[Maria’s POV]

Thunders roaring and winds wafting, the dust caught everyone in it. I stood with my hands crisscrossed in order to save myself. The horror we had seen right now was immeasurably painful.

‘They did nothing wrong!’

Was what my mind was screaming.

Everything we had done up until was to survive and only survive. We had no additional motive.

My sore memories were hitting me back. It was once again that after I helped someone everything went adrift.

‘Mortis isn’t wrong. He isn’t.’

I tried to calm myself, although the scene of Kayo getting destroyed still moved around my mind. It wasn’t his mistake that the village ended like that; I believed it and stood with him. I had already made up mind that I will always stand with him, till the end of our lives. I had already lost many of my loved ones; I had no capacity to handle another one of it. Even though Mortis wasn’t someone I knew long for, still he became someone who is important to me. Ishiki was the same, but now I don’t even know that she alive….or not.

I looked at Mortis who sat on his knees, looking straight into Lord Soli’s eyes. The fright and the loss of pain was no more the concern to him, but it was more agony that he wanted to clear.

“Do you really believe that, Soli?”

He asked with a deep voice, a voice which was filled with grudge.

Soli widened his eyes and took a closer look.

“You?..” Soli reacted with surprised face, “He said you were—dead?”

“You killed dozens of people to exercise your judgment, though you don’t concede the very knowledge of death.” Mortis remained constant with his hands and his voice, “You have made a profound mistake to taking it lightly; so I, the very embodiment of Death shall teach you a lesson.”

Soli froze with his expressions slowing turning anxious as every second moved.

“You dare speak with our lord that way—“

Nikola tried charging towards Mortis. He couldn’t keep his anger in; no one would have, The Blood Knights remained loyal and faithful towards their Benefactor. Elementus Soli was one of them.

But he stopped in his tracks; his legs trembling and his sword losing the grip of his hands. I quickly turned my attention towards Mortis, but he just appeared to stare Nikola. The grim eyesight of Mortis made realize the fear of unknown.

Nikola loosened his grip over his sword and it started falling down on the ground. Mortis beamed in front and took the Nikola’s sword in his hands. He travelled at such speed that it was impossible to track with naked eye.

“Mother!”

Mortis exclaimed softly and watched the tower which stood between the lake.

Following his eye, Soli faced the tower as well. He looked at the tower confused and troubled. The reaction of his was the same as ours. We had no knowledge of what was going on.

“Avon?” Mortis said, “Go inside the tower; there should a scroll in there. Bring it with you.”

“Yes, my liege.” Avon nodded and followed Mortis’ words.

‘Liege?’

Mortis then tapped Nikola’s sword on the back of his head, who still was trembling with fear. A light tap was enough to make Nikola lose his consciousness. Nikola fell on the ground with his eyes closed and mouth wide open.

Mortis threw away Nikola’s sword and proceeded further towards Soli who know had touched the ground unknowingly.

‘Swish!’

We all heard something swirling inside the forest. The wind which blew had now become unidirectional as the spear of Mortis flew straight outside the forest. The spear was moving on its own, the force which made it move was undoubtedly Mortis himself as he stood with his arm upright and palm outstretched.

The spear moved with the speed equal to that of light and banged in Mortis hand as he grabbed it. The force was violent enough to make his hand move from right to the front of his body.

“It doesn’t matter anymore. You are not that powerful, you have lost your throne.” Soli said as he cleared his mind and prepared for attack. He raised his hand and clenched his fist again, generating piles of stones gather on each other which created boulders big enough to crush mountains.

“Futile resistance!” Mortis whispered as he downed his face and then face Soli again with a more grim yet confident face.

“HYAAH!!” Soli moved his hand which made the boulders move, he intended to smash Mortis with those which was bizarre because those boulders were so big that it would stomp entire villages.

The question which rose in my mind was that why would someone need to go such lengths to protect themselves.

Why?

“Pause!” said Mortis which made the stones stop midair. They didn’t move an inch and the stones appeared to be hanged by a thread which was attached to sky itself. It was like he had just paused the time for them.

Soli was astonished by the fact that the stones were flying but also was frightened because now he was open to any attacks.

Mortis saw the opening and then charged towards Soli with his spear straight. Soli in a defensive way built a wall of stone which could withstand any force; seeing that Mortis slid his way to the right side and jumped up in the air. With his spear now aimed at Soli, he planned on throwing it. The spear was glowing red as though his anger was personalized with it.

Soli was now definitely caught off guard and had no means of escape. His facial expressions were now still and it was like he had accepted his fate.

“En garde!”

Mortis threw the spear with a force which separated dust and clouds, wind stopped blowing for a second.

Soli even though had accepted his defeat still made an effort to save himself and moved away, but it wasn’t enough as the spear still pierced through his arm and made it useless. The spear landed straight in the lake, which created a huge sonic boom. The boom was enough to make us all lose our feet and tumble on the ground. Soli was now on the ground with his left arm taming his right injured one.

Mortis landed on the ground and continued straight towards Soli, but a giant whirlwind blocked his path.

