"The Half-Blood Arc: Ashes of War - Volume 1"

Part 8

Heydrich was completely entranced by the woman, unable to look away. Her mesmerizing cloak seemed to fade in and out of reality, and an otherworldly aura emanated from her. His trance was only broken when Sikorsky playfully shook him, yelling, "Wake up, a******! I don't know if she'll appreciate you zoning her like that, it's bad manners." With a mischievous grin, Sikorsky presented him with a shotgun, its weight familiar in Heydrich's hands. "It's a coward's weapon," Heydrich replied. Sikorsky laughed darkly, remarking, "Not a fan of the Second Amendment, are you? But trust me, you'll change your mind soon. You'll find this weapon very useful."



Heydrich took the shotgun, his fingers tracing its contours as he began to familiarize himself with the weapon. Sikorsky's voice cut through his concentration, "Now if I were you, I'd go find your boyfriend and put him out of his misery before things get a little too crazy." The words were accompanied by a sarcastic and malicious grin. "Not that I'm judging you, of course," Sikorsky continued. "I am an ally to such communities, and I'll defend them to the death. For I am many things." Sikorsky's finger pointed confidently in the air. "But I am not a bigot," he declared proudly.

A flicker of amusement danced across Heydrich's face, and he retorted, "You trying to represent a community would be a literal hate crime." Sikorsky's expression shifted to one of genuine offense, his face contorting. In response, Sikorsky shot back, "You bigot, you hate me, don't you?" He exaggeratedly feigned tears, his voice quivering, "You... discriminate against psychopaths and killers." A playful smirk tugged at his lips as he continued, "You have no idea what it's like to be marginalized, do you?" Heydrich draped the weapon over his shoulder, securing it with a strap that came with the firearm, his voice laced with annoyance. "That group of people deserves to be marginalized," he stated firmly. Sikorsky gasped dramatically, his voice laced with faux shock, "How could you, you bastard?" Heydrich responded in a playful tone, I guess old-fashioned like that." A hint of a smile played at the corner of Heydrich's mouth.

The colossal Eye in the Sky intensified its luminosity. "You seem to be the most informed man about this entity, this being you call Mother. What is she doing?" Heydrich inquired, his gaze fixed on the radiant spectacle.

Sikorski's voice held a mixture of resignation, "Well, buddy, this is our judgment day. We did something to her, and now she wants vengeance. All these creatures that have been going bump in the night. It seems she had something to do with them." He motioned towards Heydrich, his tone carrying a hint of accusation.

"Most of them were once men. At some point, they rejected humanity and wanted to bring forth Armageddon upon mankind, to create a new world free of jackasses like us," Sikorski continued, his words heavy with a sense of inevitability. She seems to be sort of a powerful goddess, so in summary we're all fucked!



A puzzled expression crept onto Heydrich's face. "She had over 45,000 years to judge us," Heydrich mused, his voice tinged with a touch of sadness. "Was the war really that catastrophic that she would end us once and for all? looking Sikorski in the eyes, "Or have we personally wronged her?"

Sikorsky's laughter reverberated, a mixture of incredulity and surprise. "You know something, don't you?" he exclaimed, his eyes widening in astonishment. He leaned in slightly, his tone becoming more intense, "What have you been hiding, friend? I didn't know you were capable of lying." A guilty expression settled on Heydrich's face.

Heydrich recounted, "There was an assassination attempt on Archduke Ferdinand. It failed, and they tried again, bombing a densely populated area. They never killed him and achieved their goal; however, it proved to be enough to ignite the war. We discovered evidence pointing to the individual responsible for the bombing, and we proceeded to raid his apartment. But when we arrived..." Heydrich's voice faltered as his memory seemed to weigh heavily on him. He paused, his hands trembling.