Chapter 105: The War of The Gods
On the ancient stone wall to the right of the drawing Arthur had just examined was another panel that made his breath catch in his throat. The scene depicted was essentially the same as the last—the assembly of gods in their cosmic council—but with one crucial difference: that tiny, insignificant cloud from before was not so insignificant anymore.
’What the hell?’ Arthur stood transfixed, confusion and shock etching themselves across his features as he leaned closer, the torch trembling slightly in his grasp.
The cloud had grown, expanding to engulf several of the divine figures at its edges. The gods appeared distorted where the cloud touched them, their once-clear outlines blurring and melding with the encroaching mist. What had seemed like an artistic afterthought in the first panel now dominated the composition, transforming from background element to apparent threat.
Arthur raised an eyebrow in confusion as he moved on to the next panel, stepping sideways along the wall, his boots scraping against the dust-covered floor. The sound echoed in the chamber’s oppressive silence.
It was this third panel that really sent him reeling into shock. There was so much happening on this section of the wall that Arthur struggled to process it all, his eyes darting from one apocalyptic scene to another as he tried to make sense of the narrative.
There was a drawing of something that looked unmistakably like a planet exploding, rendered with surprising detail for such ancient artwork. Fragments of the world spiraled outward from a central cataclysm.
Next to this scene of planetary destruction, an entire section of wall was dedicated to what appeared to be other worlds. There were at least a hundred small drawn planets arranged in spiral patterns reminiscent of galaxies. Some were intact, others showed signs of damage or destruction similar to the first. The sheer scale of devastation depicted made Arthur’s stomach clench.
And to the right of those was the grandest drawing in scale, covering a section of wall nearly twice Arthur’s height and spanning several arm lengths across. It was depicting a scene so chaotic and violent that it took him several moments to comprehend what he was seeing.
’A war... a war of the gods.’ The realization dawned slowly, spreading cold dread through his chest.