Forgotten Conqueror B2

Chapter 38- The Hands of Fate

As he stood upon the frozen city, an eerie silence drifted through the atmosphere, dampening the grievances coming from behind him. Listening, he could almost hear the silent screams of those who had perished through the stillness. His eyes scanned for survivors, but all he could see were the streets that were dyed with blood, giving the layer of ice covering them an ominous red sheen. Beyond where the soldiers had been standing, he spotted a pile of corpses in the distance, along with what looked to be two extinguished pyres—now covered in frost—with charred and scorched bodies.

"So much death..." Kaidus voiced out loud to hide his torment and sorrow. 'If only I had gotten here earlier.' Such thoughts entered his mind, but were quickly discarded. The reality was that he had failed to do so, and no amount of supposition would bring the dead back to life.
"Everything returns to darkness..." He clenched his fist, hoping to have brought some semblance of peace to those who were consumed in the madness.

After a moment of silence, with disheartened steps, he walked over to where he had sat Eril down. There was nothing left of the Tal'hrus master, but a pile of ash.
A gentle breeze playfully swept by and scattered the remains into the air, revealing five metal rings gleaming in the sunlight. "For so many to be lost because of a single person..." Anger flared within him briefly as the spiral of never ending carnage became all too clear.

'Master.' Vishan's voice echoed in his mind and he heard the gate slowly creaking open. Three men cautiously stepped out.

By his will, the rings flew up to him. After stowing them in his pocket, he wordlessly walked away.

"P-please wait!" One of the men shouted nervously. It was the round short man whom he had seen earlier in the courtyard. "A-all those soldiers. Did you-"

He stopped to consider the question. "I did." Upon his answer, the fear that the three men had been trying to conceal burst forth through their expressions. Disregarding such looks, "I am sorry for your loss, and thank you for your cooperation in relocating everyone earlier." He gave them a polite nod of appreciation and continued on his way. They did not try to stop him this time.

Rounding the corner of the street, Kaidus began moving westward through the city. Someone had survived Vishan's attack, and he wanted to see who it was.

---

Lying on the cold ground, Kaval was gasping for air as unimaginable pain assaulted her. She wanted to scream out and curse, but instead of doing so, she gritted her teeth and fought down the urge—lest she give away her position.
The last thing she could remember was running towards the western walls where she had infiltrated the city. Her plan was to conceal her presence and get out of the frozen realm, before using any magic to ferry herself to shore.

*Cough! COUGH!* She threw up the discomfort in her chest, and upon feeling the sticky liquid flowing down her chin, her eyes widened. 'No! Not like this!' Trying to turn her body and get off the ground, she could not feel any strength. Her arms felt scorched like they were melting, and pain was the only thing that came from her legs.

Her mind screamed, reminding her of what happened.
The pillars of lights falling from the sky, the overwhelming force within them, and the terrifying source of power at the center of it all. Even after molding her mana into a barrier, the light had torn it apart and crushed her. Using everything she had, it was just barely enough to preserve her life. *Ku-hauk!* Throwing up more blood, the thought of following after Eril terrified her.

With her awareness waning, Kaval began whispering an incantation, focusing her remaining mana into her earing.
"L-Layna... answer me..." There was no response, and the connection never went through.
Exhausted, she closed her eyes as she lay upon the ice, hoping it would help to dull the pain.

...

Uncertain about how long she had been lying there, she was jerked awake by the sound of light footsteps. In her weary mind, the silver haired boy was walking towards her. He had killed Eril, and was coming for her.

"So you are still alive..." An apathetic voice jolted her into wakefulness. She felt her body lifting off the ground and soon enough, she was standing face to face against the object of her fear. Once again wrapped in a blood red cloak, the boy stood before her, his hair shining a radiant silver.
"!!" She felt her face draining of all colors.

"Who are you?" The boy questioned.

*Kahaak!* She coughed, and the action sent shockwaves through her body. In agony, she forced her eyes to look down at herself. Her clothes were burnt, and her exposed flesh was discolored. Focusing on the discolorations, disgusting boils had erupted all over her skin, covering her voluptuous breasts and arms up to her shoulders. Her beautiful legs, beginning from her waist and going all the way down to her feet, were now nothing more than black crusts filled with pain.
Kaval began tearing up, recalling her efforts to escape the light that was trying to destroy her. "I-I had no-" She took a pained breath. "No part in this... please... save me."

"..." The boy went quiet and two silver eyes looked back at her as if peering into her very being. Her life was his to do with as he willed, and he knew it.

"I beg you..." Kaval pleaded again, hanging her head submissively.

"The presence that diverged from all the others. The explosive mana that I felt earlier in response to my own magic... you are a mage of Tal'hrus."

A cold voice slithered through the air and she lifted her head in surprise to see a distant look on the boy's face. "N-no...! I-" She stopped, sensing the cold wrapping around her. She was without strength or control of her own body, and there was no way out.

"Do not try to deny your deeds," the boy replied coldly. "I can still feel traces of your vile magic flowing through this city like a phantom." The boy brought his right hand up as if to grasp at something in the air.

"NO!" Kaval cried out as the ice rose up from underneath her feet and twisted around her body like an enormous hand.

"I shall send you to join your master." As he closed his fist, she could feel the ice tightening around her.

"STOP!!" Someone else shouted, and she breathed a breath of relief as the boy turned around. Looking at the intruder, her hopes were quickly crushed, for it was the very man whom she had given to Eril.

"You have been following me... is there something you require?" The boy calmly questioned.

"Forgive me, radiant one." The knight went to his knees. "My intentions had only been to seek forgiveness." The man turn and glanced in her direction, giving her a hateful look. "But that woman... I beg you, please give her life to me." The man lowered his head to grovel pathetically.

"Toward what purpose?"

"She... She has taken everything from me. My brethren, my life, my purpose for existing. I beg of you, allow me to claim her life so that my brothers and I may finally know peace."

Kaval opened her mouth to try and refute the allegations, but she could not. The boy's piercing gaze had caused her to lose her tongue.

"I have had my share of deaths today." The boy stepped away from her and moved toward the knight. "I do not know what ensued between you two, but if you wish to see justice served with your own hands, I will not stop you." From within his cloak, the boy pulled out a slim longsword and planted it before the knight.

She quickly recognized it to be Eril's sword.
"No. Please." Kaval begged once more as she watched the knight taking hold of the weapon and stalking towards her. She commanded her body to break free of the ice that was imprisoning her, but her limbs refused to move. Her mind in turmoil and without any strength left, she begged her lips to cast one last spell.

"GUH-!" Before she could, the man made a mad dash at her, piercing her throat with the sword. *Bluaarg!* the ice around her shattered as the blade was pulled away, and she fell to the cold ground, throwing up and choking on her own blood.