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From her chest, jagged shards and twisted black rods erupted violently, tearing through flesh as the red liquid gushed in a torrential flow. The air seemed to thicken with the metallic scent of blood, each spasm of her body sending shards rattling like broken glass. Magisa's form hung suspended, trapped within a lattice of glass and piercing rods.
"Magisa!"
Cepheus cried out, using what's left of him to free her from the mixed chaos. He held her powerlessly, with only pleading and crying to do. The glasses and rods faded into thin air, leaving her open.
"Magi, stay with me. Elaine, where are you?!"
Despite his loud search for anybody, he was still unable to identify Lady Elara's absence.
"Now that you have brought it up, I am curious as to where she went."
Phoenix muttered that he was looking everywhere but was unable to find Elaine's signature.
"Perhaps the Final Art of Cepheus did not fall on her, and she perished from Magisa's Final Art."
He sighed.
"Lady Elara! Lady E..."
His gaze fell on Phoenix, the only person he could see, and he hesitated.
"Why are you here? Where's Lady Elara?"
He inquired, but Phoenix only grinned in response.
"K...king..."
As she struggles to speak, Magisa stretches her arm to get his attention.
"Magi. Don't move. Hang on a bit. I'll find a way. Your brother always finds a way."
He comforted, but he knew deep inside that there was nothing he could do.
"Y..you can't...you no longer possess anything to save me... no one does."
"Don't talk too much. You're bleeding out."
He pressed his hand against her chest, attempting to staunch the bleeding, but this wasn't a normal cut, and there was more than one gaping wound.
"M...he exploited my Source against me, I... death is inevitable."
"Your sour..."
She swiftly covered his lips with her bloody hand and drew him in close until their foreheads touched.
"I have a lot to tell you guys but...I'm running out of time...so please forgive me an... and listen."
"I...I'll...I'm listening."
Holding her hand, he made the decision to face reality despite his struggles. She used every last ounce of might to create a barrier that isolated them from the rest of the world.
"Phoenix... is planning to awaken the Goddess of Destruction... in the midst of this war."
"W...what? G... Goddess of Destruction, Lady Elara's Tru..? That's not possible. She can't fit in, her presence alone will destroy everything. She...."
"Shhh.."
Her finger rested on his lips, shutting him up.
"Just listen... please. I understand it is impossible, but he has recently visited an unknown plane, and the vessel has already been deployed. She's awakening as we speak..."
"Who's powerful enough to be a vessel for the Goddess of Destruction?"
"An...Antares's wife, Towa."
"Antares, the Last King?"
"Yes, your best friend... you must find him and inform him immediately. He's the only one who can stop her."
"I get it, Anta's an anomaly, but he's not much of a threat."
"Y.. you'll have to see him for yourself."
Her arm withered and crumbled to dust. Cepheus' eyes widened as he realised there was not much time left.
His twin was going to die right in front of him, in his hands, and all he could do was watch. His eyes unexpectedly welled up with tears.
"Y... you're so cute when you cry."
She teasingly reminded him of the past. Her legs were already giving out, and the rot was moving up her body.
Then, in a soft and gentle voice, she began singing.
"Little King, don't you cry,
Stars are dancing in the sky,
Moon will guard you through the night,
Holding you in silver light."
The song broke the dam, and tears flowed freely from his eyes.
"Close your eyes, the world's at rest,
Dreams await in a velvet nest,
You're the ruler of my heart,
Even when the teardrops start."
He closed his eyes, unable to hold back the overflowing tears streaming down his cheeks.
"Shh, my King, sleep is near,
My voice is always here.
Little King, the night is long-
Let my love become your song."
Magisa's voice faded, and he opened his eyes, catching a glimpse of the smile on her face and the coldness of her hand disappearing as she turned to dust.
The lullaby was sung by Elara to Errai, who was once a crybaby Star. Despite turning evil, Magisa still had a good heart.
'M...Magi...don't leave me...I can't live without you...'
He pleaded inwardly. It is said that when one twin passes away, the other twin loses half of themselves. (I guess it's true:)
"Sweet, but who cares?"
Suddenly, a cold voice cut through the emotional state.
"I thought Stars were not made with emotions, and having one is considered a sin.?"
Phoenix, who was watching all the time, spoke up, the grin on his face widening, but Cepheus did not answer nor did he move.
"Didn't I tell you, a plan that reflects as constructed is the greatest pleasure in the world?"
He asked, but Errai couldn't provide an answer.
"I can not compete with Elara, no matter how much the earth and sky clash. She claimed to be an avatar of a being of higher Reality, and I was fully aware of the characteristics she would possess. Arrogance, pride, superiority, and so forth were all anticipated.
