Chapter 168: A God’s Declaration

The wind blew hard as the fires fought to stay alive. The two moons hung high, watching everyone down below, and the mystical chanting of the Ancient Ones filled the port town of Helstia, the capital of Helga’s new Kingdom. The people of the town all hung their heads low in worship as the God Queen walked through the streets, towards the ceremonial platform.

Helga looked happily at the display, but she knew today was not a day to indulge in it. She had one mission. To bless her conquest. Ivar’s gift had been the sign she needed to start it. The ring of fire surrounding the wooden platform was a magical sight to everyone, as those who were most faithful surrounded it.

Helga walked through the ring of fire, not paying attention to the slight pain she felt. Her appearance was powerful as she adored herself in a manner of jewels. The bear skin wrapped around her shoulders dragged across the floor and the paint on her face brought out the features of her beautiful face. Flames stuck to the bottom of her clothes enhancing this display, as she climbed the steps.

On the platform, two men were gagged and blindfolded, tied down to the floor. "Silence." She spoke quietly, but the mystical chanting from the Ancient Ones ended abruptly. "The world as we know it has been a lie." Helga started. Her voice was carried by the wind as it found itself gently guided into the ears of everyone listening. It was hypnotic to her followers, who felt themselves wishing to prostrate themselves.

"The Gods have kept us locked up like birds in a cage, fighting and killing one another. They contained our wrath and strength from the outside world, never letting us step into the golden fields of the new world. They feared our achievements would overshadow theirs. Overshadow the champions that came after them." Helga raised her finger to the moons. "But. They never left. They were waiting. Waiting for when they could return. Waiting for the bridge to connect our two realms."

"Rejoice. Cry in gratitude. I have come. Passed all the tests. Showed my resolve. And they accepted me. They entrusted me with Bringing a New Age to our people; our home. The Gods have returned and you all get to witness me." Helga spread her arms as she cried the last words. She looked around at all the bowed heads and her smile widened. "The time has come. Our people will no longer be caged. I will complete my divine role, and unite every Jarl and King under my feet. I will bring about the Age of Reclamation and Bjorn’s horn will sound throughout Uppsala, to signal the start of our Great War."

Helga reached behind her back, under the bear pelt, and pulled out her lovely dagger. "The world shall know the truth. And those pathetic Jarls and Kings will see it." Walking over to the two kneeling men she looked at the two bowls underneath them. Grabbing one by the hair she pulled it back and placed the blade on his throat.

"They will see the truth. That they rule not because they are destined, but because I have yet to arrive." With a swift motion, she slashed the dagger and tilted the man’s neck over the bowl. Her fingers tightened around the dagger as she fought to suppress the ecstasy that came with the kill. Throwing the corpse to the side once it was drained she moved over to the second and grabbed his hair.

"They will see that, in the face of a God, a mortal is nothing." Once more she slashed across in a swift motion and fought to quiet her emotions. "The world is destined to be under my feet and to fight against that fate, is to spit in the face of the Gods." Putting the dagger back she picked up the bowl of blood. She took a deep inhale of it and the smell of iron sent a wave of excitement through her. "And so I offer the blood of these two, to my brothers and sisters in Uppsala. I ask you to bear with this pitiful offer, and wait until I can offer you the world again."

Helga took the blood to her mouth and drank its contents. She felt the warm liquid run down her throat and got goosebumps all over. She suppressed the desire to lick her lips and moved to the next bowl. "I give this pitiful offering so you can see the start of my divine mission. So you help me guide our followers. Help me show the truth to the faithful." Putting the second bowl to her lips she drank its contents. Once more a wave of excitement coursed through her body, but she had an appearance to hold up and kept him back straight.

The onlookers all watched. Some muttered quiet prayers whilst others forgot to breathe. No detail escaped their eyes. They watched as each gulp got them closer to a successful ceremony. They watched as a drop of blood trailed down Helga’s cheek. They watched as the moons seemed to glow brighter as if the Gods acknowledged the sacrifice. They were mesmerized.

Helga lowered the bowl, finishing the last of its contents. She dropped it to the ground and its sounds silenced those who prayed. Looking around at everyone, her eyes went sharp. "The mortal world is over my people. The era of human kings is no more. The Gods have returned and it is time for us to reclaim our place." Looking to the moon she spread her arms, basking in its light. "In the name of all the Gods of Uppsala, I declare war on the Jarls and Kings of the world."

The world seemed to go silent from the declaration and all anyone could do was look upon the figure on the stage. The arrogance in her voice threatened to consume anyone who heard it, but no one present dared to say anything in opposition. Only a God could dare say such words and it deepened their already existing faith.

Fear for the future to come was quickly replaced with excitement for the New Age. Those who were less faithful felt a primal fear looking at Helga. The words were full of insanity yet they couldn’t bear to look away, instead wishing to follow her out of a morbid curiosity at how she would achieve her impossible dream.

