We should have learnt something from the colours. The way the light of day is fated to fade to black as day becomes night, the way that us, as humans are drawn to the darker colours on the palette, just like we are always drawn to the dark desires in our hearts that are always trying to overcome us. We should have known that our ingrown human nature was trying to tell us something... trying to point us towards the correct path to follow, not the downhill spiral we were following into hell. We should have figured out that if we didn't change , one day the good wouldn't be able to defeat the evil that rose up against it and that, the foretold darkness would envelope us like darkness covers the world at night. 799Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlNwZw5oGpH
Maybe, if just one person had read the signs, all of this could have been avoided, we could have turned around, instead of crawling deeper into the rabbit's hole. Maybe then, none of this would have had to have happened. But by the time we had worked out what we did wrong.
It was too late.
The end of the world had arrived, and there was nothing Aedynn could do to stop it. He was hiding in the shadows like a coward, using his small amount of remaining magic after the horrific battle that had ensued mere moments ago to mask his presence, and try get an idea of what the hell was happening. As he shifted his focus towards the small group of people left standing in the middle of the wasteland he caught glimpses of the bodies of his fallen comrades, but more than that, he saw their splattered blood painted over the once pristine white walls of the city, In a horrible painting that made it look like the city was bleeding out, just like it's most powerful inhabitants... which in a way he guessed, it was.799Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyts2RwYNld
His short auburn hair ruffled slightly in the weak breeze, if he hadn't known better, and if the scent of smoke wasn't strong in the air, and if the blood of his fallen comrades wasn't painting the city a sickly crimson; maybe he could have passed it off as any other final day of the year. And how he wished that could be the case. But the Guardian city Lerkkastus was no longer the safe city it had been less than a year ago, now all of the people's guardians, aside from him, had been slaughtered. He knew soon, that there would be no one left to fight off the darkness that was trying to take over. 799Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgtEKV1JPYI
A certain voice broke him out of his state of self-pity. It was a voice he had heard many times before, the voice of the woman he loved, the woman who he thought, could help him pave a path towards peace, Kovia his wife.
“Find Aedynn!” He heard her shout commandingly at the four other people there. They were all dressed in black and unlike the many misplaced bodies that had been flung around the city, wore no signs that there had ever been a battle at all.
“He is still alive. I can feel his presence somewhere in the city. Find him and kill him, but bring the child back to me safely or else he will not be the only one with a pass to the next realm.” 799Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8QdewxYYL5
Aedynn looked down, only now remembering the small bundle of life that was kept safe in his arms. He had put her to sleep with a portion of his remaining magic. He did not want her to know about any of this, no matter how it turned out in the end. 799Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3JU4RZrcpn
The other members of the group moved off, each heading out of the city centre along one of the many roads that extended from it, but Kovia stayed where she was, she closed her eyes and stood still, an action that told him exactly what she was doing. She was trying to hone in on something. She was going to find him. He knew that if he stayed where he was he was going to be found almost instantly, he had to get as far away as he could, in a desperate attempt to stop her finding him, and the precious cargo he carried with him. The only possible way to escape... Although even that might just delay the inevitable would be to run, and get as far away as possible. 799Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPfjVVnWdzb
He sprinted along the twisting roads of the city he had lived in all of his life but and soon, his eyes unfocused as he was caught up in the memories that the city sprung upon him, the good and the bad, which seemed to emanate from the city's walls themselves, it was only for a short moment, a tiny sliver of time which was caused by his imperfect humanity... But that moment cost him everything. A hidden mine that Kovia, or one of her helpers had placed, exploded under his foot and despite his past attempts to stay as hidden as possible; he screamed out in pain, immediately giving away his location. He looked down, seeing what remained of his right leg and he whimpered. 799Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYvPMjDgAnt
All that was left was a mangled mess misshapen flesh, hanging off in limp strands, he fought the urge to vomit as he saw the large pool of blood that was forming underneath him amongst the chunks of severed flesh. There was no longer any chance of escape, if he still had his normal reserve of magic, maybe he would have been able to heal himself before Kovia got to him. But in the sorry state he was in, even if there was no one chasing him, with his limited magic he wouldn't have enough time to heal himself before he bled out. 799Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4i0I5P8NYZ
A black shard had embedded itself deep inside his other leg, another part of the trap that Kovia had set, as shadowy black tendrils began to snake up his body, their black magic coursed over him weakening him to the point where it was an effort to breathe, let alone hold onto any of the spells he had cast previously. He could no longer prevent being tracked, and he knew that soon enough they would find him and kill him, and there would be no way for him to protect his and Kovia's.... His daughter, even though she was the one thing he had promised himself Kovia would never get her hands on... In a slight movement that caused him unimaginable pain, Aedynn managed to turn his head to see his infant daughter, lying on the ground nearby. He let out a painful sigh of relief as he saw her tiny chest gently rise and fall, and he once again was flooded with relief when he saw that she hadn't been injured by the mine that had left him close to death.799Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbD8DscheKc
In a moment of dark clarity, possibly brought on by being on the brink of death, and having black magic he realised that maybe she and the world would have been better off if she had been killed by the mine, even Kovia couldn't bring back the dead. As his vision began to deteriorate from the blood loss, he saw a glimmer of light to the left of his daughter and through the pain he managed to grasp onto the foolish hope that maybe, all was not lost after all.
“Oh Aedynn, what have you done?” came the cool, near emotionless voice, that was somewhere between the realms of female and male and despite the pain he was in Aedynn managed to curl his lips upwards into a shape that may have resembled a smile if you looked hard enough.
“Sephyirr, you made it,” the glowing figure moved over to the tiny, stirring, infant and picked her up.
“I'll take her somewhere safe Aedynn, ... But there's nothing I'm prepared to do for you.”
Aedynn let out a hoarse chuckle
“ Don't worry, by taking her, you've already done more for me than you'll ever know...” he sighed. “Well I guess in a way I deserve this, Sephyirr it's my fault you're a part of this” The opposing figure was silent for a moment, a short hesitation that showed that what Aedynn had said, had effected the figure in some way, for better or for worse.
“Yes, it is.” The figure finally replied coldly before disappearing into the nothingness, that was practically all that surrounded Aedynn now, as his sight diminished.
“I wish you well in the next life” was all that Sephyirr said before he walked off, not even giving Aedynn a chance to say goodbye to his daughter, but then in his cold mind, there was no reason to give the dying man anything more than he'd already had. As Aedynn's breaths became shallower and more forced, he thought back on what he had done with his life, all of the good things he had done... As well as the terrible mistakes he had made, because of this he didn't notice the footsteps and the quiet whimpering that accompanied it until it was right near him.
“Hello Aedynn, it's been a while” came the smooth, silky voice that could only belong to Kovia. He instantly braced himself, knowing that soon there would be nothing but the warm embrace of death left for him. His vision faded to black and Kovia watched as his deep violet eyes fogged over.
“Oh Aedynn” she chuckled, “Something... Interesting has come up so I'm afraid I can't let you die yet.... that would leave me in a bit of a predicament... And, well...there is someone you just have to meet.” she drawled. There was a scraping noise as she pushed whoever was whimpering closer to Aedynn. Suddenly; all around Aedynn there remained nothing but pitch black, a black so strong that it completely swallowed not only the light but also all sound. In his last moment, before the darkness swallowed him too, he desperately hoped that somehow Sephyirr had gotten away with his daughter. Taken her somewhere where she could grow up in safety. Because maybe if she survived, if the child of darkness and light managed to escape, the rest of the world could stand a chance against Kovia and her accomplices. If his daughter was strong enough, if she could face all of the trials he knew would find her in the future, maybe all colour wouldn't fade into the black, unlike the white that had managed to fall.
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