Primordial Conquest

Chapter 72: Child Of Death

Arbus grimaced in agony as he tumbled down the impossibly smooth walls of the vast crater he'd been hurled into.

He couldn't breathe.

He couldn't even scream.

A beam of Destruction had torn cleanly through his chest, obliterating his lungs and partially ravaging his heart.

He was drowning in agony.

He felt more suffering than he had ever experienced in his entire life.

The energy from the beam was slowly spreading through his body at an alarming rate. It seemed like he would be dead long before the fall from this height could finish him.

'So this is it,' he thought weakly, as tears flew from his eyes, swept up by the raging wind around him.

'after everything.... this is how it ends.'

Arbus hated this. He hated this so much.

In the end, he had not achieved a single one of his goals.

In fact, he had failed spectacularly and accomplished the exact opposite of everything he'd fought for.

He had gone against everyone for so long, even his grandfather. He had always believed humans weren't truly evil. That they had the potential to be good. Like his father had been.

He had believed his understanding of them was more accurate, based on his father's actions and philosophy.

But in the end, he had just been a naive fool.

A fool who was murdered by his human best friend.

And now, he would die in the same spot as the once proud citizens of Hai. Citizens he had doomed by not killing Arora the very first day he had stumbled upon her.

Arbus's eyes slowly drifted shut as he decided to accept his fate. The fate that a traitor like him deserved.

Suddenly, a dark light seeped out from the gaping wound in his chest and enveloped his form completely.

His eyes snapped open wide in shock as he felt the strange energy.

He immediately noticed a change in his surroundings. The raindrops fell slower than before, as if time itself had slowed down significantly.

He also felt himself falling at a much more gradual rate than earlier.

Even his injuries had suddenly seemed far less fatal.

The only thing unaffected by this new state was the destructive energy slowly spreading across his body.

Then suddenly, a deep and chilling voice seeped into his mind like poison.

(....Are you dying?)

(How very interesting, child of death.)

(Do you feel your consciousness slipping into the warm embrace of your own domain?)

(That is quite hilarious, I must say.)

Arbus's brows furrowed in confusion at the voice.

He struggled to comprehend everything that was happening all at once.

'Who.. are you?' he thought in the little confusion he could muster in his current state.

A terrifying possibility appeared in his clouded mind.

'Are you the primordial?' He asked hesitantly.

The voice scoffed indignantly, as if Arbus had just thrown all sorts of profanities at it.

(That accursed being? No, I am not the primordial. In fact, I'd prefer if you didn't compare me to that figure, actually.)

Arbus's brows furrowed even more. Suddenly, he was pulled from his thoughts by the destructive energy in his body increasing its pace.

The voice noticed that Arbus was having trouble keeping up with their conversation as his life force faded faster from the insidiously deadly power of destruction.

Its window of being here was also starting to close as well.

(Tsk, I can't even have a proper conversation like this after being trapped here for so long. Woe is me.)

The voice studied Arbus's form for a few moments.

(How vexing, I'd have preferred much more unique and interesting specimen, but I suppose beggers can't be choosers.)

It began t

(Anyway, child, it seems you don't have much time left in the realm of life. Before you meet your rather tragic end by reaching the bottom of this crater — or more likely dying from that potent poison, I'd like to ask you something very important.)

The voice went silent for several moments.

(What is it you wish for the most?)

Arbus blinked, dazed.

'What?'

(Go on, tell me. We're only able to communicate like this because of how rapidly I'm accelerating your mind's processing speed. This won't last much longer.)

(Destruction is a rather insidious power, it seems. Soon even your consciousness will be affected by the poison, and I'll be forced to leave.)

Arbus's thoughts raced as he considered the strange voice's words.

What did he wish for?

It was a peculiar question. One that he wasn't sure was very appropriate right now. But neither were any other questions, to be fair.

He thought long and hard about it.

Naturally, he had many wishes and desires.

He wished to see his parents again.

He wished to bring back his people and be accepted by them.

He wished for his grandfather to love him again.

He wished to turn back time and restart this day all over again.

He even wished for his best friend back. The real Arora, not the monster she had become.

But none of those wishes were what he truly desired at the moment.

Arbus realised that it was silly of him to contemplate the question for so long.

Wasn't his wish painfully obvious already?

There was only one thing he cared about right now.

'I wish to live. I... I don't want to die.'

The voice chuckled in amusement as it heard Arbus's wish.

(What a coincidence! That was the only thing I could do for you anyway, in my current state. It would have been really awkward if you had gone against my calculations and asked for something else.)

(Very well then, child of death. Your wish has been granted.)

Arbus suddenly felt a warm sensation spread from his damaged heart until it filled every corner of his body.

(You now have the keys to your domain. Be sure to visit me sometime if you need even more power. Until then, Antío.) the voice transmitted one last time before it vanished completely.

A moment later, Arbus felt time resume its normal flow in his perception as he crash-landed into the floor of the crater.

"Ah!" He screamed in pain, his bones fracturing from the tremendous fall.

"Damn it! That hurts so—!"

Arbus's eyes widened in shock as he realized he could scream again. He could even speak again.

He sat upright immediately as he noticed the wound in his chest had completely vanished. Even his mangled arms that had been torn apart by the aTer chains were completely healed.

Several moments later, the pain from his crash disappeared as well.

"It.. it wasn't a hallucination." he mumbled in amazement.

That voice had been real.

And it had granted his wish in a rather strange way.

Arbus's bewildered thoughts were suddenly interrupted as something crashed into the ground not far from him.

He looked toward the impact site and saw Arora's furious gaze fixed directly on him.

He could see the flicker of surprise in her expression when she noticed he was completely unharmed and that all his injuries had miraculously healed.

But her fractured mind didn't seem to dwell on it for too long as she moved to attack him again.