NOVEL NEXT Chapter 54: "DIE!"
ONE MONTH AGO
Lilith — or Kitty, as some called her — ran like the wind, her legs pumping tirelessly, carrying her farther and farther away from the cursed walls of the White House. Every step seemed to echo in the empty night, a harsh rhythm against the stillness around her.
Above, the moon grinned down with a crooked, eerie smile, casting its cold light over everything and amplifying the dread that had settled in her chest.
The world felt vast, empty, and merciless, yet she ran on, propelled by fear, desperation, and the stubborn will to survive.
She ran with all the strength she could muster, desperate to escape that demonic duo — Kai and Mei — trapped somewhere in the prison cell, rotting away in a darkness.
"Y-you DEMONS! I hope you're dead!" she shouted, her voice cracking, raw with fear and fury.
By the time she stumbled into the forest at the edge of the city, her lungs burned and her legs threatened to give way. She came to a trembling halt, chest heaving, sweat mingling with tears she hadn't realized she'd shed.
Turning back, her gaze swept over the streets and alleys she had left behind, a mix of fear, anger, and helplessness knotting in her stomach.
Her breaths came quick and ragged, rasping through her throat, and she grabbed onto the nearest tree trunk for support.
After a few shaky breaths and a moment to steady herself, she turned deeper into the forest, hoping to put distance between herself and the horrors she had just fled. But before she could take more than a step, she collided with something solid.
"What—?" she muttered, stumbling back slightly, her heart lurching. She lifted her eyes — and froze.
It was Vex.
But something about him was… different. His once warm chestnut hair had turned a stark, glimmering white. His eyes, once familiar and brown, now burned with a deep crimson intensity, glowing faintly.
"Sis… are you alright?" Vex asked, his voice still soft, but laced with concern. He adjusted his stance slightly, as if to reassure her, yet the shift in his appearance, the unnatural glow in his eyes, made his worry feel almost otherworldly.
Lilith's chest tightened. For a moment, she couldn't speak, her mind trying to reconcile the Vex she knew with this unfamiliar, powerful version of him.
"Vex…?" Lilith whispered, her voice trembling, barely audible.
Her eyes searched his face, trying to find the boy she knew beneath the startling new aura, but all she could see were the white strands of hair catching the moonlight and the crimson glow of his eyes.
Vex stepped closer and lifted his hand, resting it gently around her neck. His crimson eyes remained fixed on the distance.
He said nothing, letting the rustling leaves and the sigh of the wind carry the weight of unspoken words, the forest itself filling the silence between them.
Lilith's gaze traced the stark white strands of hair, the familiar chestnut of her brother completely gone. Her hand twitched, uncertain, caught somewhere between reaching out and pulling back. "What… happened to your hair…?" she whispered.
The boy she remembered, the one who had shared her laughter, her fears, and her quiet moments, seemed like a memory drifting behind a veil of something far more formidable, something terrifyingly otherworldly.
"I have a plan…" Vex said quietly, his voice calm but carrying a weight that made Lilith's chest tighten. Without waiting for a response, he turned toward the darkened forest, stepping forward.
Lilith hesitated for a moment, watching him disappear into the trees, then fell in step behind him.
After a short walk, they arrived at a small clearing, where a lone campfire flickered weakly.
Vex knelt beside it, the orange glow reflecting in his crimson eyes. With a casual flick of his wrist, he tossed a piece of wood onto the flames, sending sparks dancing into the night.
"It'll be a little boring," he said, his voice low, "but we'll have to wait… until the Elves make their first move." His gaze briefly flicked to his twin sister.
"Elves?" Lilith asked, her voice barely more than a whisper over the crackle of the campfire.
"The Elves will start a war with the Empire," Vex replied calmly. "We need to wait for that moment." His tone was steady, almost cold, but there was an underlying certainty in his words.
Lilith's gaze sharpened as she stared into his eyes, trying to pierce the quiet confidence he exuded. "How… how do you know that?" she asked, her voice trembling slightly.
Vex didn't answer. He simply let out a quiet, almost imperceptible sigh and then spoke again, his voice low and calm. "Get some sleep…"
Without another word, he lay down on the forest floor, the soft glow of the campfire flickering across his crimson eyes as they slowly closed.
Lilith hesitated for a moment, watching him breathe in and out, the subtle rise and fall of his chest.
Finally, she walked over and settled behind him, letting her hand rest gently on his shoulder. It was a small gesture, fragile and human, yet it carried all the questions, regrets, and fears she had been holding back.
"Why… why did you leave me?" she whispered, her voice trembling with a mix of anger, sorrow, and longing. But no answer came. Vex remained still and silent.
Days passed… until suddenly, the stillness shattered.
A deafening explosion ripped through the air, shaking the trees and sending a shockwave racing across the clearing.
BOOM!
Lilith's heart leapt into her throat as the ground trembled beneath them.
A colossal machine hovered just a few meters above the ground, its massive frame casting a dark, menacing shadow across the outskirts of the city.
From their hiding spot in the forest, Lilith could see the city sprawled beyond, and the sight of that hovering behemoth made the blood in Lilith's veins run cold.
"What… what is that?" she gasped, pressing a trembling hand over her mouth, her eyes wide with a mixture of awe and terror.
"Cyclone," Vex said flatly, his voice calm, almost disinterested. He was still sitting by the fire without looking at the steel monstrosity. "The time is near…" he added.
