The smell of death lingered in the air as Andre, Marcus, and Res walked wearily back to the Jade Palace. The lively city they had departed from was enveloped in an eerie calm. The formerly shiny green exteriors of the structures had turned into a faded, corroded black, as if an evil power had drained their hues. A heavy silence enveloped the streets, a sharp contrast to the normal lively atmosphere of the capital.
Marcus whispered anxiously, sensing that something was amiss. "I have a bad feeling about this."
Res, maintaining her stoic demeanor, continued to look straight ahead. He assured them they would discover the truth shortly.
However, a feeling of worry twisted in Andre's stomach. The eerie silence, the heavy atmosphere - it all hinted at a sinister energy, a menacing force both subtle and horrifying.
Approaching the Jade Palace, its once-impressive outline now distorted and mocking its past grandeur. The partially open obsidian gates, decorated with detailed jade carvings, cast foreboding shadows over the courtyard.
Marcus forced himself to swallow, feeling a strong metal taste in his throat."Dad wouldn't leave the gates open.."
They both looked at each other and took out their weapons, forming an unspoken agreement as they faced the uncertainty ahead. Inhaling deeply, Andre pushed the gates open, causing their hinges to groan sadly.
The silence inside was overwhelming. The typical commotion of the palace guards and the hushed talks of courtiers disappeared, giving way to a disturbing void.
They proceeded carefully through the corridors, the sound of their footsteps bouncing off the shiny marble floors. The temperature dropped as a damp chill penetrated their armor. Each shadow appeared to twist and turn, each corner contained the potential for unknown peril.
At last, they arrived at the throne room, the huge double doors wide open in a foreboding manner. Within, there was only one individual seated on the dark obsidian throne, with their back facing them.
The shape was covered in darkness, its structure a swirling vortex of shadows that appeared impossible to describe. There was no identifiable form, just a swirling tangle of disorder that throbbed with an eerie power.
Marcus took a hesitant step forward, his voice barely a whisper. "Who are you? What have you done to this place?"
The chamber was filled with a noise similar to the sound of wind rustling through dead leaves. A chilling rasp emerged from the person on the throne, causing Andre and Res to feel shivers.
"I am the Vor'talon of Discord," the voice croaked, "and this Kingdom belongs to me."
The word "Vor'talon" lingered ominously, carrying with it ancient legends and terrifying stories of devastation. Andre's heart thudded loudly in his chest. These beings, messengers of disorder, were quietly discussed, manifestations of the evils of the 10 kingdoms.
Marcus staggered backwards, his expression twisted in astonishment. His gaze swept through the throne room, eventually settling on two figures splayed out on the floor beneath the throne. Their lifeless bodies, wearing the royal Jade attire, had faces frozen in expressions of complete horror.
Marcus let out a stifled scream. He shouted in distress, his voice breaking with sorrow. "Dad!"
He rushed towards the bodies, his face contorted with denial. Andre and Res hurriedly followed him, feeling their hearts sink as they spotted Marcus's unmistakable blonde hair, now stained with blood, causing his worst fear to be realized.
The swirling tendrils of darkness shifted on the throne, creating a chaotic mass of roiling energy. The Vor'talon's voice echoed, lacking all emotion, as it deemed the sacrifice appropriate for the new order." The rule of King Giada has come to an end. Now, disorder is in control.
Marcus was torn between grief and rage, a primal scream escaping from his throat. The chaos they had seen in the Emerald Isles had now come to their own home, turning their world into a mirror image of its past self. When they faced the Vor'talon, a being of complete annihilation, they understood that their battle was far from over.
A wicked energy filled the air as the Vor'talon of Discord turned on the black throne. Twisting dark tendrils emerged from its shapeless body, targeting the three trespassers.
The rasping voice, lacking any warmth or humanity"You have witnessed the fate of those who defy the new order," the rasping voice echoed, devoid of any warmth or humanity. "Leave this place, and spare yourselves a similar fate."
Anger brewed within Andre, a seething fire ready to explode. Seeing Marcus, with his face twisted in a combination of sorrow and anger, ignited the rage inside him. However, the monstrous figure in front of them was chaos personified. Engaging in a sudden attack would be a foolish undertaking.
He tightened his fists, putting stress on the leather gloves. He warned, his voice a deep growl, "You will pay for this." "You will pay for your actions towards this kingdom and Marcus's family!"
