Terminus: Left For Dead

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[15:06] {NARRATION} The booted cadence of the soldiers echoed through the air, each step carrying with it the weight of a hundred lives. The forces of Meranthe had assembled, united under one banner, ready to launch their final assault against the stronghold of Abendrot. From every corner of the land, the officers and soldiers had converged, bringing with them the fierce determination of those who faced their doom head-on.

Yet Abendrot was no less stalwart in its resistance, and the demons that had gathered to defend their dark kingdom were as varied in their forms as they were in their savagery. A Fel Khan, with jet-black feathers falling from the sky, stood at the forefront of the demon army, ready to meet the invaders head-on.

The air was thick with the stench of decay and occult magic, a palpable reminder of the forces of darkness that had gathered to defend their domain. But the unified forces of Meranthe, bolstered by the light of the Holy Magi, stood firm in their resolve to purge the land of its corruption.

At the head of each army stood their leaders, each one bearing the standard of their forces with pride, the emblem of their ethos emblazoned upon it. The tension was palpable, a single spark waiting to ignite the flames of war that would consume all in its path.

Not a sound or breath could be heard among the soldiers, each one acutely aware of the promise of death that hung heavy in the air. Only the leaders dared to speak, their words carrying the weight of the fate of their armies.

The friction between the two sides was a ticking time bomb, a single spark enough to unleash the mayhem that would leave either Abendrot in ruins or the forces of Meranthe scattered and defeated. The soldiers stood ready to face their doom, their fate in the hands of the leaders who had brought them to the brink of war.

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[15:28] The many of Meranthean forces charged for the demons of Abendrot… Blades clashed with claws... Talons pierced into the folds of armor, with weapons carving through demon flesh.

Amongst the many, an eighteen foot tall monstrosity stood tall, a knight in each hand, one of which a lesser magi ensnared by his gargantuan digits. Their blades swayed and flailed to frivolous results...
All the while, the beast monologued...

"Hypocrites, the lot of them...

You claim to fight and kill in the name of justice...
In the name of tranquility and equality...
Yet, since the very beginning, I've only ever sought to better your world."

A man charged at his left leg, only to be mercilessly kicked away, sending their body hurdling through the undergrowth of the nearby forestry and plowing through more oncoming soldiers.

"I seek a world where none of us need to suffer..." A fireball was launched in his vicinity, only to have one of the men within his grasp launched at it as a counter-projectile resulting in an explosive interception.

"I seek a world, where none of us can die..."
Arrows rained down, pelting at his flesh and blocked by an overarching arm. Spatial manipulation casted a force field to snap them prior to catch the flesh.

"A Perfect World... Can't you understand that?" Alas, eyes would fall upon yet another... Different from the rest.
Hmmm... You're not like these ones... They mumbled to themselves... You must be one of their heavy hitters... A 'greater magi'.

A shame, we must do pointless battle here..."
(Terminus)
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[15:37] Soon enough, a diminutive semblance by mere comparison flared by.. A stave gleaming with inherent radiance as the teal-haired girl soon made manifest her prowess.

As as the demon trekked trough countless of hazards, was she weaving past the rabble amidst the horde, fiends and imps gutted in the earthen wake of the girl.

Blows dampened by a thick shell of crystalized mud, a mixture of uncanny resilience that propelled her forward.. only for the very soil beneath their feat to begin exuding some rather pungent vapors.

"There'll be no such world, while beings like you exist on this realm."

Soon, metallic manifestations would flair out.. from seemingly thin-air!.. A flurry of needles and other, much more rotund contraptions soon lunged its way.

Alongside a brief exhale on her part.. focusing, she needed to focus

"If you don't want to suffer anymore.. If you want to live forever.."

Her soon-to-be maelstrom hailing with impending doom!

"Allow me!... to take you back to Hel'"
(Auryn)
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[15:38] Space seemed to quake and shudder... Grasses clipping through itself... Trees vanish only to re-appear, with entire platoons of soldiers forcibly melding together in unintentional glitches imposed upon reality. "I impose my Will upon reality to bestow man's wishes unto them... Lay down your weapon, and perhaps I can offer you such a gift." He offered; a break in visuals wrought a doppelganger of Terminus before Auryn.

