I...I'm here.
The voice, a mere echo in the vast, ruined palace, barely registered before the emptiness swallowed it whole.
This place once pulsed as the world's vital center, a point of origin for all things.
Now, it was nothing more than a decaying corpse of its former self.
Each step forward sent shards of shattered marble grinding underfoot. Breathing became a painful chore, lungs burning with the effort. Behind him, the massive doors lay in pieces, their ancient protections torn asunder. Massive pillars were strewn about, like fallen giants laid low. Above, the ceiling – once adorned with constellations shifting in harmony with existence – gaped open. An unnatural sky roiled above, clouds folding into themselves, the world seemingly forgetting how to hold itself together.
The air hung heavy, but not with smoke.
With power.
A potent, lingering authority clung to his skin, assaulted his senses, and made each breath a struggle. It was the kind of oppressive weight left behind after a clash between gods.
No…no, no, no…
He broke, sprinting now.
Instinct screamed for him to run, even as a thick, suffocating dread filled his stomach. He'd felt it when the world shook. When the scales of balance cracked. He knew something irreplaceable had occurred.
He simply wasn't quick enough.
Ahead, he found what was left of the throne room.
The throne itself – made from something unknown that once shaped reality – was split directly in two. Divine symbols carved into the floor were burned black, their meanings lost after an attack of overwhelming power. The bodies of those who once stood tall here dotted the hall. Twisted, lifeless, stripped of their claims to immortality.
Legends, now just corpses.
Those who once ruled continents.
All dead.
He only glanced at them.
Because she was there.
Beneath the broken throne, in the hall's center, she was sprawled on the cold stone floor.
Blood was everywhere.
It saturated her robes, stained her hair, and pooled beneath her. The image was so shocking that it was hard to accept. The blood shimmered, still laced with her fading energy. As if even existence resisted acknowledging what it saw.
She…
His knees buckled.
He fell beside her, hands trembling as he reached out, then stopped, fearing to cause her more pain. She was still. Too still. Her chest barely rose and fell, each breath shallow.
No, he whispered. No, no, no...
Carefully, he lifted her into his arms.
She was cold.
Not dead, but far colder than she should have been. It's as if the world's warmth was already abandoning her.
I'm here, he said, voice cracking; He pressed his forehead against hers. I'm here now. You're not alone. Things will get better.
The empty words tasted acidic on his tongue.
Her eyelids fluttered.
Slowly, with effort, she opened her eyes.
Despite the blood, the ruin, the broken world around them, she smiled when she saw him.
A weak smile.
But real.
You came, she murmured.
I did, he said, too fast. His voice shook, but he forced the words out. I said I would. I always keep my promises.
He didn't mention the dozens of corpses.
Didn't ask what had happened.
He didn't want to know.
Her eyes drifted, unfocused, before returning to his. You're hurt.
I'm fine, he said quickly. Don't worry about me. Just stay awake, okay? We'll fix this. I'll fix this.
He placed a hand over her wound.
He forced power into her. Ancient methods, forbidden, dark arts, authority stolen and earned over decades, poured into her without limit.
Nothing happened.
The wound remained open.
Her bleeding continued.
He faced the real horror of that moment.
Why isn't it working? he muttered, his voice rising out of control. It should work. I've fixed far worse than this. I-
She raised a hand.
Weak. Trembling.
She touched his wrist.
Stop, she whispered.
Don't, he snapped, anger born from desperation. You think I'll sit here and watch you die? I won't. I refuse.
He looked at her, wild-eyed. I'll kill them. Every last one. I don't care who they are. Saints, gods, kings – I'll erase them all. I'll make the world suffer for this.
Her fingers tightened weakly around his wrist.
There's no one to kill, she said softly.
He stopped.
He looked around.
He really looked.
The bodies. The silence. The emptiness of the world all around.
A chilling truth dawned on him.
You… His voice broke. What did you do?
She didn't answer.
Instead, she studied his face. Every line. Every flaw. The anger, the fear, the love he tried to hide.
Light began to seep from her skin.
At first, it was so faint he thought his vision blurred with tears. Thin lines of light traced her arms, her neck, her shoulders, like cracks spreading through a statue made of light.
He watched.
His heart broke.
No, he whispered. Don't do this.
A faint smile touched her lips. I don't have much time.
You don't get to decide that, he said, voice rising.
She chuckled weakly.
You never could let go.
Because there's nothing worth letting go of you for, he snapped. Tears streamed freely down his face, landing on her robes. I don't want the world. I don't want power. I don't want anyone else. Just you.
The light burned brighter.
Particles lifted from her fingertips, drifting upward like tiny stars broken free from her body.
He tried to push them back.
Tried to hold her together.
They slipped through his fingers.
I don't want you to go through pain because of me, she said quietly. I don't want your life to end here.
I don't care, he sobbed. If I'm without you, what's the point?
She leaned closer, forehead to forehead.
The world seemed to still.
I love you, she said.
He gasped.
I love you too, he said at once. Don't leave me.
I have to.
Her body started to dissolve.
Arms. Shoulders. Her hair fading into light that drifted into the air, settling into the broken palace, sky, the very air around them.
He screamed her name.
Clutched at her desperately, hands shaking, grasping at fading warmth.
Please, he sobbed. Don't. I'll break. I won't be okay. How will I be okay?
She kissed his forehead.
Barely a touch.
I know, her voice whispered everywhere. That's why I'm giving you a world that can keep going… even without me.
The light grew.
The palace went away.
The sky broke into a million lights.
Existence itself frayed, rebuilt by someone who refused to remain.
As all turned to light, his cry was the last sound of the old world.
And thus began the world she left behind.