The Legend of Tantus - Book 2

Chapter 3 - When the nightmare comes true

    Some winters after the great war, which ended with the defeat of Zeijadel and the new balance provided by the new lords, two of the greatest heroes of that campaign enjoyed their days of happiness, Sumith and Iris, the love that even death could not separate, was happening. They lived on the northwestern coast of Lieben, in a peaceful and pleasant life, for thirteen winters they had little contact with the rest of the world and hardly ever saw old friends, they were in fact very happy with their lives now, and after this time, with the region richer and more abundant than ever due to the new balance, they have completely isolated themselves, wishing only to live that way until the end.

- Do you miss? – asked Iris. – Cities, people and friends?

- Yes I do. – replied Sumith. – But I would miss being with you more. I could spend the rest of my life here, just with your company. – And they both smiled.

Time passed quickly when you were happy, and this was true for everyone.

- How is it...? You know... die... How is Plane? How is paradise? – asked Iris.

- Seth and Enghon asked me that same question. – said Sumith. – Plane... are immense and beautiful golden rooms, illuminated by a pleasant sunlight, or by the beautiful brightness of the stars. The lords at its center, on their thrones of gold, or wandering from side to side watching the world... An incredible place... But it is not paradise, it is just the border between life and death, where the lords remain in focus to balance the world. Everyone must pass by Plane before definitively going to the next world, paradise, or the... You know... – said pointing down, scaring his wife.

- But you were brought back, explain to me.

- Taria, the lady of the planar life, explained to me that when we die we spend some time in that place, because of her element, this time corresponds to the definitive death, unpleasant to think like that, but the time that our bodies take to start to decompose. – Iris looked more scared. – So the resurrection of planar life only works when the body is still in perfect condition, and only the ice is able to preserve us.

- That is why Mr. Laguna told Seth to freeze you.

- Laguna???

- A friend who helped us.

- I did not know him, what a pity.

- He said that Seth is the greatest user of ice that has ever existed, and that the skiff that kept you would never melt, only in about a millennium.

- I do not doubt.

- But...? What if someone is frozen all this time?

- According to Taria, as long as the body is perfectly preserved by ice, and only magic ice is capable of this, planar life keeps the spirit in Plane. However, spirits are not free to their will, nor should they, they remain “asleep” during this time of transition. But in my case Taria gave me a special honor, so I stayed there, training with my father and Anarky.

- It could be a terrible fate to stay all this time, unable to rest...

- ...

- Have you and Seth fought already?

- Yes.

- Tell me!

- Did not you read Tomas' poem? My dad told me that he and king Loki were best friends, just like me and Seth, but he, my dad, could beat him, but it did not happen to both of us.

- Talk more. – said Iris fascinated, settling in to listen carefully.

- No matter what happened next, he was the strongest opponent I have ever faced, I think he was even able to beat me... Fighting him was an honor, and fighting at his side was a privilege.

    One of the great truths among the great warriors, is that they were always improving, when time allowed them, and consequently in the evolution of their skills and techniques, if their dedication found no limits, only age, or death, was able to stop them. In view of this, the emergence of new powers was not surprising, and in the case of exceptional talents, such as Sumith and Seth, they seemed to take a step forward in every battle, whether in victory or defeat...

- Huhuhu... – Iris started to laugh quietly.

- Did I say something funny? – asked Sumith.

- Somehow. The month we traveled to get the rest of the summons, Shayera told me that he said the same thing about you, and that is what helped her change her mind about you. She really wanted to kill you, you know? – Sumith just nodded positively.

But the time was also generous in its good times.

- Yes?!

- I am pregnant, would you know one way or the other.

- Finally!!!

- Everything will be if it has to be... Remember?

- You look like Seth talking.

- He is my big brother.

- Hahahahaha...

- Hahahahaha...

    Sumith and Iris Maxlyeben had the life they once dreamed of, and their only frustration, of not having children yet, was finally over. They had two children, Idris, the firstborn, and Vahn, two winters after his sister, both pulling on their mother's appearance a little more. As soon as they reached the age of majority and were already independent, Idris got married at twenty-five winters, and Vahn became engaged a winter later, they both lived in Mérit, their parents were very proud of the families they were building, and were visited with frequency. But something strange was slowly beginning to get their attention, Iris was growing old and was already a mature woman, but Sumith remained young, time seemed to have no effect on him, and Lieben's hero remained the same from the time of the journey:

- All this time and you have not aged one day... – said Iris.

- I ca not explain it, maybe it's the power of the guardian. – said Sumith. – Zeon once said that the guardian's time depends on his lifetime, but he never mentioned anything about it.

