Barik

Wyvern Roost

Midnight

The large spire island rose higher than the clouds as they drifted by and through, several cave entrances dotted it’s surface while a jungle of foliage grew all over it covering many more. Wyverns, large reptilian predators made to kill flew in and out of the strange terrain.

At the very top of the massive structure of land, a rift opened. A pale and sickly Devil slowly flew out of the rift, his tattered wings flapping wildly. Several Wyverns noticed his arrival but dared not engage, smart enough to feel the difference in strength.

Sly stared down at the spire with weary eyes “After this there’s that last spot…” he raised his right hand slightly and dark green mist rushed out of his palm, it floated down covering the spire slowly from top to bottom as suddenly several roars echoed out of it’s caverns.

Dozens of Wyverns flew out of the roost, wanting nothing to do with the foul mana but…most weren’t fast enough.

“Deamon Make.”

Several monstrous screams flowed out of the caverns, for several minutes the screams were the only sound coming out of the roost until abruptly utter silence fell and an array of notifications appeared to face Sly.

You have created a [Wyvernian Deamon] minion!

This creature’s INT is too low and cannot be named.

Warning you have reached your level’s limit on minions!

Do you wish to replace a current minion with [Wyvernian Deamon] (x21)?

Replaced minion will be freed of your control.

“No.” responded Sly to the notification causing another to appear.

[Wyvernian Deamon] (x21) were not claimed.

This creature will now run free.

Sly glanced down as each one of the unclaimed creatures rushed out of the cavern in utter confusion, too fast for him to make much out other than that the Wyverns had grown larger. He flew down and into the nearest cavern he sensed a minion inside, he could tell where each one was at any point in time.

As he stepped inside it opened up revealing a large, wet and glow worm filled cove with two of the creatures currently present. The Wyvernian Deamon was very much Wyvern-like in shape but had utterly lost it’s reptilian features. Almost twice as large as a normal Wyvern this Deamon like any other had lost it’s scales in exchange for a full white carapace that broke off into sections on limbs.

The creature’s eyes like any other of his minions reflected his own, a surging of dark green mana like electricity. Its wings were like razor sheets of white metal covering a black netting, the talons at the end of each wing had remained just as long but gained a hook like end. The tail had changed the most, instead of a single long blade tipped tail he counted seven each ending in its own claw.

As Sly approached the creatures they bowed their heads in respect to their master, he couldn’t help but grin at the sight. He raised his right hand forward and spoke in a commanding tone “So...what are you capable of?” he asked both terrifying beasts and suddenly both arched up.

Both Deamon’s were engulfed in a surge of green lightning that covered them like armour, sparks would also randomly arch out like a flickering and deadly tongue.

“You’ll do nicely.” Said Sly as he turned around. Two large rifts opened below each Deamon, each sunk down into it before the rifts disappeared. He stepped out of the cove, flying out of the last part while parting vines and branches with his aura.

As he flew out Sly was faced with several dozen more Wyvernian Deamons, each flapping their powerful wings as they stared and awaited him diligently. He sighed as he glanced over all of them, focusing he willed open three larger tears in reality. Three rifts so large they allowed multiple of the Deamons to fly through at once and slowly they did, swarming into the rift as he willed them to.

Once the last creature flew in, the rifts closed leaving Sly to hover in place alone. He glanced up at the crescent moon “Full on minions now…enough stalling…” he sighed weakly, turning his glance over the land around him. Jungle covered this side of the mountains, many patches of swamp lay within as did one fairly larger patch.

Right next to that large swamp was a strangely flat field of grass, sticking out like a sore thumb as did the walled town within it. Kaledd was a couple minutes flight away from him, yet the town’s lights flickered all the way here. “They’re probably looking for me right now…” he mumbled to himself, picturing his guildmates tearing up every building and cave on Ruk to stop him.

Yet they didn’t know he wasn’t there anymore, nobody knew Sly had mastered the ability to warp space and tear rifts into it. “I wonder how they are taking it…” he then thought, thinking of Val and the other members of the Wrath Dezol “She’s probably told them by now.”

(“You’re still stalling.”) pointed out Ares within Sly’s mind.

His grin faltered as he continued to stare off at the town “That I am.”

(“Then will you not rethink this? Immortal you may be as a Devil it is only resurrection, you still only have one and only one soul.”) Argued Ares, his tone annoyed as he did not understand his descendant’s state of mind (“You still have an eternity of lives left, an infinite number of adventures to take part in.”)

Sly smiled weakly as he shook his head “There’s no point, not with what I am now…not with who I am now and definitely not with who I will be then. I haven’t just changed, I am no longer even myself. Sly…Justin is dead. I am Zeokul. Nothing you say will change my mind, It’s all already made up.”