The Vor'talon stayed unemotional, the dark swirls coming together inside its ribcage. It appeared to throb with a sinister force, expanding in size as time went by. Andre experienced a basic fear enveloping his internal organs, a chilly perspiration causing small tingles on his skin.
After that, the Vor'talon tore its hands apart with a nauseating snap, exposing a swirling vortex of pure chaos instead of a chest cavity. The atmosphere crackled with energy, as if reality itself was struggling to contain the unnatural power.
The Vor'talon lifted one hand, holding the swirling chaos vortex inside it. It directed the swirling mass straight at Andre, Marcus, and Res, a sign of pure spite.
"Foolish mortals," it hissed, its voice laced with a newfound venom. "You dare challenge a force beyond your comprehension? Then face the consequences!"
The creature sitting on the throne extended its hand outward. A primal chant burst from its shapeless figure, an age-old language that grated harshly on Andre's ears.
"Kyrzoth Dranath!"
The tumultuous whirlpool of disorder, torn from the core of the Vor'talon, hurled itself in their direction. It was a massive force of destructive power, a blinding whirlwind of darkness and hopelessness.
Andre let out a fierce roar as his basic instincts kicked in. He positioned himself in front of Marcus and Res, using his large body as a protective barrier from the approaching attack. The entire world condensed into one solitary point - the chaotic vortex rapidly approaching him. Then it hit him
The world transformed into a dazzling white blaze. Andre was torn apart by excruciating pain. A whoosh of air left his lungs, only to be replaced by a searing pain originating from a gaping hole that had been blasted through his stomach. The sound of his scream faded away in his throat, turning into a choked gurgle that was drowned out by a loud roar.
Thrown across the throne room, his body flew backwards like a ragdoll. The smooth marble floor quickly rose to greet him, taking away his final breath with the force of the impact. He was lying there, a shattered wreck, with the taste of blood filling his mouth.
Res, the unemotional warrior, moved forward across the room. She tried to grab Marcus, but the Vor'talon responded incredibly quickly. A wave of chaotic energy rippled outward as the formless hands clapped, creating a sound similar to thunder splitting the air. Res was hit hard by the attack, the sheer force of it breaking through her defenses. She made a choked gasping grunt and was hurled across the floor in a sprawling manner.
With a desperate rage burning in his eyes, Marcus let out a loud roar. Lifting his staff, a weapon made of the most exquisite green jade from the Jade Kingdom, he focused his sorrow into a last-ditch assault. A spiraling whirlwind of green light burst from the staff, directed straight at the Vor'talon.
The creature's formless mass was hit by the attack, but it appeared to go through it without causing any damage. The Vor'talon did not even react. The swirling darkness throbbed with a taunting amusement.
It uttered in a harsh voice, its words a cold touch in the quiet throne room.
"Futile," it rasped, its voice a chilling caress against the echoing silence of the ravaged throne room.
Afterwards, the Vor'talon struck with speed despite its shape appearing unclear. Its first, a chaotic swirling vortex, linked to Marcus's stomach. The force caused a ripple.
Afterwards, in a quick manner that contradicted its shape which appeared to lack definite form, the Vor'talon struck out. Its hand, a turbulent whirlpool of disorder, linked with Marcus's stomach. The shockwave caused by the impact reverberated through the room, with the air filled with intense energy. Marcus, with his face twisted in a scream that seemed to come from deep within him, was thrown backwards as if he were a damaged toy. He collided with the wall, producing a nauseating sound, as his staff fell to the ground next to him.
Andre, experiencing blurriness from pain, witnessed with horror as both Marcus and Res were shattered, their brave efforts extinguished effortlessly. An intense fear, pure and exposed, surged within him. They were surpassed, overpowered. This wasn't a battle; it was a massacre.
However, before Andre could even consider his next action, the Vor'talon lifted its amorphous hands again. Dark energy crackled, coming together at the room's center. A swirling whirlpool of complete disorder started to take shape, an open mouth that throbbed with a sinister craving.
"Noooo!" Andre let out a scream, a ragged word slipping through his bloody lips.
The Vor'talon's voice resounded through the chamber, lacking any emotion. "Your disobedience is entertaining, humans. However, it stops now."
The Vor'talon let out a loud laugh that made the palace tremble, then extended its hands, causing the chaos portal to open even more. They were engulfed by a surge of unrefined power, mixed with a supernatural odor of rot and hopelessness.
Andre, Res, and Marcus were sucked into the swirling vortex, their screams drowned out by the deafening roar of the portal as it closed behind them, creating an eerie silence in the desecrated throne room.