The words had been said so much as of late, but today, these words brought a sense of curiosity upon Sullivan as he peered around a corner. Only a short distance away, a crowd had gathered and were currently surrounding someone. As he slowly neared them, he could hear the voices clearer, but one voice stood out from them all. The word 'power' slipped from whoever it was constantly, it made Sullivan sick to his stomach with hatred for such a word, but something drew him in regardless. Only his brother seemed to speak of such a thing so fondly, so when he heard another one speaking of such in a similar manner, he couldn't help but investigate.
XXXXThere was no way he could push his way through the crowd, so he decided to get a bird's eye view of the situation. Flying to a nearby ledge of a building, Sullivan peered down into the crowd below, spotting three agels in the center. Two had seemed to have been in a scuffle moments ago, while the third seemed to retain the position as the scolder. After a moment the two goobs disappeared into the crowd, but the third still remained and she began to speak once more.
"As many of you know, we've been in quite the predicament. Our world is falling apart and I would not be surprised if it were to fall into the darkness below where our newfound enemies currently rest. It is clear, we have no time to argue amongst ourselves and instead, we need to focus on repairing that which is broken. Unfortunately...I doubt such can be accomplished." A murmuring of voices sounded from the crowd, but they soon quieted. "Let me rephrase that...I doubt such can be accomplished by any of you. As you know, the force that keeps balance has been strained and is quite near shattering. It would take quite the power to maintain such. Fortunately, that being stands among you. That being is I."
XXXXNow, the crowd erupted into chaos. Various voices ranging from that of hope to absolute disgust reached Sullivan's ears, some agels attempting to charge at the goob in the center of the crowd, while others held them back. Sullivan's gaze widened as the chaos seemed to engulf the speaker. But suddenly, the agel stomped. The ground shook violently underpaw, nearly flinging Sullivan off his perch. Now the crowd cried out in terror, attempting to steady themselves until the world quieted. Once things had returned to being stable, there was hardly a whisper among them. They were struck with that of awe - or perhaps horror - potentially both.
"Alright, so you have some sort of supernatural abilities. Get to the point and tell us what you want." An irritable voice from the crowd spoke. Her gaze flickered over to the goob and she merely shrugged. "I would like to speak with our leader. I hear there's been some...rather, suspicious activity among us as of late. I believe I have the means to rid of whatever it is though." A questioning tone now overtook the voices below, a sense of curiosity among them. At last, one of the agels stepped forward and led the stranger away, leaving the crowd to disperse at its own leisure. That'd be strange. Desmond would want to know about this.
"You saw WHAT?" Desmond cried, furious. His gaze narrowed as he settled down a bit, a more fitting sneer appearing on his face. "Sullivan, my brother, do not toy with me. Certainly, no goob can simply shake the very ground and atmosphere with a mere paw. I could feel it all the way from here. Even my own skills aren't that powerful."
XXXXSullivan rolled his eyes. "Well, if you aren't going to believe me on these things, why don't you go instead? I saw what I saw and quite frankly, if your power is no match for her's then I'm certain we're in trouble." The male allowed for a huff to escape him, turning up his nose in disgust. Desmond said something, but he hadn't caught what it was. A moment later, his brother arose with an intimidating glint in his eyes. "Sullivan...I have knowledge that you don't. The kingdom is more at risk than we are. By any chance...do you know where she went?" Sullivan was quiet for a moment. What did he mean? What was he hiding from him this time? With a shake of his head, sighing, he spoke.
"The palace, Desmond." And instantly, he regretted his words.
"So you say, you're more powerful than Desmond? He tore an entire world apart my dear, so forgive me if I'm a tad skeptical." The king spoke slowly, his eyes hovering over the newcomer. The agel approached the throne, her eyes gleaming with a mysterious light. "My power does not thrive in that of destruction, but rather that of healing. You see, while Desmond was claimed to be a hero before his disastrous fall, he failed to use them for healing or anything similar. In my opinion, he was deserving of such a tragedy." A raise of the brow of the king was enough to alert her she'd begun to stray too far. "With all due respect, I ask that I can aid the kingdom. I'll even lay it out for you." A pause. "Tell me what you desire and I'll give it to you."
XXXXSilence filled the throne room. The only sound that one could occasionally hear was the shifting of a guard. Finally, the king spoke. "I want my kingdom restored."
"In what manner?" She asked, with growing interest. "I want a stable land, one that does not crumble beneath me with every passing moment. I want a land where terror does not strike us constantly. I want the land I once had, before the dreaded fall of the diabs... I do not care how you return us to such a state, if it's even possible...but if the power you claim to possess is anything like Desmond's...we have hope."
XXXXA large smirk appeared on the female's face. "As you wish." And with that, she turned away as she was escorted out of the throne room. As she left the palace though, she failed to notice two figures trailing after her...who'd overheard the entire conversation.
