===

The distinct cry of Wyverns resounded- A shriek that filled the heart with terror, signifying imminent doom.

As the thick putrid fog enveloped the trio forming a veil, the legion of Vex halted, surrounding it from all sides they fired.

A toxic shower of bullets threatened to pelt the three guardians like hail, but Kabr stepped up. A thin barricade emerging from his stride, negating all attacks.

"Clear them out."

He marched towards the Templar.

Pahanin's apparitions flickered as he clutched his sword, a sharp glint shimmered from the blade's edge.

Kabr faced the veil's boundary his gaze set on the Vex mind. An instant later, silver streaks danced like raging thunder, a fierce typhoon rampantly threatened to tear through all present.

And then, everything went white.

-Clink-

His blade sheathed once more, Pahanin's phantoms raced to his shadow, becoming one.

The dust settled, and rocks crumbled, Praedyth's veil scattered like mist. What remained was only ruin.

As a legion of Wyverns and hobgoblins was ruthlessly slaughtered in the blink of an eye, radiolaria akin to ichor muddled with dirt bled into the soil.

Standing on top of the crippled horde, Kabr crushed the head of a goblin beneath his feet.

"You've lost."

Akin to the final trumpet, Templar shrieked and mourned, not for its loss, but for its own error. Its core shined brighter, preparing for another ritual.

In its eyes, the three unknown lightbearers had ruined the sanctity of the temple. An act of defiance within its Vault. One that it could not forgive.

It had given them a chance to surrender against the legion. But the fools had squandered it choosing to resist. The Templar felt only pity, if it even could.

For the Vex mind had long since celebrated its victory. The moment it had laid eyes on the intruders, a million futures flashed by its mind.

The Templar won, every single time.

Who was the strongest? The Hive? The Fallen? The Guardians?

No. It was time.

Time was the inevitable conqueror, the destined king. It was time that consumed everything. From the moment the universe began, time had fought against it, racing to its demise.

One thing was certain, through time immemorial, time alone was the ultimate victor. The Vex had discovered this through eons of their own existence, resulting in the Vault of Glass.

A unique point outside existence itself, a place where all timelines converged for a meeting between the past, present and future. Where every moment of time existed all at once.

The Templar's cry caused the well to shudder, and then everything froze. Kabr, Pahanin and Praedyth watched in awe as shards and fragments raised off the ground, and scattered into a turbulent swarm.

Preadyth's face turned pale as he realized the extent of the Templar's power, "He's rewinding time"

Piece by piece, the butchered Vex legion was put back together, and then the Wyvern's shrieked.

Kabr's frown tightened, the Templar was a Vex mind like no other he'd faced, "Stay focused, we need a way to bypass his shields."

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

It was evident now that no matter how many legions they slaughtered, the Templar could bring them back. But Kabr could see an impenetrable shield hovering around the it.

He'd seen it himself, despite Pahanin's rampant assault, the Templar was entirely unscathed.

Suddenly, interrupting his thoughts, the vex legion began its unrelenting barrage of assaults. Kabr instinctively erected a ward. But two Wyverns erupted towards the horizon with a squall, lightning surged in their core as they dove headfirst.

"Pahanin!" Kabr's eyes gleamed with aura, his hands occupied with the ward.

"I got it." His figure flickered, and the scabbard clicked. A rising slash sliced the air and cleaved the Wyverns before their plummet.

Praedyth summoned his strength as a grave pressure built around him. He rose through the air, an umbral coat of light surrounded him, immediately it erupted, turning most Vex to dust.

Despite their show of force, Templar was far more focused on summoning its second oracle. Though unknowingly, Pahanin had destroyed the first one. the Vex mind had immediately initiated its second try.

However, Praedyth had caught on to its odd actions. His instincts as a warlock flared-Whatever it was, he needed to stop it.

Channeling his light, Praedyth warped, tearing through dimensions as he appeared above the Vex construct, before it could react, the warlock glimmered with light that condensed around his figure.

