Chapter 64 - Scorched beyond

[Host, why do such a thing? Now, I see no way out... we have to start from the beginning... from scratches...]

Xartifex knew what would happen by bringing out the rage of heaven, it wasn't hard to imagine, an unfortunate end, only a few 'lucky ones' can survive such events.

And from today onwards, Temorsth no longer was a 'lucky one' rather he stood only moments away from using up all his luck, seconds till his existence became irrelevant.

'It doesn't matter, today I die, be it in an hour or five it changes little.'

But, Temorsth already knew his end was here, for him death was just as normal as being alive, it wasn't the first... It will not be his last, these were thoughts he wished no one else would know.

[No, why is the Host giving up...?]

Yet still, Xaritfex the one who had seen what this immortal boy did to live could not understand, that he would give up on life so easily, an outcome unimaginable.

'Do you not feel it?' He once again was thrown away by life, disheartening his words to questions, questions just like before...

...

The immortal boy no longer wished to speak his own words, he could only hold his question of reasons back, the anger he could not feel was eating his heart away...

...

[Feel...?]

[This presence... Death!?]

'Yes... It came for me... once again...'

[Why... why are the Reapers targeting the Host?]

'They are Reapers the veils that hide the multitude behind the end of a life...'

[But it makes no sense, taking lives is indeed their job, b-but this is not right, they shouldn't take it forcefully it's not like them...]

'Everything has a cause and effect nothing is senseless, it is just my idea but it's probably him.'

...

It was not just an idea but the truth, a boy who can't lie, it is his truth to die... die alone, a few dozen more times.

...

[Him? The Host just looked at... No, they... but even if they get enraged to order Death, it's not possible... No wait... The Host... The Host should be dead...]

'It seems you found the cause, but still, nothing changes.'

[Host, can you do it again?]

...

Poor little Xartifex, his wish to help even if his Host was moments to be crumbled and wiped off the records of existence...

...

'Again... you mean deny death? Yes...'

[Then, if I somehow stop their pursuit... A way I need to find...]

'Don't force it, I can defeat a few, yes, but I tried to run many times too, each ends the same, death is unavoidable, it will take me.'

'I'm immortal... I just know... Because the way I live, it is by dying...'

...

Then through the chaos of words, finally the immortal boy reveals his crumbling heart.

...

'And on top of that, the next time... The one who will return, they won't be so kind... This world, we don't wish its destruction...'

...

The fear of the monster within, an immortal beast of man created to kill the immortal man.

Such an ironic existence... A truly poor soul you are, crumbling from scars and pain.

...

[Host... I will follow your wishes... Whatever it may be.]

'Thanks...'

'...'

'...'

...

Silence slowly crushed the immortal smile, the only lie his flesh and blood could bear.

...

[Host...?]

'Um? Ah, it's... This feels strange... We were always alone... Someone standing beside us... It's new...'

[Host... I'm sorry... I... I'm useless...]

'Why be, it's not like you can help on it, we will make it work... somehow... we always did... we always...'

[Host...] I was strangely hurt to hear those words, though it wasn't even a moment ago he said we stand beside each other...

...

Xartifex knew, in that 'we' there was no portion directed at him... After all the only being the immortal could 'see' is 'we'.

...

[Host... Your remaining Luck Points will run out soon...]

[LP:119...113]

*Sigh...* A low sigh, followed by a breath that was already prepared for the end.

"And today is even a shitty day... Yet you...!"

[LP:88]

"You dare send death to me...?" Temorsth turned towards the heavens, directly facing the point of the heavenly mirror.

[LP:68]

...

I'm sure it was a shitty day, after all, it was the end of 'you' little monster...

I... were am I... who... who...

Hmh, I suppose my words irritated you enough, then let me continue with the story alone.

...

"Why? I told so many... I warned so, so many, to not mass with us yet no one listens, why!? Why can no one understand, if you mess with us... We'll kill you, kill all of you!'

[LP:37]

Temorsth's annoyed words almost sounded depressed yet the rage inside him was seething like amber about to burst into flames.

*Sigh...*

[LP:30]

"I had enough..."

'...?' Hesitation and doubt appeared on the hidden faces, what is this tone of his? A slight touch of dread and an ominous feel began to consume their fixated gazes and listening ears.

"I'm not as smart as my brother..."

*Crackel*

'Fire?' But only two stood firm, not even that far from this scene, so close that they could hear the low crackling of a small fire on the destroyed field, making both of them instinctively look around.

'That bastard... he ran away while I didn't pay attention...' Noticing the missing Iosif, anger grasped Xalier's heart.

Right this instant he wished to move and catch the bastard who initiated all this chaos but... His body was still tattered and deprived of energy, he had little power to even stand, his hand grasping at his side to pressure the wound and not bleed out.

A similar situation was on Elah's side. Right now the first thing they would need to do is heal and recuperate, not rush after an enemy, but even that they couldn't... not because they sensed any other enemy no, they couldn't sit down for simply seeing their only child stand before them.

How could they, the ones who should protect him, stand back and run away while their son stood there alone?

And Temorsth? He stood still only his low words echoing to the world.

"I'm not even as strong as that monster nor as selfless to give up everything to protect others, and fortunately not even as psychotic to plan all of life out..."

*Crackel...* All fires long since became extinguished... Yet still, the sound of firewood breaking apart echoed with the lone boy's speech.

"I am... I'm just a guy who was too stubborn to bow to the strongest... Someone who died again and again just to try and defeat him..."

