Raelen stood upon the ruins of the last battlefield, the quiet aftermath of his victory ringing in his ears. The slaughter of Zaros's generals had been swift, clean, and brutal. His powers were like an extension of himself—he had become an unstoppable force, an overwhelming tide of destruction that had wiped out anyone who dared to oppose him. But the calmness that followed was brief, as Raelen’s thoughts churned relentlessly, unable to find peace.
*Zaros.*
The name lingered in the back of his mind like an unanswered question. He could feel the presence of his enemy still, though Zaros had long ago retreated to the safety of his remaining strongholds. Raelen’s hand clenched at his side as the winds of his newfound power swirled around him. *I’ve killed his generals, crushed his armies, and still, the thought of him gnaws at me. What is it that I seek? Revenge? Justice? No. It’s something deeper.*
Raelen’s thoughts turned inward, recalling Nephthys’s cryptic words. *You are more than a warrior, Raelen. You are the bridge between the realms. Your bloodline is the key to unimaginable power. You must embrace it.*
His gaze turned upward, toward the distant horizon. It was no longer a question of *if* he would face Zaros. The true question was how—how could he end this war once and for all? What would it take to ensure that his enemy never posed a threat again?
Raelen’s eyes glinted with something sharp and unsettling. *If Zaros and I share the same bloodline... then perhaps the answer is not to kill him—but to absorb him.*
---
Days passed, and Raelen moved with silent purpose, erasing traces of Zaros’s territories wherever he went. The world beneath his feet seemed to tremble, the very earth responding to the might of his actions as his power pulsed through every corner of the land. He was no longer simply an agent of destruction; he was a harbinger of an inevitable fate that would see the world reshaped.
As he traveled, the landscape of Zaros’s empire fell behind him like a shadow. Kingdoms of once-proud cities were reduced to ash, and the cries of dying soldiers faded into the distance. He knew that his time had come to confront the one who had been the source of all this chaos—the dark ruler who had once stood tall against him, now a mere obstacle in the grand scheme of things.
*Zaros,* Raelen thought again, a strange sense of calm settling over him. *You’re nothing but a tool. I will use your blood to make this world mine.*
Raelen had already prepared for the coming clash, his bloodline and his powers intertwined in a way he couldn’t fully comprehend but instinctively understood. He was no longer just a being of magic and destruction—he had become a god in his own right. And if Zaros shared the same blood, then he too must be part of that divine lineage. Raelen knew that he could not simply defeat him; no, Zaros had to be absorbed—consumed—if Raelen were to truly unlock the full potential of his power.
---
Zaros’s fortress loomed ahead, a twisted mockery of grandeur nestled in the heart of a desolate wasteland. The once-imposing gates were now cracked and broken, the fortifications crumbling under the pressure of Raelen’s unchecked power. He had arrived.
The air around the fortress hummed with tension as Raelen walked toward it, the very ground beneath him buckling with each step he took. His presence alone was enough to send waves of energy rippling through the surroundings. He had been here before, but this time, he was no longer the one looking up at Zaros from below. No, he was the one who would bring the tower of darkness to its knees.
*He’s here.* Raelen could feel Zaros’s presence, like a pulse in the back of his mind—a dark, oppressive force. Raelen could sense the fear, the trembling hesitation that Zaros had long buried within himself. Despite his pride, Zaros was afraid. He could feel the weight of Raelen’s approach, the inevitability of what was to come.
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
And yet, Raelen did not rush. He did not storm the fortress immediately. No. He needed to make sure that this moment would be one of perfection. He needed Zaros to believe that there was still time, that he could fight back, before the inevitable claim of Raelen’s power consumed him completely.
Raelen’s body began to glow with an ethereal light as he approached the inner sanctum of the fortress. The magic within him swirled, expanding, contracting, as if waiting for the right moment to be unleashed. With each breath, Raelen’s form grew brighter, his power more refined. He had learned to focus it, to control the wild surges of energy that had once threatened to overwhelm him. Now, it was his weapon—his tool of domination.
Zaros was waiting, hidden deep within the fortress, his very presence a dark stain upon the air.
---
Inside the heart of the fortress, Zaros stood at the edge of a great obsidian pool, staring into the murky depths as though seeking answers. His once-great armies were no more, scattered across the land like forgotten dreams. His generals had fallen to Raelen’s wrath, his domains reduced to dust.
And now, Raelen stood before him, the conqueror, the one who had always been just beyond his reach.
Zaros turned slowly, a sneer twisting across his face. "So, you’ve come, Raelen. How predictable. You think you can defeat me, don’t you?" He spread his arms wide, his black cloak billowing in the wind. "I’ve watched you destroy my forces. I’ve seen you tear apart everything I built. But in the end, we are the same. You and I."
Raelen's eyes burned with a cold fire as he stepped into the chamber. His voice was low, full of quiet menace. "I don’t think I will defeat you, Zaros. I know I will. The question is... will you be erased, or will you join me?"
Zaros’s eyes widened, the arrogance in his posture faltering for just a moment. "What do you mean? Do you think you can control me?" His voice was harsh, laced with disbelief. "You have no idea what you’re dealing with. I am the ruler of this world! You are nothing but a fleeting shadow compared to me!"
Raelen took another step forward, his energy building. "You are nothing compared to what I’ve become," he said, his voice carrying the weight of every moment of struggle, every battle fought, every life taken. "Your blood runs through me, Zaros. That’s why you’re nothing but a tool, a stepping stone. And now, I’ll take what’s mine."
Before Zaros could react, Raelen moved.
A wave of energy erupted from Raelen’s body, crashing against the walls of the chamber. The force was enough to crack the very fabric of the air, sending shockwaves through the fortress. Zaros staggered back, his cloak whipping violently around him as Raelen’s power consumed everything in its path. The darkness that surrounded Zaros began to shift, flickering like a candle in the wind.
"I will absorb you, Zaros," Raelen said, his voice steady and unwavering. "You are part of me. And now, I will take everything you are."
Zaros’s eyes widened in horror as he realized the true meaning of Raelen’s words. His bloodline, his power—his very existence was being drawn into Raelen’s. He tried to resist, tried to conjure the shadows of his once-mighty empire, but it was futile. Raelen’s energy was too vast, too consuming. In a flash of light, Zaros’s form began to flicker, his body contorting in agony as Raelen's power surged through him like a flood.
"You should have known," Raelen whispered, his voice now carrying the full weight of his ancient bloodline. "Your reign ends here."
In that moment, the world seemed to bend, reality itself warping as Raelen’s magic reached its zenith. The very air twisted around them, and then, with a final, blinding flash of light, everything went dark.
---
Raelen stood alone in the center of the void, the remnants of Zaros’s essence swirling around him like a cloud of shadow and smoke. His breathing was steady, controlled—almost as though he hadn’t just absorbed the dark ruler of the world.
But there was no time to celebrate.
Raelen knew what he had done, and what it meant. He had absorbed Zaros, consumed his essence, his power, and with it, his very soul. It was a dark act, one that only someone of his bloodline could perform, but Raelen did not regret it. He was more than just a mage now—he was a force, a being whose power transcended time and space.
And he would not let it go to waste.
But something had shifted within him. A dark presence lingered at the edges of his mind. Zaros’s essence was now a part of him, a weight he could feel pressing against his consciousness. It was as if the darkness was trying to assert itself within him, a force that would not be so easily eradicated.
Raelen closed his eyes, focusing on the presence of the dimension that surrounded them. With a thought, the walls of reality began to close in, and Zaros’s presence—his very soul—was bound to Raelen’s own.
"I’ll deal with you later," Raelen murmured, his voice quiet but filled with a cold