NOTE: This is a copy of a submission posted by @flamerunner02 without any change or edit from me.
Solunis stared at the growing portal with sadness and a growing anger he had never felt before. It felt like there were voices in his head screaming to be freed, screaming for release. His people were in danger. The entire land of Duel, was going to die unless they did something.
They all stood in the Twilight Zone watching the devastation from afar before Solunis broke the silence that had settled, “This must end, one way or another. Solis and Luna, you must fight.
I know Luna, you are wounded, but your people need you.
Solis, go with Kyo and help her fight.
Kar’Daleth, you are the storyteller. Tell the story. People are going to want to remember this.
Exila, you’re on destruction duty. Kill anything and everything that moves.
Kaiyo, you are the water. Any water they step foot in, use it. Strangle them, drown them, slow them down as much as you can.
Wanderer! You are not mortal. You will be instrumental to holding that horde back, but first, we need help, and so I need those amulets. You may not know me or like me, but the wraith needs to die.”
The whole group stared, several wondering how he even knew their names, before he glared them into submission, all of them heading off to do what he had commanded, even though they knew it was a death sentence if he didn’t have a damn good plan.
The wanderer glared back for a moment with a small smile before finally answering, “I get dibs on killing him.”
“Not a problem. I just need the amulets and a little time.”
“Oh really? You don’t say? I mean, world’s being destroyed and all.”
“Can we just kill him now?”
“With pleasure.”
Solunis yelled at the wraith who watched from the ridge, “GEORGUY!!! COME AND MEET YOUR FATE!!!”
The wraith looked down with mere boredom, right up until he saw the Wanderer. He jumped off the ridge and landed in front of the pair, who stared unfazed as the cloud of dust from his landing blew past them. He looked the pair up and down, “There is no way you can stop me, I am immortal. I wonder though, what drives yo-”
He never got to finish before the Wanderer moved and punched Georguy so hard the metal chest plate was dented and Georguy flew twenty feet into the Rock face behind him. The amulets were barely missed as Solunis shouted, “you can’t break the amulets! If you do all is lost!”
The Wanderer didn’t vocally acknowledge, but in an instant Solunis saw the tables turn as shruikans began flying around the wanderer, and metal balls joined them just as fast.
Solunis knew he was outmatched and needed to be smart. He waited until the two men, one metal, one something else, before sneaking around unnoticed behind the two. The Wanderer saw him even as blades kept flying and the sharp objects whirred through the air like angry hornets as Georguy continued assaulting him.
It was not unlike their first battle, until Solunis flared into flame and jumped onto the back of Georguy, melting the steel armor under his flames. The shruikans and metal balls flew toward him, but he jumped over them, his flames dying as the Wanderer was able to get in close, stabbing blades into every single hole in the armor, wearing a smug expression as Georguy failed to move thanks to the blades stuck in him.
The Wanderer ripped the amulets from his neck and threw them to Solunis, who caught them in his maw as he watched Georguy struggle. He placed them on himself, speaking to Georguy, “You have done the unthinkable. You may have doomed this world. Your fate now lies in the hands of the Wanderer, and I personally hope your death is slow and painful.”
Solunis ran hard and ran fast after that, determined to make it to his destination, hearing the screams of the Wraith behind him as the Wanderer finished him off. He ran through the undergrowth, sometimes jumping onto fallen logs or running along trees almost like a squirrel as he made the fastest route he could to make it to his destination. Even with all of his speed, the miles were long, and he could see the light of the Eclipse nearing his home.
He growled and descended into the cave, walking with sure feet around twists and turns, almost as if being guided by a force other than himself. Going around a tight turn, he came out in a large cavern.
The cave had no lighting, but it seemed to glow as if it were alive. The air was crisp and cool, the stone floor cold as Solunis walked into the cavern, descending a strait staircase over a hundred feet high. Pillars stretched across the cavern on all sides, and Solunis came to a more sculpted part of the cave, seeing drawings and stopping to brush his paws against them, “It is time. The end of the great story.”
He took his paws away, and there in front of him, the drawings stretched out for what seemed like eternity. Solunis could see the sun and moon in the sky, shining brightly as they embodied wolves who danced with the people, and moved across the sky in a dance, letting all places experience both light and day across the world, a peaceful one.
