Varian is a pacifist, the product of the time he was born into. Non-aggressive, opposed to destruction of any kind, whether of life or property, because… it’s wasteful, it goes against all his beliefs, and yet…

He’s never felt such all-consuming rage as he does now. Gwenith, his bride, his wife for barely a day, is dead. She sacrificed her own life to spare his, which was forfeit the moment he married her, thanks to her people’s barbaric practice of sacrificing newlywed men to appease their volcano god, and the pain he feels now is enough to strip away everything he’d thought he believed to the depths of his soul.

Gwenith is dead, sweet, gentle, beautiful Gwenith, and Varian wants revenge. On the priest and priestess who encourage such barbarity, and on the god, whatever it might or might not be, that demands such human sacrifices. He doesn’t much care, can barely think through the red rage filling his mind. He will destroy, will make it so there can never again be another life sacrificed in this place, to this Beticus. There will be NO MORE. If it takes every ounce of strength he has, he will shatter this place of death, tear it to the ground.

He’s never in his life struck out at another person like this, not physically or mentally. The worst he’s ever done is to use his sonic energiser to put people to sleep, but now he tears free of the acolytes trying to restrain him and turns the power of his mind, focused and directed by a tool that was designed solely for healing, against those who would stop him. He tosses them aside as if they’re nothing, not caring if he injures or even kills them, then focuses on the temple itself.

Pillars come crashing down, the altar breaks apart beneath the weight of them, and still he will not stop, shattering statuary, the image of the god in all its repulsiveness… Burning with hate, he’s determined not to leave anything standing.

When Fred tries to pull him away, he breaks free again, he isn’t done yet, even as the ceiling of the cavern starts to fall around him. It isn’t enough, might never be enough, and if he buries himself beneath the falling rocks, what does it matter? Gwenith is dead, and he will have his revenge, no matter if it costs his own life!

He’d been so happy, looking forward to the life they would have together. They’d had barely two days together, but it had been enough for him to know he wanted his life to be with her, and now the future he’d imagined had been cruelly ripped away…

But Fred is pulling at him again, and Varian no longer has the strength to resist. The whole temple is coming down. It still isn’t enough, but there’s no more he can do, and the worst part is, it changes nothing. Gwenith is still gone; nothing will bring her back.


The End