(This takes place twenty minutes before the previous chapter, continuing immediately from Nicholas's location after he defeated the mutated nightmare.)
3RD POV
The rain kept falling. The small hills that were once bathed in morning light, now were soaked and wet. The air that should've carried only the scent of water and earth, was now poisoned with smoke and ash. In the distance, the capital, a few hours ago imposing and powerful, was now collapsing into a burning ruin. A fire the heavens tried so desperately to extinguish, but to no avail. How many screams, how many losses, how much suffering had the people of Tellus endured today? Closer to the ground, a single flower stood out among the green: once delicate, with petals of soft ivory streaked with pink, now crushed and tainted. But it tried. Tried to rise again. Tried to regain its shine, after Cassius stepped on it.
CRASH!
But that hope..... was extinguished for good as another boot came down, crushing it flat. Standing over it was a tall man wrapped in worn black fabric, his figure little more than a dark silhouette in the rain. A mask covered his face; featureless, smooth, like polished obsidian. But one thing broke the emptiness:
A single violet, glowing eye.
He was the same man who had followed the Dark Butterflies squad through the dungeon, the same silent observer who watched their clash with the criminals and wind mages. Now his gaze was fixed on the massive red dome blazing at the center of the capital, making no move to intervene.
Then.....he felt it.
He turned his head sharply, looking upward to the left.
A butterfly.
Its wings shimmered with soft, golden light; delicate, yet impossibly radiant even in a storm like this. Against the darkened sky, with rain pouring down and distant bursts of red and orange breaking the horizon, the tiny creature glowed like a misplaced star, untouched by the chaos around it. He watched as the small creature beat its wings, heading towards the capital, its glow dimming the further away it flew.
Meanwhile....
Nicholas gasped, hands shaking uncontrollably from both exhaustion and adrenaline. The air was heavy with ash and the metallic scent of burned magic. But somehow.....he was alive.
Nicholas: - Heh..... I actually did it...
His gaze trailed off to where the monster had thrown the little Tree-trooper. He pushed himself off the ground. Every movement hurt, but the thought of retrieving his little friend gave him focus. One step. Then another. He could finally rest.....
SLASH.
For a fraction of a second, Nicholas didn't feel anything....then agony.
Nicholas: - AGH-....!!
He stumbled back, choking as a pitch-black knife jutted from his shoulder. His knees hit the ground. Blood dripped down his arm in heavy lines.
Nicholas tried to scream, only a gasp came out. When he looked up, his heart sank. A figure stepped through the smoke. Tall. Clad in black, the edges of his clothes flickering. A grey mask hid his face, but his scarlet eyes burned through it.
Cassius: - Are you the one who killed my precious nightmare?
Nicholas could practically feel the disappointment and malice. The man raised a hand, and the shadows at his feet began to stir.
YOU ARE READING
Adventures Beyond The Void (Season 1)
FantasyNicholas Blackwood is a fifteen year old boy who always thought his life would be deprived of any form of happiness, condemned to be constantly neglected by his parents, bullied by his peers and uncared for by the world. One day his parents decide...
