Sword of Stars

Chapter Forty Three. Creation Falls.

Chaos screamed.

 A wind swept through the throne room, whipping up a swirling vortex right on top of Khaos. Dezolzen was thrown back and crashed to the ground with a hole in his chest, dull red eyes looking skywards into nothing.

 Garek braced himself as his feet left the ground, smashing to the floor some meters back with a grunt. A shock of pain travelled up his spine. The Sword of Prophecy fell from his fingers.

 The shriek from Khaos was like a million voices screaming in pain at once. Not just human voices, animals too. Even the dead seemed to cry out.

 Light burst forth from Khaos' mouth and rose into the sky, parting the ash clouds that surrounded the area. Brilliant starlight filled the throne room, casting aside the grim darkness. Garek had to squint.

 He managed to stand and brace himself against a nearby piece of rubble. His hair whipped around in the wind, occasionally stinging his face. He had to grit his teeth with the effort of staying up and he had to move his head from all the dust flying into his mouth.

 His mind reeled. He had killed Khaos and destroyed the universe. Was it better than the Greater Evil enslaving everything on Tearith? Garek supposed so and he laughed into the wild tempest.  Nothing could be heard over the cataclysm.

 The ground and air shook as Khaos' body was consumed by light, forming a large cocoon of energy. A faint silhouette could be made out in the centre, arms and legs stretched wide.

Khaos' inhuman scream crescendoed as the dark silhouette began to break apart. Starting at the toes she began to crumble like soft stone and fragments floated upwards and evaporated. Her legs faded and her hips crumbled away. It travelled up her torso to her chest and her arms fell apart to her fingertips. Her head was last and it dissolved the slowest, taking her mouth, nose and eyes until her forehead and hair were completely taken into oblivion.

The ball of light shrank then grew twice as big, and, with a roar, rose into the sky, making the hole in the ceiling larger as it crashed through the ancient building. It hung above the castle for a long moment, as if it was saying goodbye or thank you, before it shot off into the heavens with an immense boom.

 Garek looked up at the sky in the sudden silence, stunned after everything that had just happened. A loud thunder clap sounded in the distance and the sky became covered in dark clouds. A drop of rain patted his cheek.

 Khaos was gone and the seal was safe. It was over.