As he went however, it got darker. Great monsters began to appear, tearing apart villages and towns before the sun and moon could defeat them. The monsters got more and more vicious, one of which resembled the Blood Moon fiend. Then came the next being.
A being shrouded in darkness, formed in the Union of Sun and Moon. The eclipse. The dangerous force destroying the land of Duel, Solunis’s brother. The eclipse absorbed everything, destroying everything in its path, until the sun and moon appeared to challenge it. Solunis saw a great battle upon the wall in which the Sun and the Moon both were defeated.
In a great sacrifice, Solunis saw the two wolves, embodiments of the sun and moon, ascend to the heavens, sealing themselves into orbs of power as they sealed away the eclipse.
The lands changed, the sun and moon no longer dancing across the sky. In this, Solunis saw the birth of the wolves of the age, the Sun and Moon wolves. He saw the birth of the amulets as the two gods channeled their power into them, descending into deep slumber for eons.
As time passed, things evolved and changed, and the two tribes forgot their namesakes. They forgot their gods, and became distant from each other.
Solunis got to the most recent carvings, showing Solis having faced off against Kaiyo, Georguy and the Wanderer battling in the forest, and Exila fighting the bloodmoon fiend, Kar’Daleth seen lighting the barricade.
He walked to where he saw Luna’s fall, the rise of Obscura, and the death of Georguy the Wraith at the hands of the wanderer.
And then, nothing. There were only a few sections left to fill, the story almost over. Solunis whispered, his voice echoing through the cavern, “It is time you return to us once and for all.”
He walked to the altar seen just a ways ahead of him and he placed the amulets gently down onto it. He began howling, the cavern shaking with the force until a large Boulder broke from the ceiling and fell upon the amulets, shattering them. Solunis seized howling and shouted out quickly, “From the Ashes of the forgotten, you are reborn! Return Sun, return Moon! Fight the Eclipse one final time!”
As he shouted, the cavern seemed to ring like a bell, and upon the wall, one of the final pieces of the story was carved. Solunis watched in wonder as the rock pushed out, showing his travels to the cavern and his shattering of the amulets. He watched in horror as it continued however, seeing hordes of the Eclipse pouring into the land, and his brave companions fighting a battle of survival. They needed reinforcements, and he knew just what to do.
He ran out of the cavern and stared at the horn next to it, reading the inscription, “This horn can be used only once, and only in the most dire of need. Let the realms hear your voice, and pray that they listen.”
Solunis didn’t know how he knew, but now was the time. Before he could blow the horn though, a great sound filled the air around him as two beings, two wolves formed on the ground, taking the appearance of his mother and father. They looked at him, and the Sun spoke, “Hello my child. You have freed us from our isolation, why is that?”
Solunis replied in awe, “Sun, I called because the Eclipse has returned, and we need your help to defeat him. We cannot do it alone. Might I ask why you appear as my mother and father?”
“Because we are. They are our last pure descendants, and we returned through them to view the affairs of the world, and to give birth to our last hope. You are our second child. Eclipse was chaotic and evil, too powerful to either of us to defeat. We wanted you to be better, and you were. You are the Twilight. Kind and brave, loyal to the end. You are the champion we needed, and you will be key to the ending. Now, blow the horn, and lead the charge to battle. It is time this ended.”
Solunis was shocked, and he felt himself freezing up realizing he really was different, but he snapped out of it, only to feel something growing inside him. The moon spoke in a soft voice, “your powers grow, as do those of your friends. None grow as yours do though, as you awaken.”
Solunis only nodded and walked to the horn, gathering his breath, and blowing. A single continuous note rang out, until the horn dissolved to dust. Solunis stared in confusion before a massive boom shook the stars and land alike, stirring every single realm in the land of Duel. The only place that did not hear it was the battlefield, where the war raged on.
He knew now they could hear him, and he spoke with all his conviction, “Men, Women, and Creatures of Duel! The Eclipse has risen, your memories have awoken. The world, all of our worlds, are in danger. My name is Solunis. I am the Guardian of Twilight, and the Son of our gods.
