.” That was enough to silence the questions. As Sanctuary’s Oracle, Subira alone could commune with the heavens. She still held enough of her power to speak directly to the blessed, so not being able to speak with the Gods implied they were ignoring her or worse, could not communicate with her. 

“For now, Sanctuary is safe,” Ming Yue does her best to resolve the growing unease, but it’s difficult to feel safe. As one of the four Elders of Sanctuary, she should have answers. But if she and the other three were in the dark, that left nobody.

“Will our blessings return?”

“Is it true? Our blessings were revoked as punishment?”

“Did you know blessings can be taken away?”

“Are we getting kicked out of Sanctuary?”

Subira’s eyebrows furrow together, her visible discomfort tells everybody more than any answer could. 

“I have not heard anything, and no new blessed have appeared. For now, we do not know.”

Despite the tense atmosphere, there was a strange feeling of relief that settled within Kou’s stomach. He never wanted to be blessed in the first place, so wasn’t this a good thing? To finally be free of a responsibility he had no place taking on. He could finally be normal. Right?

“What about the war?”

“Yeah, what about the Empire? They’ll surely use this lapse in power to spread their influence!”

“If people find out, they’ll think the Gods abandoned us.”

“The Gods did abandon us.”

“Yeah but we’ll be targets if people find out.”

They were right, of course. Without blessings, they were useless in this war. Even now, lives were surely being lost in their absence. Whatever battle Ren had come from would surely shift in favor of the enemy. The village Kou had been helping to rebuild would also, eventually, fall into the hands of the Empire.

Relief turned to guilt - guilt for feeling relief in the first place. How could he dare to imagine a life for himself when he had already committed it to others?

After all, he was the vessel of Light. A symbol of goodness and peace. He fought to protect the weak. 

Even without his blessing, would that really change?