The Weight of His Chains

Chapter 20

Skys eyes welled with an inky tear, a stark contrast to his pale skin. The dark drop rolled down his cheek, falling on the floor with a gentle pat. His gaze seemed to hold a thousand unspoken words, but his expression revealed nothing.

He coughed, blood speckling from his lips, a crimson stain to his colorless skin. His hand clamped over his bandaged chest, as if attempting to hold himself together, to stem the flow of his life, slowly seeping.

With a grimace, Sky slipped his arms under Aspen's limp body, lifting her against his battered body. "I just wanted to protect you..." He whispered, his voice inaudible as his gaze poured on her impassive face, his heart heavy with regret. He leaned in, and pressed his lips on her forehead, a familiar gesture of how Aspen used to comfort him. Every movement jarred his chest, sending a painful stab through his torso. His face twisted in pain, his eyes squinting in the weight of his suffering.

The cave around them shuddered in his presence, rocks tumbling down like a bitter rain. The sound of crumbling and grinding stone filled the air, dust limiting visibility in the cave as it slowly collapsed on itself. Sky's legs trembled beneath him, his knees buckling with every step.

Aspen's head lolled against Skys chest, her body limp and unresponsive. Her skin was deathly pale, her features relaxed in an everlasting sleep. A sliver of light lies ahead, and Sky stumbles towards it, a desperate drive to escape.

With a final heave and shout, he emerged from the crumbling cave, the cold air seeping into his skin. The twin cliffs rumbled like thunder, their worn faces shaking as the earth beneath them convulsed. The void ceiling above them, once a distant black void, came plummeting down as if slowly crushing the world where they stood. Boulders came tumbling and crashing on the ground, a cacophony of The Between's apocalypse.

Sky's legs buckled, his knees hitting the floor with a harsh impact. Aspen's body slipped from his grasp, her form crumpling to the ground beside him. Sky's vision darkened, his chest heaving with exhaustion as the pain from his wounds worsened with every breath.

Sky's eyes trembled as he took in the shattering song of screaming stone and rumbling earth. On the horizon, where the sliver of light once was, a dawn emerged, but it was no ordinary dawn.

This dawn spelled terror for Sky.

A Black Sun rose, it's dark radiance spreading across the devastated landscape. As The Sun lifted higher, its lightless beams bathed Sky and Aspen. He watched in fear, his eyes narrowing with every passing moment.

No being or thing could scare a Soul Grinder to his knees. But The Black Sun rose, its unholy gaze heavy against the shattering world. the one thing Sky feared, the one thing that froze his heart. Its return signaled an end for Sky's life, a time to pay for his unforgivable sins.

The voice of The Black Sun boomed through reality, shattering its very cosmic edges. "You have disrupted the ways of The Pyramid!" The words were a death sentence, a promise to a final annihilation.

Sky's narrowed eyes remained on the rising Sun, his kneeled body in front of Aspens, shielding her from the Sun's malevolent gaze.

The earth shuddered in The Black Sun's presence, the ground shattering more viciously as the Black Sun spoke. Suddenly, a jagged edged rock ripped through the ground, flying out of the ground with a terrifying speed.

But it did its job just as quickly as it appeared.

The sound of tearing flesh and crushing ribs filled the air, as his body jerked once, his limbs stiffening as the tip punctured through his chest, the spike protruding through his back, dripping in viscera.

He kneeled there, silent and still. Blood bubbles from his lips like a crimson spring, Aspens still body laid behind him, protected from the rocks deadly kiss. His selfless sacrifice echoed through the devasted world, a single tear falling down his cheek, a lonely farewell.

The Black Sun's voice crashed through the world, an ear ripping scream that filled the realm. "Your sins are too heavy to forgive, oh Soul Grinder."

The words hung in the air, a savage truth. Sky's body swayed, his weight slightly borne by the spike that impaled him. His bleeding mouth worked soundlessly, as if trying to seek forgiveness. His limp arm lifted, as if begging for understanding.

"Death is merely too small of a punishment to give. I'll send you all to another soul shattering place, for your eternal suffering." With those heavy words, Skys chest stilled, his head lolling down. His hair fell down, framing his once striking features. His body kneeled there, the rock ebbed through him, a cruel reminder of the Soul Grinder's downfall.

The Black Sun's final words echoed through the desolate landscape, as its dark radiance began to fade. The jagged rock, still lodged in Sky's lifeless body, kept his body still, like an eerie reminder that even the strongest of monsters have their ends.

Mortals break, shattered by the fragility of their own hearts.

Monsters fall, crushed by the weight of their own horrors.

Spirits wilt, by the depths of their own sorrow.

The world around their bodies began to unravel.

Reality snapping like a twig.

The darkness deepened.

It gave away to nothing.

No sound. No light.

But amidst the void, the echo of what was once there, whispered.

The next reality awaits, oh shattered souls.

In the depths of the abyss, a hum began to build.

Aspens eyes flickered open, staring to the void.

It was never over.