    In fact, it was very strange, but the winters continued to pass, more and more Iris looked like a mother and Sumith a son, but their happiness remained. At sixty-five winters of age the ex-summoner contracted a strange disease, and fought it for three winters, but Sumith was beginning to feel a strange power in him, different from the guardian, it was something bigger and growing more and more in importance in his mind, maybe in the end he knew, because every time he felt it he remembered the words of Alexander Crescent, who visited him shortly after the great war and passed on his duties, saying to feel and not to ask... Iris's forces finally ran out, and her time came, Sumith refused to believe that she would leave before him, and even more that he remained young as a boy, more like a brother to his own children.

- I did not want to leave yet, I wanted to spend more time with you... – said Iris.

- ... – Sumith did not know what to say, only his eyes in tears spoke for him.

- Something tells me that you will still have a lot of work in this life...

- No. I will go with you soon, I know that.

- Do not say that, you need to live. – She spoke in a strange way, as if she saw a future.

- No, I need you.

- And the world will need you...

- Do not say nonsense, there is nothing left to fight for.

- There is always something to fight for, and you should be there...

- You are the love of my life... I can not go on without you...

- I know you will, because you need... I saw the light that takes you into the future...

- ...

- Just remember me...

- I never forgot you, even when I was dead...

- So now it's my turn... Goodbye my lives...

- Iris! – The ex-summoner closed her eyes forever, Sumith and his children could do nothing but cry over her.

    After her death Sumith sat quietly beside her for several minutes, not moving, feeling his pain, and feeling his power, until he finally understood what had been given him many winters ago:

- Time traveler...

    It was at this moment that the house was invaded by a unique light, which he already knew from other times, from the lords. His friends Seth and Enghon were there, with them was Veigh, but the lord of fantasy looked downcast, and was silent:

- It's been a long time, old friend. – said Enghon.

- Seth, Enghon, it would be a pleasure to see you again, but not today... – said Sumith.

- And you have a reason for that, my friend, so, right now, I ask your forgiveness. – said Seth.

    The lord of fantasy, who did not say a single word during the conversation, came over and touched Sumith's head, who seemed to be unconscious, a quick glow could be seen, and Lieben's young man fell asleep. After that Veigh was the first to leave, as quietly as he arrived, because he did it with much regret.

- What happened??? – asked Idris.

- We are sorry, young people, but your father has a mission for the world starting today.

- What you mean? – asked Vahn.

- Your father is the time traveler, and his duties are vital to all of Tantus, beyond our knowledge. Only he will know what must be done...

- And what will happen now? – asked Vahn, still confused.

- He will follow his path, and you must follow yours. – said Enghon. – Build your lives going forward, just live for him and your mother, and we hope you will forgive us for this someday...

    Vahn and Idris, thirty-six and thirty-eight winters old respectively, were taken by the lords back to Mérit, where they would go on with their lives and could only remember their mother and father.

- Live in peace, be happy, and be very proud of your parents.

    A severe but necessary act. The duties of the time traveler were crucial for everyone, and he could never deviate from those tasks under any circumstances, the time depended on him. If he only knew about his family he would deny this power, at the very least it could be enough to make him doubt his decisions, and nothing could convince him that these choices would be the right ones, but it was not just that, maybe were his destiny to separate and abdicate there, a lot of things this could represent in the future... The story itself can and should be changed according to the need, when the traveler understands that the due course has been deviated, and that only his intervention is able to correct. Neveu always foresaw and made this evident, but some individual destinies unfortunately cannot be modified, for the good of all, and not for some. In fact, a very high price to pay, but the lords did not give points without a knot. 

    Sumith woke up totally devoid of the memories of his children, only Iris was in front of him, and he understood alone his new duty and responsibilities, but the death of his beloved simply took away all the will to live, until he created, perhaps, the only one strength he would have in a long time. He carried Iris's lifeless body, still with tears in his eyes, being enveloped in the light of his new power, and instinctively made his first time travel with her in his arms. He never thought of his own benefit, his mind was not of this type, Sumith traveled to the past without planning, he just did it, thousands of winters ago, in the days of the ancient kings and battles against dragons, but he took no part in anything of this, his objective was another. He buried Iris north of where the Sierra of Lieben would be, he did not know what he was doing, he just did it, and he sat by his grave for several days, until it was time to return. His return trip was as fast as the first, and when he arrived he found, in the same place where he buried his beloved, the great Tree of Life, and understood immediately:

- So it's you, my love... You were always there, watching over me...

    Sumith missed Iris more than anything in life, when she left she actually took his heart with her. Lieben's young man then decided to exile himself from the world and began to live there, in the tree, beside her, vowing to wait for the death absolutely hidden from everything, to join her again.

