He couldn't move, he tried with all his might just to get any of his muscles to twitch, but nothing budged. His mouth was frozen shut, and the only part of him that showed any sign of life were the empty onyx waves that shifted inside his pried open eyelids. All he could do was witness the Riftwalkers destroy his companions. Isolda tried her hardest to break his cell, he could feel her essence clash against the seal, trying to worm its way into the fissure created by Gaius's beam. But the crevice was too narrow, the seal too compact to be undone. As the light was extinguished and her body fell to the floor, a familiar scene flashed in his mind. She had done this before, pushing her limits to the max trying to attempt the impossible. Was she stubborn or was she just ignorant? Or maybe it was because of her banausic personality that he didn't expect this kind of fight from her.
The silver serpent that Theodore summoned began to stir, the monstrous snake clad in what looked more like metal plates than scales perked up its head. Kingston could still see him hopelessly lying back against a pile of rubble. He hadn't even attempted to repair his mutilated arms, it looked like he had completely given up. This was surprising, he thought that Theodore would be the last person to become mentally broken from a great failure. The bond between him and his soul beast must have been great. The palace shook as the phantom Leviathan prowled towards the last standing Mage. Gaius clenched his fists, his eyes were weary and tired, still, even in the face of imminent death they were anything but defeated. He was Lambridge's protector to the very end. But where was Rekken? She wasn't with the others, was she already dead? What was this burning feeling that gripped his chest? Was it guilt? Responsibility for their inevitable deaths? Regret? What was so familiar about this moment of powerlessness that his mind couldn't quite remember. When was the last time he felt these emotions? The colossal serpent recoiled, its demonic snakehead rose above, nearly shooting right through the palace ceiling. Gaius stood firm but his arms shook with fear. He was like an ant standing up against a dragon. Argentum leaned backwards, loading up its death spring, ready to strike. The Warlock and the other Apostle smiled victoriously, it was almost finished, their original plans had been skewed but in the end they got what they came for.
But that girl, the child bearing the mark of the Angels that they'd lost long ago. Her powers were almost enough to break the seal, but almost wasn't enough. They were wrong to expect so much from a Riftwalker who was not enlightened with the practices of the ancestors. But unbeknownst to them, that was their gravest mistake. The cusp of victory drew a veil over their judgement, they should have noticed the mass of essence that Isolda procured had disappeared. She used so much of her magian energy that her internal reserves were beyond depleted, to the point where she was half dead. Assuming that it was an abysmal failure was too arrogant, maybe it was due to the pride of the legendary chosen race resurfacing after all this time of seclusion. The world would see them again, they would revere them once more. After they reawaken the Ascendant One, the world will once again fall at their feet.
𝘒𝘙𝘙𝘙𝘐𝘐𝘒
The crack in the amber seal widened, just barely enough for the naked eye to see. Then the fissure branched off into a plethora of smaller cracks, the miniscule fractures spread slowly but surely, climbing across the solid cube. The Warlock's arms were frozen in terror, both of the Apostles held their breath, afraid that even the slightest breeze would cause the seal to give way. The possessed soul beast remained in a poised stance, its fangs bared, waiting for its owner's command. Then, the spider web of cracks stopped and silence took over the battlefield once again. One second passed, then two, after what felt like an eternity the seal held its shape. The Apostle finally exhaled, gasps of relief filled his lungs. That was close, he wasn't sure exactly what that insignificant girl did, but it almost worked. Turning towards the Warlock he put his hand on his shoulder, "Now brother, finish off the lesser and let us sing songs of our victory to the Prophet." The man didn't move. The Apostle looked underneath his hood, "Brother-"
"𝐝𝐨𝐧'𝐭. 𝒎𝒐𝒗𝒆." His words were barely a whisper and his lips remained shut as he spoke. His entire body was stricken with pure fear, his neck veins were visibly pulsating, every muscle in his body contracted, the man literally strained his body to be as still as possible. He didn't understand it, he never even saw the threat, he never felt endangered, but the terror on the Warlock's face drew out an overwhelming sensation of fear that he'd never felt before. They both stood completely still, their chests rose and fell sporadically as they each took staggered breaths. The aura that emanated from the seal made his legs weak, if he wasn't levitating then he would surely be on his knees. The crushing atmosphere made him want to disappear. Please, oh please hold. They sacrificed eight Apostles to conjure that spell of confinement, please don't let him break free. Maybe if they were still enough he wouldn't see them, maybe he could slip away if he fled right now. The crushing abyss that was the Legacy caused the mighty Apostle's to have these desperately irrational thoughts. Their fabled reputation was built on the faith of the chosen race. They grew up believing that their Legend was invincible. But how brittle their faith became when they were faced with this... 𝙙𝙚𝙢𝙤𝙣.