Today, a war is waging between a few brave souls, and the entirety of the armies of the eclipse. We cannot keep the fight going without you, so now is the time for us to join as one. The boars, scorpions, Giants, wolves, humans, demons, and Angels. Now is our time. We stand for our worlds, for our children. We stand for everything we hold dear.
Today we march to battle under one banner, the banner of live, of love. We set aside our differences, our petty squabbles, and we fight for what is right. We fight for our freedom. Today, we go to war with our heads held high, our hearts strong, and our minds clear. Races of Duel, LET’S GO TO WAR!!!”
He stopped talking, and the sense of power faded. His words ringing in the air still as he knew he was no longer heard. Now it was up to the people whether they would fight.
Several miles away, the war raged on, slowly overtaking the land. Everywhere you turned, creatures of the Eclipse lurked, preying upon all they could find. A few brave souls however, had become quite the thorn in their sides. The darkness was slowed by a few brave souls fighting until the bitter end.
Kyo sat on a rock high above, sniping creatures where she could, although she is running low on arrows. Solis was below her, a blazing force burning away the eclipse wolves, fighting even as he is overwhelmed by a dozen of the enemy wolves.
Luna was freezing the ground and helping slow the wolves, causing them to slip and slide as she speared them and ripped them apart, enraged by their audacity and their desire to destroy them.
Exila fought surrounded by wolves, his whole body glowing blue as he sliced through wolf after wolf, creature after creature, creating a mountain of bodies around him. He could not last forever though, and it was made clear by his sluggish knives flashing just fast enough to keep him alive.
Kaiyo was nowhere to be seen, and there was no water left, the enemies had drained every bit of water available before smothering Kaiyo under them. No one knew where he had gone since, but all assumed the worst.
The Wanderer was the only one who was felt no fatigue as he threw blades left and right, destroying everything around him. He stood amid a field of corpses, none daring to come near him as darkness seemed to radiate from him and he just kept smiling.
And just off the battlefield stood Kar’Daleth, sword in one hand, book in the other, recording the events of the battle as best he could, feeling grim as he saw the band of warriors forced back by the endless horde. He alone heard the cry of the horn, he alone recorded the words, and he himself realized, there was no way they could possibly win.
He continued his duty, however, and recorded the events, as one after another, the Warriors began to be surrounded. All seemed lost, the call had come an hour past and so far none had shown up to fight. Kar’Daleth recorded all of this, saying, “All seemed lost for these mighty heroes, it appeared they were going to die alone, fighting in the name of their world.”
After those fateful words were uttered, however, the ground began to shake under his feet. A great rumbling noise could be heard, a noise unlike any Kar’Daleth had ever heard. Unsure of what he would find, he recorded the words with an uncertain tone. When the noises crescendoed behind him, he stopped recording for a moment.
He turned to look behind him, and coming over the ridge there appeared a horde. Humans, Wolves, Giants, Red Boars, Scorpions, Demons, Angels, Elves, Dwarves, And countless other beings stood, preparing to charge. And in front of them all, three wolves shone brighter than the darkness of the eclipse. The Sun, the Moon, and the wolf of the Twilight, Solunis.
Solunis stood at the front of the horde, and even from where Kar’Daleth stood over a half a mile away, he heard the shout of the great wolf, “FOR DUEL!!!”
When those words were uttered, the horde charged. Kar’Daleth had never seen a sight more beautiful and glorious as he recorded the fateful charge, “As the darkness of the Eclipse worked its way into the Twilight Lands, As the Warriors were about to meet their fate, a light appeared on the horizon. A great army made up of every race in all of Duel. The army led by the Guardian of the Twilight himself, along with our gods long forgotten, the Sun and the Moon. It was called, the Charge of the Twilight, as every being streamed down in a tide that stopped the forces of the eclipse as the battle was resumed with a tremendous sound. It seemed the Warriors had finally found a new hope in the midst of their darkest hour.”
Solunis charged at the head of the army, hitting the creatures of the Eclipse with a rage and force he had never known. They fell before the onslaught of the army like wheat under a scythe.