    Carried by an unparalleled determination, for an incredible fifty winters he lived in that place, in exile, waiting for his hour, often thought in the darkest possible way, tearing his own throat, piercing his own chest, drastic measures, but soon he understood that his wife would never want this, nothing happened, Sumith did not grow old and he began to understand his condition: infinite time to use, immortality. The deprivation of the right to choose seemed to be a karma in his life, he even cursed his destiny, because he wanted so much to go to the other world, but so long away from everything made him feel that things had changed, a lot, and after much reluctance he decided to leave again, trying, perhaps, to understand Alexander's actions, why to give him that power, so extraordinary and terrible at the same time. Sumith returned to his house on the coast, already old, dusty, falling apart, and also so full of good memories, he took back, still guarded under the bed, the powerful Maxlyeben and the indestructible Andriel and Andurel, also took the old summoner's staff, set with Isil, and threw it into the sea so that it would never be used by anyone. In that place there was also a secret passion of the traveler: architectural and engineering projects. In fact, Sumith was not a builder, he said it was just a hobby, but he studied for many winters in his youth (only Iris knew about it), and his taste for construction grew too much, there were many projects made by him, of buildings, simple houses, entire cities and even transport vehicles, many of them incompatible with Tantus, and even Sumith himself could not explain, as if it were something instinctive. It was a great and brilliant talent, but it had never been used before, now, apparently, he should definitely forget about it. Sumith now wore similar attire to his old ones, but black and silver, and a long cloak with a hood, this cloak covered his clothes well like a sweater, but could also be easily thrown back, to give him full mobility, in the back, emerging from openings perfectly provided for this, just below the hood, he carried Max and Lyeben separated in their proper sheaths, and at the waist, much more hidden, he carried the daughters of the lords. He did not use his guardian power, decided to travel on foot, was a new Sumith, willing to unravel all the secrets of his existence and, if possible, find death quickly...

    For five days Sumith traveled to Mérit, almost forgetting that he could not enter the city, when he saw it he remembered the old times, the old friends, and when Iris kissed him for the first time... He appreciated his beloved hometown far in the distance, although he did not see anyone, which seemed strange. So distracted was he that he was not paying attention to anything but his own thoughts, going to Morwen Harbor, all the way the Lieben's young man did not find even a living soul, travelers or traders, the whole road was calm as a cemetery, in addition to a great devastation throughout the territory, the sky itself was strangely black, which before he thought it was only on cloudy days. After only one day he arrived at his destination, and was horrified to see the whole city devastated, countless pits were made around the place, as if a war had occurred some time ago, Sumith entered the city alert, although he felt no presence, only after checking several destroyed houses up to the docks did he hear the sound of running footsteps, immediately he drew Max and stood for combat, but nothing came up, after watching more closely he saw two figures moving away from him, and intercepted them quickly, it was a young couple, were more scared than anything. Sumith put away his sword and took off his hood, but none of them recognized him, had almost forgotten again that much time had passed, he approached slowly and calmed them down, asking what had happened, how a big city like Morwen was destroyed that way:

- They came from the skies, four of them. – said the woman.

- This has been two winters. – said the man. – We have lived like this ever since, hidden and afraid...

- But how did you not know that? – asked the woman.

- It's just... I live on the coast, and it's been a long time since my last visit... – said Sumith.

- Lucky for you, you should stay hidden and live the rest of your life in peace, while you can. – said the man.

- But who did it anyway?

- We do not know who they were. One day the continent shook dangerously, the sea level dropped strangely and a few days later they came. – said the man. – They looked like lords, but they wore very strange black suits, they did not use magic, it was different... Three of them had silver powers, and the other, the leader woman, emanated a golden force...

- ???

- They destroyed the city in the blink of an eye. Soldiers and sorcerers tried to fight them, but they were massacred quickly, then they went out killing as if they were having fun, there was no chance...

- Ultima... But why? – Sumith said to himself.

- We and a few survivors were only able to bury the dead and live like that, hidden, we never saw them again, thank God. But we know that they are still out there, because the continent sometimes shudders... – said the woman.

- What about the other cities?

- We do not know, we just survived here, but I do not doubt anything. – said the man.

- Take our advice, go back to your home and live longer, you look strong, but it will not make a difference... – said the woman. – They are gods, not even the lords gave a sign after they appeared.

- In my exile... did I notice anything? – said the Lieben's young man, again to himself.

    Sumith did not believe that Ultima and Omega were responsible, but they mentioned four, and only one with golden power, this did not correspond to the two darkanians... He thought about all that for a long time, was it possible that his sadness was such that it blinded him to the rest of the world? Apparently the answer was yes. Lieben's young man said goodbye to the couple, moved away from the city and became the guardian, traveled quickly to Ragnar, then to Lizira Harbor, Oxe and the Kingdom of Lieben, all destroyed and dark, it was terrible, only few and miserable survivors tried to stay alive, the whole continent was dying. Sumith still did not believe the idea, because it did not make sense, why would Omega and Ultima do this? And where were the lords to stop them?

