The village below was cast in a giant shadow.
A bag filled with vegetables dropped to the ground as the owner of the bag looked up.
Villagers looked up with despair.
Some ran as fast as they could, trying to escape.
Some stayed still, accepting their end.
In the center of the village, a man stood.
His index finger pointed towards the giant sphere.
The expression on his face was calm.
Ulric looked to the sky...to the sphere of death looming above his head.
"... It's beautiful,"
The screams of the villagers filled his ears.
Their frantic cries and desperate prayers.
It all sounded faint and far away from him, it reminded him of the visions he had of himself.
"There was a time...where this would have scared me."
"Now...it just feels right."
Ulric lowered his hand in a slow, lazy motion.
"Sonnenfinsternis der Seelen" (Eclipse of Souls)
The air tore violently as the sphere of death plummeted.
Below in the village.
A child standing in the middle of the road looked up.
The bright blue sky from earlier was gone.
A pitch black surface swallowed the blue sky above him.
Then in an instant, the world around the child began to fade.
The sphere came down, it passed through roofs and chimneys like mist.
Where it passed, everything it touched dissolved.
Wooden houses turned to ash, as stone began to lose its shape.
Loud screams from the villagers cut off mid scream.
Their bodies were unraveling before they could finish their last breath.
A man reached for his wife, felt his fingers pass over her shoulders, as she came apart into drifting particles carried away by the wind.
Within seconds, the entire village was gone.
In its place stood a large crater, with nothing but powder ash and dust.
Ulric stood at the center of the crater, unharmed.
Dark green mist still lingered around, it gathered together before the wind guided it back to him.
Taking a deep breath, the green mist entered his body.
From the edge of the forest, Kraft could only watch.
Frozen in place as he witnessed a village being erased.
"This isn't something I can fight"
A village, erased by one spell.
He had never seen something like this before.
Kraft wanted to run.
He wanted to go back and explain to Serie what he witnessed.
He knew what he was about to do might be the stupidest thing he's done in centuries.
Kraft stepped forward, making his way to the center of the crater.
Finally reaching the center, Kraft confronted the mysterious robed figure in front of him.
"...Why did you do this?"
The robe figured in front of him stood silent.
With his back towards Kraft, he said nothing.
"Was there a reason?"
The silence between the two grew.
Krafts jaw clenched as a slight bit of anger took over for a second.
"There were families! ... Children! You didn't even look their way before you murdered them!"
"Are you even listening to me!?"
Finally, Ulric moved.
Turning his head around, glancing behind his shoulder to look at Kraft.
The word left Ulrics mouth in a quiet, almost bored tone.
"Fall"
Kraft's vision started to blur.
His feet gave out as he fell.
The ground at his feet disappeared as he fell through the earth into a dark abyss.
Krafts mind and vision cleared as his feet hit solid ground.
Looking around, he found himself in a dark, endless, silent abyss stretching in every direction.
A man stood a bit in the distance.
It was the same man who destroyed the city.
His skin was pale, with sharp cheekbones, and green veins slightly traced on the surface of his skin.
He stepped forward, his body moved with perfect precision, every motion smooth and deliberate, like a puppet guided by invisible strings rather than muscle and bone.
Kraft felt a chill run down his spine.
This was definitely the worst decision he's made in centuries.
But still he spoke out.
"Why go this far? Why wipe them out as if they were nothing?"
Ulric stared at him for a moment.
"All living things are...nothing."
Krafts fist clenched at those words.
"That's not an answer."
"Life clings to itself," Ulric continued, ignoring the protest. "It breeds, it spreads, it consumes the world, only to decay and rot when its strength fails."
His glowing eyes remained fixed on Kraft.
"I have simply removed the middle step."
Ulric continued, not letting Kraft get a word in.
"All things containing life will eventually end."
"I just sped up the process."
Kraft's mind was spinning, trying to understand this guy's reasoning.
"You're talking about genocide like it's… maintenance."
"You think your reasoning makes this right?"
Ulric immediately answered.
"I don't think...I know."
Before Kraft could retort, something caught his eye.
In this dark abyss, a single stem started to grow in front of Ulrics feet.
Seven fluorescent white petals started to form around the stem.
Its beautiful white petals were the only form of light in the abyss.
Focusing on the beautiful flower, Kraft failed to realise the man he was talking with had disappeared.
In a quiet voice that echoed throughout the abyss.
The words echoed into Krafts long, pointy ears.
"Come forth...Cerberus"
.....
End of Chapter 13