I used all I had to develop fake versions of her, alter egos to battle in order to exploit more of her weaknesses, and they eventually paid off.
Over the years, I learned about Magisa and her flaws, allowing me to manipulate her without using a curse. Since you will never be able to kill her, I will let you two fight while I tend to the Goddess. Although I made several mistakes in my estimates, I swiftly adjusted and revised the strategy without changing the outcome."
"Is this the conclusion you wished for?"
With a chilly tone, he questioned. This was not Errai's voice anymore; it belonged to someone else. Despite this, he kept his back to his adversary.
"Elara cannot be killed. Thus, the only way to deal with her was to seal her. Outcome? Accomplished."
He spoke the question and the answer in the same breath.
"Even though I did not care about you twins, I intended to have Magisa die in front of you. Because I knew I would have no need for someone like her after this war. Outcome? Accomplished."
He did it again. Cepheus had had enough. He stood with his back to Phoenix.
"Best feeling in the world, don't you think?!"
He extended his arms in celebration of his triumph.
"You saved Elyvra, but without its Goddess, the army will destroy it. Errai, you are a failure. You always have been. At the end of the day, you were unable to save anyone. I have important things to do, so please pardon my departure."
Politeness is in his blood as well as cruelty.
A mirror formed at his side, and he turned to leave, but Errai snapped his fingers, cutting the portal off before it could take hold. Phoenix spun back, only to be met with a fist that crashed into his face and sent him hurtling the other way.
He tumbled through the air, stripped of the control he once held over his movement. Mirrors flickered into existence, shards rising to catch and slow him, yet each one failed, slipping past him as though his grip on them had been severed.
Phoenix was blasted into the Unknown Space as he finally stood his ground.
'That bastard. How is he able to make me bleed when he's almost a mortal now?'
He thought, startled, pressing his palm to his bloodied face as it healed in an instant. Then, without a hint of delay, as if existence itself had bent to place him there, the Sloth King stood before him.
His eyes remained closed, crimson streaks of dried tears (blood) etched across his face like cursed tattoos. Waves of blinding white and impenetrable darkness radiated from his body, pulsing with a force that bent reality itself. The very air quivered, and the Unknown Space beneath seemed to waver under the weight of his presence.
'I... I can feel Magisa within me. Through the Fragment of Divinity she left behind, our Essereos have harmonised my powers resonating with hers in perfect unity. We are no longer twins with different Arts, but one existence merged beyond separation.'
(Essereos = The source she was talking about.)
"T... this is bad..."
Phoenix struggled to regain his bearings, desperate to flee, but Errai moved without hesitation, striking with precision as though Phoenix were already transparent. Not a glance was spared, his attack was inevitable and inescapable.
A blinding black-and-white explosion ripped through the void, tearing reality apart. Phoenix was thrown back, his body shredded by the blast, his artificial right arm obliterated, nothing left but searing light and smoke.
(The arm Kenos separated can not be healed. It's gone. He made an artificial one as a result.)
"You wanna die?"
Phoenix asked, enraged. His crimson aura erupted like a storm, tearing through the void as the Crimson Moon and an endless mirror began to manifest, each one pulsing with power far beyond Archetypal control.
"Fine. I'll be happy to take you out!"
He roared, energy spiraling around him like a collapsing star. He has been playing all along for all these years, but now, he's ready to go all out on this novice.
But before his creation could stabilize, the half-formed mirrors shattered violently. In an instant, an overwhelming force seized him, ripping Phoenix violently out of the scene and scattering the remnants of his power across the Unknown Space.
It looks like Errai was behind it, but he wasn't.
"Someone saved him."
He murmured to himself, cursing at the intruder for seizing his vengeance.
Phoenix escaped the violent pull, walking out of a mirror appearing in the Abyss.
"Why did you interfere?"
This is the first time he asked straight up, keeping his politeness and respect for the Emperor. Said individual was standing with his back to Phoenix. It seems like he hasn't moved since the gathering.
"It'll be so satisfying to end that kid for good."
"The Goddess was your target. There's no need to waste your time on Errai."
He replied calmly.
"So I'm just going to let it slide?"
"I suggest you do. Go focus on the task at hand."
Suddenly, his temper cooled like nothing ever happened. Yet his expression didn't change.
"I'm almost done. But now that I'm free, where else can I waste my time?"
He asked, a mirror materialised, and he left.
The Star with the wildest ambition of destroying the Goddess beyond his existence has taken a huge step in his plan.
And with that, the Dark Stars are taking the lead.
To be continued...