𝘊𝘙𝘙𝘈𝘒
The endless void before them took a breath. A singular wisp of dark smoke escaped from the seal. The dreadful tuft of calamity rose into the air, their eyes watched as the mist dissipated. And then
THOOOM
The amber cube of sealing exploded. Plumes of black mist billowed out from all directions. A murky darkness consumed the area, climbing over the walls, devouring all light in its path. The Apostles recoiled away from the smog, they looked at it as if they would die as soon as it made contact with them. Then, from the oblivion he appeared, his face a daunting glare, his gaze, emptier than the void that he stepped out of. Everyone was afraid of death, no matter what they were taught, how they lived, or what they believed in. All men feared the bitter end. But of course they did, it was the most absolute aspect of life, the unavoidable Shepard that simple sheep could not hope to disobey. The most inevitable force of nature. Who could look it in its eyes and proudly say that they are not afraid? What could be more frightening than the cold embrace of death? Nothing. Nothing... except for this... 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧. For what the Warlock saw was beyond the fields of death. He saw inexistence, all consuming nullity, the darkness in his eyes was more than just the absence of light. It was the absence of life itself. His very being seemed to devour their reality, destroying their bare existence. Infinite 𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀, endless 𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐡𝐞, absolute 𝖆𝖓𝖓𝖎𝖍𝖎𝖑𝖆𝖙𝖎𝖔𝖓.
"𝗢𝗵 𝗺𝘆." His very voice was so despairingly devoid of life that it felt like they would pass away from just his words. "What terrible 𝘢𝘶𝘥𝘢𝘤𝘪𝘵𝘺. For all of you to come here." The shadows grew closer with each step he took, even Argentum, a literal beast of magium, made itself smaller in the presence of the Legacy. "And do this." Their arms were as stiff as stone and their legs felt like lead, fear rendered them unable to move, unable to flee, unable to even fend for their own lives.
HIIISSSSS
Argentum slammed its gigantic tail into the floor, the colossal tremor it produced shook the palace. "Just what in God's name is going on out there?!" Norvella barked as she cautiously crept towards the broken doorway. "We shouldn't- get... too... close..." Is what the old king said, but curiosity would get the best of him, as he followed closely behind his wife. The beast serpent stretched out its back, making itself as large as possible and unhinged its monstrously wide jaws, showing its fangs that were each the length of a sword. An attempt of intimidation, a warning that cautioned whomever the aggressor may be, that it felt threatened, and that if the next action they took was anything other than an act of retreat... it 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 attack. It was a natural response for any predator that felt cornered. It was no longer possessed, but Theodore wasn't in his right mind to control the snake. So now it's animalistic instincts took over. The gargantuan Leviathan prepared to strike, but Kingston didn't break his stride in the slightest. He continued on his path towards his enemy.
Just as it was about to pounce on him, his eyes moved to the serpent. For just a second. His head didn't move, just a quick glance was all it took for the soul beast to buck. Lashing out when their backs were against the wall, is a conditioned defensive mechanism that was etched into every living animal's genetic instincts. Fostered through centuries of evolution, and it will always stay true. But the only thing stronger, the only thing more ancient than a creature's predatory senses. Was 𝖋𝖊𝖆𝖗. That was the internal conflict that Argentum was experiencing right now. As an Apex Predator it simply could not comprehend another beast that was stronger than itself. It's senses have never reacted in this way before, its primordial instincts told it to assert dominance, but the ancestral impulse known as fear told it to acknowledge the more dangerous predator. And in the end, fear won. The serpent lowered its head and ducked away, without needing Theodore to recall it, Argentum retreated back into his runes, its translucent form, dusted back into essence.
"Was that a soul beast?" Engeram's eyes were wide with disbelief.
