Chapter 1479: Rise Again

Malrik felt existential dread as he looked at the creature rise from the wreckage. Inside the swirling darkness were the bodies of the Surneth warriors that Diana had killed.

They mixed with the darkness, becoming a part of whatever this creature rose. It looked like a golem of dark tendrils that swayed as the creature rose.

It kept growing under their observing eyes until it looked like a small building. Four arms emerged, two on each side, and they swayed like whips.

The creature had no physical body except for the black tar that kept absorbing everything around it—metal, wood, and corpses. It grew with each passing second as a snicker emerged from the void within.

"You think you can kill me?" the familiar voice of Invidia asked. "I am the devourer of souls. I am the stealer of fate. I am the one who takes, but never gives. I am... famine."

At the end, the voice sounded more like a hollow echo, a rumble of hunger, than Invidia’s slithering voice. Malrik realized that something was overtaking the elf’s body and using it as a medium.

It was the same disease that had plagued their forest, leaving their people hungry and malnourished. He could feel it in his bones. This was the creature that they had been fighting against, but never met.

As the creature grew bigger, creatures began to emerge from within it. Malrik heard one of the elves cry out as the creatures walked toward them.

The creatures emerging from Invidia, now Famine, were pale and thin elves, beasts, and humans. They were nothing but skin and flesh, as if all vitality had been drained away from them.

"These are the creatures touched by famine," Diana said behind them. Malrik turned to look at her. Her eyes, a mixture of blue, red, and orange, were looking at the creatures with sadness. "We cannot save them anymore. The only thing that keeps them anchored to this world is the hunger they feel. We have to... release them."

Malrik shook.

He remembered Ranya’s final words to him.

"Kill me, please."

She was asking for the same release that Diana was talking about.

Tears swelled in the warrior’s eyes.

But he wiped them away.

He no longer needed to hide himself.

Malrik decided.

This will be the battle where he dies to release his people from their hunger and despair. A spear formed into his grip as his body began to swell.

Diana turned toward him.

"Malrik..."

She didn’t try to prevent him.

But she knew that he was burning away his life for a power he didn’t have. She had seen it before, many times, when death became meaningless for the soul.

Life, death, and everything in between were no longer important.

The present moment was.

Malrik let out a roar as he rushed forward. He tore through the creatures, killing them with a swing of his spear. They were endless, but he kept waving his spear.

Famine did not attack. Instead, it kept growing as it devoured everything around it. It stole the bodies and wreckage from the battlefield, like a sponge absorbing water, as it continued to swell.

Malrik killed his fallen brothers.

He released them from famine.

In the same process, he was killing himself.

Diana stared at him.

Tears glistened in her eyes as she watched the warrior give away his life. She couldn’t bring herself to stop him. He watched as countless of his people emerged from the darkness, like lifeless zombies of skin and bones. They cried for food, or better, death.

Invidia began to laugh.

Diana snapped her eyes toward the creature. In the giant’s chest, Invidia emerged, a part of Famine itself. His face lost the flesh it once had, leaving him with nothing but bones and skin. His hollow eyes stared at them.

"It is futile," Invidia said as it stared down at Malrik. "What you are killing is not my army, but the leftovers of what I have devoured. I have eaten their flesh, their souls, and their memories. I see you, Malrik, within them."

Malrik cried as he killed the elves.

"All of them believed that you would be the one to save them from famine," Invidia continued. "I see their memories, of how they looked at you, and believed that you were their hope. But I also see the moment they fell to my famine and became nothing but machines I use to feed my hunger."

"I’ll kill you!" Malrik roared as he stepped on a hunk of metal, using it as a platform, and soared toward the creature. Invidia laughed as two figures jumped from within its body to intercept Malrik.

The elf was shot down by the two creatures. They landed in front of him as Malrik rose to look at them. He stared at them with wide eyes.

Diana recognized the two figures as well. Arthur had summoned their souls when they first arrived to Janea. Her tears couldn’t stop.

"This is too cruel," she said as she bit her lip.

"Ralvyn," Malrik muttered before turning to the other creature. "Kalrin."

