chronicles of the primeval gods: life and death of Ishtar: "Anguish"

Chronicles of the  primeval  gods: life and death of Ishtar: "Anguish"

A/N: even villains fill up my mind. The New All-father is going through a lot.

Xxxxxx

The god of war had never been afraid of death. He was the one to inflict it on others. He was the one who waged wars, aroused the thirst for blood, and thrived off of the lives he ended. Ishtar went as far as killing his own father, siblings and nearly killed his beloved sister. Death was a companion, death was his partner and accomplice. And yet... and yet he became restless. He couldn't sleep ever since Elpis was set free. He still remembered her last words, said right before the curse had her body vanish.

She told him that she would find him again and would get revenge for his betrayal. The disgust in her tone achieved to leave a print in his mind and haunted him for millennia. He never told Ayasha that he imagined reuniting with Elpis and that most of the time, things went his way. She apologized, admitted being gullible and having been deceived by the Sin and begged for his forgiveness.

But everything changed when Pride broke her curse and set the goddess free. The brief moment Ishtar felt his beloved sister's essence was enough to induce despair into his soul. The very nature of his dreams changed. From a beautiful and vulnerable Elpis asking for forgiveness, the dream became a nightmare. He began hallucinating her and the Sin. Tonight was no exception. He had seen the sin once, on a battlefield. Even then, Pride's presence was overwhelming from afar. Ishtar still remembered the crushing aura that nearly got him on his knees.

The sin was tremendously powerful, and even then the god knew he couldn't face him and win.  Ishtar remembered the goosebumps that covered his body and the sweat that beaded over his skin. He saw his purple hues stare menacingly around him as he walked past the poor human souls that fought to their deaths. Ishtar felt danger through his bones. He knew that if it ever came to them, fighting, he would be the one to die. What could happen to him if he died? The void. He would go to the void and cease to exist and the mere thought of that chilled his heart to the core. Maybe that was why he wanted to destroy it before anything else. Maybe that was why he refused the romance between Elpis and Superbia. how could she bring Death to their doors?

Knowing Elpis was back with The sin fueled Ishtar with rage. Jealousy strangled his heart at the mere thought of them touching one another, kissing one another... killing together. His anger turned into fear as he saw both of them in front of him. Pride -and Ishtar could never admit it- was looking perfect as usual. His meat suit had always been carefully chosen, enough to be seen as perfect by anyone who would look at him. His eyes were cold, blue, but filled with malice. His costume was neat, royal blue and typical of a modern human with taste, complete with leather shoes and silver cuffs. Elpis was splendid. Her pink hair braided on the side and her curvy body wrapped in a red dress that would have mesmerized the god if he wasn't at their mercy.

"Do you know what true fear is like?" Elpis asked, in a cold voice.

In the hallucination, Ishtar was beaten up, bloody and chained to his throne. Pride was kneeling in front of him, khaos in his hand and glee he barely contained in his eyes.

"Fear? I know no fear.." Ishtar replied, spitting blood on the sin. "Get this over with,  Abomination."

Pride chuckled and smirked. His hues flashed a bright purple color and he took a handkerchief to wipe his face clean.

"I don't take orders from washed-up gods, Ishtar. I finish when I want to. I finish when she says what she needs to say."

"Washed-up god?!" He laughed and shrugged.

"He never was the brightest tool in the box wasn't he?" Pride chuckled at Elpis who walked closer to him and put her hand on his shoulder.

"He never was. Always thought he was the most powerful, the brightest... the strongest. He betrayed me."

"Like the true coward, he is."

"How dare you judge me? You speak as if you could even understand emotions!"

"Resorting to insults? Weak." Pride didn't like what the god said, what all of these said about him. They all imagined he had no emotions. That he was an empty corpse with nothing, not even a conscious and he was driven by primary instincts. They couldn't be more wrong. He was more. He had always been more. Elpis realized it before and she realized it even now.

