Chapter XLIII: Baen Fior (Cont. V)

Blackheart spiralled around, Baen’s sword crashing into the dirt as Blackheart elbowed him in the back of the head and dropped him to his knees. “Perhaps all this time I have, Baen. Afterall, one must do something to hide his hand when there are those trying to see all he holds.”

Baen’s head turned around as he rose to his feet, “So you have more wisdom than I suspected.”

“Appearances aren’t everything, are they?”

Baen’s eyes narrowed, “No…they aren’t.” He lunged in and swung again and again, Blackheart parrying every swing as Thyrus, Samden, and the others gathered to aid Blackheart. Baen, swamped by the sudden surge of attackers, stumbled back as Blackheart’s blade caught him under his right elbow guard. He stumbled away, hurling up a bolt of energy that threw the seven back. “DAMN YOU!” Baen’s voice hissed through the air.

Blackheart rose to his feet, “What’s wrong Baen? Feeling your power slipping?”

Baen drew his fingers out from the wound and examined the blood as it rippled and bubbled on his finger, his eyes then travelling out to Blackheart. “I won’t ever give in. Not til you’re all dead….be sure of that!”

Blackheart smirked, “It looks like you’re little plans might have to be put on hold.”

Baen’s eyes followed Blackheart’s–behind him, Adelia was beginning to rise shakily, her body fighting whatever darkness was in her. Then, before anyone could say anything, time froze, and Blackheart felt the world come to a perfect stand-still. As it did, he heard the shriek of dark energies roar towards him. He remained standing in almost absolute still time as he watched the other six get lifted off the ground, their bodies writhing as they fought against a darkness that welled up from everywhere. And then time surged forward again and Blackheart could no longer breath, a hand clamped tight around his throat. He stared down as he saw Adelia’s eyes: beautiful blues replaced with the pitch blackness of emptiness. Her entire figure was twisted in the darkness that slowly rolled around her. Blackheart’s sword fell from his hand as he tried to pry her fingers off of his throat. “ADe…lia,” he gagged.

Baen laughed mirthlessly, “What’s wrong Blackheart? Feeling your power slipping?”

“You…..can…can’t…..have given….in….” Blackheart coughed.

“Appearances can be deceiving, Blackheart,” Baen chided. He strode towards the others who struggled within the shadow that tried to suffocate and drown them. “All of you have lost. Your friend is gone….she has given in to my powers and the nine have been broken. She was never a part of them and never will be. Thus, without nine the prophecy cannot be fulfilled and the Watcher’s decree has not been truly followed through and thus the world shall stop existing.”

Blackheart continued to fight against Adelia’s choke hold, “ADELIA! Snap out of it! You can fight it free!”

“She can’t hear you!”

“She can! If she wanted us to, we’d be dead by now. She’s resisting still…and I won’t give up on her….not ever,” Blackheart screamed.

“But you will not love me.” The voice was not the old voice of Adelia’s, but rather one filled with the power of destruction. It echoed through the room, shattered the soul, pierced the mind, and filled the world with even more darkness. It had the tone of oblivion in its timbre.

“I….I can’t,” Blackheart began as her fist tightened around his neck. “I won’t lie….I don’t….I can’t…..I won’t…..I love another…..and you know it, too. But just because I cannot share my life with you is no reason to abandon all hope! I cannot love you the way you love me, but I love you all the same….”

Adelia drug Blackheart closer to her, her breath hot with rage, “Liar.”

Blackheart glanced back at the remaining six, all struggling as the shadow drug them under, West freeing his one hand by shear force. It was beginning to work….now all he had to do was keep trying….keep that wedge in her mind….but never lie…she could see his lies. “You know it’s the truth! You know I care for you. I would plunge headlong into lava to spare you harm! I would do it for any of these people, my….our friends……any would do it for you….and I know you would for any of them. Don’t abandon that hope…that optimism, that good!”

There was a moment’s flicker in Blackheart’s mind, he could feel time stopping for a moment as Adelia tried to fight her way free. For a moment, a sparkle of blue could be seen on the edge of Adelia’s eyes, and then it faded. Adelia drew the struggling Blackheart right up next to him, “You lose. ” The darkness began to swirl around the entire room as Baen’s laughter filled the air. Blackheart tried once more to fight his way free as the darkness swirled ever closer.

Then there was a moment of great light as Blackheart’s breath gave out and a terrible scream as the world swirled and the darkness collapsed inward around them all. Screams echoed all around Blackheart’s head, the sound of a thousand voices screaming in pain and then sudden silence–then Blackheart’s eyes closed. So…this is death.

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Within the great cities of the many planes, the prophets began to scream. They chanted of the end, of the darkness, and of the existence that would never have been but for it had. Temple fountains filled with blood and strange runes carved themselves into the sands, runes of a forgotten evil long ago.

Within the hidden mansion of the Black Lotus, Shaw stared down at the great fountain as it bubbled blood and a darkness echoed on the edge of the world. They had never existed, and soon that would be true. He glanced back at Forte. “Could you have been wrong?”

Forte rose from his chair and joined Shaw at the window, “I pray to God and all that is holy that I am not. But if this is what is meant to be, then we die this day….as brothers.” Forte clutched Shaw’s hand tightly, then turned back to the fire which flickered with strange images. He knew what he had done and why he had done it…..all that could be done….had. Now there was nothing to do, but wait for the end.