At World's End 2

*BOOM!!!*

In the last moments before she is hit by the sudden explosion, Dela, frightened out of her mind, shuts her eyes in fear by reflex, scared to death by the massive sea of wild, golden flames charging right up her face.

For sure she was dead.

*VWOOSH!!*

The wild flames wash over the Fortress and its entire grounds in an overwhelming, destructive flood, completely swallowing Dela's balcony at the very top of the tower in violent fires, raging heat and smoke with a vicious roar.

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It was dark and quiet. And for some reason, Dela wasn't feeling any pain on her body yet. Surely she was hit by the impact and was dead already, no?

Dela slowly flutters her eyes open, wondering why it was so quiet, she could hear nothing and also wondering how she was still breathing after such a terrifying outburst to see she is guarded in Gorak's protective arms.

Blinking her surprise, she instinctively looks about her to see that she and the entire tower holding her balcony is concealed in what looks like a transparent bubble with an impressive scaly pattern. This is why it is so quiet.

Gorak had saved her in the split second, with a barrier, shielding her in his protective embrace. Thank goodness! She thought for sure she was a goner. That surprise attack came out of nowhere!

Peering out of his embrace, Dela timidly peeks over Gorak's shoulder, looking to the source of the explosion.

She spots a group of three glimmering, extremely powerful beings standing in the very centre of the destruction... gods, no doubt. They look divine, radiant and battle-ready.

Then she notices, that the tower holding her balcony at the very top is the only thing standing for miles around. Gorak had defended it and her at the moment of the explosion.

Everything had happened within a split second. She didn't see it coming at all. It was like the beings had appeared out of thin air, and then exploded! And right now, they looked like they were powering up to explode again!

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"Oris!", Gorak's voice hits Dela's ears, bringing her attention back to him as he summons Oris.

"Master", responds Oris, materialising in the air right next to Gorak.

"To safety.", Gorak issues a world of specific orders to Oris in just two brief words.

He does not look away from Dela for a second, even as he addresses Oris. Rather, His grip tightens around her as he hugs her tenderly. The look in his eyes portrays the depth of the situation.

Dela notices it and immediately gets worried. She had never seen him look that troubled before. He was always unperturbed in every situation, but this time...

Placing his hand on her head affectionately, Gorak, starved of time, whispers three words to the yet frozen Dela;

"I'll be back."

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He knew who these intruders were. Of course, as a god, he didn't even need to turn around to know who was barging in so boldly on his territory.

It was the top 3 of the Council's deadliest mercenaries!

Why they of all people? Why now, of all times?

They had come for him, causing so much destruction to his divine domain in just one move. Even amongst gods, such power was rarely ever seen. This battle would no doubt be the toughest of his existence.

Why send out the strongest on the eve of battle? He expected to attract them eventually, but this was way too soon.

Be that as it may, there were here now. There was no going back. No second chances.

This was the moment of truth. And in his heart, he knew that this moment could very well be he and Dela's last if all goes to sh**.

'Which it won't.'

That's right, he could take them on. He would fight to his dying breath.

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*Sigh...*

... if only he had a little more time.

There was no time, even for words. He had to solve this problem immediately.

These beings had rudely interrupted such a special time with his fated, coming right when he was just about to make her immortal, and nearly killed her off!

They would not be spared!

Reluctantly letting go of his shaken lover, Gorak turns around slowly to face the threat before him in a way that said "game on".

(At this point, you'd have some dramatic music playing in the background.)

"Guard her with your life.", he orders Oris with his strong, protective back against he and Dela, exuding a deathly aura, before disappearing in a flash as he charges straight to war with the intruders swift as lightning...

...

In the twinkle of an eye, Gorak, his forces and his demons engage the intruders, and an incredible battle ensues.

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Dela had caught onto the troubled look on Gorak's face, and now, he was gone in an instant, before even his last words had completely left his mouth.

'That look! It couldn't be good.'

Left in Oris' care, visibly shaken by the sudden attack just now, Dela remains stunned stiff, her thoughts decoding the situation. She realises the threat is beyond Gorak. Not to mention her close shave with death.

"Who- Who are they?", she asks Oris, finding her words despite her shocked state.

Oris, of course, knows who they are, but he rather deviates from Dela's question.

"My Queen, we best be leaving. It is not safe here."

His words fall on deaf ears.

"I would go nowhere without him.", responds Dela, obstinate.

Why would she leave without him? Gorak was her protection. If not for him, she would be dead right now. Moreso, her love was in the middle of a terrible battle right before her eyes. He was risking his life to defend her. Why would she leave??

Her eyes do not shift for one moment from Gorak's battling image as he swiftly travels through the battered grounds of the Fortress which had now become a fierce battlefield, torn at every passing second with utter destruction.

Oris suddenly has cause to worry. He had to get Dela to safety, yet she wouldn't budge. Did she not realise that it is too dangerous for her here?

If not for the barrier, she would be dead already. Even he, a formidable guardian, had taken a serious hit from the explosion on the grounds. How much more a human?

This was basically a front seat to a full-blown war. A fierce, all-out battle between gods! They would definitely be hit. It was crazy to stay there even a second longer.

Already, the destructive ripple effects of their vicious attacks were rocking the earth and skies, tearing them to pieces.

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The Council had sent their best. They never took this gravity of action so swiftly. Something must have happened for them to draw the final cards instantly.

'To think they would go this far so soon...'

Oris couldn't help but wonder what could have moved the Council to take the most drastic actions so soon.

'Were they just really p*ss** with Gorak?'

Even so, they would follow procedure. The only other thing that caused the Council to take such determinant actions would be the Creator's Will.

Could that be it? Could it be that Gorak's actions had p*ss** off the Creator?!

If that was the case, they were doomed. The Council would rather fight to the death with all its members than lose the battle and suffer the dire consequences of failing at performing the Creator's Will.

But how could the Creator, who always ignored the activities of gods suddenly care so much as to give his Will over the small matter of an invasion of a few insignificant, mortal species??

Did he care more about the mortal species than the gods themselves? Wasn't this unfair? A blatant show of favouritism over his creations....'

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Indeed, Oris was right. The Creator had given his express Will for the Council to stop Gorak's invasion, or he would "take care of it". And by "it" he meant the problem of Keepers/gods in general.

Out of all of his creations, they were the most troublesome, and never stopped causing trouble. It was no wonder the Council was spooked into attacking Gorak instantly, with a fierce combination of insanely high-level gods.

No one could bear the consequences of failing at performing the Creator's Will. No one could dare withstand the Creator's anger.

They would do everything to take down Gorak as quickly as possible because basically, it was either he or they!

So they attacked first with unbelievable might. Sharp, effective and resolute.

...

The attack was completely unexpected. Surely, in a vast sea of galaxies, it would be nearly impossible to locate Gorak's HQ in a tiny droplet as the planet Earth.

Gorak and his minions had covered their tracks so properly, yet who knew the Council would sniff them out this soon, with a surprise attack right at their headquarters.

This way, they couldn't elude the Council anymore. They had completely run out of time. This would be a hard, determining battle.

And it proved so, as, within a few minutes, the battle had already begun to turn.

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From where Dela is watching, she can tell... these three beings are much stronger than Gorak and all his forces and dark beasts together.

They were beating back the ferocious creatures!

She realises;

"This is trouble!"

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