He sprinted through the forests, with his hood and long braided dark hair swinging like an excited wagging wolf's tail. Floating in front of him was a luminescent pink orb, distracting and swaying from side to side. It didn't seem to belong to this environment, or foremost, not even toward the elements of the world. An alien-like substance.
As Belial swung his sharp claws toward the anomaly, swiftly it dissipated into tiny pink particles and vanished into thin air. Belial hastily sprung out from his wolf body, transformed back into human form, and tilted his head left and right, utterly confused.
"Where is it?!"
His palms were drenched in sweat. He could practically feel all of his limbs blister in soreness. Though his attitude remained sour, Belial persisted in dashing through the forest to reach Asahi and Aletha.
He thought that everything in Millmoor was fine, but to his avail, as he approached the crease of the hill, it was nothing like he could have ever imagined.
Wreckage started to smoke vigorously from the smoldered family of structures. Deadly fumes intoxicated the air, blocking the sunlight, and unleashing heavy ash. A thousand roots sprung from the ground, like rising flowers sprouting from the soil. The vast round hills and grass fields were drenched in sinkholes, puddles, and streams.
A myriad of emotions sprung out of his mind. Anger, Shock, Surprise, and Fear. He couldn't believe any of what he saw and, indeed, was incapable of suppressing his feelings. His heart quickened, his eyes trembled, and his blood rushed through his veins.
"What… happened. It's only been two days. Who did this?!"
Bouncing back, Belial hastily transformed back to his feral form and cantered across the hills. He could feel his feet slip and slide from the damp soil, the puddles, and the grass. His steel gray claws extended from Belial's large silver clouds, latching and grappling on each fragment of the dirt.
His lips were tight, and its ears pointed slightly forward. Its neck hair and hackles were raised. Ivory teeth appeared between the jaws.
(These puddles… match the description of Sally's. She… actually used it.)
His fur was stained from the mud, stained like residue touching skin. His fur fell off from his skin, with his four legs crunching and transforming back into human form.
Belial was bewildered by sight, knowing that the puddles and streams were at the fault of Sally. Utterly confused, Belial rushed down the hill toward the village, scavenging for people. He walked across smoldered farms, tarnished houses, blacksmiths, and other occupied buildings.
All of it, including the crops, were razed from the engulfing flames.
(Tremble)
Belial suddenly lost balance. He wobbled and rocked, trying to hold on from the sudden quakes that shook the ground. He tripped on a tiny stone, planting his face against the soil.
His heart rushed, spikes of adrenaline coursed through his veins; he couldn't help but lift himself up and ignite his hands with a green luminescent flame.
Dangling nearest to his hips, hidden from the mocha fabric of his cloak, was a shimmering white crystal. It gleamed and illuminated white essences.
"Do I really have to resort to this?"
While his gleaming emerald eyes peered through the reflecting Adcrystal, he felt a presence touch his heart. An elderly man echoed Belial's head, whose voice sounded brittle, deep, yet friendly.
"I show you my deepest gratitude for going through your hardships and to such lengths to get water for us. I can't believe you have made an entire water system worldwide just by using your hands and others, and for that, I must commend you... with... this achievement... erm..."
Belial's hands were smaller, only being at the age of thirteen. His hair was still short, reasonably skinny, and looked quite human. Belial was standing near a straw-built house, lying within the sandy, bumpy dunes of Zomrack.
"No, no! I don't need a reward. This is all because it was the right thing to do. I want people to grow strong, be brave, confident, and happy, just like me. I don't want them to follow the same... fate... like my parents."
Abuse, Pain, and Greed; that's what got the best of young Belial. His parents were deceptive thieves, all doing it for the prosperity of the poor. They made a particular group just for the idea of Stealing alone, called The Fleshers.
These individuals lurk the world, all searching for dividends to keep a stockpile within their 'safe' located within almost all nations, discluding Wraileza.
(Memory is still foggy.)
