A world razed to the ground. Air and water stripped away, leaving only barren rock, bones and dust. Once mighty forests reduced to withered husks, the bodies of dead gods lying eviscerated across continents. Nothing left. Not even the cities that once sprawled across diverse landcapes, greeting weary travellers from a thousand lands. All gone. All dead. All consumed.
And yet there was still pain. Pain was life to the hunter. Pain told her that she had not succumbed. That the shard had protected her, as the shining one had promised. It had sacrificed itself to save her. Shown her the way out. Shown her how vengeance might be sought.
But at what cost? What good would another death provide the universe with? When there was nothing left, why continue?
She knew the answer almost as soon as the question had begun to form in her burning mind: An ending. The universe loved endings. Her world was gone. Everything she had ever known was finished; done with. Rising from the smoking shards of crystal that had until recently, encapsulated her naked form in a nigh-indestructible transparent prison, she examined her surroundings.
A cave. Dark. The only light emanated from the fading glow of her former tomb. Keen senses picked out the aroma of burning. There was still air outside, but it was thinner than it should be. As she held up a dying shard, she was able to pick out details. Half-melted stone that had cooled and set very recently. The remnants of steps. She recalled the steps from before, when the shining one had led her down into the bowels of his haven. The heat must have been intense, to have caused such destruction. She felt lighter too. Her steps bouncier than she recalled.
As the glow faded, she knew she would have to venture outside. But first…
Opening her palm, a tiny seed glowed in the silence. She let it fall to the ground, her face a mask as it sank into the ground, as though the hard stone were made of water. The last piece of magic that remained in her world. How tiny and insignificant it appeared.
A hole opened up in the ground, flexible, like a sphincter. She got down on all fours and reached inside, withdrawing a large bag. Opening it, she pulled out some clothes and pulled them on. Out came her sword and her pack and all that was required for travelling. The last object she treated with care. A stick of chalk.
A minute later, she stood upon the surface of the world and stared out in horror, for this was no world. Not any longer.
It was a fragment.
Staring in silent awe, she watched as pieces of what had once been her world, flung themselves against each other, sometimes smashing, sometimes clumping together in boulders the size of mountains. Somehow, she remained protected, but it could not last. No magical shield could repel that much earth and stone for long. She was tumbling, or was everything else tumbling? Nothing but stars, void and stone remained. She truly was the last living thing. Such a sacrifice the god-like shining one must have made. It knew it would not survive, but a mortal? It had been a gamble, but one that had paid off.
There was nothing more to do. This truly was the end of everything.
The finality of that realisation caused her to move automatically, following the instructions she ha been forced to memorise to the letter. Kneeling on the floor, she drew the symbols as instructed, tracing a circle, and then another circle around it. More symbols followed and she could feel the air becoming thinner. Multiple flares all around as the shield began to fail. Of course, she realised. The magic was being channelled from the shield and into the chalk circle. A spell that powerful would need to draw its energy from somewhere.
Black spots began to appear in her vision, she felt light-headed. The air was running out. Timing would be crucial. Focus on the task. Nothing else matters. This is all there is. One deep breath and she continued, feeling the cold against her skin, numbing her, rendering all movements into a jerky staccato. Twenty three small symbols around the inside of the circle. Not far to go now. It would be a hell of a thing to fail after everything else that had happened.
Sacred Tau was it cold! Putting that last thought out of her mind, she completed the eighteenth symbol. Something hit the ground nearby, throwing off sharp pieces of stone that cut across her flesh. Her eyes following the slow arc of blood from her arm. There was no pain. It was too cold for that. Consciousness was fading, protecting her from the worst of it. Nineteen…twenty…twen-twenty…tt..one!
It would be so easy to stop right now. Her insides felt like they were going to burst. Vision fading around the edges into a dull fuzz. Just let go. Die with dignity. Let there be an end to it.
And then she saw his face. Warm, smiling, in on a secret joke. A joke so funny they would all die laughing. Rage.
She exhaled. Nothing to lose. Adrenaline kicking in, pushing back the fuzz, stirring movement into frostbitten hands. Twenty two! Twenty three! Take that, you bastard! I'm coming for you! I'm coming for you, and I'm going to kill…..
A flash of light. Hot and white. Pain. Agonising needles across the skin. A tapestry of pain. A gasp, long and hoarse. Nearly wretching. Rolling over and over, sand flying up and around the body like a cushion of glass. And most importantly, air. Lots of it too. She sat up, blurred vision taking in the barren landscape. A desert? It did not matter. Not any more. She was here. She had followed the destroyer.
“I am going to kill you! I am going to tear open your chest and pull out your blackened heart. I will sink my teeth into it and make you watch as I devour the devourer! Vengeance! Vengeance!” She stood up shakily, sword drawn and held up high, catching the light of the sun as it wobbled overhead. “Vengeance! A world screams for justice!”