The two figures were elves with tendrils of darkness surrounding them. They were pale and thin, but Malrik would recognize them even if they were nothing but bones.

They were his brothers.

The ones who fell while fighting against famine.

Malrik stared at them.

They were now fighting for famine. Their flesh had been altered, and he realized that their bodies didn’t look the same as before. They looked like the Surneth warriors that he loathed.

"You fiend," Malrik looked at Invidia. Then, he roared, "What have you done to my brothers?!"

"They are my strongest assets," Invidia said with a grin. "Bodies that could withstand any transformation I did to them. They are the strongest Surneth warriors!"

"No..." Malrik said as he rose. His face looked defeated. "No. No. Release them. They don’t want to fight anymore," he said as he raised his spear. "Please."

"Oh, spare me the begging," Invidia said. "You will join them soon, Malrik."

Diana raised her arms. An ethereal figure appeared behind her. It was the Queen of Ice Spirits, her own astral guardian. Tears still streamed down her face as she wanted to end their suffering.

Malrik raised his spear in a gesture to stop her. "I have to do this," he said. "I have to be the one to defeat them. I can hear their voices."

Diana paused.

The ethereal figure behind her disappeared.

She held back her tears and nodded.

Malrik took a deep breath and then stepped forward. The three brothers were almost identical as they stared at each other on opposite sides, between life and death, and good and evil.

"As a younger brother, I failed to obey you, Kalrin," Malrik said as he raised his spear against his brothers. "As an older brother, I failed to protect you, Ralvyn. I’ll never fail again."

Malrik then rushed forward, and the two Surneth warriors attacked. One of them released whips of darkness at his brother, while the other rushed forward with his sword.

The elf roared as he dodged the whips and clashed with his older brother. Sparks flew as their weapons clashed more than once in less than a few seconds.

Whips of darkness flew again, tearing through the elf. He cried out and pushed forward again. His body glowed with green mana as his wounds tried to heal, but failed.

Kalrin roared, giving out an inhuman sound, as two more arms appeared from his sides. Swords materialized for them as they all attacked Malrik.

The spear-wielding elf suffered the onslaught of four different swords, each aimed to kill or cripple him. He did everything he could to find an opening, but could not.

A whip of darkness tore through his arm.

A sword followed, sending his arm flying through the air.

Malrik muffled a cry of pain as blood gushed out from the end of his arm.

The onslaught of attacks became fiercer. The whips grew out from Ralvyn’s body like tentacles. They kept striking at Malrik, tearing away at his flesh. Kalrin’s swords kept multiplying as new arms grew from the former four arms.

A few seconds later, Malrik lost his leg.

He kept fighting.

Diana decided to intervene.

But she was too late.

A sword pierced through Malrik’s chest, straight through his heart. He coughed blood into his brother’s arm. He stared at Kalrin, and then at Ralvyn, as he staggered back.

Malrik stared at his brothers. Blood gushed out from his arm and leg. His eyes blurred, as if he could no longer see the horror in front of him.

"I’m sorry," Malrik said as tears streamed down his face, mixing with his own blood. "I’m sorry," he said again, but his voice grew weak. This time, Malrik collapsed to the ground.

His spear fell beside him.

Malrik’s remaining arm twitched, as if reaching for the spear.

Diana cried out as she closed her eyes.

Invidia laughed. "That was a pathetic display, Malrik," he said. "But I guess it’s to be expected from my strongest soldiers. I will make sure you reunite with them. I will—"

Invidia was still talking, but suddenly the words died down in his throat. Diana looked at him with confusion and saw the fear in the sin’s eyes. He was staring at Malrik.

She looked down.

Malrik was not alone.

A figure was standing next to him.

Diana didn’t recognize him at first.

He wore black robes that fluttered in the wind.

As he looked down at Malrik, she saw the side of his face. A mask of bones covered his face, but she saw the golden eyes.

"Your fight isn’t over," Arthur said to Malrik. "Rise again, my brave soldier."

Arthur raised a hand and let it hover atop Malrik.

At the same time, two ethereal figures appeared next to Malrik.

"Your brothers are here to fight with you," Arthur said. "Rise again, my brave soldier."

And Malrik moved.

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