The Enchanted Realm: At Journey's End

Operation: Dying Star

 "In position, Commander." Jay whispered to himself. Wielding a sniper rifle the Commander had given him, Jay had positioned himself on a hill not too far from the enemy outpost. Scoping in, he could see men in black-and-purple robes gathering around a golden emblem in the ground. They raised their arms in unison, chanting some sort of language unknown to Jay. Taking his rifle from the center, Jay focused on the gate. He could see the Commander walking towards the outpost. He's going to get himself killed. Sure enough, one of the cult members spotted the Commander, ringing a bell Jay could hear, even from his position. A static voice called through a radio attached to Jay's hip.

"Phantom, drop the bomb." The Commander ordered. Jay turned his rifle back to the center of the outpost, spotting a group of barrels labeled as dangerous.

"Hello, supernova." He chuckled maniacally. A laser-like bullet erupted from the barrel of Jay's sniper, on an unstoppable warpath to the red barrels. There was a hiss of air as the cult members began to scatter. The barrels erupted into an explosion. Jay reached for the radio at his side. "Shapeshifter, drag 'em out!" He called. A large, serpent-shaped creature began to fall from the sky almost immediately, causing even more panic among the cultists. Jay was barely able to notice one cult member refraining from his position in the middle of the circle.

"Phantom, nail that one!" The Commander barked into the static. Jay aimed at the robed person, his finger hesitating. Did he really want to kill someone directly? His memories overtook him; his village being slaughtered by merciless Rogues. From the rubble, a robed man appeared, waving his hand and sending out waves of light. The Rogues scattered like flies, and the robed man took Jay into his arms, carrying him away from the chaos. Jay stared into the scope. He saw the same man that saved him. "Phantom!" The Commander called again. Jay dropped his rifle, falling to his knees and gripping his temples. Would he kill his savior and regret everything? Or would he let his savior live, and allow him to go through with it. Who knows? Maybe Eclipse isn't as bad as everyone thinks she is? What if she lets Jay live, allowing him to live in her grand palace as a royal guard? "PHANTOM!" The Commander's voice became nothing but a whisper. Jay could feel his mask tighten around his face. He ripped the mask off of his face, his twisted smile now flipped. His bright yellow eyes were filled with shock and worry. Jay's thoughts overwhelmed him. They overwhelmed him to the point where he couldn't notice the robed woman creeping behind him...

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What the hell is he doing!? The Commander cried in his mind. With his weapons free, The Commander unleashed complete hell on any cultists that came close. Or ran off. It didn't matter if they were surrendering or not. They deserved to die. While it was a war crime or two, it felt right for the Commander. He powered towards the singular man chanting in the middle of the circle with his guns up and ready to fire. The man's chant grew louder and faster, eventually becoming unintelligible nonsense. The Commander was a second away from pulling the trigger; and a second too late. With the man's screaming ended, the ritual was complete. A dark light sent the Commander flying backwards. He crashed into the wall behind him, nearly rendering him unconscious. He was barely able to see the figure floating above. His blurred vision slowly became clearer and clearer. He saw the figure now. She wore royal armor, with a cracked crown sitting on her head. Her blood-red eyes were struck with freedom. She floated above the ground gracefully, the dark aura around her keeping her up. She turned her head towards the Commander, chuckling as she appeared in front of him within the blink of an eye.

"Ah, hello, Commander." She grinned. "It's been a long time since we've met, hasn't it?"

"Go to Hell..." the Commander spat weakly.

"I find Hell rather exciting, actually. Probably less boring than Heaven." The woman chuckled. "But what have you been up to, darling?" Her finger ran up his throat, tipping his chin to make him face her directly. "I'm dying to know."

"I'm sure you are." The Commander replied, raising his gun. The woman grabbed it, breaking it with her very hands.

"Now, now, dear. Let's not be so violent." The Commander felt darkness beginning to encompass him. It started down, moving up his legs like wildfire. "I wonder what you'll look like..." the woman began, "with your statue standing next to my throne." The Commander could no longer feel his body. It was manipulated by the darkness. Next came the stone. His body was levitating up, being twisted into a pose that would make any royal knight wish to be in. His pose resembled that of a knight's, his controlled stance almost perfect.

"Damn it..." the Commander muttered before his head was next to be positioned...