The sounds of the earth decaying echoed all across Etheirys as fire rained from the heavens, crashing into buildings and causing them to topple and crumble. Forests were set ablaze, rivers and lakes boiled red with blood, roads and bridges were broken apart and strewn with rubble with no ways forward. Terrified screams came from all directions as the remaining people of Amaurot tried to flee for their lives followed by the deafening screeches of terminus monstrosities that were terrorising the citizens. Amaurot wasn't the only city to have fallen to the Final Days, the phenomena was happening all over the star devastating everything in its wake. Bodies lay strewn across the streets of those who had fallen, and of those who were petrified unable to flee resulted in more monsters being created as their deepest fears manifested from creation magics gone awry. It was a massacre with no end to the destruction.
Amidst the ashes an old man with greying hair and a short beard wept as he clutched the marred body of a younger red haired man with darker skin. "My son...my only, dearest son..." he wept in a deep voice. "I will not let our star fall this day. I will do what I must to save what's left of our people."
"Are you ready to join us then, Lahabrea?" a voice spoke from behind him. The old man nodded and let go of the deceased body. "Let us depart then. The Convocation are awaiting us."
At another part of the city Emet-Selch watched his world burn with horror in his eyes, his long and sullen face showing signs of exhaustion and defeat. He'd already spent countless hours trying to fight back the monstrosities that plagued the skies, but they just kept on coming in more greater numbers. The Convocation had held an emergency meeting that day declaring that the only way to save their star would be to summon the elder primal Zodiark. A large number of devotees had already volunteered to become the sacrifice necessary for the summoning with Elidibus volunteering as the heart of Zodiark. Next to him Hythlodeus was holding onto his hands with a tearful look in his soft lilac eyes, his weathered heart-shaped face stained with smoke and ash. "I must do this" he said to Emet in an urgent voice. "This was my decision and there are so few of us left already."
Emet faced Hythlodeus, his eyes filled with pain and sorrow. "I don't want you to go" he whispered in a pained voice.
Hythlodeus's face contorted with agony as gripped onto Emet's hands more tightly than ever. "I would love nothing more than to stay, but the summoning of Zodiark needs more souls and I have nothing else I can offer to help save our star. This is the best way I can help." He looked up into Emet's eyes with a pained smile. "I've always considered you as more than just a friend. There are many things I wish I could've said to you and it pains me that I left it too late."
Hythlodeus closed his eyes and leaned foward lightly placing his lips onto Emet's. It was a single gentle kiss that for a moment time stood still and left Emet frozen and lost for words. For how long had they been together not knowing this was how Hythlodeus truely felt? He had never considered Hythlodeus as more than a travelling companion - a friend who was as much a nuisance and someone who had kept him from staying constantly dour. Were it not for him each passing day would've been more mundane and he'd probably have ended up like Elidibus - so caught up in his duties and forgetting to stop every once in a while to gaze upon the star and its beauty. Although he was taken aback by Hythlodeus's sudden move there was something familiar about the way he kissed him, as if a long lost memory was trying to surface but was sealed behind a locked door.
A single tear rolled down Hytholodeus's pale and smoke-stained cheeks as his lips parted from Emet's. Without another word he let go of Emet's hands and turned away to join a large crowd of surviving Amaurotine who had been gathered together nearby. Leading in front of them was Elidibus in his long white robes, his electric blue eyes gazing upwards towards the sky.
"Emet-Selch, it is time!" a voice called from behind him. The leaders of the Convocation were gathered with several elderly members of import in another smaller group. Emet clenched his fists and teeth, his face contort with anguish as he slowly backed away towards them whilst watching Hythlodeus join with the larger crowd, then he turned around to face towards the sky. The group raised their hands upwards and began to chant.
"Oh Lord Zodiark, we offer unto you a sacrifice that you may walk among us and save our star. Give to it the blessing of life that we may once again live in peace and in bliss."
As Emet joined in he could hear the chants from the larger crowd and that of Hythlodeus and he couldn't help but turn his eyes towards them.
"We offer our lives to you, to give our star a new meaning and reason to live!" they chanted in unison with their arms reaching towards the sky.
"Lord Zodiark, I offer myself up to you as your living heart. Take these lives as they offer themselves to you in sacrifice and be born!" Elidibus called out.
Emet froze, his eyes fixated on Hythlodeus. Hythlodeus turned around to look across to Emet with a gentle smile. A large dark formation began to swirl around Elidibus and engulfed him in darkness. Elidibus's voice could be heard crying out loudly from within the darkness, then the area surrounding the crowd errupted as a loud monsterous roar replaced Elidibus's cries. The crowd stopped chanting and collapsed to the ground as their souls were ripped from their bodies and absorbed into the darkness. Emet snapped out of whatever moment it was he was caught in and gasped in shock as he watched Hythlodeus crash to the ground. He ran towards the crowd as fast as he could, his heart beating painfully hard.
