End of Madness

("I will make them pay, no, I must make them pay. How many have died in misery at their hands after my escape? Just how many did they deceive in order to achieve their goal? Never mind, their demise will put these questions to rest.")

As he stood face to face with his parents, he felt nothing but anger. All the memories of them which he still retained reinforced his actions and his determination. The death of these two beings would give him the serenity he craved inside.

" This is the day of your return, we shall have to celebrate it. Come to me and your mother and we will show you what you have been missing all these years."

"You both have lost your minds, the words that come out of your mouths are silent for me. You sold your soul to your moron messiah and you were going to sacrifice me to him. Tell me how far did you get after your plan failed? I cannot imagine that he was pleased to see you empty-handed in front of him. Surely you continued to devote yourselves to his idiocy, fit for worthless livings."

"Don't ever use his name, he was our savior, he wanted to show us the truest path. One little child was the least we could offer him."

"He WAS? Heh, you really spoke the truth Leo. And yet, I can't believe you're responsible for it."

"You shouldn't care about that right now. Better focus on the problem in front of us."

"Don't fret, they'll soon burn forever."

Both parents gave their son a displeased look.

"I see you carry a lot of anger inside you, Volt. We can comprehend part of it, who would want to die as a small child? Sadly, you didn't want to understand at that time that it would have been done for a true GOD. We spent a long time thinking about what we had done wrong. If we had put you in chains or guarded you, we would have found harmony between us. Now, if you really don't want to apologize for what you did to us by leaving, if you really don't want to be reunited with us to mitigate the shame of the past...then there is only one thing we can do: to punish you one last time! You made him lose precious time, you caused us to be mocked by other followers and elves. Thus, we feel that your death is the least we can do on his behalf. This time you can't disappear!"

"I don't intend to, fuckhead."

Volt took his sword and held it out in front of him.

"Leo, if you're so eager to help then hold them off my back for a moment. If things work out your effort might let you see something big."

Leo didn't know what he meant but finding out more about Volt was enough to make him grant his request.

" Get a move on, who knows what else they have in store. You got two minutes."

Leo conjured a protective field around his comrade-in-arms as well as Ellie, who was hiding further back.

"Don't move Ellie, they wont be able to reach you."

Nodding at her, it was time to put his focus on the enemies in front of him. To the left he saw that several monsters ran and struck against his barrier but it was to no avail, it was impenetrable to them.

"Who exactly are you? How do you know such powerful magic?"

"I am the one who struck down your beloved master. Rest assured he never mentioned you until the very end. Well, not that he really cared about anything other than himself..."

"That's a lie! The likes of you would never have gotten as far as his excellency. You''ve sullied his name, you'll be the first to die!"

With a smile on his face, he anticipated their attack.

("So easy to provoke...")

His opponent attacked with the huge mutated body while his the other one supported him with magic spells to cause problems for Leo. The latter realized that it was not fake, they were actually using magic as he knew it.

" You can use magic even after its extinction? Although I am very interested in you and your wisdom, we don't have time for that."

After parrying easily, he stared into the face of his enemy.

"Even in death you wouldn't reveal anything am I right? Unless it is written in books?"

"Tch, your presence taints this place. Be gone from this world!"

Leo was too quick for them and too agile to hit. As a result, they only destroyed all they had built up here. Subsequently, they both grew angrier and angrier. They constantly sent new monsters and mutants into battle, but it didn't help. Leo steered his movements so that they would destroy themselves standing in the way of one of their creators. In his frenzy, he crushed his experiments and lost control. As Leo was about to attack he felt a strong dangerous presence behind him.

"Seems like you just made them angrier. What a beautiful sight."

Volt's image had changed greatly. With black and red eyes and a blood red shining sword, he took over the attack. Emerging from his weapon was a ribbon that linked with his opponent. It was a further ability of life stealing, Volt was in the final stage that few were able to control. The thread incidentally sucked the life energy out of his enemies while Volt was actively fighting them. This resulted in a slow agonizing death if the user fought his opponent with nonlethal attacks. However, life energy was not the only thing that was devoured, furthermore, the user's ability to use magic himself or to get assistance disappeared. Their son was the worst opponent to happen to them.

(" Maybe he knew about their strengths after all? Doesn't matter as long as it's over.")

After letting them suffer long enough, he first slit his mother's throat and left his father lying helplessly on the ground watching as she was consumed. Yet the thread to her body persisted until it pierced right through her, draining her of blood.

" You see, I can do this shit too. How does it feel to suffer, to be at the mercy of death with no way out? ANSWER ALREADY!"

