Etal opened his shut eyes and sat up on his golden bed, his gaze filled with horror. His world trembled, and a roar that felt all-consuming spread across the planet, filling his very bones with an icy chill.
"It's not possible, but this smells of chaos. Could it be?" Etal murmured, his heart shaking in fear.
---
Buva, the god of time, looked up into space and muttered, "Even if I go back in time, I can't reverse this."
---
Uta and Siki sat beneath the life tree, gazing into the skies. Siki, her face stained with tears, clung to Uta, sobbing. "I hope our king can survive this."
"You forget his name, Siki. Saliviako, even if he loses, will do so with honor," Uta replied, hugging her tightly.
---
Sakit watched from the clouds as her golems packed wood in preparation for the cold night. She looked away from them, her gaze piercing through space, far into the distance. "My king, through fire, through pain, I will be with you."
---
Duni, stepping lightly on the water, walked towards the dry shore where her brother, Mavi, awaited. Her hair, colored like the blue skies, was drenched from the sea, her eyes glowing ethereally as waves of energy rippled around her. Her graceful steps on the water brought a calming aura.
When she reached the shore, Mavi walked toward her with the illusion of teleportation, his steps slow but quick enough to meet her.
"Have you felt it?" Mavi asked.
Duni turned to face him, tears brimming in her eyes. "Mavi, will he be okay?" she asked, her hands trembling. The sea reacted to her emotions, powerful waves rising high into the heavens.
"The Chaos god shouldn't be underestimated," Mavi replied. "You still love Sal, don't you?"
Duni turned her face away in silence, but Mavi already knew the answer.
"Wherever this leads, Duni," Mavi said, holding her hand and locking eyes with her, "if this goes wrong, promise me you won't let your heart die with him."
Duni trembled, murmuring, her eyes empty. "I... I can't promise you that."
---
Tio stood on a mountaintop, his voice echoing with laughter. Large phantoms, shrieking in unison, surrounded him, their presence filling the air with dread.
"The Chaos god has awoken. This means more power for me," Tio laughed, the shrieks of his phantoms growing louder. His world was alive with the screams of hell.
---
Rumo stood on his tower of flames, gazing into the distance. "Finito, huh," he muttered, swirling strands of multicolored flames around his finger. Breathing in deeply, he exhaled fire from his nostrils. "I wonder what's in this for me."
---
Sanera knelt, looking nothing like his former self. His clothes were torn and bloodied, his body battered from his fight with the chaos birds. Exhausted to the brink of death, he was saved only by the god before him. Yet he felt the suffocating pressure of Finito's presence, certain his bones would break if he came any closer.
"Naughty pets, don't you see we have a visitor?" Finito said, gently patting one of the birds, which cooed beneath his touch.
"I've been asleep for so long. Nothing is how I remember," Finito continued, smiling as he turned his gaze toward Sanera. "Tell me, weakling, how thwarted has the universe become while I was away?"
Sanera opened his mouth to speak.
---
Saliviako surveyed his warriors and said, "It's time. When she is strong enough, she will summon you, and you will hear her call."
His warriors closed their eyes and began chanting. "Long live the king." One by one, they vanished, as if they had never existed.
When Zas, the chief warrior, disappeared, Saliviako turned to face his queen. Without a word, Sassifino stepped into the air, walking towards him. She embraced him, tears flowing freely. Her voice was heartbreakingly soft, and Saliviako felt his heart tremble in response.
"All I ever wanted was to be happy, to be with you. Is this selfish, Sal? Is it wrong to dream of us?" she said, clenching his hand, her body trembling as her sobs wracked through her.
"Little lamb," Saliviako whispered, warmth and love filling his voice.
"Big, bad wolf," Sassifino replied playfully, biting into his chest.
"Even when the storms rage, I will stand before you, never behind. You are my heaven, and hell is all that remains without you," Saliviako said, pressing his lips softly to her earlobe.
Sassifino trembled, then wrapped her arms around his neck, lifting her head to kiss him.
The kiss lingered, perhaps because they both knew it might be their last. Saliviako felt a painful ache in his chest as their lips met. He had grown stronger, thinking he could protect those he loved, but now he was consumed by helplessness, anger, and suffocating grief. A tear escaped him.