In the following days, things seemed surprisingly peaceful. Agels from every edge of the kingdom had spread the news about how their land had changed so drastically. Many would simply stand about, staring at the ground or skyward, as the ground was solid and unmoving, their world stable for once. Sullivan had noticed the change too, but Desmond wasn't believing that their troubles were over. As a matter of fact, he believed they were far from such.
XXXX"Why do you always have to ruin things? I'm finally able to relax for once and then you tell me we're in just as much danger as before." Sullivan grumbled into the darkness, merely hoping that Desmond hadn't disappeared to leave him complaining to the air again. But a voice spoke back. "What have I told you? I know more than you do." There it was again. Such arrogance. "And don't give me that look." Desmond approached his brother slowly, clearly frustrated. "What you don't know is, you've only truly laid eyes upon that agel twice. I have laid eyes upon her more than I'd liked to." Such words sent Sullivan's eyes widening. "You have?"
"Yes, I have. And I'm afraid it's about time I see her again."
Once more, the world seemed ever so peaceful. Even so, Desmond stormed ahead through the gathering darkness in search of the strange agel who claimed to be able to restore the land to its former glory. Sullivan hurried after him, constantly gazing about as if someone might spot them, but his brother hardly seemed to care, let alone notice. Finally, as they rounded a corner, she appeared. "Aha!" Desmond's cry rang out over the relatively peaceful evening, much to Sullivan's annoyance. Even worse, the goob in question heard them, glanced their way and within moments had begun to flee.
XXXX"Desmond, look what you-" But before he could even finish his sentence, Desmond was gone. With a heavy breath, Sullivan shot after his brother, twisting and turning through the kingdom as they attempted to catch the runaway. Occasionally, he could've sworn that a face or two had caught sight of them, but he could only hope that he was wrong. Fortunately, the chase was short. Unfortunately, it ended in a horrible area. The very place where everything went wrong.
"Now where was I...oh yes. Lovely to see you again, Vera." Desmond said to the opposing agel, a sickly smile plastered upon his face. "What is this? Some sort of joke? Sullivan, I didn't think you were capable of such things." Vera cried, before letting out a bark of laughter. "Now, 'Desmond', why don't you tell me who you really are? We all know what happened to him, so don't go around faking such a thing."
XXXX"Wh-" Sullivan began, but his brother cut him off. "Oh, I believe you are mistaken. I am quite real and quite alive. If you have any doubts, touch me." He replied, extending a paw in her direction. Vera recoiled. "I would rather not. You two are wasting my time here, I have a task that needs tending to." Desmond stepped forward, his earlier smile disappearing in an instant, replaced by one that clearly stated he'd reached his limit. "Yes, about that. What exactly is this task of yours, fooling the kingdom again are we?"
XXXX"Look, is the world practically falling apart? I don't think so." A snarl. "Enough! You've done enough damage to us as is. If you dare keep this up, I swear I'll-" But before he could finish, Vera backed away and fell. Fell off the edge of the kingdom, their home, their world. Down to where the diabs lurked.
"She...She didn't just...?" Sullivan couldn't believe it. "As if that's going to stop us. Onward." Desmond then pushed Sullivan forward. As he hesitated, he knocked him over the edge. As he screamed, Desmond leapt after him. And so, the three disappeared.
The world below was strangely dark. Of course, the night was dark but here it seemed...even darker. Was that even possible? Nonetheless, Vera strode onward without hesitation. Her gaze searched the shadows, which seemed to move about, some reaching toward her while others shied away. Her gaze narrowed as she padded through the dense undergrowth, carefully making her way through it. If what her comrade said was true, then Umbra had to be nearby. The deepest, darkest corners of the world hide the most dangerous foes. While she wouldn't deem Umbra as among the most dangerous of enemies, it would no doubt be where he was. And, apparently, her assistant had been correct because a sudden figure rose from behind her.
XXXX"Vera." The voice rumbled slowly, the ground seeming to tremble just from it. The agel paused, slowly turning around to face the other goob. Her ears pricked as she stood there, silent for a moment. Then, she smiled. "Umbra." She greeted, smirking. "What a surprise to run into you. Hmph, my comrade wasn't lying...you really have changed." Vera added after a moment. The diab peered down at her, horns seeming to gleam in some sort of light which she could not find the source of. The diab then let out a slow breath, trembling. "Tell me...what business do you have here? Since the split of the former world, I haven't laid eyes upon an agel. Surely, this means something..."
XXXX"Quite right. I have come to stabilize the land of the agels. And such a quest has led me here." A pause. "Unfortunately, that means your days end here, because I'll unfortunately have to destroy you in order to do so. Unfortunate, but necessary."
