Chapter 10: The False Savior
The sky above the ruins of the battlefield had become a swirling abyss of shifting light and shadow. Time itself seemed to have no meaning here anymore—memories of the past clashed with fragments of the present. Alyssia stood at the epicenter, feeling the weight of Aegis' death pressing against her chest like an invisible force. The world seemed to recoil in response to the dragon's demise, and for the first time in her life, Alyssia felt truly powerless.
From behind her, Darian's voice cut through the dissonance. "Alyssia…" His tone was laced with desperation and sorrow. "Do you see it now? Do you finally understand what you've done?"
She turned slowly to face him. The scholar-turned-warrior had always carried an air of certainty, but now, standing amid the wreckage of her actions, his face was etched with a new kind of hopelessness. His armor was tarnished, his sword lowered, his eyes pleading.
Alyssia swallowed hard, the taste of ash still lingering on her tongue. "I did what I had to. The empire—" Her words faltered, the conviction that once drove her now crumbling. "The empire said it was the only way to protect us."
Darian stepped closer, his voice trembling. "The empire lied, Alyssia. Aegis wasn't a threat. She was the last guardian holding back the Abyss, the only force keeping time from unraveling. Without her—" He gestured toward the sky, where reality itself seemed to be shattering—"this happens."
Alyssia closed her eyes, trying to block out the chaos around her, but it was no use. The ground trembled beneath her feet, as if the world itself was fracturing under the strain. She had believed in her mission. She had believed she was saving humanity. But now…
"I… I didn't know," she whispered, more to herself than to Darian.
"You didn't want to know," Darian shot back, bitterness creeping into his voice. "You refused to see the truth because it was easier to follow orders than to question them."
Before Alyssia could respond, a cold wind swept through the ruins, and with it came a voice that froze her blood. Deep, commanding, familiar.
"Alyssia."
She turned, and there he stood—the Emperor. The man who had trained her, shaped her, made her into the weapon she had become. His presence seemed to distort the air around him, as if reality itself bent to his will. His once-human eyes now glowed with a terrifying light, his form exuding an otherworldly power. He had ascended, become something beyond mortal. Behind him, the very fabric of the world seemed to shift and ripple, like a curtain hiding a darker truth.
"The Ascendant God," Darian muttered under his breath. "The empire's true goal."
Alyssia's heart clenched. The man she had served for so long, the man she had trusted with her life, was now something else—something far more dangerous.
The Emperor regarded her with a cold smile. "You have served me well, Alyssia. You have done exactly as you were meant to."
"What… what do you mean?" Her voice trembled as she spoke, a deep sense of betrayal rising in her chest.
The Emperor's smile widened. "Do you not see? You were never meant to save humanity. You were meant to tear down the barriers that kept me from achieving my true potential. The creatures you hunted, the guardians you slaughtered—they were relics of an old order, protectors of a balance that no longer serves us. And now, with Aegis dead, time itself is mine to command."
"No…" Alyssia shook her head, stepping back as the full weight of his words sank in. "No, that's not true. I… I was trying to save us."
The Emperor's gaze hardened. "You were trying to save a lie."
Darian stepped forward, his hand on the hilt of his sword. "You used her," he spat. "You made her into your puppet, just like you did with the rest of your soldiers. You're no savior, Alyssia—you're the False Savior. The one who doomed us all."
Alyssia's breath hitched in her throat, the title stinging her more than any blade could. The False Savior. It echoed in her mind, each repetition chipping away at what little was left of her resolve.
The Emperor's voice lowered, becoming almost soothing. "Do not listen to him, Alyssia. You are more than a pawn. You are my greatest creation, the instrument of my ascension." He stepped closer, his eyes locking onto hers. "And there is more you must know… the truth about your family."
Alyssia stiffened, her heart pounding. "What are you talking about?"
The Emperor's smile was almost pitying. "The family you believed was killed by bandits? It was no accident. They were eliminated because they stood in the way of the empire's plans—my plans."
Alyssia's blood ran cold. "You… you ordered their deaths?"
He nodded slowly. "They were idealists, foolish enough to believe they could stand against the tide of history. They would have poisoned your mind against the very mission you were destined to fulfill."
Her vision blurred with rage and sorrow, her hands trembling as the weight of his betrayal crushed her. "I trusted you. I gave everything to this cause."
"And look what you have accomplished," he said smoothly. "You have unlocked the very power that will reshape this world. You and I, Alyssia—we can be the architects of a new age. An age free from the constraints of time, free from the guardians of old. The Abyss is not a threat—it is a tool. With it, we can remake this world in our image."
Darian stepped between them, his sword drawn. "You won't get that chance. I'll stop you, no matter the cost."
The Emperor chuckled. "You? Stop me? You are nothing, Darian. A scholar who plays at being a warrior. But Alyssia… she is different. She has the power to stand at my side, to rule this new world."
Alyssia's mind raced. She had spent her entire life serving the empire, believing in its mission, believing she was a hero. Now, everything she had ever known was crumbling around her. Her family's death, the creatures she had hunted, the empire's lies… it was all too much. And yet, in this moment, she knew one thing for certain.
She couldn't let the Emperor succeed.
"I won't be your weapon anymore," Alyssia said, her voice steady despite the storm of emotions raging inside her. "I'll stop you. I'll fix what I've done."
The Emperor's smile faded. "Then you will die, just like all who stand against me."
Alyssia tightened her grip on her sword. "I'll take my chances."
The battle for the fate of the world was about to begin.