| Prologue
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| Chapter 1 > |
“Durza…” The Peacekeeper hisses through the side of their mouth. They fly on, heading towards the cannonfire underneath the storm. Behind them, nothing but ruin.
Drawing closer, they spot a small island with a tower on it. Durza’s old house, ruined by the war. The Peacekeeper decides to rest here before continuing to their goal. Dismissing the winds that helped them here, the Peacekeeper lands lightly on the tip of the island. Bodies lay in heaps, mostly from Durza’s undead army. The Peacekeeper sighs, sitting down on a large rock.
An unnamed island, they thought. A proper name for this island is “Death”. Just like what will happen to that spirit. It has been years since the Peacekeeper awoke on Newground Island. Unnamed, like myself. Death, like what will I bring. Years since their mentor, Theos, was killed by Undead Prometheus, back when the Peacekeeper was just a wizard with potential.
The Peacekeeper opened their senses, a precaution turned into a habit to judge the surroundings. The fighting happened not long ago, dark magic still lingering in the air. They then noticed something on the other side of the island, a flame flickering weakly. A remnant of a great inferno who burned through the Hallway of the Gods, one who fought off the creator of magic itself.
The Peacekeeper rushed over, knowing what was coming.
“Cursebeard?” They whispered the name, known across the world.
Who are you? The thought echoed through the Peacekeeper’s mind, speech transmitted through waves.
“I am… now, the Peacekeeper.”
Ah, the Peacekeeper. I have heard much about you. You may see that I am dying. A cold laughing sound vibrated through the Peacekeeper.
The one who defeated me was Zeus. Undead Zeus, to be exact. There is not much you can do with me now. You must find Durza, and get rid of him. The gods, too. They are dangerous. Too dangerous to stay in the world. They might be good one day, but after this war… Who knows what they will do.
“I will.” The Peacekeeper stood back and watched on as Cursebeard’s energy faded out. Before the remnants of his body disappeared, four cubes of pure magic shined forth and burst into the sky like shooting stars. The Sea Curses he had taken, released after so, so, long.
The Peacekeeper jumped up, summoning the winds. They flew towards the storm, to Durza, to the battlefield, to their fate.
The battle raged on, flashes of magic energy and cannon fire shaking the ground. A great undead army, growing by the second, marks where Durza stands. The Peacekeeper soared above it all, taking everything in. Half of a ship stood bravely among the devastation, all that remained of Cursebeard’s oversea fortress. A flickering shield glowed around the ship, with the rest of Cursebeard’s crew onboard. They were down to a few members from the thousands they used to be, hope waning from Arthur’s death. The Peacekeeper slammed down, flaring an arc of magic around them. Having mastered and mutated two of their magics, they would be able to deal with the undead army easily, and possibly provide the last beacon of hope for the rest of Cursebeard’s crew.
“Come at me and die by my hands!” The Peacekeeper roared, infusing their body with Flare Magic. A purple aura rose around the ship, some parts of it catching fire. The undead army inched backwards, but was then pushed forwards by some unseen force. The Peacekeeper opened up their senses and saw dark waves pushing through the army.
You have finally arrived.
The voice reverberated across the battlefield, traveling through the minds and air.
“Speak at me directly, coward.” The Peacekeeper scanned the frozen ocean, throwing up a ball of flame to light the dark landscape.
“Hiding for 800 years.” They raised their arms up, bringing the ocean water up from below the ice. A large wave crashed through the plane of ice, sending the undead army into the sea.
“You missed your ultimate attack. Missed! Some lord you are. Can’t even hit someone standing still.” The Peacekeeper reversed the darkness using their own darkness magic, a technique they learned preparing for this fight.
“You will die quickly.” They punched upwards, scattering the clouds in all directions and letting in a burst of sunlight.
“Not if YOU die first!” A flash of lightning struck to the left, narrowly missing the Peacekeeper. The Peacekeeper sensed a dark energy radiating from the figure behind, though it was not strong.
A revived Zeus, God of Thunder, flew into the air. He spun around, launching bolts of energy towards the Peacekeeper. As the battle started, the onlookers each cheered for the respective fighter like they were in a competition. Thunderclaps and flares of energy brightened the battlefield, and the ocean battled itself as both could control the water. Zeus is losing. Durza watched from above the clouds, a dark spirit with infinite power.
Zeus. Unleash your power. Before this RAT prevents me from becoming the most powerful.
Durza knew attempting to rob the Peacekeeper of their magic energy wouldn’t do anything. They have become too powerful, and there was only one way to defeat them.
“You are dead - again.” The Peacekeeper cocooned Undead Zeus in a ball of magic energy, throwing him high up into the air.
“Flare Blitz!” Bright rays of energy shot out from the Peacekeeper’s outstretched palm, piercing through the wrapped silhouette of the undead King of the Gods. The air flashed once, and everything fell still as the bystanders watched on. “And burst.”