    The guardian traveled to Tantus, northeast of Anarkandy, again everything destroyed there. Recalling the past, he searched for some time until he found a lonely mansion in the region, well built by the way, the home of the darkanian brothers, but this one was also abandoned, and it seemed longer than the other cities, he landed and returned to human form, walking through the ruins for some time, trying to understand in any way what could not. All of that was a sign that the whole world was in the same condition, but he had to know, he had to see Omega and Ultima and hear from their own mouths. He sat down and thought again about what had happened for an hour, until he heard footsteps approaching, he got up drawing and forming Maxlyeben, and from behind the ruins came his old acquaintance, Omega.

- I knew I would see you again. – said the great warrior, but Omega was different, dejected, downcast...

- Omega, what happened? – asked Sumith. – Are you responsible for all this?

- I understand what you must be thinking, or what you must have heard, but I assure you that your sword will not be needed against me. – And Sumith, after some reluctance, lowered Maxlyeben.

- Where is Ultima?

- They took her.

- Who???

- Oblivion. – Sumith delved into his memories, and remembered that name.

- Your half-sister? But were not you the last survivors in your world?

- So I thought, but she managed to escape Darkan's destruction, on some other ship, and had been here for almost as long as we were, waiting for her time as she did before... – And Omega was starting to tell Sumith everything.

    Two winters ago the world continued to enjoy the peace that the end of the great war had brought, the balance remained perfect and the two brothers lived peacefully, as was their wish. But one day Oblivion appeared, accompanied by her three lights, these, in turn, were simply three darkanians generated by golden power, they contained all the knowledge of their home planet, its history, discoveries, science, perfect for the resumption of something, or even everything... They were blind and absolutely faithful to the king or queen, only the right Darkans could obtain them, but they were not summoned, they simply appeared, prophesying the need. Oblivion had her three lights, but Omega was alone:

- A long time ago I felt the presence of my three lights, I am sure. – said Omega. – But they just disappeared...

    "The three lights of Darkan", Sumith remembered this name in the past, of three people he had helped under the influence of someone who did not reveal himself... At first this meant that Oblivion would be the great queen of Darkan, but she was in fact a bastard mixed-race daughter, while Omega was the legitimate and pure-blooded son, for his mother was royalty, but the great warrior felt the strength of his servants and would not be mistaken about it, so where were they? The fact was that Oblivion attacked directly on her first blow, she also had an atomizer sword, equally long, but traditional, forged by herself and with the same bird sculpture of her brothers' swords in the pommel, her three lights also carried swords, but these were generated by their own powers. Omega and Ultima alone failed to defeat the four enemies, the bastard daughter being as powerful as the legitimate one, and the princess of Darkan was immobilized and imprisoned by the three, because even though she had the golden strength against enemies of that magnitude, together, they ended up being too much for her alone. Oblivion wanted Ultima only as a guarantee of her brother's obedience, her goal was to rebuild the Darkan empire, and she vowed to kill the princess if Omega tried to save her or interfere from there, and alone now he had no chance. But the problem itself was not this, the great warrior knew that his sister would never accept to be used by her half-sister, in any way and for nothing in the universe, in heaven or in hell! She repudiated her even more than he did for three reasons, for her world, for her father mainly, and for the determination of darkanian women, but this time in hatred... Sooner or later she would die. Omega only thought about saving her, but he could not find any solution to this, until he was depressed and crestfallen like a loser, seeing no hope at all.

- I hate Oblivion with all the strength of my heart, my mind and even more! But my sister is indescribable, it is scary. If she has to choose between living with her or going to hell, committing suicide just to not be in the same air that she breathes, she will not hesitate... I do not even know if she's still alive... I prefer not to even think about it, she is the only family I have left.

    The bastard daughter watched for a long time the wars and plot twists of Tantus' history, from the beginning of the discord of the power to the end of the great war, remaining absolutely hidden, patient, and took on the goals of great enemies like Kraven and Zeijadel, and studying them in depth she traced her greedy plan. But she could be considered worse than her predecessors, since almost nothing on that planet was in her interest, she would destroy without hesitation to create a new Darkan.

    According to Omega, Oblivion's first step, after Ultima's capture, was to head for the southwestern sea, and with her terrible power she devastated the ocean depths from the surface, destroying kingdoms of the mers and killing countless victims, evaporating the waters and decreasing sea level, the damage was incalculable. Unlike Zeijadel, who always had the need for the oceans in mind, Oblivion had no qualms. After some time of devastation she was finally confronted by the enemy she was waiting for, taking the second step of her plan, Rictus, the Lord of Water stood before her, robust, with greenish skin, with his golden and shiny eyes, his armor in the shape of shiny blue scales and carrying his sword made purely of his element, he was not at all happy with what happened:

- You are a darkanian... – said Rictus.

