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the war's end 4 april 641
Today was the day, Aeni knew it deep within her. Today was the day the war would end.
She didn’t know how she knew. It was the kind of feeling you get inside you, when you’re completely sure of something, though you don’t know why. The wind was wild that day, and Aeni had to put her hair up to keep it out of her face. She’d left her usual luxuries behind, including her head pendant, and wore a simple outfit, one that would allow movement. However, she’d worn her only necklace, Aimluth’s tear, as she always does.
A storm was brewing in the north, whipping up the terrible wind Aeni and her brother, Ambrose, now stood in. Soft sand blew across their exposed arms, tickling the smallest nerves on their bodies. The Toki Desert was the last place they thought they would have to go, but the army of Verymyr had other ideas. Having taken over the city of Shalliaven, they grew stronger everyday and had to be stopped.
For some odd reason, Aeni felt this was the day.
They plotted on through the sand together, their heads angled against the wind, leaving footprints behind them. Neither was one for shoes, especially in hot weather such as this, and so they went with the simplest thing they could find: leather barefoot sandals. A piece of leather would loop around your second toe and a triangle of thick leather would go over the top of your foot and tie around your ankle. They were comfortable, and it was not necessary to wear shoes on the soft sands of the Toki Desert.
With the city in sight, the twins began to pick up their pace, though they were still a far ways off and would be tired by the time they got there. So, naturally, they took a different route. Desert lizards, a large kind of ridable lizard, were common in the area and were very passive, so the siblings each hopped on one and raced off towards the city.
The city was on fire by the time they got there. Smoke blotted out the sun and fire roared in the windows of many buildings. Creatures of shadow and darkness dotted every narrow alleyway and slipped between doorways and under arches. The civilians of Shalliaven had either all been killed or were hidden away as the darkness crept across the land like a raging storm in the distance.
As soon as Ambrose slid off his sand coloured lizard, he felt the presence in the city like a thick fog or a sickness. The Verymyr were a diseased species, and he could feel it within him. As he walked through the entrance of the city, his sword drawn and down, nearly touching the ground, he closed his eyes and kept a hand slightly extended to his side, fingers spread. Aeni was a sense of courage as she sidestepped slowly toward the city, her blue eyes wide and her sword raised high next to her. She took a glance toward her brother, though decided to let him do his own thing as she walked cautiously behind him, her eyes darting back and forth.
Ambrose could sense it before it happened: the ambush. As the Verymyr seemingly appeared from nowhere, drawing swords and taking their blows toward the twins, he could feel their souls burning with hatred and darkness. As one appeared before him, swinging a sword, he dove under it as it barely skimmed above the end of his chin. With his sword and the momentum he’d created, he slashed the dark creature through its chest and it fell as he stood, brought the end of the sword close to his body, spun then extended his arm once more, and cut another one down. It was a cakewalk for him, but for Aeni, it was not as simple.
She, who had never been one for violence, had not trained herself quite as thoroughly as Ambrose had. Because of this, she had been cornered and was fencing off, fighting for her life. With each throw the Verymyr took, she would deflect it, but not have enough time to throw a punch of her own. Eventually, using her quick wit and intelligence, she dove between its legs, rolled a short distance, popped up, and cut off its head. However, by the time she turned to fight another, they were all dead and Ambrose was stepping over their bodies toward her.
Touching her shoulder, he led her down the alleyways toward the centre of the city. “They grow stronger each time we fight them,” was the only sentence that left his mouth as the hurried down the lane. His sister smirked, “And so do you, it seems.” He met her gaze with a smirk of his own.
Side by side they reached the clearing, where there was an adequate amount of room to maneuver in. The Verymyr were waiting for them, as they had suspected. Though the Verymyr possess no magics, magic was useless against them, and so hand-to-hand combat was the only resort. The twins stood together as they waited for the battle to come to them, ready for anything. When the diseased creatures charged like wild bulls, Ambrose extended his sword and Aeni uncovered her throwing knives, flinging two of them out and felling two of the monsters. She then raised her sword and the two cut down the evil race together.
Fate, however, had other plans for Ambrose. As he swung his sword through the air, one of the creatures caught him by the arm and it began to turn a black-purple colour. The black spread to his fingertips and his joints began to produce jagged spikes, right up until he killed the creature. His skin then melted back to normal.
Though he was no longer normal.
“Don’t let them touch you!” He yelled to Aeni as his thoughts filled his mind and his blood began to boil. With rising rage, he sliced the horrible beasts where they stood, his white teeth bared. When they saw his anger, they fled like the cowards they were and Ambrose fell to his knees, dropping his sword as his hands went to his head, holding it in agony.
He breathed heavily as Aeni rushed over. Placing a hand on his shoulder gently, she tried soothing him, but it was received poorly as Ambrose grabbed his sword and swung it toward her. She fell back with the point nearly touching her nose and seeing her brother’s face broke her heart. It was twisted with confusion, sadness, and overall, fury. “Don’t touch me,” he nearly snarled before breathing a sigh and dropping his sword.
He shook his head as he fell onto his back, bringing his hands over his face. Aeni slowly reached out and touched his shoulder once more, before helping him onto his feet. “Are you alright?” she asked him calmly, and he met her gaze with his blue eyes.
“I think we should move on. They’ve left the city, and we should follow them.” He bent down, picked up his sword once more, sheathed it, and continued onward.
But Aeni had seen the tears in his eyes. Something was wrong, and she intended to find out. “Ambrose, what happened? I know something’s wrong, you can’t run from me.”
Ambrose snapped his head back to where she stood, whistled into the air, and told her, “You better keep up, Aeni, or you might be left in the dust.”
