Morgac and Solgen had their backs turned against us as they faced the Pillar, Luna.
“Isaac, Laila! Stay behind me!” Solgen warned.
I stubbornly shook my head at her desperate plea. “Let us help you! She can’t defeat all of us if we work togethe-“
“No! I forbid you to join this fight! Luna is not to be trifled with! Aside from her brother, she is one of the more sadistic ones!”
“Solgen tells the truth,” Morgac said. Volken nodded his head in agreement as his fingers twitched. “She, myself, and Volken have seen what they are capable of.”
“T-Then… what do you want us to do?”
“Myra, Zelke. I want you two to take my pupils far away from he-“
“Not so fast,” Luna said coldly as she raised one of her arms.
The chills I've been having ever since Luna arrived have only become colder, as if I'm standing in the middle of a snowdrift. While I was examining the depths of Luna's carmine eyes, that was when time seemed to have slowed down to a crawl. I felt a warm liquid splash directly on the back of my neck. I cautiously rotated my head to determine what had just touched me. Maybe it was a wet hand? Or someone accidentally spat on me. There could be a water leakage above me. I mostly thought of those stupid scenarios, but I was actively avoiding the truly terrifying ones…
“Isaac, Laila! Keep your eyes forward!” I heard Solgen shout.
We ignored Solgen’s wishes and turned around. What we witnessed would haunt us for as long as we lived. Myra and Zelke, the two acquaintances we had become very familiar with in a mere week of survival, were immobile. Their heads were blown cleanly off. Tennis-ball-sized replicas of the moon hovered where their heads used to be, their blood dripping off the object.
I was horrified at the sight, and my jaw clattered. My mind went blank out of sheer shock as my arms and legs convulsed. Isaac continued to look upon them fearfully, his mouth quivering... a reflex I had not seen since we were kids.
“Y-You little bitch,” he snarled, pulling out his Torqinite sword. Morgac stuck his arm out, prohibiting him from moving further.
“Were those your little friends, human boy? They were extremely weak. It only took one of my moons to kill them. Too bad it’s dirtied by rat blood, blergh…”
Luna called back her little moons to her fingers. They swirled around, shaking the blood off like a dog out of a pool. The veins in Isaacs’s neck bulged as his hands trembled.
“That THING killed Myra and Zelke right in front of us! If you’re going to stop me, old man…”
Isaac pushed aside Morgac’s arm and ran at the Pillar, until someone stepped forward, blocking him. It was Volken who stopped Isaac. He was looking down at Isaac with pity in his eyes.
“Do you have a death wish, boy? Right now, you are following the footsteps of Solgen, rushing in headfirst without a plan. Need I remind you of how that went down?”
Isaac did not respond to Volken's words but was determined to continue. Volken stepped aside, letting Isaac pass.
“Continue on if you wish. But remember- what would your sister think of your actions? Are you going to die just to satisfy your spur-of-the-moment vendetta? And leave your sister all alone? What a brother you are…”
That comment had Isaac stop dead in his tracks. He whirled his body around, facing Volken with clenched teeth.
“I don’t want to hear that from someone like you. I don’t remember torturing my sister and jailing her underground. Don’t compare us siblings to you guys, you selfish pri-“
Volken suddenly jerked his head to the side and shoved Isaac out of the way. Soon after, a loud squish vibrated throughout the space. When I laid my eyes on Volken’s body, I couldn’t help but cover my mouth at an outcome that seemed so outlandish, I thought this was definitely a nightmare I’m experiencing. Isaac’s eyes bulged out of his eye sockets as he watched Volken.
Volken got down on one knee as a terrifying hole appeared in his stomach. While they were talking, Luna shot one of her moons at Isaac, but Volken stepped in at the last second to push him aside, taking the attack head-on instead. A pool of blood was dribbling out of the hole, staining the carpet.
Luna giggled maniacally as she summoned more moons. “You’ve been talking for so long, I thought I had to shut you guys up! I thought this would be fun since this is an extermination job, but I think I’ll just finish this up instead.”
“G-go, escape from this place while you still can,” Volken wheezed.
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“B-But… why did you save me?” said Isaac, his voice barely a whisper.
“If it’s you two, I’m sure you can fulfill the prophecy. The one who will kill the Pillars… and save us-will-be…”
Volken’s eyes rolled into its socket as he slumped over his own fluids.
“Oh, finally that little worm kicked the bucket. Honestly, I didn’t agree with sparing your lives back then. You made no difference to our plans whatsoever! It’s just so funny to me!”
The little girl's eyes sparkled with joy as her cackles echoed through the room. She truly was a sadistic person. It made me sick to my stomach. I gradually lifted my eyes to meet Solgen's, wondering what she was thinking. She did not display any emotion as she observed her brother in a motionless position on the floor. When I looked down at her hands, a red liquid dripped from her palms.
“Well, it’s time to end this. Going back to bothering my brother is way more amusing than this little ‘event’. Bye-bye now!”
Luna fired all ten of the moons across the room. Solgen was peeking over her shoulder as she addressed me in a sad, but hopeful tone.
