Читать книгу Anna Alexander: Master of the void. Part II - - Страница 8

The sparks that erupted from the contact between the human and the half – demon were of unimaginable scale, beyond anything conceivable in either world! Ruvars felt her power – a mighty and inexhaustible energy that stirred his entire being! Thrown several dozen meters back by the surge of contact with Anna, the demon landed on his feet, and his gaze, directed at Anna, radiated warmth and tenderness.

– Anna, explains how you ended up here, right now, when my world is once again plunging into darkness? And most importantly, how did you manage to do it? – Ruvars asked.

Anna didn’t want to mention another of Mark’s entities, but she didn’t want to lie either. Gathering her strength for an honest answer, she calmly said:

– Your brothers and Babkar Seney. They performed the ritual with the Chalice of Bafo, and now I’m here! They came to restore their strength thanks to you and your other brothers!

– So, Nestor knew about you and decided to help? – Ruvars asked in surprise.

– Exactly, because Babkar Seney knows his business! – the girl smiled.

– But how is that possible? What power does he have over my brothers, demons of the underworld? Who is he? – Ruvars insisted.

Anna hesitated, the words of truth stuck in her throat, but before her stood a being woven from semi-human flesh and unyielding will, ready to sacrifice itself and many lives for her return…

– It’s Mark, in his latest incarnation. He helped me back then to snatch you from the grasping claws of your ancestors, and he’s helping us now, freeing me from the icy prison of my vacuum, even if only briefly! Mark realized his mistake, and I believe he deserves forgiveness! – Anna said.

The demon was stunned by her words. Could it be that Mark changes his forms so easily, like a living instrument – but in whose hands?

– The main thing, I beg you, do not destroy him! Promise me this! – the girl pleaded.

At that very moment, the world around shimmered with new, troubling colors. Likki, Sanavar, Azazel, the brothers, even the sage – all were changing, revealing their true essences. The veil of illusions fell, and the place that had seemed ordinary before turned into a battlefield between worlds, between humans and the spawn of darkness.

Azazel, seeing Anna, rushed toward her as if she were the last hope, the only ray of light in the darkness. In her tearful eyes was reflected boundless love for the human who had become like family.

But just as Azazel was only a few steps from Anna, Ruvars blocked her path. He did not know what drove him, but his intuition told him that Anna would have done the same.

Azazel froze, gazing at the face of the younger brother with a mute question.

– How could you do this? This is unacceptable! – she burst out, and hurt resonated in her voice.

Ruvars wanted to respond, but Anna beat him to it, knowing that Azazel would hear her voice.

– Everything was done correctly, my Azazel, otherwise you would have suffered, and very much so! – Anna replied with a slight smile.

Azazel shifted her gaze from Ruvars to her friend and realized that this story was far from over.

– I trust you, Anna, but please, don’t do that again! – Azazel said, casting a fleeting glance at the younger of the brothers.

Ruvars and Anna exchanged looks. Sadness and foreboding were written in their eyes. Two souls, possibly connected by more than just one life, understood that trials were merely steps on the path to something greater. They accepted their flaws, fought with the shadow of the past inherited from their ancestors. Despite everything, the girl and the demon were one, and this bond was inscribed in the book of their shared destiny.

Only now, when the Likki and their leader had approached a dangerous distance, did anyone think of them. Their numbers instilled fear in the hearts of the inhabitants of the land and the underworld, an endless army, eager to imprison the brothers forever in a spatial prison, growing with every passing second. But Anna, it seemed, did not notice this. Her confidence was unwavering, and she knew that the Likki were just another trial, some kind of manifestation of power, but whose?

– I advise you to leave this world and the space of those you have come for! – Anna warned calmly.

Ruvars smirked. He knew that there would be no battle. The demon believed that Anna alone was enough to cast them back into their unknown, alien lair.

Sanavar stepped forward, but Anna, noticing the movement, abruptly stopped him. Her gaze was filled with such force that anyone who dared to disobey would vanish forever.

