Markus

Day 151

The spies were the warning signs of the impending attack. Netedinark sent thousands of men towards the outskirt villages alone. His first attack I've seen on Gaeriscelleh was after the Oudera Festival, and that was sneaky. His quick-thinking plans are failing harder than his empire failing. He sent troops to Jersome and Titane. I never saw several civilians flee from their home to avoid their bloody demise. It's a wonder how many troops that Netedinark has after losing a good chunk from the last battle.

Naomi, Dominique, Ivelisse, Bracus, and I are fending off as many troops as we can handle. Many cities are being destroyed in the affected empires.

Day 156

This grueling task is endless. Evanity troops are now going into battle, and so did Jersome and Titane to defend their territory. Blathnaid is here. The Teketa's Lord is not going to stop at anything to regain lost ground. Why doesn't he just let go? He still has land to manage and his people. The war grounds are not covered in vast flames, but the ground has become contaminated with dismantled corpses. Jersomians keep spewing gas that causes everyone to cough up blood and vomit within its radius.

Bracus decided to attack Netedinark in a solo battle at the Teketa palace. Dominique decides for us to help him. Our troops can handle it with Evanity's help.

"Watch your step, guys," Dominique warns, "There's so much damage."

We hear the castle rumbling and croaking, and can't support itself any longer. Distance explosions can be heard all around us. It's both from the front lines near Gaeriscelleh hundreds of miles away and inside the castle. I look at Naomi by my side. I am not too keen for her to be in this situation. She keeps getting dragged into unwanted things, and I dream of her having an actual break. No, not some vacation, but a break from fighting. Why did she come back here? Netedinark is still here. It's not safe for her just yet.

"Why are you here?" I ask her while we rush beside each other.

"To do my job," she answers.

I glare at Dominique who is in the middle of all of us. She catches my threatening glare.

"It was her choice, Markus," she tells me.

"Still," I remark coldly.

"Markus, I'm fine," Nao intervenes.

She better stop lying between her teeth. It's not fine and she better not bury it too.

"Have you ever thought about the danger you're putting yourself through?"

"We're doing this every day, Markus," she groans in annoyance.

"'ey, will ya two cut it out?" Ivelisse orders, "T'is isn't a time to argue."

"We're not, Ivelisse," Naomi defends.

"Halt!" Dominique shouts out an order. We do so as we watch a thick portion of the castle fall right down in front of us. The dust from rubble kisses us before dying down. We wait until Dominique orders us to resume at an alarming pace. Harsh explosions are getting louder. The castle is shaking turbulently. A rain of dark rocks and dust tries to stop us. Naomi places up a force field to protect us as we run, so does Ivelisse. Her shield is almost see-through with sparks dancing around inside of it. Her power has evolved from massive energy explosions into a thunderous roar. I don't full-on agree it's good. They feel trapped by the amount of power.

Dominique orders us to halt. Bracus's and Netedinark's player versus player is a wall or two ahead of us. "Get ready," she whispers to us. The rocks floated at my command. I alter them into daggers and set them ablaze. Something I haven't done for a long time. It's about time I use them again without the thought of losing control getting in the way. Aelen transforms into his demonic self. Dominique's eyes go wolf-like. Ivelisse gives a smirk and thumbs up as she morphs herself into a tiny flat dot again. Naomi looks uneasy as red lightning circulates her body like she's a cumulonimbus cloud herself.

I put a hand on her shoulder. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

"I'll be fine," she replies, trying to hide her minor trembles.

Dominique leaps, transforms herself into a Morphan, and smashes herself against the wall. The wall breaks, revealing Bracus and Netedinark going at it. They pay no mind to us. We still charge at him. I aim my fiery rocks at Netedinark. His branches whip at some of them to break them. Bracus blasts a spell of cosmic energy directly into him. He backs away, regaining his composure within a few moments. Then, he pulls back in Ivelisse's gravity warp. He gets pushed back into us again. Ivelisse reemerges behind him with a smile. I manifest fiery swords and drive them into Netedinark's body. He growls in vexation, resentment, and pain.

Dominique slams against his body and barks an alpha snarl. Her strength pushes my swords deeper into him, Ivelisse adds another gravity warp, making Netedinark unable to get back up. I add more reinforcements by adding another invisible force directly on top of him. Dominique continues to maul him. Aelen manifests his own swords and uses his telekinesis to slice Netedinark's tendrils right off his back. I take a glance at Naomi, who is standing at the entrance we just barged in. She's still as she looks like she's in another world. I don't blame her.

"Netedinark, you are held against for disrupting the Cosmic Order," Bracus declares without emotion.

Netedinark spits up blood as he devilishly chuckles. He looks up from the dark ground with a grin. He glimpses at Naomi. "So foolish to say, Bracus," he sneers, "Especially if you broke the laws of Cosmic Order yourself. You're not an enforcer either!"

