"Peace is an illusion amidst the gaps of war." — Varro, The Greatest Scholar Ever Lived
There was nowhere to run.
Death was imminent.
The sky bled crimson, the light soaking into the clouds like spilled blood.
Thunder rumbled - deep, ancient ~ answering the pulse of the monster in the sky.
Flames curled out of the abyss, hungry and alive.
"Judgement."
Vulcor's voice cracked the heavens.
And then —
The sky fell.
Daylight tore through the night as fire rained from above.
Vulcor hovered there, an executioner without emotion.
We weren't even worthy of hatred—only inconvenience.
Flaming boulders – meteors, brighter than the sun—hurtled toward us.
Grandpa grabbed me instantly, dragging my frozen body toward him.
"Stay at my side. No matter what happens," he ordered, tightening his grip on his cane.
A meteor descended—seconds from impact.
Grandpa slammed his cane into the earth.
"SACRED GROUND."
A shockwave burst outward, a blinding EMP ripping across the soil.
A barrier erupted — repelling the first flaming rock before it vaporized us.
But the barrier cracked.
And Grandpa knew it wouldn't last.
"This won't hold long. We have to move!" he shouted, pulling me toward the trail.
But Vulcor's voice drifted behind us— calm, disappointed.
"To think you have fallen so low… O Forgotten One~."
SWISH~
He appeared in front of us without sound, hovering inches above the ground.
His smokelike robe pooled downward, tendrils dragging across the dirt.
His expression twisted –
not anger, not fury –
but pity.
"Disgraceful," Vulcor said softly.
"To flee from me, Enro? How far the mighty fall."
Grandpa shoved me aside.
"Run to Fortiche. Warn them. Find help," he commanded.
"Do not look back."
My breath caught.
Help?
From who?
Who in this world could stop this?
The truth hit me —
The only one who could stand against Vulcor was right in front of me.
Thunder exploded through the sky.
Scarlet clouds began shifting, churning –
turning dark blue.
As if someone else commanded the heavens.
I staggered backward as Grandpa faced Vulcor head-on.
Grandpa dropped his robe and cast aside his cane.
"It's been a long time, hasn't it?" he said, stretching his stiff arms.
"Vulcan… The Death Forger."
Mist leaked from Grandpa's body.
The sky answered with thunderous booms.
CRACK—!!
Lightning struck him.
"NOOO – GRANDPA!"
My throat tore from screaming.
But,
he wasn't gone.
Through the haze, a silhouette stood.
Changing– Transforming.
His frail body pulsed with lightning.
His muscles tightened.
His hair extended, silver strands growing until they streamed to his waist.
His beard that once extended down to his chest had disappeared.
His arms regained strength, back to what they once were.
He was regaining his youth..
The smoke parted –
A man stepped forward.
Slender, strong—forty at most.
Silver hair down to his waist, eyes half-lidded but deadly sharp.
His cane now a gleaming silver sword.
His old kosode hung around his waist.
Across his back -
A tattoo of a Titan, an ancient eight tailed sky serpent, wings unfurled, ready to swallow the heavens.
Susanoo
My heartbeat stuttered, "Grandpa…?" I whispered in disbelief.
He smiled softly. "Worry not, son."
No fear.
No hesitation.
Only resolve.
But deep inside me —
I knew.
It wasn't enough.
I can't lose you too
Grandpa..
"The hand that once held mine steady… now held back a god."
—
Lightning is always faster than thunder.
Grandpa inhaled, bouncing lightly on his feet.
"To think you couldn't wait a day", Taunts grandpa as he prepares to attack
"Now, your turn"
Blue lightning crawled up his legs, swirling around him, crackling like a living beast.
And —
He vanished.
Before the thought finished forming in my head, Grandpa appeared behind Vulcor and blasted him into the sky.
He moved faster than belief.
Faster than thought.
Was this truly the same man who raised me?
Vulcor chuckled as he steadied himself midair.
"To think the old dog still barks," he hissed.
His arm split apart, flesh peeling back like molten stone.
A black rod emerged from the wound, serpents coiling around it, lava leaking from their jaws.
Clouds swirled around the rod ~ solidifying ~ shaping -
Into a hammer.
A colossal flaming hammer born from chaos.
Vulcor's lips curled -
not into a smile,
but into something crueler.
Grandpa's aura crackled -
blue lightning gathering around him in jagged streams, dancing across his skin.
The ground beneath him vibrated as the air charged with electricity.
Disappear.
BOOOOM –
The first clash hit the sky.
So fast I didn't even see it.
The space distorted and skies screamed,
The night sky shone bright from the flame and lightning clashes.
Winds ripped through the forest.
Mountains scarred as shockwaves rippled through the land.
This wasn't a battle of mortals.
It was a Battle of Gods.
I was thrown back, slammed into a tree.
My vision spun.
My ears rang.
Through the haze, I saw Vulcor raising his hammer.
Lava oozed down the sides.
Clouds spiraled violently around him.
Grandpa's eyes widened, as if he knew what was coming
His voice rang out -
"RUN. NOW!"
He dashed in the opposite direction to draw the attack away from me.. But he knew that wasn't enough.
"Hell's Impact."
Vulcor swung.
.. The world ended.
Wind roared like a hurricane.
Flames erupted like a newborn star.
Stone, trees, earth ~
everything disintegrated in a single instant.
It wasn't an attack.
It was erasure.
The whole world shook,
And then they knew.
A disaster had walked upon it.
And it had a name.
Vulcor.