The Truth-Part 5

The big torrent of fire soared high to the starless night sky, brutally swallowing everything on its path. Thick dust and hazy smoke ran rampant upon the street. Civilians are running away in fear, begging and pleading for anyone to help them. The cries of grievance echoing from all directions. The sight is too gruesome. Burned and charred remains, limbless bodies, and decapitated corpses are scattered on the ground. Hell has broken loose. The once beautiful Grandia has no longer existed. This is a pure catastrophe.

Liliane cast a spell on the ghouls that chasing after a group of children. Her ice attack swiftly pierced those monsters in one deadly attack. Deafening screams from those ghouls reverberating in the air, before silence finally ensued.

"Are you guys okay?" She worriedly asks.

Those children, each one of them is not more than ten years old, nodded their heads. Their faces were marred with tears and dirt. Two of them even bleeding slightly from the cut on their foreheads. They are hugging and holding each other hands tightly.

"Lady Lily, our mommy and daddy got eaten by those creepy ghouls!" The youngest child among them said. Tears running down her pale, rosy cheeks. She is being hugged by his older brother. "They told us to run, so we did. But, when we turned around, mommy and daddy..." The child couldn't finish her words as she remembered the gruesome sight of her parent being chomping down by those hideous monsters. She turned around and buried her face into her brother's chest. Her sobbing and wailing are stretching Liliane's heartstrings. She tightens her embrace on her child as if reassuring herself that her Seiran is still here, safe and sound under her protection.

"My brother tried to fight them. He is one of the best magicians in our kingdom. Yet, his attack is futile, and he got skewered by those monsters at the end." A boy with short, black hair added. His eyes are brimming with unshed tears.

Liliane hugged her daughter closer to her body. She is clueless about her family's whereabouts. She also worried about her other children's safety, but she trusts her husband. Arklight will protect them with all his might. Right now, all she can do is, saving and helping as many people as she can. These children are the future generation that will fight alongside Seiran to protect their kingdom. It's her responsibility as a royal magician to protect them.

"Let's go. I will send you guys to safety. Hold your friend's hands securely. We're going to teleport." She instructed the children with a simple order.

More ghouls and shadows are creeping out from the cracks on the ground. Those horrible creatures are crawling out with their long, sharp-like knife nails, cackling inaudible yet frightening laughter. Fuming and sizzling lava spurted out from the man-made holes and splashing out burning magma everywhere.

The surroundings become hotter and hotter, up to the point where blood and water in the body vigorously boil and condense. Any living being out there couldn't stand the overwhelming and terrible parching heat. Their bodies dissolved slowly into a puddle of repugnant thick, red liquid, like a process of ice melting. The ghastly sight will surely make anyone vomit their gut out.

Survivors screamed in panic, yelling for help and begging to be saved, but those pleading went unanswered. Hopelessness is evident in everyone's eyes. The situation is too dire. There's no way out. Escape is not possible. It's either to be eaten by the ghoul or choosing to end your own life as despair had shrouded the hope completely. Maverick's soldiers are non-human, but rather half-immortal creatures from the underworld. Their physical strength and magic surpassed the human. Unless you're rank B, A, or S magician, you're doom to be killed. Maverick hasn't even deployed his Twelve Generals, rumored to be the most powerful dark magician, yet their condition had reduced to this pitiful state.

Alexander dispatched his royal guard. From the beginning, he and his people valiantly fight with those monsters and creatures, yet, one by one, his companions, his friends, and his acquaintances dropped dead, filling the area with countless corpses and marred bodies. Until the last one standing is only him and a couple of heavily injured rank A magicians. They were surrounded by enemies from all sides. Their imminent death is approaching. Death reaper's scythe had reached their feeble necks.

Alexander lifted his head and forlornly looked at the crimson sky. My Goddess, to whose debt we unfortunately owned for our blessed kingdom to be reduced to this state? Isn't the upcoming birth of his children supposed to be a joyous celebration worth to be mentioning?

"Your Majesty, you should run." Zarack, his loyal bodyguard, who had served him for years, said in a somber tone. He realized the glum expression on his master's face. "At the very least, please take a last look at your children before losing your hope, Your Majesty."

"How can I run away and leaving you here, Zarack?" Alexander solemnly replied. He let out a despaired chuckle as he shook his head. "If you're going to die heroically, you should fight until the last breath with me, stupid."

Zarack is his friend, his first and the only one he trusted. He preferred to fight alongside him and die rather than flee in fear.

Zarack is giving order to Albert, his subordinate, with his eyes. The king needs to leave the place right now, was his last order. Albert reluctantly nodded his head, silently accepting the order. He sheathed his sword into the scabbard.

"Alex."

"Hmm? It's been such a long time since you called me by my name, Zarack. What's the occasion?" Alexander glanced at his friend, brows raising in wonder.

"I'm sorry."

"What...?" Alexander dumbly stared at his friend. Until Zarack's purplish eyes changed their color into greenish one, did he realized his friend's intention honestly is. "You...are using...hypnotic..." Alexander's eyes fluttered closed, and his body is swaying dangerously, losing its axis.

Albert scooped the young king into his embrace and effortlessly lifted him. He looked at his leader. Albert's eyes flashed with admiration of his obligation towards the king.

"Please protect him in my stead, Albert. Guide him well. It's up to you. I rested my responsibility on your shoulders." Zarack said.

Albert nodded his head, firmly understand his leader's order.

Zarack lightly caressed his friend's face. His expressionless facade had finally cracked, and a sad smile plastered on his face.

"Be happy, my friend. I sincerely hope for your happy life."

Albert secured a tight rein around the king's limp body, and in a blink of an eye, both of them disappeared.

Zarack was left alone on the battlefield, welcoming his death with open arms. He scanned his surrounding. Blood trickling down over his eyes, making his blurry sight becomes even more cloudy. He wiped the blood away. His hands couldn't stop shaking, so he gripped his knuckles tight enough that they turned white.

The barrier dissipated as soon as Albert took off. Those ghouls and shadows creatures hurtled towards his lonely figure while screeching and growling in rage. Their animalistic howls are inducing the other underworld creatures to appear one after another like mushrooms grow after the rain. They conjoined their forces in hunting one single human that stood bravely on their advancing path. Two long spears, one broken and the other one is covered with dried purplish blood, appeared on Zarack's hands. He gripped the handle of the spears tightly and rushed toward the vile creatures with unshakeable determination.

May the Goddess bless the future of Grandia. He prayed in his heart.

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Carina is bleeding profusely on the floor. Blood pooling around her body, smearing her beautiful nightgown with the ominous red color. She is laying still over there, with her chest arduously moving up and down. Beads of sweats streamlined her ashen, beautiful face, while her backside is wet with sweat.

A baby's crying reverberates in the silent room, and it's coming from the one in Maverick's arms. Maverick is grinning in delight. He touched the yellow curls on the baby's head and pushed them back with his icy cold fingers. A birthmark of a dark, five leaves clover is apparent on the baby's forehead.

"Finally." He whispered. "A perfect vessel for me."

To be continued.