Dadar slowed his pace as his home came into view. Dark clouds coated the sky around. The sun is unable to be seen through them. The storm goddess held the rain back, but a few streaks of thunder passed from cloud to cloud. 

Horses sat outside. The few armor plates sparkled, and their chainmail hung to their legs. Two armored soldiers pointed at Dadar as they approached. They both stepped towards them.

Anah grabbed his father's leg. His body shook as he spoke, "Wh… who are those men?"

A snap of Dadar’s fingers tested the heat within his body. He pushed his son away from him. “Anah, I need you to be brave. When I tell you to run, go to the forest. Don't stop, no matter what."

The white flame ran through Dadar's blood. Part of the flame inside him is his, but another came when Anah lit the field on fire. Anah's would only last a few volleys, but the energy allowed him a chance to end any fight early. To do what Dadar planned, he needed to stand alone against Adro.

A wind blew across the field, all heading towards the cottage. The soldiers approached, armored from head to toe with an omega symbol painted across the breastplate. Each of the soldiers held marks on their right pauldron. One a flame, the other a swirl, both black as night. From the symbols, Dadar figured out the soldiers were both Elementals from Omega Army. One commanded fire, the other wind. They stood before him, their hands resting on the handles of their swords, kite-shaped shields strapped to their backs.

Dadar grabbed the handle of his sword. Both men answered with stares at the older god. The spirit that flowed through the silver made the metal sparkle in the fading light. The spirit strengthened the metal but also made it lighter. Rain poured. Steam rose from Dadar, but the rain-soaked all the others to the bone.

The tremble in Anah’s body didn’t leave him. He closed his eyes and focused on breathing, trying to push the fear in his mind away. A spark of fire came from inside him. The spark traveled through his blood, and a rush of white flame filled his body with heat. Steam rose from him as it did his father. 

"Dadar," a voice shouted from the cottage. Another soldier came towards them. He stood only clad in a silver breastplate, short blond hair, and a spear on his back. The other two steps snapped to attention and stepped to either side of him. His breastplate held the same Omega symbol painted on his chest. Adro gave a smug smile and pulled his spear from behind him. The silver-shafted spear held a foot-long blade with an amber jewel at the center. The light inside glowed and swirled within it. Adro sunk the blade into the dirt and stepped beyond it. "I've been waiting."

"Had a feeling you would be," Dadar said. "You're not taking either of them."

Adro nodded. "I have the right to ask of you anything, and what would you think Khoda Havesp would decree if we brought this to him? He gave me the rule of this region and believes you a traitor."

"He would demand my head and give you everything." Dadar pulled his sword. Adro's men drew theirs in response, but their leader lifted his arm. They sheathed them.

"Make your demands," Dadar said.

"Your son burned my son. The healers all say it will take months of treatment to heal."

Dadar spat into the dirt. "Lies. My son burned himself today, and it already healed."

Only a few spots of red skin remained on Anah’s burned arms.

"Your son controls the flame. Mine does not. Even your inferior blood should allow your son to heal faster from his own power than mine. I demand to foster your son. He will live better with me than with you, and you will be rewarded. When your son comes into his full power, I will speak to Khoda Havesp about ending your banishment."

Dadar shook his head. "My banishment started because I refused to be his dog. It will end when one of my blood takes my place. You know that as well as I do. I wouldn't subject myself to that life. Why would I allow my son to?"

"Should it not be his decision?" Adro bent his head low to look Anah in the eyes. He smiled, but when he opened his mouth to speak. Dadar's sword swung in the air between the two.

"When he controls the flame, he can make that decision."

Adro rose and looked Dadar in the eyes. "Fine, what is your counter?"

"I own this land, everything from the forest near Heaven’s wall to the first town. I give you this land and will move to another area."

"Hmm." Adro pressed his thumb to his chin. "Tempting. That would give me enough land to build those little towns into something nice. I will think about it."

Dadar exhaled. "There is another matter we need to discuss."

Adro raised an eyebrow. "What is that?"

"The repression of the other creatures. The expansions need to slow. The elves are..."

A hand silenced Dadar. Adro spoke, "I think these matters are a bit beyond you. Expansions into territories outside of Heaven will continue."
"You don't understand."

"Oh, I do. I have creatures whispering to me as well. We won the war, Dadar. Me and you. We took all this land from the dragons and will do with it as we please. We'll deal with the elves in due time."

Adro turned around. He pulled the spear out, took another step, and stopped. "Dadar, I thought of your offer."

He turned and threw the spear at Dadar. The spear tip pushed into Dadar's knee, sending the leg to buckle.

"I think I'll challenge. If I win, I get the boy, land, wife, and everything. If you win, you well, I'll put the expansions on hold."

In a flash, Adro darted forward, grabbed his spear, ripped the tip out of Dadar's leg, and darted back. The jewel at the base of the blade glowed and poured light into the god.

"Run." Dadar turned his head to Anah. "Run as fast as you can."

Anah turned from his father and ran as far and fast from his side as possible. A voice yelled behind him, and metal steps followed. Tears flowed down Anah's face. He reached the tree line.