Though, that would be far from it... The nightfall that shrouded their surroundings birthed the coming of more interlopers from Hel itself, daring to flank the magi while their attention was focused on Terminus himself.

"--or perpetuate this onslaught... I suppose I should've considered that option for you."
(Terminus)
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[15:52] Her senses soon became clouded, his gift offered but no amount of boons would find any reprisal on Auryn's mind.

She wouldn't, under no circumstance, accept anything like that.

"You've nothing.. to offer me.."

She said in a strained breath, hiccups surmounting as searing rays of occult and blinding gleams soon befallen her frame, no amount of dirt-carapace could keep her safe from the behemoth at hand.

At least not while it still stood, her footing was regained as the battle flared.. And as the fiend sought to deal a grievous blow!..

A mighty yell soon echoed about, Auryn's arms being slammed onto the floor as a wide tremor spread outwardly and..

"HIYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

CHAINS, Oh-so-many chains sprouted, brandishing their steel onto the demonic frame.. as all too many of said metallic tendrils began to constrict and restrain the demon at hand.. Giving it a mighty squeeze in the process as she exerted most of her prowess in the process.

"Gah…"

(Auryn)
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[16:07] The gift, the struggle... All for naught...
It was nigh one-sided, for the giant struggled to even the odds. Surely, the senses could be scrambled, but through it all -- Auryn persisted...
She prevailed.

''You've nothing.. to offer me...''

The greatest fear of the wannabe deity come to light - worthless before an oncoming force. Before it was realized, it was constricted, apprehended... and dragged by great chains by a mere human.

Silence came for the creature, knowing that it, had become the spoils of war...
It knew what happened to kin that were bested...
That were captured...

Memories from as far back as its infancy of being hunted by so many and fighting for its life...
Constant defeat, at the hands that would wish for its undoing...
Finally, the day had come...
Surely, it could plead for its life, but what was the point.

Shoulders and body went limp, head sunken... Beaten both physically... And now, spiritually -- Despair: To know that no matter what was done, nothing would change. It finally had him...

"All of these years..." He wheezed through his breathing, "I sought to end this... Only to be roped into this po-- *wheeze* ...--pointless battle..." He strained himself, allowing his head to drag through dirt and mud.

"Could you possibly understand, human... *wheeze* The constant struggle of fighting to live? To survive...?

No... You probably couldn't... I fathom you've never had to struggle through your childhood, *wheeze*... --if only for another moment to save the very broken world around you. Though, I suppose... *wheeze* It does justify hatred for our kin... For yours... An eternal cycle."
(Terminus)
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[16:08] Galahad Avincus says, "... Do not allow the voice of that monster to corrupt you."
[16:08] Galahad Avincus says, "They feast on the flesh of man, remain stalwart, Sailor."
[16:11] Auryn says, "Do.. not fret, captain."
[16:13] Julius Equisol asks, "Jackson?"
[16:17] Auryn heeded such words, such struggle, such lament.

What was to lead a life full of strife?.. What was to live under constant attack and struggle?..

What was it like, to have been misplaced on the realm.. As such a wretched being?..

A terrible tragedy, to befall a seemingly self-aware demon.

Her chains strengthening their grasp, as crimson hues where fixed unto the ongoing battle, looking for her kin, for those fighting.. to make sure everyone made it back safe and sound.
(Auryn)
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[16:20] Terminus asks, "... Someone... Can back for me?"
[16:22] Terminus says, "Damn... These chains are interferring with my ability to breach into minds..."
[16:22] Terminus coughs up blood.
(Terminus)
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[16:41] Igor would stomp around the battlefield letting out a smile less chuckle after scorching their opponents flesh. They where largely stratified with what they where seeing and where about to rejoin the rest of the defenders...

That was until their burning eyes would gleam Auryn binding one of their kin in chains, with Igor the closest demon in range. They got a feeling that if they didn't stop Auryn then Terminus was going to get haul off elsewhere to get killed.

