SSHHIIII~
Before Auren’s eyes, Aurelus finally shifted back to his original human body, covered in burning wounds and barely recognizable from the strong and powerful King he was.
His flesh was cracked and blistered, black smoke rising from him like a roasted carcass pulled out of an oven.
There were no clothes left on him, just bare skin split open in places where bone poked through, like a grotesque reminder that his humanity had long disappeared from his heart.
Ugh~
He coughed violently, a mixture of blood and bluish fluid spewing from his lips.
It dripped down his chin in long, sickly strings.
The strange liquid shimmered faintly, glowing with a toxic mana that corroded the air itself.
His whole body shook, convulsing with every breath. Even his legs and fingers twitched unnaturally, bones jutting from gaps where flesh had burned away.
His lower jaw was half-charred, teeth and bone gleaming beneath torn muscle.
The smell was unbearable, a sick fusion of charred meat, blood, and poison.
To feel the full brunt of Auren’s attack was the same as being sealed inside an oven, roasted on its maximum flame.
The fact that Aurelus’s body had not disintegrated completely was only thanks to the Phoenix blood flowing within him, ceaselessly regenerating his body against the natural order. But even that terrifying bloodline was reaching its limit.
His body was healing, yes, but slower than the damage that devoured him from within. He was a contradiction of life and death, regenerating only to continue suffering.
Despite his monstrous ability, it was not enough to make him whole again. His body was broken, and his spirit was trembling.
He writhed on the ground, grunting, incapable of standing or moving. Auren walked toward him, his eyes cold and sharp, like a predator that had finally cornered its prey.
With each step forward, Auren felt his heartbeat hammer harder inside his chest.
’Finally...’
The echoes of his boots crunched faintly over the frost-coated ruins. His breath came out in slow, heavy clouds of white mist, contrasting against the crimson glow of the sword in his hand.
Aurelus lifted his eyes at him, face twisted in pain, lips trembling. He could only grunt.
"Y-you.."
His gaze flickered with desperation, praying his men would come, though deep down he did not know that they were already consumed in their own struggle.
The Austerran Army, led by Austaire and Mardonio, had their hands full battling the Dark Fate forces.
And unfortunately, there would be no rescue for Aurelus. Not this time.
Meanwhile, the closer Auren came, the worse he felt. Not in fear, but in the weight of the moment pressing on his shoulders.
After all, this was the first time he could finally speak to the man who abandoned him.
"Hello, father," Auren said, voice calm yet trembling with the rage of years.
He crouched down in front of the broken man, his Divine Rapier pulsing with flame at his side. "I believe this is the first time we can actually talk.
Although, at your current state, I doubt you can even utter a single word properly, so I will be direct."
His lips curled into a bitter smile.
"Thank you for abandoning me. I wouldn’t have become this strong if not for you."
The silence between them was heavy.
From the far distance came the clash of battle, swords striking shields, war cries echoing through the frozen ruins, explosions shaking what little remained of the city.
The sounds of chaos carried over the icy wind. Yet here, in this shattered courtyard, it was only Auren and Aurelus, father and son, predator and prey.
Bigbird’s voice stirred in Auren’s mind, urgent."Master, if you want to finish him, now is the perfect time. Remember that he too carries the awakened Phoenix blood. He can heal wounds that would kill most beings. If you delay, who knows what tricks he still has left."
"I know," Auren replied silently, eyes narrowing.
"Don’t worry. I will end this with my own hand."
His grip on the rapier tightened.
His jaw clenched as a storm of memories erupted within him. Suddenly, his vision filled with the faces of the thousands of children massacred thirteen years ago.
The haunting images no longer screamed, no longer pleaded. They were quiet now, their expressions calm but expectant, watching him with unwavering eyes.
"I know you’ve been waiting for this day," he whispered inwardly.
"And now here we are."
The golden flames engulfing his sword darkened, shifting into a bloody crimson. The fire hissed and roared, each spark carrying an echoing scream.
The sound of a thousand voices filled the air, a chorus of dying children, crying and pleading, their pain woven into the blaze itself.
This was no longer the divine flame of the Phoenix. This was the flame of vengeance, forged from the souls of the dead.
KIEEEGHHHHAAAIIGGHHHH!
The cry tore through the frozen air, chilling to the bone.
Auren raised the sword, its light blazing red against the pale snow.
He whispered, voice breaking yet steady.
