The Beginning After The End Chapter 525 - 519: Games

The transition through the portal was neither instantaneous nor smooth. It lacked the agonizing, sharp bite of the trap that had previously snared us. Instead, I felt my being stretched across an inconceivable gap, with one foot anchored in the aetheric realm while the other reached toward the physical plane.

My eyes felt as though they would pop from their sockets, and my pulse hammered against my chest. Pressure mounted in my temples, the blood rushing there as if ready to shatter my skull.

'I’m… being… spaghettificated…'

Next to me, Regis had been reduced to a slender strand of shadowy energy, his form nearly translucent. His mental transmission reached me as a faint, hollow echo.

With a sudden lurch, I was propelled forward, my feet hitting the firm earth with little grace. The existential agony of the journey vanished, replaced instantly by a heavy, vibrating thrum within my core. Before I could assess my internal state, however, my attention was drawn to the ground before me.

Varay was on her knees, cradling Bairon’s head and shoulders in her lap. Tessia knelt beside them, her palm held firmly against Bairon’s chest in a desperate search for a pulse.

Claire stood further back, the towering, griffon-like head of her exoform nearly brushing the ceiling. Sylvie had moved toward the balcony, her gaze fixed on the distant peaks where we had recently clashed with the legions of Agrona.

Tessia caught Varay’s eyes and gave a slow shake of her head. Varay responded with a silent, solemn nod.

That snare had been intended for me. If not for Bairon’s final sacrifice—and the combined efforts of the others—I would have remained imprisoned there, perhaps for eternity.

Could Bairon’s passing have been prevented if I had exercised more caution or implemented tighter safeguards? The question circled my mind, accompanied by a wave of nausea brought on by the strain in my core. I forced the thought away immediately. Succumbing to regret and self-reproach was a luxury I couldn't afford; the stakes were simply too high.

'The conflict outside has concluded,' Sylvie communicated, 'and it seems our absence was relatively brief.'

I pressed my fingers against my chest, weighing our next move while my core throbbed under the internal pressure. Constructing this fourth layer had been unlike the second or third. It wasn't a sudden flood of aether or a methodical, gradual absorption. While I had been guiding the river to warp the space between dimensions using my spatium godrune—attempting to reverse-engineer the portal trap through pure intuition—I had exposed my core to only a sliver of the river’s power. Even that small fraction had nearly overwhelmed my three-layer core.

By instinct, I channeled aether into King’s Gambit. My consciousness fractured into dozens of independent threads, allowing me to analyze the situation from every possible angle.

As far as my knowledge went, I was an anomaly. Not even among the ancient djinn or the dragons had anyone ever created an aether core. Despite my current strength, I was plagued by unknowns and lacked a mentor to guide me. I had increased my power through flashes of insight and by adding layers to my core, which allowed for vastly greater aether storage. Yet, I wondered if this was the sole path for an aetheric mage. Would those who come after me find more refined methods of empowerment, similar to how mana Cultivation had evolved over the centuries?

I briefly imagined a future student in a quiet library, studying a text on the application of aether to create core layers, detailing the risks and rewards. What would such a book contain? Who would be the one to pen it?

While one part of my mind explored that tangent, another remained focused on Bairon, Varay, and Claire. I had never meant to lead Miss Bladeheart so deep into the lion's den. She had been vital to our escape from the Relictombs, but even the impressive strength of the exoforms would not protect her in a direct confrontation with Agrona.

Varay, Bairon, and Mica had been adamant about accompanying me to face Agrona. Back in the safety of a meeting room, the logic was sound: they increased my odds. But now, as I looked at Bairon’s motionless form, the idea of sacrificing Varay in the coming struggle felt like a senseless waste.

"Varay, Claire. Take Bairon’s remains and return to Seris. Ensure everyone stays clear of the fortress. We can't know what other snares Agrona has devised."

King’s Gambit acted as a partition, shielding me from the frustration of keeping Tessia by my side. Though she was in grave peril, I lacked knowledge of Taegrin Caelum’s internal structure and could not sense Agrona’s presence to track him. Tessia, having lived here and even entered his inner sanctum, was indispensable.

Varay gathered Bairon’s body with ease and hovered slightly above the floor. Her eyes, glowing with the reflection of my radiant crown, met mine with intensity. "I am still willing to fight Agrona at your side, Arthur. But I already anticipate your refusal. So, I will only say this… end this. For Bairon. For Aya. For Olfred and Alea."

Without waiting for a reply, she glided out toward the balcony, pausing only for Claire to catch up. The exoform’s wings deployed, and Claire offered a final wave with a massive metallic arm before they both vanished into the distance.

Suddenly, Tessia took my hand, resting her head against my chest. The relic armor shifted from her form to encase mine. She looked at me, her palm now separated from mine by a layer of intricate scales. "I suppose it believes your need is greater than mine," she remarked, her voice trembling slightly despite her attempt at composure.

I recognized that the armor had reacted to my singular fixation on Agrona. A small, distant part of my mind noted the inherent coldness of the act. My primary drive wasn't the protection of Tessia at all costs, but rather securing every possible advantage for the fight ahead. Another thread of thought countered that by defeating Agrona and preventing Epheotus from crashing, I was protecting Tessia and everyone else in the most effective way.