“Laila… Please, live on and fight for what you believe in. Do not get discouraged by the events that occurred here.”
“…Huh? W-Wait… Why are you-“
Blue sparks were forming right under me, steadily swallowing me whole.
“Solgen… What are you doing?!”
Solgen did not try to face me and said, “We’ll stall for time for as long as possible. I hope you won’t forget us. Just know, the time I spent with you guys, although short-lived, was one of the best moments I’ve experienced.”
The Apithien closed her hand in a fist, and the portal widened. As I slithered down, holding my arm out to her, all I could see was her beautiful, yet sad smile. That would be the last time I would see Solgen. The person who saved us from the clutches of Volken. The master who trained us when we were struggling. Our benefactor who only cared about our well-being in this world and saved us many times…
With a pop, the portal closed as the blue sparks dissipated into the dark dimension. Soon after, Isaac was thrown inside also, being placed right next to me. Without acknowledging each other, all we did was look out at the night stars of the dimension. We were too shocked to even move or blink. The stars that would blink gracefully and usually soothe our souls weren’t comforting at all. The stillness and quietness were haunting as they reminded us of the dead corpses of our friends, Myra and Zelke. And maybe even Solgen and Morgac.
I don’t know how long we’ve been like this, but it felt like an eternity. Tears were forming as my vision blurred. They came out like the walls of a dam had just been destroyed. Soon came the sniffling from the build-up of mucus, and then the wails of grief. Curling my hands into a ball, I punched at the ground while crying my heart out, my knuckles turning red. My brother would have the occasional hiccup, he too sniffling. Once again, we have lost those dearest to us. Once again, it happened right in front of us our very eyes. Once again, we were powerless to prevent the tragedies that occurred. We were left with no choice but to weep at our loss together.
****
“Man, that was soooo boring! All they did was talk, talk, and talk! I seriously thought I would die of boredom back there! Killing those three fools at the end was enjoyable, at least. That gray-haired woman was tearing up as she rushed at me with fury in her eyes! Who knew that she was still fond of her brother after all they had been through! It makes me want to vomit. Too bad those two humans escaped. I’m sure Artoic informed me they were top priority, but I forgot. Oh well! I should probably tell Artoic the good news.”
Fiddling with the System, I sent Artoic a request to speak. “Come on, pick up already slow poke!”
Approximately one minute later, a figure who had recently awoken from their nap was visible on the holographic projection. She yawned as she stretched and addressed me.
“Oh? Done already Luna? That was fast.”
“Of course! They were no sweat at all. I killed all of them! Well, most of them…”
Artoic furrowed her brow and said, “Most of them?”
“Well…You know those two humans you told me I had to kill? They escaped and I do not know where that gray-haired woman teleported them to.”
Artio gave me a long stare before releasing a sigh. “…That’s fine. Those humans should get the memo. If they want to defy us, they should be prepared for their friends to be sacrificed.”
“And you call me sadistic? How cruel… Anyway, I’ve completed this little job. It’s time to go bother Solis now. Cya!”
I quickly shut off the transmission between us with a huge smirk on my face. As I thought of ways to annoy Solis, I heard dripping at my side.
“Hm? Oh… I forgot I had blood all over, silly me! I should go wash first. Solis always throws a fit whenever blood gets all over him. What a neat freak.”
After examining the damage I had caused one last time, I rose from the ground and left through the same entrance I had come from. Since the moon is out, my power grows by leaps and bounds. Bathing in the moonlight calms me. It’s one of my favorite past times!
“Oh! I almost forgot! I promised them I would raze this entire city to the ground. I’m not one to lie. It’s also almost time for sunrise. If I want to destroy this city, now’s the time.”
I held a palm up at the sky, pointing it at the moon. Mana rapidly converged into one as I borrowed the power of the moon. A few moments later, what stood on top of my palm was the moon, albeit a smaller version. If I had to guess its size, it would be around 1 million square feet. Just enough to fully wipe Port Silis off the map.
“Bye-bye, Port Silis!”
To make sure I was not affected by the blast, I elevated myself enough to be beyond its range. I observed the city beneath me as the moon gradually descended from the sky. The people of Port Silis left their homes to look skywards. Some of them had frightened looks and were screaming bloody merry. More and more got on their knees and prayed, and others would just forfeit their lives, accepting the inevitable outcome of death.
“Oh… this is what I like to see! Squashing ants under your thumb is the best feeling!”
The moon dropped steadily, and before long, finally reached its target. A deafening crash, like the sound of a thousand cannons firing at once, was heard from the depths of Athiens as the moon dug further into its recess. I watched on in delight as the moon enveloped the whole city, effectively encompassing and killing everyone at once.
“That should be enough. Back you go!”
A snap later, the moon disappeared. What used to be Port Silis was now a gigantic crater that stretched endlessly underground.
“Port Silis is no more! I shall now deem this area as The Bottomless Pit! Now then, it’s time to head back. I’ve had my fill of enjoyment. Defying the gods will bring about this outcome. Struggling is pointless. All you mortals can do is wait for your demise.”