Raki opened her eyes. Everything was blurry, and the soft murmur of older women's voices mixed with hurried footsteps echoed around her bed. She shut her eyes again, feeling herself slip back into unconsciousness.
When she woke up next, her father was sitting beside her on a stool, leaning against the wall, fast asleep. She heard sobs and turned, confused by the vaguely familiar voice. There, standing beside the bed, was her mother, eyes filled with tears.
Raki glanced out the window. Night had already fallen, explaining why most of the town's women were no longer in the hospital. She sat up in bed, a violent urge to retch rising, but she fought it back. She didn't want to make her mother worry more than she already had. The pain in her stomach had subsided, but it still felt uncomfortable.
"Mum," Raki called, stretching and yawning. "Did you really need to worry so much? It was just a stomach ache, nothing serious. I'm strong, and gosh, I'm starving. I could probably eat a ton of those vegetables." She paused, realizing her mother's sobs had intensified. Her eyes twitched. Did her mum really think she was on her deathbed?
"When were you going to tell us, Raki?" her mother asked, trembling fingers pointed toward her.
"Oh, you mean the wild berries?" Raki replied, stretching lazily. "I didn't think it was worth mentioning in my list of escalating crimes."
The air around her shifted, and she turned to see her father standing, his eyes fierce, not the kind of look you'd expect from someone who had just woken up. "Why do you keep asking her?!" he yelled, his voice shaking the room. "Of course she'd deny the vermin inside her! She must have gotten together with some good-for-nothing man and produced that bastard!"
Raki looked at her father with curiosity, an odd calmness in her expression. She didn't know what this was all about, but this definitely wasn't the welcome she had anticipated upon regaining consciousness.
Her mother's sobs grew louder, and her father's words only made things worse. "Please, someone must have violated her. Raki couldn't possibly do this... I know my daughter. She must have been too scared to say anything."
Raki raised an eyebrow. This was getting interesting.
Her father seemed to calm, casting a glance at her abdomen before turning back to her mother, his voice lowering to a whisper. "We can still fix this. The midwife promised, and no one in the village knows. If it gets out, our reputation will be ruined. We just need to let it go."
"That's a taboo, Kal! It's a sin against the gods!" her mother screamed.
Raki had heard enough of the family drama. Her curiosity got the best of her. "So, let me get this straight—everyone here thinks I'm pregnant?"
"Shut up," her father snapped, voice sharp. "Why do you think we're here? To make a joke out of your mess?" His anger was palpable.
Raki tilted her head, realizing this was likely a strange dream, and like every other bizarre dream she had, she felt compelled to speak her mind. "You're all crazy."
---
Saliviako felt drained.
He felt vulnerable.
He felt broken.
Back in the true world, he lay on the grassy field, his body empty after destroying his realm in a fit of rage. His Kika was beside him, tugging at his abdomen, trying to rouse him.
But from the very beginning, Saliviako knew he was going to die. He just hadn't expected it to be so pitiful. It wasn't that he hadn't stood a chance, but this wasn't his fight.
All he could do now was wait—wait to see his queen again.
A movement beside him caught his attention. He opened his eyes to see a blurry outline that slowly came into focus. But it wasn't who he had been waiting for.
It was a girl, silver-blond hair, blue eyes, standing before him. She looked exhausted, as if she had just emerged from a battle. But it wasn't her appearance that made Saliviako's heart race.
It was the aura she carried. His aura. His eyes. His beauty.
She stood frozen, her trembling lips whispering a single word that made his heart ache. "Dad."
Behind her, Buva stood, his expression full of shock, his eyes glued to Saliviako's face.
When Sal opened his eyes again, the sky had darkened. The ground beneath him trembled, cracking and splitting as the very fabric of reality disintegrated. The grasses withered, carried away by the wind.
A loud roar echoed from the skies, and Saliviako saw a massive, three-headed beast descending toward him. His Kika, lying beside him, raised its head and roared back, challenging the creature.
Saliviako grinned, sitting up straight. It seemed doomsday had finally arrived.
He focused on the beast as it drew near. It was strange, with six glowing red eyes, golden horns protruding from each of its three heads. Its flesh was armored with thick scales, and spikes projected from its wings, reflecting sharp light. Wherever the beast passed, the land was left in devastation. Atop the beast sat a figure, clad in ragged, worn clothes, watching him with interest.
The beast landed with a thud, and the figure on its back turned to face Saliviako, a wicked gleam in his eyes.