The Giants went in great sweeping motions, upsetting the creatures, while the boars, scorpions, wolves followed after, killing everything. The humans used their bow skills to send wave after wave of arrows into the ranks of the Eclipse, their swords currently useless at their hips. Flying demons and angels for once fought side by side, proving devastating with their holy power, shredding through the creatures with what seemed to be no effort. The dwarves brought great siege catapults, sending flaming juggernauts through enemy ranks, causing them to scatter in all directions. The elves sang in unearthly tunes, and the earth broke around them as plants speared the enemy, dragging them to the dirt.
It was pure chaos, unleashed upon pure chaos. The two deities had disappeared from the battle ground as Solunis forced his way far ahead of his ranks, battling his way through to rescue his comrades who now fought with renewed strength. He found Exila surrounded, and quickly slaughtered the creatures before allowing Exila to hop onto his back as the pair went into battle against the hordes.
They found the Wanderer next, and the trio slaughtered a path to the cornered Solis, saving Kyo as well, before Solis allowed Kyo upon his back and the five killed their way through hordes searching for Luna, finally finding her under a mound of bodies, covered by ice in order to protect herself. She was panting and clearly near death. Luna was escorted by the group to the edge of the battlefield, where medical teams of all races waited to treat her and other injured, who were quickly pouring in.
The element of surprise was wearing off, and their forces where not going to last forever. Solunis knew this, and he dropped the other Warriors at the edge of the field to catch their breath, turning to Exila, “You are in charge. Call the shots. Wanderer ain’t gonna listen, but at least he can do some damage regardless. I’m gonna go find their leader, and I’m going to end this.”
Before he could reach the battle field and resume the fight, he heard the voice of the Moon in his head, “Kaiyo is not here. I am unsure where he might be but I fear for him. We fell in love long ago, before I fell into slumber. I want to reunite with him once again. When you find my son Eclipse, in the form of Obscura, tear him apart. His amulet is just like ours were.”
“Yes mother. I will find him,” Solunis declared as he hit the field, and he began losing himself in the fight, realizing he was faster, stronger, and his powers seemed much more versatile now, which he learned as he blasted a ball of fire into an oncoming wolf.
He killed his way to the top of Exila’s mountain of bodies and searched around until he found what he was looking for. A wolf who was lurking around, disappearing and reappearing across the battlefield, hitting foes and disappearing before they could find him. Somehow it seemed Solunis could always tell where he would come back, however.
With his purpose now known, he raised his chest and head high in the air and howled a challenge so loud the entire battlefield stopped for just a second to hear him. Even when the wolf stopped howling, the sound echoed on. The battle was resumed in a clash strong enough it seemed to make the stars themselves quake.
Solunis ran down the mountain of bodies, jumping up and over several wolves and smaller creatures to crash into what looked almost like an elephant. It had scale plating and claws on its feet, with large wings curled against its side.
Solunis dug large furrows into the scales, lighting himself on fire to burn through the wings, before jumping to the ground while the beast roared out and fell, lifeless, to crush two other smaller creatures. As he jumped onto another wolf, he had a sudden flare of warning that caused him to kick the wolf away and spin just in time to see Obscura appear in front of him, and before the shadow wolf could react, Solunis swiped at him, sending him flying into a rock with a sickening thud.
The shadow wolf was not done, however, and stood up to face Solunis head on. The Guardian of the Twilight stared down the Avatar of the Eclipse as they began to circle one another, every other creature unconsciously giving them a large amount of space. Solunis spoke up to the wolf, “You need to stop this. Countless are dying, your people and mine. We can end this now.”
“It will never end. The Eclipse always returns, always continues its conquest.”
“Says you. You have only ever known this darkness and not the light at all.”
“The light is a cancer, I will cut it out.”
Solunis nodded to him and stopped, facing the wolf as over his head two symbols began to glow. The symbols of the sun and the moon, who merged into one and fused with Solunis’ forehead. Solunis spoke to him, “Brother, you cannot win. Call this off, or meet your fate.”
“Fool! I AM fate!”
Solunis got no chance to respond as Obscura dove toward him, hitting him with force and sending him reeling before Obscura appeared behind him and clawed a streak up his back. Solunis gritted his teeth and just as Obscura appeared the next time, twisted around to grasp the wolf and throw him to the dirt.