"I abide them!" Bracus fires back.

"Don't you remember Uedie?" Netedinark retorts.

"That was before Cosmic Order! I never did anything to you!"

"Uedie?" Naomi breaks her silence.

He smirks at her and then continues, "Besides, do you think this is enough to keep me down?"

Our whole world plummets into darkness. I can hear Bracus scowl, "It's one of his traps." The last thing I hear is Naomi shrieking out of fear. We are still in the darkness as Netedinark emerges with all his injuries healed. His tendrils grow back. Dominique snarls as she charges at Netedinark.

"Domin, no!" Bracus shouts, but it's too late. Dominique lunges at Netedinark, only to pass through like he is a ghost.

He laughs wickedly. "Dumbass Morphan," he says before pummeling a tendril straight into her side, forcing it to burst out the other end. Dominique howls in pain as he keeps driving branches into her body.

"Let her go!" Bracus begs, but he is more pissed. He blasts cosmic energy at him with no sound. Netedinark only dodges. He is much faster in this realm than in Verantuvia. The tendrils withdraw out of Dominique's sides. She whines like a dog as her body transforms back into human, crawling around in her own pool of blood.

"Good luck healing," Netedinark tells Dominique, "You can't."

"Can we just talk?" Ivelisse desperately asks.

"Talk?!" Netedinark snaps at her, "You stole my loves, stole my land, you've killed my soldiers, had a spy sent to me-"

"You've attacked us!" She spat, "And w'o t'e 'ell wanted to love you?" She gets into battle stance again, "T'ey 'ave no taste!" I agree.

"Ive," Aelen warns.

Too late, he blasts several oblivion spikes at Ivelisse faster than a bullet. All of them hit her and pierce her body. I hear Ivelisse whimper before she collapses to the ground. Her whimper is more stifled, but I can still hear it.

Bracus blasts more cosmic spells on Netedinark. "You think that'll still work on me?" He mocks him. Bracus persists and changes spells. Light rays, plumes, and explosions all around Netedinark's realm with no sound. My ears ring like I have been hit with a flashbang, Then, Netedinark quickly blends into the darkness.

"Where is he at?" Bracus asks outloud, looking around.

"He disappeared," I reply.

"Obviously," he harshly says, "And that's what I am directly concerned about."

I look at Naomi, who is trembling and so quiet. Her legs are about to give way. Aelen notices and speeds towards her, keeping her company, guarding her.

"I can handle it myself," Naomi says nervously.

"You are shaking, Nao," Aelen replies.

Long desperate and dreadful seconds pass by. Ivelisse stops crying and Dominique just lies there.

"Netedinark, show yourself!" Aelen demands, "Don't play these games."

Then, dark tendrils go straight through my body. My body gasps from the surprise.

"Markus, no!" Naomi shrieks.

I choke on my own blood. He places his hands against my forehead as he holds my throat. My eyes widen and I swallow. I fear what is going to follow. "You've already lost and you're going to be punished for it. Something that's long overdue."

"No!" I scream and clutch my forehead as my consciousness goes into a wrestling match between the Wrath and myself. A boxer that is dropping me and dragging me outside the arena, wanting to beat me up even further when it's unseen by a crowd of onlookers. My body twitches and cramps as I fight back. I think of heat. Heat that can battle against the Wrath. I didn't notice that we were back at the palace. Ivelisse removes the spikes one by one and Dominique is regenerating.

"Ow," Dominique utters as she gets up.

If the fire can talk, this is what it sounds like. My body sizzles and I feel the heat rising past boiling water. My head stabs me, telling me to just give in. I let out a death cry.

"W'ere's Naomi?" Ivelisse asks.

Fear comes up to my throat like vomit. "Don't say that!" I cry out loud.

"She was just in front of me!" Aelen panics, "I was holding onto her too!"

A growlish roar rumbles in my chest. The separate mind is laughing. My world is becoming blurry. "Please, Nao, pleaaaaassseee," I say. It's the only thing I can do. I can't move.

"Oh God, not again," Dominique says.

"Looks like Netedinark is gone too," Ivelisse adds.

My world is almost blinding red. An ear-piercing screech erupts out of my mouth, 

"Damn it!"

Where has he taken her?! What is he going to do with her this time?! Why is Naomi he is after?! Her father will never forgive me for this!

It's all your fault, Markus. You failed to protect your niece. You should've used me all along.

"Markus, fight it!" Aelen encourages me, but I feel it's too late. Last time, it was Netedinark's soldiers that used this ability on me, but this time, I am feeling angry along with it, yet I know what's going to happen. I can't save it. It all ends in a complete dark end as I feel a draconic war in my mind.