From above the clouds, a giant white dragon appeared, spiraling downward towards the pair. He landed smoothly on the sand, his tail snakeing between alleyways and buildings as he was too large to fit in the clearing without squishing the twins. Ambrose reached up and grabbed a leather hanging down from his face and swung up onto the creature’s back. Aeni, without hesitation, ran up and did the same, placing herself right behind Ambrose on the colossal companion.
It took flight with ease, leaping into the air and beating its four, massive wings made of soft leather. They flew out across the land in search of the darkness, ready to destroy it once and for all.
Finally, they spotted it as their dragon blotted out the sun, creating a large shadow on the ground. They were in the middle of nowhere, around nothing, surrounded by desert as far as the eye could see. Ambrose slid off the side of the dragon, and Aeni a moment later. Both plunged toward the greatest threat Ardria had ever seen, ready to annihilate them once and for all.
Before hitting the ground, both flipped themselves so their feet were now first, instead of their heads. Then, they began to levitate temporarily before dropping, creating a small swirl of sand that spiraled through the air. As the swarm grew nearer, charging faster and faster, both stood firm, ready for battle.
Suddenly, Ambrose was overcome by something, and he turned to Aeni. “What if we didn’t have to fight them..” he said ominously.
Aeni shifted her feet for a second, as if unsure of herself. “Ambrose, now isn’t the time.”
“How can it not be the time?” The brother said, anger rising in his voice as he stepped forward and in front of Aeni, facing her with a furrow in his brow. He threw out his arm, gesturing to the oncoming enemy behind his back. “Do they really need to die? What have they done that is so wrong? They have no home, they come from nowhere and can return nowhere. What do you think their motives are?”
At his words, Aeni’s brow furrowed and she raised her sword a small bit higher and gripped it tighter. “Ambrose, they are creatures of pure darkness. They have but one goal: destroy. If we let them win, this world will be nothing but a burning rock. Can’t you see that?”
Ambrose’s face grew with disbelief and tears filled his eyes as he lowered his sword. His brilliantly blue eyes fell on the pink-hued sand as it was blown by the wind. “Betrayed,” he said quietly, “by my own sister.”
Aeni’s face became a twist of confusion. “You think I betrayed you? Look at what you’re about to do, Ambrose. Think. I know that’s all you do, so why not do it now?”
“All I want is to see the world at peace, and now I’ll be able to. I’m sorry, Aeni, but you’re in my way.” With a flick of his hand, he threw a bolt of red light at her and hit her in the chest. She fell back and skidded a few steps, but pushed herself to her hands and stood firmly once more.
Ambrose flicked his eyes in a half eye-roll. “Why must you be so persistent?”
“I don’t want to fight you, Ambrose, but if I must.”
“And I don’t, either, but you’ve chosen your side.” In a heartbeat, he extended both arms and lifted himself into the air as the crowd of Verymyr behind him begged to be let loose. They had finally found a worthy leader, and they’d become stronger than ever, wreathing and coiling in the darkness they’d created.
But Ambrose wouldn’t let them go. Not yet, not until he’d destroyed his sister. He brought the storm brewing in the north over their heads, and red lightning cracked through the air as rain stung the faces of the twins. With rage burning in his ice cold eyes, he conjured weapons out of thin air and began to throw them towards the one he once called sister. With her magic, she created a shield and the weapons drifted into ash at its touch. However, Ambrose was quick, and was before her before she knew it, and he hit her through her shield with the blunt end of his weapon and she fell back once more.
He brought his entirely steel spear above his head to kill her, but Aeni kicked out his feet and grabbed the spear from his hand as he fell, bringing it to the tip of his nose. It was light and decorated beautifully, though it was an extremely deadly weapon. She threw it to her other hand, before casting it out into the desert. As rain dripped off her face, she held out a hand. “It doesn’t have to end like this, Ambrose.”
He took her hand and sighed, before taking out a small knife and stabbing her side with it. “Of course it does,” he snarled, and he took a step back and grabbed her telepathically, raising her off her feet.
Blood pooled with water underneath her as lightning cracked through the air; Ambrose’s wild eyes glowed through it all. “Ambrose, listen to me.”
“Can’t you see? I’m saving Ardria. It will finally be at peace and everyone will be happy once more.”
“Not if everyone’s dead.”
Ambrose clenched his teeth and took a step closer to her, putting his hand around her neck. “You’re lost,” he said before throwing her and bringing out another weapon.
As she pushed herself to her feet one last time, Aeni knew what she had to do. She ripped the stone from her neck and raised it high. With distraught covering her face and tears streaming from her eyes, she began to speak. “Ambrose, son of Aimluth, commander of legions--”
Ambrose seemed to catch on to what she was doing, and through the howling wind, he began quietly, “no no no.”
“My brother. I, Aeni Rey of Plolis, with the power of this crystal, hereby banish you and all your kind from the face of Ardria--”
“No no no no NO.”
“So that you may only return when the crystal has been broken.”
Ambrose, in that moment, vanished from Ardria mid sentence, and the Verymyr fled to the dark realm, only to be released when the crystal was smashed.
Aeni fell to her knees, tears streaming down her face and an ugly sob broke from her lips. She rocked herself back and forth with the stone touching her forehead, her face buried in her arms. She knew she had locked her brother away within the necklace, and that the world was finally at peace, but at what kind of loss? It was a loss too great to comprehend.
And worst of all was the thought that Ambrose believed he was on the good side, that he was doing good and that Aeni was the one that needed to be destroyed in order to achieve peace. For all that they had gone through together, she never believed that the war would end like this, at the loss of him. She never doubted for a moment that he would go astray.
Until he did.
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