Margu kept moving the panels as sweat flowed down his brow. The servant then walked away, with Amala walking to see where he was going, At the corridor he saw that the guards had already seemed to have woken up, but they had their throats slit open.
Amala then saw the silent servant morphing into a small night screamer. It flew away and Amala then realized what had occurred. She rushed back and yelled, "Suomi, this has to stop!"
At that moment, Margu finished what he wanted and beams of light flowed into his eyes.
"I see it. I understand it. I understand TIME!" Margu said.
Suomi seemed happy for him with Margu smiling like a child.
"Come here, Suomi. Let me show you," Marggu said and reached his hand out.
Suomi was about to go but was stopped by Amala. Margu seemed shocked as to why but then looked at his hand. He was turning into dust, like time around him was moving in an accelerated pace.
The horror of the situation dawned on everyone as they watched Margu's form rapidly deteriorate, his body crumbling to dust before their eyes. Soon something started to pull on his crumbling body. The center of Margu's mass became heavier pulling in the dusty body until it all vanished.
It was silent.
.
.
.
.
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BANG!
.
.
.
.
.
A hole formed where Margu was standing, pulling everything in. It sent shockwaves out with Suomi getting struck by one, herself getting hurt.
"Fuck!" Amala yelled as she ran away, helping Suomi up.
The walls started to cave in, being pulled by the hole. They rushed up and closed the door behind them.
"What about the guards?" Suomi asked, in panic.
"They are dead. Killed by a demon," Amala said.
"A demon killed what?" Rufus asked who saw them breathing heavily with cold sweats coming out of the tunnels.
The floor started to collapse as the hole started to expand. Quickly Rufus summoned his wings and flew up with both Amala and Suomi holding onto his arms.
"What the fuck did you do!?" Rufus yelled," Where is Margu!"
None of them answered, but he could guess.
"You went with Margu to the tunnels...didn't you," Rufus said.
Suomi didn't answer with Amala than saying, "It was for you."
Rufus didn't have time now to scold the two of them, as the entire home of Margu was collapsing, sucked in by the hole. He flew high up trying to avoid the rubble that was being pulled in.
He flew to another building, to leave Amala and Suomi on its rooftop. People started to gather around the destroyed home of the sorcerer, to see what had happened.
"So tell me. What is that?" he asked.
"Margu was creating divine texts that manipulated time. Something was wrong in the text, as it created now that, which we cannot control," Suomi said.
"But what is it?" Rufus yelled.
"Margu created something so heavy, that it went throw appereantly the dimensions and now is sucking everything in it. Like a hole in a tub, that sucks in the water," Suomi explained and said, "I am sorry Rufus."
He didn't say anything but then flew away, as Amala and Suomi were now in a safe place. Soon the earth around the building collapsed as the hole in reality had grown so big. People close by were sucked in and evaporated as they came into contact.
Rufus summoned a divine sphere and poured a lot of his power into it. He threw it, and as it got closer, it expanded, roughly the same size as the sphere itself. But before it could do damage, and evaporate everything inside it, it stretched out and was sucked in by the hole.
Rufus knew his divine sphere had no effect, but the hole then grew and started to suck in Rufus. It was harder for him to fly now and was forced to fly ever higher.
"What have you done!" Diod said and came to the scene, flying on top of a shield that floated in the air.
The escalating crisis in Erebar was unfolding rapidly, with Rufus, Amala, Suomi, and now Diod at the center of it. The thing Diod warned about had spiraled into a disaster that threatened the very existence of the city.
"Where is Margu?" Asked Diod, and saw from Rufus's eyes what had happened and said, "That fool."
Rufus, struggling against the pull of the growing hole, looked at Diod with a mix of frustration and desperation. "We need to contain this now. You can punish us later," he shouted over the chaos. "If this spreads, it could consume everything!"
Diod, hovering on his floating shield, his expression grave, nodded in agreement. He was thinking of a solution somehow to contain the disaster for now, "I will gather the other sorcerers. We must create a powerful barrier, one that can withstand this force. Can you slow down its expansion?"
"How do I do that?" asked Rufus.
"The more it sucks in, the faster it grows it seems. Destroy everything around it. All buildings all trees. Everything," Diod explained.
Rufus nodded and flew closer to the hole as Diod rallied the srocerors. He summoned his divine spheres once again, preparing to level the surrounding area to prevent the anomaly from drawing in more matter and growing further.
"Stand back!" Rufus yelled to Amala and Suomi, ensuring they were at a safe distance.
He then unleashed a series of powerful blasts, targeting the buildings, trees, and any other structures around the anomaly. Each blast was large, designed to disintegrate the matter completely, leaving nothing for the hole to absorb. The sounds of collapsing structures filled the air, but Rufus was relentless, knowing that every bit of matter he destroyed was one less fuel for the anomaly's growth.
As Rufus worked to clear the area, Diod and the other sorcerers began their incantations, drawing on the sand divine texts to create a force field, similar to that had the hut protected from the night scremer. A shimmering barrier started to form around the anomaly, its glow intensifying with each passing second.
