The Voidbreak Crisis

7. The Fall Of Ak-Dovurak

The hustle of the castle always intrigued him. His children marching down the long stone halls, busy with their tasks; they found meaning and fulfillment in these daily responsibilities. He was tired and in pain, but as he sat upon his throne, he felt a deeper pain. Something was coming. And it was close. He sat up, cancelling the healing wards that hummed deeply on the arms of the Guilded Altar.
"Father?" One of his aides asked, her ears perking up as Zavoyevatel slowly stood. His wings tensed, and he felt a deep, primal fear slowly come to life in his soul.
"Run, child." He commanded softly. Time seemed to slow to a crawl as she turned to run, her body obeying her god-king's command before her mind had finished processing it. As the tome she had held fell to the floor, the the throne room door exploded inwards. A member of Zavoyevatel's honor guard flew through the debris, bisected and trailing blood and bile as he slid across the floor, stopping at Zavoyevatel's feet. The God-king held out his hand as his sword fell from the high branches of the Zhizin, landing squarely in his grip as the assailant flew through the rubble of the door and spun a scythe as long as a dragon's tail towards Zavoyevatel. He saw the air split before the scythe's blade, and his eyes widened as he realized who his attacker was. He leapt to the side as the scythe obliterated the Guilded Altar, slashing it into a thousand pieces.
"YIELD!" Zavoyevatel commanded, his roar shaking the whole of Ak-dovurak
"I WILL YIELD NO MORE!!" An equally powerful voice screamed back, full of hatred and heartbreak. His child stood there in defiance, his every heartbeat shaking his body as his hands held Wraithe in a white-knuckle grip. Every breath made his entire body shiver as he stared at his creator, pure hatred pouring out of his pitch black eyes.
"I have followed. For millennia I have followed. And to what end!?" He said, his teeth gnashing as saliva foamed at the edges of his mouth. Zavoyevatel knew he had become unhinged. Something had gone wrong. Terribly wrong.

"My son, do as I command." Zavoyevatel began, his horns glowing as he poured power into each word. His child recoiled, screaming as he dropped Wraithe and clawed at his head.
"Heed my command, and sleep." Zavoyevatel commanded, his eyes glowing. But Reaper continued to scream.
"NO!! NO NO NO!! I WILL NOT YIELD!! I WILL NOT OBEY YOU!!" He roared, snatching Wraithe up and slashing the ethereal scythe's blade towards Zavoyevatel. Zavoyevatel rolled under the blade and brought his blade down on top of Reaper, but he had already moved, and was on his knees by the remains of the Guilded Altar, coughing out blood. Defying the commands of a Dragon King was taxing on one's body, to say the least. Zavoyevatel flew towards him, spinning and bringing his blade up into Reaper's chest. Reaper raised Wraithe at the last second, absorbing the impact and sending himself hurtling through the walls of the castle, coming to a rolling stop far beyond the throne room in the gardens of the Zhizin. He pushed himself to his feet as Zavoyevatel shot through the hole he had created and brought his blade down onto him. Reaper hardly moved at all, but Wraithe created a massive blade before him, severing Zavoyevatel's blade in two. A second blade appeared at Reaper's side and thrust towards Zavoyevatel at the same time. Zavoyevatel rolled to the side in mid-air, the blade slashing through his second right wing, rendering it useless. He crashed into the wall and roared in fury at Reaper, emitting a pillar of deep red flame that slammed into a blade that appeared at Reaper's side. The blade's edge seemed to shimmer and distort the air before it, and the pillar of flame split on it's edge, passing by Reaper relatively harmlessly; but the intense heat caught his pitch black fur on fire and melted the stone around him. Zavoyevatel raised his hands as the ground underneath Reaper, still red hot, lurched up to encompass him. Reaper turned and locked eyes with Zavoyevatel, and the god-king felt a deep fear lock around his heart like nothing he had ever felt before. His magic choked out and the ground fell back into it's place as Reaper walked towards him, gripping Wraithe so hard his hands bled.

"You have no idea what it's like. Do you. 'Father'?" Reaper demanded as he drew closer.
"Yield, and you may yet live. You still have a purpose to serve, Reaper." Zavoyevatel said, standing tall before his errant creation.
"Ha! A purpose you say!? DON'T YOU THINK I KNOW THAT!?" Reaper roared, sending out a shockwave that blew out the fires swirling around them.
"DON'T YOU THINK I KNOW WHY YOU CREATED ME!? DO YOU KNOW WHAT IT'S LIKE!?" He screamed, tears flowing down his cheeks. Zavoyevatel found himself lacking words, as if an icy cold hand held his tongue still.
"EVERY TIME I AWAKE I SEE HER!! I SEE HER FACE, I SMELL HER FUR, AND I KNOW I MUST HAVE HER!!" Reaper screamed. Zavoyevatel was silent, but he focused his power as the claws on his lower left wing began to glow, hidden behind his leg and obscured by the smoke that swirled around them.
"But every time I have her, I hear your voice." Reaper said softly, his voice almost stolen in the winds and crackling of the embers.
"And I cannot tell you no. So every time I have her, she has to die. A-" Reaper choked on his words as he stared into Zavoyevatel's eyes.
"And it must be by my hand... It can only be by my hand. She won't give anyone else the chance. But she lets me close. Every time. How many times is enough father? How much longer must I go on?" Reaper asked softly, the blood dripping from his hand slowly creating a pool at his feet. He lowered his head as his tears hit the stone beneath. Zavoyevatel saw his chance and took it, swinging his wing towards Reaper at near the speed of light, sending out a lateral shockwave that obliterated the topmost branches of the Zhizin and wiped his castle out of existence, scattering it to the winds as a fine dust.