– Oh, you’d better listen to her! I’ve heard a warning like that before! – Ruvars remarked cheerfully.

Anna smiled, while the others were bewildered, not understanding what he was talking about.

– We won’t move from here until we get what we came for! – Sanavar said sharply.

In response to their leader’s words, the Likki let out a deafening howl. They adored him, hanging on every word.

At that moment, a small group of wolf-faced beings stepped forward. It seemed they were ready to surrender to Anna and her allies, understanding that their end was near. The leader of them, Zumo, was certain that the girl would show him mercy and accept him as a friend, but their friendship was still a long way off.

– We want to be useful to you because Sanavar is cruel to the Likki and shows us no respect! We are like pawns in his game, and no one cares! We are warriors and unaccustomed to defeat, but not in this case! – Zumo declared.

Sanavar was stunned and enraged. He couldn’t understand what had driven Zumo and three other half – humans to betrayal. It was unpleasant for him to hear such a statement from the commander of his strongest army.

– So you’ve shown your true nature, wolf-faced! – Sanavar growled and moved toward him.

Ruvars anticipated an interesting outcome and began rubbing his hands in anticipation of something exciting. Everyone froze, waiting for the climax of the tense conversation between Sanavar and his commander.

Both moved toward each other at such speed that it seemed they would annihilate each other in an instant. But the moment Sanavar raised his hand to strike, Anna stood between them.

– Anna, you ruined the whole show, it could have told us so much! – Ruvars exclaimed with frustration.

– I am not a coward, and I fear none of you! Even if a rain of fire falls upon my head, I will fight to the end, but not for him and not under his command! – Zumo declared, pointing at his opponent.

– I suggest you retreat, or no one will even notice your disappearance! I will grind you to dust, and you will become slaves to these masters! – Anna replied, pointing at the brothers.

– Retreat?! How dare you tell me where to retreat and where to advance?! – Sanavar muttered, rising into the air, surrounded by dust and sand.

– That would be better for all of you, otherwise… – Anna didn’t have time to finish.

– Another soul is ready to journey into your world! – Ruvars laughed, staring Nestor in the eyes.

Sanavar blazed in the sky like a shard of a star, tracing a fiery streak. His silhouette only briefly touched the gloom before vanishing into a chorus of astonished cries and Likki’s death rattles. He disappeared like a drop in a sea of flames, into the furnace of the underworld.

But the silence that fell after the deafening roar was deceptive. It only emphasized the scale of the tragedy, namely the gaping void left by his departure. Ears were ringing, reflections of the dying flames danced before the eyes, but the most terrifying thing was the realization of the irrevocability of what had happened. And Likki understood that.

Who was he? A hero, a villain, a madman? It didn’t matter. Now he was just ash, a particle of scorching earth, no more than a memory fading in the whirl of time. His story, never fully told, was cut short, like a thread severed by the merciless blade of fate. And only one question remained, echoing in the silence: who’s next? Who will dare to challenge the flames, knowing that only oblivion in that very furnace awaits them?

A question without an answer, like life itself, full of hopes and disappointments, victories and defeats, love and hatred. And all of this for what? For a moment of glory, for the illusory hope of immortality?

– Sanavar, Sanavar! – the half – people screamed for their leader and master.

– You can forget about that filth; it’s gone! – Babkar Seney cut in.

At that very moment, Anna flickered like a sunbeam caught in the air and began to melt. She cast a fleeting glance at Azazel, then at Mark, and at everyone else who was near her.

The Likki dissolved into the night one by one, like tiny insects, scorched by the blazing flames of the fire. From the west, a gusty wind burst in, tearing through the space with furious blasts, as if reminding that this story could have had a different ending.

– Anna, are you leaving us?! – Ruvars exclaimed bitterly

– I can’t stay, I’m still there… I haven’t returned to you yet… – the girl replied sadly.

– I will help you, I swear on my life, I will bring you back forever! – Ruvars exclaimed, clenching his fist.

