Legacy

Having no idea as to where Shadow Kahn might be, James and the others were relying heavily on fate to lead them to the man who could very easily bring an end to them. But even with that knowledge, no one was hesitant to find him. For they had come too far and gone through too much to allow their fear to hold them back.

The arduous terrain the group was traversing was taking a great toll. The hilly region seemed to be working against them every step of the way as once one hill had been tackled, another, more treacherous one awaited. This left the already weary travelers desperate for a reprieve from such conditions, but no one desired to stop for a rest.

In the distance, much needed flat land awaited. It would have brought relief to the group to know their journey would soon become far less difficult, but not now. For upon a cliff in the not too far distance stood Shadow Kahn. It seemed as if he had appeared in the blink of an eye as only moments earlier there had been no one standing there.

Shadow Kahn seemed oblivious to the presence of the others. He paid them no heed, and when he closed his eyes, began to speak in a voice too silent to be heard.

“What do you think he’s doing?” asked Archer.

“Let’s hope he’s not waiting for us,” said Aiko.

The ground suddenly began to shake. Little could anyone have known that the rest of the world was experiencing the same.

It started in the east. The trembling was so great that the ground ripped open. But this was mere prelude to the event that would bring Shadow Kahn the power he had so greatly desired since his return to the world of the living.

“What’s going on?” asked Jaycee who, along with the others, watched the sky transition from sparkling blue to blood red.

A towering wave of fire had emerged from the bowels of the earth and begun to rampage through a world most unprepared. The fire devoured everything in its path like an insatiable beast, leaving behind nothing but scorched land.

What had stood for centuries was destroyed in seconds. What had taken years to build was obliterated in the blink of an eye. Those caught in the path of the great destroyer were evaporated in the blistering heat, leaving behind nary a trace.

“What are you doing?” shouted James.

Shadow Kahn gave James only a glance. “Burn, pigs,” he said. “Burn.”

The temperature began to rise drastically and the shaking of the Earth intensified as the fire grew nearer to the one who had called upon it. And as the world’s suffering worsened, a glow in the distance appeared. Though they had no idea as to what was happening, the group knew that something horrible was making its way closer with each passing moment.

“This is bad,” said Aiko.

Over the mountains in the distance, the group caught their first glimpse of the fire. At its current rate, it would be on them in seconds.

“Dear God,” gasped Archer.

The woman in white appeared before James and the others. A split second before the fire could devour them, she spread a pair of white wings, creating a wall that could neither be seen nor penetrated. Even with the power that she possessed, a scream burst from the woman as a very heavy price was being paid for her actions.

The sound the fire made as it passed over was like the howl from some beast that could come only from the darkest reaches of Hell. So horrible was it that Aiko had to cover her ears to spare herself from having to hear such a thing.

“This can’t be happening,” said Archer.

Once the fire had passed, the group could fully take in the devastation it had brought about. The once lush surroundings had been completely stripped, with not even charred remains left behind to remind them of what the world once was.

Shadow Kahn had vanished from sight.

The fire had done far more than obliterate all life on Earth. It had also dried up every body of water. If something had managed to survive the carnage, then it wouldn’t last very long in a world incapable of sustaining life.

“This can’t be,” said Archer, falling to his knees. “They’re gone. All of them. My wife, my daughter . . . I’ll never see them again.”

Aiko knelt beside Archer and placed her arm around him.

As James was staring in disbelief at his surroundings, the woman in white crumbled to her knees, all the while clutching at her chest and struggling for breath. Her wings, once the most pristine white, had been decimated. Most had been completely burned off, while those that remained had been charred and left to crumble at the slightest touch. James rushed to her side. “Are you alright?” he asked.

The woman was able to stand back up, but it was evident by how badly she was shaking that her time on Earth was nearing its end.

“James, who is this woman?” asked Jaycee.

“I can't really say,” replied James.

“I have enough life left to end this,” said the woman.

“What do you mean?” asked James.

“I made a vow that I wouldn’t become so involved, but I’ve long since broken it. I can at least use the remainder of my existence to atone for my sins.”

“You can’t do this on your own.”

“I’m afraid I haven’t a choice.” The woman then placed her hand on James’ face. “I’m sorry that you were forced to play a part in this. My protest did little to spare you from becoming nothing more than a pawn in this twisted game. But His grace brought us back together, and that is something that I can not regret.”

“I can help you,” said James. “Together . . .”

“I’m sorry, James,” interrupted the woman. “But I have to leave you now.” When she removed her hand from James’ face, the woman wrapped what remained of her tattered wings around herself. “I know I’ll see you again . . . in a far better place than this.” Through quivering lips, the woman bid her final farewell. “Goodbye, James.” And with that, she disappeared in a burst of burnt feathers.

“What do we do?” asked Jaycee. “There’s nothing left. Everyone, everything . . . it’s all gone. There’s nothing left, James. Nothing.” Unable to hold back any longer, Jaycee began to cry. “Everything we did was for nothing.”

“Is this really how it ends?” asked Aiko. “Everything we went through, just to see it end like this? What’s the point in going on? Why couldn’t we have just burned up with everyone else? What right do we have to still be alive?”

“No,” said Archer. “This isn’t over.” His body had since stopped shaking and his voice no longer had a quiver in it. “This is far from over.” With Archer’s attention so focused on what was ahead, the others looked in the same direction.

In the distance stood a castle. Even from a vantage point miles away, the immense structure was easy to spot. Its walls were jagged and its many towers were uneven in size, making the castle most unpleasant to behold.

Despite knowing that unspeakable horrors were waiting for them within its walls, no one objected to making the castle their final destination.