Godspark

A portal yawns open, a gaping maw in the hidden realm of Nimwei, the underground cave of the dark elves. The, thick with stench of burnt wood and something viscerally wrong, smeared flesh? It assaults the senses. 

Armoured men, their faces obscured by chilling white masks, patrol the scene, herding captives together like frightened sheep. Others, equally grim, sift through the carnage, packing away corpses with the same casual indifference as they gather any valuables they can find.

Anarchy and his master step through the portal, the ethereal glow of the cavern bathing them in an otherworldly light. Even in this state of decay, the cave retains an undeniable beauty. Suddenly, another portal rips open in the air and from its depths emerges a woman. 

Her skin, an unsettling shade of pink, is stretched taut across her cheekbones. Her eyes, pools of obsidian, gleam with an unsettling intensity.

"Anarchy, Master Zarek" she bows with one knee to the ground. "Report," Anarchy says, "The high priestess has been silenced," she says, "Good,". 

Anarchy's attention is drawn to Zarek, standing a little apart. His skin, pale as moonlight, seems to absorb the starlight, making him almost ethereal. A flicker of red, like a predator's warning, emanates from his eyes.

The man raises his hands up toward the glorious moon-shaped luminescence at the top of the cave. As Zarek ascends into the air, his voice fills the air with unfamiliar tongue. Mani, however, intensifies its radiance, unleashing a surge of energy that shatters Zarek's focus and sends him crashing to the cave floors.

The cave shudders violently, the shockwave reverberating through its very heart. In a blinding flash, Mani vanishes, leaving the cave bathed in the eerie glow of the scattered star-shaped diamonds embedded in the walls.

"What is this? What did it do?" Zarek snarls, jaw clenched. He turns, his gaze piercing beyond Anarchy and Malice, "Who the hell is that?",his finger jabs at a young man with white hair spun like snow.

The youth's skin is a map of scars, his body clad only in loincloth.

Anarchy pivots, his gaze hardening as a poignant memory flickers within, "You", he breathes, a low growl rumbling in his chest. With a blur movement, Anarchy lunges towards Kane, a predator unleashed. 

"Fuck, fuck, fuck" Kane curses under his breath, recognition dawning as he locks eyes with the hooded figure. Fate, it seems, has a cruel sense of humour, delivering him back into the presence of Anarchy's red eyes. 

His heart stomps his chest, a frantic drumbeat echoing the pounding of his own fear. The beast closes the distance with unsettling speed, unleashing a flurry of jabs and kicks. Kane responds with a flurry of his own, parrying and blocking each attack with a desperate grace.

He feels some relief as he matches Anarchy's speed but only for the moment, Anarchy's fist connects to the side of Kane's head and a kick to his midsection sends him backwards with hand on belly. 

Anarchy explodes into action, a ferocious flying kick slamming into Kane's chest. He tumbles back, the impact sending him sprawling on the ground. Before he can regain his footing, a vicious kick connects with his jaw, sending him crashing once more against the hard grounds.

Anarchy bellows, "Who are you?" As he surges forward. Kane, agile as a shadow, dodges a wild assault. With a deceptive lean from his shoulder, he lures Anarchy off balance, leaving the brute wide open. A thunderous right hook explodes against Anarchy's jaw, sending him reeling. He lunges to grapple Kane, but he slips beneath his grasp like an eel, sliding behind him in a blur of motion.

Kane encircles Anarchy's waist with his arms and executes a powerful suplex, slamming Anarchy's back hard against the unforgiving grounds. Rising to his feet, Kane braces himself for the inevitable counterattack. 

A new found confidence surges through him, a testament to the gruelling gladiator training he's endured. Yet, a flicker of doubt remains. Will his newfound strength be enough to prevail?

Anarchy's stare is intense, he stretches his hand forward and and a bolt of lightning extends and strikes Kane, before Kane can recover Anarchy appears before him to bombard him with body shots and an uppercut to send Kane flying into the air. 

