POV: ???

Constructing two stone fists on either side of him, Alder controls them like they were his own hands. The first thing he needs to do is figure out how to get past Nara’s energy barrier.

Paw! Paw!

Alder tries jabbing at the barrier multiple times with all his strength, but nothing noticeable happens. The energy barrier being created by the tutu girl, or Nara, seems to be impenetrable, but there has to be a weakness. All that Alder knows right now is that the energy is being emitted from the tip of her cane. Possibly the cane helps her control her powers, but he can not destroy it now as it is within the barrier.

Also, where the energy is coming from is unknown. Energy can not be created nor destroyed, it can only be altered. Alder understands this, and so, depending on the source of the energy will determine how long the barrier can withhold its form. There is also no telling when they will attack or if they can attack when behind the barrier. Although Alder seems to be mindlessly brawling without gaining any results, he is actually quite aware of the many possible directions this battle could go.

Still, Alder is getting frustrated.

“Are you going to stay behind that barrier the entire time?! I thought you were here to kill me!” he barked, trying to provoke his five adversaries.

“But it is so fun watching you struggle,” Leah retorted, with a twisted grin. “Your face reminds me of father’s, before he was helplessly killed.”

“I don’t care about father!”

Alder reconstructed the stone fists into a towering sword and then dropped its edge atop the barrier. This time it was not fruitless. Even though it did not break the barrier, Alder saw Nara grimace slightly. Meaning her power probably does drain over time.

Leah’s grin dissipated. The other three seemed restless. They are acting differently now for some reason. Has no one ever damaged the barrier before? Alder felt a smidgen pride, even if that was not true. The quick switch of their behavior did not settle well with Alder.

Wait. He slowed down his perception of time. Including Leah, were there not five people in the barrier before? Now, there are only four. The crazy knife guy, Flint, is gone. Why can’t Alder feel his presence? The only way that would be possible is if he is in the air.

Quickly, Alder scanned the throne room. He could not see Flint, but after many moments of searching, he found an abnormality. A moving shadow closing in on Alder. It is near him, but he still has time to react. The front of the shadow looked like sharp blades, so Alder created two stone bricks and shot them into his hands.

“I’M GONNA CUT YOU!” the shadow screamed.

By using the shadow to predict where Flint was aiming, Alder was able to intercept the blades with a quick swipe of his left arm, knocking them to the ground and visibly clattering as he smashed the right hand brick into Flint’s face. His skull shattered from the impact.

Blood stained the cold stone as Flint was sent flying. His body, now visible, crashed into the throne room wall—making a small crater that almost breached through to the inside hall of the castle.

And before Alder was allowed to appreciate his work, a pair of thundering steps bouldered towards him. Despite Ba-Gu-Nel’s large stature, he was fast and pounding towards Alder, with an arched back and arms outstretched. His ponytail violently bounced with each earth-crushing step he took—preparing to complete his tackle.

Alder kicked up stone spikes to slow his progress, but Ba-Gu-Nel punched them into oblivion before it could pierce his skin.

“Haha, Easy!” he gloated as he ran through Alder’s attacks, forcing him to retreat with backsteps.

If Ba-Gu-Nel succeeds in body slamming him, it could be devastating. Normally, Alder’s opponents try to avoid making direct contact with him. The rumors of what his powers can do have reached many ears, so this direct approach is uncommon. However, with the size of Ba-Gu-Nel’s body and his possible strengthening power, it can be an effective move. Alder would have a hard time using his powers when all his bones are crushed, but no matter what he could create in front of him, Ba-Gu-Nel would smash through it. So, instead, Alder defended.

He stopped backpedaling away, Ba-Gu-Nel’s hands inches from his body, and then slowed down his perception of time. Quickly calculating where Ba-Gu-Nel’s next step will be. Planning to make the floor sink in that area, in which, he could not avoid. Alder waited, and sunk the ground on the steps impact.

The big man yelped angrily as his leg sunk a few feet deep. Now, all Alder has to do is crush it, but then he felt a sudden change in the atmosphere—making him look back towards the three still behind Nara’s energy barrier. Where, for some reason, Leah appeared pleased.

Was that their plan?, thought Alder. He did not understand why they would attempt to catch him off guard. There is too much of a risk to lose their advantage by only sending one person at a time. Is there something that he is not seeing?

“Is that all?”

“Yes, Brother,” Leah replied, not having moved at all.

“Hmmm?”

Alder was not expecting Leah to admit defeat so readily, but…

“For we have already won!”

Leah raised her arms and laughed, altering Alder’s reason to be confused. Then, everything changed.