Did Igor wanted to drop everything and go save a demon they barely know, not really. But apart of Igor can reason that if they didn't try to save Terminus and somebody saw they didn't intervene then they might gain the ire of some of their kin.

So with a very loud grumble would Igor reluctantly stomp in the Auryn's direction, their noise alone enough to get her attention.

"YOU!" Igor would point with their good arm at Auryn with a claw still dripping with magma.

"I can't believe I'm the only one around to thrash you, to save that demon you hold in those chains." Igor would grumble as they would stomp their hoof on the ground, causing a torrent of magma to leap from the earth and cover Igor in a layer of molten lava, bring both protection and pain to further kindle the demon's fury.

"You are making Igor fight longer than they wish to." Igor would state before moving forward, lava cracking from the ground with each step.

"And that makes Igor ANGRY!" Igor would shout as they would begin to erupted with magma and explosive fury, launching it all at Auryn.

"VERY, VERY, ANGRY!"
(Igor)
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[16:46] Auryn was stalwart in her efforts.

A constricted demon at her mercy, or whatever leverage such a situation would provide for those much unluckier than herself.

She couldn't afford to lose it, she couldn't afford the demons to free him of such bounds.

Her stave gleaming, thanks to the blessing of Pylae, and the efforts of those who made it possible for her to be standing here, now.. Before them.

Of course, a certain something would be very vocal about it.

"...!"

Her eyes soon blinking rapidly, as the rampaging beast sought to free it's kin, a remote speck of comradery amidst the fiends ranks!

"You-.. Talk too much!"

And there was only one way to remediate both of their current situations, with nothing but a good round of the ol' fisticuffs.

Her stave pointed straight at him, metallic vapors of her own aftermath gathering at it's top before a inherent light seemed to befall but a hint of radiance unto it, before it soon would manifest into a tremendous flurry of blades and needles alike!

(Auryn)
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[17:00] As Igor sought to reclaim the now apprehended demon, and as its frames scalded the teal-haired girls skin and body to no avail.

Little other option was there other than to persevere

"Pylae.. Grant me strength.."

She muttered, seeking vigor whenever she could.. Mustering all her mana into one single attack.. Soon to be unleashed unto the demon with little regard.

The very soil underneath their feet threatening to swallow them whole!

Before a stream of blades was quick to flare out!

Jettisoning them away, riddling their body as if it was pushed trough a gigantic blender!

Sending them skidding across the forestry, Out of their sight!

Chains.. Soon to strengthen their grasp on Terminus, soon to get a better grasp of their defeated frame, rejoining the Aphrosian forces in the process.

(Auryn)
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[17:07] Carnage.

No matter where Varrach looks, there is carnage- the combined might of four armies swarm Abendrot, and no matter what the demonkind presents to oppose that, it was simply too much. The Great Wolf knew that the time for their plan has come, and there would be no better time for this than to unleash it right here, right now. After all...

What better time for it,
when all of the nations have gathered?

Amidst this carnage, the Great Wolf brings themselves to the high point of Abendrot. There, with an overview of the battle infront of them and a clear access to see that the armies of the demonkind were driven back, they were given no choice but to unleash this; to make sure that no matter what, this place would not be held by any nation - to ensure that none would persevere here.

That none could remain.

Their punishment for coming here would be destruction and death itself, made manifst by the effort of the Great Wolf that has meticulously worked to perfect this craft, to ensure that they would be truly ready to unleash this destruction; and it is here, when the shimmering mana of Primordial is pushed forth slowly, Varrach's voice echoes through the battling armies.

No matter how loud the tornado of violence was,
they could clear the Great Wolf's voice clearly.
A surge of telepathic wave spreading far,
almost as if they were spoken to directly.

"-- you marched unto your deaths, Meranthians."

"No matter how far you've come, no matter how much you've tried, all will be brought for naught."

They could see it, finally.
They could see it in the possession of Varrach.

The cruel power of Mortyl.
The chilling strength from beyond.
The essence of Death itself.

And it is here that it was brought forth; in a manner concentrated as much as possible, the Great Wolf manifested the power of the Death itself- conjured through the Primordial mana, to unleash the destruction and death across the grounds of Abendrot - with the shockwave so powerful, so wicked, that it would spread across the rest of Meranthe as well.

