(This chapter depicts a lot of bad imagery, so a bit of a warning ahead of time)
RUMBLE
RUMBLE
Distant explosions went off across the perimeter of Tenna, completely leveling buildings and the outer wall alongside them.
Complete destruction, it truly was.
The few lives remaining began to flicker off, one by one.
Trinity loved it. He adored it. He loved seeing those on the brink rise up from ashes, or fall to their doom and die a miserable death
Either outcome was fine with him, whether or not the two lived or failed.
BOOM
BOOM
More explosions went off. Each and every one detonating via an overloaded infusion that he had made from Cronus's little collection.
He pet the hazed beast beneath him, floating in the air above the city below.
"Ah… ahh…!"
He brought his hands up to the air in glee, "Marvelous! So much terror! So much hardmanship! Truly a sight for mine sore eyes!"
A spectacle was what it was.
The tall buildings in Tenna blowing up and crumbling to the ground, taking another life or two with each explosion.
Walls and ceilings and roofs fell, ashes rose, clouding the skies above even more so than the storm that was gathered.
A dark color that even made the nightly moon's scoff and turn away.
It made Trinity grin even more when he sensed other Entities watching it with him.
'Watch with me and watch close, my friends.'
Tenna had been up for quite a while, it truly had. Due to the govern of Duke Lynel and his late friend, Grant Trein, Tenna had been one of the most populated cities outside of the royal domain.
But, alas… all hints of civilizations outside the domain succumb eventually. Especially Tenna, with it being so close to the Beasts' Forest.
Trinity floated and kicked his feet into the air, and acted as if he were falling.
"Ahh! I can't get enough!"
More eyes popped up on his face, his image shimmering and the countless visages beginning to cackle with their center.
"Fight, Fault! Struggle, Hale! Fault needs to live, right!? Fault wants to obtain strength and survive, right!? Hale wants to see it through to the end, yes!?"
He didn't need to worry about Hale.
He could see the pores of Blondie's infusion awakening soon, and it looked mighty…
So that's why he would only gift Fault the new physicality of divine strength, especially since he was crippled and bore no such pores anymore.
He and his clones soon died down, a tired smile on their faces as they turned back into one form.
"Ah, truly… no such entertainment is better than torment… especially adolescents, they show such emotion! Such life! Showcase what it is to be human!"
He looked to the night sky above, and cleared the rain clouds, letting only the ashen clouds rise and take their place.
Yet, the two moons within the sky stayed open.
The silver moon, representing strength, virtue, and guidance.
The blue moon, representing intelligence, honesty, and authority.
"No night like tonight. For each one is different from the last."
He knew this game wouldn't last too long, but the enjoyment was going to be fun while it lasted.
For Trinity hadn't had this much fun since the Great Slash had split the two continents.
"Run, run, boys…"
He looks back down as the explosions soon finish, nothing but rubble and debris lay wake. The walls that held true for quite a few decades had crumbled as well.
"Run until your heart stops."
He smiles wider.
'That duke is going to be livid!'
*****
"Cough! Cough!"
I lay on the ground, covered in dust and rocks.
"W-what the hell…"
I look around as best I can. My left eye aches… or what used to be my left eye.
My ears are ringing, a loud explosion had just gone off near me…
"Ugh…"
I lift myself up, feeling the few pebbles and dust fall off of my back and arms.
"H-Hale…" I lose some balance, catching myself with my hand on the ground.
"..ult… ault…!"
"Fuh…?"
"Fault!"
I blink as my hearing finally comes back, seeing Hale to my side, holding me up with my arm over his shoulders.
I look up around us, gaining some footing as I take a step back from him.
"W-what the…"
Leveled.
Everything is gone.
I can see the planes of grass and the forest outside of Tenna. Not even the walls on the outside perimeter of town are standing aside from rubble being barely held up from their foundations.
"W-wha… what happened…"
I pant a bit, despairing coming in through my brain.
'Was this… the signal? This is the beginning of the game…?'
I look at Hale, I felt the color of my face draining.
"I-I…"
I froze as I saw the center of town.
A black figure was falling toward the center. Just above the only building that was still standing.
City Hall.
