The New Elemental God

From above, Adam didn't see anything strange as he approached the lake. The flight was so fast he didn't have any time to think or plan, he just wanted to find his mother.

As he got closer to the hill where his funeral ceremony would take place it had disappeared. Instead there was an impact crate. The entire cemetery was destroyed. There were gaps all over, making it impossible to walk around. Trees were broken, pointing probably to where Calder was hurled to. 

Hesitant, the Earth God landed where he last saw his mother. 

The crate was so deep it was probably twice as tall as him. At the bottom there was only melted rock from Marduk's hammer and nothing else. Adam tried to push away the thought but he kept thinking that there was no trace of her. Not a shoe, clothes, or even blood.

Feeling his limbs heavy and his soul weak, Adam fell on his knees over the warm floor. 

Why did that happen? He thought to himself. Why him and his family? The God thing had just began and he was already having to fight demons or whatever the fuck that Giant was.

Maybe he would be better off just dead, not reincarnated to see the people he loved get hurt.

"Adam?" From above, a voice far away called him. 

In his chest his heartbeat so strongly it hurt his throat. Could it be? The God fly back up tot he surface full of hope to find Calder dragging himself through the fallen trees. 

In a hurry, Adam went to hold him in time before he fell on his face. 

"What happened?" 

Calder was severely hurt. His left arm was hanging on his shoulder covered in blood and dirt. On his face the same thing, cuts and bruises disfigured the old man. Carefully Adam helped him sit on a tree trunk. 

"Is the demon still here?"

Alert, the Young God searched the area more thoroughly but there was no sign of the monstrous thing. 

"No…" A crushing pain pressed the old goat's ribs, making him pause. "We have to go back."

"Have you seen my mother?"

Calder's eyes were low as Adam mentioned the woman, he looked away. 

"I tried to get to her but-" The words and the blood choked him. He had failed twice. 

"He threw you away, I know; I'm asking if you saw him take her?"

Calder thought he wouldn't have to actually say it out loud but Adam still had hope in his eyes.

"Adam, I don't think she's…" The pain of saying it wasn't as bad as watching the boy's eyes lose their light as he heard the words. "Alive." 

As he heard the words, it was like he didn't understand what was said. His brain that ignored the meaning of the words.

"But Spirits can't touch the Material World. I couldn't touch her so how could he?"

Emotions were piling up inside his heart. Sorrow, anger, solitude, despair, regret. All trying to leave at once. 

Adam stood up agitated. The world was spinning and so was he. Everywhere he looked he saw a place his mother had been and where she was supposed to be, she wasn't.

"Marduk is not like us." The weight on Calder's shoulders was so heavy he dropped his head, hiding his face from the young man. 

"You didn't tell me there were demons after me!" Shouting, Adam advanced towards the older God. 

"That's because there are no demons…" A piercing pain cut off his air and man choked and spit out crimson blood. 

"How can you be that hurt?" 

Despite blaming Calder for what happened, he felt worried about the man's condition. For a God he was hurt exactly like a human would be. 

"There's no time. We have to get back." 

Frustrated with the vague answers as usual, Adam let go of his anger towards the man to help him stand up. Holding him gently by the waist they walked a few steps until Calder stopped.

The old man drew an invisible line in front of them. Watching him do that was enough for Adam to understand how they would get back. Feeling like shit for leaving his family behind and not knowing what happened to his mother, Adam could only take one last look at the battlefield that once was a cemetery. 

All it took was a step and they were inside God's Gate. Adam dragged Calder to the stone table and sat him down.

There was no sign of Shu or Hikari, as expected and no one told him how to get in contact with them.

"I should go get the Fire Lady." The Goddess was the first person he could think that would actually know what to do about everything, including the Giant.

As an asteroid falling from space, a ball of fire entered the room from the ceiling opening and landed on the other side of the table.

"What happened?!"

"Speaking of the devil."

Hikari stepped out from within the flames, apparently aware that things weren't right.

"I'm fine, I just need to rest." The Water God said in advance as if reading the woman's mind. "Why are they taking so long?"

The only one missing was Shu, which wasn't a surprise for Adam but as he finished that thought the wind blew rapidly, bringing the unusual creature with it.

"What did you guys do?"

Shu went directly to Calder, already schooling them in their tone.

"That was the Monster demon that attacked us and my family!" Once everything had cooled down, Adam was feeling angrier than ever. "We have to go after him! That thing almost killed my entire family for NOTHING!"

He pounded the white rock and the walls trembled, causing a drizzle of pebbles.

"I have to find my mother!"

The other three Gods exchanged concerned looks before everyone laid eyes on Calder. With his head down looking away from Adam, he said.

"It was Marduk."

All the lights blinked and the air stopped circulating, becoming thick and warm. Shu and even Hikari held their breaths as they heard Marduk's name.

"He showed up during Adam's funeral and destroid the whole place. It was so fast…"

Hearing the Thunder God speak so weakly was astounding. Digging through his long gray hair, the God wanted to hide from everyone.

"He was after my family."

Looking serious and distant, Adam was unrecognizable. If he knew where that guy was he would probably be at his door by that time and not sitting around mumbling excuses.

"He took my mother!" The Earth God emphasized each syllable with urgency. "Why are you guys still standing here? Let's go get her!"

"Why would he do that?" Hikari was massaging the space between her eyebrows.

"I don't fucking know! You tell me, who is this guy?" Adam banged on the table one more time and a tremor shook the cave dropping rocks from the ceiling.

"Adam, we have to stay calm. We'll find a way to get her back." Shu was levitating between him and Calder, shielding the pathetic old man from Adam's fury.

"I'll calm down when you people stop going around in circles and tell me who the fuck is he!"

Under their feet, the Earth God's irritation manifested in a threatening strong vibration. From the beginning he knew they weren't telling all there was to know about the Gods. Their way of answering everything with a moral lesson was very condescending which was okay when it didn't evolve his family safety.

"He is the Xenothar."

The tremor stopped.

Breaking the suspense unexpectedly, Calder was the one to take the lead. Turning around but still avoiding Adam's gaze, he started.

"Calder, we need to discuss this first!"

In a very shady tone, Hikari intervened.

"Trust me, he can handle it." They exchanged looks and Hikari nodded, stepping down.

Adam shook his head in disbelief, of course they lied and were trying to keep stuff from him. People could not be trusted.

Trying to stay cool, he turned away from Calder and remained silent.

Calm and centered, Calder began to tell a story.