However far it could.

"This is what you fought for."

"This is your destiny. This is your fate."

"Witness my works, ye mighty, and despair."

The conjunction of Death itself was allowed to lash out; within moments, the unleashed destruction and death would be unimaginable, leaving countless for dead. The sheer power of Death itself spreading out, swallowing everything in the rapidly approaching wave of destruction- dire and deadly in its very nature, made to annihilate all and leave naught behind.

This will be a calamity like no other.

This will decimate the armies of Meranthe.

And they're here to witness it,
to suffer through it.
(Varrach)
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[17:07] Lydia Dominic says, "....."

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[17:11] {NARRATION} The once great town of Abendrot had been reduced to its lowest point, devastated by the combined forces of the nations led by Aphros. Yet, amidst the ruins, Varrach had a plan -- one that could very well trigger, easily, the self-preservative instincts of those nearby: declaring that they ought to flee while they've ample time to do so.

Very clearly must they all begin their retreat, to ensure that they are not caught within the blast radius.

The union of powers and the very essence of death had reached its zenith, with the forces of the undead adding to the carnage, erupting with a devastating surge. The effects of this catastrophic explosion extended to the farthest corners of the island, but left the towering structure untouched, though its surroundings were tainted with residue that spread to the mainland.

The air is thick with a miasma of dark magic, which twists and warps the very fabric of reality. Those who venture too close are consumed by a seething rage, as if their very souls are being torn apart by the malevolent power that emanates from the near-nuclear power that destroyed the land. Though the emanating divine presence from the Tower stifled any form of taint that may seek to tarnish its pristine structure, indicating that it very well was a testament that the divine yet remained unreachable.

Many who have entered the area have never returned, but those who have emerged from the twisted landscape are forever changed. They become maddened, struck with the stupor of the Occultic energies that now tainted their psyche. Though outwardly unchanged, their eyes burn with the rabid fervor of a hungered beast.

The tower at the heart of the area remains a mysterious and foreboding presence, its purpose and origins shrouded in darkness. Those who have glimpsed its inner workings speak of arcane machinery and unspeakable rituals, hinting at a power and knowledge that is beyond mortal comprehension.

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[17:11] Igor with an reluctant fury would stand against Auryn's blades.

They would unleash torrents of magma, break the land with echoing explosions and bring forth that ever tainting occult across the ground they stood upon.

Igor would get their surge against Auryn, their bombastic displaying of their true fury bringing them back from an early defeat, though having expending a lot of their energy into one massive attack and being worn down by other battles would cause the strength of Igor to wain.

Wain to the point where they could be cough off guard, bring witness to blades piercing their skin and casting them away.

Igor would ragdoll in the battlefield for quite a distances until they would stop and find a moment to stand once again. In that time however they literal burning eyes would see that their intervention was all for not.

"They can't say I didn't try..." Igor would say before being cut off by Varrach, that familiar bomb in their position.

"Oh... their actually unleashing it" Igor would drop their jaw. They know Varrach had this artifact but they didn't think they would use it here, or right now.

As Varrach would begin to unleash the weapon it appears the angry demon got a change of heart.

"Igor has CHANGED THEIR MIND!" They would call out as they dodged to find cover.


(Igor)
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[17:15] Wounded, defeated..

But still standing, the creature flew ready to leave, from the city that was brought to the ground.. So much effort, so much did for that accursed place that only brought him problems, however.

He used as much of it as he could as well, so.. There would come a time when it would end and this was now. And once the destruction was unleashed, all would begin.

"Varrach, with me.. We leaving this mundane place behind." Said as his hand was extended and reality was broken once more, a rift being opened for the demonic lords to escape.

And so, together with the other demon, they would now travel across reality.. leaving that place for ruin.

"Enjoy this end.. Mortals.. This is what you desired, this is the result of your own doing."

And gone he was, with that last few words.
(Sak'noth)
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[17:19] Destruction.
Carnage.
Death.

All unleashed in a deadly cocktail that would roll over the Abendrot, over the armies of mortal men- and then outward unto Meranthe, as far as it could possibly reach.

