Old Loves Die Hard

... Old Hatreds Die Harder

The loss of his daughters pierced Ru, the great ruler, like houndred daggers in his back. Each loss struck him deeply, his heart aching as if it had been torn asunder. Tears streamed down his cheeks, but they were not typical tears; they ignited into flames as they fell.

"My daughters..." Ru whispered, his voice breaking. "What have I done?"

The crystals around him flickered, their light dimming as if mourning the girls. Ru clutched his chest, his breath coming in ragged gasps. The pain was unbearable, but it was not just physical. The weight of his choices, the sacrifices he had demanded, pressed down on him like a mountain.

He had sent them to their deaths, all for the sake of his freedom. And now, as the flames of his tears consumed the air around him, Ru realized the true cost of his ambition.

But now it was too late for anything. The blood pact has been sealed. In the shadows of the forbidden dimension, a dark force was awakened by the sacrifice of his daughters.

"Did I have to do this?" he inquired, nestled on his throne like a dying flower, losing its vibrancy swiftly. As his presence faded, so too did his voice.

With a sudden explosion of light, the last images of the girls reflected in the crystals disappeared. And the crystal tower began to shake with unprecedented violence.

The throne he was clinging to suddenly shattered into countless pieces. The sharp wind that emerged blew away the crystal fragments.

Ru, his eyes wide open and his skin scratched in many areas, struggled to get up from where he had fallen. Frantically, he scanned the surroundings, searching for the source of the violent commotion.

Suddenly, a booming voice echoed through the Crystal Tower with undeniable authority: "So it's you who sent those wretched girls to me!"

Ru recoiled in horror. The first time in his immortal existence that he had felt true fear coursing through his veins.

"Is that a joke?"Ru stuttered. Then, gradually strengthening his posture and voice, he continued, "How do you know it's me? You're dead. And you are not the trouble I am looking for. Because you are not a worthy enemy to trouble me."

"You weak-minded fool," the voice screamed, echoing with disdainful rage as the crystals trembled from lightning strikes. "Your so-called power is merely an attempt to hide your weaknesses. You're weak, and the prison that imprisons you is as fragile as your pathetic existence!"

The words turned into thousands of bullets and riddled with holes in his pride. Ru watched his once-strong confidence fall to the ground like glass and shatter into pieces. The voice seemed to penetrate his very being, removing layers of deception and illusion until only raw vulnerability remained.

Ru tried to straighten up again. Even though the summoning ritual didn't yield the desired result, he decided to maintain the appearance that he had successfully summoned the entity in question.

"Stop right there! I sacrificed my daughters for you! Thanks to me, your voice is heard. Just stop chattering, Sultan," Ru said, his stance hardening with defiance.

The Sultan's scornful laughter echoed off the crystal walls. "Do not make me laugh! Your reign of terror ends here, for you are nothing but a pathetic creature, unworthy of even the slightest respect. If you forgot, let me remind you."

Ru felt the pain of humiliation grow with each word, his majestic being trembling and turning back into a broken shell. He didn't even want to remember The Sultan of the Djinns, let alone mention his name.

"I have defeated you," Ru hissed through clenched teeth, his fists clenched tightly. "You cannot return." Then, with a shout that echoed in his mind, he declared, "I have defeated you! You can't be here! Of course, if I don't want to..."

"Oh right, I forgot," the Sultan said. He seemed to have given up on speaking out loud before breaking any more crystals. "You do this all the time."

"What?" Ru said, his eyes following the deep blue light leaking through the cracks in the crystals.

The light stopped at a crystal near him.

"You cause those who love you to die for you," the Sultan said in an almost sad voice.

"Those who listen believe that you love me, my Sultan." Ru laughed, his laughter echoing through the Crystal Tower, a hollow, manic sound that appeared to rebound off the shimmering walls.

Ru's eyes, wide and wild, darted to the crystal where the deep blue light had settled. The Sultan's voice, now softer but no less cutting, continued to taunt him.

"You believe you are unattainable, Lirui," the Sultan said, his voice laced with disdain. "Maybe you're right. Look, there's no one around you. Not even one person who loves you."

Ru's laughter died abruptly, replaced by a snarl. "You know nothing of my plans, Sultan. You're just a ghost, a shadow of what you once were. You have no power here."

The blue light pulsed, and the Sultan's voice grew colder. "Come on, honey. You summoned me, Lirui. You called me back from the void with the blood of your kin. And now, you will face the consequences of your actions."

Ru's hands clenched into fists, his nails digging into his palms. "I summoned you to serve me, not to lecture me. You are bound to me, Sultan. You will do as I command."

The Sultan's laughter filled the tower, a sound that was both mocking and sorrowful. "Bound to you? Oh, dear, you are more foolish than I thought. You may have called me here, but I am no servant. I am a reminder—a reminder of the lives you've destroyed, the love you've squandered, and the emptiness that lies at the heart of your so-called power."

Ru's chest heaved as he struggled to maintain his composure. The Sultan's words penetrated deeply, each one a blow to his frail ego. He wanted to lash out, to silence the voice that haunted him, but he knew it was futile. The Sultan was a part of him now, a specter that would not be banished.

"You think you can break me?" Ru spat, his voice trembling with rage. "I am the Great Ruler, the master of this tower, the architect of my own destiny. You are nothing but a relic of a forgotten age."

The blue light flared, and the Sultan's voice grew louder. "And yet, here you are, trembling before me."

"I don't... do that anymore," Ru stammered.

And his image became clear before Ru's eyes. He was too majestic for Ru to reach.

"It doesn't look like it from here, but... Huh, slave?"

"I'm not yours..." Ru said tearfully. "I'm not anymore."