K.E.S. Loredump

One-Sided Reunion

11/30/2024
12:00 PM

   The Desolator ran across the Shadow Realm full speed, all the way to the Corrupt Swamps. He had sensed something. Something he hadn't sensed in years: someone's life was on the line. He ran and ran, effortlessly obliterating any shadows in his way with skillful blasts from his shotgun.

   As he ran through the swamps, he thought to himself: What's going on? Who's in trouble? WHY are they in trouble? HOW are they in trouble? HOW did they even GET here? He was almost as angry as he was confused, but he needed to see this through. Finally, he screeched to a halt at the mouth of a giant hole in the middle of the swamp. He had arrived at the source of the distress. The Bloodseeker's burrow.

   After the initial slow-down, the Desolator jumped down into the deep dark pit without hesitation. He effortlessly landed on both feet with a loud thump. There, he was faced with a puzzling sight: the Bloodseeker lay on its back, its massive spindly legs bent inwards, its eyes devoid of light. Unresponsive, still, dead. A sword was embedded in its head. It was quite a sight to behold, but then, a voice rang out.

   "Y...You! What're you doing here?!"

   The Desolator quickly focused his attention to the source of the voice, coming from just to the right of the Bloodseeker's corpse. A familiar voice, and a familiar face. Soul Firey. The look on his face said it all. Soul Firey looked absolutely distraught and traumatized, and on the verge of tears. Beside him laid a body, laying in a pool of blood. The Desolator walked over to Soul Firey, and was now able to clearly see the injured body he was with.

   It was a Cinderace, or at least part Cinderace. He had unusual fur colors, and donned a red hoodie. His lower right leg was missing, pouring blood. The Desolator froze. He just... froze upon seeing the body. Not just because of the severed leg, but also mainly the identity of the body. Just on first glance, he immediately knew who this was, and it sent shivers down his spine. 

   "Oh my god." he said in a quiet, shaky voice. For the first time in many, many years, the Desolator felt dread. Soul Firey looked up at him. "Wait... you can help, right?" he said with pleading eyes. The Desolator snapped out of his dark trance. "I... I don't know. Do you have anything we can use?" he replied shamefully.

   Suddenly, Soul Firey's eyes lit up. "Oh um, he said he's got a... a thingy. Hang on!" he said, with hope emerging in his voice. Soul Firey quickly floated down to the unconscious body. He rummaged through his hoodie until he pulled out a strange device from one of the pockets. He held it up to the Desolator. "Uh, if I had to guess, this is probably it! But uh... I've got no clue how it works." said Soul Firey nervously.

   Yet again, more distant memories began surfacing in the Desolator's mind as he laid his eyes upon the gadget. He knew exactly what he was looking at: it was an Interdimensional Tether Device. He even had a strong feeling he knew where it came from and who made it too. The pieces of this puzzle were coming together for him...

   "Oh, I see..." said the Desolator. He held out his paw. "Give it to me, I'm familiar with this kind of technology. I can use it." Soul Firey hesitantly handed the device, and the Desolator snatched it from him. Soul Firey looked nervous. "Wait, what do you mean you've seen this kind of tech before?" he stammered.

   The Desolator ignored the question as he fiddled with the tether device, and it didn't take long for him to activate it successfully. He aimed it in front of him and pulled the trigger, and the device shot out a ray of light. The beam expanded and contorted, and just like that, a portal was formed. Soul Firey watched on in awe. When the portal stabilized, the Desolator turned back around and kneeled down to the feline-Cinderace and put the tether device back in the pocket of his hoodie. He then proceeded to pick the body up and carried it towards the portal.

   "Wait!" shouted Soul Firey. The Desolator stopped mere feet away from the portal and turned his head to look at Soul Firey. He flew towards the Desolator and hovered in front of him, floating down to the body in his arms. Soul Firey placed his hand on the feline-Cinderace's chest and frowned. "Best of luck, Cynder..." he said sorrowfully. "I'll be with you."

   And with that, Soul Firey began to dematerialize. His ember-y essence gravitated towards the unconscious Cynder. Within a second, Soul Firey had returned to his beloved host. The Desolator was mildly confused, but he brushed it off. Nothing surprised him anymore. Except...

   The Desolator took one last look at the body in his arms. Cynder... a name he hadn't heard in a long, long, long time. Now there was no room for doubt. It couldn't be a coincidence. The Desolator was still in utter disbelief, but he no longer felt dread. That dread was now replaced with relief. Relief that Cynder would be OK, relief in seeing what he had become, and relief that he would continue to honor his origin... whether he knew it or not. After his deep thoughts subsided, the Desolator regained his focus, and chucked Cynder's body through the portal. Cynder passed through, and a few seconds later, the portal shrunk and closed.

   For a brief moment, the Desolator just stood there, contemplating all that had just happened. He turned to look at the Bloodseeker's corpse, and realized that this probably isn't the best place to be deep in thought. He quickly ran and climbed his way out of the burrow. He ran as fast as he could back to his cave, occasionally slaughtering shadows along the way. Some time later, he reached the entrance of his cave. A carving next to the door opened up, revealing a pawprint scanner. The Desolator placed his paw on the scanner, granting him access. The imposing stone door opened up, the Desolator stepped inside, and the door automatically shut behind him, sealing his lair off from the horrors outside.

   "Welcome back, sir." said P.U.M.I., the Desolator's sentient AI assistant. "How was the mission?" The Desolator walked in and looked up at his giant computer screen. He considered yapping about all the details, but decided not to. "It went well. Nothing too out of the ordinary." he lied. "Excellent, sir." P.U.M.I. replied. "By the way, the meathook modification for your shotgun is nearly complete. I shall notify you."

   "Great. Thank you P.U.M.I." The Desolator said with satisfaction as he headed into his private quarters. He sat down on his bed... and just pondered. He really could not believe the events that just happened. He almost tried to convince himself it was a dream, that he could go to sleep right now, wake up, and realize that none of it was real. But nay... it was real. All of it was real. The dead Bloodseeker, Soul Firey, the portal, and... Cynder.

"Cynder..." the Desolator whispered to himself. He couldn't believe it... it couldn't be... but it was... but how? The image of Cynder's face was the only thing on the Desolator's mind. There was no denying it. 

It was him...

Her son...

His best friend's son...

His godson...