People and civilians were getting trapped on the other side of the barrier, hitting the wall, and trying to get through. Suomi saw this and rushed to the scene.
"What are you doing!" Amala yelled.
"Something right for once," she said.
She started to play her kantele and gather divine winds. She conjured up sorcery to make the people of Erebar lighter, using the little understanding of gravity she had.
"JUMP!" Suomi yelled.
With this the civilians were able jump over the force field that was forming around the hole.
Rubble collapsed causing pathways to close down, but Amala shot a large stone arrow that blasted it away, creating pathways.
"GO NOW!" she yelled.
As the last of the civilians made it over the barrier, Suomi's music ceased, and she collapsed in exhaustion as she had played for long, trying to concentrate so hard not to hit a wrong note. Amala quickly went to her side, ensuring she was alright.
Rufus landed near them, his face etched with concern. "Is everyone safe?" he asked, looking around at the evacuated civilians and the devastated landscape.
He then flew away and let the barrier form around the hole. Around half of the city had been destroyed, with many dead.
Rufus turned to Diod, who was approaching them, his expression grim but relieved. "The barrier will hold, but this is a temporary measure. We need a more permanent solution to close this anomaly."
He looked at Suomi and knew they were the reason behind this, and was about to slap her, but was stopped by Amala.
"What do you think you're doing!" Diod yelled with his guard ready to fight.
"She is not to blame," she said.
"I know Margu, the greedy geezer was behind this, but still. He wouldn't have tried without your help. You enabled the fool," Diod yelled.
"Probably if this place would have been more careful letting a demon infest it," Amala yelled shocking everyone," Margu's servant was a demon."
"You are a fool!" one sorcerer said, "Margu never had a servant. He despised needing help on the most common of issues."
"I saw it with my own eyes. That demon must have tempted him," Amala yelled.
"Still, you are also to blame. You knew the rules, I am sure of it and still went against it!" Diod yelled.
Their argument was cut short as at that moment a large screech sounded in the city. The massive hole was sending off high-pitched sounds. The sound grew ever higher and higher, almost becoming unbearable. In a flash then the hole disappeared. No one knew what was going on.
"Is it over?" asked one sorcerer.
Then the hole appeared in the sky, blasting and destroying the barrier with it. It grew immensely and looked like another moon was hovering over the city.
The sorcerers, along with Diod, stared in disbelief. The barrier they had constructed, which they believed would hold, had been effortlessly shattered. The situation had escalated beyond their worst fears.
Rufus realized they were dealing with something far beyond their current understanding and capabilities. He turned to Diod, his voice urgent. "We need to evacuate the city. This thing is beyond our control. We need to protect as many lives as possible."
Diod was speechless. He had no idea how to save himself or the city. The hole's pull was now so powerful, that it started to pull even the earth itself along its people. It was only a matter of minutes until the entire city would be destroyed.
As all hope seemed lost a sudden flash flew by. It went towards the hole in the sky and with quick movements, it ripped the hole in two, ripping it apart. A strong divine aura was felt and when they looked up, the hole was gone for good.
In its place in the sky stood a sassan. A sassan warrior with night screamer's claws as hands. He had a mask on, with the parts that were not covered littered with scars and wounds. The divine aura was so great it was clear what it was. A god.
"Who is that?" Rufus said, feeling its immense aura.
"Kormos...." Diod said.
Kormos then saw Rufus. A human. He flew so fast that Rufus was maybe able to use his wings as small shield in the small instant, but they were ripped apart by Kormos's claws. He then pinned Rufus down and looked mad.
"Humans....." Kormos said, with a clear sound of disdain in his voice.
The air tensed around them as Kormos's presence overwhelmed the scene. His divine aura pressed down like a physical weight, suffocating in its intensity. The night screamer claws, now mere inches from Rufus's face, twitched with a barely restrained urge to strike.
Rufus, injured and grounded, looked up into the eyes of Kormos. Despite the mask, the god's gaze was tense, filled with an wrath specifically reserved for humans. The scars on his exposed skin spoke of countless battles, of an existence marred by conflict and suffering.
"Humans," Kormos hissed again, the word dripping with venom. "The root of all chaos. You dare to meddle in affairs beyond your kin?"
Amala and Suomi, though injured and exhausted, moved protectively towards Rufus. They knew they were no match for a god.
Soon Thousands of soldiers marched in. They were the the soldiers of the Afhanin state, the personal country of Kormos that was located in the mountains, separating the Scethain plains and Indukush jungles.
"Lord Kormos. Thank you for saving us. These are the ones that caused all of this destruction. Agents of the old man of the mountain," Diod said, blaming Rufus and the rest...
"Sorceror ruler of the city of Erebar," Kormos said, not caring of Diod's blabbering, and looked at him with fiery gaze, "I take this as your submission to Arslan and for you to throw away your neutrality? To serve the only one true ruler god, my father...Arslan?"
Diod swallowed and said, "Yes....."
Kormos smiled and threw Rufus to the ground. His warriors came to the scene and ordered them to chain Rufus up in a powerful chain enchanted by sorcerors.
"We are headed to Samarqand!" Kormos rejoiced.