The old man chuckled and pulled out a polished, clean crystal from his long pockets. As the roaring sandy winds blew against his long gray beard, he slowly placed it on Belial's hands and smiled.
"This is my token of gratitude, please... use it wisely."
Young Belial nodded, a llama-drawn carriage passed by, and the elder continued.
"When I was your age, I too was a daredevil adventurer, searching through the lands just for the hell of it. I even went to such lengths to discover the depths of The Gorge. Young one, you know what that is... right?"
Belial nodded and slowly placed it in his pocket.
"Isn't it like... a massive chasm that separates three nations? With regenerating crystals, mines, and creepy monsters? I-I've heard that place has been in numerous wars."
The old man sighed, slowly walked up to Belial, and patted his shoulder.
"Now, now... you don't need to know that match... young one. You have a long journey to go... I'm sure that you will be alright. Use this crystal in times when you need it. My family appreciates your performance and determination in installing an entire water system running through not only our nation but almost all of the continents underground.
While present Belial heard and recollected the foggy vision, he passed through a tunnel of roots and reached an untainted place unearthed nearest to the smoggy shores of Sally. There was no sight of people, nor even monsters within the place but only himself. Could it be that this place was nothing but a mirage made from the parting fragments of his memories? Belial whispered to himself.
"Why do I feel familiar with this place?"
He heard sounds of rushing water.
"It's like… I have been here before."
Suddenly, as he approached the coastline of the lush, squishy dirt, a beaming bright white light blinded his eyes.
* * * * * * * *
There were a plethora of sand-covered yellow pillars of earth spanning through kilometers among a long tunnel. Beyond, there was a massive pipe-way, filled with falling streams of water rushing across the huge pipes which stretched from the very distant glittering light toward the outskirts of the unfinished construction.
The sand dust sprinkled and fell toward the carved ground, like droplets trickling over the sky.
Nothing but darkness shrouded the underground, with only the light of a pixie able to shrewd and push the fog away.
"Come on, men, we're almost there."
A large group of men wearing steel hats, mining, and construction equipment were traveling across the tunnels to finish the remaining bits of the water system. The final part, the segment, the puzzle piece that ends the universal pipeline, was right below the nation before it started.
It was a daunting and perceiving effort for the crew, and one called from the dark, dripping depths of the cavern yelled out someone's name as he examined the metal rods.
"Belial, come look at this! I detect that there is a malfunction within…."
Immediately, Belial approached the worker, peered his crystal cyan eyes through the gleaming, sand-covered steel pipe, then commented as he tweaked a few mechanisms.
"It appears that some sand monster had tampered with it. Don't worry, The Queen of Zomrack was against building the system here."
"And yet… you took the risk?"
Belial lightly chuckled.
"Well… of course. My determination and persistence were what pushed me to do this. Anyways, let's finish this last tweak. It's the only one missing, the last puzzle piece that would finish the rest of the puzzle."
The rest wiped the sweat off their faces, took a deep breath, resisted their surrender, and continued working. They all wore armor pieces on their shoulders, neck, and torso; to serve as protection if one were to fall while doing their work.
They had connections, each coming from a nation, all having childhoods and friendships.
All had a differentiating life.
(Clank)
The sounds, crippled echoes of the continuous clashes of their tools. One spark after another, the structure neared closer toward completion.
But it was fine until…
"Chief Belial! Above you!"
The warm haze of sunlight pierced and flicked across the collapsing earth. Boulders of rocks flew down toward the ground, impacting and colliding with the newly built pipelines. Five of Belial's people fled into the air in a hasty swarm and were smashed with stalagmites.
Belial's cyan-eyes widened.
"Huh?"
Suddenly, a magenta-colored beacon pierced from the surface and shrouded the entire bowl of the cavern into a putrid, pansy purple mist.
Men screamed; the pipeline erupted a gush of water and spewed against the solid brown walls. Belial raced across the cavern and tried to reach his men.
