Euri lay sprawled across the crushed grass, staring upward as the world blurred and doubled. His vision swam in and out of focus, the moon dissolving into streaks of pale light. His skull throbbed as if something inside it were shaking loose.
The cyclops unleashed a thunderous roar that tore through the night sky — a sound so powerful it rolled across the plains and echoed all the way to the village.
The giant approached.
One step.
Then another.
It stopped above him.
Euri could not move. Pain flooded every nerve in his body, radiating through him in unbearable waves. His limbs refused to respond. Even breathing sent knives through his chest.
My bones are shattered…
He gritted his teeth against the agony — yet a faint smile touched his lips.
At least Helios will get everyone to safety…
The cyclops raised its fist.
It came down.
The impact was instantaneous and absolute. Bone splintered. Flesh collapsed. His body crumpled like paper beneath the crushing force, the grass beneath him turning dark as blood spread outward.
Euri died without another sound.
The cyclops lifted its hand, then turned and began walking toward the village.
Helios stood frozen, staring into Lilly's frightened eyes.
The roar rolled across the plains.
He slowly turned.
The villagers were still praying.
Even after hearing that roar.
"You absolute idiots… get up and evacuate…" he tried to shout.
The words wouldn't come.
Instead, his knees gave out.
He collapsed forward onto all fours as tears struck the dirt below him. His heart felt as though it had been ripped apart. Thoughts of Euri lying dead flooded his mind. Memories replayed in fragments — laughter, arguments, quiet walks beneath the moon.
He didn't want to believe what he had heard.
But he could not deny it.
That roar had been a roar of victory.
A declaration.
Helios began punching the ground again and again. Dirt and grass flew with each strike. He kept going until skin split across his knuckles and blood smeared into the soil.
"Don't let Euri's death be in vain… please evacuate…" he muttered as the villagers continued to pray.
His nose clogged; breath hitched. Snot dripped as his sobs deepened.
"Please… please… evacuate, you idiots…"
No one listened.
A small hand touched his back.
"Pray to the gods and everything will be okay…" a little boy said softly.
Helios's eyes widened.
His tears stopped.
He knew the children were raised in faith, but he had never realized they were as deeply indoctrinated as the adults.
"Those gods can go kill themselves…" he muttered as the tears resumed.
The boy recoiled and shouted, "He talked bad about the gods!"
Adults opened their eyes.
One man stood and strode forward before striking Helios across the back of the head. Helios collapsed face-first into the dirt.
"How dare you badmouth the ones who gave you life, you brat!"
A kick slammed into Helios's stomach, forcing spit from his mouth.
A woman stepped forward, voice sharp with condemnation. "This is why your parents died. They didn't believe in the gods either!"
Something inside Helios shattered.
He wasn't sure what it was — grief, patience, restraint — but it broke completely.
He rose slowly, drawing his sword and pointing it at the man before him.
"Don't you dare speak of my parents that way!"
The man stumbled backward, fear flooding his face. He pointed at Helios. "Loki has possessed him! He wants to bring Ragnarok upon our village!"
Gasps rippled through the crowd as they retreated.
"I'm not possessed, damn it, you fucking idiots!" Helios shouted.
The elderly woman spoke with solemn certainty. "We must continue to pray. We must push back the forces of evil. Odin will save us from Loki!"
They knelt again.
Praying.
Helios stared in disbelief.
He was being treated as the greatest threat while a monster approached.
"You're all brainwashed…"
The earth began to tremble.
Helios turned away from them.
The cyclops was approaching.
Each step shook the ground.
In that moment, his worst fear was confirmed.
Euri had not made it.
He had died protecting these people.
As the cyclops drew nearer, the villagers opened their eyes. Gasps spread as they saw the towering behemoth approaching.
"This is all your fault, Helios!" one woman screamed. "You brought Ragnarok upon our village!"
Helios did not react.
He stared at the beast as it came closer.
The cyclops locked its single eye onto him and roared before charging.
Helios accepted his death.
He accepted his failure.
At least, that's what he tried to believe.
But he wasn't ready to die.
He didn't want to fail Euri.
In that moment, something awakened inside him.
An aura of fire ignited around his body — unseen by the villagers, but blazing vividly to Helios and the cyclops alike. Heat rippled the air, distorting the moonlight.
The cyclops halted.
Its eye widened.
It stepped back.
Fear.
Helios raised his sword, extending it toward the monster's chest.
A blast of flame erupted forward — blazing, radiant fire like a fragment of the sun itself. The cyclops roared in agony as its flesh blackened and burned away. Fire consumed muscle and sinew, then bone. Its skeleton glowed, cracked, and disintegrated into drifting ash.
Moments later, nothing remained.
Only smoldering dust scattered across the wind.
The villagers erupted in cheers and relieved cries.
"Odin granted him the power of Surtr!" a man shouted. "Odin sent him this power to protect us! He answered our prayers!"
Another woman added, "You badmouthed the gods, yet they chose you as the vessel for this power. This is only because we all prayed. You should be grateful."
A little girl jumped with joy. "We're saved!"
Helios turned toward them.
His eyes had changed.
They burned a deep crimson red.
His face was cold — hollow, emotionless.
When he spoke, his voice was low, dominant, and terrifying.
"None of you slaves deserve to be saved…"