Obscura got to his feet, and just before he could strike again, Solunis began to glow, and a light exploded outward from him, causing a mix of day and night, the perfect twilight, to flow over the land around them, destroying all shadows.
Obscura stared at Solunis, and suddenly walls seemed to appear all around him, and his twilight began being forced inward by the darkness. Solunis growled and swiped at the wall, realizing it was an illusion, and jumping through, hitting Obscura, but phasing through him as Obscura became insubstantial.
In the same instant, blades of darkness began flying toward Solunis. Solunis quickly dodged what he could, and what was left were burned up in his flames, the light tearing the darkness apart. The battle raged on between the two children of the skies as the war raged on around them, the Eclipse slowly forcing the light back.
Kar’Daleth was finding it harder and harder to maintain a good vantage point over the battle. He could see the mighty clash stretching out for miles along the battlefront, and he could see medical teams being overwhelmed with people, many dying before the medics could reach them. There was not going to be any hope of their survival if this kept up, and Kar’Daleth knew this.
He watched with tired eyes as the devastation slowly ate at the world, turning the sky black and snuffing out the light of the stars. He saw the band of heroes fighting together looking like a team who had worked together their whole lives, slaughtering anything that got close. The Wanderer, Exila, and Solis would trade out running point, but they were all busy as they fought their way across the battlefield to where Solunis was in a heated battle against a creature who seemed to be different from the rest.
He watched the light flare bright around them before illusions sprang up, but Solunis was smart enough to realize it even as the light was snuffed out once again. Kar’Daleth knew that they were going to lose soon if they could not defeat this shadow being, a being who was called Obscura.
The Warriors had been surrounded and were at a standstill as armies flooded towards them. They kept going, their powers clearly boosted by something, giving them incredible power, evident when Exila sent spikes of ice up from the ground, killing dozens of shadow creatures at once. The Wanderer was lashing out with his blades and taking hits all over the place, and although it was clear he had no pain from the injuries, he wore a pained expression.
Solis shot fireballs at the enemies while Kyo also shot arrows, her quiver magically enhanced so she never ran out of arrows as she killed creature after creature, never missing a single shot.
The band seemed untouchable, but they were tiring still. The only one with no visible fatigue was the Wanderer, who seemed to have unlimited energy. Kar’Daleth could see Solunis too, dodging shards of darkness and blasts of fire and ice, weaving through them less like a wolf and more like a snake as his flames began to burn brighter, the only true light in a sea of darkness as even the angels’ lights were smothered.
The fight was going badly, but so far they had slowed the darkness and at least given themselves more time to try and survive. Kar’Daleth recorded everything as the war raged on in the Twilight lands, slowly reaching the moon lands.
Suddenly, as he watched Solunis, the wolf went flying backward, magenta shockwaves sending him through the air til he rolled and stopped against a rock with a crack loud enough to be heard from here. Things were not going well for the young wolf.
His spirit unbroken, however, the Guardian rose to his feet, even as his injuries should have made it impossible. Kar’Daleth stared in awe and spoke into his book in an attempt to record it as best he could, but no words could describe this wolf as he pushed forward through the waves, flames on his body burning hot enough the ground turned red under him.
Kar’Daleth could never have imagined a sight so awe inspiring as he saw the shockwaves stop, and the Twilight wolf stood amidst the chaos, fur bristling, teeth bared, angry beyond all measure as he leapt upon the Shadow wolf, who was too shocked to react in time as Solunis began tearing him apart.
The wolf however, was quick to shape shift, something Kar’Daleth never knew was possible til that point as the wolf twisted around Solunis and reappeared behind him as a scorpion, stabbing down at Solunis. Solunis dodged and twisted around, slicing the tail stinger clean off as he ran under the pincers.
The Shadowy being shifted again, becoming a larger wolf, large enough to tower twenty feet over the Twilight wolf, who still stared undaunted at the bigger shadow wolf, who clearly outmatched him. As Kar’Daleth watched, the impossible happened. Solunis himself flared up in size, his flames growing to surround him in a physical body large enough to match Obscura.