Templar's calculations ran amok as it realized the nature of the Warlock's attack, seeking to slip away, a fracture appeared in the Vaults dimension.

"You're not running anywhere." Instantly, dark chains erected from within the ground, binding the Vex mind to a singular plane of existence.

Pahanin and Kabr had long since prepared for Praedyth's assault, huddled around under multiple wards, the two knew exactly what was to come.

"Perish"

The space around the templar began to crumble, as light seeped in through its shield, corroding its very being, and then an explosion engulfed everything, it felt like the world had shattered like glass.

Following the dimensional fracture, Praedyth panted and gently fell to his knees, the drawback of such power was extremely fatal.

Yet facing him, the Templar still stood, its corrupted figure rejuvenated with each passing second. Though the blow was deadly, it wasn't enough to wipe him out.

However with the Vex legion turned to dust, the Templar shrieked again, summoning more oracles its core beginning to shine brighter.

Despair flushed Praedyth's being as he scrambled to his feet, but just as time sought to rewind, a tyrannical presence overwhelmed the Templar.

Kabr, shot forwards like a raging star, ramming fist first into its regenerated shield, blasting Templar through two stone columns as it tumbled in the air.

"You."

Before it could process the situation, the ground cracked beneath Kabr's feet, he flickered.

"Will not."

He threw out another strike from above, slamming Templar into the ground below.

"Win."

Kabr ricocheted off a pillar, erupting downwards Kabr locked his hands and crushed the Templar into a crater.

Despite it all, a fifth oracle appeared. Kabr felt an invisible force intensely repel him, as Templar rose from the ground. None of his attacks had pierced the shield.

Witnessing the Templars ascent, Preadyth's heart tensed "This is...it's the same as before."

The vision he had seen flashed in his mind, a helpless battle against the Vex mind, and then came nothing. It had all went blank. The warlock knew that his vision held more than he could understand.

The emptiness he felt caused his mind to shudder, it wasn't something he could comprehend.

"I'll try to syphon the shields, hold him down!" Praedyth felt a sudden urgency as he gathered his remaining light.

Not letting Templar fix its machinations, Pahanin followed up with relentless attacks using his specters, rapid silver streaks zipped past the battlefield as he engaged the Vex mind in an endless tango of blades.

-The Sixth oracle sang-

The Templar's aura surged, an unknown power coursed through it. Aiming to interrupt it again, Praedyth summoned the chains, serpentine restraints that shot towards the Vex mind in an attempt to bind him down.

Yet this time, Templar warped away rapidly, aware of the chains nature. Kabr intercepted its retreat as he struck with glowing fists, hurling the Templar into the cavern rock.

Mere seconds away from completing the oracles ritual, the Templar had identified it's biggest obstacle.

It wasn't the silver specters that chased him endlessly, nor the behemoth that slammed it around.

As a myriad of chains spiraled towards it, the Vex mind was certain. The strange warlock was the only one capable of bypassing its shield, the target was set.

Praedyth felt his heart race, something was wrong. Templar's gaze had changed, and he could feel it.

Not a second later he heard it. That dreadful sound in his vision.

-The Seventh Oracle Sang-

The world halted.

Pahanin and Kabr were unable to move, still on the Templar's tail.

Time seemed to bend to Templar's will, and there was only one commandment.

Praedyth was to be no more.

The world flashed bright, as every iteration of the universe converged within the Templar's own axis. Like a river merging into a lake.

Composing the symphony of Time, the Templar had chosen to discard a singular tune and the world complied.

As the time flowed once more, the gears of the world shifted to align to a new axis, a change that resonated everywhere within the universe.

Praedyth felt it in his being, his soul was fleeting.

Pahanin and Kabr watched as the world shifted. Every mention of Praedyth was erased.

The warlock felt his vision turn hazy. He looked to his hands that began to scatter like dust. It was then he understood the emptiness he had foreseen- The erasure of his existence.

Now, Praedyth was but a myth.