She approached him and, as if in a dream, raised her hand to his cheek. The girl took a deep breath, and her palm, soft and warm, touched the demon’s face.

Enchanted by this gesture, he in turn touched her hand. His heart thudded so violently, it felt like it wanted to burst out of his chest, as if counting its final moments.

– I will always be near, here… – Anna whispered, pointing to his heart.

Ruvars froze. He wanted to preserve the warmth of her touch forever, to carry it through millennia, knowing that such a moment might never happen again.

– The Root of the Sun is just the first step on my path to return. You have a sage – listen to him! – said Anna, and she dissolved into the air.

Following her, Likki disappeared as well. They turned into nothing, like snow under the hot sun. One by one, the beings vanished into oblivion, from which there is no return.

Azazel drooped again, while the brothers whispered among themselves…

– She still managed to stand against such power, and all alone?! – Alan replied to his brothers in astonishment.

Ruvars kept his eyes fixed on the sage, who was also watching him from beneath his brow. Rage bubbled within the demon, threatening to turn him into a monster, but he restrained himself, knowing that Anna would not have liked it.

– So, sage, the floor is yours. We’re listening! – Ruvars commanded, turning crimson with anger.

Babkar Seney became flustered. He didn’t want to reveal his true nature to his brothers, but knowing that Ruvars already knew the truth, he decided to resort to cunning. He chose to give him the right to choose, in order to avoid a responsibility that would cost dearly in the future!

– We can go down to your abode and continue searching for a way to bring Anna back, or the honorable Joe can lead us to his circle, where, with the permission of the great Samael, we can obtain the Root of the Sun, – Mark replied, appearing as a sage.

– Not we, but I! – Ruvars couldn’t contain his anger, and the earth trembled at his words.

– Of course, you. After all, only you are allowed to be chosen beside Anna. Another being will not be able to tame her and… – Babkar Seney tried to continue.

– Enough words and empty chatter! Enough smoke and mirrors! And don’t even think about tricking me, I know who you really are! – Ruvars cut him off, looking at the considerably sweat-soaked sage.

Ruvars flapped his wings and vanished into a haze of strange smoke that had never been here before. He flew, lost in memories of Anna. No one else mattered, only the girl and her fleeting touch.

– Oh, Anna! If only I could see you one more time! – Ruvars repeated with a voice full of longing.

He landed on a huge rock that loomed like the tongue of a monstrous beast and looked at his hand. Closing his eyes, the demon involuntarily sighed, recalling her touch. Like a dying bird, Anna begged to be saved from oblivion. But for now, Ruvars was powerless. Possessing such authority and strength, he understood he was unworthy of her, and only thoughts of Anna were a healing balm for him.

“You will come back, Anna. I promise you, even if I have to go back myself!” – Ruvars whispered to himself.

A dead silence hung over the area where the younger of the brothers, the one who knew no mercy, was located. On the horizon, all that remained of the once chanting Likki was a shimmering mirror, casting metallic reflections. Ruvars was already about to leave, but something made him move closer. He slowly spread his wings and leisurely flew up to the enormous mirror that resembled the sun.

Peering into it, he saw four men in strange clothes, who posed no threat at all.

– You… What are you doing here? – Ruvars asked Zumo, who turned at the sound of flapping wings.

– Oh, master! We stayed here because that girl turned us into mortals! We didn’t disappear along with Likki, but got stuck between worlds! Now we can’t see a way out of this cursed item! – Zumo replied.

Ruvars extended his hand to him. The man stepped out of the mirror and greedily inhaled the air. It was as if he woke up from a bad dream, seeing how beautiful the world around him was, and most importantly – he could breathe here!

– Sanavar kept saying that the air is dangerous for us! – Zumo suddenly said.

– Dangerous? But did he explain exactly how? – Ruvars asked.

– No. He said the air is mixed with poison, which is not suitable for us, half – wolves! – Zumo replied.