A smile.
For once, Varrach smiles.

Their mission is done. Perhaps they were defeated today, but what would happen here would be written in the history for many eons to come; remembered by generations, and spoken in tales to come.

".. it is done, drakanite."

"My promise is fulfilled."

A quiet mutter, and it is not too long before the gaze of the Legatus of War turns towards Sak'noth; with the rift being torn asunder so that they could flee, they step forth.

To follow the Fel Khan out of here.

"Come."

"There is nothing but death here. We shall leave."

With Sak'noth, Varrach steps through the rift- leaving the consequences of this destruction to bear for the rest.

For so many out there.
(Varrach)
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[17:19] Igor would already be running before Varrack unleashed their weapon, but as they felt force touch their back the angry demon would be running at a speed they never had before.

"EXILED AGAIN!?" Others could hear Igor shout as the rest of the area tried to get out of dodge.

"WELL SCRAW YOU ALL! I'm going to find NEW grounds to grumble in, with ARCANA and ANGRY DEMONS!" Igor would promise before they would get out of dodge.
(Igor)
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[17:24] Encumbered, burdened.. the sudden voice that rang across her being soon heeded as the danger was clear, her captain's orders all too clear as everyone was hel-bent on one thing and one thing only.

FLEEING

And she definitely, on her current status.. Couldn't really do anything about the bound demon.. Terminus, to be CASTED towards the explosion, FLUNG... even!

As she seized her chance to FLEE

"Ah-..!"

And more importantly, get EVERYBODY else to safety.

"W-..We got to' go NOW!"
(Auryn)
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[17:25] Ivel watches as Terminus is flung into oblivion.
(Ivel)
[17:27] Failure.

Seems it was time to go.

Following the fae behind. He would see Ra was captured. It couldn't be helped. But it was fate that sometimes they had to be this would occur. "

"Seems master has already made his choice..."

It was all for the cause.

Crystals formed around the undead and he would chuckle.

"Glory shall come and Hel shall rain."

Watching Terminus decent. A chain would go around to catch him but the hooded one was leaving no matter what.
(Gunther)
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[17:33] The creature proved to be deadweight, cast aside from his would-be captors to fall victim to the very weapon of his superiors...
To be abandoned from assured death, to face demise at the hands of his own... Trusted... Kaor Lords.

The expression of dread fell to despair... Truly hopeless... Spiteful... Infuriated that such would come to pass, but at least it wouldn't be at the hands of Aenite kin.

"What luck... To face the end, at the hands of the very kin I fought to protect..." He was still chained, unable to move... Only able to grit through what he was soon to be engulfed by.

Hatred...
Fury...
It was all so overwhelming...

--because he was too weak.

"To save a world of humanity from themselves... I suppose, in the end... It didn't even matter." A glimpse up away from the explosion revealed a chain skimmering for him... But he couldn't reach for it. He could only look on, expecting only the result of failure.

"... Hopeless... The lot of them..."
The pyres of the occult burned vibrant from his soul, aching at the flesh that nigh bled from the stress of constricting chains. He writhed in agony, longing for fate to defy what sought to claim him.

For anything... Before closing shut his eyes...
Embracing the dark... And falling silent...

What was... The End truly like?
A query thought to himself, likely soon to be answered.
(Terminus)
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[17:49] {NARRATION} The Radiant Herald was a powerful entity, but he became even more so when he consolidated his power with the Shard of the Shattered King. As the two sources of power intertwined, the Herald could hear whispers emanating from the Shard, its ancient wisdom and knowledge blooming within him. The Herald was filled with a sense of strength and purpose that he had never experienced before.

He could feel the raw energy of the Shard intermingling with his own, and he knew that he was now capable of great feats. In his mind's eye, he saw the ancient battle of Primomachy, where the gods themselves had clashed in a battle for the ages. He knew that his own battle was just as important, and that the fate of Mount Pavonius rested upon his shoulder.

