Chereads / The War for the Realms / Chapter 11 - Ch. 11 A Strange Place

Chapter 11 - Ch. 11 A Strange Place

As the group begins their search for an exit, a strange song fills the air. The melody is oddly familiar to both Adonis and Nyx, though neither has any recollection of where or when they might have heard it before. The song seems to be beckoning them towards one of the exits. Cautious about the song's mysterious pull, Adonis summons his armor and instructs the group to stay back while he approaches the source of the sound. As he nears, he sees a young girl sitting by the exit. In a calm tone, he calls out, "Hey, little girl, do you know where you are? What's your name?"

The girl looks up at him with a smile and replies, "My name is Monries, and yes, this is the Dark Realm. It's a fun place to play." Adonis opens his mouth to speak again, but before he can, Athena interjects, "I know, this place is so cool! Who's your family? They must be pretty awesome to let you play here." Adonis turns to confront Athena for following, but as he does, the girl swiftly grabs a scythe hidden behind the stump she was sitting on and attempts to impale him. Her weapon shatters as it hits against his armor, unable to penetrate it.

Adonis, not wanting to harm a child, grabs her arms and slams her to the ground. To his shock, she turns to dust upon impact and attempts to flee by slipping through a fiery wall conjured by Tana. The girl suddenly sinks into the ground and vanishes without a trace. As the group gathers around him, Adonis is at a loss for words, struggling to explain what just happened. He has never encountered powers like these before, even during his time with the Watchers. Determined to provide some clarity, he finally speaks, "I'm not sure what that power was, but from what I gathered, her name was Monries. She appeared to be a child, but she was incredibly fast, almost as fast as me. Her magic was strong, yet she didn't use any powerful spells. Instead, she chose to run."

The group exchanges puzzled glances until Tana suggests, "Maybe we should leave this realm and find somewhere safer to talk. I don't like the idea of someone that powerful being out there, and we don't even know where she went." Before anyone can respond, Nyx interrupts, "Wait, Adonis, did you defeat the Father Realm? Was that really him, or just some Titan that resembled him?"

Adonis looks up, his eyes cold and distant, before he replies, "Yes, that was him. We fought, but I didn't defeat him with my power alone. Something happened… a voice, the same voice I heard when I killed the Forgotten King. It told me to let go of my humanity, to let go of myself — and for a moment, I lost control. But in the end, I was victorious. I did not kill the Father Realm; I only managed to injure him, cut off his arm. It took everything in me to do that. The only reason I remained conscious was because I had just acquired the stone. It fused with my soul and boosted my power ten thousand fold, but I still couldn't finish him off. I sensed Athena was in danger, so I rushed to save her. The armor summoned itself, giving me the strength to stop the wall, but to answer your question: yes, I defeated him, but no, he is not dead."

The group stares at Adonis in shock, realizing that he was powerful enough to harm the Father Realm, a mythical being. Nyx then suggests, "Maybe we should leave the Dark Realm. If the legends are true, the Father Realm is bound to it, so he can't leave. We should get out of here while we can." The group nods in agreement and steps through a portal, only to emerge in a new, unfamiliar realm. It is a place ravaged by war, where the few towns that remain standing are controlled by gangs and mob bosses. This is a world where only the strong survive, and the weak perish.

Adonis surveys the desolate landscape with a smile. "I think we just found our new home," he says. "What better place than the one they've just devastated?" Trusting in his judgment, the group follows him as they search for a place to stay. After hours of wandering, they come across a large underground bunker, occupied by a group of mercenaries. But the mercenaries are no match for Adonis and Atlas; Atlas charges in, taking on their armored vehicles, while Adonis eliminates the ground troops with his immense speed. Within seconds, the pair has defeated the entire army.

Echene approaches Adonis, his voice shaky with excitement, "C-could you teach me how you made that compass you used to navigate the Dark Realm?" Adonis smiles and replies, "I can teach you a lot more than just how to make a compass. I can show you how to build armor to fight with. I saw some when I was with the Watchers; they called them mechs." Echene's face lights up with enthusiasm at the prospect of fighting alongside Adonis and the rest of the group.

"There's likely a workshop in this bunker where you can build one," Adonis adds. He and Echene start searching for a suitable workspace while the rest of the crew prepares to rest for the night. Just as they are about to call it a night, they stumble upon a room with a partially built mech. Echene rushes over to examine it while Adonis begins reading the schematics, preparing to pick up where the mercenaries left off the next morning.