~Chapter 13~

~When in drak seek the light~

Town Square Podium~

"My brothers and sisters!" a man shouted from the podium. He wore ragged clothes and carried a massive cross slung across his back. An elderly man, with white hair and a short, frail stature, he raised his voice with passion.

"My brothers and sisters, the time has come!" he yelled.

Passersby paid him little attention, offering only fleeting glances as they hurried along their way.

"I am but a false shepherd here to guide the blind flock," he declared. "I am a humble servant of your true mother. Blessed be her name!" He raised his hands high above his head, his voice trembling with conviction.

"The time is near. The skies shall split, the stars shall fall. My brothers and sisters, the end is upon us!" he proclaimed.

"Aman!" he shouted suddenly, his voice cutting through the noise of the square.

"I have seen it! The darkness has entered! Once, we were forgiven—"

"Aman!" he cried again.

"But twice—twice, we shall be punished!"

"Aman!"

"Praise her for this! The last Romulous! Aman!"

"Romulous!"

"Aman!"

Passersby continued to ignore him, their disinterest unwavering.

"Romulous!" he shouted again, his voice growing hoarse.

"Aman! Romulous! Aman!"

His cries echoed against the stone walls of the square.

"Praise her, brothers! Praise her, sisters! Praise the Founders and repent your sins to the Mother!"

"Romulous! Aman! Romulous! Aman!"

He repeated the words with unyielding passion until his voice gave way to a rasp.

Under the Stairs~

"No, Livana! I will not do anything like that! Are you insane?"

Melody, still in shock from what she had heard, turned to me. "Madoxx, who is she? And what is she talking about?"

"It's... complicated, Melody," I answered. "But I used to know her."

"Madoxx, it's the only way," Livana pressed. "You don't see it now, but it will save you so much pain if you listen to me."

"They’re people too, Livana! How can you ask me to do that?" I shouted.

"You’re a good person, Madoxx. That’s why when you call for me, I will help you. But for now, I’ll take my leave." With those words, she melted back into the shadows.

"Madoxx..." Athena said softly.

"No! I promised to help you, but not like that," I said firmly.

"I understand," Athena replied, Zen standing silently by her side. "We understand," she repeated.

A loud crash echoed above us. A door had been kicked open, followed by hurried footsteps and overlapping voices.

"Sir, it’s empty," a man said.

"Bring in the old man," another commanded.

"I swear he came in here!" rasped an elderly voice. "I saw him with my own eyes—a strange boy in a trench coat and a large hat."

"What do we do now, Madoxx?" Melody asked.

That question always unsettled me. Why did they all look to me for answers? Did they forget I had already failed? That most of our friends had died because of me? That I was only here to save the ones who were dying right now because I had been in charge?

"Madoxx?" Melody’s voice pulled me back to reality.

"I can’t fail again. I won’t."

"Okay," I said. "We need to move. There are about a dozen of them out there. The staircase is narrow, so their numbers won’t give them much of an advantage since they’ll have to funnel in one by one to get inside."

"Any other exits?" I asked Zen.

"No, only up those stairs," he replied. "The floor is wooden, so, we could break through it and rush for the door if we’re surrounded."

"Instead of fighting them head-on, we’ll set a trap. We wait for them to gather, then collapse the floor beneath them. While they’re recovering, we make our escape."

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"Sounds good," Athena said. "But what if we don’t catch all of them?"

"Then we fight," I said grimly.

Melody nodded, her fists clenched. "Understood."

We waited until we were sure all the soldiers had entered the room. A single beam held the floor steady.

"Now, Melody!" I ordered.

She leapt into the air and shattered the beam. The floor collapsed in a shower of rubble, and the soldiers plunged into the basement below.

"Go!" I shouted to Athena and Zen. They ran up the stairs, with Melody close behind.

I slammed my hand against the ground, unleashing a wave of ice that pinned the fallen soldiers to the floor. Then I turned and followed the others.

Molina Poor District Square

A man stood on a broken, rundown bench, his voice ringing out like a prophet’s cry.

"I have seen it, brothers! I have seen it, sisters! Salvation is near! The end is coming!"

He wore robes similar to the man from the town square in New Molina.

"Romulous is close! When darkness falls, brothers and sisters, seek the light! I am the light! I am the shepherd! Listen to me! You were abandoned once, but not again!"

"She is close! The skies will fall, brothers! The stars will fall, sisters! Romulous is here! Praise her—Aman! Praise her—Aman!"

The poor of Molina were too weak to listen. Most ignored him, their faces weary from suffering.

"I have seen the light! Follow me, and you will be saved!" he screamed.

Magnus stood nearby, a smirk on his face. "Soon," he said.

"Let’s go," he added, turning away.

"Yes," a cloaked woman replied, following him.

Abandoned House~

We burst through the front door, only to freeze in shock. Before us stood not one or two soldiers, nor ten or twenty. An army of over a hundred men surrounded us, wands drawn and aimed.

At their head was a man who seemed to be their commander.