Sassifino wiped the tear from his face with a tender kiss. "You will protect me, and I will always be your comfort."
Saliviako smiled, but something unsettled him. "Are you ready now, my queen?"
"Un," she nodded, but before she could say more, she hesitated. "The lady you mentioned... she wouldn't mind, would she? Having our child, a child she knows nothing about... Would she try to remove our daughter?"
Saliviako took her face gently in his hands. "How could I be careless about this? Trust me, my love."
Kissing him again, Sassifino whispered, "Begin the ritual, then. I trust you."
Saliviako's hand pressed against her stomach, and a sharp pain tore through him. He closed his eyes, but when he opened them again, determination replaced the anguish. He thought of Raki, a girl whose innocence reminded him of his queen. No mortal could be a better parent to his child than she.
"My queen," he whispered, "I will begin now."
Sassifino hugged him tightly, her eyes closed. She said nothing, as though she had already drifted halfway into slumber.
"Today, I, Saliviako, hereby alter this law," his voice boomed, shaking the realm itself.
"That this soul's path be changed."
"Out of the place of your kind, into the world of mortals you shall go."
The realm trembled violently. Cracks began forming in space, shattering like glass. Lightning arced across the sky, incinerating everything in its path. Saliviako heard the roar of his Kika as it ascended, its red wings spread majestically.
His queen shuddered in his arms, trying to stifle the scream of pain that she was unable to suppress.
This only added to Saliviako's torment.
His voice cracked as he pressed on. "I command you, soul, obey my voice and descend to the mortal of my choosing."
The wind howled as lightning storms ravaged the space, and finally, Sassifino screamed, her body wracked with pain. Saliviako held her close, his heart breaking.
"My blood, my oath," he murmured. "Execute my law."
And then, it happened.
A powerful pressure shook the realm, but it wasn't Saliviako's doing. A golden foetus, shimmering with radiant energy, appeared before them. The moment Saliviako reached for it, his heart skipped a beat. His queen was silent.
Looking at her, Saliviako realized the truth. His queen was dying.
But he had promised to protect her. Was fate mocking him? Was he truly destined to end his wife's life with his own hands?
"We will find another way," Saliviako whispered to her. "If she doesn't return to you, you will die."
"Sal," Sassifino whispered weakly, forcing a smile. "When we're together again, can we see Klados, the burning star at the far end of the cosmos?"
"Yes, my queen, of course," Saliviako replied, his voice thick with emotion as tears welled in his eyes.
Tears streamed down Sassifino's face. "I just want to be happy, with you, with her. I don't want to die."
Saliviako's eyes gleamed with cold fire. "That's not happening. I didn't know her soul would be this strong... If I did, we wouldn't have done this."
Sassifino coughed, her voice barely audible. "I know, Sal," she whispered, raising her hand to his face with a sad smile. "Kiss me."
Saliviako couldn't refuse. He kissed her, and for a moment, he lost himself in the warmth of the connection.
But then he felt something was wrong. His queen, despite her weakness, didn't have her arms around him as she normally did.
He opened his eyes and felt his world collapse.
Sassifino was holding a sword—The God Slayer—thrust through her stomach.
"Why... why?" Saliviako stammered, his mind blank, his world shattering around him.
"I am afraid of dying," Sassifino whispered, blood trickling from her lips. "But my life means nothing to me if I have to give it up for the both of you. My king... let me protect you this time."
Saliviako's hands trembled as he watched her dissipate into particles of energy, vanishing with the wind.
The foetus, previously caught in a dilemma, shimmered brightly and disappeared, its path now clear, as Saliviako's law no longer stood in its way.
But Saliviako, consumed with devastation, didn't notice.
With a scream of utter anguish, the realm shattered.
---
Raki sat at her stool in the Sebca, stitching a woolen coat. Her friends, Keu and Meshe, sat beside her, laughing and gossiping about everything under the sun.
Raki felt a strange pang in her stomach. At first, it was mild, but then the pain intensified.
She clutched her stomach, groaning. Keu and Meshe turned to her, concern creeping into their faces.
"Raki, are you okay?" Keu asked with a snort. "I told you not to eat those wide berries."
Raki didn't respond, knowing this pain was not from berries. She could sense something else, but before she could explain, she fainted.