He could save the world. Syden stood in an ancient marble cathedral, golden mist swirling slowly around him. As the red sunset shone through sparkling stain-glassed windows, casting colored images of robed angels into the mist, Syden could feel the power of a deceased deity: the golden mist, the corpse of a god. All he would have to do was reach out with his mind and take it. The sensation was exhilarating, but at the same time…terrifying. Their quest was at an end, he could use the power to destroy the Shadow once and for all. Syden could fulfill his destiny: be the hero he was prophesied to be and save the world from entering the Void. Now, after all the trials he and his friends had gone through, there was only one thing left to do.

He had to sacrifice himself to save the world.

If he took the power of the golden mist, the Shadow would be defeated. And Syden would die. Looking over his shoulder at his friends, Kygar and Ariana, he sighed. Even after all they went through together, their long journey, they obviously didn’t care if Syden died. Part of him hoped Ariana would stop him, tell him that she loved him and that they would find another way. But who ever loves the sacrificial lamb? Had anyone ever loved him? Syden knew his name would be praised for millennia to come, he would be a legend. No one would forget how Syden nobly sacrificed himself to save the world. No one had ever tried to convince him not to make the sacrifice. They waited in their homes for Syden, the prophesied hero, to destroy the Shadow that was covering the world. But how did they know that he was supposed to save them? How did they know he’d stop the world from entering the Void, stop the Shadow from ruling everything?

“What are you waiting for, Syden?” Kygar asked, his gravelly voice sounding out of place in the ethereal cathedral.

Ariana looked at Syden, slight annoyance showing on her face. Here in the unaging tomb of a god, this fragment of timeless reality, he was supposed to sacrifice himself. Did she even care? Does anyone care? No one had ever done anything for him, except prepare him for his task. His friends now urged him to give up his life. Even Syden’s parents had daily reminded him that he would give his life to save the world. Did anyone love him? Ariana obviously didn’t. Why didn’t anyone ever try and find another way? The night before, he’d confessed his love to her. But she’d made it clear she could never return his feelings. Syden understood. It was simple: he was just a pawn. True, Kaitos had given his life for Syden. But now that he looked back on things, it wasn’t Syden that Kaitos had been protecting from the fallen angel.

A large muscular angel with black wings stood between them and the exit. They were trapped, the Guardian would destroy them all. The Guardian couldn’t leave the shrine, but Syden knew they couldn’t outrun the fallen angel; his aura was so strong that he had to be of the highest order. The darkness pouring out of him was so thick, that only his glowing red eyes were visible, two blazing coals penetrating the shadows.

Syden was backed against a large pillar, the moldy tapestries crumbling as he touched them. I have failed my quest. But…that was impossible. He knew it was going to be difficult, they always told him the Shadow would do everything in his power to keep Syden from the Sanctuary, the final resting place of an ancient deity. But they had never mentioned the possibility that he would fail. After all, the prophecy would be fulfilled. Syden breathed quickly, each passing second brought the final breath of dirty air closer. He would be killed in this rotting church, a shrine that had once been a place of holy communion. The fallen angel that had made it his home would be the one to kill him.

Syden thrust out his hand, putting all his remaining power into a single attack. His hand began to shine with light. But, the Guardian’s dark aura was too strong for Syden to penetrate. Syden fell to the ground, there was nothing else he could do. He was helpless. Darkness shrouded his vision. He couldn’t move. He was going to die. Suddenly Syden heard the fallen angel roar in pain. He looked up and saw his attacker clutching a bleeding arm. Black liquid oozed out, dissolving into shadows when it hit the ground. As High-pitched screams shook the walls, the fallen angel lunged towards Kaitos. The thick shadows around writhed angrily, and the Guardian seemed to move even faster than normal.

“Run Syden!” Kaitos shouted, barely audible over the screams. It sounded like all the tormented souls of the Void crying out in pain: the pain of the damned… the pain that the entire world would know if Syden failed. Kaitos blocked an attack from the fallen angel’s sword. “The prophecy must be fulfilled, you need to stop the Shadow!”

Syden ran, cursing himself for his cowardice. He should have stayed and fought. Surely a prophesied hero should at least be able to protect the people around him. Surely they had the wrong person. The elders assured him this was impossible, he was the hero…but why would the hero need to be saved by the ones he’s supposed to protect. Why wouldn’t the hero have enough power to save even himself?

Syden didn’t realize it at the time, but he wasn’t the one Kaitos tried to save. Kaitos didn’t give his life for Syden, he gave it for his family. Others had sacrificed to help Syden reach his goal, to help him get to this cathedral. But he finally saw that they were only protecting themselves. No one cared about him. He was simply the tool.

He felt the long dead deity’s power more and more every moment. Even now, he could feel it seeping into him. If he just took the power, he’d save the world from darkness. But using the power would kill him. Hadn’t he known that all along? Hadn’t he known that his entire life? It was his destiny to save the world. Only he could take the power. His quest was complete, he could finally save them all; he could save Ariana.

But now he knew all their trials had been in vain.

He stepped out of the mist.

“What are you doing?” Kygar screamed, lunging towards Syden. His muscles bulged as he loomed over Syden.

“I’m leaving.”

“You’re what!?” Kygar lifted Syden up by the neck, and began choking him. “You can’t leave!”
Syden placed his palm against Kygar, and focused his power. Light flashed in his palm, and Kygar flew across the room. Being in the mist had increased Syden’s abilities. “Yes, I can.”

Ariana fell to her knees, looking at Syden. “Please, Syden…I…”

Syden walked past her, and stopped. “It’s too late for that. You made it quite clear last night that you don’t care about me, Ariana…no one does.” He clenched his teeth, forcing down the pain of rejection. Just once, he wanted someone to love him. But she’d made it clear what she felt for him. Ariana thought of him the same way everyone else in this world did, a tool.

Kygar shouted, spit flying from his mouth. “You’re nothing but a coward. You’ll let the entire world be swallowed up by the Void, just because you’re afraid of dying.”

“I may be a coward…” As Syden placed his hand against the smooth wood of the door, he could feel the power of the Shadow outside. “…but I’m not afraid of the dark.” Once he went through, he couldn’t return. He didn’t know what would happen. It was almost…exciting.

He pushed open the door of the cathedral, and stepped out into the writhing black mist. The Shadow now controlled the world. Syden didn’t know how long he’d live, but he would be living for himself. He was done living to save a world who didn’t care, to protect a woman who didn’t love him. “It’s time you stop relying on divine intervention. Learn to fend for yourselves.”

Divine Intervention by Spencer Conrad is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.