I gave her hand a firm squeeze before releasing it and nodding toward the exit. "Where do we begin our search?"

"Ji-ae," was her solitary answer. Together, we moved out of the study and into a grand, vaulted corridor decorated with the preserved remains of mana beasts.

I took the lead, following Tessia’s directions through a labyrinth of chambers and hallways. Sylvie and Regis guarded our rear. We remained on high alert, yet the fortress seemed devoid of life. Even with King’s Gambit enhancing my Realmheart, I detected no mana signatures besides our own.

On two occasions, we found stairwells that led only to solid masonry. One was blocked by stone bearing the carved message "Out of Order." An entire level had been turned into a disorganized maze, with rooms and corridors shifted into a crude, makeshift puzzle.

"He is playing with us," I muttered as we hit a dead end at a window marked with an "Emergency Exit" sign.

Sylvie hummed in agreement. "These are petty distractions meant to irritate and confuse."

Tessia exhaled slowly to steady herself. "This does not feel like the behavior of a deity backed into a corner."

"I’d actually prefer it if he were desperately trying to bar our way," Regis complained. "The death field and that portal trap had a certain sense of grandeur. This is just petty."

Eventually, we reached the threshold of what Tessia identified as Agrona’s private quarters, only to be stopped by a gruesome sight.

The skull of a dragon had been jammed into the doorway, propping open two massive, scorched doors. Its jaws were locked wide, forcing us to walk through its maw to proceed.

"Is… is that my mother?" Sylvie asked, her face losing color. A wave of sickening heat rose in my chest as her distress bled into our bond.

With King’s Gambit shielding me from the emotional impact of the thought, I compared my memories of Sylvia’s features to the proportions of the skull.

I didn't give Sylvie an answer. I didn't have to.

We walked through the bone-lined passage one by one, emerging onto a plush red carpet that stretched into the next hall.

The dragon’s jaws gave a faint creak as Sylvie passed, and a nearly imperceptible whisper drifted through the air. A cold, sharp hatred began to stir in my gut like venom.

I placed a hand on my bond’s shoulder. "This will conclude soon."

"Such bold words! You have always possessed a high opinion of yourself, Godkiller." The voice seemed to seep directly from the surrounding masonry.

We stopped in our tracks, scanning the area. Aether surged through my Meridians, pooling in my hands and feet as I readied for a strike.

"Ah, do I sense a bit of nervousness?" the voice continued in a rich, mocking baritone. There was no mistaking the speaker. "Well, proceed, proceed. It is quite discourteous to keep your High Sovereign waiting, particularly when your timing is so poor. I am rather occupied celebrating my triumph, but I can always spare a moment for my daughter and her companions."

The carpet guided us through several opulent rooms before reaching a staircase that looked as though it had been hacked out of the center of an existing floor.

The stairs led down into a vast, desolate hall. It appeared to occupy an entire level of the wing, devoid of everything except for a single focal point. No walls or dividers broke the space. At the center stood a large pedestal holding a shimmering crystal, encircled by rotating stone rings that looked tiny within the massive void.

The design of the crystal was identical to the ones I had encountered in the ruins of the Relictombs.

"Ji-ae," Tessia whispered a moment later.

Agrona emerged from behind the structure, illuminated by the crystal’s radiance. "Welcome, distinguished guests, to the core of Taegrin Caelum."

The Agrona standing before us was the image of the flesh golem that had been held in Epheotus. He was roughly my height, though his sprawling, branched horns granted him a much more towering presence. He had discarded the jewelry that used to hang from them. In place of that gaudy display, his black, antler-like horns gave him a lethal appearance, further emphasized by the crimson-tinted armor of white scales covering him from neck to toe.

My jaw tightened as I examined the texture of his armor.

Agrona tilted his head, his eyebrows arching. "Oh! That expression." He let out a low chuckle. "I can guess your thoughts, but no, this armor was not fashioned from the remains of my former lover. Bringing her skull up from the depths to greet you, dear Sylvie—now that was a touch Sylvia would have appreciated. She couldn't protect me when she was alive, not even from her own choices. I wouldn't rely on her to do so in death."

He made a show of smoothing the scales on his chest with his gauntlets. "Though, it is entirely possible this was a relative of yours. I failed to learn his name before I had him flayed. Truly, I am pleased you are here! It's wonderful to have a reason to take the old battle gear out, isn't it?" His smile turned predatory. "One should always dress appropriately for the occasion. Being reunited with my daughter and the surrogate son I never wanted on the eve of my final triumph… it certainly calls for some elegance."

I monitored Agrona’s rambling with one strand of my consciousness while the others focused on our surroundings.

The crystal was pulsing with rapid flashes of light. I could feel the djinn projection inside extending its awareness throughout the room, its perception acting like invisible feelers. It was undoubtedly providing Agrona with a live feed of our every physiological reaction, reading our states like an open book.

However, there was something else in the atmosphere. Even without the spatium godrune active, I could feel the tension of an extradimensional seam. That was why he had cleared the room: to provide space to stabilize and manipulate a pocket dimension, similar to the one I had utilized during the fourth keystone.

