As the group moved across the battlefield's wasteland, they passed between the petrified bodies of the dead, frozen mid-swing, locked forever in their final desperate moments. Some figures appeared to be crawling away, reaching toward salvation that would never come. It was not long before they came upon a structure carved into the mountainside. A temple stood before them, guarded by two towering statues. The figures were the same dragon-like beings glimpsed sparingly throughout the ruined city of Elda'mir. One was carved from white marble, the other from obsidian black. Each held a sword planted into the ground at their feet, their heads bowed in solemn reverence.
Etched into the stone between them was a massive door. Without hesitation, Laphisto approached and pressed against it. Almost as if responding to his presence, the door began to pull open on its own. Beyond lay a narrow passage, simple in construction but lined with Aetherium crystal lanterns and torches. Their eerie glow shifted between colors, from green to blue to purple, washing the walls in ghostly light. At the far end of the corridor sat a massive double throne, and slumped upon each seat were two colossal skeletons, barely visible in the shifting glow.
The moment everyone had stepped into the temple, the door began to shut of its own accord. Laphisto seemed to pay it no mind, continuing forward without hesitation, walking deeper and deeper into the temple's depths. Suddenly, without warning, they were all thrust into a vision. including
Derron Daks
The ruined temple around them was gone. In its place stood a pristine sanctuary, with the broken ceiling restored high above their heads. Golden inlays gleamed brilliantly across the walls and floor, and the dark, rooted fog that had choked the air before was swept away, replaced by the radiant light of Aetherium crystals and flickering torches. As the group looked outward, they saw two towering figures, each standing over seventeen feet tall, looming over a kneeling Kiev'arian. The warrior knelt with his head bowed low, his sword driven into the ground before him in a gesture of devotion.
The figures spoke, with the golden one addressing the kneeling warrior first. "
And to which god do you serve?" For a moment, there was only silence. Then the man looked up at the white-scaled dragon figure, whose golden eyes swirled like living fire.
"I serve Dra'ko, the God of Life and Creation." The golden-white dragon, now revealed as Dra'ko, turned to glance at the other figure. This second being was wrapped in darkness, its scales blacker than the night itself. Even the light of the chamber seemed to bend and recoil away from its form. Dra'ko turned his gaze back to the kneeling warrior. He raised one hand over the man's head, and the Kiev'arian suddenly reeled back with a scream. the energy of his Fire Tear, was drawn from him and absorbed by Dra'ko. Yet in its place, the god's own energy poured into him.
When the warrior rose to his feet, his eyes now mirrored Dra'ko's. golden, swirling, and burning with a fire-like brilliance. A second vision followed immediately after. Another Kiev'arian stepped forward and spoke different words.
"I serve Saura'vix, the God of Death and War." The obsidian figure, the god of darkness, stepped forward and performed the same ritual. Energy was drawn from the kneeling warrior and replaced, and when he stood, his eyes burned with the same dreadful power as Saura'vix.
With a flash of light, the souls from the crystals carried by
Diarch Reign
,
Diarch Rellik
, and
Zinayn
suddenly appeared. The soul from Zinayn's crystal materialized beside him, standing at seven foot one. She was cloaked in a soft shimmer of moonlight woven over frost. Her movements were silent and fluid, almost unnaturally smooth. Her armor was minimal but functional, crafted from layered, water-treated leather trimmed in pale silver. Twin sabers were sheathed across her back, glinting faintly in the crystal light.
For Rellik, the soul that appeared beside him was a massive, armor-clad specter, wreathed in coiling cinders and smoke. His golden war cloak snapped in a wind that did not exist. The man was grizzled and scarred by countless battles, resting a heavy greatsword against his shoulder as he glared outward into the shared vision. He stood almost eight feet tall, a full head taller than Laphisto himself. For Reign, the soul that emerged was a faint shimmer on the wind, his body lithe and constantly in motion even in death. He wore scout's leathers and carried a Songsteel-tipped spear slung casually across his back, his form almost dancing on the edge of visibility.
The souls stood in silence for a moment, looking down at themselves, then slowly around at their surroundings. The spirit attached to Zinayn turned toward the one beside Rellik. She brought a fist to her chest and bowed with graceful precision.
"General Vrax," she said quietly. Vrax turned toward the woman and returned the gesture with the same fist-over-heart bow. "
Nai," he answered, his voice steady.
Rising fully, Vrax swept his gaze across the others with a hardened glare, his mouth beginning to open as if to speak. Before he could, the soul beside Reign spoke up, his words coming out in a rushed, almost awkward tumble.
