Inside the Tower of the Undying.Kian was trying to walk around his room. The entire day, busy trying to get feeling back in his legs. Cursing them. It took quite a while before anything would happen Eventually, it did.The feeling came back;he tried to move immediately, falling over again and again. Hundreds of times before getting enough grip to stand.Repeating it all to walk. It took the entire day to get at least some movement into them.The endless strain was nothing compared to being imprisoned.
Kian made his way to the door.At last, before Kian could reach it, someone else opened the door. Kicking Kian back to the ground. Kelvanya stood in the doorway,a rope slung over her. She looked at Kian. Whispering to him. ’We don’t have much time. Come, little one.’ They both went down the stairs, reaching the bottom floor.
A figure was sitting in the room.’I would not recommend going outside this way.’ he said. As he stood up, they got a better look at him, Hartmar.’They are awaiting us.Ranzolf tried to get me early.’Hartmar pointed up the stairs. ’The only way out is to go through him.’Kelvanya didn’t second-guess him, and they went up the stairs.Maybe the Red Smile would already be up there. Kian took a look at the old veteran. ’Why not come?’ Kian could barely say it before being pulled up.
Hartmar watched them go up. ’An old soul who wanted his prime got nothing the world to offer, kiddo.’ He yelled after them, loud enough for Kian to hear. ’I was born to kill. I have fought, taken the lives of many.Too many who were not deserving.So, for one day, let’s try to do one thing different. For all the people I have met,the stories they told me,the laughs they shared.Now, for good old times, I will be the man I was.’ He said it more to himself than to anyone else.
Hartmar took his cane to his sideand pulled the handle free with its mechanism.Checking his épée. ’Who knew how this would all end.’ Returning it to its seat, waiting for the future rumble of thunder.Looking into the distance, as if there were a hole in the wall,aimed toward the heavens.
Kelvanya went up the steps with Kianto reach the top and unlocked the door quite smoothly. Inside everything seemed ordinary. Then a bright light assaulted the senses.After that moment of silence, bells sounded. Down below, people found Ranzolf smiling at the sky. Laughing, yet unmoving. ’What a man.’ He said under his breath.
Hearing it, Hartmar stood back up and made his way to the stairs.Fighting at a chokepoint. While his sword heated up. Using the room as an area where it could move freely.In the next second, the door was kicked in, and Frugin stepped inside. No words, no display of emotion,he just looked up at Hartmar and went in for the attack.
Hartmar gave a deep sigh as he unleashed his hidden fury. Spinning his heated sword like a spiderweb to entangle Frugin.
Heiron went up to Kelvanya. ’Why do this, my child, when we are close to our final destination?’ Kelvanya tried to guess where he stood, as her eyes slowly regained their vision. Still holding Kian’s hands. ’You would kill anything to achieve what you want. In the past, I believed it was the righteous thing to doand an honor to be a part of it. After years of killing, years of torture, I now see that there would be nothing good at the end of it. You would not change anything. Only replace it.’
Heiron put his hand in front of him. Pointing his palm toward Kian. ’There, you’re wrong. That’s why you would get your hands dirty. For when I change and become a god, I would sit with clean hands.I haven’t done it, and I would be sure to sit atop it all, ruling a new golden age without blood.’ A light formed from his fingertips in front of his palm.It began as a small ballthat slowly grew larger.‘Goodbye, my friend.’ Heiron said. As a figure emerged from the shadows. A mask with a red smile. Holding a butcher’s knife in one hand while the other held a meat cleaver. One aimed at Heiron’s neck while the other aimed for his outstretched arm.Heiron suddenly shot light from his shoulder and arm as a straight blade. Cutting the shadow into two. The charged ball of light disappeared. As if his body absorbed it back in.
The light Heiron created altered the Red Smile’s movement, causing him to land only with his butcher’s knife in Heiron’s shoulder.As the Red Smile’s body emerged from above instead of below.Landing next to Heiron, as he pulled his arm down with the knife.
From the wound, another light began to glow as the Red Smile moved back. As Heiron swung his other arm toward him,his nails becoming streaks of light. As if to cut everything in its path.
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As the two masked men kept each other busy, Kelvanya went to the balconyand tied the rope to her arrow. Shooting it off into the distance. Kian slid down first, with Kelvanya following soon after.In the courtyard, Grummulde could smell them outside now.Yet he did nothing about it,only ordering his men to grab arrowsnd shoot Hartmar down,who stood in the way of reaching their leader.
Tyrilda was just leaning against her giant sword. Just looking on how they all prepared to kill the unkillable basterd.
