The Stellate Vortex

Evelyn had evacuated almost everyone and was now frantically searching for her father.

"Father! Where are you?" she called, her voice breaking with desperation.

A soldier approached her, his armor clinking as he knelt before her with urgency. "My lady, you must come with me. The walls are not safe."

"No! I must find my father!" she protested, struggling against his firm grasp.

The soldier's tone was grave yet respectful. "Forgive me, my lady, but your safety is paramount. The Duke would not wish harm upon you. Trust in me and my men—we shall find your father anon. Now, let me see you to safety."

Despite her protests, the soldier dragged her beyond the city walls to the open fields where the evacuated citizens had gathered. Once outside, he released her, bowing solemnly.

"Rest here, my lady. I vow to return with your father," he said before retreating into the chaos.

Evelyn sat among the frightened masses, her hands clasped tightly in prayer. Around her, the entire crowd mirrored her, their faces pale with fear as they begged for divine intervention.

But Evelyn's prayers were not for herself. "Please," she whispered, her voice trembling. "Let my father live... and Aldric too..." She held onto the trinket Aldric had given her, unaware that he was far from the city, locked in a battle that was causing the very ground to quake beneath them.

---

"I can't win..." Aldric muttered, his breath ragged as he stared at his father. Malric stood tall before him, a figure of absolute destruction, chaos incarnate. Aldric's broken sword trembled in his bloodied hands. He searched for strength, for hope, for anything that could change the tide.

"Please... I need strength," he whispered.

A voice, cold and unfamiliar, echoed around him. "Is that so? Well then, make a contract with me."

Aldric's surroundings shifted abruptly into an endless dark void. He spun around, his voice shaking. "W-where are we?"

The presence responded, its tone both amused and menacing. "Oblivion... Nothingness. Only you exist here."

Aldric squinted into the darkness, unable to see anything but feeling an overwhelming presence before him.

"For what cost?" he asked cautiously, his voice filled with both fear and determination.

The voice chuckled, a sound that sent shivers down Aldric's spine. "Oh, wary, are we? Sensible. I shall tell you in due time. For now, you should know this—your father is on the verge of obliterating the entire province... including Evelyn."

Aldric's eyes widened in horror. "Fine! I accept! Whatever the condition is, I'll pay it!"

The presence seemed to smile, its malevolent delight almost palpable. "Very well. For the next three seconds, you shall attain your prime state—the pinnacle of power you could achieve in your lifetime. But only for three seconds."

Aldric's face contorted in disbelief. "Three seconds? What am I supposed to do in three seconds? I can't kill him in that time!"

The presence snickered, its tone laced with sadistic glee. "Oh, you will see..."

Aldric opened his eyes to a barren wasteland, his body battered and broken. The air around him was heavy, filled with an unnatural emptiness. He coughed, his throat dry, and tried to push himself up, his arms trembling under the weight of his exhaustion.

The pain wasn't what cut the deepest. It was his father.

Malric stood tall, his back turned to Aldric, the weight of his indifference heavier than the blows he had dealt. For a moment, Aldric stared at the man he had admired, feared, and resented all at once. But something inside Aldric had changed.

He wasn't the same anymore.

Something cold and final stirred within him, a part of himself he had always feared to embrace. Now, that fear was gone. What replaced it was a hollow certainty—a need to end everything, no matter the cost.

Aldric rose, legs unsteady, driven by strength beyond pain. The void within him pulsed, calling to be unleashed. His breathing slowed as his vision sharpened. It no longer mattered if he won or survived; only one thing mattered now.

Malric sensed the shift. He tilted his head slightly, his deep voice cutting through the silence. "You're done, Aldric. Accept it. You've given your all, and it wasn't enough."

Aldric's lips parted, his voice low and cold, a dangerous calm masking the chaos building within him. "You're wrong. This isn't over."

Malric turned fully, his brows furrowing as he noticed something new in Aldric's eyes. Resolve. It wasn't the anger of a reckless fighter but the certainty of someone who felt nothing, a calamity.

Aldric raised his hand, trembling as he summoned his power. The ground beneath him cracked, fragments lifting into the air. The sky dimmed, and the world around them seemed to drain of color.

"Eternal Dissolution."

The words were spoken softly, almost tenderly, yet they carried the weight of a god's judgment. A sphere of darkness appeared in Aldric's hand, impossibly small yet radiating a pull so intense that even the air itself seemed to vanish into it. Malric's instincts screamed, and for the first time in decades, he felt fear.

"What are you doing, Aldric?!" Malric's voice cracked with urgency.

Aldric didn't answer. His body began to glow faintly, cracks forming along his skin as if he were breaking apart from within. The singularity in his hand grew, its tendrils stretching outward, erasing everything they touched—air, earth, light.

Malric dashed forward, his sword gleaming as he brought it down with all his might. Before the blade connected, Aldric vanished with Null Step, reappearing behind Malric. The older man spun, their swords clashing with a deafening shockwave.

The singularity pulsed, pulling chunks of the battlefield into itself. Mountains in the distance crumbled into the void, and the ground began to give way. "Stop this madness, Aldric!" Malric roared, his voice a mix of anger and desperation.

"Madness?, no this isn't madness."

Malric surged forward with an overwhelming flurry of attacks, each blow precise and devastating. Aldric struggled to keep up, parrying desperately, his body screaming in protest. Despite his determination, his father's strength was overwhelming.

Finally, Malric broke through, landing a crushing blow to Aldric's chest. Aldric flew backward, crashing into the ground. Blood spilled from his lips as he coughed and tried to rise, but his body felt like it would collapse at any moment.