The Herald called upon the powerful faith of Ymir and as he did so, he felt his power expand outward. From him, a great wave washed over everything in its path -- presenting him as a stalwart fortress that can stand even the most odious and darkest of forces. From every corner of Meranthe, people could see the conflict between the holyfire and the darkness anew. The sky was filled with flashing lights and the sounds of thunder, as the two opposing forces battled for supremacy. The holyfire sought to cleanse the land of the darkness, crashing against it like tidal waves against the shore.

But Varrach's darkness was just as strong, and it sought to consume everything in its path. The battle raged on for what felt like hours and days, but in truth, it was only a few minutes. The energies clashed time and time again, until finally, a fierce shockwave erupted, rumbling across the land.

The shockwave canceled out the holyfire and the darkness, leaving only raw ether falling from the skies. The ether looked like motes of fireflies, dark and holy having canceled one another out. As the ether showered those beneath it, it gave off a beautiful, translucent radiance, revealing the futility of the conflict.

At the conclusion of the conflicting forces, many a ballad will surely speak and sing of the wondrous feats by the Herald of Ymir and the terrifying nightmare that Varrach had shadowed the lands with, if even briefly.

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[17:49] ** Auryn has inflicted an injury upon Terminus. ("Mortyl's Mercy", "Terminus found themselves exposed to the full force of the very essence of death at its baleful apex. The catastrophic surge that decimated Abendrot with its destructive power did no less to Terminus' frame and mind, leaving them deeply wounded on both fronts. The intense surge of energy would have inflicted significant physical harm, potentially causing broken bones, internal injuries, and burns from the intense heat and radiation.

However, the damage to Terminus' mind may have been even more severe. Experiencing the very essence of death would have been a traumatic and harrowing experience, likely leaving lasting psychological scars.

The devastating explosion would have forever changed Terminus, leaving them with a deep understanding of the destructive power that can lurk within dark magic.", "Permanent", "Severity: CRIPPLING (-40 VIT)") **
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[17:50] Igor exclaims, "Alright, I'M OUTTA HERE!"
[17:50] Igor exclaims, "But this isn't the any of you have heard of Igor!"
[23:15] It was... Grand...
To imagine power, was far from fathoming this...
A dome of mauve essence that'd dwarf anything he could ever drum up... That most could ever manage.

So this... Was Varrach's power? No, this was something else. This was a machination, right? He couldn't tell... Then again, it didn't matter.
The dome had evolved to a wall of light, addling away buildings in the distance into naught but shredding leylines amidst the alabaster veil.

Grasses, soils and earth beneath rendered to a detail-vacant oblivion, crawling with a voracious pace for Terminus. In this final moments, he could look upon Auryn with some forgiveness. She, offered him something most others callously denied him.
Mercy
While the recent memory of Igor rushing to aid him did offer mild comfort, and his failure shortly afterwards left him with despair -- The most crushing of such was witnessing the very Kaor Lords he was expected to look up to, succumb to scorched earth tactics.

What of... Everything they had built up?
Gunther, an undead of Abendrot, launched a chain to link with his bindings... Only to tug to little avail. Terminus was... Simply too big, too heavy, and the blast was encroaching too quickly. The effort to pull him fell short, and the undead would soon flee.

What of... Those still within the city?
Imps amongst the denizens sprinted for cover, some of which cowering behind structures in vain. The destructive force would erase them all the same. He could naturally feel instances through space through his spatial mastery... But this explosion... It denied that. It was as though, nothing existed beyond it as it closed it.

For all intents and purposes... This wave was... The End.

"To think... It would not be at the hand of Aen or any mortal... But my own kin..."

The struggle was over...
Now, he waited...
He could feel it... The presence of his former allies, blipping from the local space entirely. What sort of magic was that, he wondered... Did it matter any more?
Boats left the shore, and those deprived of such privilege fled the land itself by foot.

Even his own imp had left him...

The rumble of bass overwhelmed all he could hear.
The tremble of the earth was all he could feel.
Soon, not even gravity existed to the immediate environment, as even his physical form took to a subtle drift to the air before...--

Opaque white.
Vibrant light.
An indescribable burn through all of his flesh.
Vision upon small remnants of levitating debris blurred out what little he could see. His image, was no different... The finer details of his image stretched, blurring and vibrating violently as it slowly ebbed out of existence.