Saliviako studied him. The figure, Finito, was unsettling. His black hair cascaded over his shoulder, covering one of his eyes. He appeared ordinary—someone who could be forgotten in an instant.
But ordinary was the last thing Saliviako felt from him. Finito, whatever he was, lived up to his name.
"This wasn't quite what I expected," Finito said, his voice tinged with disappointment. "I thought you'd at least put up a fight. Now it looks like I'll just have to play with you."
Saliviako bristled at the words, feeling his pride wounded. Without a word, he stood up, his movements fluid and graceful. "Moments ago, that would have been possible. But I promised her I'd at least put up a fight."
"You mean your queen," Finito clicked his fingers, as if enlightened. "Where is she? This party isn't complete without her."
"Not my queen," Saliviako said, his voice smug. "Someone else."
Finito's frown deepened. "I hate being wrong."
"Must be a first for you," Saliviako shot back.
"I've been wrong about many things. That makes you wrong too."
"I guess we're even then."
Finito's smile grew wider, and his eyes gleamed with amusement. "Enough playing around. Stop making me find you interesting. I'm here to kill you."
Saliviako raised an eyebrow. "You talk like that's already a done deal."
"If you were at full strength, it might have been a challenge," Finito said, his voice cool. "But you've made some poor choices to end up like this—exhausted and alone. Unfortunately for you, I'm a very shameless god, and I don't mind striking you when you're down."
"I have no idea why you're proud of that."
"Gosh, you still don't get it, do you? From the very start, I was never the god of roses and sunshine."
"I had hoped," Saliviako muttered, shaking his head. "Looks like I was wrong again."
"You remind me of Cerves," Finito continued, grinning. "One of the ancient fools who tried to put me to sleep. Instead of focusing on the battle, he babbled on about love, justice, fairness... it made me want to puke. So I made him silent forever."
Saliviako's gaze hardened. "You killed him."
"I did," Finito replied with a nonchalant shrug. "He annoyed me, and I needed to keep myself distracted. They thought they had me suppressed, but I let them believe that while I took advantage of the moment."
"Why are you telling me all this?" Saliviako asked, his curiosity piqued. "You act like everything was planned."
"It's a habit," Finito said, his tone light. "I like talking about myself before I kill someone. But now that you brought it up... maybe I'll tell you more."
Saliviako sighed. "I really don't want to know."
"Doesn't matter," Finito replied with a shrug. "I'm going to tell you anyway."
"Fine," Saliviako muttered.
Finito continued, his voice filled with mockery. "I didn't just kill Cerves. Before I was supposedly suppressed, I made sure to drag all of them down with me."
"You never told me that," Saliviako said, furrowing his brows. "You only mentioned ripping Cerves' mouth off."
"Well, I'm telling you now."
Saliviako raised an eyebrow, his curiosity growing. "The ancient gods are no more. Whatever disposed of them had something to do with you. But you just fought five of their strongest. I guess even five of them weren't enough to stop you."
Finito's face swelled with pride. "It wasn't easy. It nearly drained me, but I did it."
"You cursed over two hundred gods," Saliviako said, anger rising in his chest. "And they all died because of you."
Finito's smile twisted into something sadistic. "It was necessary. I had a vision. Everyone in my time was blind. I had to purge this ignorance to make the world wise again. Hopefully, this era will be exactly what I was waiting for."
"You were never asleep," Saliviako said, disgust filling his voice. "You were just recovering your strength like a coward."
Finito's smile widened. "That won't work on me. I told you, I'm a very shameless god."
"Why would you even need a key if you could've just woken up?"
"Honestly, I would have awakened eventually. The key was just a trigger. A little test to prove that this world needed me. I was glad to see I wasn't wrong. It would have been disappointing otherwise."
Saliviako closed his eyes, resignation settling in. "I guess this was inevitable."
Finito studied him with an appraising look. "I must admit, you're a wise god. You've figured out almost everything from just a few words. Too bad I have to kill you."
Suddenly, Saliviako flew to the top of his Kika, and the crack of thunder echoed across the space. Red lightning arced from his eyes, and his Kika, glowing with fiery energy, stood poised for battle. The air crackled with power as it roared.
What a fierce beast," Finito said, squinting his eyes. "It would have been troublesome if it had gone through its final evolution. And it seems you're yet to take that step. That's why you will fail."
A sense of foreboding swept over Saliviako, but he refused to give in. "What do you mean?"