They watched in tense silence as the minutes dragged on, the air around them thick with anticipation.
Then, just as Lilith was beginning to think the moment might pass without incident, the ground shook violently beneath them.
BOOM!
In an instant, Cyclone shifted, its massive frame moving with terrifying precision and speed. Where it had hovered moments before, the earth now yawned open, leaving a gaping crater that scarred the city.
Lilith's jaw dropped, her eyes wide with shock, unable to fully comprehend the scale of the devastation.
Then, without warning, her brother was gone. Vex sprinted past her with blinding speed, moving toward the ruins where the White House had once stood.
Blinking several times to clear her disbelief, Lilith finally pushed her legs into motion, chasing after him through the forest edge. "Wait for me!" she cried. But Vex didn't even glance back. If anything, he ran faster.
Without a hint of fatigue, Vex came to a halt in front of the ruins of the White House. Dust and debris swirled around him as he crouched down, sifting through shattered concrete and splintered beams with uncanny efficiency, his crimson eyes scanning every fragment.
Lilith arrived moments later, chest heaving, sweat glistening on her forehead, legs trembling from the frantic sprint. She planted her hands on her knees, trying to steady her breathing. "W-what… are you looking for?" she asked weakly.
Vex didn't pause. From beneath a jagged slab of concrete, he retrieved a diary, its edges scorched and pages bent, yet somehow intact.
Without a word, he turned, eyes flicking toward Cyclone, the colossal machine still looming over the city. Then he sprinted forward again.
Lilith let out a resigned sigh, frustration mingling with awe. "Again?" she muttered, already forcing her legs to obey. With a deep breath, she launched herself after him.
Vex reached Cyclone, the diary clutched tightly in one hand. He raised his other hand toward the towering machine, and suddenly, a brilliant white light streamed from the pages, enveloping him in a radiant glow. His crimson eyes flared, shifting to blinding white as the energy surged through him.
"By the power of Nytherra, I command thee to destroy thyself," he intoned.
The colossal machine shuddered violently. Sparks flew from its joints, and thick smoke poured from its seams as it convulsed uncontrollably. Metal groaned and twisted.
The sheer force radiating from Vex made the ground tremble beneath him, sending debris skittering across the cratered streets.
Lilith arrived moments later, breathless, eyes wide with awe and fear. She could hardly comprehend the overwhelming power her brother wielded, a force both terrifying and mesmerizing.
Without hesitation, Vex wrapped an arm around her, his presence a protective shield that seemed to bend the energy around them. Even amidst the chaos, Lilith felt a strange sense of security, as if nothing — neither fire, smoke, nor steel — could harm them while he stood there.
Cyclone shuddered violently, rocked by a series of smaller, reverberating explosions. Its massive frame trembled uncontrollably before, finally, with a groan of metal and smoke, it collapsed.
Lilith stared at her brother, her chest tightening at the sight of him standing there, glowing faintly from the lingering energy of the diary. "You… you've changed…" she whispered, awe and disbelief lacing every word.
Vex turned his piercing gaze toward her. Without hesitation, he thrust the diary into her hands. "Hold this!" he commanded, voice firm but calm. "Give it to Kai and Mei… and act like a cat."
Lilith blinked in confusion, her hands tightening around the heavy book. Before she could protest, Vex stepped closer, cupping her cheeks gently with his hands.
"I don't want them to ruin your cute face," he said, his tone a mixture of teasing and protective warmth. Despite the chaos around them, in that brief moment, he was entirely hers, watching over her, ensuring she would remain unharmed even as the world burned.
Lilith's eyes flicked down to the diary in her hands. Then she looked back at her brother, her gaze wide with a mixture of awe, fear, and longing. "How… how did you become so powerful?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
Vex didn't answer. He remained still and then slowly raised his hand, letting the faint glow of residual energy from Cyclone gather around him like a halo of white fire.
"I have to go…" he said. The air around him hummed with energy, the white light swirling faster and brighter as though eager to carry him away.
"Where… where are you going, brother?" Lilith reached out instinctively, her hand trembling as it hovered just short of his arm. Panic laced her tone, raw and desperate. "Are you… leaving me?"
"I'll come back…" Vex said softly. Then, in an instant, he vanished, leaving behind only a faint echo of white light and the lingering warmth of his presence.
Moments later, he appeared before the Elven King, Elandor. Vex's gaze locked onto the king's, unwavering and piercing, carrying the weight of command and inevitability.
The Elven King recoiled slightly, confusion and alarm flashing across his face. "What…? Who are you?" he demanded.
"Die!" Vex commanded, his voice low and unwavering, carrying a power. His eyes blazed with an unholy light, the white energy still lingering from Cyclone swirling around him like a storm.
The Elven King staggered backward, his hand shooting to his throat in shock. "W-what…?" he gasped, his voice cracking with fear. Then, as if compelled by an invisible force, he shouted, "Flame!" — an act of obedience, a final command forced upon him by Vex's overwhelming power.
His body convulsed violently before collapsing to the cold floor, lifeless, eyes wide with disbelief and fear.
Vex strode calmly toward the mana-powered microphone. He rested his hand on it slowly, the energy of the device pulsing beneath his fingers.
"DIE!" he commanded again, louder this time. The sound carried a terrifying authority, an unstoppable force that seemed to bend the very air to his intent.