"EMET-SELCH!!!" one of the elderly leaders of the Convocation yelled at him angrily.
Emet fell to his knees as he cradled Hythlodeus's lifeless body in his arms. "No no no..." he choked as tears streamed down his face and soaked into his robes. The elder grit his teeth and scowled angrily at him for his defiance and resumed with his chants. Emet paid no heed to the monsterous formation that was evolving above him. "I should never have let you go. I need you by my side more than anything. Please... forgive me" he wept as he held on tightly to his friend's body and gently caressed his face, brushing aside the lilac wisps of hair that had unfolded from his braids.
The monsterous formation revealed itself as a large demonic entity with huge black and red wings and glowing purple eyes. Behind his head a large purple halo began to spin and sent out a shockwave that spread outwards passing through Emet and the remaining elders. Emet suddenly stopped weeping, his facial expression turned to that void of emotion. Behind him the chants of his brethren had also stopped abruptly. Slowly they began to raise their arms once more towards the entity.
"Oh great and powerful Zodiark. Our will is yours to command" they spoke slowly in unison.
Emet looked down with an expressionless gaze as Hythlodeus's body slowly slipped from his hands back to the ground. Whilst he was in indescribable agony over the death of his most dearest friend amongst so many of his own brethren it was as if his emotions had been completely supressed by the elder primal.
"Oh great and powerful Zodiark" he said as he slowly rose to his feet and turned his gaze towards the entity, raising his hands upwards. "My will is yours to command."
Unbeknownst to Emet and the Convocation, Venat watched from a distance in horror at the sight of so many of her people, people she knew and cared for, having given their lives so easily to the summoning of Zodiark and the tempering of those who summoned him. Her brilliant blue eyes were filled with tears that soaked into her long blond hair and white robes.
"So this is it" a man's voice spoke from behind her. A young man barely older than she was with long red hair gazed ahead at the commotion before them. "It's just as you predicted. The Final Days." He looked over to the remaining tempered who were talking among themselves and began to split into two groups, one making its way down towards Zodiark. "They're already preparing for another sacrifice. It won't be long before they run out of people to offer and start turning towards the life on the star itself. If we are to act it must be now whilst they're still distracted" he said as he watched the new group form together in front of the dark monstrosity and raise their hands in prayer.
"You're right Oschon." Venat wiped the tears from her eyes and backed away to a smaller crowd who were thankfully distant enough to not be afflicted by the tempering. "There is no more time" she addressed the crowd. "This is the day we've all been preparing for. I want to thank you all for believing in me and for coming this far in this journey together, and know that I will miss each and every one of you from the bottom of my heart. I will ensure your sacrifices will not be in vain."
The crowd nodded and began to gather behind Venat and raised their hands and eyes to the sky.
"Blessed mother Hydaelyn, we beseech thee to take up our lives in sacrifice. Hear our hearts and our prayers that thoust may halt Zodiark in his tracks and protect our star and its denizens."
"I call out to you Hydaelyn and offer myself unto you that you take my life as your living heart and be born!"
The Convocation continued with their chants unaware of the summoning taking place behind them. Several more bodies lay before the elder primal as it devoured their aether. The skies had already been cleared and the air was once again breathable, however Amaurot had been completely obliterated and in its place other lifeforms were starting to emerge.
"Lord Zodiark, we offer unto you the lifeforms on this star as sacrifice. Use their aether that you may restore to us our fallen brethren..." Suddenly a brilliant burst of light exploded from behind the Convocation. They stopped their chants and turned around shielding their eyes trying to catch a glimpse of what was happening. Within the brilliant light was a large formation of a woman in white with long white wings and a tall crystal halo surrounding her head. In her hands she was carrying a long blade made of crystalized aether. Her eyes were like topaz and her face as fierce as a mighty warrior. She rose into the sky with her sword aimed towards Zodiark who began to claw away at her. The Convocation could only watch as the battle ensued above them.
"Venat..." Emet seethed clenching his fists tightly, his eyes narrowed as he recognised the primal's face being of the former Azem who gave up her seat at the Convocation many years ago but chose to continue to walk amongst her people rather than return to the star.
"This is as far as you go. Know your place!" Hydaelyn called out as she struck against Zodiark. Zodiark howled in pain and continued to claw away at Hydaelyn, knocking her backwards across the sky. "Meddling wench, how dare you interfere!" he yelled out angrily. Emet continued watching below with his remaining brethren, his face remaining cold and expressionless. Hydaelyn reasserted herself and raised her sword in front of her, then with a loud warcry she began to hack away creating large blades of light to form in front of her ready to cut through Zodiark and also into the star itself.
"NO!!!!" Emet stepped forward reaching out helplessly as he saw what was about to happen. Hydaelyn raised her sword one more time and with a final cry slammed it down, sending the blades of searing light in a brilliant explosion that spanned the vast universe sundering everything and everyone.