- And you are the lord of water... – said Oblivion.

- I thought you would live in peace here, but you are neither of the two I have known in the past. I did not know there was a third party.

- Do not confuse me with my stupid brothers.

- ...

- I am not like them, and I will not do like them either.

- So I do not need to be remorseful about killing you. – The fight between Darkan's bastard daughter and the lord of water began.

    Oblivion started alone, her three lights were not even present, apparently. The bastard daughter crossed swords with the lord over the ocean in a spectacular and fierce fight, and Rictus proved to be a worse enemy than the commission. Oblivion fired her golden beams while the mer deflected with tremendous agility, he also mastered the element of status and almost poisoned his enemy while their weapons locked, Oblivion escaped at the last second of the poisonous cloud blown by him, Rictus began to move through the air freely, firing his powerful blasts of water capable of piercing even metal, but the bastard daughter responded with her power, nullifying each blast and proving to be a dangerous opponent, while the seas were violently agitated by the combat, until finally their maximum powers collided generating a great explosion. Oblivion was stunned by the most powerful enemy she had ever faced since her father, and her effort to fight him was visible as the lord showed that the fight was under control. Rictus immediately froze the waters to his opponent's feet, thus trapping her, and with his sword he invested to cut Oblivion in half and end the fight, but the darkanian, also powerful, formed a golden sphere and protected herself in the last moment, the impact of the blow sank Oblivion in the water, breaking all the ice with an incredible crash, for several seconds the darkanian gave no sign of life while Rictus just watched, it was then that she appeared from behind, already attacking and forcing the lord to a reflex defense, but Oblivion was surprised again, Rictus powerfully concentrated his element and fired an incredible blast of water, which transformed into an absurdly immense creature, three times bigger than a guardian! It was similar to a snake, but with long fins just below the head, "Leviatan", perhaps the most terrible and powerful magic of the water element. Darkan's bastard was literally swallowed, then the immense serpent coiled itself imprisoning the bastard within itself, inside it the water pressure was monstrous and only did not crush Oblivion because of her great power, but she could not resist forever, her golden sphere was beginning to c***k and she was already getting without air, defeat showed itself to the bastard, but at her limit she awakened her true power. Concentrating, she became completely golden, enveloped in blinding flames, and her strength overflowed frighteningly, this was the "Trance Mode", the maximum darkanian force, it was similar to the sword seal and the power of the guardian in common form, in which concerned increasing power, but did not have a duration time, depending solely on resistance. Only royalty carried such strength, and it took a lot of maturity to use it. Oblivion used her new power to make room in the great water serpent, and thus managed to escape narrowly, panting for the effort she was forced to make, she admitted to herself that the lord of water was very powerful, an opponent even up to king of Darkan, and the versatility of his power reminded her of the elite warriors on her planet... Now she attacked Rictus with a power that surprised him, and defended herself just as effectively, the trance mode equaled the power of a lord! As the two opponents were perfectly matched, the combat became tougher than ever, their spectacular blows met violently, magic and golden beams were exchanged and exploded in the sea causing great waves that even reached the beaches of the continent, and for a long time they fought. The lord concentrated water and fire raising both hands, firing a sphere that trapped his opponent, and the high temperature of the water evaporated it absurdly, "Cauldron of the Demon", magic of basic principles, the water was generated continuously while evaporating due to the heat, reaching absurd temperatures, so strong that if it were not for the defense of Oblivion she would die boiling in the water! The “Darkan’s doom” deserved to be called a prodigy, because she resisted, at last Rictus hit the golden sphere of the bastard again, but this time with a direct punch concentrated on the fire element, the explosion was impressive, but the enemy was still capable to resist, and after this time, already showing fatigue and announcing an end to the fight, Oblivion and Rictus crossed swords in a tremendous dispute of strength that would define the winner. In the end the lord, with less damage received, proved superior. Despite having studied a lot, theory and practice are totally different, even though she was very powerful Oblivion was the youngest of the three brothers, Rictus' versatile skills taught her a hard lesson, a great experience she would take from it, but she would not live to assimilate it... But it was at this moment that the darkanian struck her heaviest and most cowardly blow:

- Now!!!

    Her three lights appeared at high speed, Rictus saw them, but Oblivion managed to hold him in a way to prevent him from defending himself, and he was pierced by the swords of the enemy's servants, two on the right and one on the left.