The sky exploded with purple and pink flames, showering the battlefield with embers. From the shining body rose an unimaginable amount of Sea Curses, rocketing into space. Suddenly, they stopped. The Peacekeeper watched as the glowing cubes soared over to the dark wizard floating in the sky.
All the more power for me I guess. Durza chuckled, then laughed. Ahahahaha! You will not stop me, child!
“We’ll see about that.” The Peacekeeper shot towards Durza, an encounter whose outcome will be decided by destiny. They met in midair, a burst of intense willpower against a cloud of every magic. “Today is your last day on this land.”
Or maybe it is yours.
“I’ll make sure it isn’t.” The Peacekeeper launched backwards, doing a flip while summoning dark and light.
“I’ve mastered the reaction. Turns out life magic helps a lot in science.” Flares and Darkness combine, leeching the energy from the air. The Peacekeeper pushed Durza towards the singularity, spinning away from the fray. They pulled their fist behind them, concentrating all their power into it. “You are no match for me.” The Peacekeeper released the energy, throwing a giant sphere crackling through the air.
A new power, eh? Durza whirls around, creating a turbulent field of absorption energy. The light and dark circle gets sucked in, stretching out and disappearing from sight. Durza having the absorption curse was the start of it all, and he became power hungry to devour all the curses and become the most powerful wizard in the world. It was his primary strength, but it may also be his weakness. Durza summoned nine magic circles around him, each belonging to a different element.
I have all the powers. They belong to me and only me. Everyone in the world, they will give their strength to me, and I will become a GOD! Durza spread his arms, power glittering as a wave of dark magic surged forward. Below them, skeletal figures rose from thin air, replacing the dark army from before. The crew on the ship called out, scrambling for safety.
“Well, I just killed one.” The Peacekeeper flicked a finger towards the newly risen army, sending forth a dual jet of magic. Black and white lightning flashed, distorting the air. When the sea calmed, nothing was left of the army but ashes.
Tsk, there it goes again. Well, thanks to my newly gained Energy Curse I can continue going, can’t I? Another wave of undead rose, this time bristling with magic. The Peacekeeper paused, tugging at a sheath by their waist. A sword, glowing with white flame. They donned a golden bracelet, shining with not quite light magic. A blue and yellow staff flashed into existence, flickering with the regenerative flames of phoenix magic. Ooh, scary. Some shiny weapons to take care of me. Not that I own all the magics they are radiating, of course. From behind the dark wizard, an array of magic circles rose, tens, hundreds of different powers.
Now you shall witness my TRUE power! The magic circles exploded, throwing out all kinds of energy. Some clashed together, fusing into a new form and spraying light outwards. The Peacekeeper swung the sword, which easily cut through and burst the blasts of magic. They pointed their arm towards the ocean, a bright light orbiting it. The Aethereal Ornament was a powerful artifact, one capable of massive destruction, along with blinding anyone watching. The Peacekeeper had a plan ready to rid the world of Durza once and for all, finally fulfilling their mentor’s wishes. “Aethereal Strike!” A cascading bubble formed over the rest of Arthur’s crew, shielding them from the brilliant light.
A beam of divine power struck down from the heavens, reaching towards the bottom of the world. The Peacekeeper, being the one who called on the beam, wasn’t affected by this, but everyone else in the vicinity was instantly vaporized or blinded. Using this moment, the Peacekeeper used their ability to apparently slow down time. In reality, they were moving so fast that even the light from the explosion could not reach them. Rocketing towards Durza, they focused all their willpower, magic, and soul into the Sword of Morock’s Fire.
One strike. A last hit against something sought after for so long. The only way to end it all. The Peacekeeper never knew what they came into this world for. With no memories of anything before popping into existence next to Theos, their only goal in life was to complete Theos’ tasks. After this last one, what was to come?
The Peacekeeper gritted their teeth and closed in on the dark wizard, who was still blinded by the Aethereal Strike.
“This is for Theos. For Angel. For Arthur. For everyone who you have ruined the lives of, all who you forced to do your bidding. This is meant for you, Durza.” Unexpectedly, the very spirit they were referring to snapped open its eyes. A strange glimmer shone in its eyes, the energy given off not from anything the Peacekeeper has ever known before.
And this is for you, Juniper. From those eyes a blinding light grew. The Peacekeeper quickly slammed the blade into the spirit’s body, Durza’s essence evaporating in an instant. But it was not over.
A pinprick of light floated up, wavering in front of the Peacekeeper. “Ehehehehe…” The light dimmed as it spoke. “You may have killed my body… But you have not yet defeated my soul!” The light expanded, taking over all of the surroundings. The Peacekeeper succumbed to a flurry of images as Durza’s soul invaded everything around. The creation of the world, as Chaos enveloped the universe around it. Durza’s life, a peasant without magic. The Battle of Gods, Mount Olympus falling. And the thousands upon thousands of lifespans of everyone whose life essence was stolen by the dark wizard, including the Peacekeeper’s own. It showed how Durza was being controlled by Hades, the God of Death. Kill all the gods, the Peacekeeper thought.
Then all faded away.