Chapter 632 Filling The Hole Pt 1
My eyes opened, and I felt a pain that I had long since burned away. I knew this moment, but being here only made the pain of my very first mistake and failure after getting my powers.
Below me was the scattered, and expanding debris of my once beautiful home world. In front of me was a man that I had once thought to be my best friend in the world, but jealousy will always be a disgusting beast that devours to get what it wants.
"What now, brother? Will you kill me?" Matthias asked, not a scrap of remorse in his voice.
"Is that all that is left of you?" I asked, gritting my teeth.
My heart was a hammer in my chest, but my rage was doused by my sorrow for what not only Matthias had done, but what I had been forced to do in response. Each time I tried to halt his destruction, we obliterated anyone that was near, but nothing I could do would stop him. His power was the same as mine, so neither could trump the other. The result of each clash was a massive discharge of energy that left nothing in its wake.
Now, the world and people that I had loved were all gone.
"How does it feel to have nothing? Do you feel that hole in your heart? Even if you kill me, that hole will never be filled! No matter how far you go, the haunting memories will linger, even if you close them away. Disaster will follow you, Galio, of this, I promise you."
The voice caught in my throat. The person I once thought of as a brother now only filled me with disgust, and it was hard to swallow down the bitter taste. But I had lost so much more than he could comprehend.
"I won't kill you, Matthias," I told him, my voice hollow. I extended my hand and in the palm, a small white sphere started to form.
"No, Galio. What are you doing?!" Matthias screamed but it was already too late.
"Goodbye, Brother," I said, my voice filling with sorrow. The sphere burst into a brilliant light, and before Matthias could even react, he was enveloped by it.
I wasn't sure if he'd ever get out, but it was a fate better than killing him, or worse, having him roam free again. With that, my past was ripped away from me by my own hands, leaving only an empty space filled with the debris of our once beautiful world.
Floating in the dark emptiness of space, I closed my eyes, drifting in and out of the conscious world. The sensation of weightlessness washed over me, and the feelings of exhaustion started to pull me under. And, I let myself be taken by the lull.
A delicate lullaby of silence.
...
When I opened my eyes again, I found myself facing a sprawling new world, painted green and blue against the backdrop of the universe. My once anxious mind was now filled with a strange serenity as I descended to the unknown planet known as Kathorn.
When I landed, I found myself amidst a scene of destruction and despair. The people of this planet watched as I descended from the heavens, their eyes widening with a combination of fear, wonder, and disbelief. I could see exhaustion etching their faces, blood smeared on their bodies from a relentless fight.
A man approached me, hastily dropping to his knees in a deep bow.
"You...You are the God sent from the Divine Plane to save us!" he murmured, his voice choking with emotion.
I beheld clusters of these humanoid beings, their frail bodies and weary eyes pleading for salvation. But I was merely a man who chose to take on the mantle of a god, I didn't know if I could save them. However, my silent contemplation was broken when the man continued to speak,
"For centuries, our planet Kathorn has been ravaged by a being of darkness, the Dark Empress - Xieus of Selvack," he lamented, his voice breaking as he uttered that name. There was fear woven into his narrative, a fear that ran deeper than mere dread for a calamity.
"For centuries, we were a peaceful people, living in harmony with our planet. We flourished, and so did our lands. But our tranquility was disrupted when Xieus, a mere child from the Selvack tribe, rose to power. She was different, possessing an alluring beauty and an uncanny wisdom beyond her years. We revered her, little knowing what she was capable of.
"As Xieus grew, her ambition to rule our world became more evident. Soon, she began gaining followers, including the small but influential size of her Selvack tribe. Then, in a bloody coup, she overthrew the High Council of Kathorn, declaring herself the Dark Empress. Her regime was ironclad and intolerant of any form of dissent.
"She scorched our sacred temples, maiming our priests and priestesses. Our once fertile lands were tarnished, the rivers ran red with blood, and the air filled with the cries of our kin. She took pleasure in our suffering, in our despair, using her dark magic to keep us at bay.
"She crafted terrifying beasts from dark magic and chaos, setting them loose to perpetuate the reign of terror on those who dared to oppose her. Life as we knew it altered to the cruel tune of Xieus's whim.
"And now, we stand at the brink of annihilation, praying for a savior to free us from this peril."
His words hung in the air, heavy with the weight of their suffering. A cold fury began to settle within me. I didn't know where I had landed myself, but now that I was here, I felt a surge of obligation to help these beings, but something deep inside of me stirred that this man-like creature was not telling me the truth.
"No one deserves to endure such suffering," I said, my voice cold and stern.
The people around me nodded, their eyes gleaming with desperate hope. But as I listened to their tale, I couldn't shake off the growing sense of uncertainty deep in my gut.
Part of me felt like they were leaving out a crucial part of the story. Or worse, painting an innocent being as a villain for their own benefit. After all, what would a primitive tribe gain from slandering a powerful figure like Xieus?
Without a word, I turned away from the people and scanned the desolate landscape. Far off in the distance, I could see plumes of smoke rising into the sky - a sign of the ongoing battle against the Dark Empress.
Watching their war-torn world, something inside me shifted. I didn't have any reason to trust these unfamiliar beings. But I couldn't ignore the destruction around me either.
As a god, it was my duty to restore balance, and I did not want to see another world destroyed. But as a man, part of me longed for a battle of power. Regardless of the truth, the Dark Empress, Xieus had somehow upset the balance of this world, and it was up to me to intervene.
"Take me to your capital," I said, turning back to Morkath. A confused murmur ran through the crowd, but it was Morkath who stepped forward with a bow.
"Of course, Lord Galio," he said, his voice reverberating with respect.
With that, I followed Morkath toward the heart of the catastrophe, stepping into a journey that would reveal the hidden truth of Xieus, the Dark Empress.
Little did I know, this was just the beginning of my tragic descent into a truth that would shake my understanding of people, and fray my views. A truth that was so profound that would eventually lead me to question my divine powers.
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