Chapter Forty-Nine: A Slice of the Past

Chapter Forty-Nine: A Slice of the Past

When I opened my eyes, I did not see anything except two armies fighting to the bitter death on the battlefield below me.

Below me?

I was floating above a massive plain filled with destruction and chaos. Screams and cries of men and women meeting their untimely end echoed about. Giant balls of fire and lightning were thrown about, and a sea of ice rampaged down the middle, freezing at least a few thousand to a chilly end. The ground shook like an earthquake when the immolated giants in the distance raised their massive metal molten clubs. Swords clashed against spears, bows pierced hearts and heads, and it seemed the incredible battle had no end in its near future.

Was this a dream? I continued to look left and right and up and down, but I was stuck in place. It felt like hours were passing by each second as I witnessed this war. Eventually, a gigantic dragon-like creature flew above me. Its wingspan had to be at least 300 feet, and seven thundering elemental orbs lined down its spiky back. With hide the color of bone and scales the hue of darkness, this massive beast had to be an Ancient Elder Dragon. A shadowy figure stood tall and proud, yet this person was at least eight feet tall.

“That was me, my liege.” I turned to the new voice and saw Sekh, who was in her birthday suit. “This is the battle Aello talked about... The one where Aetos met his end.”

“Is this an image of the past? Did you do this, Sekh?”

Sekh shook her head. “No. The one who created this temporal figment is too rude to show themselves,” she said, looking up towards the sky. “Glad to know the fear I instilled in him is still there.”

“Are you sure?”

“I’m positive, my liege. Two individuals in this village knows what happened that day. If it wasn’t me, then that only leaves the eagle.”

“I see...”

We became silent and watched the battle unfold. The Sekh from the past controlled her draconic mount with precision as they flew close to the ground. Powerful flames of many different elements roasted, froze, electrocuted, and dissolved all who were in the path of its incredible attack, killing thousands by the second and leaving behind massive streams of uncrossable terrain, which killed all who tried to run through it. Upstodatee from n(0)/ve/lbIn/.(co/m

That included friend or foe.

“During this moment of my life, I just wanted to kill. No, my precise goal was to prevent that shitty High Elf and her weak little pet from reaching the volcano. You see, my liege, I had used [Tyranny Control] to bring scores of fire spirits under my control. I forced them to fight for survival, and the winner was chosen to inhabit a volcano. My slaves tortured him without rest and killed those he loved and wanted to protect until he had nothing to live for.”

Suddenly, this flashback of the past flickered momentarily to skip to when Susize and Aetos joined the battle. She wielded a great bow and a legendary sword as she stood on the back of Aetos, a great eagle.

Then something else happened. From the far distance, a great plume of smoke and volcanic ash erupted past the horizon. It was like a cloud of locusts covered up the air, and it seemed like everyone ceased what they were doing and stared. Sekh paused her skill to turn to the horrific sight, yet she carried a cruel smile and let loose another vicious laugh.

Amos and the others ran to an extremely burnt and nearly fatally wounded Susize, whose skin seemed to melt right off her bones, leaving her in a precarious position. Sekh turned around and leapt high into the air to land on her dragon. Then she sped off towards the erupting volcano, leaving everyone else to deal with the incoming meteors.

The memory ended, and Sekh and I were brought to a floating void of white. She said Aetos died precisely at that moment, so he had nothing else to show us. “From what I remember,” she started to say. “The remaining meteors crashed down, and Amos was forced to pick who he wanted to save.”

“We’re standing in the very place...”

Sekh nodded. “It must’ve taken Aetos a few hundred years to clean up the damage after becoming a spirit, then even longer to recreate Vredi Forest and bring over Susize’s mansion.”

“Why didn’t you tell me earlier? I know I said I wouldn’t force you, but...”

“I wanted to tell you, but I figured I’d wait until this sad eagle brought us into this dream,” Sekh said. “After Aeto's death and Susize's wounds, morale within Amos’s pitiful army was at an all-time low. People hated that he didn’t save their loved ones, and I received reports that a not-so-insignificant number of brawls broke out, resulting in the army growing even weaker. But this is the truth of the matter, my liege. The Ashlands, as it is now known, came as a result of a fire spirit being tortured beyond belief until he couldn’t take it anymore. I presumed their goal was to stop the volcano from erupting, but nearly killing Susize put a nail in their plans. She wasn’t ordered to fight me, and she ignored direct orders from Amos. That led to them having to pick and choose. Should they rescue the spirit and prevent a massive eruption? Or should they save the most powerful Soul Warrior of her time from a foolish mistake, which, in turn, led to so much death? They made their choice, and we’ve seen the results from it.”

“You sure were incredible, Sekh. Amos and his Soul Warriors weren't weak, but you were shrugging off their attacks like nothing.” I gushed about Sekh’s display of true power. She went weak in the face and blushed a cute shade of crimson. I willed myself over to embrace her in a tight hug, then kissed her head and fluffed her adorable ears.

“My liege...”

“You’re the strongest, cutest Dark Lord in all the land, Sekh.” I piled on the compliments and continued to aggressively shower her with so much affection she almost passed out. But then I became serious and told her how much I appreciated her. I almost wanted to thank Aetos for showing me visual proof of just a slice of Sekh’s former power. “But seeing it made me even more curious about your mace. And about that armor. I assume Aetos didn't want to render it.”

“You're probably correct about the armor, but I can always tell you about my mace.”

“Where’s the fun in that?”

“I don’t want you to be disappointed. You probably think the world of it, and I’m afraid it won’t reflect your idealized version.”

“I’m sure I won’t be disappointed. Believe me.” I pressed my lips to hers, and we enjoyed our time in this void until we woke up in the real world. Something told me Aetos wouldn’t do this again. If his intentions were to make me either scared or frightened of Sekh’s power, he accomplished the opposite. More than ever, I was inspired by her sheer strength and ultimate control over her destructive [Black Fire].

I’m quivering just thinking how much stronger she’ll be this time around! She’s incredible!