Chapter 548 - Savior (II) (1/2)
CHAPTER 548
SAVIOR (II)
”Pull back! Pull back to the Inner Sanctum!” a hurried, panicked voice broke past the sounds of repeated explosions that rippled throughout a fantastically-constructed city of high-rising spires, glassed mausoleums, high-towers of spectacular make and design whose once-breathing grandeur was now reduced to ruin and ash.
Hundreds of thousands of people ran over the well-paved streets, occasionally besieged by a falling ball of flame, eradicated to ash within a flash of an eye. Those realizing they wouldn't make it would root themselves in place, spin around, crouch and shoot at the sky. Though they didn't know whether their bullets hit anyone, it was the only option they had.
Rammraght watched as the City of Wisdom, the last sanctum of Ivulits burned. The cradle of the civilization that broke past the ordinary, that had seen, touched and conquered the stars, was burning as though it was an ordinary city. Yet, Rammraght hardly found it surprising. After all, he had been a soldier in this war for well over a year, battling all over the planet, witnessing their most prided weapons keel over in front of the larger-than-life powers that had besieged them. He wasn't even quite certain as to how they held out for so long in the first place; partly a miracle and partly the unconditional sacrifices billions have made in vain hopes of preserving their little paradise.
Bit by bit, the Inner Sanctum found itself entirely full, dripping with life seemingly drawing its last breath. The streets that once stood beyond wide and spacious were now packed to the brim with young and old alike. Rammraght watched from the Vivilian Spire, the remarkable achievement before a purposeful building, standing at eleven kilometers in height. The encirclement was closing – the flying men and women orbiting their little sanctum inching ever so closer.
He, too, much like many of his brethren, would have given up if it were not for a single rumor of sorts that he had heard just a week ago. Though he didn't know whether it was true, or even if it was just a voice in his head kindled out of desperation, but a melodic voice of a woman told him of a human figure, not unlike himself and the rest, currently saving the worlds like his own. He just had to hold out – and he'd be rescued.
”… hey.” He turned to the side and saw Antvvara walk out of the elevator, dr.a.p.ed in the ordinary, military outfit that was unable to block a single arrow from the bowmen that they had fought. Tight-fitting, clad in the latest nano technology, costing immeasurable wealth to produce even a single one… yet utterly worthless. She had a depleted expression on her face, her full, pink lips drawn back and under, forming a deep frown of sadness. Her red-gleaming eyes glanced past him and out into the sky, shimmering in anger. ”The last leg, huh?”
”… yeah.” Rammraght replied simply, sighing, looking out himself. It was a terrible sight to see – a terraformed planet of green and blue now dyed in red of blood and gray of ash and soot. ”Do you regret it? Fighting until the end?”
”… why would I?” she shrugged, stepping up next to him. ”I wasn't made a Commander for the lack of desire to fight. Quite the opposite, I'd like to claim.”
”…”
”Did you hear the voice again?” Antvvara was the only one he had ever told of the voice, as even he realized how insane it sounded. However, she was someone he could trust beyond reason and knew that even if she didn't trust him, she'd at least keep it to herself.
”Can you really blame a dying man for hanging onto the last straw instead of watching his home burn and his people die violent and needless deaths?” Rammraght chuckled bitterly, noticing the faint sarcasm in her tone.
”… no,” she said after a short silence. ”I suppose I cannot.”
”What about you? Why are you here instead of with your mom?” he asked.
”My mom's fine,” she shrugged. ”She's off praying, since for the first time in her life nobody's condemning her for it.”
”… in a way, it seems, she was always right.”
”I hardly think so,” Antvvara objected. ”She spoke of benevolent creatures who harkened life into us. I don't know what you are seeing, but I'm certainly not seeing that ilk of creatures. Quite the opposite, again.”
”… people flying,” Rammraght mumbled. ”Shooting fire and lightning and earth and water from their palms… conjuring storms the likes of which we haven't seen in eons… augmenting matter better than any of our machines could even come close to… for however much we knew, Antvvara, we were a hundredfold more times ignorant, it seems.”