He stomped on his father and punched him in the face until he finally answered.

"Haha, in the end you are just as much a monster as we are, after all you are like your family. But my son, it's not over yet, you are about to be united with your mother."

Leo expected a bad surprise, yet nothing happened. All of a sudden Volt started laughing."

"Did you think I was going to let you do any more of your crap? Your cheap tricks don't work, magic is useless against me and the area around me in this state. Now, scram out of this world and be tormented for eternity."

He pierced his head with a sword thrust then took a deep breath.

"You know Leo, I would love to fight you in this condition, but my chance is gone. Any more of this and I won't be able to leave this place."

Volt then changed back, the veil around his sword disappearing as did the bloody threads. Leo realized that Volt had no strength left in him, that he had completely exhausted himself.

Leo understood his condition and the effects of the fight.

"You actually went all out. I really don't know if there's a little bit of insanity in you as well. What you just did to yourself, you know, was it really all worth it to you in the end?"

"It sure was, I managed to accomplish what I set out to do and put an end to their lunacy. Besides, who wants to live a long life in this world? There' s still a few years left, with no path and no goal, I won't have to pay to much attention to it anyway."

The fact that Volt was able to actually control the final stage of life stealing meant that he lived or had to live with it for years. It was high risk high reward. Each second spent in this state can drain years of life energy; ultimately, it only leads to a quicker death. That's why it's often considered to be more of a potent curse, with the user never really winning in the end. However, Volt gave the exact opposite impression, there was contentment in his face even knowing the consequences.

"Since you truly assisted me in the end I'll help you clean up this mess completely, this place needs to be torn down."

All of a sudden Leo stopped abruptly and looked in the direction of the building.

"Wait a minute, where's Ellie? I lifted her barrier, so what is she still doing in there?"

"Probably searching for information about this place. After all, she doesn't seem to have found her way in this world yet. I'm surprised she hasn't fainted watching all this."

"I'm not that weak! If you had waited, you would have seen what else is hiding there."

"Are there actual books they' ve written down?"

"Not really, they're more like drawings of these critters and their components. The capsules looked very old, but they were self-built. They left their stupid symbol all over the place."

"Did you wander off every door?"

Even the door I-"

"Yes. The scene was really horrible, arms and legs everywhere. That family of yours is truly sick."

("Ha, sometimes I actually don't know if she's toughened up or just pretending.")

"What are you going to do with all these people? I don't think most of them will be able to recover."

"The animals and these creatures can no longer be set free. This forest is not meant to remain a place of horror. Regarding the people, I don't really see any salvation for most of them however, a certain person in Altaria would have me executed if I left their people to die. As soon as they are out of here, you can burn this place down. I am going to escort them into the city, hopefully the other inhabitants can recover their sanity."

"Alright then, let me escort you at least to the edge of the forest. No telling how many of their creatures still remain and roam free. Their barrier won't be a problem for me, so leave this place to me. Unfortunately, after all, I am part of their existence."

"I won't argue with that. Let's hurry before any more go completely nuts.

After freeing everyone, they headed straight for Altaria. Luckily, they didn't encounter any more monsters till they reached the road.

"This is where we part ways once again. Having a strong ally is welcome in these times you know."

"You are well aware of my answer, I am not good at following others. Plus, not all is finished, I can't rest until I've eliminated all traces of them. Should we meet again I want a training match with you but with full power.

"You will get one. Careful not to get carried away, you are strong but not invulnerable... though you know that better than anyone. Good luck with your journeys."

Both swordsmen said their goodbyes and went their separate ways. Leo and Ellie headed back with the entourage of residents. A majority of them were scarred inside, not speaking a word and silently following their guides. As they passed through the city gate, many broke their silence, seeing familiar faces again released them from their inner torment. Leo told Carleen about the gruesome place they were trapped in as well as the torture of the Lokeths they were subjected to.

" To think that so many were genuinely under their influence... I wonder what really happened in the city over all those years...?"

"The past days no longer matter. I can see that you have slowly found your way back to a normal life. But those people need more than just a familiar environment. It's best to keep them under observation for a few days, I don't know what else has been done to them. Well, I'm sure you'll find your way back. It' time for me to move, remain in the city for now till everyone has recovered."

"Wait! You said there was trouble in the south. Your expression looks more worried than ever...How serious is the danger really?"

"Far worse than anything you've experienced so far. If I am correct then Yrasil was nothing compared to that. Remember you said that dark elves and elves still split their lives? I'm pretty sure if they want to live on, they'll have to work together."

