The wind drew away from him, fearing the blue fire upon his face.
The grip on his sword was unwavering. Steel rattled; many legs trembled. Their hearts pounded like cornered prey. Many tried to comprehend the events that had taken place in mere moments.
The white screen of the Hae'l warped as Adrel burst out of it.
"Get the ro-"
His boots screeched to a halt, alongside his lips.
The firmament above grumbled ominously.
Shifting highlights covered its dark face.
Adrel absorbed the scene before him.
Legt lay on the ground, motionless.
He could see blood splotched over Legt's mangled face.
His dark brown hair, was now streaked with red. A sword lay away from him, the grass seemingly guarding it.
And above him, stood Rahiel.
Behind Rahiel, was the royal blood.
Not a word came from the mouths of the men, who wondered whether to fight and die or flee and be hunted forever.
'Demon' was no longer a mere title for Rahiel. Adrel understood now. It was his second nature.
As the wind howled past Rahiel, he spoke.
"Erref. I want nothing more to do with you."
Not a voice broke put from his lips, but rather the bellow if Creation itself.
Divinity poured out of his eyes.
He continued, looking deep into their souls.
"You have spent too much against me— losing much more. We can end this bloodshed now."
Adrel's chest heaved as his fingers twitched madly. The sharp scent of ruggedness flowed about him.
"The royal blood is mine. So is the Blood Witch. Not the emperor's. Not this empire's. And definitely not your god's. I take human life, as much as I give it. All is in accordance to what my Creator wills."
Rahiel's tone heightened. Thunder clapped from on high, as though applauding his words.
Roe'nika watched, her being awash in fear. She clutched her Mistress' arm like a constrictors mass.
He was nowhere near human.
No one dared to interrupt him.
"As my master is above the scale of life and death, so am I. Regardless of this, I desire for you to live. You may hate me. However, I only seek a better path. Go home. Enter the embrace of the ones you love. My master has no need for your souls…"
His message reverbated across the hilltop.
The grass shuddered with the howling wind. The forest bowed down to his voice.
Turning to Adrel, he said, "Leave me be Inquisitor, and there will be no more bloodshed."
A gentle voice, it was. An almost heartwarming plea. Rahiel's eyes were no more like those of a demon.
Nekea watched with a deep awe ringing within her heart. A smile couldn't help but break across her face. It was the thing she sought. And it resonated within her, its source being Quantum.
Adrel didn't understand.
'What exactly are you?' he pondered.
His mind was a hive choked with the buzzing of pain. Yet, Rahiel's voice seemed to take everything away, even after all he had done.
He didn't know what to feel.
'Is he not evil?' he thought.
A part of him desired the peace Rahiel spoke of. If he had belonged to any other empire, he was dead sure he would agree.
Adrel had never fully understood the will of his emperor. The plan of his empire,or his purpose within it. And most importantly, the will of his god.
However, there was nothing he could do.
This was Karakh; Calor's breath and blood.
There was no mercy. Even with all his good words. The other Erref knew this very well.
They weren't any more worthy of life than their comrades.
Adrel unsheathed his sword. A sharp rasp cut through the air.
"Rahiel,"he began.
His soul was death slumbering in the midst of many souls.
"I am the Eye of Karakh. Its Inquest. So have I been for many years. I cannot simply falter. You must understand this."
Quantum's countenance fell into a soft dismay.
For only a moment, Adrel could almost see frustration on his face.
Either it never happened, or it blurred past Adrel's perception. However, Rahiel's eyes returned to their coldness.
The soldiers exchanged glances.
Adrel smiled, amused.
For the first time, his faith waned.
He had believed Rahiel to be a mere human. Just another murderer with a pathological obsession.
He had been quite wrong. The whole forest stood in awe of him, or rather, the One above him.
'Who can command this reverence?'
The battlefield was his life. He was just another pawn.
His eyes widened; he laughed. Not out of pain. But out of pity for himself, and his comrades. At that moment in time, it felt like Ut'ia was the lucky one.
"I refuse. We serve Calor with our lives!" He declared his eyes shining.
Tears fell as he spoke.
He was diving into the unknown, having first taste of something Arkrea had no idea of.
A little pride spurred in his heart as he thought of that.
"Warriors!"
His booming voice rung like divine lightning, charging the hearts of all the men. No longer did they shake with fear. They shook with the conviction of a mighty fall. One that would surely release them from their shackles.
They didn't understand. But so it was.
Patriarch clutched his chest as the fear melted away. He grasped the hilt of his sword.
The soldiers dropped into their stances.
The earth shook with the beating of their hearts.
Quantum smiled. At least, they understood.
"ATTACK!!! RETRIEVE THE ROYAL BLOOD!" Adrel roared.
Tremors rang upon the hill; the soldiers took point, their armor beating against the earth.
Quantum stepped forwards.
Armor tore apart, blood splattering all over the field.
The Hae'l warped, its light wavering.
The Erref burned towards Rahiel.
Pushing their mortal bodies to their limit, they surged at Rahiel.
He responded by tearing through their armor with mighty ease, removing their limbs from place, and scattering their innards.
All while keeping them from Nhea.
His wrists danced with the two weapons he wielded. Charged by the Breath, they delivered strikes of instant death. Men groaned and yelled as their souls were taken away. Quantum seemingly phased past their strikes. With blinding speed he retaliated, drawing a pool of blood.
Clatters filled the air as bodies slumped to the ground, being thrown back by Quantum's tunic.
Amidst the pandemonium, the charged blades of the Erref cut through the opposing wind. They swung skillfully, coordinating to pin him down.
However, their efforts were in vain.