It was only after she'd made this statement that Umbra began to tremble violently. It was as if his legs might just give way and he was desperately trying to keep himself upright. But what came from him next was anything but fearful - instead, it was that of shrill laughter, which echoed about them. Vera stared at the diab bewildered, but it wasn't until he'd caught his breath that she received an answer. "Vera, you humor me. But destroying me is impossible, believe me. Destroying any goob is impossible."
XXXXAt his words, her eyes grew wide. She stood there, jaws slightly parted but quickly snapped out of the trance. "What? You can't be serious! Explain to me the fate of Desmond then, hm?" She challenged the diab, with an assured voice. To her surprise, he accepted it. "...That was a lie, Vera. I never killed Desmond."
Fury rippled through her. "Are you serious? Are you telling me you blamed him for a crime he didn't commit, ruined his life and ours and all you did was run off to create your own little kingdom? You destroyed an entire world for your own sake? That- that's beyond cruel!" She cried, enraged. But the diab seemed hardly affected by her words.
XXXX"And? You've lived off of lies yourself haven't you?" Suddenly, Umbra became very still. "And quite frankly, I have already paid my price. You, however..." And then, without warning, he lunged.
The sounds of battle were growing more apparent as the two neared the tussling goobs. Sullivan could hardly believe that they were willingly approaching some sort of fight, but with Desmond in the lead, there was little he could do. His wide eyes glazed over with fear, he followed the larger form in front of him as best he could. Finally, his fear won him over. "Desmond, I don't think this is such a good-"
XXXXOut of the undergrowth came an agel, knocking Desmond aside in her haste, chased by a behemoth of a creature. Desmond dodged the large form as Sullivan leapt away from it at the last second. Cries sounded from the two as they plunged into the thick undergrowth beyond, increasing their distance with each passing moment. "Come on!" Desmond cried, bounding after them. Had they not been in such a dark place, Sullivan might've considered ignoring him. With a heavy sigh, he hurried after his brother.
XXXXAttempting to get to the front, the two took flight. Twisting and dodging about hidden trees, vines and other obstacles, they mostly navigated off the sounds of the chase below. Finally, the agel below seemed to get the same idea, launching herself into the air, toward her escape. Yet, she'd only gotten so far before a heavy weight fell upon her, sending her crashing down upon the earth once more.
"And where do you think you're going?" Desmond inquired, using his weight to his advantage. "Idiot!" Vera cried, using her own strength to dislodge the opposing goob from her, whipping about to face him. "You shouldn't be here!"
XXXX"Oh no, I should definitely be here. Though, you should start explaining your business here. No agel willingly leaps over a cliff without reason. What is your true goal here, Vera? Vengeance? Take-over? I'll have you know that-"
XXXX"Guys, we've got to GO, NOW!" Sullivan cried, as the beast tumbled out of the shadows. Without a moment to spare, Vera kicked Desmond to the ground, before taking off once more. "I swear once I catch her-" Desmond muttered, before bolting after the agel, Sullivan close behind him. And with that, they'd escaped.
But what awaited them back home was less than pleasing. The kingdom was in chaos. Once again, the ground was shaking violently and buildings were crumbling. Agels were running about, horrified and among them was the king. As soon as Vera landed, his gaze found her. "Vera! Thank goodness you're here. The land is falling again. We've been looking for you everywhere!" A nervous chuckle followed his words. "Now, if you could fix all of this, that'd be wonderful. Quickly now."
XXXXBut Vera just stood there. She was silent. "Vera..?" The king prompted with a tone of concern in his voice. "Are you alright?" But before she could respond another voice did. One that no one had expected. "Don't ask her to do a thing because she can't. Vera lied!" A gasp sounded from the small crowd, looks ranging from bewilderment to fear. The king looked toward Sullivan, his gazs disapproving. "Do not speak of such things. The land was fine before, surely she's just taking a moment. Right, Vera?"
XXXXBut again, there was no response. She could only manage a look of embarrassment as she stood there, silent. Suddenly, the air grew tense. "Vera, no. No, no, no. No..." The king's voice was horrified at first, but grew in both volume and anger. "No! You cannot have lied! Tell me you've been telling the truth, tell me! Tell me the land won't fall beneath us! Tell me the truth, Vera!"
"I-I..." Vera tried to speak, but her words faltered. And then suddenly, the ground broke beneath her and she plummeted down. Down, down, down...into pitch, black darkness. Carefully, the king and Sullivan peered over the edge but there was nothing. She was gone. "Our hope..." The king muttered, hardly more than a whisper.
Vera was gone. Her secret had been revealed but at what cost? And what now? Had she really been their final hope? And where was Desmond? What was that creature Vera had been running from? So many questions, so little answers. And now, Sullivan was alone. Alone as the world around him shattered.