It was large, muscular. It held a thick torso and broad arms that flailed across the air as it fell.
"What is that…"
I gripped my shirt as I heaved. My gasping picking up a bit more.
Horns, wings, large claws… hooves from the knees down.
"T-the Devourer…" Hale's raspy voice rings from my left.
CRASH
It lands directly in the center, completely destroying the final building that was still standing in Tenna.
"RROOOOAAARRRR!!"
A deafening explosion of a roar booms from where it crashed.
I felt my legs turn to jelly, crumpling me to my knees.
"W-we won't… make it…"
I open my mouth, no words coming out as I only start to make hitching gasps and breaths.
"Hah… haah… wheeze…"
I grit my teeth the best I can, feeling no strength.
But I try…
I kick myself backwards, landing on my ass as I start to scramble to my feet.
"H-HALE!"
I call behind me, reaching for his wrist.
Then, I see his face.
As pale as snow, his dark blue eyes the only sense of color other than his golden hair.
I manage to grit my teeth further, remembering that…
…we're both going to survive this.
Right?
"COME ON!"
I find his wrist and pull myself to a stand, dust kicking up behind my heels as I attempt to run while dragging Hale behind me.
My steps echo through the dirt and gravel beneath us, I hear Hale's just a step and a half behind me.
I saw it, too.
What had made his face pale.
It wasn't the Devourer that landed in the center of town.
No…
'...no…'
I swallowed my saliva.
"T-the tavern…"
It was also destroyed.
The Den was also gone.
"N-no… no no n-..."
"Blergh!"
I heard Hale crumple and vomit behind me.
Even I was barely holding myself together.
'Everyone…'
I couldn't move my head to look around anymore.
My right eye did the best it could to look around the damage.
For any life.
Any movement.
Anything.
…
Nothing.
Nothing greeted my vision, nothing enticed my hearing.
Nothing called out from the rubble.
There were eighteen of us that lived in the tavern…
…all that was left was Hale and I.
I looked down at my feet.
An arm stuck out of the rubble where I stood, blood seeping beneath it.
I lift my foot slightly, and the arm moved with it. It had no weight behind it. No life.
It was most likely severed.
…
…
My mind went blank.
I turned around and grabbed Hale, picking him up and looping his arm around my shoulders this time.
Then, I began to sprint.
As hard as I could.
"Don't look back."
I ran, and ran.
Tenna seemed so much larger than usual. So much more different.
A once kind home filled with smiles, a once kind town where everyone knew each other and helped everyone out…
…even the washed up Chasers that no one really liked.
I'm sick.
I felt my stomach churn, yet my legs kept moving.
I felt Hale to my right, his arm still around me as we ran.
Before I knew it, my lungs lit on fire, my legs began to cramp. I'm not very athletic, so I'm not really surprised…
I slip on the stone road as we come to a small clearing of it, falling down and tumbling alongside Hale.
"Wheeze… wheeze… Haah…"
I barely lift my chest off the ground as I continue panting, looking around.
I saw it there, too.
Not only the leveled waste that was once my home, but also the Devourer…
'It's hopeless…'
'How were we meant to survive this?'
'How am I going to get out of here?'
'I want to live…'
I began to sink into more despair.
'This is how I die?'
My eye was still wide in shock.
"Fault…"
Hale spoke nearby, lifting himself back up, "I-I'm sorry…"
I turn to look at him with my one good eye, "M-me too…"
I look around in all directions and gather our surroundings.
We're toward the west side of town. Tenna has four gates total along the northeast, southeast, northwest and southwest parts.
The Devourer landed in the middle, and we ran west, I think…
I look to the gates.
'…?'
There were flags above each one, they towered above the rubble.
I swallow one more time and grunt as I pull myself back up.
"H-Hale… look…"
Hale turns his head and follows my sight, his eyes widening as he also sees the flags.
"G-goal…?"
I nod.
"W-we can still live… we need to exit through the goal."
Hale scrambles a bit, as well. Crawling over to where I was standing and pulls himself up with my help.
I turn to look behind us, where I heard a rumble from the Devourer, still roaring and smashing rocks and rubble together back there.
Then, it stopped…
…and looked right at us.