But before he could grab him, their existences all perished into glittering violet sparkle dust.
His breathing quickened, his eyes trembled, realizing that the existence of his friends had perished right in front of his very eyes.
Fear gripped his heart. He choked on sand dust and fell on his knees, screaming.
"H-How?! W… Where did they go?"
From above, a silhouette pierced and streaked across the underground, carving lines, puncturing through the structures and insatiably demolishing the waterline.
The atmosphere was marred with varying purple hues, Belial nauseated from the flashing lights, and explosions struck and drilled through the underground, forcing pillars to collapse.
"HUH?!"
Fear, anger, and confusion. Belial's throat lurched, he didn't know what happened, and he still thought his friends were still alive. However, something caught his eyes as his body flew in the air like a ragdoll.
The boulders that flew and fell from the surface were frozen still in the air, like a static rock, unable to move.
He vividly heard his heart thumping, with every other sound other than his breathing swiftly muted.
A genuine feeling of absolute terror ran through his eyes as he saw a dark feminine silhouette covered in a veil slowly amble closer toward him.
. . .
He could hardly move, he twisted his fingers, but that didn't work either. He was utterly paralyzed; a silence enveloped him. In his head, as he was floating still, he mumbled.
"Who… is she? Wh…Why do I feel familiar with that monster?!"
(Tap)
(Tap)
(Tap)
The mysterious black-shrouded figure bent to Belial, peering her malicious obsidian eyes through his soul. Her voice forced Belial's hearing to ring.
"No one listens to me. This world feeds on all the negative aspects of the universe. And yet, despite that, none had chosen to join me."
The monster clenched her charcoal-covered fists and gritted her teeth, feeling even her mind deteriorating. She painfully gripped Belial by the neck and stared deeply into his trembling cyan eyes. She continued while giving a deviant smile.
"I recognize you… demon. A man who came from lands afar-- forgotten by his army of people. A supreme ruler of a land, transformed into this… thing. Such a moldering image, a pitiful incarnation of what once was a thriving ruler. Tell me, what was it that made you be in such a... state?"
Belial could hardly recollect the words that the veiled girl was saying. He couldn't recognize her words, but he definitely realized who the girl was.
As he slowly got forced down to the ground, Belial clenched his chest and answered.
"Aren't you, The Princess? The ruler of The Ending? What… have you done?"
Silence. An unruffled, unbearable muted aura fumed from the girl. She tilted her head toward the rays of the sunlight, slowly lifted her brittle arm into the air, and beamed an unnerving smile.
"I see… you still ARE one of them. Now I can state that the forces of both the Adlement and The Prism have reached you, forcing your memory to fade away."
"..."
Belial had no idea what The Princess was jabbering about. He wanted to say something… but immediately reconsidered his motives shortly after knowing that if he were ever to say the wrong words, he would be swiftly slain.
It was actions like these… that made my Dark Heart evaporate from the concealing swarm. All I remember is that we had a history together until that decrepit, merciless element tore ALL our matter to ruin. Now I can't remember anything, even Marina… who still was trapped behind reality; just like… me.
I pushed my hatred aside, Belial closed his eyes, and The Princess dared to speak once more.
"Join me… and we shall reclaim and demolish this curse. I have an army, and I know you have one. Your kind was involuntarily tarnished, and I have met the same fate. However, I have a method to reverse this. That is… if you take the precaution to join me."
Belial hastily backed away, spat on the floor, and raced across the demolished pipes.
"Never! You slaughtered my friends! Why the hell would I ever join you?! I will never join The Ending!"
The Princess released a sigh, shook her head, and clenched her fists.
"Typical. I knew that this would be the result. If only they knew that I was the one who sprout:///://
The memory fogged up.
* * * * * * * *
Belial gasped, and inhaled fumes. He choked and fell onto the floor, recollecting the memories that tore him up. He lifted his head and tilted toward the puddles stretching across the fields.
