Chapter 102
The sky was tearing apart.
A storm of color and void swirled above the broken horizon, where once stars gleamed and now only chaos reigned. Winds screamed through the collapsing heavens, each gust carrying the sound of dying worlds. Mountains crumbled into dust, seas boiled into vapor, and the air itself shimmered like shattered glass.
Arin floated amidst it all suspended high above the remains of existence, her long silver hair whipping wildly around her face. Nine golden rings rotated around her body like divine satellites, burning with impossible light. Each ring pulsed in rhythm with her heartbeat, echoing through the ruins of reality itself.
Her lips trembled. "Shit, shit... I got carried away."
How could I forget I should have fought them in the forbidden sea... Noo if I had did that this wouldn't have happened shit....
Her voice was faint, nearly swallowed by the roaring wind.
She clenched her fists, golden energy sparking around her palms as she struggled to steady herself. The ground ... if one could still call it that rippled beneath her like a wounded beast. The universe was fracturing faster than she could contain it.
"I... I don't have any choice."
She took a trembling breath, pressing her hands together clap the sound cutting through the chaos like thunder. The nine golden rings flared, spinning faster, faster, until they became a halo of blinding radiance.
Her body lifted higher into the air, her form glowing like a goddess reborn.
Gbim! Gbim!!
The sound shook the void like a divine drumbeat.
Far in the distance, two streaks of light pierced through the storms ...Januza and Azerin, her sons, their bodies streaked with mana fire as they flew at incredible speed.
They both froze midair, sensing the pulse that came from their mother.
"No..." they whispered in unison. "Mother..."
The ground beneath them split apart as the energy intensified. The pulse of her 9 rings resonated through their bones, through their hearts. It was both beautiful and terrifying.
Then her eyes opened.
Twin spheres of molten gold burned in her face, radiating such power that even gods would tremble. And as the light reached its zenith, her lips parted and one word crossed her tongue.
"Requiem... of Resurrection."
The very syllables trembled through creation.
But before the final note could form Gbim! A sickening sound echoed from within her.
Her hand trembled. Her golden rings flickered.
"Ugh...!" She doubled over, clutching her chest as blood splattered across her arm.
"Cough... cough!"
The light around her faltered. The sky dimmed.
"Shit... my magical power is barely at ten percent..." she muttered through gritted teeth. "How... how will I do this?"
Her breathing was shallow now, each inhale a battle against the weight of existence itself.
Her trembling eyes turned upward toward the endless void and then downward, toward the empty world below.
"Kael..." she whispered, her voice breaking. "I'm sorry. I promised I'd come back to you... but I can't do that anymore."
Tears welled up, glistening as they fell upward, carried by the collapsing gravity.
"The universe... is at stake."
Her hands came together again clap a sound that resonated like a dying heartbeat.
Golden light rippled outward once more, spreading across the skies. Her body lifted higher, glowing like a star about to die.
"I'm sorry, Kael... I'm sorry, boys."
Her rings flared again, swirling around her body as if to shield her from the inevitable. Her tears turned into light as they left her eyes, dissolving into the radiance.
"Requiem of restor—"
But before she could finish the incantation...
"MOTHER!!!!"
Two voices, filled with fear and love and defiance, split through the storm.
Arin turned sharply. Her eyes widened. "Boys...?!"
Through the blinding light, she saw them Januza and Azerin, their wings of mana cutting through the chaos. They were flying, truly flying, their bodies surrounded by energy so pure it made even Arin's heart tremble.
"You're... flying..." she whispered, her voice breaking between disbelief and pride.
Before she could say more, the two streaks of light collided with her fwsshh! and the world seemed to pause as her sons wrapped their arms around her. Their small bodies trembled as they buried their faces against her chest.
"Mother!" Januza cried, his voice muffled. "You can't die here... please!"
"Yes!" Azerin's voice shook. "We need you! Dad needs you!"
Arin's breath caught in her throat. She could feel their warmth, their life the very things she was fighting to protect. Her trembling hands came up, resting gently on their heads.
"It's... okay, boys. I'm fine."
But her voice cracked. The blood dripping from her lips betrayed the lie.
Lightning flashed above them, turning the shattered clouds white. Thunder followed, deep and endless, shaking the air like an angry god. The world was coming apart.
"There's no time!" Arin screamed suddenly, her voice echoing across the heavens.
She pointed toward the sky, where energy pulsed like a massive, beating heart. "There's no time!"
"You need to go now!" she shouted again, her voice raw with desperation.
But Januza and Azerin stood firm.
"Enough, Mother!" Januza yelled.
Azerin stepped forward beside him, his eyes fierce. "Watch, Mother. Watch and see the power you have bestowed upon your children!"
Arin blinked. "Eh?! Are you stupid?! What power?!" Her voice broke between fear and anger. "Get behind me, both of you! Let me handle this!"
Januza smiled that same smile Kael once had when he challenged the impossible. "Mother, we finally understand. Father told us everything."
"W-What?!" Arin gasped. Her heart raced. "He told you?!"
Azerin's eyes glowed faintly as he raised his hand. "Look closely, Mother."
Arin's gaze followed his gesture and then she saw it.
It began as a shimmer around their bodies. Then it grew a monstrous wave of mana, pure and dense, flowing like a living storm around them both. It radiated warmth, strength, and something she hadn't felt in centuries hope.
Her breath hitched. "Impossible... you... you have more magical energy than me..."
The sky pulsed, responding to their awakening.
The nine rings around her trembled, sensing the presence of two new suns being born beside her.
Januza's grin widened, his hair whipping wildly in the wind.
Azerin clenched his fists, his aura flaring like a second dawn.
"Mother," Azerin said softly, eyes shining with pride. "We are our mother's sons."
For the first time in what felt like eternity, Arin smiled through her tears. "I see..."
Januza stepped forward, his body surrounded by orange flames of mana. "Mother... Father said we have your abilities."
Arin nodded slowly, tears streaking down her glowing face. "Yes... you both do."
"Then " Januza's eyes blazed. He turned to his brother. "Let's do this, idiot brother!"
Azerin smirked, his orange aura crackling. "Yessss!"
They both raised their hands, and with perfect synchronicity clap!
Arin's eyes widened in horror. "Wait....don't!!"
But it was too late.
The air split open with a deafening roar as the brothers' energy exploded outward.
Their eyes turned golden, the same radiant hue as their mother's. Their bodies glowed like living stars, their mana swirling together into a storm that dwarfed even the rings that encircled Arin.
"Requiem... of Resurrection!" they both shouted.
The words resonated like the voice of creation itself.