My body blazed anew amid the glitter of titles, and my gaze fell upon Alexander—stunned by my return.
The massive ring on my back kept spinning violently, soon followed by the ones around my wrists and beneath my feet.
Without a single word—only sparks flying between us—
our bodies lunged at each other, the impact splitting Alexander's chest and abdomen apart.
As I twisted midair, another syringe emerged from the same black portal,
and Alexander injected himself once again with that same material, his wounds vanishing instantly.
I had only two choices left—
to strike him dead in one blow,
or to cut off his supplies entirely...
** Tears of joy fell from Altherion's eyes that day—joy unlike any he had ever felt before.
"Solarin… we finally endured… the Age of Chaos is over."
"Yes… finally. How I wish everyone had lived to see this day with us." **
Huh?
How am I so sure we were in the middle of the war?
Didn't we never witness its end?
I forced the thoughts out of my head, fixing my eyes on his.
I had made my choice—the first option.
From the depths of that blazing inferno, through molten chaos,
a sun rose whose might eclipsed all the stars of heaven.
"What is that?" Alexander's face turned pale.
Ignoring his question, I shaped fiery chains around both the sun and my hands.
Swinging the sun, I hurled its blazing mass toward Alexander.
He regained his composure, unsheathed his blade,
and with a single motion—
the sun was cleaved in half.
But what poured from its core was far worse—
hundreds of colossal beasts, each the size of galaxies,
their power rivaling or even surpassing that of Reinhard.
They rained down like a storm upon Alexander,
while I rushed forward, my blade clashing with his—
our swords colliding so fiercely that neither could reach the other's neck.
As for the beasts—
those miserable creatures failed even to breach Alexander's wings.
They were torn apart or incinerated within seconds.
"Alexander, you're getting annoying,"
I pressed his sword downward, pinning it with both my blades and foot.
At the same time, I imbued my left fist with flame and swung at him—
but his teeth sank into my hand, tearing off my fingers.
"A dog that bites… deserves its teeth pulled out."
I rammed my head into his mouth, breaking his front teeth, and we both staggered apart.
** A vision of Solarin flashed before me—
the horrific scene of children and innocents reduced to charcoal beneath a sky lit with fireworks.
Solarin stood amid the carnage.
"They're still here… that accursed era hasn't ended." **
I no longer understood anything—
Had the war truly ended, or begun anew?
What happened to my brother?
And why did this man claim my brother killed me?
Questions devoured my mind, but the man before me would not let me think—
not until one of us was dead.
Alexander's wings began to tear apart,
while the beasts devoured his back—yet he refused to avert his eyes from me.
"Don't think, Solarin, that you're the only one who can summon rats."
From the depths, a massive serpent of flame emerged,
devouring the beasts like candy.
Alexander leapt upon it, seeking refuge.
I clung to its tail, sliding along its fiery body,
my sword buried deep in its flesh, cutting as I advanced.
Every slice I made—Alexander transformed the wound into a swarm of phoenixes
that descended upon me, tearing my flesh apart.
The pain was beyond words, yet in such madness,
there was no room for distraction.
I kept accelerating until I reached Alexander,
who braced for another clash—
but I only extended my hand.
From my palm bloomed a red flower of fire,
and before he could react, it exploded,
bringing blindness and destruction.
** "Altherion! Your brother Solarin has lost his mind!"
"Wait—there must be a misunderstanding. I'll try to talk to him."
"This isn't the time for brotherly affection! The land itself is dying!
The livable space is shrinking—he stopped the earth's expansion!"
"He must be suffering from something... We should fix him, not kill him!"
"Fix a being deemed a Calamity? The madness of one who bears that title ends only with death."
The accusations piled up,
and with each one, my brother's stubbornness deepened.
But after two long years…
Altherion finally gave in. **
Huh?
Whose memories are these?
Is this what really happened?
Did I lose my mind while I was fighting… protecting?
Impossible…
My body weakened, my movements dulled.
When the light faded, Alexander appeared before me—
his skin and flesh charred.
And so was I.
The moment our eyes met,
I tore off my fingerless hand, revealing a sharpened bone beneath.
As our blades met again, chaos erupted across the sky.
Our sinews tore from the strain.
** "Solarin… I'm sorry." **
In that split second of distraction, my sword slipped from my grasp unconsciously.
Alexander drove his blade through my side, the tip bursting from the other end.
At the same time, I pierced his chest with my bone arm, pinning him down,
and with my other hand, I grabbed his left arm—
the sound of ripping flesh and bone filled the air alongside his screams.
** "Solarin! Stop! The war is over—please, stop this madness!"
Amid those distant cries from the past,
Solarin was completely blind—
he saw not what we saw,
thought not what we thought—
he was simply afraid. **
"D-Did I do this?"
As Alexander gaped at my distraction,
the memories of my crimes flooded my mind—this time, without illusions.
"Trying to act insane, Solarin?!"
Alexander ripped his sword out of my stomach,
dragging with it my guts and intestines.
I neither fell nor screamed—
my mind was numb,
my body fought on, terrified of dying.
** "Why did it come to this, brother…
I don't want to hurt you… please, stop." **
My battle with my brother flashed before me,
mirroring this duel with the man before me—
clearly his descendant.
I truly had lost my mind that day.
Unlike my brother, I was still imprisoned in that chaotic age,
a truth I'd always known but chose to bury.
** Beneath Altherion's tears and sorrow lay a motionless body,
its burning fever fading away—
that was my body…
no, Solarin's body.
"Brother… why… why are you leaving me too?
I don't want to be alone—not after we survived that age together." **
"I'm sorry, Altherion… but this age is not mine."
Do I even have the right to call myself Solarin?
He died long ago.
I'm merely a fragment that inherited his memories.
Does that make me him?
No…
Clearly, I am not Solarin.
I am the last remnant of the Age of Chaos—
and it will not end until I die.
That hollow sun finally reached completion,
and as it did, its light dimmed,
passing its radiance
to the sun of the present—Alexander.