Malric approached, his face a mask of fury and regret. "You've lost control. End this before it's too late!"

Aldric smiled weakly, a broken, tired smile. "That's the point, Father. It's meant to be too late."

With a sudden burst of energy, Aldric thrust his hand forward. The singularity exploded outward, a wave of nothingness expanding rapidly. Malric raised his sword, channeling all his strength into a desperate counterattack, but the void swallowed his efforts, pulling at his very essence.

The land began to unravel. Mountains, rivers, and skies disintegrated into the void, leaving behind an expanding emptiness. Malric roared, his power flaring as he fought to resist, but even his immense strength faltered against the consuming pull.

He charged one last time, his sword gleaming as he aimed for Aldric. "If you won't stop it, I will!"

Aldric stood his ground, the cracks along his body glowing brighter. His voice was quiet, steady, and final. "Fear."

The singularity pulsed one last time, expanding in a silent, all-consuming wave. The continent vanished in an instant—no sound, no fire, just emptiness.

And when the void finally collapsed in on itself, there was nothing left.

Nothing but silence.

Three seconds should have passed long ago, but the presence of nothingness bent time itself, stretching those moments far beyond their intended span. Aldric stood in the void, staring into the emptiness, as it stared back at him. He had broken a rule—a rule of the world itself.

But Aldric didn't feel regret. He didn't feel any remorse at all. Perhaps it was because his mind had already been corrupted by the demon's influence. He was trapped in his own mind, his thoughts spiraling, but he couldn't stop.

So what is it you wanted from me? he asked, his voice echoing in the hollow void.

The presence laughed. Oh, I'm satisfied... but still, it wouldn't feel right to stop here, would it?

Aldric felt the malicious smile of the entity as it spoke, though he could see nothing. What can you give me?

The voice twisted with a mocking tone. You destroyed your world.

Aldric's breath hitched. Yeah... and you can bring it back. Take whatever you want.

The presence snickered, its voice dark and triumphant. Why are you laughing?

Realization crashed into Aldric like a tidal wave. No... no, no, no! His heart twisted with panic. Don't tell me... I erased my world.

The presence chuckled, the sound cold and heartless. You decided to accept my contract, Aldric.

You tricked me! he roared, but the presence only laughed louder. It was a bitter, cruel sound.

Did you think you could escape your fate so easily? the presence sneered. You took it all from yourself.

Aldric screamed in frustration, but it was futile. The presence had already vanished, leaving him alone in the suffocating emptiness. He had broken the rule of the universe, and now, he had nothing left.

Time no longer had meaning in the void, and Aldric, lost and broken, was left to drift. His prime powers had been taken from him, and there was no way to reverse what he had done. He couldn't escape the curse he had unknowingly embraced.

---

He wasn't sure how much time had passed—perhaps hours, days, or even years—but suddenly, a voice broke through the void, a voice unlike any other.

"Aldric."

He turned, finding the presence of a god before him. Its form was beyond comprehension, its voice resonating through his very soul.

"You have disrupted the one rule of the universe," the god said, its tone gravely stern. "For that, you will be cursed."

Aldric's heart sank, and he opened his mouth to speak, but the god silenced him with a commanding tone.

"Do not speak."

Aldric hesitated, then closed his mouth, his mind racing. What curse would he face?

"A curse will be placed upon your body," the god continued. "Your strength will be restricted by ninety-nine percent. Even as you grow older, you will be in a constant state of weakness."

Aldric's heart pounded in his chest as the god's voice faded. The last words echoed in his mind as the world around him slowly began to come back to life. He saw the earth forming, the very ground beneath him shifting as if it were being reborn.

Tears welled in Aldric's eyes as he saw her—Evelyn—emerging from the reborn world, a gift from the god. She was in his arms, and it felt as though he was holding her for the first time.

But then, a chilling voice interrupted his peace.

"I'm here for my contract," the demon's voice snickered.

Aldric's heart sank. The demon had planned this all along. It had used the god's power to reset the world and now intended to take it all away again, using the god's gift to further its own twisted desires.

It smiled wickedly as it approached Evelyn, and Aldric, frantic with fear, tried to shield her. "NO! GET AWAY!" he screamed, pushing against the demon with all his remaining strength.

But the demon merely grinned as it reached for her head. "Since the goddess has placed a curse on you, I shall do the same."

Aldric's eyes widened in horror. "No! Wait! Stop!" he cried, but the demon's malevolent laughter filled the air.

It was too late. Evelyn's hair turned white, her eyes shifting color, and Aldric felt a deep ache in his chest as she became a shadow of the person she once was. She now only remembered the terrible moments they had shared—nothing of the love they had.

"Why?!" Aldric cried out in despair, reaching for her, but the demon only smirked.

"Because," it said darkly, "a deal with the devil is never cheap."

Aldric's mind reeled as the demon continued, "Shall she love you again, she will die. No, she must live hating you."

The words hit Aldric like a crushing blow. "No… why are you doing this?!" he screamed, his voice filled with desperation and anguish.

The demon's grin only widened. "You accepted the contract. Now live with the consequences."

In that moment, Aldric knew the torment he was about to face. He had no choice but to carry on—holding onto the love for Evelyn, even as she hated him, even as the curse took its toll on both of them. And the pain of that sacrifice would linger for as long as he lived.

He wandered on, cast out from the empire after being falsely accused of his father's death. In the northern kingdom, he built a quiet life in a secluded village.

Evelyn, now full of hatred for him, became a distant memory. Yet, no matter the distance or time, his love for her remained unshaken. Only death could sever that bond.

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