The Divine Soldier?

Chapter 4: The Divine Soldier?

 

 The door squeaked open, and Huum stepped in. Nine sat up from the pile of straw he called a bed; he tucked his knees up to his chest and leant against the cave wall.

 Huum didn’t speak for a few seconds; he paced from side to side before stopping in front of Nine, sweat on his brow.

 “Sir?”

 “Nine, your last fight with Six, he spoke to you, yes?”

 Nine shook his head and stared at the cold stone floor. He could feel Huum’s eyes on him.

 “Don’t lie to me, Nine. Did Six speak with you?” Huum asked firmly.

 Nine, still silent, nodded, eyes still fixed on the ground.

 “Sin spoke through that boy. I saw it in his eyes, a seed sprouting.” Huum shook head. “What did he say?”

 “H-he said people were not believing in Rah. He said he’d talked to mortals and they told him.” Nine looked up at Huum, who was staring at his number, forehead creased with concern.

 “Yes, Nine, it is true. Faith in Rah is wavering; some people no longer believe a sacrifice is sufficient, and because of this they are questioning whether Rah is listening or even existing. It is because of this that we have you, Nine, and the other numbers.”

 “To make people believe in Rah again.”

 “To make people believe in the Divine Soldier.”

 “What is Divine Soldier, sir?”

 “The Divine Soldier will be the most powerful being known to man.”

 “Am I the Divine Soldier?”

 “Maybe, someday, we have a long way to go yet.” Huum walked over and sat next to Nine, he stretched his legs out, slowly, and rubbed his thighs as he did so. “Nine, we are in danger, in danger of losing faith from the mortals. They no longer believe we can appease the Gods, and as a result, we are losing our power and say in the modern world. We must do something about this.”

 “What are you doing about it?”

 “Someone must show the Gods we aren’t the mere mortals they think we are. Someone must go to Thera and stake our claim, someone strong, powerful and intelligent.” Huum playfully nudged Nine’s shoulder.

 “The Divine Soldier?”

 Huum smiled at his number, “Yes, Nine, the Divine Soldier.”