Amneris knew what had to be done. Some part of her had always known. Somewhere deep down, she always knew that when Enliatu returned, her own time would be over.
Her form shifted as she flew, her mortal skin giving way for her immortal form. She glanced at the ten items in her star-covered hand. Gods, they were tiny. In her other hand appeared a red crystal. Amneris had asked Ray to bring it, the crystal being given to her in secret. There was no way the others could know. Even Ray had no idea.
Amneris clenched her hands. The ten items and crystal disintegrated. She didn’t need them, not really. She’d only taken them to be sure they could never be used again.
No more second chances.
No more war between the God Worlds.
It would end here.
As she hovered before the Dark King, Amneris allowed her power to flare. As it did, it seemed that time itself slowed around them. The white light of her power surrounded them. No one could enter. No one could leave. The light would destroy everything it touched, she made sure of that.
“This is your plan,” Enliatu said. “Trap us in a star.”
“You should know by now I would never consider imprisoning you again,” Amneris said. “I learned that lesson.”
That was when something she never saw coming happened.
Enliatu raised his hands to his head, crying out in pain. It was almost like he was struggling for control of his own mind. Amneris could only watch as her power continued to wash over him. Enliatu thrashed, his voice splitting into two as he roared, “No more!”
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A flash of crimson. It hovered in front of Amneris in the faint outline of a man. It circled Amneris once before speaking in the new voice. “This is not over.” It vanished.
When Enliatu looked up again, she understood. This was no Supreme Ruler of Darkness. This man before her, he was nothing but a vessel for the power of the Silent Core. This was an old, weak, pathetic man.
His ruby eyes no longer glowed and were clear as ever. “Please,” Enliatu said, “you have to help me.”
Amneris cocked her head to the side.” Help you? With what?”
“It wasn’t me!”
Was he . . . begging?
“I did nothing, I swear! It was that damned God! He took over my body when I became King.” His words were tumbling out. “I tried to stop him but could not. His power, it was too much for me! I lost control. I was a prisoner in my own body, forced to watch as he killed and destroyed!”
There was a pause in his story. Long enough that Amneris could have said something. She didn’t.
“I remember it all, dear girl. It became clear once you gained the power of Naiu. I knew you could do it.” Enliatu held his hands before him in a sign of surrender. “You freed me from Naka’s control. Let me help all those I harmed. Please, let me make things right for once!”
For a moment, there was silence.
Then Amneris spoke. “No.”
Enliatu blanched.
“I don’t care for your sob story,” Amneris said. “I don’t care if Naka overtook you. I don’t care that his power was too much for your weak soul. And I care even less that you think you can fix everything. You can’t. You never will.”
“Please,” he breathed.
“And somehow, I can’t bring myself to care.”
The power of the Photon Core burned through her body. Those glowing symbols flared over her. It was enough to make her scream, had she not been laughing.
Amneris felt her immortal body rupture from the power it could no longer contain. It hurt. Oh Gods, it hurt, but she couldn’t stop laughing. Even when she was nothing but light, but pure energy, her body gone forever, she still laughed.
She could still see in this form. See Enliatu back away from her in fear, begging her to stop.
She would not waste mercy on this man.
The light she became exploded. Amneris felt her very existence ripping to shreds as the power tore her new form apart.
Until it reached the man before her who screamed and burned.
Until he was no more.
Until her own form was nothing.
Until she no longer existed in this world.
Amneris continued to laugh.