VESTAGES : extra's fate denial

I am gonna edit chapters from the beginning and then gonna start publishing the new one after. I may not be consistent but just put this in your library and enjoy when you want :)

~~~~~

"Why the hell are you doing this?" the man shouted, his voice raw, echoing into the void as blood streamed down his broken form.

His shoulder was a grotesque display of exposed bone and mangled flesh, stripped of muscle. The wound throbbed, matching the rhythm of his despair.

The world around him was nothing but ash and ruin. The remnants of a once-thriving civilization lay scattered, fractured buildings jutted out like jagged teeth from the earth, shrouded by a choking haze. The scent of charred metal and decay lingered, oppressive and suffocating.

He stood amidst an ocean of corpses, their lifeless forms merging into one indistinguishable mass. Friends and foes alike lay at his feet, their differences erased in death. To him, they were all equal now, silent witnesses to his agony.

Before him stood the woman who had once fought by his side. She held the 'source,' its faint luminescence casting an otherworldly glow on her resolute face.

"Why?" he rasped, his voice cracking under the weight of his disbelief. "Why are you doing this? We gave everything-everything-for this world. And now you're throwing it all away for what? Your selfish reasons?"

Her gaze hardened, but her hands trembled, betraying a storm of emotions within.

"Because they won't come back," she said, her voice breaking through the silence like a blade. "Not truly. No matter how much we wish for it, they're gone. All of them. We must start again."

"But we can!" he roared, his desperation palpable. "We can bring them back! The lives, the cities, the laughter, we can have it all again. Don't you see? The 'source' holds the power to restore everything we lost!"

"No." Her reply was firm, unyielding. "It won't be the same. It'll never be the same. We'll be trapped, reliving the same mistakes, while those who set this nightmare in motion watch us like puppets. Maybe this time, this choice… will lead to something better. Maybe it will save everyone."

"Save everyone?" he scoffed, his bloodied lips curling into a bitter smile. 

"Who decides that? You? You're delusional if you think your decision is righteous. There's no one above us, no gods, no watchers. Just us, standing here in this wasteland. Together, we could use the 'source' to create a world where happiness is possible again. Don't forget," he paused, his tone softening, "we were a couple once. We could have that life back. Children, peace, everything. Change your mind. For us."

Her lips twisted into a faint, bitter smile. "You speak of us as if it was real. But the world you want to build isn't for everyone, it's for you. You always needed control. And as for us…" She paused, her voice trembling with anger. "We were never a lovely couple. I was the one who wasn't enough. Remember?"

His eyes widened as her words struck like daggers, but before he could retort, she added, "I hope I never meet you again. In any life."

The finality in her tone burned like fire, but her sentence was cut short. A spear, glimmering with malevolent energy, tore through her chest. Blood sprayed, staining the scorched earth as the 'source' fell from her hands, its light dimming for a moment before flaring to life.

"You should have accepted my offer," the man whispered, limping toward her, his lips twisting into a smirk. "I didn't want this to happen, reminding you."

She coughed violently, blood trickling from her mouth, but her glare remained fierce. "I knew… you'd do this." Her voice, though faint, dripped with venom. "But… it doesn't matter anymore. It was bad… meeting you, d*ckhead."

The 'source' began to glow fiercely, pulsing as though alive. Its light expanded, growing brighter with each second.

"No!" he screamed, his voice cracking with hysteria. He reached out to grab it, but the light incinerated his hand the moment he touched it. His body followed, disintegrating into ash as the world itself was consumed.

The 'source' executed its final command.

No one survived. No one was meant to.

*

Beyond the Plane

In the dimension of infinite axes, where no beginning or end existed, a figure observed the spectacle unfold.

The being unfathomable, indescribable sighed. A soundless exhalation that carried the weight of eternity.

"Once again, they failed to find the answer," the entity murmured, its voice resonating like the hum of the cosmos. "But… this time, the wish… is two?"

Its eyes, or perhaps its essence, focused on the anomaly.

"Interesting. Perhaps this deviation aligns with Shakti's desires. I cannot perceive the falling leaves as deeply as the growing ones, yet this feels… correct."

With a clap of its formless hands, the cycle began anew. The layers of wishes intertwined, forming the foundation of a new verse.

The entity settled back into silent observation as the vestiges of ages awakened once more, carrying their timeless duty.

Thus, the name of the verse was defined again.

The world of Vestages.