"You say you have no fear but I think you have one. You fear my anger." Elpis said walking closer to Ishtar and kneeling before him. "You fear my disgust of you... of your betrayal." Her hand cupped his cheek and she smirked at him. "You fear my love for him." She looked at Pride and gave him a softer smile.

"Why would I fear your petty feelings for him?" He asked, coughing blood on her hand.

"Because you fear him. More than my anger, you fear my beloved. You see... you robbed us from a future we wanted to share. You wronged him. And he doesn't like it when someone wronged him." She said cleaning her hand on his shirt.

"And you won't like it when I am angry." Pride took over, standing back up and extending his hand so Elpis could hold onto his hand and stand up too. "You forced Elpis to 2000 years locked away from the world. You punished her for loving /me/" he growled the last words, while his aura started to spread across the room. "You hurt her. You hurt the very one you claimed to love. You betrayed--"

"She chose you!" -Ishtar screamed- "she chose you!

I had to do something!"

"I never was yours!" Elpis screamed before she curled her fingers into balls. "I never was yours! You wanted me for yourself! You sick bastard!"

"Elpis! You were in love with that thing--"

"Enough!! You said you didn't know fear? You had no reason to be afraid? You lie. You lie and you know why?" She pointed fingers at him but Pride pulled her against his frame and cupped her cheek with his free hand.

"I will handle this from now. Did you say your piece?"

"No. No, I didn't. Ishtar, of all the siblings I had, you were the one I respected the most. I loved you and you betrayed me. I have nothing but contempt for you. Nothing.." her eyes glowed brightly and she looked at Pride, overwhelmed by her emotions. Pride stroked her cheek and planted a kiss on her lips, on purpose to rile the god up.

"Take the best seat, Elpis. It is my turn."

Ishtar was faking a face of bravery while in fact, her words impacted him like he was stabbed by a long knife. He felt that the sin's aura had spread on the room, and was suffocating him. His wounds were opened and hurting, his throat was dry and almost closed off and he had trouble breathing. Pride hated to see his goddess upset. He knew that her anger was the tip of the emotions she was feeling. Her heart was broken and the pain was plastered all over her face. He hated seeing it and it fueled his anger to the point that he wanted to avenge her. Like he Promised.

"You made her cry." Pride said, igniting khaos with the fire of Tartarus.

"You caused her demise." Ishtar said chuckling darkly "I am not afraid of you. I am the All-father."

"Keep telling you telltales Ishtar. The truth is.. you are terrified." He turned around, his eyes now purple flames as he twirled his sword and started to cut the god's chest with the tip. Which elicited painful cries from him." You know I will end you and there is nothing you can do about it." He kept cutting the god with the tip of his sword. "I wanted to punish you like I did your brother, but I realized I didn't need to trap you to steal your power."

The cuts he had been doing were, in fact, a sigil taught by Elpis. The sigil of Khaos the former all father. Elpis started to chant a spell that activated the sigil and started to siphon his energy. The god screamed as it was painful, and tried to set himself free in vain. Pride then looked at Elpis. They agreed that this power was his but because of the spell, only Elpis could give it to him, he never doubted her loyalty to him and this was a moment of truth.  She smiled and whispered "I love you" before sending the power inside the sin.  Pride felt his power increase, the surge of energy inside of him cause da bright flash of light to blind everyone in the room. That was horrifying for the god. To feel his own power slip off of his body and watch his nemesis become powerful in front of his very eyes achieved to induce fear in his heart.

"So this is how an all-father feels?" Pride mused before he resumed twirling Khaos. "How exciting! How... perfect." He said as he gave Ishtar a slasher smile. "How does it feel to be killed by someone who just de-powered you?" He said, grinning widely.  "Oh? You can't speak? No need to."

 Ishtar knew he was going to the void and started to scream and tried to move back as he saw the sin come closer.  Pride laughed so hard that when he lifted the sword and was about to stab him, the god woke up. He was sweating and put his hand onto his chest to calm his heartbeats. What was that? What was this feeling that made him feel like it was the end of the world? That was fear.... pure fear.