In a realm of surreal beauty, where tree leaves shimmered in rainbow hues, mountains pierced the heavens.
Castles so vast they could house entire nations teemed with magical beasts and intricate life forms.
Existence thrived in a symphony of wonder.
This was the Realm of the Kings, a domain reserved solely for those who had ascended to the pinnacle of Evolution.
The Land of the Vanquishers, a realm of dreams for all who walked the Path of Evolution
Among its inhabitants were a myriad of races, ranging from humanoids and meta-morphs to colossal beings capable of swallowing planets in a single gulp.
Yet, only a fraction of the beings from the countless dimensions connected to the Realm of the Kings ever reached its gates, and fewer still stepped inside.
Those who did were promised eternal life; even death held no permanence, as they would revive in the next instant.
Even if all was lost, there was always the chance to recover. The strong could grow endlessly stronger, while the weak could choose between peaceful lives under the realm’s protection or pursuing guaranteed power to rise to the top. Follow current novels on novel•fire.net
The Realm of the Kings was alive, a sentient entity.
In this place, even the defeated found gains, while the victors gained more still.
Fortunes abounded, and opportunities awaited all who sought them.
Yet, within this ultimate reward, this utopian paradise, one man, the first to set foot in this realm, knelt in sorrow, burdened by regret.
Beneath the colossal canopy of a tree vast enough to shelter an entire nation, the man wept at its roots.
To behold him was to freeze in awe of his legend.
To sense his boundless power was to risk madness, for his strength was utterly unreachable.
Only one being could stand at ease in his presence, Nhiria.
Her gaze lingered on him, brimming with love, kindness, and guilt. Her eyes traced his muscular, battle-hardened form, his ashen-white hair a stark contrast against his dark golden-brown skin.
And finally rested on his silvery-gray eyes, now brimming with tears. “Sokram, you have honored your Oath to me. We were the first to reach this realm. Yet, the sadness in your heart is all-consuming.”
Sokram's gaze rested on her humanoid form, a striking woman, her rosy, flawless skin radiant beneath her raven-black hair and her silvery-blue eyes shimmering with a profound mix of emotions.
“Nhiria,” he replied, his voice heavy with sorrow, “have you come at last to fulfill your promise?”
Sadness darkened her gaze, though pity found no place in it.
Instead, a profound respect shone through. “I know what you are about to ask of me. But I have already told you, I cannot bring them back. Their souls are destroyed, and even my power cannot undo such finality.”
A sad chuckle escaped Sokram as he whispered, “Your promise was never to bring them back. Your promise to me was to fulfill one wish of mine.”
Nhiria lowered her head, a deep sigh escaping her lips. “Speak your wish, Sokram, and I will do everything within my power to fulfill it.”
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“My wish is this: Do not try to stop me, and hold your siblings back. Your words are bound in your blood. You cannot break your Oath now that you’ve heard it. Prepare yourself; they will come soon.”
Fear and confusion gripped Nhiria as his words sank in. Together, they stood at the pinnacle of the Realm of the Kings, untouched, unmatched, undefeated.
Yet Sokram’s greatest wish, which mirrored her own, was an impossible dream even with their immeasurable power.
As his words settled in her mind, she knew, with a terrible certainty, that his plan would bring all their achievements to an end.
For a moment, she faltered, doubt clouding her resolve.
But the blood oath binding her would tolerate no hesitation.
Agony, like never before, tore through her soul.
Forcing her to her knees, gasping for breath, she clutched her chest, her vision blurred by tears.
Sokram’s voice, soft as a whisper, reached her.
He was chanting a spell in a language even she, who knew all tongues and all magic, could not decipher.
What filled her with dread, however, was not the spell but the energy he was absorbing.
It was the essence of creation itself, not just of their planet or the galaxies under their dominion, not even from the Realm of the Kings.
Sokram was drawing energy from the currents of Fate, energy from the roots of the Multi-Dimensional Plane of Existence, the foundation of all life.
In the next instant, portals burst open across the realm, alarms ringing through the void.
It was as though the fabric of existence itself rebelled against Sokram’s actions.
The most powerful entities of the Realm of the Kings emerged, their presence a tempest of raw power and wrath. Each step they took shook the very fabric of the realm, and their eyes burned with a fury that could rend stars asunder.
“Hah! They’re fast. But you can hold them back, can you not, Nhiria?” Sokram said, his tone calm yet laced with conviction.
Nhiria could not find the words to respond. Bound by her Oath and her unwavering loyalty, she raised countless mighty barriers to keep all away from him.
"Promise me everything will be alright!" Her voice cracked, and she clutched her chest, her once-luminous skin now pale and ashen. The strain of maintaining the barriers was taking its toll, but her eyes remained locked on Sokram, pleading for reassurance.
“Of course, my love. You are the Core of our Evolution. I will never leave you behind. But I must go back for them. Forgive me,” Sokram replied, his voice steady but laden with sorrow.
The entities outside, Nhiria’s so-called siblings, unleashed a relentless barrage against her barriers, wielding every spell, technique, and weapon at their disposal. Each strike drained a part of her energy.
“Ugh! Cough!” Nhiria choked, blood spilling from her lips. Her once-luminous complexion turned ashen as her life force dwindled.
She cast a desperate glance at Sokram, only to see that he, too, was struggling.
One by one, her barriers began to falter.
Each crack in the shimmering walls felt like a blow to her soul.
Though she could have obliterated any single foe, the sheer number of attackers was overwhelming.
Their relentless assault drained her strength, and with each passing moment, her resolve wavered.
As the final barrier began to crack, Nhiria turned to him, her voice trembling. “Sokram!”
What she saw silenced her.
All concerns vanished as the world dissolved into utter darkness.
All existence ceased into complete and total nothingness.
Only two beings remained in the absolute void: Sokram and the embodiment of Fate, a radiant woman with golden hair and eyes, her celestial form draped in robes woven from starlight.
“What have you done, child?” Fate asked, her voice heavy with sorrow.
“I did what I had to do,” Sokram said, his voice steady but heavy with sorrow. “When you and your siblings failed to uphold your oaths, I was left with no choice. I couldn’t let my family's sacrifices be in vain.” his tone was devoid of regret but steeped in sadness.
“To what end? Now, only the void remains; there is no future I can see. Only you and I exist now, and even I am fading,” Fate murmured as her essence began to wither.
“Void? You, who have existed since the dawn of creation, cannot see beyond what I have done? Then it worked...” Sokram's words were followed by a bittersweet smile that bloomed on his face.
“I see now. You have surpassed even me...” Fate whispered as her form dissolved into the void.
“Fear not. Rest until you find yourself again, dear friend. So in the future, I will create, there is no hatred in your eyes when we meet again.” Sokram said softly as she vanished.
Alone, Sokram drifted into the void.
First, he lost his sense of touch, then his other senses, until even his awareness of existence faded.
Though he had lived for eons, the void felt both eternal and instantaneous.
As self-doubt gnawed at him, questions swirled in his mind.
Had the spell failed? Had he truly destroyed everything? Had he condemned the last of his loved ones?
Yet in the void, there was no pain, no emotion.
There was only nothingness... and in nothingness, Sokram drowned.