Luna hung on to Aaric's back when they were done and sighed in content.
"How long were we..?" She asked with a little blush on her face, already imagining what Daphne must be thinking of them by now.
"A day or two.. in all fairness we used most of that time watching over different worlds as we cuddled." Aaric said in a teasing voice, making Luna bury her face in his neck as her face grew hot.
"Let us just go to Daphne." Luna muttered and bit Aaric's shoulder.
Aaric nodded and sent a signal to Daphne so she could make a portal to them.
Aaric could have created a portal himself, but he did not wish to impose on Ra's domain the first time he would be entering it.
A golden portal appeared in front of them and they stepped through, Luna still clinging to his back.
They arrived in a lush garden on top of a building that seemed like a temple.
Ahead of them were Daphne and Fleur, sitting and having tea with several people wearing priest robes that depicted a sun resting across the horizon of a river.
Luna slid off Aaric's back and both of them greeted everyone politely.
Aaric stuck his tongue out at Fleur before kissing Daphne on the cheek and sitting beside her with Luna on his other side.
"Very mature Aaric." Fleur said with thinned lips. Aaric only nodded with complete seriousness.
"It is good to make your acquaintance. I am Nysera." An elf woman introduced herself to Aaric and Luna after they sat down.
"It is a pleasure." Aaric said with a polite nod, he had already introduced himself.
Daphne and Fleur had already explored the city and were now simply chatting with the priests.
"How was the city?" Aaric asked Daphne with a smile, holding her hand under the table.
The priests were still chatting with Fleur, who was asking them about their magic and important customs.
"It was great." Daphne said with a shrug and leaned in toward Aaric.
"I am sorry I missed it, Love." Aaric whispered, and Daphne squeezed his hand.
"It is fine. I had Fleur with me." Daphne whispered back with a smile before they looked ahead again and joined the priests' conversation.
Luna was asking Nysera about something she had mentioned earlier called an eclipse.
"Well, eclipses represent the victory of the serpent over the Radiant One." Nysera explained.
"Would that not mean..?" Luna asked with a little hesitation.
"We are always prepared for that. There are six more worlds we have contact with. We perform rituals every seventh day that store solar energy in our temples. And as the All Mother keeps the serpent at bay, we release that energy to help her." Nysera said, gesturing to the structures around them.
It seems they called Ra the Radiant One and Taweret the All Mother and they were connected to six other planets.
"Thank you for your hospitality Nysera." Daphne said and gave Nysera a little hug as they prepared to leave.
Nysera smiled and hugged her back before Daphne created a portal for them to enter.
"Oh, and here is a gift for you." Daphne said, and a sliver of divine energy entered Nysera before they stepped through the portal.
The silver phoenix remained in the city and had bonded with Fleur. It would return to her with a thought whenever she may need it.
The four arrived in the winged boat with Taweret standing in front of them.
Taweret hugged Daphne at once and then gave everyone else a warm, motherly hug.
"We should enter the castle.." Taweret said with a slight urgency in her voice.
"What happened?" Daphne asked with a frown as they walked.
"We will be sailing through the underworld soon." The voice belonged to Ra as he emerged from the castle with his staff in hand, his manner as gruff as ever.
Ra placed his hand on Daphne's head and gave Aaric a small nod before moving to the edge of the ship and standing there like a silent protector.
"I will be there with you in a moment." Aaric said and kissed Daphne and Luna before heading toward Ra.
"Where are you going? You can talk to him in the morning." Daphne said with a frown. Luna nodded and tugged on Aaric's arm.
"Just.. trust me." Aaric whispered to both of them. After a moment they reluctantly released him.
Aaric walked toward Ra and looked back to see the girls entering the castle just as he reached Ra.
"What do you want?" Ra asked without looking at him.
"I want to help you." Aaric said, turning to face him.
"I have been fighting that serpent ever since I created my first creation. I do not need your help." Ra replied and gestured for Aaric to enter the castle.
"I have a plan. Would you at least hear me out?" Aaric asked.
Ra turned and sighed. "The only night I did not have to deal with him was when Vasuki called for every god to meet in Azathoth's court. And she did it for you, so you have five minutes to say your plan and I will decide what we do after I hear it." Ra said.
Five minutes later Ra nodded.
"Go to the castle and assure everyone you will be safe. I do not want my chosen to worry for you." Ra said and turned forward.
Aaric nodded and walked back. The light dimmed around him as he moved. Chaos was approaching.
