The Godsfall Chronicles

Book 6, Chapter 98 - Exchanging Eyes

The Avatar and her Master Demonhunters had been defeated .

When it was over, the Cloud G.o.d appeared among the Elysians and called for mediation . Fighting stopped . Green Alliance troops withdrew .

Extensive damage had been caused as a result of this chaos . However, Wolfblade had taken every effort to minimize the destruction . He held back at the proper times so that Skycloud’s defenders did not suffer too grievously . Although the scale of their conflict had been large, casualties were smaller than they had been at the battle for Sanctuary .

Skycloud’s Temple was gone, off into the heavens . Nothing remained of the realm’s leaders.h.i.+p . To this end Cloudhawk ordered the Cloud G.o.d to remain and establish order . Phain, Dawn and Ja.n.u.s were also commanded to help him avoid any further troubles . Years of conflict had been disastrous for this once-flouris.h.i.+ng land, it could not withstand another tragedy .

Next Cloudhawk tapped Meadow’s leader, Autumn, to look after Greenland and the wasteland’s new capital as well . The Green Alliance and all matters pertaining to it were left in Wolfblade’s hands . It gave him the s.p.a.ce he needed to treat his wounds, but more importantly see to Selene .

The Cloud G.o.d, through his connection to the other divine, gathered information about Sumeru’s mobilization . A huge host had been dispatched to their world . It was entirely made up of immortal G.o.ds, from its highest officers to its basest soldiers .  

No human contingent could fell even the most common G.o.dly infantryman . After all, they were G.o.ds! With nearly perfect bodies and tremendous power, with hundreds of years of combat experience, there was no matching them .  

Did this spell the beginning of the end? Were humanity’s days numbered?

Cloudhawk got himself checked out by h.e.l.lflower . After looking him over, she gave her a.s.sessment . “Your injuries are serious . You got lucky . ”

He’d suffered two nasty blows from the G.o.ds during his escape . The first one caught him in the lung, and the other in his heart . Indeed he had been lucky; his dimensional abilities got him out quick, and his regeneration reversed the damage before it was fatal .  

“My wounds aren’t important . What about Selene?” He paid no attention to his state . In a few days he’d be fine, so long as he took the time to rest . He was far more concerned for Selene .

Everything that had happened was because of her…

The wounds she’d suffered – both physical and mental – were deep . Without question she’d carry these scars for the rest of her life . He couldn’t think of a darker or more painful experience . Not only had it shattered her, she would never let go of the grief it caused .

With his own condition handled, he left to see Selene . When he arrived, someone he hadn’t expected was already there .

“I figured you’d be the first one to stop by . ” Wolfblade greeted him with a knowing grin . Indeed he knew very well how Cloudhawk’s mind worked . He spoke up before Cloudhawk could form the question . “Her situation is not a happy one . Her body suffered under the tyranny of a will that was not hers . It’s certain that the power she wielded will leave behind many long-term consequences . ”

Cloudhawk scowled . “Is there any way to fix her?”

“The first step is to remove one of the Eyes of Time,” he replied . “The G.o.d King’s relic does her no favors . ”

“Just one?”

“One is enough . In fact Selene has a faint talent for the powers of Time . If she did not, the relic would have consumed her a long time ago . However that talent is weak – too weak for her to master such a powerful artifact . Perhaps encouragingly, because the G.o.d King flooded her with his power there may be a time in the future when she can control the Eye in her own right . ”

Cloudhawk didn’t really understand, but he trusted Wolfblade’s determination . The Eyes of Time were strong . Perhaps if she used them against the G.o.ds in their war it would help wash away some of her guilt . Selfishly, he had to admit that they would be a great advantage for the Alliance .

He could tell Wolfblade had more to say . “What else?”

“Allow me to explain . We plan to remove Selene’s left eye, which has been damaged because of the power she wielded . However, the damage does not appear to be insurmountable . With the right materials and methods, it could be repaired . ”

“What’s your idea?”

“My King has a very particular const.i.tution . a.s.suming we can restore this relic to working order, I believe you can use it . My plan is to have you and Selene exchange eyes . A simple surgery could restore her sight and empower you with insight into time . ”

“Is that possible?”

“Of course . ”

Of course . Like everything else, this had to have been part of Wolfblade’s plan .

He wouldn’t be surprised if he somehow connived a way for Selene to be chosen as Avatar . He knew she would be given the Eyes of Time and eventually the relic would fall into their possession . When that happened the eye would come to Cloudhawk and he would have a powerful time relic as part of his a.r.s.enal . Cloudhawk, the new Demon King, would steal a portion of the G.o.d King’s power .

Was all of this part of Wolfblade’s plan to construct a new Demon King? He didn’t go too far down that rabbit hole . What he faced was alarming and oppressive . More power was an urgent necessity .

He was by no means weak, and with the G.o.d King’s power there would be few in this world able to stand against him . In the coming war against the G.o.ds it would be a considerable advantage .

“Then hurry it up . ”

Cloudhawk stepped pa.s.sed him into the operating theater and laid down . Reaching out, he gently took Selene’s left hand and threaded his fingers through hers . Her skin was cool and soft .

What was to come would be hard . But so long as the people he cared about were by his side, it didn’t matter what he had to face . He did it gladly .  

h.e.l.lflower pulled on her gloves, lowered her goggles and stepped into the room . She approached a cabinet and extracted a scalpel . “Are you ready?”

Two days later .

Cloudhawk sat on a balcony in Greenland’s central fort . The sun’s warm glow hung over the city .  

Bandages covered his left eye . The right looked out over his domain with the same bright glint it always had . Wolfblade approached from inside with h.e.l.lflower in tow, and the two looked him over . They determined the surgery to have been a success .

“How do you feel?” Wolfblade asked .

“Not great . The left eye feels like hot iron . ”

“The Eyes of Time are an implantable relic . Its cla.s.s require a high threshold for use . It is expected that you will struggle at first to accommodate it . Perhaps luckily, the left eye has been damaged so your body will be less inclined to reject it . Since you can use any relic, it is only a matter of time before you start to feel more comfortable . ”

With his explanation complete, Wolfblade had h.e.l.lflower remove the bandages . Cloudhawk’s recovery time was rapid so when his eye was revealed there were no signs of where cuts were made . What was striking was its color . Unlike the flat black of his right eye, the left was a strange sort of dull silver . Its pupil was completely dilated and murky, like an old man with bad cataracts . Beyond that, though, there didn’t seem to be anything special about it .

“A complete success!” h.e.l.lflower was quite pleased with her work . “I am simply the best at what I do . ”

“But why can’t I see anything through it?”

“Nothing to be concerned about . ” The wily one-eyed demon grinned . “You’ll get used to it . ”

Wolfblade a.s.sured him that the blindness was temporary . Cloudhawk’s body was superhuman, no injury was final . What he’d traded with Selene was his cornea, so over time it would settle and go back to normal – only combined with the Eye of Time .

The relic worked like any other eye . Once Cloudhawk mastered its powers he could see through it normally, and also engage its power to see into the future . It was a total benefit to Cloudhawk, no consequences were expected .

Of course, for now the eye was useless . Until it was awakened Cloudhawk was effectively a cyclops .  

Wolfblade went on in his even, erudite tones . “I’d wager the G.o.d King did not antic.i.p.ate that one day his powers would be given to his rival . ”

Cloudhawk thought it strange . With dominion over the powers of time, could the G.o.d King really not know what would come? How could anything be hidden from such a creature?

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