Chapter XXII

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The land roared as it split, opening a mighty chasm going towards the planet's very core. Upon the ground's gash floated Taperend. He did an embrace in the air as the cracks on the trench's either end ran in a circle, following the direction oh Taperend's hands. The fissures raced in a curve to meet on the opposite end to complete a loop. The undead army was trapped within the ring. A deep rumble reverberated from the depths as the circular patch suddenly gave away. The centre of the planet rushed up, devouring the undead into the fiery magma. Taperend repositioned to be levitating right above the loop's dead centre. He threw his hands up, a gushing sound thundered across all of Barren Lands. A column of lava rose 100 metres into the air, engulfing Taperend. The fountain of flame broke, raining splatters of fire on the Barren Lands.

Demzan dissolved into dust as the first bead of lava neared him. Trevan flapped his ethereal wings and rose while swiftly dodging the chunks of magma. He flew towards Robert in a steady and snaking fly. Robert stood expressionless, unstirred and invulnerable and lava just flowed down his skeleton, eating away the bones at many places.

Trevan came flying straight down towards Robert as 50 other clones of himself materialised. Each clone's sword glowed, lighting the air in a blinding yet serene din. The 51 figures surrounded Robert in every fathomable direction. Trevan and his mirrors danced in a seemingly chaotic manner, which had an undecipherable, complex and systematic scheme behind it. They rained on him from each area as Robert stood silent as a stone. The 51 angels closed down on him, with lightning speed, circling around Robert like vultures so that he disappeared among the winged crowd. Any light was blotted from him though he was surrounded by a ball of glowing, empyreal figures. Ironic! Their blades rose and slashed in a cacophony of sharp slashes. The paladins, warriors of light, withdrew their swords. Each figure raised their own blades over their heads and brought it down to rush and grind the skeleton's bones to dust. They committed each action in perfectly synchronised unison - angels of good yet displaying such horror.

Taperend levitated in the air, a ball of blazing inferno surrounding him, as he watched the battle between Niuba and Raguela, or Trevan and Robert. Bored, he cast a finger in their direction. A river of lava streamed upwards and came flowing done towards Trevan, looking like a snake striking its prey.

The paladins raised their swords over their head so that each blade's tip pointed towards the sky. The wave of lava clashed and broke against a dome of force surrounding the warriors of light. Trevan looked up to see the dome painted in a fiery orange making it seem as if the sky itself was aflame.

Taperend moaned as he looked around to see his sphere of flaming being contaminated by darkness. The layer of fire was succumbing, getting devoured by a haze of shadow at a frighteningly quick pace.

Taperend swung his to capture his surroundings - a void of murky space with scarce and thin streaks of purple, barely a shade away from black. From the inner surface of this tight ball of shadow unsheathed thousand hands. They jutted all around him, each hand bearing a vicious dagger of darkness. They all came rushing inwards, towards Taperend, stabbing him again and again feasting upon their joy of assassination. The strikes stopped only when there was no bone, no brain, no distinguishable features and thus, no Taperend ... but a punctured piece of the leather. The skin's seeing, orangish hue started fading away as a ghastly black stained and seeped in.

The clones of Trevan vanished into thin air, leaving a sucking sound to fill their void. Trevan soared straight upwards. As he flew up, the shield of force moved with him causing the lava to trickle away, enabling any meaningful vision. The intimidating shadow surrounding Demzan disappeared, making his brother's outline more obvious. Two wings, which he didn't know had existed, flapped open from Demzan's back. The wings were an adumbration themselves, abyssal and summoned from the deepest hell. Demzan pointed his greatsword of Darkness towards Trevan. It had still come down to this. Luck, in truth, had been their greatest enemy. Thus, it was now sealed that at least one god would die ... and one brother too. Raguela and Oskcopa: each other's greatest enemy; Trevan and Demzan: each other's greatest friends.

Half the sky was ablaze with white fire the other half of the sky shrouded in the deepest shadows. The winds screamed, tugging and screeching against the two heavenly bodies. Trevan emitted a trail of pure white light behind him whilst, Demzan emitted a jet of rich purple. They both sped at crushing speeds to meet on the edge of the two warring sides of the sky and on the steepest turn of destiny.

One a blade of blinding light,

Other a blade of engulfing darkness,

Met with a clash so loud it echoed through Cobardon and all resounding doubts.


One blow came after another,

Till what seemed eternity's stutter,

But the gods' might also isn't infinite,

The survivors grief indefinite,

Only by death shall the two brothers reunite.


One sword fell against another,

One brother died at the hands another.


One scorched and tore Barren Lands,

One raised an undead army of thousands,

One killed a god and lamented for certain,

One was slain with a god within.

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