Trees and branches stepped out of Anah’s way as he grew close. The branches weaved together, forming a wall behind him. The tree’s roots pulled up, tripping the gods that followed.

The gods yelled after the boy. The wood cracked, and tree after tree screeched as wind and fire blew apart their branches.

Yellow light and white flame struck the sky. Lightning joined the fighting slamming into the field behind Anah again and again. Worry about his father consumed Anah, but the sounds of the soldiers kept his eyes forward, watching the trees.

A green light from a pixie appeared in front of Anah and guided him to the clearing where the steam stood. Anah stopped. He took several deep breaths and dipped his hand into the stream, drinking a few gulps. He looked left and right, trying to figure out where to go.
The light of the pixie swirled around him and made a few squeaks.

"Stay." The word echoed in Anah's mind.

Their wings beat quickly but much slower than the previous two. Their arms and legs hung lifeless at their sides, swaying with each movement. The lights faded a twig snapped behind Anah.

Anah turned. Both armored gods stood behind him, limbs and tree roots coating their armor. The hand of the second soldier sparked with power, and an orb of fire appeared. The first soldier grabbed his forearm.

"We're supposed to take the twerp alive," the wind elemental said.

"Who cares. The general can't stop us."

The first lifted his sword and stepped forward. Dozens of small green orbs emerged from the tree canopies. They circled the two gods. Fire burst from the god, but the lights continued to move around. "I hate pixies," he yelled.

"They're not pixies." a voice growled behind them.

A red jet of fire shot through the center of the fire elemental's breastplate, leaving a hole the size of Anah's head. The wind elemental turned around. He cut his arm. A slash of wind flew towards a robed figure. The wind cut through the trees. It slammed into the dark robe blowing the clothing back but breaking across the figure's chest. The god’s mouth hung open, and he shook his head.

The hooded figure pointed his hand at the god. 

"Let me show you how it is done." A growl followed.

A stream of wind fired from his fingers. The wind flew through the air, entering the god's nose and mouth. The remaining god removed his helmet and threw it aside. He gripped his head as the wind continued to enter. His skull bulged. The pain caused the god to fall to his knees. With a yell, he gripped both sides of his head as it exploded. 

The figure moved forward. "Anah." He lowered his hood to show a god-like face with red eyes with vertical pupils. He bent down and offered his hand. "Are you all right?"

"Wh... who are you?" Anah's fear grew at the sight of the unknown figure, but he shook as the hand extended. The other two meant to kill or capture him, but this figure led him here and saved him.

"My name is Nidhogg. I know your father and mother. I helped bring you into the world and mean you no harm." Nidhogg smiled at Anah. A few canines poked from beneath his lips. His smile only lasted a few moments. "Oh."

The symbol he placed on Anah's head all those years ago glowed red. A light appeared from the two dead gods. Their souls drifted up, stopped, and flew into Anah. Anah only saw the bodies of the gods turn white for a moment.

Memories filled his sight. "By the Fates." New tears ran down his cheeks. Bloody battles played out in his head. He laughed as he thrust his sword into others. "What am I seeing? What is happening to me?"

Nidhogg went to the boy. Anah fell to his knees. He couldn't breathe. "Something that wasn't supposed to happen yet." Nidhogg looked at his hand. The nail on his index finger grew to a long talon and turned green. He pressed the nail to Anah's temple. His lips moved quickly. The memories stopped, and Nidhogg pulled his nail from Anah.

"I'm sorry. If I had thought the symbol was active, I would have killed those two in the field. I put a block on the memories. For now, you won't see them." Nidhogg sat back.

Anah looked at Nidhogg. "What are you? What symbol? What is happening to me?"

"He never told you? That makes sense. How could he? He didn't know. I came to your father with a deal on the day of your birth. 

"Your kind is unique. Raw spirit energy made into flesh. You revert to spirit energy when you are first conceived. As the pregnancy progresses, you develop skin, and the power is suppressed. But if that power isn't suppressed before the mother goes into labor. The child will rip her apart as it comes out.”

“You were such a child. Your father made a deal with me to save your mom. All I asked was that you carry a mark on your spirit. That mark just activated one of its passive features absorbing souls. I expected it to activate in a year or two. Plenty of time for your father to follow the breadcrumbs I laid."

"What did I see?" Tears still flowed down Anah's face. "What was I doing?"

Nidhogg grabbed Anah by his arms. "Look at me, Anah." The god's teary eyes looked at him. "You didn't do anything. Those were memories. You absorbed their souls. That gives you a part of them." Nidhogg let the kid go.

A bright flash went across the sky. Dadar still battled against Adro. Anah grabbed Nidhogg's hand. "Can you help my father again?"

"I am not here for that," Nidhogg said. "I told the trees to watch you and the pixies to find me if something happened. They informed me about what happened yesterday. So, I teleported here for a bit. I'm here for you. Your father will fight his own battle."

"But..."

"No buts," Nidhogg said.

"But what if I go? Adro will surely kill me, and you must fight him." Anah jumped up. Tears still flowed down his face, but he ran through the path of trees the two now-dead gods carved. Nidhogg rolled his eyes.