There was no scream that could properly convey his suffering...
A vacant gape of the mouth, with body forced into a stasis.

All the while, his mind sought to escape this...
Carrying him to a better place... Anywhere but here.

Thus, Terminus found himself in freefall amongst a sheet of absolute ebony -- The inner machinations of his mind. Before him, a sole entity stood upright, unmoved... For no matter how far nor long he fell, his position in correlation to it never changed... Was he floating here?

The entity was wordless, adorn in a hooded cloak... Looking down upon him, as curious man or child upon an ant. It was no predator in the traditional sense, merely a force beyond Terminus' comprehension. Was this... A demon's way of understanding the end?

He angled himself upright to face it, scowling back at it.
"What are you supposed to be... Death? My end?" He called out to it, to hear no answer.

"Are you supposed to be greater than me?! An absolute?!" He clutched his fists, flexing even as though preparing to throw a punch but he... Simply could force himself to remain upright, slowly drifting backwards to end up upside down -- slowly flipping in his seemingly freefalling state.

He grunted, swaying to little avail to fix himself to glare unto this entity, but it remained wordless.

"Answer me!" He demanded... But here, he was greeted with silence. He was small compared to this entity. He was weak... As he always proved to be.

… Did he blink?

It was as though he had opened his eyes once more, only to find himself within the body of his lesser form -- a nigh hatchling, staring into the eyes of a woman intent on slaying him. He could remember the fear...
He could taste his blood in his mouth.
He remembered turning to run away, the feeling of blades shredding through the flesh on his back.

A kick that'd force him to roll over, and more slashed across his softer underbelly as he cried out for mercy.

A blink...

--and he'd find himself much stronger... Older, facing off against Asmodeus Montelione, only to be dispatched and imposed upon by an exorcism spell. The agony of such an encounter, eventually scorching his circuitry left him to grow... Only to find Versilia, a drakan that would further strain him, nearly killing him...

Nuru as well...

(Terminus)
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[23:15] --and even, Jackson Willaims, a human that truly believed demons to be irredeemable, yet pledged himself to a vision much like him.

A blink, and he'd return to the moments he attempted to foster up Veld...
The moments he tried to grow alongside Crow...
The moments he strayed his hand from immediately killing humans in the same fashion they'd slaughter his kind...

--and he'd lament with regret...

"It's... not... FAIR!" He flailed, bearing teeth at the nameless entity. "Why... WHY DO THEY GET TO LIVE?! WHY AM I DESTINED TO THIS... TO DIE?!" He cried out, thrashing however way he could.

"They only live their lives for ruin... I've lived my life to create and transform!
I didn't ask to be born! I didn't ask to suffer! Why have those that created this world, create us?! Just to suffer?

Is existence supposed to be agony...
WAS I BORN TO DIE FOR A HUMAN'S BLOODLUST?!" He screamed out his futile questions.

The nameless entity started to shift, bringing rise to a hand devoid of detail... Akin to a blanket, even in the void that was his inner thoughts. His... Attempt to comprehend the forces of nature...
This, must've been the personification of Death.

"I, REFUSE THIS FATE!"

The hand draws closer, as Terminus' body rolled upright.

"I REFUSE THE HUMANS THAT SEEK MY DEATH!"

The festering of the occult transcends even this veil, sizzling through his flesh to consume him-- burning with all of his spite, his hate, his defiance for what was. Soon, the very flames of the occult had embodied him whole, rendering the image of flesh and carapace away.

"I REFUSE MY KIN THAT PERPETUATES THE CYCLE!"

The hand surrounded him with its digits, threatening to take him whole with its unfathomable size.

"I REFUSE TO ACCEPT MY WEAKNESS!"

Translucent ebonic spheroids palpitated within open palms spread out to his sides, thrusted upon one another to compress, combine and compile into something anew... Alabaster static cackled beyond cupped fingertips.

AND I, REFUSE YOU!"

A flash of light, and a pillar of occultic energies erupted into a pillar to crash into the overbearing force that threatened to take him whole... But it did not falter in its advance, and soon... All would be rendered to naught.
(Terminus)