"I'm Rheni— no, wait, we were doing last names, sorry! Ahem. Aeris. Forward scout of the 26th Wingscouts from So'lavai, sir!" The young man gave a stiff, earnest salute toward the general. Vrax narrowed his eyes slightly, studying him for a moment, before giving a short nod. "
At ease, Aeris," he said, his voice clipped but not unkind. "
But who are these people, and why are we standing in the Temple of the Twin Gods?"
An answer seemed to give itself as the vision surged forward. The temple was no longer pristine. Bits and pieces of the ceiling had crashed down, littering the ground, and the great chamber was bathed in dim, flickering light. At the far end, lounging in his throne, sat Saura'vix. A low rumble vibrated from his chest, something between a purr and a growl as he brooded in the half-ruined hall.
Suddenly, the silence shattered. An elderly Kiev'arian burst into the temple, his voice cutting sharply through the air as he bellowed the god's name.
"Saura'vix!" The old warrior was flanked by four soldiers. One carried a
spear, another a longsword, the third a
second spear, and the fourth wielded a
heavy axe. In the center, the elder himself gripped a
longsword, its pommel, hilt, and blade etched with the intricate patterns of Fire Tears.
Saura'vix stirred, his rumbling growing into a low snarl. His eyes narrowed with rage at the intrusion, and he rose slowly from his throne, towering over the group. "
You dare speak to me that way, mortal? I should have yo—" His words were cut off in a flash of blinding light. Before the soldiers' stunned eyes, the elder's skin peeled away like mist in the wind, and from within emerged Dra'ko, the God of Life. The transformation sent visible shock through the guards. They glanced at one another in confusion and alarm as the two gods stood face to face, the chamber suddenly charged with ancient power.
"
What have you done, brother!" Dra'ko's voice echoed through the chamber, heavy with shock and accusation. Saurav'ix only smirked in reply, a low, drawn-out chuckle rumbling from deep within his chest. "
What you could not do. What you were too weak to do. I began the Harvest." The two gods stared at one another, the air between them thick with rising tension. Dra'ko looked almost perplexed, struggling to grasp the confession he had just borne witness to. "
If you would not allow our people to become the conquerors they were meant to be, if you would not let us expand as the gods we are, then I found a new species to worship me," Saurav'ix said. His voice was smooth, almost mocking.
"
You brought them here?," Dra'ko breathed, his voice darkening. "
The interlopers who have invaded our home for nearly a decade. Who have killed our kin, who have stolen our people from us. You did this!" Saurav'ix smiled wider, a soft snarl curling into every word
"I felt them," he said.
"I showed them where to go. We had a chance to invade the other realms, to conquer the stars through the Realm Gates the Kwa so graciously gifted us. But when the gates closed, the guests we allowed to live among us turned their blades against our people. They sought conquest."
He took a step forward, his presence filling the space. "
So I acted. I used my champion. I led the extermination of the other races, leaving only our people to thrive. Yet still, you were not satisfied." Saurav'ix's voice dropped lower, his voice laced like posion spit "
It was then that I realized you were too weak to do what we were born for. So I found new subjects. Ones who will consume this world, consume our people, and use them as fuel to wage war across existence. We do not need the gates. I will lead them in their Star Sailers, and we will sail across the black void between worlds until every domain is under my grasp."
"
I will not let you do that," Dra'ko said, his voice low but shaking with restrained fury. "
I cannot allow you to destroy what we have spent the last two hundred thousand years building." Saurav'ix turned toward him slowly, one brow raised in amused disdain. His gaze shifted lazily toward the guards who had once stood proudly at Dra'ko's side "
That is what we created them for," he said, his voice dripping with contempt. "
To fuel our power." He let out a guttural, cruel laugh.
With a simple gesture, Saurav'ix extended his hand. The air around the soldiers shimmered as the energy of their Fire Tears was ripped from them, drawn into his grasp. Their bodies withered in an instant, aging rapidly until they crumbled to dust, leaving behind only inert, hollowed-out teardrop-shaped crystals. The souls within them were gone, devoured without mercy. Turning back to Dra'ko, Saurav'ix smiled, a wicked glint flashing in his Crimson red eyes. "
What are you going to do to stop me, brother?"
For a heartbeat, the two gods stood frozen, tension coiling tighter between them. Then Dra'ko moved. In a single fluid motion, he lunged forward, driving the blade he carried straight through Saurav'ix's chest. The impact echoed through the chamber like a thunderclap. At the same moment, Saurav'ix summoned one of the discarded
spear's with a sharp flick of his hand and hurled it into Dra'ko's back.
