Whisker had known he was being used by Varnok. He had played along, because it had seemed like the only path toward his revenge.
But that was before he met his star actor, Atticus.
Now, this fool wasn't his best path anymore. That child was.
And it was that child who would bring about Varnok's downfall.
Shakily, Whisker rose from the golden floor and looked his brother dead in the eye.
"My revenge is everything. I would never abandon it."
"Then why—"
"But," Whisker cut in with a grin, "who said I was giving it up? I'm simply walking the best path to accomplish my goal."
Varnok's gaze sharpened. "What are you—"
But then he stopped. He couldn't finish his sentence.
Varnok froze, tilted his head, and narrowed his eyes.
'What is that…?'
His World's Will, it was plummeting.
Before he could speak, Whisker let out a relieved sigh. "Ah… finally."
Varnok snapped his gaze toward him. "What are you talking about?"
"You feel it, don't you?" Whisker said, grinning. "You're losing your World's Will."
Varnok's eyes widened. "Don't tell me—!"
"Yep!" Whisker grinned like a lunatic. "You can thank my star actor for that."
"That's impossible! The twins lost!?" Varnok's voice shook with disbelief. "Even I would struggle to take them both down at once, and that boy's not even a god! How the hell did he—"
"The portal," Whisker said simply.
Varnok went still. "The portal…?"
The glow around his body was dimming, fast.
He had created the portal himself, linked it as a bridge between Eldoralth and the Zorvan world. Designed it to bypass the Aegis Shield. Which meant…
Atticus could use it.
Atticus… could enter the Zorvan world.
'He killed everyone?'
Varnok's eyes trembled.
Wasn't Atticus just nineteen? Didn't he love his family?
He had killed billions just to win? He had unleashed a genocide…
'I underestimated him.'
Varnok clenched his fists. The glow dimmed further. Then came the sound of footsteps.
He raised his head.
Whisker was walking toward him, cracking his knuckles, grinning like a man about to finally finish something he'd waited centuries for.
"Well, big brother," Whisker said. "Where did we stop?"
His voice dropped, turning cold.
"Oh right…"
"Are you ready to die?"
…
A flash of light ignited in the sky, and from it, a figure cloaked in blue materialized, hovering above, staring down at a boy blazing in red.
"Heyya!"
Atticus raised his eyes toward the sky. "I assume it was successful?"
Whisker grinned, then gave a solemn nod. He descended, landing softly beside Atticus. His gaze followed Atticus's, down to the ground below. The carnage.
"How do you feel?"
His voice had turned serious.
Atticus was silent for a few seconds, then finally answered.
"Normal. I don't feel anything."
The timeline hadn't reached that point. That was why, when Ozeroth arrived at the edge of the human domain and saw a massive pillar of purple light crashing down from the heavens, his heart lurched in his chest.
'It's him.'
Ozeroth's expression shifted violently. He felt it, an ancient, oppressive aura pressing down on his very soul. The weight of a true apex being.
His speed exploded. He tore through the air, a streak of purple. His arms moved instinctively, merging his twin hammers into a single colossal weapon.
And without hesitation, he hurled it with everything he had.
The hammer tore through the air like a divine missile, slamming into the base of the pillar.
The resulting explosion tore through the atmosphere. The sky cracked with thunder as purple light clashed with purple light, sending out a dome shaped shockwave that vaporized clouds, warped space, and hurled debris across kilometers.
But from within the haze, a figure was revealed.
Ozeroth.
And his expression was twisted in disbelief. Despite the force of that last attack…
Not a single crack. Not even a scratch had appeared on the pillar.
"What is this…?"
He tried to peer through the light, and what he saw chilled him to his core.
'Zoey… what the hell… what happened to Starhaven?'
His thoughts spiraled. He combed through every moment since the Aegis Shield had fallen.
Back when the kings had descended, he'd scanned the human forces, he'd seen Starhaven among them. Even Seraphina had been there.
But now… they weren't.
The only human family that mattered to Ozeroth was the Ravensteins. As long as he saw those white-haired men and women, he knew things were fine.
But now… only Zoey remained.
She sat, motionless, in the center of the pillar. Her eyes were closed. Her aura was strange.
'Shit! Bond! There's trouble!' Ozeroth tried to call out to Atticus.
No answer.
"Kuu!" Only Noctis's voice came through. But he couldn't ask the little guy to leave his post. That would compromise the entire alliance.
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