"The final evolution," Finito replied, his voice soft and patient, as if speaking to a child. "An evolution that only one god in all existence attained—before, that is. Now, there are two."
"That's impossible," Sal said, shaking his head. "It shouldn't be impossible—at least not for you. I can't be this unlucky in a fight."
Finito smiled, then spread his hands. "If you think I was merely recovering my energy, you are gravely mistaken."
The moment Finito finished speaking, the sky darkened, and fierce gusts of wind shook the earth, causing the world to rumble. An eerie aura, sharp enough to make Sal's hair stand on end, enveloped his world, followed by the haunting whistle of the wind.
"Chaos is the absence of laws. You, however, are the god of laws. That makes us polar opposites. Before you die, I will show you what true power is, by defeating you. In the presence of chaos, all laws become void."
Finito descended from his beast, landing with a single step. But that was all it took.
The world shifted.
Sal suddenly felt as though he were standing upside down. The sky was no longer above him, but beneath, while the ground hovered above. He closed his eyes and tried to sense the thin, golden threads of laws, but found nothing—nothing at all. They had vanished. One word escaped his lips, but it couldn't fully convey his disbelief. "Impossible."
Finito continued walking toward him, each step causing the sands to decay and sink into the inverted sky. "Give up, Sal. Let me end your life. I am far stronger now, and I can feel that you have barely a tenth of your energy left. I have made this place my domain, meaning you cannot use your laws to fight me. I can see your dragon mark, but I sense none of your dragons. You're exhausted. Weak. You're no match for me."
Sal laughed, his voice rumbling like thunder. "Since when have I ever cowered? Since when have I ever been afraid? Until I die, I will uphold my pride." He raised his hands, and a red lightning spear materialized. His eyes sparkled as he turned to Finito and roared. The entire world lit up with lightning. His Kika surged, and the lightning domain seemed to amplify. It leapt into the air, spreading its wings, its eyes locked on the three-headed beast.
"Your red lightning," Finito murmured, his voice tinged with caution. "It's born from the law of total annihilation. Since you can wield it here, it must be an innate gift. Something I should be wary of."
But Sal had already stopped listening. With a mighty thump, he ascended into the air and hurled the lightning spear. His Kika roared, unleashing a beam of lightning toward the three-headed beast.
Finito and his Kika did not stand still. They dodged the attacks. Where the lightning spear passed, the air incinerated and distorted. It missed its target, crashing into the ground and shattering it into rocks that fell into the inverted sky. The three-headed beast met the lightning beam head-on, unleashing a vortex from each of its heads, dispersing the attack into nothing.
Enraged, the beast shot into the air, knocking the red-winged lion into the downward sky.
Finito remained grounded, his smile widening, like a child who had found a new toy to play with.
Saliviako stretched his hands again, and thousands of red lightning orbs surrounded him. He pointed his finger at Finito, and the orbs followed his movement. With a cracking sound, they shot toward him at the speed of light. But Finito was faster.
He dodged each orb as they descended, their impacts shaking the already ruined ground. The world burned with red fire, the aftermath of the lightning. The heat was so intense that even the air hissed, as though it, too, was catching fire.
Saliviako grew impatient. With a roar, he raised both hands once more. This time, the thousands of orbs converged into a massive ball of lightning, as large as a small world. He raised it with his left hand and hurled it toward Finito on the ground.
There was total annihilation. The lightning cracked and sparkled, the earth quaked and shattered, and the true world itself trembled. The flames raged, sweeping through everything in a wave of destruction.
Sal, pale and breathless, knew this attack was nothing to Finito. Squinting through the flames, he saw his suspicion confirmed. Finito stood unharmed, his clothes bearing only faint scorch marks.
Finito stretched lazily within the flames. "Enough playing around. It's my turn now. My Kika and I have been holding back to see what you had, Sal. Even with a tenth of your strength, you've given us quite a challenge. Thank you."
Before his words even finished, Finito was already in motion. Millions of vortexes appeared around Saliviako, each one tearing at the very fabric of space, shattering it like falling glass.
Finito looked up at Saliviako, his smile wide, and clenched his fist.
The three-headed beast roared, and a massive vortex shot from its mouth, swallowing the red lion whole.
The entire sequence took less than a second, but even that brief moment was enough.
The true world shook. The other seven Meshtara worlds trembled as well. A deafening screech filled the galaxy, capable of rupturing eardrums, followed by an ominous silence that carried waves of destruction.
And thus, Saliviako, the ruler of the gods, ceased to exist.