Aftermath

Chapter 31: And I'll Do It Again

Time waits for no man. Not even the Deathsinger.

And time will reclaim what it is rightfully owed, no matter the cost.

Author's note: almost there!

I gave the original covers a quick overhaul to improve the shading and lighting and redrew the markings. if drawing illustrations for this fic has taught me anything, it's that I am terrible at perspectives and accuracy and it needs to change XD

speaking of, I challenged myself a little with the illustration for this chapter and it hurts

brace yourselves

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Ingressus fell to his knees as he released his desperate grip on Voltar and his head spun as he gasped for air, panting against his own pain. He looked to Tygren sprawled out on the ground, the blade of Voltar deeply wedged in his shoulder and his blood spewing from the creases in his skin. He couldn't move. He was defeated.

At long last...

"Impressive," he spluttered, coughing between breaths. "I didn't think you had it in you." His breathing became laboured, and his chest began wheezing.

Ingressus allowed himself a pained chuckle as he, too, struggled for breath, knelt before the traitorous Ardoni. He felt the corruption within him dissipate – melt from his mind to free his soul – and he looked upon what he had just done, and a little pride welled inside of him.

"That's why... That is why you were never going to win... Tygren..." He paused to observe his victory. He was ashamed of what he had to do, in the end – beating one of his own - a man he had once placed an immense amount of trust in - to within an inch of his life, but he knew it had to be done. He knew it was the right thing to do. For him. For Ardonia. "You took everything from me..." he continued, hoarsely. "Well... No more, Tygren. It's over."

Tygren choked out a laugh, his lungs filling up with fluid as he grunted, trying to sit up and spy the former Deathsinger in front of him – to see how weak his adversary truly was at the end of it all – but Voltar pinned him to the ground, and he saw only the blurred lines of Onyx and Grek as they made their way towards him, the Knights and the soldiers having finished off the remainder of his forces to bring their tremendous battle to a close.

"Then kill me, Ingressus. Kill me like you killed everyone else."

Ingressus had heard those words once before, from another, and he remembered the pain he felt as his mind became a vortex of confused emotions; but they did not sting like they had done previously, because it wasn't the words themselves that hurt. At the time, it was who they were coming from. This time, they came from someone else. He had grown strong in the face of adversary. He had but one response and Tygren had heard it before, but he hadn't heard his change of heart in saying it. He hadn't heard his change in vision.

"No. I do not kill." He looked to the sky and squinted against the sun as its rays grew dim in the passing of the day, giving way to the end.

He hoped Achillean heard him – to show his remorse, not just for his recent actions, but everything that came before; all of his actions.

"You think this is the end, Ingressus," Tygren coughed, "but you know as well as I do, that only one of us is going to come back from this..."

He paused to catch Ingressus' weakening eyes.

"...and it isn't going to be you..."

Ingressus heard Tygren's painful, maniacal chuckle once more before he collapsed onto his side and curled up in pain as his chest was stabbed with a thousand shards. He was fighting for his life and Tygren knew it. As Ingressus struggled for breath between the agony sucking away his life, Tygren laughed. He knew that he only had to survive the attacks on the Prime Songs to win. He didn't need to kill anyone. He didn't need to steal them so soon because he knew that the effects of the Nether would catch up to the former Deathsinger. He had suffered somewhat for his trips into the Nether, however minimal they were in comparison. He only had to hold out a little bit longer, but he didn't expect to be present in seeing it all come together before him in such a way.