Ares sighed (“As you wish, you are master of your own fate after all.”)

He chuckled at that, before turning away from the city. Sly raised his right hand forward, clawed nails stretched forth as miasma oozed out of them. He slashed downwards and reality parted, tearing away like simple cloth giving way for a knife. Like a veil being torn by a blade.

The rift expanded several times before it stood five times his own height, he stared into it’s multi-coloured depts. This rift didn’t just take to anywhere…as when he stepped through Sly found himself within the very fabric that separated realities.

Sly stood within the Veil between worlds.

He watched as colours warped and flooded into each other all around him. It was a place devoid of meaning. Utter chaos flowed around him, senseless shapes and pointless colouring that twisted and turned with one another. He felt like he was badly tripping.

Shaking his head to break out of his enchanted daze caused by the sight, he refocused and closed his eyes. Sly felt deep within him, sensing for the mana that plagued his body and soul. He felt several, he felt his Aura, he felt his Miasma and he felt his Dread.

Then he found what he was looking for, a source of Dread nothing like his own. His was violent, hungry to be used. This was cold, sinister in its intent. He grasped the mana, feeling a sudden surge of agony inside his chest. But he held on, clutching the mana with his mind as he raised his right arm forward again.

Author: Chooo chooo…All aboard the feels train

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sUxpvjr_xI4

“Well…up to something stupid again?” said a familiar voice to his left.

Sly lost focus as he opened his eyes and looked around, smirking as he saw Kyle standing a few feet away with arms crossed and a raised brow “You’re the last one I figured to see…well at all.”

Kyle’s expression was one of disbelief, annoyance and anger “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

Sly chuckled coldly “I’m not sure how to answer that ques-”

“Don’t fuck around, I know everything Sly!” Kyle exclaimed as his eyes began to glow blue with rage “End this crap, you’re coming back with me and don’t you fucking dare think of giving me the slip.”

Sly outright laughed at his words, his voice weak and choked from his rotting body “For what, Kyle? So I can rot away while I leave everything to you all? So I can watch from the side-lines as the grand Hero saves us all?!” his tone grew seething with anger as he turned to meet Kyle’s glare with his own “Look at me.” he said, his voice resonating with Dread.

Frostfire burst alive all around Kyle, his hands trembled with anger as he clenched them into fists “I am looking at you, you damn fool. What is there to see? A rotting fucking corpse who as always is running off to do everything by himself! You want to be the hero? Is that it?! Is that your fucking problem!?”

Sly glared at him for another moment but suddenly looked away, sighing in exasperation “You of all should understand, I cannot live with myself anymore. Not with what I’ve become.” He looked down at his hands, pale and covered in visible veins “This ugliness on the outside is nothing compared to what I’ve become inside. I use to be simple, a fighter who enjoyed the thrill of competition...Now I’m just a psychopathic monster who gets excited at the sight of blood.”

Sly looked up and met Kyle’s now confused stare “I made a mistake Kyle, a mistake I can never take back. Sly fought to survive, he grew to enjoy the action and excitement of the moment but…Zeokul…It doesn’t simply search for it. Zeokul craves action like an animal craves food, an uncontrollable hunger and unsatable thirst.”

His eyes grew hollow as he stared on at Kyle “The thrill of the moment turned into the thrill of the hunt. The excitement coming from the action became the excitement that fuels me when I bleed. The ecstatic sensation of rending flesh and bone…as my enemy tears and crushes my own.” Suddenly Kyle sensed emotions he had never felt before, he could not explain them without feeling sick. He felt cold, colder than ever. He felt restricted, paralyzed like a mouse within a wolf’s gaze.

Sly’s expression was devoid of any emotion as he spoke “The beauty of what gore I leave behind, like an artist I paint with blood, flesh and bone. The melody that rings within my mind as I tear away skin and meat, as I cut and bash bone, the sound that resonates within me when I hear the splatter of blood.”

Sly turned away from looking at him and stared down at his own hands again, this time in utter disgust “Justin died in that arena beneath the ground, a suitable grave for the warrior he was. It was where I was also born, a Devil of the legion. The monster Justin never wanted to become, the senseless creature he hated the most.”

Kyle stared at his old friend in utter bafflement as he realized, he himself had once fought against the same fate Sly was now facing. He himself had defeated that darkness, he had accepted his fears for what they were and rose up from his pit of madness.