Flipping his sword he struck the blind side of one Erref. In that same strike, he broke the balance of another Erref, his sword searing past him. He delivered a finishing blow to her forehead right after.
Blood rose, drops splattering on Quantum's face.
As he fought, Nekea and Roe'nika struggled against each other.
"Mistress," she growled, her eyes manic.
"We are meant to be together..." she cried. Lunging at Nekea she tore her dress, digging her fingernails into Nekea's flesh. Nekea's blood stained Roe'nika's fingers as she lost balance. Dragging her, they faded into the light.
When the silence came, Nekea and Roe'nika were gone.
The fallen were littered all about Quantum.
Only Patriarch and Adrel stood.
Their sublime stances represented years and years of hardwork. Attacking Quantum, their fans of fire were even larger and more impressive than Ut'ia's.
Split-second reasoning skills ricocheted with every strike they delivered.They cut in to Quantum's blind sides with every move they made. Never flinching, and never second-guessing. Their blades barely missed him.
However, even they succumbed. Noticing an opening, Quantum delivered a powerful kick to Patriarch's kneecap, ruining his right leg. He yelled as the bone was thrown out of place.
Adrel's attacks became much firmer, as Patriarch fell. Almost instinctual. Stepping in between the corpses of his brethren, he lunged at Rahiel.
He could almost see where Rahiel's strikes would fly. They cut past him, cutting through his armor, but not his skin.
Deafening clangs rang across the hilltop, Adrel pushing to keep up with Rahiel's speed.
Adrel couldn't take a direct hit from Rahiel.
Swinging his body, parrying and sliding past he etched at Rahiel. Consistency would save him. However, his blessing could only take him so far.
Fatigue began to gnaw at him. His muscles screamed, stretched past human limits.
Rahiel dodged effortlessly. It wasn't a battle anymore.
Stepping back, Rahiel countered Adrel's final strike, his blade opening the air.
Adrel's blade flew off, along with his right arm in a spray of blood.
He collapsed, clutching the open wound. Blood blood jetted from it.
Groaning, he waited for the finishing blow from Rahiel. Silver eyes scanned the darkness above.
It wasn't the way he wanted to die. However, it felt like he had done everything he ever wanted to do.
'Or am I that desperate to see them again?' he noted.
Adrel lay upon the ash-strewn grass.
He cauterized the wound, with the little firepower he had left.There wasn't a shred of strength in his legs. He had lost the very day he swung his sword at Rahiel.
The sky continued to rumble indefinitely. It was a beautiful sight to behold. The cloud reached the ends of the world, coating the horizon with swirling grey. Streaks of the sun's light broke through time and time again.
"Inquisitor, I never got to know your name."
A laugh broke out from Adrel's lips.
There was a short pause, the grass whistling before he replied.
"I am Adrel. Mesiph J'ela Adrel."
"Adrel…" Quantum whispered.
Adrel looked up at the entity that stood towering before him.
There was another pause.
Patriarch's pained trudges drew closer.
"What of yours? I assume Rahiel isn't your actual name…"
His hoarse voice reached Quantum's ears.
"I am Quantum. The last son of the Creator," he said quietly. It carried a weight of millennia.
Adrel's awe came out as an amused wheeze.
His eyes were tired. The pain blared in his vision. He wanted to go.
"Why aren't you killing me?," Adrel inquired.
"She says not to. You will carry great importance soon," Quantum said.
A gasp escaped Adrel's cracked lips. Tears flowed down his face.
"Let me join them...please…"
Qantum's cold eyes stared deep into Adrel.
"Your time isn't up, Adrel.Your sister needs you."
Little steps approached Quantum, drawing into Adrel's sight.
Patriarch trudges landed him next to Adrel, leaning on his sword.
"Inquisitor, the Hae'l will soon fail," his voice rasped. He clutched his side.
"We must go. With or without the royal blood. At the very least, we now have the Blood Witch," he added.
Adrel's gaze turned to Quantum, as Patriarch supported him to raise himself.
"The Blood Witch…isn't she important to you?"
Quantum smiled.
"Who do you think I was referring to as 'she'?"
Adrel's eyes widened.
Quantum continued.
"Whether we are together or separated by worlds…she is still the Herald. And I will hear her voice, no matter how faint it is…"
Ash danced upon the wind.
Adrel and Patriarch exchanged glances of confusion.
"Go, Adrel. Live. You and him. Your purpose is not complete."
"What of the girl?" Patriarch said, pointing a trembling finger at Nhea. She stood next to Quantum, clutching his tattered garments fiercely. Her amber eyes glowed with a virtuous power.
"She belongs to my Creator—she is her jewel. As such I shall prepare her for the Day," Quantum replied, his tone imposing.
"Karakh will not give up on its search for the girl. More will come. Much stronger and more daring than us."
Quantum's smile spread all the more. The Hae'l's sparks began to shrivel.
"Let them come. I will face them. And I will win."
His voice neither cut nor broke. It simply was. An overwhelming power from reaches unknown to the two men.
"Much is going to happen, Adrel. Be prepared."
Quantum's last words rung in Adrel's mind, as he and Patriarch trudged towards the Hae'l.
Entering its dying light, their minds had matured. From those short moments they spent speaking to Quantum, deep within, they had already seen many things.
Things so pressing, they were not caught up in the pain of mourning their fallen. Suddenly, they were beyond it.
The Hae'l consumed them, and moments later, whirred to a halt. Pieces of crystals fell to the heated stone plalform.
The dark clouds continued to stir, invigorated by their own movements.
Only Quantum and Nhea remained. Amidst a sea of death, blood and the shrill cries of a future of fallen gods.