Both gods struck each other down in the same breath, the sounds of their final blows merging into a single, low groan. There was a sudden flash of energy as their Fire Tears erupted with violent light. Dark black and brilliant white flared outward from their chests, a blinding explosion of raw powerthe same strange, searing brilliance that Saga Merrill had once found aboard the ancient Rakatan ship.
Dra'ko staggered, the spear lodged deep in his body, and collapsed heavily into his throne. His form slumped lifelessly, his sword falling from his grasp. Saurav'ix, too, sagged back into his seat, his chest still pierced by Dra'ko's blade. Yet even in defeat, he managed a deep, broken chuckle. "
Come now," he rumbled, his voice laced with bitter amusement. "
Strike a pose. Maybe whoever finds us will build grand legends about who we once were."
With that, the vision faded or perhaps it froze. It was hard to tell. The souls accompanying the group stood in stunned silence, almost unable to process what they had just witnessed. For a long moment, no one spoke. Finally, it was Vrax who broke the quiet. "
The light," he said, his voice low. "
I have seen it before. It was there just before... well, one moment I was in battle, and then the light came rolling over the horizon. The next, I was here, in the temple." Nai gave a small nod of agreement, her expression distant.
"I was dueling several Rakata after the death of my commander," she said. "
I saw the bright light too, and then... I was here."
Both turned toward Aeris, who seemed distracted, phasing his hands absently through his own body. Noticing the sudden silence, he looked up with a startled expression. "
Oh! Uh, er... I remember running through a minefield," he said awkwardly. "
And then I was here. I did not see any light, though."
Vrax raised a brow slightly. "
That was you?" he said, studying the young scout more closely. "
I remember hearing about a forward scout who ran through a minefield to warn my battalion. You saved a lot of my men that day." The general gave a respectful nod and bowed his head slightly toward Aeris before turning his gaze back to the others.
But before any other words could be spoken, a scream tore through the temple. It was the sound of a man being pulled apart, a raw, gut-wrenching cry that echoed off the ancient walls. And it was then that everyone realized Laphisto had never been part of the vision. He had been absent, unseen, while they were trapped, their bodies frozen, their minds forced to watch powerless. The vision had locked them in place, and only now, with its end, were they free once more. The ruined temple returned around them, the broken stone and faded light snapping sharply back into focus.
Standing before them was the ghostly figure of Dra'ko. He appeared almost transparent, a hollow echo of the god he once was. It was difficult to even hold him in sight; if anyone's gaze wandered for even a moment, he seemed to vanish, replaced by the wreckage beyond. Behind him, however, there was no mistaking the form of Saurav'ix. Unlike Dra'ko, Saurav'ix was heavy and substantial, his presence oppressive. His dark form loomed over the chamber, and suspended in the air before him was Laphisto, writhing and screaming in agony.
Tendrils of dark energy snaked from Saurav'ix's hands into Laphisto's body, draining him of his life and power. Thin, corrupted tethers stretched from both Dra'ko and Saurav'ix, connecting them to the cracked and damaged Fire Tears embedded in their own chests, the gems barely holding together under the strain. Dra'ko's voice, when it came, was soft but urgent, almost carried on the wind itself.
"
You must save your friend," he said. "
Before Saurav'ix drains him completely and uses him as a host." Dra'ko's gaze shifted toward the souls that still accompanied the group. "
Quickly. I need you to allow me to absorb the souls you carry with you. It will give me the strength I need to take your friend as my host. and finally put an end to Saurav'ix once and for all."
The souls that accompanied the group sputtered with mixed reactions, their emotions rippling through the air without a single word spoken. Nai's presence flared with anger, her emotions sharp and cutting as she projected a fierce thought toward Zinayn: a clear desire to destroy both Dra'ko and Saurav'ix, to end the gods rather than submit to either. Aeris, in contrast, pushed a feeling toward Reign that was desperate but hopeful. He urged sacrifice, the idea forming with stubborn clarity.
They should allow themselves to be given up, to let their god use them if it meant saving everyone. Vrax's emotions boiled with a hard, determined certainty. He projected to Rellik a deep conviction that they should not give their souls freely. Instead, he pressed the belief that they should absorb the gods' to drain them of thier life like they planned to do to them, and he seemed adament in his conviction projecting he would rather die than trust another divine being. Though none of the souls spoke aloud, the weight of their emotions was impossible to ignore. It hung over the group like a second atmosphere, thick and heavy with choice.
Zara Saga
Laphisto
—signal interference still plagued the planet, but perhaps the transmission would make it through.