Sly had not. He had lost. Chuckling coldly as he stared off into the distance Sly continued to speak, his tone monotone “I am a danger to everything around me, never knowing when I could explode. So while I still have even a drop of sanity inside me…I will aim that bloodlust accurately. Don’t try to stop me.” He then said, glancing briefly at Kyle “But if you do try…Hah…Remember what we promised back in that dungeon’s ruins?”

Sly’s eyes glowed with menace as he said the next few words “Then kill me before I kill you.” Long chilling moments passed by as the Spirit Beast and the Devil glared at each other, an exchange of confused frustration to cold despair.

When suddenly Sly moved, slashing open a rift ahead of himself “I guess that settles it. Farewell.”

But as he took a step towards the rift Kyle surged to appear behind him, grabbing hold of his left arm with his own. Yet before Kyle could speak a word, Sly’s aura had engulfed him and his world toppled. Sly had grabbed Kyle now, using his aura to toss the SpiritBeast into the rift “Live on, old friend.” before closing it with his arm still inside.

Sly barely flinched as reality tore his arm off his shoulder, the pain not even beginning to compare to the torture he had endured. He grasped the dry, bloodless stump with his other hand as slowly the flesh began to regenerate causing him slight irritation.

Once his entire arm had regenerated, just as good as undead could get. Sly closed his eyes and refocused, searching for that dreadful mana within himself again. He found it and grasped it, holding its existence clearly in his mind he then reached forward again.

Using the mana as a source for a connection, using it as a path to a specific destination. Sly threw his arms forward as they tore reality with their passing, he pulled the small rift apart widening it as much as he could while continuing to focus on the connection.

Once it was wide enough, Sly stepped through.

Another place

Another realm

A different space

Sly tore through the air, the rift seemingly closing on him as he pulled himself out. Almost closing his wings behind him, he managed to safely step out of it and remain whole. Traveling through the veil with a weak connection such as someone’s already cast mana was not an easy task.

He glanced around cautiously, taking in the buildings of gold, roads of silver and cloudy terrain. He rose up into the sky, flapping his wings strongly until he reached a fair height to scout out his surroundings.

All around him spanned a massive city of gold and silver, the ground seemingly made of clouds while the sky lay even cloudier as a downpour fell upon the city. A storm raged on all around him, powerful winds threatening to blow him away yet unable to.

He spun slowly about, scouting out the city. Most of it lay destroyed but nothing like a ruins or abandoned structure, the destruction did not look natural but instead caused by force. Taking it all into account Sly figured the city was recently invaded, and he knew exactly by who. Yet looking around he saw no soldiers, no citizens, no corpses or blood.

A gut feeling made him glance up at the storm clouds above him, he sensed something strange about the storm. When suddenly a flash, almost sparkling golden light burst through the clouds and dissipated into mid-air. He was sure lightning didn’t sparkle like that.

Clenching his teeth and fists, he gave a powerful wing beat and soared upwards. Clouds parted as he flew up, lightning surged all around him, thunder roared into his ear drums. Before finally, Sly broke through the clouds and into the open sky above.

It was night time but he could barely tell, the blinding clashes of light that surrounded him were a good enough replacement for a sun. Winged humanoids clashed in air-born combat all around him, seemingly two factions were noticeable as some wore bright golden armour with blue cloth and had white feathery wings while others wore a dark red armour with black cloth and had dark grey feathery wings.

He couldn’t inspect them as this world did not have Chaoz’s system but he didn’t need to, Sly immediately recognised the beings from old Myths. Winged humanoids who lived in the clouds, wielding weapons of light.

These were Angels fighting a different variant of Angel. Sly now had another problem, which were his soldiers and which weren’t?

He noticed several glances of confusion come his way but his observing was abruptly postponed as a white winged Angel lunged at him, golden locks of hair and wielding a large halberd of gold and silver the Angel struck down at Sly.

He surged out of the way of the attack, causing the Angel to stumble in its flight and pass right by him. Sly saw the man’s eyes seething with fury, his face warped in wrath. He summoned his Aura and engulfed the being, forcing the halberd out of his hands then brought him close for interrogation.

The Angel struggled but was no match for Sly’s Aureitic powers, seeing no escape he simply stopped and closed his eyes accepting defeat.

Sly frowned at this unusual behaviour but chalked it up to cultural differences, he approached the Angel “Where is he?” he asked his voice infused with mana to be heard over the clash of battle.

The Angel opened his eyes and looked at him in confusion “I will tell you nothing, Lich scum.”

Sly snorted at his statement, he was being confused for the one he was looking for himself “I am not the Lich, I am looking for him. Where is he?! Where is Scythe!?” he pressured his Dread down upon the Angel causing him to pale several shades.