"Do you not even know your own court guards? That was Theodore's final awakening. You should have at least remembered that much." The two continued their hushed conversation from inside the throne room. Iakos, a mage's greatest power. The aspect of magium that only the most elite sorcerers could attain. When a warrior's control of magian essence reaches a certain peak, they enter the first phase of Awakening and achieve the 𝐒𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐭 𝐁𝐥𝐚𝐝𝐞. Of course like any blade, its edge is sharpened through practice. But what made it so much stronger than a normal sword, was its ability to cut... anything. Literally anything. The weapon completely ignores all armor and any type of resistance it may come across. In fact it is theorized that it could even cut mountains in a single slash if the technique was mastered. The second awakening, 𝐆𝐨𝐝 𝐒𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭. Where the Mage undergoes a visual evolution, the Awakening permanently changes their eye color, and even dilutes their pupils, causing the black centre to morph into patterns unique to the owner. If the Awakening is strong enough to dissolve the pupil, the user will lose their vision. But they will be granted an entirely new kind of perception. They will be granted a visual prowess so unfathomably powerful, that only three people have been known to possess it. That's right, only three people have ever reached the second awakening. So how is it that Theodore has obtained the third and final stage, a 𝑺𝒐𝒖𝒍 𝑩𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒕? Because the ladder of magian evolution is not climbed linearly. In fact, soul beasts were actually more common than God Sight, with thirteen known Beast Tamers in history. But Theodore's case was unique, while a powerful sorcerer attaining the spirit blade, then bypassing the second awakening to attain a soul beast was not unheard of. Undergoing the final awakening and omitting the first two phases was simply incomprehensible. But that's exactly what happened to Theodore. That's why Argentum was so powerful, that's why he was told to only summon him in hopelessly dire situations, and that's why it was all the more unthinkable that this same beast was afraid of Kingston.
Anyone would have thought that the two Apostles were suffocating from how constricted their throats had become. The nearer Kingston came, the more they trembled. The paralyzing fear caused them to lose control of their powers, the two Riftwalkers slowly descended downwards, onto the floor. "It looks like I must demonstrate." He stopped directly in front of them. "𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙋𝙚𝙣𝙖𝙡𝙩𝙮." Lethargically he raised his right arm, as if he thought lifting his hand was too great an effort for the likes of these people. "For trespassing and attacking me. Inside-" He jutted out two fingers. "My. 𝕯𝖔𝖒𝖎𝖓𝖎𝖔𝖓." Flicking his wrist downwards, the clouds of obsidian mist behind him exploded outwards.
As soon as those words left his mouth, they were instantly crushed into the ground. The weaker Apostle was immediately obliterated, but the Warlock was able to retain all his limbs. Kingston casually stepped closer to him, leaning over the prone intruder he spoke, "Don't think that I'll stop here, Riftwalker. I am going to make sure, that the Legacy of your Divine race. Is forgotten." His tone made it seem almost certain. He really was going to do it, it was a promise. Drool and snot spilled out of his cavities as he lay flat on the ground. The Warlock was barely able to remain conscious underneath the immense weight. He didn't even have the mental capacity to spout arrogant threats.
Theodore and Gaius spectated from behind him, both shocked that their robotic Legacy was able to exhibit emotions of anger. "Did you really think that any single Priesthood could defeat me?" He taunted him mundanely. The pressure on top of him intensified, cracking his shoulder blades and crushing his nose. The bones that made up his spine began to separate due to the colossal weight pressing down on him. "Oh how far you have fallen, the chosen race, our saviors." He mocked. "Look at what has become of your legendary priesthood." Kingston released some of the weight and grabbed his head, lifting it so that he could see the bodies of his people, splayed out on the jagged rock. The Warlock flinched slightly at the grisly scene. So he could still hear him, his pride for his people was still intact. "Every last one of you will suffer the same fate. Not even your women or children, shall be spared."
He released his grip on his head, the Warlock, helplessly falling forward in a pool of his own blood, drool, and tears. Kingston was bored of this little spat, how he wished that torturing this man would bring him pleasure. Instead he felt nothing but the empty void that grew within his chest, beckoning him, telling him to destroy, consume, wreak havoc. They needed to be annihilated. It was that simple, the Riftwalkers and everyone that helped them. There was absolutely no way such a mass of magian energy could move so quickly, and pass by the plethora of kingdoms into his own, undetected. By next dawn, some kingdoms along with the divine blood, will have ceased to exist. "Wait." Gaius panted. "We don't know where Rekken is." He limped closer to Kingston, painfully grabbing his side. "She should have been here by now. They must have taken her." Overhearing their conversation the Warlock was suddenly revived. "Y- yes!" He cackled. "Did you th-"
CRUNCH
His skull was split open, Kingston's foot standing where his brain should have been. And so concluded the arduous battle between Lambridge and the Apostles. Norvella and Engeram had felt the Legacy's Dominion from all the way inside the King's chambers. What awesome power, and to think that they were able to not only defend against, but wipe out the Priesthood of Apostles. Such a terrifying group invading them was surely a kingdom ending event. Yet there they lied, their bodies could rarely be found in one piece, the gore and bloodshed belonged not to them, but to the dead Apostles. "I hope you have a way of finding her." Gaius breathed heavily, his voice was tense, if he had the strength he would have been angry. But instead he slinkered over to his friend and slid down the wall next to him in exhaustion. Looking at them Kingston answered, "I can trace her runic signature." Dully he eyed the defeated Theodore, who still to this point remained unresponsive. "Beat some sense into him, and repair the palace. I'll be back." And just like that he was gone. Like a ghost in the night, his form disappeared in an implosion of black essence.