"You couldn't have jumped in his path?" He said to the trees. The trees rotated back and forth.

Anah ran to the tree line. The storm that raged before faded, and the flashes of light stopped. A distant crackle was the only sound in the forest. A bush sat between him and the battlefield. Anah moved around, attempting to get around the plant, but the bush moved with him every time. Nidhogg caught up.

He stood taller than the bush and touched Anah's shoulder. Anah turned around, and Nidhogg shook his head. "It is too late." A pair of horses roared. Their hooves thundered away, leaving only a faint crackle in the background. Anah stepped from the bush.

Black singe coated all the grass, white fires raged, and craters appeared where lightning bolts slammed into the ground. Pieces of silver armor lay scattered around, and white blood coated several sections of land. Anah walked forward until he picked up a shattered silver sword. In another crater sat a silver knife Anah's father used.

His home burned bright, and the yellow and red flames crackled in the silence. Adro stabbed Dadar's head into a wooden post and placed it in front of the house. Anah fell to his knees in front of the post and wept.

Nidhogg rested his hand on Anah's shoulder. "There was nothing you could have done."

Anah turned back and glared at Nidhogg. "But plenty you could have. You could have saved him. You could have stopped all of this. Couldn't you?"

"And then what?" Nidhogg said. "More gods would come, and your head would be next to his, along with your mother."

Anah opened his mouth, but no words came out. Instead of speaking, he sat in front of his still-burning house, staring at his father's head.

Nidhogg stepped away from the boy and rested in one of the craters while the boy stared at the burning house. The house burned through the night. Only smoke and ash remained as the sun rose. Noon came and went, and Nidhogg returned to Anah. He grabbed Dadar's head, pulled it off the post, sat it next to his body, and knelt. With his two hands clasped in front of him, he muttered.

"What are you doing?" Anah came over and sat next to him.

"A tradition your people do. Called Last Rites. It is something you do for the gods that fell during battle."

Nidhogg continued his prayer and stood. He lifted his hands and took a deep breath. He slammed his foot into the ground, and a square slab of dirt jumped up. He swung his arm, and the soil moved aside. "Do you have any words you wish to say?"

Anah nodded his head. "I'm sorry. It should have been me, not you."

"He didn't feel that way," Nidhogg said. "He had a choice. Whether you like it or not, he knew it was him or you. He chose you because he loved you and wanted you to make your own choices."

Anah's face turned blank. His unemotional state hid everything he wished, his grief, and his anger. Nidhogg moved the ground around his father's body, burying him in a mound. He turned and walked away.

"Where are you going?" Anah asked.

"Home, my work is done. Even the outskirt of Heaven is no place for a dragon." Nidhogg put his hood up.

"You're leaving me." Anah followed the dragon as he walked on the road.

"Only if you don't follow."

Anah followed Nidhogg as he walked. As they walked, he attempted to think of anywhere else he could go. Chiron might take him, but the tribe might not. Even if they did, Anah couldn't locate him. Anah only met a few other gods. The only ones who interacted with him were Adro and Vasna.

Days ticked by, Nidhogg didn't stop, and Anah ate little and slept less. In his state, he felt nothing but the will to follow the only thing that still cared about him. Nidhogg didn't speak to Anah, but if Anah slowed, Nidhogg did as well. A week passed, then a month, and the two came to a long rocky road paved with red clay stones. The dragon turned his head to the following god and waited for him to arrive.

"Why are you following me?" Nidhogg reached into his cloak and produced a pipe, lighting it with his breath. He sat down on the stump of a chopped-down tree. "Do you believe I will smite your enemies if you follow me? I will care for you and do your bidding?"
Anah shook his head. "I have nowhere else to go."

Nidhogg opened his cloak, and a large leather-bound book sat chained around his shoulder. He unlatched a lock, and the book fell into his hand. He held the book out for Anah. The black leather cover felt as hard as metal, and only a few grooves lay on the surface. Anah opened the book. Several symbols lay on the pages, all written in columns going down. Dadar brought home objects from the elven kingdoms years back. Their letters looked similar. Anah couldn't read those symbols, and these symbols were much more complicated. On some of the pages, a giant symbol sat in the middle that took up most of the pages.

Anah shook his head. "What is this?"

"My people wrote this book. Can you read a word of it?"

Anah shook his head.

Nidhogg pointed to a symbol. "When we write, we often use as few symbols as possible. Our letters stand for a word. Unlike the other races, our lines also run down the page, not across. Given time, you will be able to read entire books. If you are willing to learn."

"What are you saying?" Anah closed the book and threw it to the ground.

The book flew through the air. It about crashed into the ground before stopping and fleeing back into Nidhogg's hand. "First, that book is one of a kind. Never throw a book I hand you. Ever."

"I can feel your anger. Though you try and hide it, you don't do a good job. I will not be used to end a vendetta, but I will give you the tools to do it yourself. To start, you will learn to read and write."

"What will reading and writing do?"

Nidhogg gave Anah a half smile. "More than I can tell you here. Expanding your mind is the first step. The second will be training your body."Anah smiled. "When do we start?"