Chapter 85: The Abyss Between Two Hearts

Zramë had triumphed.

Neither Niyus, nor Jin Muleo, nor Lingyin were yet able to rise. The ground was red, the dust of mana suspended in the air, as if frozen in a deadly breath.

Zramë approached slowly. His gaze fell on Niyus, broken, on his knees, unable even to lift his head.

"I told you," said the Mythical God coldly. "Destruction cannot be stopped… once it is unleashed."

Niyus raised his eyes, empty. Then Zramë extended his hand, haloed with devouring darkness.

"This is the end for you, Niyus."

The boy lowered his head, resigned.

He was right… he thought. This really is the end. The Mythical Beings… are terrifying. I never stood a chance.

But then…

"NO!"

A figure leapt in front of him.

"Before you kill Niyus… you'll have to kill me first!"

Rivhiamë. Her frail body stood between the God and Niyus, arms crossed, trembling but determined.

"RIVHIAMË?!" shouted Niyus, stunned. "What are you doing?! He doesn't want you! Run! He could go after what you hold dear!!"

She did not answer. Just silence. A silence too heavy.

"Rivhiamë, please don't do this!! LEAVE THIS PLACE!! Don't sacrifice yourself for me! I don't want to… I don't want to lose you…!"

He saw her tremble.

And he understood. Her legs buckled. Her hands shook. She was afraid. Panic-stricken. And yet…

She stayed there.

"Rivhiamë… you want to protect me, I know… but it's too late. My fate is sealed. This god… he is stronger than all of us. Listen to me, I beg you. It's my last wish: survive. Live for me. Don't die here. You must…"

But she interrupted him. With a broken voice.

"Why won't you understand…?"

He fell silent. Moved.

Rivhiamë turned slowly. Her eyes streamed tears. They shone with a painful truth.

"The thing… that matters most to me… is you, Niyus."

Niyus's heart stopped. His breath caught. Time froze.

But at that moment…

CRACK!

Zramë struck.

A brutal punch, saturated with dark mana, violently hit Rivhiamë's stomach. Her body flew several meters, bouncing against the ground like a rag doll before coming to rest. Blood flowed from her nose and mouth. Her gaze went out.

Silence.

A deafening silence.

Niyus, frozen, eyes wide open, did not move. He stared at the horror. Rivhiamë… did not move.

Zramë, emotionless, simply said:

"She was starting to get in my way. Yours truly."

He extended his hand again, the black aura intensifying.

"One last word, miserable? Before you disappear forever?"

But Niyus did not answer.

He could not.

His gaze remained fixed on that motionless body… that body that, a moment ago, trembled with fear… for him.

Suddenly, a sudden cut.

A blast of golden mana swept the horizon like a sacred hurricane. The mountains trembled, clouds imploded, and the earth cracked under the weight of a terrifying presence. Who was responsible? One would have thought it a celestial entity.

It was Niyus.

He had risen, standing in the black terror of a supernatural silence. His gaze, empty and shadowed with a demonic red, chilled even Zramë, who involuntarily stepped back.

Zramë (frowning, intrigued):

— Who are you?

The upper part of Niyus's body had been torn by the explosion of his own power. His face, closed and empty, conveyed nothing but the reflection of an unspeakable horror.

Zramë (more worried):

— Don't you understand? Who are you?

Niyus's red and dark gaze slowly lifted. Then, in a dehumanized voice, he uttered an incomprehensible word:

Niyus:

— [&#^@].

A coded word. A key. An incantation lost in the abyss of existence.

Zramë swallowed hard. His expression changed, then he clenched his fists.

Zramë (calm but sharp):

— No matter. Disappear.

Silence.

The scene jumped in a heartbeat.

Zramë's body lay on the ground. Without his head.

Niyus, frightening, shadowy, held that same head by the hair, like a broken puppet.

But suddenly, Zramë's body rose. A new head slowly grew back.

Zramë (with a carnivorous smile):

— I admit… I felt that blow. Very well. I will be able to use… 5% of my power against you.

His gaze grew more serious than ever. Black mana enveloped his body, creating a mist of pulsating darkness. Facing him, Niyus, his red eye still fixed, did not move.

He crushed Zramë's head in his hand. It disintegrated.

Then Niyus leapt.

Zramë dodged and spread his mana like a living trap. Niyus's arm was caught, frozen in a spiral of black energy. Zramë charged and struck.

Zramë (striking):

— Rivhiamë is a demon. You may have divine power, but your human heart absorbed her darkness. What you are… is that dark reflection.

A terrible blow struck Niyus's stomach.

Zramë:

— I will free you from that!

An invisible spiritual cord broke. Niyus was thrown against a tree. He collapsed, aura gone. His left hand had disappeared… and it did not return.

Zramë (cold):

— Nothing returns from Destruction. Not even the transcendent Void you represent. You can do nothing against me.

Breathless, leaning against the tree, Niyus sighed:

Niyus:

— Why do you want to destroy me? We don't even know each other. I did nothing to the Gods…

He growled angrily:

Niyus:

— It's still Mü Thanatos, isn't it? She only knows how to… humiliate me… destroy me…

Zramë tilted his head.

Zramë (surprised):

— Mü Thanatos?

A rift opened in space. A familiar voice echoed:

???:

— I was the one who led her to you.

Niyus opened his eyes, shocked.

A being emerged from the rift. It was… himself.

Niyus (stunned):

— Niyus⁵…? How is this possible? We are one!

Niyus⁵ (calm and icy):

— Not anymore. Didn't you notice our consciences are separated?

Silence.

Niyus⁵:

— I endured everything to get here. I made a pact with the God of Destruction. You will be erased. I will become the one and only Niyus.

Niyus:

— Why? Why destroy me? And Rivhiamë?!

Niyus⁵:

— Because your mere existence bothers me. As for Rivhiamë? She no longer matters to me. We share nothing. Lord Zramë… do it.

Zramë raised his hand, the darkness boiling.

Niyus⁵ (smiling):

— Goodbye… original Niyus.

Niyus lowered his head. Not in resignation, but crushed by the weight of betrayals. Rivhiamë, Amu, his torn memories, his illusions, his double…

He smiled softly looking at the sky:

Niyus:

— My life… has been nothing but a carefully aligned collection of sufferings, hasn't it…?

Niyus⁵:

— Pathetic.

The attack was launched.

But a white light burst forth, canceling everything.

Zramë and Niyus⁵ recoiled. The light surrounded Niyus… and inside, silence.

The pain vanished. He felt good. He was lying down, his head resting on soft, warm thighs. A hand ran through his hair. A forgotten sensation…

He opened his eyes.

A young woman was looking at him. Her face was calm, tender, almost empty. Red shining eyes, blue hair waving like flames of water.

Niyus (whispering, stunned):

— Am I dead…? I… I don't understand anymore…