"This is for all the children you slaughtered in your hunt for me. With your blood, may their souls finally rest."
The sight of the crimson blade twisted something inside Aurelus. His eyes widened. Behind Auren, four translucent figures flickered into existence.
Time seemed to pause as Aurelus stared past the weapon and into the faces of those he once knew.
A beautiful female elven archer, her long hair flowing like strands of silver flame, eyes sharp yet glistening with hurt.A rugged dwarf with a scarred grin, his beard thick and wild, his calloused hands gripping the phantom handle of an axe he no longer carried.A stern mage, her robes torn and burned, staff broken at the tip, yet her gaze colder than any ice spell she had once cast.And a towering man clad in battered armor, a hammer slung across his back, his shield cracked down the middle yet still gleaming with the weight of loyalty once sworn.
They stood there, silent and unyielding.
His old party.
His family.
His companions.
The people who had once fought and bled beside him, who had laughed with him around campfires and shared bread in the darkest of nights. The same people he had cut down with betrayal, throwing away their trust for a single drop of Phoenix blood. Tʜe sourcᴇ of thɪs content ɪs novel~fire~net
Aurelus’s charred body trembled. His hand, blackened and broken, stretched out toward them, fingers twitching as if he could somehow grasp the bonds he had shattered long ago. His lips quivered, cracked skin splitting as words clawed their way out of his throat.
"I... I am sorry..."
The words came out as a pitiful rasp, heavy with regret, strangled by pain.
But the four of them did not move. Their eyes bore into him, not with compassion but with a cold and merciless truth. Eyes that once glowed with camaraderie now glared with the weight of betrayal.
And in their silence, he felt the final nail drive into his soul.
Their expressions were filled with disdain, their eyes condemning him. Then, as if tired of even looking at him, they turned their backs and walked away.
Something in Aurelus broke.
SLIIIEGH!
The Divine Rapier plunged forward, crimson flames erupting as the blade pierced through his heart.
"Ghhhhh..."
Aurelus groaned, a dying sound. His hand reached out weakly, trembling fingers trying to grasp the air, desperate to call his companions back.
His vision blurred and his strength faded.
"So this is it, huh..."
His body trembled violently as life drained away. Even the Phoenix blood within him could not stop death now.
A pierced heart was final. His last hope crumbled.
The fading images of his old party dissolved into darkness. Then suddenly, his world shifted.
His surroundings melted into black and red.
"What...?" He gasped.
He looked down and froze. His legs were sinking into a pool of blood.
The surface rippled, thick and endless.
"Th-this..."
Small, pale hands broke the surface. Tiny heads rose, eyes hollow and filled with tears. Infants. Children.
Dozens, then hundreds, then thousands.
"No... no! Get away from me!"
Their cries echoed, bloodcurdling and sorrowful.
The souls of the ten thousand children, crawling toward him.
He tried to kick them off, his burned legs flailing in desperation. But for every child he kicked away, ten more appeared, their little hands clinging to his skin, climbing over his body.
Their weight pulled him down. Some clawed up his shoulders, others wrapped around his neck, until he was buried beneath a mountain of them.
Every touch carried their agony, their sorrow, their despair. It rushed into him, flooding his mind, crushing his heart. He drowned in their pain.
"No! Please! My son, forgive me! I know I made a mistake... chasing power... please forgive me... FORGIVE ME!!!"
His screams echoed, broken and raw, before the sea of children pulled him under. He sank into the pool of blood, swallowed by eternal regret, his final breath nothing more than a whimper.
A few moments later, Auren can be seen standing over the corpse of Aurelus.
His father’s body was lifeless, consumed slowly by the crimson flames.
The fire hissed and cracked, devouring both flesh and soul.
...
From the distance, two pairs of eyes watched.
Ugha, the Primordial Beast of Fire and Wind, rested calmly on a shattered stone pillar. His deep, rumbling voice carried over the icy winds.
"Amazing. To wield the Crimson Fire of Eternal Burning... This boy is truly interesting. How did you find him again?"
Beside him, Bonbon gnawed casually on a strange purple fruit, its juice dripping down his chin.
The fruit pulsed faintly with energy, something rare, legendary, the kind of thing an herbalist would die for.
But to Bonbon, however, it was nothing more than a midnight snack.
With a small grin, the tiny green beast licked his tiny fingers and replied.
"I didn’t find him. It was him who found me."