- You... – said Rictus, mortally wounded, as his water sword fell apart. – Such a powerful enemy, and such a coward... I could not imagine... such a lack of honor...

- I studied your code of honor too. – said Oblivion. – And it was not an incentive for me to fight clean.

- ...

- Everything as planned, your great power is now mine!

    As soon as Rictus lost his life his magnificent power of water left his body and simply enveloped Oblivion, penetrating her body and being part of her now. The power of the lord of water belonged to her, what Zeijadel had longed for in the past, proving that his theory was correct, Darkan's bastard managed, on the basis of dirt, dishonor, the purest evil, and this was the third step for her goals.

    After the first victory the darkanian proceeded with the fourth and final step, devastating the world, and in a few days she was confronted by Arkan and Anarky, the sailor and the guardian prime fought memorably, but they were not adversaries for the power of two lords, and were defeated heroically. After them, the remaining five guardians also went into terrible combat against Oblivion, but they had the same fate... However, it was in the choice of her second opponent among the lords that Darkan's doom shot almost backfired. Aja, the Lady of Status, proved to be one of the worst enemies that Oblivion has ever faced in her life, an opponent who absurdly demanded of her cunning, patience and triple attention to be able to approach her without being poisoned (and still count on a drop of luck), immense nonsense to underestimate her even with the power of Rictus added to hers, even her three lights were incredibly neutralized when summoned, because the strength, speed and combat ability of the lady of status was frightening. But all of this was justified, Aja Mennix was a kunoichi of the Haku clan, two generations before the arrival of Seth to the Jin clan, specialist with the blade, but it was with an atypical weapon, the gladius, that her fame grew too much, even fleeing of control. During her time, even in times when kunoichis had very little voice among mercenaries, she became a legend, being revered in songs and poems, “The legend of Mennix”, but one day she suddenly disappeared, and believing the leaders in desertion they quickly labeled her nukenin, because they valued her too much and were disappointed by the great lack of commitment, later she was considered dead, but her destiny was much greater than this. Aja assumed the position of lady to help the world and also because she was already tired of fighting, the fighting persecuted her ceaselessly, all kinds of warriors came up defying and trying to take her life to overcome her stupidly, she was already tired of kill. “You do not belong here. You are a force that has no place in this world... Mennix, in this world there must be no reason for the foolishness of glory, for everything there is an end, but you are different, the path you walk has no end, no matter how go far, or how many bodies pile up, the killing never ends, it's a hopeless future. Mennix...!” – said a mysterious and defeated enemy, as if cursing her. After these words Aja changed, starting to see the world with different eyes, and without expectations for herself, until thinking about suicide, but it was at the moment when she would do it that the former lord of status stopped her hand, choosing her as his successor. Aja accepted as the last thread of hope for her life, the hope that she thought was gone, she would not mind staying in this duty for as long as it was necessary, as long as it meant no more killing... Only Riyan Tharon managed to overcome her more than a century later. Seth, when he was adopted and started his training, grew up listening and admiring in the legend of Mennix, and when he took Kin's place he could hardly believe that Mennix was before him. She was one of the most avoided opponents by Zeijadel himself besides Harkonen, because he knew the size of the trouble that awaited him if he simply confronted her. Respected by all lords, especially Seth, as one of the strongest women who ever stepped on Plane, an exceptional warrior, and the new holy lord quickly identified with her, making her his main training companion, her knowledge and skills were so impressive that Seth saw her as a master, learning more than he imagined and not just about combat, but mental improvement as well, and creating a great friendship. The lady of status was only defeated at great cost, perhaps the greatest battle lesson Oblivion has ever received. Aja, what a terrible opponent.

    After this hard-won victory, the darkanian stopped playing the fool and started to a***e cowardice. She started to use the acquired elements to ruin the balance, she knew that the other lords would need to remain in focus to prevent this or the world could collapse, then strategically devastate to weaken a certain target, shamefully exploring the code of honor, until the chosen one had no choice but to descend from Plane and confront her even at a great disadvantage.