“Master.”

Came a voice from up above. When I looked up I noticed another Elementus, this time it was Aura.

Mortis looked up and noticed a woman in blue drapes coming down. His expressions changed from severe anger to calm anger.

“Master, I am sorry for interrupting your duel.” She said with a calm and convincing voice, “It so happens that Soli is now my comrade and we are under orders of Summa. So, seeing Soli’s condition I had to intervene to prevent any further harm also….” She looked at the portal which still floated in the air, “You really need to be somewhere else.”

Mortis without saying any word downed his head and then nodded.

“Thank you, Master. I shall promise you that I will repay your kindness.” Aura said as she lifted Soli, but as she helped him Soli’s arm fell off his body into the lake. The lake brightened with colors and radiated it brandished its radiation everyone.

Mortis quickly turned towards me and walked as fast he could. He called for his spear again and it came flying in his hands.

He walked towards me and held my hands.

“Come with me.”

He said as he pulled me towards the portal.

“Mortis, wait.” Mikhail argued as he sorted an explanation from Mortis.

But Mortis paid no attention and kept on pulling me. We ran towards the portal and I was filled with confusion and uncertainty.

“Mortis—“

I called out.

“This may feel dizzy.”

He said as he pushed me into the portal.

“AAH!”

I screamed as I thought I was going to fall into the void of nothingness, but instead I was floating in a vacuum which pulled me out towards a certain location. I knew the location, it was Kayo.

We fell out of the portal, not on our feet but on our face. The ground wasn’t still and the place shattered.

The town of Kayo had become a wasteland. The buildings were crushed and the land parted in many place, rivers of blood were flowing. There were arms of some and there were legs of some. We had no idea what or to whom they belonged. Some people were trapped under sarsens. Half of them were dead and half were about to die. Mortis looked at them as tears fell one by one. He still ran down the aisle trying to help everyone. He tried sticking his spear down and using it as a lever he lifted rocks though it wasn’t of any use as people still died because of their loss of blood.

He looked around and it was clear that he felt incapable of saving anyone. I tried lending him a hand. Mikhail and Krial who followed us through the portal tried it as well.

Mortis reached the end of the street, the house which he wanted to visit the very first moment he landed here.

He looked at Silvester’s house which was now nothing but a collapsed pile of rocks. He glanced around and found Silvester lying down on his back.

“Mr. Silvester?”

He tried calling him out, but he was dead as well. He was on his knees with eyes filled with tears. The watery eyes still were locked as he hadn’t found the one thing he was searching for. Out in the open, he saw a pair of legs, which seemed familiar. Tiny feet which mimicked the way water flowed down the slope.

He crawled his way through and took the young girl’s head in his arms and on his legs.

“Maria!”

He screamed and directed me to come over.

I ran down and found Ishiki lying down, in a pool of blood. Her legs were damaged, arms bruised yet she still had some life left in her.

“Help her! Heal her!”

He requested me with his arms trying to hold her as tightly as possible.

I walked close to her and used all the power I had and tried to heal her.

But it wasn’t enough, the loss of blood was massive and the injuries too severe to heal.

‘I can’t do it.’

‘Why can’t I do it?’

“What happened?”

Mortis asked me right away as he saw me struggling with my spells.

“T-They are not working.”

I responded hesitantly.

“No, try once again..”

He insisted and which I followed but Ishiki interrupted us.

“M-Mort,” Ishiki struggled to speak, “It’s okay.”

She said as she lifted her right arm and patted Mortis’ head.

Now, it was more than enough of a reason for Mortis to let his tears flow. His face exploded with tears.

“NO-NO-NO!” Mortis said repeatedly, “Please.”

“I am sorry.” Ishiki said as she smiled for the last time. The right arm which patted Mortis’ head now slowly made its way down.

She was dead.

I had no words to say, no actions which could help. I had to cry and that’s what I did.

I sat on my knees and cried the hell out of me. This was everything that had already happened before. I couldn’t tolerate losing another one of my friends.

‘Why?’

I asked the God,

I asked the time,

I asked the nature,

But they weren’t going to answer me.

The loss was too heavy to handle. Mikhail and Krial walked towards us, with them I saw Avon who joined us hurriedly.

We all stood quiet and mourned the death of all; Mortis was still crying his heart out as I was too. Mikhail shed some tears and so did the other two.

The quietness was unnerving and eerie, but something broke the silence.

I heard several footsteps coming towards. We immediately turned around and noticed six silhouettes walking towards us.

“Tragedy, this is..”

One of them said. I figured it was the one who stood in the middle.

Avon tried creating a flame-ball as a counter measure.

“Don’t do that.” The man replied, “We mean no harm to you.”

Mortis lifted his head and narrowed his eyes towards the one who was speaking.

“Who are you?”

“Oh, very rude of me for not introducing myself.” The man answered in a quirky way, “My name is John Gloom and I am the King of Vivet.”

‘The King of Vivet?’

“Nice to meet you, Mortis….or should I say ‘The God of Death’….”