"Shape of Fear" [Part 3] Ares Evolution - An Infinity Kingdom Story

🔷 Introduction

Welcome to part three of my new series starring the newest immortal, Ares! He is commonly known as “the god of war,” but how did he get this title, and what path was he on? These are all the things I will dream up in this new Olympic series filled with all of our favorite gods.

🔷 Recap of part 2: "The Son of Fear"

Ares, the god of war, discovers that his son Phobos is not a child of love but a being born of pure fear, one who twists war into chaos without meaning. As Phobos becomes a growing threat, Ares realizes their conflict will be a deep and personal struggle that challenges the very essence of war itself.

🔷 Part 3:  "Shape of Fear"

Ares didn’t rush into action. That wasn’t his way. But something had shifted since that night on the cliff. Phobos was no longer just lingering on the edges of battles; he was stepping into them, shaping them. Ares could feel it like a change in pressure before a storm. Wars were breaking in ways they shouldn’t. Victories turned hollow. Courage collapsed faster than blades could be drawn. It wasn’t tactics or strength that decided outcomes anymore—it was fear. And not the kind that served a purpose.

So Ares began watching more closely. Not interfering, not yet. Just observing.

There was a siege in the East where a city held for weeks under starvation and fire. Ares admired their resolve. Then, without warning, the defenders opened the gates in the middle of the night and let the enemy in. No deal had been struck. No reason had been given. Survivors spoke of whispers. Of nightmares that came even when awake. Of men seeing their own deaths before it came. The invaders burned what was left and moved on, leaving nothing but ruin. Ares found a single footprint in the ash where no soldier had walked.

Another time, a small nation gathered to revolt against a tyrant. Ares watched the spark catch fire, a righteous anger taking form. But the moment before their first strike, the people turned on each other. Mothers strangled sons. Leaders fled into the forest, screaming of demons. Ares didn’t need to look hard to find the source. Phobos had passed through like a shadow, and everything good had rotted in his wake.

It wasn’t chaos. That was too easy a word. It was designed. Intentional. Controlled.

That’s when Ares realized he couldn’t face this alone. Not because he feared Phobos, but because this was no longer a god’s war. It was becoming a war of ideas. And for that, he needed someone who understood the mind better than he did.

He found Athena on the slopes of Delphi, watching a council debate the terms of peace. She didn’t speak when he arrived, just narrowed her eyes like she already knew why he’d come.

“You want to bind him,” she said, finally.

Ares didn’t answer right away. “I want to understand him. But first, I need to stop him.”

Athena studied him, and for a moment, there was something like pity in her gaze. “You’re not just fighting your son. You’re fighting what he represents. Fear without direction. Violence without meaning.”

“I forged war into something that made sense,” Ares said. “It had rules. Purpose. Balance.”

“And now you see what happens when you remove the balance.”

Ares nodded.

Athena didn’t give him an answer right then. She just turned back to the council and said, “Meet me in the ruins of Thebes when the moon is dark. If I help you, it will not be out of love. It will be to preserve what war once was.”

As Ares walked away, he felt something heavy settle in his chest. Phobos wasn’t just a threat to men or gods. He was unraveling the very foundation Ares had built his purpose upon.

This war wasn’t going to be won with force.

It would have to be earned.

📄 Recap Questions

Why does Ares decide to seek help from Athena instead of confronting Phobos directly?

What changes in the nature of war signal to Ares that Phobos is no longer acting as a mere presence but as a force with intention?

🔷 Conclusion

Ares thought he understood war. He believed it could be shaped, given rules, and made into something with purpose. But Phobos changed that. Now, war was slipping into something darker, something Ares couldn’t control alone. By turning to Athena, he admitted that this battle was bigger than strength or rage. It was about meaning. And if he failed to stop Phobos, war itself might become nothing more than fear without end.

See you next week!

🔷 Hades, Press Officer.

Important Links

My YouTube Channel

HadesPressOfficerIK

Discord Server

Infinity Kingdom Discord

Links to Download the game

Game Download Link  

Game Download Link Korea

Game Download Link Tw/Hk

Infinity Kingdom / 無盡城戰