    Some elements were in fact extremely difficult to be harmed, requiring creativity to do so, and among all fifteen only two could not be reached directly, these were darkness and holy, but in the end even this barrier became useless, because just they could not keep it all alone. Studying in depth about everything that Darkan’s doom could discover, she found a way to harm even planar life, using the elements of life and, mainly, of the ice, she compromised the flow of the spirits of the dead, thus forcing the lady to fight her... Oblivion was defeating all the lords one after the other, in titanic battles, but that always ended with her victory, and the ultimate goal, after obtaining all the powers and becoming a deity in fact, was to recreate life, recreate the darkanians... If this was really possible even she did not know, she went back to the theory, convinced herself that it was, and most likely she was right, but she would only know when the time came. For a winter and a half she followed through on her plan, mortally ruining the planet, she was actually recreating Darkan even towards destruction... Mérit, protected by the “Millenarian Shield”, took some work to achieve, but curiously it was the least devastated, giving the wrong impression to anyone who observed from afar. There was only one place that remained intact, the Tree of Life, the bastard even observed it from a distance a few times, but she felt a peculiar strength there, something that reminded Darkan... Comfortable and dangerous at the same time, and out of respect (or perhaps fear) she decided to leave it alone, she sensed that it should be so, and in this way she did not interrupt the time traveler's exile. Shortly before Sumith returned she finally gave a break to balance, allowing the remaining lords to ignore the code of honor and fight together, of course Oblivion did this on purpose, for fun, she knew she could not be defeated, she had not more thirsty for combat, was thirsty for blood. This was her longest and most terrible battle, the last four opponents, Seth, the Holy Lord, Enghon, the Lord of Darkness, Krantenion, the Lord of Fire and Deneve, the Lady of Nature, went on the offensive. The battle took place at Pandemonius, destroying the whole place, the four lords fought like never before and there were times when they seemed to have an advantage over the enemy, but it only seemed, since Oblivion, with the power of eleven lords, was indeed invincible. As a last resort, Enghon and Krantenion sacrificed themselves by exploding in their maximum elemental forces, the “Doom”, the same technique used by Kin to annihilate Zeijadel, however the former holy lord did so in a concentrated way, not to make other victims, but as Pandemonius was uninhabited, darkness and fire decimated everything to harm their enemy as much as possible. Although they did cause damage, their goal was not to kill her, as they would not be able to, but simply to allow Seth and Deneve to escape with their lives, even if reluctant they needed to continue carrying Tantus' last hope, even if it was almost impossible. The lords' difficulty in seeing the darkanians from Plane was decisive in the initial success of Oblivion, because otherwise they would not have allowed the three lights to interfere in the battle and Darkan's doom would be lost, and so the world ended as Sumith found it. The Lieben's young man heard the whole Omega story in horror, and his mind was heavy on lost friends, he would have liked to help before, even if it was not going to make much difference.

- Take this. – said Omega, holding out a small book to Sumith. – Keep this with you.

- What is this?

- My father's old diary. It took me a long time to find it on our ship, at the bottom of the sea. It was well protected and still readable.

- But why are you giving this to me?

- When we got here, my sister and I failed to notice something very simple.

- What?

- Your language.

- ?

- What you speak here is one of the two languages that we spoke on Darkan. So distracted were we that we did not even notice.

- What you mean? – asked Sumith still confused.

- I felt a lot of familiarity here, after a long time I started to believe that our coming here was not a mere coincidence, it was destiny.

- ...

- We traveled here in hypervelocity. At this speed, for us who were hibernating it seemed like just several winters, but it was actually much, much longer than that. It's been millennia in the ordinary time count.

- ...

- I translated this for you. After reading it you will understand that we darkanians, and you tantanians, are not that far away...

    After these words, very strong winds swept the place, and the supreme evil presence could be felt, Oblivion!

- She found us! – said Omega.

    Sumith kept the diary in his clothes and drew Maxlyeben for the combat. Darkan's bastard descended in front of them with all the unmatched power of thirteen lords, their hearts beat fast, the greatest enemy was before them now:

- Well well, Omega, still have friends?

- I do not care anymore, today you will face me! – said Omega.

- I would say not to worry about your little sister. Besides, no one else can stop me.

    Omega concentrated for a few seconds, and to the surprise of those present he went into trance mode. Sumith gaped at such power, it was incredible to witness the maximum strength of the darkanians, but Oblivion soon made fun of his brother, and revealed something to him:

- Oh... Poor thing. Let me tell you a secret. – At this moment she appeared beside her brother, so fast that neither he nor Sumith could see, and spoke with a whisper while the fright still remained. – The little sister committed suicide a week ago.

- !!!!!! – And Omega was paralyzed.

- Honestly she lasted a long time, but do you know why? She was waiting for her brother. She thought that the little brother, the one who should be king, would appear to save her. She expected this every day, but she never realized how much of a coward he could be, how long it would take to get his a*s off the ground and act like a king! Hahahahaha... – After that Omega tried to hit her, but just hit the wind.

- Aaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh...!!!!!! – It was the first time that the darkanian felt so much sadness and hatred together, tears flowed as his teeth gritted.