The sound of rapid footsteps echoed down the empty corridor. They slowed down when the messenger had to climb over the demolished marble flooring and pieces of debris. "Your Majesty!" They called out. "My Lord!" The feminine voice was frantic and full of worry. The King and Queen emerged from inside the throne room, taking in the amounts of destruction as they gingerly made their way closer to the noise. From the ash and dust a young maid appeared, her uniform was matted in dirt and her face was covered with grime. It looked like she had sprinted all the way here from wherever she came from, because she struggled to say the words in between her heavy breaths, "They." She gasped. "Took. Ismeina." She lowered her head in shame, "I am sorry, my Queen." Norvella's face paled instantly, her legs began to shake so much that she had to lean against Engeram for support. But he was equally as rattled by what the maid told them, and so both the King and Queen fell to their knees in despair. "My only daughter." She cried. Taking the princess hostage was probably the Apostles' contingency plan. It seems like they were at least somewhat aware of how risky kidnapping a Legacy was after all.
The messenger maid awkwardly waited as the King and Queen wept. "Oi." Gaius called. "Heal him." Reluctantly the girl scrambled across the rubble and knelt next to Theodore. A warm glow was emitted from her hands as she wove his flesh together, repairing the broken bone and correcting the exposed joints. Gaius stood up with much difficulty and shuffled to where his King sat. "They took Rekken too. She must have been with Ismeina when they attacked." He hid his worry very well, speaking calmly and assuredly to his leaders. "Kingston has gone after Rekken. He will find the young lady as well." Looking off into the distance he continued. "Our time with him has been short, and it has been riddled with conflict. But I'm sure that he is not a bad man." He met eyes with The Queen, "There is no doubt in my mind that he will succeed."
✟
"Keep moving you slag." The man pushed his palm into her back, causing her to stumble forward into Rekken who let out an angry "Mmpff!" Her complaint was answered by a punch to the gut. "MMPH- MMM!" Ismeina bit hard into her cloth gag as her friend doubled over in pain. Quickly she knelt down next to Rekken, offering her shoulder as support for her to stand back up. Painfully she rose, giving a small nod of thanks to the princess. The girl shot a teary eyed glare at the kidnappers who responded by spitting in her face. It was all because of that man that this was happening. Lambridge had always been an unproblematic nation, they had no enemies and everyone was always nice to them. But ever since that man stole the throne from father, things have changed. They were no longer invited to events or dinners that they used to attend regularly, everyone looked at them with a certain hatred and bitterness, and now she was being treated like livestock. The mercenaries yanked their chain, pulling them forward. They didn't bother to cover their heads, they must have been quite sure of their plan to expose their faces and their location so brazenly. After an arduous trek away from her home, they stopped. A man in a crimson red hood stood at the mouth of a cave. He held a lit torch, silently waiting for them to approach. "Where are my brothers?" He asked bluntly. "They're dead." The mercenary replied. The hooded man looked up for a brief moment, making sure that he heard correctly he asked again, "All of them?" The brute nodded solemnly, "Even the ones who came after." The stranger dropped his torch onto the floor and began to shake. "Say that again." Not entirely certain why the man was so rattled he repeated, "Well after the Legacy killed your first squad of Riftwalkers, another group came in." The Apostles. "And he killed them all to-" The hooded figure's hand was suddenly wrapped around his neck. All the other thugs that accompanied them surged forward, but their leader stuck out a hand to stop them. "W..what... are you doing..." He choked. "Do you tell the truth?" The man asked. "Did the Apostles really fail?"
"I told you... urk... he killed them all."
"Impossible." The stranger threw their kidnapper to the floor, prompting his companions to rush to his aid. The hooded man stepped on the torch and extinguished the flame. Turning away from them he activated his runes, chanting a chain of words that she couldn't quite hear, a rift suddenly opened before them. She'd never seen it before, it was like an empty space in the middle of the air. "Somethings wrong. The Prophet is not answering me." He turned to look at them. "We're going to Bordium to sort this out." What? Bordium? Why were they being mentioned, surely they weren't the ones who assisted this attack right? A rough hand gripped her arms and tossed her through the hole, along with Rekken.