But an answer soon came to Sly’s question as an explosion of cracking bone from his left caught his attention, he watched as a blood red mist enveloped the battlefield and headed directly towards him. Sly let go of the Angel and turned to face his real foe. As the mist neared several dozen serpents of bone rushed out of it, turning their attention entirely on Sly.

Sly snorted as miasma rapidly oozed out of his wings and back, forming a wall behind him where suddenly a massive rift tore open. Out of the rift flew out dozens over dozens of Deamons and Wyvernian Deamons. An army almost half as large as each side of the Angelic factions appeared, and panic spread through the battlefield as each side tried to discern whether the new arrivals were also enemies to be faced.

The Wyverns clashed with the serpents of bone, tearing them to shreds within moments as the Deamons formed ranks around Sly who continued to gaze into the mist “Reveal yourself!” he demanded.

The battlefield fell dead silent as each side reformed to face the new threat, a clear victor between the two sides was now obvious as several more Angels of white were severely more injured and far outnumbered by the Angels of grey. Yet both sides seemed reluctant to face this third faction.

The silence was broken as a clapping began from within the mist “Well well well, the Devil has returned and oh what an entrance.” the bloody mist spread out to reveal the pale human floating within, Scythe stared down at Sly looking genuinely impressed but spoke with his usual condescending tone “Have you rethought of my offer? I’m afraid I have no use for your mana anymore but...An army is always a welcome sight!”

The white winged Angels grew even more anxious as they heard Scythe’s proclamation, they would be far more outnumbered now. The Deamons looked far tougher than their own warriors too while the Wyverns’ vicious demeanour buried all hope within their weary hearts.

And then Sly laughed, seemingly melting any spine either side had remaining as they slowly backed away from the wickedly cackling Devil “Your offer? Oh no, my answer remains the same.” Sly’s eyes glowed brighter as he stared up at Scythe, maddened they looked which accompanied his wide grin well “I come here for a different matter altogether!”

Scythe grimaced as he finally sensed Sly’s Dread, realizing he was talking to a completely different being now “What…matter?”.

A dark green mist burst out of Sly’s arms covering him and his minions entirely “The matter of me beheading you.” Suddenly Deamons rushed out of the green mist, catching the grey winged Angels by surprise as they formed to take the charge head on. The Deamons roared out ferociously causing many an Angel to panic as both sides clashed, followed by several sudden bursts of light as Deamon tore Angel apart.

Seeing this the white winged Angels screamed out in challenge and also charged their enemy, refuelled with a new hope. Scythe watched over the battle vigilantly, summoning several serpents of bone to fly down and assist his grey winged allies.

Yet every single serpent was viciously torn apart as squadrons of Wyvernian Deamons flew out of the green mist and swerved towards him. Seeing the massive winged beasts Scythe didn’t think twice on turning tail, immediately he spun around and along with his mist he descended down through the storm.

The dark green mist followed. Engulfed by it, Sly gave chase after the Lich. Batting his wings while being propelled forward by the Dread that surrounded him, he flew with his Wyverns like an alpha among their swarm. They broke through the storm and down into the city, seeing the red mist flowing further down and into the streets Sly did so as well. His Wyverns followed up above, too large to fit between the buildings.

The two streaks of thick mist rushed through the city of gold and silver, the dark emerald chasing after the bloody crimson. They streaked left and right, Sly relentlessly grabbing hold of buildings to propel himself forward leaving chunks of rubble raining down behind him. As he escaped Scythe summoned several serpents of bone, the thin minions easily fitting where Sly’s Wyverns did not.

Sly summoned aura to thicken around his arms forming long green blades of Dread-imbued Aura, using them he slashed his way through the minions of bone. Like a frenzied demon Sly cut down everything in his path, be it bone, stone or blasts of Dread he cut through each whilst chasing his prey.

And he was catching up.

But Scythe did not relent either, summoning more and more serpents, flowing more and more shockwaves of Dread back towards Sly as even grey winged Angels began to descend from the clouds above to get in his way.

Sly was not slowed down in the least, he shattered each skeletal minion, pierced through the agonizing Dread, unstoppable even as winged warriors got in his way, he only cut them down too. He was unfazed by each, the minions too fragile to hold out against his Aura, too used to pain and too closely attuned to Dread for it to affect him, too savage for the Angels to hold him back.

Scythe dared a glance at his pursuer, only to see nothing of the valiant warrior and find a maddened beast roaring out breaths of Dread as it ferally chased after him. As he looked into its eyes, for the first time in forever the Lich feared for his un-life.

Sly roared out like a banshee, Dread covering every inch of his body as Miasma now flowed with it. The Miasma continuously absorbed environmental mana, overloading his body and giving him more mana than he could expel at once. His speed suddenly quadrupled, flashing forward like lightning and crashing into Scythe.