The Twilight wolf charged, meeting the Shadow wolf in a crash and a rumble that caused the whole battle to cease as every soul stopped to see the fight between the two brothers. Only two people kept moving, and Kar’Daleth made sure to note this. Exila was running over the field, killing with reckless abandon and vaulting over the landscape at top speed, attempting to reach Solunis and help him. The Wanderer wore a pained smile as he watched the two great wolves battle, and he began slaying shadow creatures all around him, taking advantage of the distraction to destroy as many enemies as he could.
The battle of the Titans, meanwhile, had become a furious and heated battle as Solunis and Obscura rolled across the ground tearing at each other. The flames slowly wearing away as Obscura’s claws tore at him, but Solunis had been clawing and doing enough damage it seemed there were pools of darkness spreading below him, his blood, as the being had to shift smaller and smaller to stop the bleeding.
The two wolves hurting eachother enough to shrink down to half their size, Exila finally reached them, immediately throwing two blades at the eye of Obscura, striking home as he did not have to speak the words, the ice just spread. Exila gave a silent thanks to the moon as he dodged the pair rolling past him. Obscura had seen him however, and disengaged, hitting Exila so hard he went flying forty feet through the air before landing with a wet thud upon the stone ground.
The young warrior coughed up blood as he failed to move, everything in him broken. He knew he was dying, and as his eyes slowly closed for the last time, he saw her. The moon appeared next to him and laid her head on his, whispering to him, “You have done well, and you have done your duty. I’m sorry young one, but the time has come for you to ascend the the heavens. Take your place among the stars.”
The moon let her tears fall upon the young man as he dissolved into light, floating up into the sky. The stars flickered and shined, and a new constellation was formed. A young man with the heart of a wolf, blades in hand, grin on his face, taking his place among the stars for the rest of time as the Moon howled her sadness to the sky.
Solunis kicked Obscura away with all his force, causing the wolf to fly a hundred feet across the landscape and crash into the ground hard enough to cause cracks and Solunis tried to get to Exila. He could not reach him however, before he ascended, and when he heard the Moon howl, he joined her, his howl of lament loud enough to echo over the field of battle.
One by one, other wolves joined in. All across the land of Duel, a sound of Mourning was made for the Warrior who defeated the Bloodmoon Fiend, singlehandedly took down a Red Boar, laid to rest hundreds of creatures of the Eclipse. When the howls came to an end, every creature of Duel felt a tear in their eye, and even the Wanderer felt a little something in his heart.
Solunis felt something change in him as his flames began to glow white, his eyes turning into twin pools of flames. He felt his anger boiling under his skin, his rage and pain twisting and roaring through him in a mighty storm as he began to stalk to where Obscura was struggling to get up.
The ground began to melt behind him and he walked, causing a streak of red-hot lava that made the surrounding area swelteringly hot as Solunis kept walking, his flames only getting hotter and hotter as his anger grew. He hit Obscura to the ground and pinned him down as he slowly began burning Shadow Wolf with his paws, the flames sinking in, causing the wolf to scream in agony.
Solunis did not stop, just pressed harder, as he burned his way through the skin and into the body of the wolf, pouring his rage into the wolf, burning away his heart. As Obscura had torn his apart. The whole of the world had seemed to stop breathing, and as Obscura’s heart began to burn away, the impossible happened. He smiled, and he struck! Solunis went flying into the air as the Shadow creature turned into a giant eagle, pulling Solunis up into the sky, and dropping him hundreds of feet to the ground below.
The wolf of Twilight lay broken on the ground, his breathing shallow, his flames flickering, but he refused to die. Not while there was hope for the world. Not before Obscura was killed. Somehow, Solunis mustered his strength, pulling himself from the ground even as Obscura landed in front of him.
Solunis stared him down, blood dripping from his muzzle and from dozens of cuts along his body. He struggled forward, walking with sure steps as Obscura smiled and let him approach. Just before Solunis could reach him, Obscura spoke in a voice much deeper than his own, “Too late.”
The world exploded into darkness as everything was covered. Nothing was safe as not even the creatures of the Eclipse could see. Everything was blasted back and all who were hit died. Only Solunis was able to stay, gouging his claws into the dirt and fighting as the darkness around him thickened and forced him down. His strength was failing, he was so, so tired, but he had to keep fighting.