Aaric entered the castle and was immediately dragged to a chair by Luna and Daphne.
"Stay there now." Daphne said with her hands on her hips.
Aaric sighed and raised his hands as if surrendering.
"Just give me a moment to explain." Aaric said and explained the plan to everyone.
By the end both Luna and Daphne were seated on his lap, listening with matching frowns.
"Can we not help you?" Luna asked, her voice small.
"Of course you can Angel. But Ra is already there to help me and he has more experience fighting Apophis." Aaric said gently, stroking her back.
Luna and Daphne kissed his cheek together before standing and walking to the dining table.
"Just know you will be missing dessert." Daphne said as she sat down.
Aaric chuckled and Fleur came over to hug him tightly.
"I do not understand half of what you said. Just stay safe, oui..?" Fleur sighed and kissed his cheek before letting go.
"Thank you, Child." Taweret said kindly. Aaric bowed before opening the door and stepping outside.
The moment he left he was met by a cold and suffocating darkness.
Even the sun being dragged behind the ship was not strong enough to push back the darkness of the underworld.
Aaric stood beside Ra as they stared ahead at a swirling vortex of pure chaos and consumption.
"You will stay behind me until I weaken him." Ra commanded, leaving no room for argument.
Aaric opened his mouth but Ra cut him off instantly.
"I will not have her worried." Ra said firmly, he was referring to Daphne.
Aaric shut his mouth and nodded. He could not hide the smile growing on his face.
"I am grateful she was chosen by you." Aaric murmured. Ra scoffed loudly.
"She simply appeared before me with no regard for herself because she wanted to stand beside you. Be grateful she loves you." Ra said and struck the boat with his staff, signaling Aaric to move back.
The vortex writhed violently. Space bent at impossible angles, every edge wrong and trembling.
Even the surrounding air stretched as if it wanted to flee.
A layered vibration crawled out of the tear as the vortex spasmed and Apophis forced himself into the underworld with a hiss that rippled through the entire realm.
He was long and wrong, covered in eyes and mouths and teeth with no true beginning or end.
A beam of golden light cut reality apart and struck Apophis, it had emerged from Ra's staff.
Ra's falcon headed humanoid body was now covered in golden winged armor. His size increased, turning him into a titan of war and light.
The wings on his back opened in a brilliant sweep. Every feather was a sharpened plate of molten sunlight. His armor shone like a living sun forged into battle.
He surged forward in a blur of blinding radiance, his golden armor igniting the darkness in a streak as he neared Apophis, and slammed into Apophis.
The collision shook the underworld. Apophis reeled and a hissing sound tore the air apart. His head snapped back before whipping forward again in a strike aimed to tear Ra in half.
Ra answered by extending his wings and sweeping them across the serpent's form, carving a long gash into his body.
Black blood poured out as Apophis hissed in fury. A new opening formed in the serpent's path, filled with countless teeth as venom surged forward.
Ra drove his staff into Apophis to stop the momentum and created a shockwave that pushed him back.
Ra escaped the worst of the venom. Still, some droplets landed on his wings and the metal sizzled before disintegrating entirely.
Ra created distance and fired beams of sunlight from his staff to keep Apophis at bay while he regenerated his wings.
'Fucking analyze, use divine energy. Do whatever you want.' Aaric shouted in his mind as he watched, his eyes wide and bleeding.
{Analyzing}
{Masterful use of divine energy. The material realms would have been disintegrated with just the residual energy from this fight.}
Aaric struggled to even remain conscious as Apophis twisted across the underworld.
{Please activate Oculi Viridiflora}
Aaric did so the next moment. The strain eased. A flower pattern formed in his eyes and the bleeding stopped.
{Surging divine energy towards Oculi Viridiflora}
The pattern glowed gold and began to spin.
"I am ready." Aaric whispered and Ra heard.
Ra lunged again and stood before Apophis, his wings blazing gold.
On the seven planets created by Ra the temples opened and all the solar energy stored from their rituals shot upward in beams of light.
Portals formed in the sky and the beams vanished into them.
All that power flowed into Ra as he readied his staff and pointed it at the serpent.
A golden beam erupted and tore through the open mouth of Apophis, burning him from within.
'Channel all the energy towards Oculi Viridiflora' Aaric commanded.
A/n: Yes, I ended the chapter on a cliffhanger.
Anyhoo, I was just curious if you want the next chapter..? Oh well, I love power stone. You see, they have an effect on me that helps me write.. I can't explain what it is.. It just is.