Like dropping a rock in a calm lake, Alder’s vision rippled.

“Huh?”

Nara, Ba-Gu-Nel, and Flint’s body disappeared. Leah and Simon’s location changed to the corner of the throne room, which was no longer damaged from their fight. But what caught Alder’s attention the most was that Sir Elliot’s body was laid near his feet, with some of the stone spikes still probing through his skin. And before he was allowed to react to this sudden change…

“Simon, do it!” Lead ordered.

“Understood, Milady.”

Simon snapped his fingers.

An instant after, Sir Elliot began to glow. His body emitted a bright yellow shine like the sun. Alder slowed down his perception of time, but it was too late. The hum of a pre-explosion hit his ears and then Sir Elliot combusted. There was nothing that Alder could do to protect himself. His body was thrown backwards and pieces of Sir Elliot’s bones pierced him in various places. He hit the ground hard, and almost completely lost consciousness.

Leah cheered, which Alder could not hear due to the ringing in his ears.

He had been able to protect his vital organs, but in the process he lost his right arm and sustained some internal bleeding. The bullet in his shoulder was now the least of his worries. He tried to move, but his body refused to listen. He can not even attempt blinking to focus his vision. All the information in his mind was jumbled together. The shock from the explosion has hindered his powers.

Dammit, what happened? Alder thought as he withered in agony.

In his view the world is spinning. He no longer could tell the exact location of Leah and Simon, but their presences were drawing closer. If he is unable to get back up or compute the information in his head, they will kill him.

He also has to worry about the other three in the group. Their presences are completely gone. Alder only saw Leah and Simon when everything changed. The other three just disappeared.

Leah and Simon are near him now. He can only see their silhouettes, but can distantly hear their voices over the ringing in his ears.

“Oh, my dear brother,” Leah said tauntingly, “You must be wondering what just happened, right? You’re thinking, wasn’t I just winning? How did Leah deceive me? Was that entire battle fake? But it had felt so real? Oh, brother—Brother! You don’t have to flatter me so.”

Her voice got nearer as she fluttered her breath on his right ear.

“It was quite simple actually. You see, my power allows me to put others into my own world. I sadly can’t actually kill them in my world, but I still gain a massive advantage. Whoever I use it on won’t even know I did until I choose to reveal it—as you just saw. It gives me time to set up a massive attack that will kill them in the real world. Oh, and can you guess the best part?”

Leah paused and leaned closer to Alder.

“Hmmm—oh, right! You are dying! HAHAHA! That is actually the best part. Cause anyone that I kill or under my control, can live forever in my world! Just like Simon, and Nara, and Flint, and Ba-Gu-Nel, and father, and all the rest who tried to oppose me! And you’re next! Imagine the power that I’ll have when I have you as a subordinate in my world! HAHAHA—”

“Milady?” Simon dared to interject.

“What?” Leah responded hauntingly, despite her laughter a moment ago.

Simon bowed his head as he spoke.

“It would be best if you finish him off now. Before he has time to—AUGH!”

Dozens of arrow-shaped stones darted into Simon’s chest. Alder had been able to regain most of his senses during Leah’s monologue, and used his bare feet to build the arrows—although still partially paralyzed. Blood spluttered from Simon's mouth, and drizzled out of his chest. The whites of his eyes unveiled themselves when the pupils rolled back into his head.

“You bastard!” Leah howled as his body slumped to the floor.

Now that Alder’s vision was no longer impaired, he could see the unfavorable position that he is still in. Leah is standing directly over him, straddling his body, handling a pistol aimed at his head. Her hubris had allowed him time to counterattack, but she still has the tactical advantage. Alder had hoped that attacking her comrade would have distracted her, but he had no such luck. Her scowling face was glaring straight down at him.

“His explosive blood power was useful!”

Leah pulled the trigger of the pistol at point blank range resulting in a deafening echo. He barely avoided being shot in the head by shifting the ground beneath him. Without stopping, his body launched out from between her legs as he grabbed her ankle with his left hand.

Alder slowed down his perception of time before he dragged Leah completely to the floor. With his hand on her ankle, he can gather the information of her body. Messing with her organs would take to much time, but he can pretty quickly string out her muscles so that this simple tripping effort can turn into a deadly attack. And so, he did just that.

Stretching out Leah’s muscle in a flash so that her entire skeleton will receive a shock when she hits the floor. That is just step one of this attack.

Leah’s body made hard contact with the ground. Cracking on impact. She screamed and stiffened from the pain. Now it is the time for step two of the attack. The kill blow.

As she withers on the ground, he creates spikes beneath her to puncture every…

“Just kidding. Got you again!” Leah giggled, displaying no signs of agony.

