The mother of our Dark Master laughs and says:

"A god for a god."

The shadows thicken with eyes of gold

As the pages of his rosen book

Gleam with his magic and might.

Our beloved prince

Our God of Ice,

Is the one to strike his brother's killer down.

~Song of the Woods

_________________________________

"When a god is born, the world shifts."

Lukas had only ever experienced in a few times before. Something that has never existed before is suddenly there. The first time was when Moon's creation was finally completed. Lukas could remember that day like nothing else. All of the gods could. It had started with a slight chill before it froze them all to the bone. It was only for an instant, but that instant promised a power that could claim thousands of lives.

Several times over, Lukas had felt similar powers, but none like that first one. Whenever one of his siblings was reborn, there was an echo of their first birth - the one that came from the Dark Master was particularly brutal. Still. It wasn't anything compared to the frostbitten kiss of that first. There was nothing in this world that could possibly compare to it. That was what Lukas had thought, at least.

He'd been locked in a particularly brutal exchange of blows. His wounds weren't healing fast enough so he'd taken to cauterizing them the moment they were inflicted so he wouldn't loose as much blood. It caused him extreme amounts of pain, but in the end it would be worth it. If he gave Honey and Dai the chance to reclaim the Rose Book... they could find the Lady of Light and Lukas's death would be for something.

Or that was what Lukas had thought, at least.

When the temperature dropped, he hadn't noticed it at first. He was burning himself so hot, he only took it for a moment of relief. The Dark Master noticed it, though. His onslaught stopped dead as his head turned towards the mountain. Then, in a split second, Lukas felt it. He felt the frost creep up his spine. He felt it lay it's head on his shoulder. He felt it lean forward, close the gap as it never had before.

Lukas was cold. For the first time in a thousand years, he was cold. He head felt as if it were bursting at the seams. Frozen fingers gripped his brain, turning it to putty. But it wasn't like the Dark Master was faring any better. They were both doubled over in a more intense pain than what was right for any god to know.

Up above, the wind shifted and it started to snow.

The flakes seemed to dance around him. They dared not touch his holy head. That was probably the only way for Lukas to describe him in that moment. In each hand there was a blade made not just of ice, but every ounce of magic that had ever poured out of such a small being. One that couldn't even access his True Form yet.

"The thirteenth god," the Dark Master said, a hiss under his breath. "The God of Ice."

"Dai!" Lukas shouted.

Dai didn't even turn his head. It was as if he hadn't heard Lukas call to him at all. Lukas had to suck in a breath. God of Ice seemed like a bit of an understatement. Just as Lukas wasn't just the God of Fire, he was also the God of Smoke, the God of Ash, Lukas was a God of War and Destruction but also Safety and Protection. Lukas was a God of Fire, but he was also a God of Everything Fire Meant.

Dai was a God of Ice - yes. But he, also, was a God of Everything Ice Meant. He was a God of Snow and a God of Winter. He was a God of Stalemate and he was a God of Famine. But, beyond that, Dai was a God of the Mutare. Sure, the Dark Master might've created them, but Dai embodied them. Dai was the God of Their Protection. He was the God of Their Hope. He was a God of Their Rebirth and Safety and Joy.

Dai was Their God.

And he was Lukas's familiar. A small smirk wound its way on Lukas's face. So he hadn't destroyed Moon's greatest weapon. He'd found a way to wield it.

There wasn't a single beat of hesitation in Dai's footsteps as he charged the Dark Master head on. The God that had been an even match for the Lady of Light, the most ancient and powerful of all the gods. His ice blades sliced the air as the Dark Master rolled out of the way, gripping the Twin Blade of Moon tighter.

"Dai, try and get a hold of that sword!" Lukas ordered, charging forward to slash at the Dark Master with his own blade.

"What do you think I'm doing?" Dai snapped back.

For a moment, the Blade flickered, but it didn't last. The Dark Master was playing for keeps now, slipping in and out of shadows at a rapid rate in order to avoid both Dai and Lukas's strikes, while maintaining his grasp on the Twin Blade of Moon.

"Well, well," the Dark Master said, sweat beading his forehead. "This is about to get fun."

AUTHOR'S NOTE

Yeet.