Lucien stood among the ruins, watching. His wounds whispered shut—flesh knitting, bones forgetting they ever broke. Piece by piece, he stitched himself back together, silent and relentless.
" Fin, the fallen Celestial End, surprised you lived this long" Lucien thought to himself as he watched them without interfering in the scene. Just watching what is currently about to happen.
Andrew charged at Fin, still hanging midair. Fin barely moved—caught him by the neck in one swift breath, froze him there. Then landed a heavy fist across Andrew's face, hurled him into the wall. All the while, Lucien watched. Still. Silent. Gathering secrets from every blow.
" Hmm… His power is like Clifford's perhaps they share the same mark" he remarked in his thought, now fully recovered. His hair still covers his face, and he folded his arm, leaning casually at the wall.
Andrew launched rockets at Fin, who slithered between them—each one slamming into the wall behind. The sewer groaned. Pipes burst. Water gushed from fresh wounds. Fin smirked, the look dripping with Is that your best shot? But Andrew didn't flinch. He just stood there. Calm. Untouched by the taunt.
Andrew stood firmly and then smiled " I've got you right where I wanted you" instantly several laser shots pierced through Fin's stomach and chest causing him to scream in pain.
"You fight blind. What bothers me isn't your weakness—it's wondering how you became this pitiful. Brother, we all feared you back in the Order. The Celestial End. Now? You're a shadow of that name."
Fin lay on the ground, gasping, clawing for breath. He tried to stand. A large round mark burned on his arm. Lucien noticed from the ruins—but didn't move. Not yet. Not his time to step forward.
" He has the mark, then how come he still has the memory of his brother, or was it because he has been removed from the Celestial Ends?" Lucien thought to himself.
Fin is seen still struggling, and he stretches his hands towards Lucien who has cold expression on his, he could possibly careless about how he felt, he then drew out a long dagger that seems like a light saber from his armor.
" Well, this is the end of the road for you… Brother" He then drove it through the back and came through the chest. Fin groans in pain and gives up the ghost. There was a moment of silence, then he faced Lucien.
" You stood there, until I killed your comrade, from the look of things, you must have gone through some weakening battle, I guess this is my chance to end things once and for all" Andrew said as he charged at Lucien with the help of his boost.
But before he got to where Lucien was standing, in a blink of an eye, Lucien was already gone " What ? Where is he?… Didn't he …"
Before he could finish the thought, Lucien's hand seized his armor from behind—and threw him. The wall swallowed him whole, shrieking as it split into a wide, jagged crater. Dust coughed. Stone wept. Lucien stepped through the wreckage, voice low and cold: "You must have mistaken me for some low-life High End. Like Fin."
Andrew tried to stand up but he already felt the warmth of Lucien's palm on his neck, his nails, lingering on his fragile skin, eager to see the blood gushing out like a pool.
At this moment, Andrew already knew Lucien is not someone he could meddle with. Lucien held him aloft in the mid air, with one of his eyes revealed from the hair, red and terrifying.
" Don't worry, your death is still prolonged for a while, Tell, The Order Organization, so they are the resistances force I've been hearing rumors about, tell me everything you know… you can resist, but that will only make torturing you worth while"
…
Meanwhile, back with the Anachronist and Sojourner at the mausoleum.
The Sojourner is seen standing before Aiden's body who is still in the mid air, with his eyes flickering with lightning and his body vigorously shaking, then the Anachronist shows up of the thin air.
" Something is going terribly wrong inside there" Anachronist remarks, as he raises his head up, looking at Aiden's body.
" He is sent to go after a paragon of destruction on his own, without a definite reason or cause, no weapon on his own… what do you think" The Sojourner responded.
There was moment of silence, but then, Anachronist, broke the silence by bringing in another topic entirely— " Fin has been killed, Clifford is dead, someone from the top Vormirem council is doing this… they call him … " he was cut short by Sojourner , who seems to know where the conversation was heading.
" Lucien … yes, I've heard of him, he is a formidable one… What is he up to ?" The Sojourner responded.
" Ajax, has been killed…by one of the Amezors…So we have to hope this turns out for the best" The Anachronist responded silently as he moved towards one of the decks in the room that is filled with different ancient books.
——
Meanwhile, Aiden and Annahilator
——
The Annahilator is seen standing before me, we were both looking at each other dead in the eyes.
" At this point, if you have the best interest of the universe in heart, which in this case, Earth is included, then you should know we are under invasion by a…." I was cut short before I could finish what I was about to say.
" …. Universal conqueror, Zephyron and his armies, The Amezors, " Annahilator responded.
I was silent for a brief moment, wondering what he meant by Amezors… " What do you mean Amezors, do you mean the Correctors ?"
" Is that what you call them here, how primitive… The Amezors are his armies…That he uses to conquer the world, I have been seeing what has been happening through you. "
" Now you see, the best way you could protect the universe is if you could stop Zephyron, which you obviously know is one of the biggest threats to the universe" I responded, with the aim of trying to persuade him into becoming my ally.
"Your world never stood a chance. The Amezors didn't need to destroy cities—just offer power. The strong knelt. The desperate sold themselves. One generation, and the old world was gone. I saw it all." He turned his back, walked to his sword, and picked it up.
" Then help us, put him down for good… You want the best interest of the universe at heart right, this is the part where you put that to work" I responded with a more persuasive tone.
Then I heard a chuckle that escaped through the abyss of his hood.. " was he making a joke of me?" I thought to myself.
"You think I didn't see it? The little nudge. The sad story. Hoping I'd save you from your own mess. I've lived eons. Seen every con, every mask. Yours isn't even worth calling a lie." He didn't raise his voice. I didn't need to. I stood there, caught off guard, and for the first time realized how foolish it was—trying to fool something that watched empires turn to dust.
He continues " The only reason I'll be helping right now, is because Zephyron's fate has been sealed anyways, I was going to stop him anyways, he has disturbed the universe peace long enough"
Hearing this feels like a huge weight has been lifted up my shoulder, unconsciously, I gave him a beatific smile.
" But this comes at a price " he later responded to me like the weight just dropped on my shoulder once again.
" Ok?…. What price?" I asked with a silent tremulous tone.
———
Back at the mausoleum with Anachronist and the Sojourner
———
The Sojourner is seen sitting on a little couch, facing Aiden's direction, while Anachronist is seen deep lost inside meditation with several books in front of him.
Then lightning struck—not just flashing, but pouncing. It hurled the Sojourner into the wall, which crumbled on impact. The Anachronist threw up a transparent shield, curling inside it like a whisper behind glass.
Aiden stepped out of the smoke, untouched. The Sojourner emerged through the crumbled wall, eyes fixed on him—searching for the explosion's source, or what was left of Aiden's body. But he found him. Unscathed. The Anachronist's voice faltered, stunned into silence. Then, slowly, he moved closer.
" Aiden, is that you? " He asked silently, while inspecting his body.
" Who else would it be ?" Aiden responded while making a face that said " are you out of your mind?"
To Be Continued. . .