Heiron saw Kelvanya slide down the rope.Yet Heiron didn’t seem bothered by Kelvanya leaving, more by the fact that he couldn’t follow them onto the balcony.’You were always a mistake to bring into our cause.’Heiron said, frustrated,as he crossed his arms to form an X.The Red Smile tried to move in quickly as Heiron moved one arm. As if concentrating heat at a single point on the other arm. Light burst out of it.Blasting the Red Smile out of the window.The Red Smile didn’t disappear into the shadows as usual Instead, he caught the rope and cut it before disappearing into the shadows.Heiron didn’t even waste time checking where Kelvanya might have gone, it wasn’t even needed. He went to his chair and waited for his late members to arrive.
Hartmar was almost at Heiron’s office.Frugin had just pushed through the heat. Forcing Hartmar up the stairs, where he couldn’t use his sword effectively. They entered Heiron’s office.Just as Hartmar found room to move his sword, a purple light surged beneath him It grabbed his arms, and his legs were unable to move. As Frugin closed the door. ‘Poor little Hartmar.’ Heiron said, sitting in his chair,his hand guiding the purple shadows.Pulling Hartmar toward him like a puppet. ’We knew all about this. This was all a test to reveal who was a traitor and who was not.Sventerlo is already after the boy.’Heiron sounded disappointed and furious. Even in the calmness of his voice,Hartmar could hear that he hadn’t expected anyone to betray himfor his so-called perfect world.
’Y You’d be surprised how many there are who would oppose.’ Before Hartmar could finish,the purple shadows covered his mouth,silencing him.’Who told you to speak?’ Heiron hissedas he rose from his chair. ’Sorry, Hartmar, I didn’t mean to.What I meant was, you’re in luck. I will tell my followersthat I talked you out of it and that, in your sorrow, you committed suicide.’Heiron forced Hartmar to walk toward the balcony. ’You will die as a true hero,just like in your prime.’Heiron called out.Frugin remained standing against the door so no one could come in.
Down below, only Grummulde sensed something was wrong. He tried to find a vantage pointto see what was happening above. Tyrilda looked at himas he moved to one of the posts.She saw Hartmar slowly walking toward the balcony’s ledge.Noticing the purple shadows covering him.
Hartmar looked at the moon, forcing himself with his last bit of will. For once, I fought for something I truly believed was good.Necter, hear my thoughts. I apologize for soon standing at your gates with the regrets I carry.Can you forgive me, so that at least someone does.
He took in the beauty of the moon as, after his words, it shone upon him. The one good eye Hartmar had teared up. As he closed both. Knowing that among the living, no one would remember him.Only the dead would.Heiron made his move. Hartmar dropped. Falling to the ground with eyes closed, a beating, racing heart. Grummulde watched as he fell. He wanted to rush toward Hartmar’s position, catch him, and run away.His mission was done. There was no honor left here. Not for a long time. He wanted to take a stand, yet he couldn’t. Tyrilda stepped onto the platform. She looked more rested than before. Her arm looked as though it had healed nicely. ’What are you up to?’
Grummulde didn’t want to exchange words. He pointed with his bo-axe toward Hartmar, who was falling from the tower.Tyrilda watched as he struck the ground like a meteor from the sky, a puppet without strings.She began to laugh. Grummulde wanted to strike her.Before he could react, more and more laughter spread through the camp. Those who saw Hartmar die began laughing.Only a few stepped back.Most had seen him fight.News of his betrayal spread quickly, and now they were all laughing. Always the same. Those with honor die. The others laugh it off. Grummulde began to pant.Grabbing his chest with one hand, where his heart was.How can I feel this for a human? Yet he forced himself to hold in his hatred and walk their path.He walked toward the entrance of the tower,with Tyrilda following close behind.
As if the next act was already being watched. The followers formed a path for themto walk up the stairs first toward Heiron’s office.Heiron was already speaking with Fruginand stopped as the remaining judgment executioners entered the room. Grummulde entered first, then Tyrilda, and lastly Ranzolf slunk in.Grummulde, for once, could not listento what anyone else had to say.He only caught fragments of Heiron’s speech. The more fragments he heard,the more disgust Grummulde felt disgusted at what had happened.Before Heiron could finish speaking,Grummulde had already left the room.He needed a break, from the lies and the sickness of humanity. He found his sitting stone facing his greatest obstacleand turned toward his home. With a breath of fresh air, he could smell it. Sventerlo, after Kelvanya, and the purple man.They had arrived.A smile crept across his face. Now true judgment would be delivered with an execution.Laughing as he thought about it.