    After that Oblivion also went into trance mode, totaling the power of fourteen lords! It is not known who awakened the trance first, Oblivion or Omega, the bastard daughter achieved this through malice, the genocidal will to be queen, while the firstborn probably achieved it naturally by his age, but Ultima, even though she is the middle sister, had not yet awakened by immaturity, the greatest obstacle to touching this power. And the brothers' fight began. Both drew their long swords and went on the attack, calling strong winds and black clouds in the sky, Omega was spectacular, but the instability of his mind was the biggest obstacle at this point, the blindness of hatred, and his sister clearly enjoyed the combat, their golden beams in confrontation illuminated the entire sky that was already darkening, their swords sparked when they met. Oblivion began to show superiority by casting, one after another, her acquired elemental powers, magnificent spells exploded all over the place while Omega tried to defend or escape, Darkan's bastard laughed out loud, and after several minutes she decided to end the game, using fantasy she tricked Omega and appeared behind him in midair, hitting him to the ground with such violence that a crater opened.

- This elemental force is truly magnificent, worthy of serving me. I never imagined something like that under my command. – said the bastard.

    And stepping on her brother, Oblivion fired her golden beam, sinking him further into the ground, until he disappeared from view, and it was at this moment that Sumith, seized with rage, shot a thin, piercing blast of air at her, to be hit by a magic like this, and the level of the time traveler, even as powerful Oblivion as she was would receive a beautiful wound, perhaps worse than she imagined, but she was cunning and very well trained to be defeated like that, Sumith himself already imagined this, and she defended skillfully, the traveler then invested in the attack. With gravity in his weapon he managed to take the bastard by surprise, and she, even defending herself, was thrown away by Sumith's strength.

- Check it out. – said Oblivion returning calmly, and already without trance mode. – A stroke of luck. I like that.

- You will pay for everything you did! – said Sumith.

- Okay, boy, but do not you feel afraid to step in front of me? After witnessing my power?

- The danger is real, but fear is a choice!

- ...

    Now the time traveler was fighting the supreme darkanian. Maxlyeben shone like never before, and he attacked with fire, holy and all the elements he possessed, Oblivion just defended herself by standing still, absorbing or bouncing all of his spells, Sumith was not up to her, until the darkanian decided to invest against him definitely. Realizing the enemy's great speed, he unleashed his guardian power in common form, defending the attack and causing surprise in Oblivion:

- So do you also have your secrets? I like that!

    The physical combat started and now many lightning bolts crossed the skies frighteningly, Sumith's technique was incredible and rivaled that of the opponent as an equal, fast and fierce enemies waged a memorable dispute without witnesses. At one point the time traveler surprised her with his cunning. After locking arms with Oblivion (who laughed), he transformed himself into the immense silver dragon, punching the enemy from top to bottom, who defended herself, and cracked the ground with the pressure, she detached herself from the blow, and when she was going to attack his head Sumith returned to human form, using fire to cause a tremendous explosion, forcing his opponent to raise her guard, and when she realized the time traveler was already in front of her concentrating darkness on the sword , but the bastard just deftly dodged this and several other attacks:

- Do you think it will weaken me? – said Oblivion.

    But when she finally invested, it was the traveler 's turn to avoid her lunge and hold her surprisingly by the forehead, exploding the fire that way violently. Oblivion was thrown farther, smashing trees that were just behind and opening a clearing, Sumith was an opponent to be respected, and not being a lord it was impressive how he managed to push her that way, he was undoubtedly powerful and was clearly underestimated, but just as Omega was not enough against that enemy. The bastard had an impressive mastery of the elements, taking into account that she was a novice in this regard, but did not carry any knowledge of the spells, yet, only using them in a simple and direct way, but unfortunately this did not matter, since the raw power of the lords was already sufficient to make her the supreme being... Oblivion, showing some anger, decided to fight only on skill, did not use her absurd powers, in short, some honor on her part. The two crossed swords again, managing to prolong the combat for about ten minutes, that is when the power of the guardian had to stop, but not before firing several sequences of the powerful "Cut of Light", without success, Sumith was unable to defeat her in this time, and now exhausted he was at the mercy of the enemy. The darkanian hit him hard, and even if defending himself, it was Sumith's turn to be thrown away, Oblivion was coming to kill him and the time traveler was trying to get up, that is when Omega, badly injured, came up from behind and caught his sister in a tie, Oblivion tried to escape, but was held tightly, her brother's last strength:

- “Whoever your enemies, they will fall.” – said Omega. – I entrust everything to you, Sumith. – The great warrior raised his left hand, with his power he formed a sphere around the traveler and threw it into the skies, to remove it from there and save him.

- Why, you! – said Oblivion.

- Aaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh!!! – Omega used all his power in trance mode, causing a huge explosion that decimated much of the region, the “Suicide”, very similar to the doom (made by Enghon and Krantenion), sacrificing himself to give hope to the world, and the time traveler could see everything from the sky as he was taken away at great speed.

- Omega!!!!!!!!!