That was how he had dealt with Kezess’s assassins, I realized. Standing so close to the spatial fold, the answer seemed obvious. Agrona had discovered a method to generate his own pocket dimensions. The "how" was a fascinating mystery, but the "why" was more pressing. Why was space being folded here? Was it another snare? With King’s Gambit, I began weaving a complex web of theories to find the answer.

"Don't just linger by the stairs, come closer," Agrona urged, spreading his arms wide.

The carpet beneath us began to slide forward, dragging us along until I exerted my will against his. The fabric tore violently and bunched up. It immediately dissolved into a stream of blood that drained into grates hidden beneath the floor.

Agrona acted as if nothing had happened. "Tessia Eralith. Or should I say, 'Cecilia’s vessel.' It is good to see you. Who would have guessed you’d regain your autonomy, complete with a functional body and a shiny new white core—quite a clever trick, by the way. To think you worked so hard just to be stripped of your purpose and everything that made you unique. You could have been part of something legendary, but now you are simply nothing. Once this world is erased, no one will remain to recall your minor feats."

Tessia grew rigid at my side, her jaw clenched tight.

"Do not address her," Sylvie interjected, stepping forward to shield Tessia before I could move. "You have no right to speak to her. Is this how you intend to spend your final moments, Father? Squandering your remaining breaths on petty, pointless taunts?"

"You have become quite the fierce dragon," Agrona remarked, his fingers tracing the edges of his scale armor. "You had the potential for so much more, but Kezess Indrath has a unique talent for corrupting everything he touches. Even my own blood couldn't shield you from that."

"It is over, Agrona," I stated. Tessia and I moved to flank Sylvie, while Regis took a protective stance beside Tessia. "I am going to end your life, and your own people will celebrate your fall."

"Ah, the Godkiller. You truly are a heartless monster. A brutal murderer in both this life and your last. You even killed your best friend’s girl—twice!" He clicked his tongue and shook his head in mock disappointment. "Consider how hard I worked to give Nico and Cecilia a second chance after you pierced her heart and broke his. And here you are, ready to repeat the cycle."

I tilted my head, keeping one thread on the conversation while the others tracked my allies, mapped the pocket dimension, and monitored the energy interactions with Ji-ae’s senses. Most importantly, I reached for the tether Myre had used to connect me to Kezess.

"I didn't murder them," I said calmly, surprised by his lack of insight. "You warped Cecilia into a monster, and Nico was prepared to follow her into any darkness. As long as you influenced them, redemption was impossible. But my victory didn't require them to be redeemed."

I glanced at Tessia. "I haven't forgiven them for the atrocities they committed here, especially using your body as a tool." My eyes locked onto Agrona’s, turning cold. "But Cecilia never asked to be the Legacy. It made her a pawn in both worlds, denying her a life of her own. So I removed that power from her and sent them back to Earth. They will live ordinary, powerless lives there. Not because they earned it, but because it thwarted you. Whether they find peace is something I will never know, and I have accepted that."

"'I have accepted that,'" Agrona mimicked, swaying his head. "How very noble. I’m certain the families of those they slaughtered in my name will find that very comforting." He waved a hand dismissively. "Your pride is truly remarkable. You come here, virtually alone, believing you can kill me. Such arrogance."

A faint smile touched my lips.

The connection to Kezess suddenly burned hot. I felt the portal ripple open, the rapid approach of powerful entities, and the massive shift in the world's energy balance.

"I am not alone."

Agrona’s gaze darted to the left just as a brilliant white light solidified into two forms. For a heartbeat, the silhouettes stood motionless within the glow, like voids in the fabric of reality.

The overwhelming auras of Kezess and Windsom flooded Taegrin Caelum as they stared across the empty hall at Agrona.

"At last," Agrona said, a welcoming grin spreading across his face.

The trap I had anticipated suddenly snapped shut.

Windsom moved gracefully in front of Kezess, whose expression remained stony. Aether rippled around him as he physically seized the edges of the pocket dimension, attempting to hold them open before they could lock the pair inside.

Behind Windsom, Kezess stood still, yet the environment seemed to warp and redefine itself around him. For a fleeting moment, he flickered between the image of an ageless man and a colossal dragon with white-gold scales. The structure of the room groaned and shattered to accommodate his presence.

Blood splattered across the floor as space itself twisted. Triggering the spatium godrune, I shoved Sylvie and Tessia back, widening the gap between them and the closing snare.

The shift in power was so violent it felt as if the oxygen had been ripped from the room. My vision turned to white. The deafening sound of crumbling stone filled my ears, and the air became thick with dust. I felt Sylvie’s anxiety through our bond, and next to me, Regis shifted as his Destruction rune flared in a defensive posture.

I blinked several times as my sight cleared. Kezess had vanished. Windsom remained exactly where he had been standing. His eyes, resembling swirling galaxies, were wide with shock, and his lips moved without sound.

Blood began to trickle down his cheek, and a dark, red stain began to bloom across his black and gold military uniform. The brilliance in his eyes began to dim, and a faint, final "Oh," escaped his lips.