Overture

Ramsey Stowe offered a kind smile to the cashier as she handed him a plastic grocery bag, complete with a roast beef/provolone sub and a bottle of water. The young cashier smiled in return and motioned the next customer onward. It didn't bother him too much, everything about him was a disheveled mess--from his curly mess of brown hair to his worn out sneakers. Doubtless to be expected when a man is on the run. A low grumble from his stomach caused the unkempt man to hurriedly rip open the plastic covering of his sandwich and take a giant bite out of it as he walked the near-empty backstreets. The man hadn't eaten in at least a full day, due to his technique of "laying low". If he was found he would be in major trouble, he knew.  

The twilight fire of the sky signified another day gone and a night to begin. So far, 21 of his days had been marked in this manner, staring up at the sky at nightfall. 21 days since the great city, Academia, was destroyed--completely flattened as though it never existed in the first place. It was utter chaos. Thousands of civilians, dead. Such was the power of the gods. Within days, Grayson was dead--murdered by his own kind, family, if you had the nerve to call it that--and Reed and Estelle were both missing. Since then he'd been on the run, in hiding, eluding from the public eye. 21 days.  

Ramsey pushed between two dumpsters into a cramped alley.  He'd been in the city of Ventis for 5 days now, and the makeshift bed of old blankets and pillows were his temporary home. He threw himself upon them, getting as comfortable as possible as the chill of night slithered through the alley.  November was not known for it's merciful weather, evident as small snowflakes began drifting from the sky above. The man snapped his fingers, creating a spark that quickly grew into a flame. With the creation of his open fire, energy rushed within the man, filling him with power, calming him. Warmth spread through him and the air around him, warding off the chill of winter. He hadn't done this in 21 days.   

"Ramsey..." At the sound of his name the brunette jumped out of his bed to his feet, both arms aflame, lighting the entire alley to the two dumpsters. Before him stood a tall man with slick black hair and smooth black lines like tattoos all along his body. Darkness crept along the walls of the alleyway until the fire only illuminated the space between the two men. 

 "Reed," Ramsey let out a breath of relief, lowering his flaming hands. It was astonishing to see Reed alive, but Ramsey was grateful. Reed was on his side--a friend. "How did you find me? Where've you been?" He'd been careful to cover his trail and avoid from using his powers except when necessary. Reed had a fresh gash on his cheekbone, only a few hours old and most likely from a confrontation with a former friend. Suddenly, Reed fell to his knees in exhaustion, to which Ramsey hurried over to support his friend. "Are you injured?" he asked in concern, answered by a grunt and a shake of the head. 

"It's Estelle...Estelle is...dead." 

Ramsey froze in shock. Estelle was so powerful, it didn't seem possible. She'd always been the most powerful between all seven of the gods, boasting supreme in both intelligence and strength. She'd escaped from the primary threat, only to be hunted down as Ramsey himself could be? Reed's shoulder shook underneath Ramsey's hand. He was crying.   

"How? How did it happen?" Ramsey asked, tightening his grip on Reed's shoulder and shaking him for an answer, "How did she die?"  

There followed silence. The snowfall had gotten thicker within the past few minutes, and already there was a light layer of white across the ground. After a moment, Reed shrugged and unsheathed a short, thick blade shrouded in darkness and detailed with the same markings as he had over his body. It was a blade blessed by a god, the only weapon capable of killing another god.  

"I needed to protect my family, Ramsey." 

 Before he could fully comprehend what was going on, the area around Ramsey was engulfed in darkness. Not even the smallest ray of light shone through. His fire had gone out. Seconds later a pain unlike any other he'd ever experienced pierced through his chest, causing the fire god to release a groan of agony. Groan was all he could do as the life seemed to drain out of him. The stab of the blade through his heart did quick work to shut his body down, most of his muscles going immediately numb. Ramsey fell to his knees, unable to think properly but knowing he was dying,  and Reed had killed him.  Ramsey hardly noticed when Reed knelt down before him. His vision was in and out of focus, growing worse every millisecond, and he could barely recognize the face of his best friend. 

"I'm sorry, Ramsey."  

With those last words,  Reed tugged the dagger out of his friend's chest, and Ramsey's body fell to the ground, lifeless. Though it was unseen in the dark, the blood that had been spilled by the traitor dyed the snow crimson that night.