She couldn't quite describe it, it was like she was being carried by the wind, there was no light in the tunnel, no noise or smell, just them. The journey only lasted a few seconds before they tumbled out the other side. As they regained their senses a low voice asked, "What is this?" Ismeina looked up. A tall, slender man with strikingly purple eyes and raven black hair stood over them. "Riftwalker. I thought our family was adamantly clear about the discontinuation of our alliance." Riftwalker? All this was too much for her, what did they just travel here by? She'd never experienced it before. Why were the Riftwalkers targeting her family? And why did Bordium help them? The hooded man ignored his question and asked his own, "Where is Lord Adenot?" He gazed at him dully.
The violet eyed man sneered, "That damned aristocrat. So it was he who kept contact with you." Suddenly Rekken started to struggle harder, violently kicking at the kidnappers and screaming into her gag, "MMMPHH. MMMMMPHHH!!" The muffled cries stopped when one of the mercenaries struck her head. The man looked past the Riftwalker and met eyes with Ismeina, then he looked at Rekken. "Who is tha..." Briskly he shoved past the Riftwalker and lifted up her friend's unconscious head. His eyes widened once he saw her face. Gently he turned her on her back and let her head rest on his hand. "What have you done?"
"Adenot promised us safe haven in case anything went wrong. We-"
"You have no idea who the man you just attacked is." He cut him off impatiently. The thugs behind them shifted nervously, "Erm, You're Legacy Ulric right? Look, we know that you God Bloods have tons of money so if you don't mind me ask-"
SQUELCH
Before the mercenary could finish, a purple spearhead was suddenly lodged in his neck. His comrades whimpered and scattered away in fear as the lifeless body collapsed onto the floor. The hooded man that brought them here didn't react to his death, instead he casually warned Ulric, "I am not sure why Adenot is not present, but know that the Prophet will not take your hostility lightly." The Legacy was already undoing Rekken's binds as he began to chuckle sinisterly. "It doesn't matter." The Riftwalker frowned, unsure of what he meant. Softly he massaged the areas where Rekken was bound, "You chose the wrong Kingdom to be the catalyst of your return, Riftwalker. You'll be lucky if any of you come out of this alive." Did he know Rekken? What did they call him? Legacy Ulric? Ismeina was still bound but her surprised expression was clearly visible on her face. "You must be the princess." After releasing Rekken from her binds he did the same with her. Once the gag was removed from her mouth she slid over to her best friend, "Rekken!" She shook her. "Get up." She pleaded. Her eyes fluttered open, dazily she touched her face, realizing that her gag had been released she sat up and hugged Ismeina. "My lady!" She held her tightly. "I'm so sorry I let us get kidnapped, I-" She stopped abruptly. As if she suddenly remembered something she whipped her head around and yelled, "You!" Rekken pointed at him angrily. "Kingston has an alliance with your King! How dare you-"
"Little girl." He put up his hands placatingly, "This is a simple misunderstanding, without our permission, one of our associates seems to have been conspiring with these men. Please understand and explain this to your Legacy when you go back-"
"You explain." She pouted. "That barbarian is surely on his way here, right now." Ulric stepped back in solemn agreement and sighed. "I do not doubt that." In a flash of light, the Riftwalker's head was disconnected from his shoulders. The steaming purple smoke rose from the charred flesh as the body fell to the floor. "That damned Adenot. He's done it now." The Legacy sat down, more annoyed at how this situation inconvenienced him, than how he had just casually decapitated a Riftwalker.
After a brief moment of silence, Rekken grabbed her wrist, "Stand up. We must return to Lambridge. If the Riftwalkers truly did invade, then-"
"Then they're definitely dead." He interrupted. "Against him? They stand no chance." Ulric shook his head. "None at all." Who was this man that a Legacy spoke of him so highly? It annoyed her, it was his fault in the first place that this was happening, it's only right that he was the one to resolve this situation.
"Even so we must go. The King and Queen are surely worried to death-"
"No." He answered tersely. "You will stay here and explain what's happened to him. I'd like to... avoid any further complications." Ulric looked away.
"Are you scared of him?" Ismeina asked innocently. The question caused his ears to turn bright red, "Of course not!" He snapped. "I am Legacy Ulric, there is no being on this planet whom I would be afraid of. I simply hope to stay on good terms with your King."
Rekken squeezed her hand tightly, her eyebrows were knit into a worried frown. Ismeina had grown up alongside this girl her whole life. They played together as kids, Ismeina, refusing to play with anyone else despite her parents' request to mingle with the other noble children. They were together all the way to the academy, where Rekken's magian prestige would shine, and where she would meet brother Gaius and brother Theodore. That's most likely what she was worried about right now. Ismeina wanted to go home too, she shut her eyes, praying that her mother and father were safe and unharmed.