"...no…"
He gritted his teeth, stepped forward, and turned toward the smoldering structures. Belial couldn't believe his own memories, but despite the chaos around him; he thought.
"Could it be… that my presence… d-didn't originate from this--
A loud beating red explosion erupted from the ground. Pieces of dirt flew into the air, and fell down to the ground like a raging thunderstorm. Belial disregarded his thoughts and sprinted through the village in search of the wanderers. Dirt skinned his face, puncturing him like a bee's stinger.
"ROAR!"
The beast screamed, slamming his beefy green fists across multiple paths. It formed gaping puke brown craters across all the green fields. Trees were tossed, villagers screamed, and purple lights stung the cynical atmosphere.
His footsteps scrambled across the soil.
"Where…"
He pierced his body through the thickening smoke.
"Are…"
(Boom!)
Belial's eyes widened.
"What… is that?"
Standing at the center of the crater, was a floating figure shrouded and surrounded by a circling gust of blue luminance and hovering water.
His eyebrows raised in shock, his emerald pupils dilated like bouncing balls.
"This can't be…"
Another distant memory blinded his eyes.
* * * * * * * *
The voice was hazy and intelligible at first, but gradually as the sight of the present world faded in Belial's eyes, a past memory gleamed in.
"This hydropower is known to come from the ancient, darkest depths of the world's sky. An entity that followed the pendant ever since it was forged and repaired from the sovereign of Destia."
A past unrecognizable voice echoed as the sight of the area blended in with the empty white canvas. Two silhouettes appeared, one with a tall woman figure and another with a male shape. The voice continued as the sounds of the environment faded in.
"If it were to be broken, a massive sapphire-colored geyser would emerge from the rocky depths of the earth, and its dust would be scattered across the soil, forcing bodies and puddles of water to emerge."
The place looked vastly different compared to Drimi's site. It was damper, moist, covered in trees, and shrouded in fog. Most likely, it was a forest.
Belial looked a lot more gladsome, with his dark hair loose, unbraided, his emerald eyes gleaming, and his face being slightly darker than the present, sitting nearest to Sally.
He looked healthier, fit, and optimistic compared to his present state.
One would start to question how he changed. Nevertheless, that shall wait.
Belial replied with a sarcastic tone.
"Have you ever… spoken to me before? I don't remember you speaking to me at all ever since we met."
Sally's face brightened. Raindrops slid down her face toward her attire. She couldn't have felt so embarrassed, even if nothing embarrassing to her had happened. She responded to Belial in a nervous, shaky tone.
"O-Oh, r-really? I-I… I apologize. W-Well, um… are you free to speak to me now?"
Belial couldn't help but burst out laughing.
"Seriously? Haha, y-you can't be serious."
Tears flew in his eyes.
"Goodness, you're funny, Sally!"
. . .
Silence.
The unnerving silence affected and stung Belial. His tone shifted dramatically as he saw Sally's eyes start to tremble. Rain began to rain down through the thin, flat treetops, and he saw Sally's eyes beginning to tremble.
"D-Don't take it in a bad sense… I-It's a good thing that you are funny. You make people laugh and forget their problems. They give up and surrender their precious time, all for you."
Sally sniffled and lightly creaked a small, soft smile.
"...r-really?"
Following with hand gestures, Belial answered Sally with a crooked smile. It was the only method he could think of at that current moment.
"Yeah. I bet if you could have a smidge or teensy bit of confidence in you, you could possibly serve as a comedian for the city of Pladtioa."
He tilted his head toward the sky and noticed the sun behind the sea of dark clouds, which inched closer to dusk. Even dusk's signature orange hue shone and scintillated above and below the rain clouds.
As the gray skies, the downpour, and the surrounding forests of the past faded back to the present, Past Belial's last quote resounded in his mind.
"Rainstorms… are quite rare nowadays. Haha!"