After Ellie and Leo said goodbye, she confronted her companion.

"I heard your conversation. What do you mean by great danger? Aren't we there to help my friend?"

"That is just part of it. I'm afraid he won't be alive soon if we don't hurry."

"Why are you suddenly panicking? You seem to know something about this, what is it that's out there?"

"Something that if not stopped can soon lead to there being two races less in this world..."

Meanwhile, deep in the south

"Have you spotted any dark elves again? Are they headed this way? That plague belongs eradicated, it's only because of them that we no longer have any protection."

"I've only seen them from afar. It was a small group passing through. I don't think we'll see them again. Rather, are the supplies replenished for the next few days? The fields are almost depleted, so in an emergency we'll have to hunt game again."

"Don't worry, the grain storage was replenished just yesterday. The hunters are quickly readied, the village is taking care of everyone."

"Nevertheless, it's not wrong to double-check everything once in a while. Problems can always arise."

"Don't fret about it. I think it's time for us to go back, it will be evening soon and I don't want to miss the meal."

Suddenly, a very loud booming noise sounded from the distance. A luminous object appeared on the horizon crashing to the ground.

"What the heck was that? I've never seen anything like it in all my years."

"I don't know but it looked stunning. That golden glow...we have to find out what it is!"

"What?! Wait a minute, we shouldn't go too far. It'll be dark soon and the food-"

"I'm sure there will be some rations left later. And besides, you're just as curious as I am!"

The two elves went to investigate the glowing object until they caught sight of a golden glow shining from a distance. As they got closer, they spotted a man with gold shining armor and piercing red eyes. They were startled when he stood in front of them in a flash.

"Tell me, what is this place? Out with it!"

His presence caused deep fear in the two of them. They felt a wrong answer would cost them their lives.

"T-this is the kingdom of the elves, south of our capital."

"A kingdom? I see, there must be more than one. Tell me lowly one, how many of your varieties is there?"

"T-there are elves, dark elves, beastmen, dwarves, humans a-and the Erezal.

"A densely populated world, in other words...excellent. Take me to your leader, I want to get a glimpse of him with my own eyes."

Despite great concern, their fear left them no choice but to lead him to their village. Once there, he again demanded an audience with their leader.

"What?! Are you saying that you are not their king? Where have you led me to? You dare to waste my time you mongrels?"

"J-just a moment. If you mean our leader t-then I must disappoint you. O-our king, our ruler passed away recently, he was murdered."

"So an entire nation, an entire race is to live without a leader? Pathetic! There must always be one who rules over others, who seizes control of them. Perhaps your king was too feeble for his responsibilities."

"Don't you dare sully his name!"

At these words one of the inhabitants lost his patience and attacked the stranger. The latter disarmed him and grabbed him by the neck.

"Your courage is respectable and yet foolish. None of your species can defeat me!"

Thereupon he squeezed harder and crushed his neck. They screamed in fear, but once again the stranger's aura led to their paralysis.

" You try to turn your backs on me again and you'll end up like him. Now, tell me everything you know about this world. It is my duty to gain knowledge of my surroundings. So long as your words satisfy me, you have nothing to fear.

None of the inhabitants wanted to have anything to do with him. As much as they wanted to chase him away, they would most likely lose to him. He was serious, they had no choice but to submit to his orders. Thus, the entire village provided him with everything they knew about this world.

"Hahaha, so there are beings that are supposed to be of my level? Considering the minuscule things you have achieved along with the other races, I have to feel ashamed of these "gods". Still, I have to see with my own eyes the things they have done. It is only then that I can be sure of their ultimate inferiority. No more of this chat, my time is precious and your value is too poor for my purposes.

Suddenly his hands formed into large claws and a helmet in the shape of a dragon covered his head. He grabbed another one of them and slit its throat.

"Go there, feel honored that it was I, Emperor of Heaven, who redeemed you."

"What are you doing?! You said we have nothing to fear." "You fool, everyone has something to fear and now all have to fear me."

Out of nowhere, golden portals formed, and sharp chains and arrows shot out of them. Not a single one of the inhabitants managed to escape it, this was a massacre at the hands of an powerful adversary.

" Thus it is done, my first deed. I shall let this world know who is going to dominate it very soon. All nations will have to yield, all their gods will have to submit and all their faith will be abandoned. This world will be my own, of the Emperor of Celestial, Malignus!"

The portals disappeared and his claws formed into fingers again. He walked north and out of the village, passing all the corpses and whatever they had built. Yet another being, an extremely powerful threat to the very existence of this realm, arrived in this world.