*Crackel...*

[LP:19...18...17]

'Feral... Hey, what are you saying...? Brother... Hey!?' Inside Temorsth's head, a desperate echo of words...

"Tsk, the only thing I'm good at is fighting and being stubborn about it... Ain't am I such a useless brother...?"

*Crackel... Hiss...*

'...?' Listening to the boy's words, confusion descended to everyone... be it God or Mortal...

'...' But neither Xalier nor Elah questioned anything... It wasn't because they understood what happened here, no, they just couldn't, questioning something like that...

Is that my son...? Was he...? Which parent could do such a thing without breaking their own heart?

[LP:10...8...6...]

"And still through the years, nothing changed... Even after what we became..."

*Crackle... Hiss...*

"I'm just too stubborn... Yet you wanna tell me to die without a fight..."

But finally, out of the myriad of confusions, one thing became clear, the fire that now everyone heard... The hissing of the wood, the sizzling of ember...

It become clear and visible, from where it came, it was none other than...

[4...3...2...]

*Sigh...*

"The beyond can only have me when I am done... Until then..."

[1...]

"FUCK YOU!!!" ...he, the boy facing the heavens alone.

Tongues of flame emerged around Temorsth's forearms, and without any unnatural flow, slowly but firmly they began to travel around his body.

*Crackel... Hiss...*

But through the scenes and horrid sounds... A united question arose.

'An attack?' Such a question was reasonable after all the sounds... That horrific sound of the burning 'firewood'... The fuel, the boy himself.

His burning and reddening skin, the clothes covering his frame, to be honest, the fire that engulfed him didn't look that dangerous, it didn't even seem magical but still, without rest, it consumed its 'fuel' like a hungry beast its prey.

The eyes of the boy, the blue ocean and the sky, the spark of light... a murky white traversed into the blue world, only for it to completely take over, without a moment's notice, the spark and with it his light also deemed out.

The unceasing hunger consumed more and more, making the redness darker, first brown then complete darkness, and now, instead of skin, clothes, and hair, only muscles remained, dark sourced flesh cracked up like dry patchy leather.

Soon enough, the things without meaning become lost, the colorless shades, only the empty, hollow, and dark sockets remained.

*Hiss...*

The blood and moisture inside his body... evaporating... the haze, the oozing red mist.

A fully scorched form... no distinguishable features, his gasps hitching while black and red smoke oozed from every segment of his body... Now the immortal boy truly... looked just like... the monster... the monster he always saw himself as.

"Son..." Xalier reached out... His hand shaking... But no other words could come out of their quivering heart.

"..." Although he could no longer hear nor see, a pain incomparable to the one he just felt on his flesh shot through his heart.

"..." The boy lowered his head, and just like always before... He lied, with every aspect of his being...

Raising his spear before himself, he began to speak, his voice hoarse, rough, and gravelly, one that couldn't be compared to the previous one.

"You... did your job fine..."

"I... thank you..."

"We weren't... partners for long... but... for now... rest..." More words were deemed unnecessary, only tilting the spear, a light throw, letting it edge itself into the ground a few meters away from himself.

And in the boy's last peaceful moments in this life... The beings hidden behind space, they too served at their final thoughts.

'Hmh... Turning to True Energy... Was it all just a facade? Disappointing...' One after the other, every single one of them, arrived at similar thoughts... Disappointment and nothing else.

After witnessing what the boy used, all interest and enthusiasm disappeared, why wouldn't it? True Energy, the strongest form of energy, reason of existence, can be called the life force or the energy of souls, there are different names but all are accurate, it is the power of your being... It is 'you'...

In a way, its cost is the exact opposite of when luck is completely used up.

The absence of luck will turn your existence into a story, a True Story, that is why 'you' will be forgotten, your name, your memorize, not even you will remember them.

Your whole existence will turn into history something that many don't even believe, a few might revere it but still it will be just a story.

And although you will turn into a story your soul will return and reincarnate but the 'you' from that moment on is just a story.

True Energy is the only thing that remains of you, it might be cleansed of all beforehand knowledge and power but it still can be called you in a way it will bring your 'personality', the way you live.

Then what happens if you use even the True Energy that encompasses your being?

Ridicule... The expect opposite, you won't be forgotten no, rather you will be remembered as someone who tossed away everything... Complete ridicule, simply because you won't be back...

You won't be forgotten nor be wiped from existence but... You will shatter to pieces and the only remaining thing of you will be the ridicule of people and those pieces that will scatter everywhere to be a part of something somewhere.

And the people's actual thoughts right now, disappointment, loss of interest, ridicule... They wanted to turn away, no longer being concerned by anything this dead boy did.

Yes, that was what they wanted to believe... But a little nudge, something in their throats, a tight suffocating feeling, a dread, a chill unexplainable held them still, held every being still.

And finally, after his burning form was completed. As his scorched being went beyond mortality.

When the fire seemed to consume no more and only stayed still around his form, the immortal monster began to speak again, for what seemed to be the last and the first at the same time.

"It hurts... no longer..." Feral's scorched and cracked arm tightened, grasping strength from beyond what normal eyes could see.

"Finally we can... begin!" His voice similar to his form, cracked and horrid, scraping the canvas of existance, painting a future that can't exist with his own ash and blood.

"Let us fight... until my muscles... my bones and blood, turn to ash and dust!"

"..."

"Realize..." And in the end...

"..."

"Resolve...!" At The End... a word filled with his Indomitable will.