Hear the voices of Samuel/HTVO: Arc 1: Samuel

Chapter 55: We Are Gods

Samuel folded his hands as he watched his brother moved his rook down to his side of the board. It was checkmate, and he knew he lost this round. But it didn't faze him, nor did he show any facial gestures through his goat skull mask. Both him and his brother were dressed up in royal black drapes. Each one bore their cult's symbol on their back as well as the back of their hands. When Azazel waited for his brother's move, he grinned softly and folded his arms.

"Brother, something strange came to me today from my followers. Your followers, a few of them, killed themselves. But there was no explanation why. They were brave men who were willingly committed to kill under your name." Samuel said moving his king up one piece, seeing that there were no pieces left to defend his king. Azazel only had the bishop, rook, knight, and queen left on his field.

"Yes, I heard of that. Perhaps it was a self-sacrificing ritual. Sometimes, when my followers get too deep into their work, they take their life. It is a sign of respect, one many I'm sure would never understand or consider cowardly. I see it as another way of telling me that my existence is almighty and their life is mine; forever." He said moving the rook behind the king. "Why is it so strange to you, brother?" He asked, looking at him calmly.

Samuel narrows his eyes and moves his king down taking the rook out. Azazel smiles and moves his queen straight down, two spaces away from the king. "What I mean about it being strange is, what would really drive them to take their own life under your name? It's like the Zazibac tribe and Sasora. Sasora works more in the business line, but the law and judgement is different from what I see in this world, while the Zazibac work in strange occupations and little evidence is known on who they worship or who hate the most."

"Why not capture one and question them?" Azazel asked, as his brother moved up the king again. He frowned, growing annoyed of Samuel's repeated move. He decides to move his bishop down four spaces where it was one space away from the king. If the bishop were to be attack, the knight would take care of the king, but if the king were to move the opposite direction where the bishop had no way to getting the it, then the queen will handle him.

Samuel sighed and folded his hands together looking at the board before looking back up at his brother. He looked deeply into his eyes scanning the thoughts running through his head. But all he could see is that frown and boredom that was washing over his activities. But why? Why was he bored? Chess was their favorite game to pass the time and to settle problems. There was a problem, and Samuel could feel it.

"It's your move brother." Azazel reminded him. Samuel grabbed the king and used it to knock down the queen causing Azazel to look at him confused. "Hey, that's not part of the rules. You can't do that."

"I can." Samuel answered knocking his bishop down. "Why?" He muttered looking at his brother still as he knocked down another of his piece causing him to have one more left. "Because...I'm a god."

Azazel narrowed his eyes before he slammed his fists on the table. "What is that supposed to mean?! You cheated, how come?!" He yelled but Samuel remained calm and knocked down the last piece causing Azazel to become even angrier.

"Because I said so, I did it and you couldn't do anything about it. Do you see why I cheated now?" He asked calmly tossing his piece to the side before getting up and walking towards the door.

Azazel was still confused. "No, I don't." He answered.

"Then what makes you god?" He asked, looking back at him before he stopped at the throne doors, preparing to exit.

"Because I have followers, I judge life, the way I want it to continue, and to end." Azazel said angrily despising his brother's attitude. "Destruction, atrocities, pillaging, murder, rape, so much more. Atrocities, brother; the greatest thing a god like I, can ever wield in their role above his own followers." He said laughing. Samuel was not impressed though.

"Atrocities, it ruins the balance between life and death. Our role is to settle the balance between good and evil. Why do you think The Creator made us? We were put here in the multiverse along with other gods and goddesses to settle a balance. You...you seek only madness for your amusement because you're bored."

"So what?" Azazel said folding his arms. "Brother, you do the same thing over and over again. Why can't you do something new, too, for once. Play around with your followers, cause wars, create a madman hell bent on destroying everything and then forcing him to kill himself. Look at it my way, brother; boredom is a bitch and doing something new is fun."

"You're still a child. Even after we overthrew our father, you never cease to change. This conversation is over brother. Be careful what you do, and if I'm around to see its total destruction that is in my path caused by you...I will not hold back. I will take you down." He said. Samuel left the throne room. Azazel's angry expression faded and was soon replaced by a more sardonic grin.

"Still...a child?" He muttered to himself as the lights blew out allowing darkness to swallow up the room. "No...I'm still a god."

'And you can't stop me.'

Blood dripped on the cracked stone ground as Samuel stood a few feet away from his brother. Samuel's right arm had a punctured hole near the socket that was leaking out black blood. The god was unfazed and stared at Azazel who had his blade stabbed to the ground while holding the handle tightly. Samuel grabbed the edges of his mask with his right and while the left wielded his scythe. He took off the helmet and tossed it to the side. The wind in the hellish god realm began to blow his hair to the right revealing his pale face. Samuel had no eyes at all, but only dark holes that were an entrance to an equally dark abyss. He was Azazel's appearance except he had a mustache that was cut thin.