Once again, things changed. Leah was standing over Alder as if he had never moved—Simon was still arrowed down. Her pistol pointed at his head. Finger on trigger. A evil smirk plastered on her charming face.

“You’re mine!”

But Alder was ready…

Right as she pulled the trigger, tons of spikes formed around them. The one above Alder’s head blocked the bullet, and then the rest of the spikes stabbed through Leah.

Then, there was silence. Leah eyes were glazed over with her mouth agape. Reality probably has not settled into her yet. Even as she barked up blood, her expression did not change.

“You would… have succeeded,” said Alder, half chocking on his own blood, “If you had not gloated… from your own overconfidence. One of your legs… touched me before you sent me back into that fake reality. The infor-information I gathered from touching the Leah in your world… was different than you—that’s why I defeated you.”

Unexpectedly, Leah smiled. A nice, genuine smile before responding meekly.

“That may be true—if I hadn’t lied to you. You’re… going to die, so I won. All I have ever wanted is for my family to be together in my world. Where we can live peacefully… I have hated this reality… all my life. Once I die here, I will no longer have to return to it—my entire family will be in my world with me. It’s perfect! I… can’t wait… to…”

She stopped breathing. Her head dropped causing the blonde hair to fall over her face and brush through a puddle of blood pooled near the chest. Her pale lips behind the curtain of matted hair arched toward her nose. Leaving Alder with two dead bodies in his throne room and he was about to join them.

***

POV: Alder Elbrus

I am about to die. My body is beyond repair. Too many of my vital organs were destroyed and too much blood is leaking out my severed arm. . Even if I could use my power on one of the bodies around me, it would take too much time and concentration to transfer their organs for my use. There is also no guarantee, especially after what I did to Leah and Simon, that their internal organs are still functional.

“My throne…”

I still have my left arm.

“Come to me…”

The sound of stone reconstructing itself shifted towards me until my throne touched my fingertips. Then, with my fleeting strength, I grunted onto it and into a sitting position for my final moments. At this point, pain means nothing. All I feel is an intense burning sensation.

“Ha!”

It’s ironic, I contemplated.

Everyone in this world knows me. Yet, no one will mourn my death because I am the Evil Conqueror, Alder Elbrus. I never have understood the Conqueror part, but I think Evil makes sense. Considering, most of the time when I met someone, I ended up killing them in battle. The other times, the people shivered from fright by just being in my presence. And I killed my father. Or at least I thought I did.

That’s evil, right?

Was it evil that I could not protect my Mother and Sister from death? Was it evil to kill those who tried to kill me? Was it evil to be the strongest?

Is it wrong for an evil person like me to feel lonely?

When I first built this castle, I imagined it would eventually become full with lively occupants. Instead, it became a large gravestone for those obsessed with becoming the best.

Was it my fault? Why did no one want to follow me? Why was I seen only as a finish line?

“Hmph… It doesn’t matter now,” I concluded, my vision is now gone.

I never expected that this is how I would die. In the past, I survived many explosions, but it was because I knew it was coming. Leah had drawn me into a trap that I did not even know I was setting off. Her power was truly horrifying.

Although, her being my sister—or well, half-sister—was surprising. I wonder what made her want me to be in her world? We have never met before. Did she think that we could get along? Have I ever gotten along with anyone?

I did. My mom. My sister. But they died, and after that, no one.

If I could live again, would anything change? Would I still end up lonely?

I thought as my consciousness slowly fades…

…

…..

……..

“Hsup!”

Huh? What was that? Why do I feel all gooey?

“Sih tog uoy!”

What is pushing me? Wait, where was I before? I can’t remember.

“Ahhhhhhhhh!”

I can see a light. Something’s grabbing me. It has a good grip. I can’t shake it off. It’s pulling me.

“Ahhhhhhhhh!”

***

POV: Zaya Shyes

“Ahhhhhhhhhhh!”

I scream as I feel myself flying backwards.

“Ow!”

My back landed on a hard carpeted floor.

Wait, this feels familiar.

Confirming my suspicion, I open my eyes.

I was right! I am back in my room.

“Zaya, what’s happening?”

Daddy jumped through the door. I had forgotten the state in which the room had been in before everything weird had happened. There was no hiding the fight Curtis and I had.

“What did you two do?”

Daddy’s angry face was on.

Curtis looked better. He seemed no longer in pain, and was sitting up.

“I am sor—”

Everything that I had just witnessed caught up to me before I could apologize to Daddy.

My head throbbed. My stomach flipped. My lunch came up and out my mouth.