Helga looked down at the eyes on her.’This is how it should be.’With a crookened smile she looked at the emotions of the eyes gazing upon her. Fear, admiration, worship, love. She lowered her arms, and turned, walking back down the steps. The people quickly fell to their knees as she did and lowered their heads.’All knees will bend before a God.’The smile on her face widened. Looking up the path lit by torches she saw her house. A grand building, on top of a hill at the center of her town.

’It’s not fit for a God.’She had dreamed of taking this place from her father for years, but after seeing the buildings of the New World, it was not good enough anymore. Despite this, she knew it was not time yet. She still had to conquer her homeland. Only when that was finished would it be time to create a town worthy of her status?

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Finn got up quickly leaving Ivar alone who was still basking in the divine presence he claimed to have felt. He practically ran to the outskirts of the town and found a small tent that had smoke coming out of it.

"Enter." A withered voice called out from the inside and Finn took a deep breath before going in. He saw the old man who resembled a tree more than a human sitting there, smoking a long wooden pipe. "Child of Asmond. Your conflictions are evident."

The Ancient One took a long inhale of his pipe as Finn took a seat. "I fear for the future wise one and I do not know how to go forward." Finn quietly muttered but made sure not to say too much. He knew the Ancient Ones in the Helstia were all under Helga and he knew if he said something he shouldn’t it was only a matter of time before he ended up on that stage.

The Ancient One threw a herb into the fire. A strong putrid smell spread throughout the tent and Finn fought back the vomit he felt coming because of it. "The future is for the Gods alone to know. Lean back and lie down. If you are blessed they will let you glimpse it."

Throwing another herb in the fire, the second smell of grass came, blending with the previous smell. Finn laid back and looked at the tent roof. Drawings of the past were all over it and he took multiple deep breaths. After a few minutes, his vision began to shake as the red painting above him began to move, coming alive. He felt as if his mind had separated from his body and he was in the pictures with them.

"Everything is within the Gods control and our fates are predetermined. Only those blessed to sit at their table are free from this shackle." The Ancient One’s voice echoed in Finn’s mind. "To fight fate is to fight the restraint of the Gods. You may try but we never will, unless we attain their blessing."

The world in front of Finn changed as he closed his eyes. A cold breeze assaulted his body and forced him to open his eyes. Around him was no longer the Ancient One’s tent but a wilderness. A great river lay in front of him. From behind he felt an arm wrap around his shoulder.

Looking behind he saw Ivar with a cruel smile. "My brother." It was strange. It was Ivar’s voice but something was off about it. "I told you to have your faith and you did. The new God has brought about a new age and we have been allowed to grace it." Ivar’s grabbed his chin and forced him to look at the lake.

He felt his skin go cold and his body freeze. The once clear lake was gone, replaced by a pool of blood. Bodies floated in it, as those trapped underneath tried to claw their way out, with anguished screams, only to drown. He saw people surrounding it, impaled, their faces screaming at the agonizing pain they experienced before their death.

"Those of us who have seen the truth are destined to win." Ivar’s cruel laugh spread across the lake, but Finn paid it no attention, unable to peel his eyes away from the scene before him. "It is God’s will after all."

He watched as a cloud of pure darkness formed at the other end of it. Ivar grabbed the top of his head and forced him to kneel, but he couldn’t take his eyes away from the figure emerging from the cloud.

With a sword coated in blood and a smile that would rival the devil’s cruelty, he saw Helga emerge and walk across the lake toward him. His breathing became rapid as his body shook. He tried to free himself but found he couldn’t.

Two almost identical-looking people emerged from behind Helga, and only then could Finn look away from her. A man and woman, with golden hair that shone brighter than the sun and blue eyes that rivaled the clearest gems. Much like their mother, they walked forward, trampling over the bodies that filled the lakes. They didn’t display the cruelty that Helga did but the unmistakable joy they got from looking at the sight around them was present.

His eyes spun back to Helga who had arrived in front of him. She looked down with cruelty before kneeling in front of him. Grabbing his chin she forced him to look at her face before smiling. It may have looked beautiful to others, but in Finn’s eyes, he saw unimaginable horrors behind it. The heavy scent of blood that radiated from her body engulfed him and told of the carnage she had just been through. As desperately as he could he tried to fight to free himself. He mustered all the strength he could and feeling the grip on Ivar weaken he threw him off.

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"Ahhhh." Finn shot up with an animalistic cry as he looked around to find himself in the tent again. He saw the Ancient One sitting before him with closed eyes. Placing his hand on his chest his heart threatened to jump out.

"The Gods have blessed you." The Ancient One spoke and Finn looked at him before running out. The warmth of the sun attacked him and he looked around before bitterly chuckling.

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If you want to hear my ramblings please read Author’s notes.