Kane crashes to the ground, his back slamming against the grim earth. A coughing fit erupts from his chest, crimson liquid staining his lips. The gap between them is stark, an abyss he can't possibly bridge. 

"Fuck", he spits blood onto the ground.

In a blink Anarchy appears before him just as he gets on his feet, red eyes gleaming like a deranged beast. His speed and the power behind his fists are beyond what Kane can take but he receives it regardless, his body responds with red bruises and a swollen flesh. 

In the midst of the attack, Kane throws a left hook but Anarchy dodges like it's nothing and head-butts him. He jumps and delivers a knee kick to Kane's jaw, the chosen one can feel his body ache with heavy burdens and cuts from this battle as he falls unto his back. 

He takes a deep breath as he sees Anarchy coming from above with flames around his fist, Kane closes his eyes as he accepts death. He allows himself to fall into a familiar feeling of failure, its wind blows against the nape of his neck as he awaits the impact of Anarchy's blow.

Kane sucks his stomach in but feels nothing except the feels of air against his back, he opens his eyes and sees the blue skies and the sun shining more brightly than he had seen since he came to this world, "Again?" He throws his arms and kicks the air as he falls for the third time, falling into gravity's breast and heading towards the sea, "Island, Island, Island!" he screams as he recognises the pattern of this fall.

He materialises abruptly on Nimwei's shore, the birthplace of his first breath. The sand scorches his feet as he struggles to maintain his balance under the weight of surprised stares.

"It's the ghost!", someone cries, and in an instant, Kane vanishes.

"Who was that?" Zarek demands, his face a mask of fury, fists clenched so tightly his knuckles gleam white, "The moon brought him here. What connection does he have with the Godspark? What in the bloody hell just happened?" Zarek roars, the very ground beneath them erupting in fiery tempest.

 Anarchy bows, "I don't know who he is, he was here when we attacked this tribe of Eden. He and a dark elf escaped," "Escaped to where? There aren't many places to escape to from here. Search the island, leave no stone unturned. I want to know what happened to the Godspark," "Yes master. We will find him," Anarchy says and give a light bow before watching Zarek disappear into a portal. 

"Malice, we must find that boy".

PYRRHUS

Kane appears on the floors of his cramped quarters, a cage of hospitality within Grimstone. He sprawls on the floor, the soreness of his wounds evident as blood trickles from his nose and mouth.

"What the hell is this again? Why was I there? How do I keep moving from place to…?", the thought becomes a revelation as he walks through his own words. 

From the abyss of his rebirth, a memory surfaces; a wish born from the nothingness, a gift of the goddess.

"Whoa, light feet" Emmet burst into his dorm, finding Kane lying on the floor, "Are you alright?", he asks, flipping Kane unto his back. The words catch in Emmet's throat, a strangled gasp escaping him. Kane's face is a painted with blood, a painful design, "You don't look good brother. Let's get you to the physician" Emmet says as he helps Kane on his feet and leads him out of their prison-turned-homes. 

The two men find that the flaming bird has been slaughtered, of course not without a few casualties. As Emmet urges Kane toward the mansion, their path is blocked by wary guards, "Look at him, he needs immediate aid" Emmet insists, but the guards hesitate, "So, which of you is willing to face Lord Barabas and explain why none of you did anything about his dying asset,". 

They grunt but let them pass anyway. Fast steps come towards them and soft hands raise his face, "No, is he okay?" Emilia asks with tears behind her eyes, "He will live,".

Lord Barabas appears from an adjacent corridor, "What the hell happened? Did the Volcan do this?" Barabas asks, mouth opened at the sight, Emmet glances down at Kane who just nods his head slowly, "Take him to the physician, quickly" he orders and Emmet continues on his way with Emilia behind them.

"Stop, where do you think you are going? You are with me elf," he says. 

Her heart limps like a one-legged man at her master's words. 

Trapped by circumstance, she endures this unwanted reality, her will sapped. The solace she finds in the clandestine meetings her master arranges with Kane, offers a temporary reprieve, but it's a merger balm against the festering discontent.

This precarious existence cannot persist, they cannot continue to be slaves.