Madoxx you are being detained for conspiracies against the great kingdom of veloria come quietly or die here on this spot.

Church cathedral~

A meeting was being held by 5 people in white cloaks

What is the meaning of this Magnus one of the people asked

We have completed her mana pool now we enter the final stage don't you see we are so close he responded

We tire of your constant ways of going against the church Magnus

Already the boy runs rampant in veloria doing as he pleased and you sit here and say we are on schedule another reprimanded

Yes I have worked in this for years now and I see it's ending the boy is in veloria as we planned Strong enough to compleat the ritual what more do you want Magnus shouted back

We do things with order and without biest another reprimanded

It became personal as soon as you brought her another pointed at the girl who escorted Magnus

"No! No! No! you sit on your ass out there sipping wine and fattening your stomachs, while I do all the dirty work and you have the balls to reprimanded me!" Magnus said annoyingly.

"Calm your self Magnus ,are you not aware it is only because of us you have even had the chance to climbed so high."

Magnus paused for a second "yes I apologize." he said dismissively.

"I have dispatched the two priests and they have begun the service."Magnus said repressing his tone.

"Good but remember not to act alone any longer your almost home don't spoil it." another said.

"By the order of the church go forth and act in her name then." They said collectively.

"Yes I understand." Magnus said bowing .

The 5 figures disappeared.

"Fuck all of you." Magnus said getting to his feet "I've done this all by my self and I will finish it the same way."

Carriage~

"I must say, Madoxx, I’m unsure why the king has made such a big deal over you. A special order to send you, of all people, to Bountyreach? I’ve never heard of such a thing."

I looked at the man. He was large and broad-shouldered, with a round face dominated by a thick orange beard that almost completely hid his features. His nose was big, and his orange hair matched his beard perfectly. His light orange eyes studied me carefully.

"Listen, kid, I don’t know what you’ve gotten yourself into, but I have my orders," he said, his voice gruff.

Melody sat across from him, shooting him a distasteful glare but saying nothing.

We rode in silence for what felt like thirty minutes until the landscape opened up. The area was barren, with nothing in sight but sand and scattered scrubs. It was almost desert-like. Further ahead, broken statues and chipped walls came into view, remnants of what seemed to have once been a thriving town.

What shocked me most was the sound of shouting behind us.

"Aman Romulous! Aman Romulous! Aman!"

We turned to see a long line of people marching behind us. Leading them were two old men in tattered clothing, each carrying a massive cross on their backs.

The people who followed them moved like the undead, their bloodshot eyes fixed straight ahead, their lips repeating, "Romulous." Their hands were shackled, bound by a glowing, magical tether connected to the crosses the old men carried.

It was a haunting sight, a mix of royal men and women from New Molina, alongside the poorest citizens of the same kingdom. Their movements were sluggish, but their pace was unified as they marched through the desert.

"Aman Romulous! Aman Romulous! Aman!"

"Praise the Mother!" the priests at the front shouted.

"We repent our sins!" the crowd chanted back in eerie synchronization.

The guard riding in the carriage with us leaned out, his face full of confusion. "What is going on today?" he muttered, scratching his head as he watched the scene unfold.

Ahead of us was a city. It had to be Bountyreach.

The city was unlike anything I had seen before—a lush expanse of greenery, farmland, and water surrounded by desert. At its center was a colossal pyramid, towering above everything else, with a beam of light shooting straight into the sky.

The carriage rolled to a stop just outside the kingdom gates.

With a clearer view, I could see the city’s vast, fertile lands stretching for miles. Workers moved through fields, carriages and horses hauled crops and goods, and grand buildings lined the streets. Statues made of pure gold gleamed in the sunlight, scattered throughout the city.

At the gate stood another stone tablet. Like before, the words etched into it were clear to me:

And I,

God's last act,

His final words,

"I shall return home."

But before the gates close behind me,

I will choose,

One to rule heaven,

One to reign in hell.

Many will be called,

But only two can rise.

One to govern the light,

One to master the dark.

To these, my chosen, I command:

When the stars have fallen,

When the dust and the battle is won,

Come before me,

And Bow ,

And tell me that the task is done.

For this is no gift I bestow,

But a duty.

The weight of creation upon your shoulders,

The games will begin,

And all of existence shall bear witness.

Loud enough so that I may not miss it.

There, an angel will be born. Same with a demon.

Then rise to the top and take your place.

It seemed that all the statues told a story—of the actions God took in the past. Unfortunately, I didn’t have the time to worry about that now.

The crowd of people behind us grew closer and closer.

The weather changed dramatically. The sunny, clear skies suddenly became darker and darker.

The crowd, which seemed to be the size of an entire kingdom, stood behind us now in a hypnotized state, swaying from side to side.

The priests stood at the front, their hands raised high in the air.

“Father, we have arrived,” they said.

The sky darkened further as clouds filled the air, and lightning began to strike.

The crowd of townsfolk raised their hands to the sky.

The priests began to hum, and the people followed in unison.