Lovigary knelt on the cracked earth, cradling Adams' limp body in his arms. His hands trembled as they clutched his brother's blood-soaked chest, his fingers curling around the cold, lifeless skin as if holding him tighter could somehow bring him back. His face was twisted in anguish, and his breath came in ragged gasps as tears streamed down his cheeks, falling onto Adams' still face.
"Brother, wake up... please, wake up," Lovigary cried, his voice cracking with desperation. His entire body shook as the words spilled from his mouth, a plea filled with disbelief, as if the sheer force of his will could reverse what had happened. His eyes were wide, wild with denial, darting between Adams' closed eyes and the blood pooling beneath him.
Saryna stood just behind him, frozen at first, her chest heaving as she stared at Adams' body. Her lips trembled, and her hands clenched at her sides. She took a shaky step forward, her legs unsteady as if they might give out beneath her. Tears slipped silently down her face, leaving wet trails across her cheeks. She shook her head slowly, as if refusing to accept the reality before her.
"No... no..." Saryna whispered, her voice barely audible, choked by grief. She pressed a hand to her mouth, stifling a sob that clawed its way up her throat. "This wasn't supposed to happen... Adams wasn't supposed to die." The words came out in broken gasps, each one more painful than the last. Her shoulders quaked, her breaths coming faster as she looked at the lifeless body in Lovigary's arms.
Lokk stood off to the side, fists clenched so tightly his knuckles had turned white. His entire body was rigid, every muscle taut as he fought to contain the whirlwind of emotions tearing through him. His breath came in heavy, labored gasps, his chest rising and falling erratically. The silence stretched unbearably, the weight of the moment pressing down on him like a vice.
Then, with a sudden, violent motion, Lokk dropped to his knees and slammed his fists into the ground.
"Damn it!" he roared, his voice filled with a raw, primal pain. His fists came down again, pounding the earth in a frenzied rhythm. "Damn it! DAMN IT!"
Each strike sent a tremor through the cracked ground, blood beginning to seep from his knuckles, but Lokk didn't care. He hit the earth again and again, his teeth bared, his face contorted in agony. Tears streamed down his face, mixing with the dirt and blood on his hands as he continued to hammer the ground.
"Why?" he screamed, his voice hoarse with grief. "Why do I have to lose everyone?!" His chest heaved with the force of his sobs, his entire body trembling as he cried out to the heavens. "Why, in the span of just a few days, is everyone taken from me? Why are the heavens doing this to me?!"
Lokk's aura flared, surging wildly around him as his emotions spiraled out of control. The air crackled with energy, the ground beneath him trembling under the weight of his power. His fists slammed into the earth one final time, a furious roar ripping from his throat, but it did nothing to quell the storm raging within him.
His grief, his rage, his despair—all of it mixed together in a whirlwind of unbearable emotion, tearing at him from the inside out.
As Lokk's power flared, Lovigary held Adams closer, his sobs quiet but deep, his face buried in his brother's chest. His body shook with the force of his grief, the realization that Adams was gone settling heavily on his shoulders, crushing him under its weight. Saryna sank to her knees beside them, her hands covering her face as she cried openly, her shoulders trembling with each sob.
The three of them were bound by the same grief, the same unbearable loss, each of them struggling under the weight of their sorrow. But no matter how loud they screamed, no matter how fiercely they wept, the heavens remained silent.
Laden lay on the cracked ground, his breathing ragged and shallow. He glanced at his two remaining sons, his gaze lingering on Lovigary with a heavy, almost pleading expression.
"I'm going to bring them back, all of them," Laden said, his voice hoarse but firm, a fiery resolve burning in his eyes. "So, Lovigary, I ask you one last time—get off your high horse and stand with me. Together, we can bring them back faster." He extended a hand, offering his son an olive branch.
"Gor..." Lovigary whispered, his voice strained. He rushed over, dropping to his knees beside the wounded giant. "Hold on, Gor. Just hold on."
Gor's grip tightened protectively around the children, his breath ragged. "I tried... to stop him," he rasped, his voice barely audible. His eyes, filled with regret, fluttered closed as his head slumped to the side.
Lovigary's heart sank, a deep, hollow ache settling in his chest as he placed a hand on Gor's arm, feeling the giant's life slipping away. His eyes scanned the horizon, the bleakness of the place only intensifying the weight of their situation. Read today on m,v,l,e,mpyr
The others gathered around him, their expressions a mixture of exhaustion and disbelief. Gabriel's usually composed face was marred with worry, his hand resting on his sword's hilt as he surveyed the barren landscape. Elfreda knelt beside Gor, her hands hovering above his wounds, her brows furrowed in concentration as she attempted to heal him.
"This place..." Amara murmured, her eyes narrowing as she surveyed their surroundings. "It feels... wrong."
Lovigary clenched his fists, his jaw tight as he looked at each of them. "We'll survive," he said, his voice low but steady. "We'll survive... and we'll stop him."
God Ascension Plane
Laden, standing amidst the chaos and destruction, turned his gaze to the remaining orphans and his son Lokk. His eyes, still cold and calculating despite the pain wracking his body, gleamed with a cruel sense of purpose. Slowly, he stretched his hand forward, summoning a shimmering, dark treasure from within the folds of his robes.
It glowed faintly with the essence of countless souls trapped inside, their faint wails barely audible in the air around them.
Lokk, standing uncertainly beside his father, looked on with wide, fearful eyes. His body trembled, torn between loyalty and the weight of the horror unfolding before him. Laden's presence was overwhelming, his authority unquestionable. Lokk could feel the pressure bearing down on him, suffocating.
The remaining orphans—the survivors who had not been sent to the prison plane—stood around them in a silent, uneasy circle. Their faces were shadowed with fear and uncertainty, but they knew Laden's power was absolute. They had no choice but to follow.
Laden's voice, though weakened from his wounds, still carried an air of command. "Listen well," he began, his words slow and deliberate. "You will go forth and destroy the planes I have chosen. Leave nothing behind. Eradicate every trace of life." His voice grew darker, filled with menace as his eyes swept over them.
"Every soul that falls will be collected in this treasure." He held up the orb, its surface now swirling with an even greater intensity. "This... will become the key to their rebirth."
He turned toward the orphans, addressing them with the same chilling authority. "Each of you has a role to play. You are my Harbingers of Destruction. Spread through the planes like a plague. Leave nothing in your wake. The souls of the fallen will be your offering for the god of the underworld, and in return, you will be rewarded when the time comes."
As his body fully vanished into the emptiness, his final words lingered, echoing in the minds of those he left behind. "Do not fail me."
Lokk stood there, motionless, the weight of his father's commands heavy on his shoulders. The orphans exchanged uncertain glances, knowing there was no turning back from what lay ahead. The path of destruction had been set, and whether they liked it or not, they would be its agents.