Azazel's hair blew lightly against the wind as he looked at his brother with a killer grin. The two took dashing positions readying their weapons over their shoulders. Soon, the wind stopped and only silence filled the world.

Their blades clashed against each other causing the ground to crack apart even more from the impact. Soon, the ground began to split open and the two backed away from each other, standing on the opposite of the splitting terra. The eyeless god leaped over and swung his scythe horizontally but it was blocked by Azazel's blade as he held the edge of the plating with his free hand, preventing it from proceeding forward. Sparks began shooting out around them as they struggled to win the clash.

"Brother, everything will be finished. The world will be better off without you and pure atrocities will drown out the balance you made. Blood will salt the ground as other cults begins to lash out at each other in this war of the gods. This war is only a Cantata Mortis after all." Azazel said pushing his blade forward, causing Samuel to slide back, almost off the edge.

Samuel frowned before pushing back, causing Azazel to slowly slide back. "All you will do is raise the world on fire and the flames will never be put out. You're going to doom your followers." He said angrily.

"I...don't care." He muttered before moving to the side causing Samuel to stumble forward. He quickly kneed him in the stomach before slinging him back into his throne chair, destroying it. The red sky started to flash as thunder was heard cracking. Azazel held his arms out laughing as his brother emerged out of the pieces of his chair. "They understand the main reason why I'm doing this. This is how it will end." He said. Samuel brushed off some specks of debris off his shoulder before readying his scythe.

"You're right, you're going to simply just kill yourself in you own madness." He muttered.

"Brother...I'm already dead." He said chuckling as he dashed straight towards him. Samuel swung his scythe right blocking an incoming strike from Azazel's sword causing him to be pushed back. Steadying his footing, Samuel pointed his palm at Azazel and fired a large red beam.

Azazel gasps and rolls out of the way before looking up seeing his brother come down swinging his scythe in both hands down. The god of atrocities' eyes glowed red and once the blade nearly reach his forehead, Samuel was shot back by a laser beam. Samuel crashed into a rock and coughed out blood before looking ahead. "Got you!" Azazel yelled, impaling his blade into his brother's right shoulder pinning him to the wall. Samuel cried out painfully, clutching the blade before hissing when the blade began burning his hand.

"S-S-Samuel fragment?!" He gasped looking at Azazel shocked.

"Made from your own blood." Azazel said, pulling out the blade and thrusting it forward. Samuel rolled to the right, dodging the thrusting attack and kicked Azazel's stomach with his right foot knocking him back.

"If I can't kill you, then I know one pony who can." Samuel said, grabbing the handle of his scythe, pointing it at Azazel.

"And who is that?" Azazel asked getting up from the ground.

"Magic." He said readying himself for a dashing attack.

"This sucks." Strife muttered while resting his back against the wall panting. He was covered in bruises and cuts and hid behind a broken stone wall. Behind it was the battlefield littered with melee weaponry. Some craters were spotted while a few were spotted in destroyed homes made of gray stone. "He's probably aware of where I'm at already." He muttered looking up. He soon sighs and leaps out of the way from an incoming blade that pieces the spot he leaped away from.

"Getting reckless, boy." Dexilus said, floating down on top of a rooftop of a small house. "Next time you take your eyes off of me, you'll be dead and left to rot on the moon." He said smirking at Strife as he glared angrily back at him. "I can see the anger in your eyes, are you going to be able to stop me?"

"I don't know..." Strife said as his horn began glowing brightly, summoning two lances behind him, pointed straight at Dexilus, "but I trained enough to try." He smirked back.

"That's more like it. We'll ignore the fact that we're related. Instead, we'll focus on the fact that we're enemies. Warriors. Any objection to that, Strife!" Dexilus yelled, spawning five spears and ten broadswords by his side.

"Just shut up, old man!" He yelled running towards him.

Fluttershy gasped and looked out the window staring up at the moon. "Time...knows how to go by fast." She muttered. "Strife, why do you continue to fight?" She pressed her right hoof against her chest closing her eyes. She was still objected to Strife's vengeance. She seen it as a plague quickly eating away at the body of its host. Killing them and not returning anything pleasant, like a parasite.

"He'll be alright." Nocta said resting her right hand on Fluttershy's mane. "They will, my dear." She said.

"But...how can I be so sure? Where did He go?" She asked looking at her goddess, concerned for Strife's safety.

"To the place where Timid wished to be." She said softly.

"Who's Timid?" Fluttershy asked.

"His mother."

-To Be Continue-