Early that morning, the long corridors of the Rama Palace shook with the heavy thud of iron boots. Qaduel wasn't just running; he was practically flying. The sound his metal boots made as they struck the marble floor echoed like the rapid fire of a machine gun. When he reached the door to Toram's quarters, he didn't stop to knock; he hammered it violently with his fist.
*Bang! Bang! Bang!*
"Doctor! Out! Now!"
Toram opened the door. She wasn't even fully awake yet, her eyes still swollen with the heavy haze of sleep. But that unremovable armor, feeling more like a curse than a protection, still clung to her body like a second skin. Confusion was etched across her face. "Qaduel? What's wrong with you? It's barely..."
Qaduel had no time for questions and answers. He shot out his iron-clad hand and clamped it tightly around Toram's arm. She felt as light as a feather to him. He dragged her out into the corridor.
"No, wait! What are you doing?" Toram planted her feet firmly on the ground, trying to stop, the soles of her shoes squeaking loudly against the marble. But Qaduel's strength was completely overwhelming. She stumbled as she was forced to follow him. "Qaduel! Let me go! Where are you taking me? Are you out of your mind?"
Qaduel didn't answer. He simply increased his pace. His wings shifted slightly behind him, pushing the air as he moved.
"I'm the one asking you a question!" Toram's anger finally boiled over. Gathering all her strength, she violently wrenched her arm free from his grip. She stopped dead in her tracks. Her voice echoed loudly through the vast hall of the Rama Palace. "What the hell is going on? Don't drag me around like a prisoner! Tell me!"
Qaduel stopped. His broad shoulders heaved with heavy, ragged breaths. He slowly turned to face her. When she saw the swirling mixture of absolute fury and profound sorrow in his piercing blue eyes, Toram's anger evaporated in an instant. The face she looked at was not that of a military commander; it was the face of a man who had just witnessed the end of the world.
"Do you want to see?" His voice grated like a man whose heart had been entirely shattered. He took a slow step toward her. "Do you want to see how your Earth has been turned into a living hell?!"
Toram froze. The words dried up in her mouth. Her heart began to pound violently against her ribs.
"Follow me."
He didn't drag her this time. And she didn't argue. Feeling a deep, chilling fear seeping right into her bones, she followed him. Not far down the hall, they entered a massive, dark room that seemed to have no ceiling. The room was entirely empty, save for a pool of pitch-black water in the very center. The water was perfectly still, silent and reflective like a black mirror.
Qaduel reached his hand out toward the pool. A beam of blue light shot from his fingertips and struck the water.
"Look!"
The water rose. Completely defying the laws of physics, it floated into the air and formed a perfect sphere. The image inside was crystal clear. The globe of the Earth hung suspended in the air. But it wasn't the beautiful blue and green planet Toram knew. Smothered in gray ash and suffocating black clouds, it looked like a dying entity groaning in unbearable agony.
Unable to recognize the familiar features of her world, Toram's mouth fell open in horror. "What... what is this?"
"You want to see it clearly!" Qaduel swiped his hand through the air.
The image zoomed in at blinding speed. It pierced through the thick, toxic black clouds. It tore through the sky over East Africa. And then, it descended upon Addis Ababa.
Toram's eyes widened to their absolute limits. Her hands began to shake uncontrollably. She clamped them tightly over her mouth.
Addis Ababa was no longer a city; it was a sprawling metropolis of hell.
Skyscrapers stood like the exposed, skeletal remains of a corpse, engulfed in raging infernos. The streets were split wide open, licked by massive tongues of flame erupting from the depths of the earth. Fire pouring from the belly of the planet blanketed the asphalt, flowing like a river of molten lava.
Humanity... was gone. There was not a single living, moving thing in sight. The only things visible were the charred skeletons of burnt-out cars and the crumbling ruins of buildings. Near the Arat Kilo Palace, the earth had cracked open, forming a massive, bottomless abyss. The stench of death seemed to permeate right through the magical projection.
"I don't know..." Qaduel said, his voice thick with grief, never taking his eyes off the horrific image. "Whether there is a single human left alive... I just don't know."
Toram's knees gave out. Her entire body convulsed with shock. She stumbled backward until her back hit the cold stone wall. The image burned itself into her mind permanently. All that destruction... all that death... the absolute ruin of her laboratory. Her parents, her friends, everyone she ever knew... reduced to nothing but ash.
"Oh my God!" she screamed. Her voice was as thin and sharp as a wail of pure agony. She pressed her hands forcefully against her mouth, desperately trying to stifle the gut-wrenching scream tearing up from her stomach. "What have I done? Oh my God! This is all because of me..."
Her identity as a scientist, her brilliant theories, her complex mathematical formulas... they all felt like meaningless ash in the face of this apocalyptic fire. Tears washed over her face. Her entire body trembled violently.
"Doctor!"
Qaduel's voice cracked like a whip—cold, hard, and utterly devoid of emotion. He was a soldier now, not a sympathetic friend. He showed her in the most brutal way possible that there was absolutely no time for mourning.
"The solution to all of this lies with you."
Through her tear-blurred vision, Toram looked up at him.
Qaduel pointed a finger directly at her. At the crimson, nano-metallic leather armor she wore. He pointed toward the God Slayer swords securely fastened to her back.
"That armor you wear, and those two swords you carry..." Qaduel lowered his voice, speaking with intense, deadly emphasis. "They are not ordinary steel. They are called 'God Slayers.' They are ancient weapons forged specifically to kill gods. They are the *only* power in existence capable of killing Daruel. Whoever wields them, whoever wears that armor... shall not taste death."
Qaduel turned his face away. The water sphere collapsed, and the room was instantly plunged back into its original darkness. He walked to the exit and stood there, waiting for her.
"We have no time for weeping. Daruel is coming to Rama. To stop him, and to save Earth, you must learn to command those swords. Let's go to the training grounds. You must train; that armor must fully synchronize with you."
Toram wiped the tears from her face with her palms. The moisture on her skin felt freezing cold. She gritted her teeth. The crushing guilt weighing down her heart slowly began to harden, transforming into a burning desire for vengeance and an unshakable resolve. She had no other choice anymore. Crying wouldn't bring her world back. Daruel was the one who had unleashed this hell.
"Okay..." she said, and though her voice trembled, a new, terrifying light flashed within her eyes. "Okay... let's go. I will make this monster pay!"
To be continued…❤❤❤