Suddenly, two spots of light began to glow in the darkness. Two wolves, Sun and Moon, stood in the way of the darkness, and Solunis was able to crawl forward in their light, struggling to stand. The two faced him as the Sun spoke, “You can defeat him, we cannot help you yet. Unleash your true power oh Guardian, my son. Become what you were meant to be.”
The two lights faded as they disappeared, unable to stand up against the full force of the darkness. Solunis felt everything in him as he stood there. He felt his anger, his pain, his sorrow. He felt his love of his people, his home, his friends. He felt everything pooling within him, and in that moment, he understood what it meant to truly be the Guardian.
His powers flared brighter than he had ever felt, and he began to glow. The glow became brighter and brighter until he forced the light out in all directions, forcing the darkness to shatter as he stood regardless of his wounds, to face Obscura and speak, “To you I render my verdict. You are guilty. Guilty of tearing apart everything the world is. You are the source of our hurt, our rage, our pain, and you are the source of our strength.
You made a mistake returning through that portal, because you have only created your downfall. See, we were good, we were happy, and then you start pulling the threads again. You gave us the will to fight. See, in killing so many, you made so many others want to destroy you, and now, now I see.
I am not alone. I am not just a single soul to fight. No. I am all of us. I am everyone here who wants to free our lands from your darkness. We, we are going to end this. Not alone, but together.”
Solunis flared bright enough Obscura couldn’t see, but he felt a fireball hit his chest, and he felt his amulet crack. He screamed in pained rage, “NO, WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!!! YOU’VE DOOMED US ALL!!!”
The wolf twisted and writhed and screamed, then suddenly faded away. Solunis considered his words, and remained on his guard, but even he was unprepared for the sight that came next. A shapeless form was growing up from the place Obscura had faded.
It seemed to whirl around with an intent to destroy everything, and purple lightning shot out in all directions. Solunis realized the danger to himself and his people and shouted as he ran away, “RETREAT!!! EVERYONE RETREAT!!! GET OUT!!! GO!!!”
He bounded over the ground as it shifted around under him, running as fast as he could, jumping over rocks and dirt as the ground began twisting and shattering underneath of him.
The ground shattered and pieces began to be dragged into the maelstrom as Solunis bounded across them, jumping from piece to piece in an attempt to get away as he watched other creatures and beings get sucked in all around him. He ran up a chunk of stone stabbing up out of the ground and jumped over twenty feet before landing and finally getting out of the radius of the being, continuing the running to the end of the battlefield, standing at the head of the armies of Duel with the remaining Warriors, Kar’Daleth coming to stand next to them as they watched the storming being sucking up the land and destroying everything.
They watched in horror as it began to draw them ever closer. Solunis turned to them and spoke with force, “Creatures of Duel, You have fought well, and this might be it for us. I want you to know, you have created the greatest tale to ever be told, and you have done all you could do. Go now, go home to your families and friends. Say goodbye to who you can, and pray things will be okay. I and my companions will figure out what to do about this, and we will end it.”
The armies stood firm and cheered, chanting his name loud enough to drown out the noise of the Maelstrom in a show of support before they turned and slowly began to make their way, transporting the wounded and going back to their homes, leaden with the loss of their comrades.
Solunis turned to Kar’Daleth and spoke quietly enough for him alone to hear, “The story is almost over. Are you ready to record the end?”
Kar’Daleth did nothing but nod, and Solunis understood, looking solemn as he looked across the faces of each warrior he saw in front of him, memorizing their faces one last time before he spoke, “My friends, this is it. The Great Chronicle of Duel is coming to an end. No matter what happens next, know you have done everything you could for this world and its people. You all live here, all except you, Wanderer. You are a stranger, yet you still fought for us. For that, you have earned my deepest gratitude and respect.”
He heard a noise behind him and saw Kaiyo forming from a small pool that had formed from the cracks in the ground. The wolf of the sea looked at Solunis with sad eyes, all of his experience telling him what Solunis was planning, “Are you sure this is what you want?”
“Yes Kaiyo. I am sure. You deserve your love, you all deserve to be happy. That thing cannot be stopped unless I do this.”