Ruvars was silent for a while, and then extended his hand to him again. He felt the other’s strength and read his thoughts, realizing that Zumo was not just a survivor, but a true warrior who could be useful on the journey to Anna.

– How are you feeling? Is the air suitable for you and your friends? – asked Ruvars, nodding in their direction.

Zumo burst out laughing, but the laughter immediately turned into a relentless cough. Could it be that everything he had been told about the outside worlds was just a lie to keep the Likki in eternal fear?

– I am entirely at your disposal, as are my comrades… You can count on us! – Zumo replied with unwavering confidence.

Ruvars was struck by his sincerity. A demon, accustomed to seeing only brute strength in beast-like creatures, now saw before him a being free from the bonds of deception.

“Could freedom really transform one’s essence like this?” – the demon asked himself, then answered them:

– You are free! And I don’t need help; I can handle it myself, after all, am I not a demon? – Ruvars snapped.

– A demon with a human heart? – Zumo said in surprise.

Ruvars didn’t like this question, but he knew he had to insist on his point. Dangers lay ahead, and he didn’t want Zumo and his friends to suffer because of him.

– You can disappear, go back to my brothers! They hold trials for beings like you! – Ruvars said harshly.

Zumo laughed again. His laughter was so sincere and carefree that Ruvars realized – this warrior feared nothing.

– I have been the commander of the Likki for many centuries; I am not afraid of the underworld! – Zumo replied with irony.

Ruvars paused. Why now, when he was himself drowned in anger and cruelty, did this person, one of the Likki, decide to help him? The demon desperately struggled with his inner conflicts, trying to find answers worthy of his status as a lord of darkness.

– How did you realize that I have a heart? – Ruvars suddenly asked.

– I can feel it. And your hands are human! Our previous masters didn’t allow us to feel warmth, but now I can sense the blood flowing in you. But you will remain who you are; you will no longer serve your family! Now you are a human, Master of the Void, the master of the girl who saved us, and I am ready to help her, even at the cost of my own life. And my words are not empty promises! – Zumo replied firmly.

The words of commander Likki struck Ruvars right in the heart. It was as if he had awakened from a centuries-long sleep. The demon wanted to thank Zumo for opening his eyes. Through his breath, he passed a fragment of his strength, wisdom, and cunning to him. The warrior, hardened in battles, was now endowed not only with the physical power of dark matter but also with craftiness. Noticing the transformation of his friend, the trio loudly celebrated his change.

Zumo looked at his comrades as if they were the most loyal friends and servants. He knew that his next step needed to strengthen their friendship, leaving no room for disagreements.

Turning away from his friends to speak with Ruvars, he asked him to share part of his power with them. Ruvars agreed immediately. They stood facing each other, illuminated only by the faint light of the dying semblance of the sun above, their faces scarred and marked by long years of battles, showing a mix of wonder and awe. Each of them, hardened by countless battles, had witnessed many miracles, but Zumo’s request, spoken in a quiet and confident voice, caught them off guard.

Without a word, Ruvars extended his hands, and in his palms, a soft white light flickered. It was as if he were weaving threads of energy, shaping them into invisible bonds connecting him to each warrior. The feeling of warmth and strength that surged through their bodies was indescribable. They felt their muscles grow stronger, their senses sharpen, and their minds filled with clarity. It was not just an increase in physical strength; it was a touch of the very source of life itself.

The warriors received the gifts with awe, as an initiation into a new, higher rank. They understood that this was not merely a gift, but a tremendous responsibility. The power given by Ruvars obliged them to be even more vigilant, even braver, and devoted to the common cause. And they swore to justify the trust placed in them by protecting him and the girl until their last breath. A new spark of hope ignited in their hearts, and they were ready for the trials ahead like never before.

All four, after exchanging meaningful glances, looked at Ruvars. They made a unanimous decision to go all the way. After all, unity is not only mutual attraction in the course of interaction, but also the ability to save the girl from the captivity of oblivion, to prove to oneself that it is possible to rise from any state, head held high, without bowing to anyone.