A desperate escape

THOOM! Dragons, in this inverted world, were disembodied entities uprooted from their essence. Their fight against the Avatar of Thanatos could no longer be based on the principles of cause and effect.

Thus, Thanatos Avatar made his throne appear. CLANG! The metal resonated when he sat on it and watched them. There was no more hope, no light to seek. This world was hers, and in her kingdom there was nothing but the inexorable march of time and destiny.

A frightening truth was beginning to emerge: they were perhaps no match for this incarnation of death itself.

The two dragons, in spite of their colossal power, were overwhelmed.

Arelon (trembling): «We cannot defeat him, Nethrath, his existence is beyond anything we can comprehend or reach. If we stay, he will destroy us.»

Nethrath, usually driven by his arrogance, did not respond immediately. But he was trembling. Grrr... He hated the idea of running away, but he knew that Arelon was right. Their power, impressive as it was, had proved useless in the face of this unfathomable being.

Nethrath: «Very good. We are fleeing... But it's not over. It's only a temporary retirement.»

The two dragons focused their last of their strength and summoned a dimensional portal, an opening leading to a plane of reality where they could hide.

Vrrrooooom! As they were about to dive into the portal, a calm voice rang out:

«Flee? How predictable it is.»

The Avatar of Thanatos waved with his hand, and a colossal scythe appeared in his palm. Shiiiiing! The weapon that had just appeared defied logic itself, oscillating between the physical and metaphysical planes.

Thanatos Avatar: «"Hypnos Mors", the name of this weapon carries the weight of ultimate power. It transcends the very idea of life and death. Do you really believe that you can escape from what is absolute?»

The weapon emitted an indescribable and inexplicable aura. Bzzzzzzzzz! His blade, carved from fragments of dreams and nightmares, vibrated between blinding light and unfathomable darkness. It was not a simple weapon of destruction. It was an entity in its own right and drew its essence from a plane where the very concepts dissolved and reformed in an infinite cycle.

As an artifact, Hypnos Mors not only marked a physical end, but also plunged the mind into a state of confusion between reality and illusion.

When a being or thing is struck by Hypnos Mors, it is not simply killed; it is suspended in a liminal zone where its perception of existence disintegrates. It is the weapon that makes existence hesitate between two irreconcilable states.

The scythe was alive. The blade had no fixed surface: it shone with an incandescent light one moment and then plunged into darkness the next. Wow... Crasp! The patterns engraved on its handle moved.

The energies that the weapon released were not merely destructive. They broke the very foundations of existence. With each movement, Hypnos Mors erased not only the physical bodies, but also the souls, concepts, and ideas that formed their essence.

Thanatos Avatar: «You don't understand. This scythe is not a simple tool of destruction. It is the embodiment of the transition from sleep to wakefulness. No dimension, no essence can escape him, no matter where the opponent is.»

The two dragons felt, for the first time in their lives, a terror they had never known. The aura of Hypnos Mors enveloped them, and they saw the first cracks in their existence. Their flesh, their energy, and even their thoughts were dissolving under his influence.

Crasp! Crasp! Crasp!

Thanatos Avatar: «Run, then, but know that I am beyond all space and time. Wherever you go, I and my weapon can reach you. So, run away, if it amuses you.»

Nethrath and Arelon threw themselves into the portal, but the Avatar made a simple movement of his scythe. Swoosh! A wave of transcendent energy was escaping from Hypnos Mors as it traveled through the dimensions.

BOOOOOM! The portal partially broke under the pressure of the weapon, and the dragons were thrown forward with their bodies suffering from unimaginable damage.

The essence of Nethrath cracked, and fragments fell into the cosmic void. Craaaaack! Arelon, on the other hand, felt his essence reduced to scattered ashes.

Arelon (panicking): «We're going to die...»

Nethrath: «Not yet.»

Just as Hypnos Mors was about to annihilate them, Thanatos' Avatar suddenly stopped. He watched the two desperate dragons with an enigmatic smile.

Thanatos Avatar: «No, that's enough for today. I'm going to leave you alive. Not out of pity, but because your survival will serve a greater purpose.» The scythe was dissipating.

The two dragons, stunned, looked at the Avatar with great incomprehension.

Thanatos Avatar : «Flee, then, return to your miserable reality. And remember: what you have seen here is only a fraction of who I am. My true form has all this power... but also improved. If you come back, I won't be so lenient.»

The portal, despite its instability, managed to transport them to another dimension. Nethrath and Arelon crashed into a landscape with their mutilated bodies. Bam! Crack!

Arelon: «Why did he let us go?»

Nethrath: «I don't know, but it's not over. We will find a way to defeat him... one day.»

For now, however, there was only silence and desolation. The memory of Hypnos Mors and the Avatar of Thanatos would haunt the two dragons forever.

Nethrath and Arelon, severely weakened, had at last passed through the great gates of the kingdom of Cælora.

In the great throne room, Volmeryn waited for them with his gaze observing his servants. At his side stood Lysandros, Erylis, Sepharon, and a small band of allies: Lyara, Darius, Trôk, and Carlos.

When Nethrath and Arelon entered the room, a deathly silence set in. Their wounds were frightening. Their draconic majesty had been ripped away and given way to shattered figures.

Volmeryn: «What happened?»

Nethrath (bowing his head): «We failed. The Avatar of Thanatos... He's beyond anything we could have imagined.»

Arelon (trembling voice): «We didn't stand a chance against him.»