The sea wolf nodded sadly and stood with the others while Solunis addressed them all, everyone holding their breath as they realized his plan, “The end deserves to be remembered. So, storyteller. Remember this day, mark it, make sure no one ever forgets. Kaiyo, you and the Moon can finally be together again when this is over, I promise. Solis, you fought with valor in the name of your people. If you care for them and fight for them like you did today, you will truly be immortal. Kyo, you have heart, and you are a good warrior. Lead your people to a better future for me. Wanderer, whatever you may be, other worlds will need you some day, so go to them, protect them like you did ours. Exila has taken his place upon the stars, and someday, do will all of you. Goodbye my friends, I hope fate serves you well.”
The group looked at Solunis, and the Wanderer, wearing no smile, nodded to him before disappearing in a haze of darkness as the others felt their eyes begin to water and their hearts begin to hurt.
Solunis took one last look at the group before he turned and began slowly walking toward the Maelstrom and his fate. He whispered under his breath to the Sun and to the Moon, “Mother, Father, now is the time. You could not defeat him alone, but together, we can. Merge with me, and we will end the Eclipse once and for all.”
He heard the Moon in his head, “My child, must it be this way?”
“Yes mother, it must. For the sake of this world and all others who might fall.”
The Sun spoke then, “So be it. They must be protected, and this must end. I just ask, why must it be you?”
Solunis never broke from his walk toward the Eclipse, speaking softly, “I am the only one here born of both our worlds, the only one to wield our power, the only one to be able to fuse with you both. If I don’t do this, then everything will die, and it will be because I stood by and let it happen. This, mother, father, is the final act, the final chapter. Please, help me save them.”
When the two gods did not answer, Solunis grew scared, but as quickly as he felt that fear, to figures appeared and brushed around him. One silver like the moon, the other a warm gold like the sun. They circled him as he walked, nearing the maelstrom, and slowly closed on him, moving faster and faster until his body began to glow, and tendrils of light began to snake out from them.
He did not stop even as a searing heat coursed through his body and the two gods faded into his body as he walked forward, growing in size until he was about the same as the great Maelstrom. He looked back only once, to see everything he held dear, and with that, his mind was set. He calmly walked into the Maelstrom.
Kar’Daleth stood with all the others watching the sad sight, watching as Solunis walked slowly across the battered landscape. He saw the wolf walking with his head held high, and he felt a tear begin to creep down his weathered face as he watched the young wolf with the strong heart go into the lion’s den. His face was one of sorrow, aged with too many years, and his book still did not lie forgotten, he dutifully continued the story even though he felt his voice giving out.
Solis stood watching the young one and smiled at his bravery, respect evident in all of his features even as the sorrow for the Guardian’s loss was known. Kyo herself was crying, wishing he could have stayed. Kaiyo, the ocean, stared on with the sorrow of eons in his eyes, watching his friend go to his death, his heart heavy.
Kar’Daleth recorded all of this with a choked voice, “All the last warriors who remained watched in sadness as even the ocean cried for the Guardian who went toward his death for the people of Duel.”
He recorded as the gods appeared, as they circled and fused within Solunis, and while Solunis grew larger, facing the Maelstrom just feet away. At this moment, the wolf turned to look back, and although Kar’Daleth knew he couldn’t see him, he couldn’t help but mutter, “Goodbye my friend. May the stars protect you forevermore.”
And that was it. He watched Solunis enter the Maelstrom. He recorded this, but then there was nothing, for several moments, it seemed like the world came to a stop and everything was tuned into this one moment. As a second turned to a minute, a minute into two, and then it happened.
A glorious explosion shattered the Maelstrom and vaporized it completely. The golden and silver light spreading all across Duel as every single being realized what it meant, and the world cheered. Only a few people, those on the battlefield, did not. All of them, even Kar’Daleth ran toward the explosion as they saw a wolf staggering out of the wreckage.
The group made it there just in time to hear Solunis say one last thing, “Goodbye”
The wolf shuddered and coughed as he collapsed to the ground, no one around to save him as he panted. The two gods separated from him and stayed close, mourning their last child, and Kaiyo stood with them, all three having seen death far too many times.
Kar’Daleth let his tears run free, as did all of the others, as the Guardian of the Twilight passed into death, never again to walk the earth.
Epic Battle Game 