Sly grabbed the Lich by the shoulders as they both blasted through buildings, unable to slow down until finally they burst through one last wall and coming out into a wide empty field of clouds. They crashed down into the clouds, their surface surprisingly solid as they dragged along the ground for several meters more.

Until abruptly they came to a stop, Dread still oozing out of each undead being both stared at each other. The Lich looked up horrified and afraid. The Dread Knight roared out, completely out of control as it held the Lich down with one Dread engulfed arm while raising up the other.

Sly lunged down his arm, tearing away at Scythe’s chest with only his Aura as his hand cleanly crushed through his ribs. He grasped the Lich’s rotten heart, tightly he clenched his hand around it as suddenly all the Dread he was oozing out, all the Dread he carried with began to rapidly flow into the Lich.

“Even if you defeat me! Even if I do fall! Nothing will change!” Exclaimed Scythe as he fearfully watched the mass amount of Dread flowing into his body “Where I fall three others will take my place!” he exclaimed while struggling against the Dreadknight’s iron grip.

Sly growled down at him “And where three more take yours, fifteen take mine!” he exclaimed with a monstrous voice that shook the Lich’s very core.

Suddenly ahead of their scene several large rifts tore open, Scythe glanced up to see his allies step through them “Look! See that fool!? My army is now gathered! Kill me now and you shall die with me!” he exclaimed as his own red misty Dread formed to lunge at Sly only to be shaken off by the wild Dreadknight like a summer breeze.

Sly glanced up at the rifts as several bestial goliaths stepped through surrounded by marching soldiers holding up several banners of war. From a warped green bat with clawed wings, a dark mountain hiding a red moon to a shattered black halo surrounding a silver sword. Three armies marched out of each rift, forming together to create one massive legion.

Sly’s lips widened into a grin as he looked back down at Scythe “Then I guess we both die today.” and then all of the dark green mist surrounding them rushed into Scythe’s chest at once.

Scythe screamed out in agony as his form shrunk, as he shrivelled up, his skin rotting away, his eyes melting down and hair turning to dust until finally his entire body exploded out into a shockwave of blood red mist that expanded outwards and briefly filled the field of clouds red before dissipating into thin air.

Sly shakily stood up, staring at the marching horde that headed towards him. Glancing back he watched as several dozen grey winged Angels cut down his Wyverns in groups, no trace of his Deamons or the white winged Angels at all.

He chuckled as both sides closed in on him, as the energy in his eyes subsided before disappearing completely revealing a pair of weary greens. He felt the strength draining out of his body, mana exhaustion was onto him for sure but he also noticed the drastic effects of miasma overuse accompanied by whatever the overdose of Dread he created was doing to him.

Unable to stand any longer he allowed himself to fall back to his knees as he reached out ahead of himself with one hand, slowly a small rift opened above his palm and out of it fell two objects. A VCD and a mana crystal. He weakly grabbed the device but the crystal fell to the ground, he lowered the VCD down next to it.

Sly moved to grab the crystal when suddenly a metallic silver boot stomped down on it. He glanced up to see the perpetrator. Almost glowing with energy, the Angel glared down at him coldly. Having three sets of pitch black feathered wings and wearing a fully white set of plate armour, the Angel had fiery golden eyes and long black hair that reached his waist.

“Hah…looks like I am too late.” said the Angel as he stared at Sly murderously, raising his left hand forward a flash of golden light briefly shone before a fully white sword appeared in his grasp. He pointed the blade’s tip to Sly’s eyes but he did not flinch, instead staring back up at him with a wide grin.

The Angel was not amused “What is your name, Lich-killer.”

Sly chuckled weakly “Zeokul, D-Devil of Wrath.”

The Angel raised his sword away from Sly’s face “I am Michael, Arch Angel of light. Any last words, Zeokul Devil of Wrath?”

Sly glanced down at the VCD on the ground “So many…but they cannot hear me now…”

“That is…unfortunate.” said Michael as he raised his sword “Even more unfortunate, is that I must execute a proud warrior such as yourself.”

Sly did not respond, he remained motionless now staring down at the device.

Michael frowned and lowered his sword, he reached out towards the creature that kneeled before him when suddenly…Sly’s entire body crumbled to dust. The Arch Angel watched as the storm’s winds carried the dust, dissipating it into the air. He then looked back down, seeing the VCD he reached down and picked up the curious object.

He gave it a look over once and twice “Truly, this is unfortunate.” His eyes suddenly glowed a fiercer gold fuelled by rage and the wooden ring burst aflame instantly turned to ash.