Heart Of Stone - Episode 97&98&99

 

HEART OF STONE

Heart Of Stone - Episode 97&98&99

 (..Sold•To•The•Pit•Of•Hell..)

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No part of this publication may be reproduced, copied, or reposted in any form, or by any means without a written permission from the author.

Copyright © 2025.

By: Naomi Cindy B.

★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★a

[Vipers Household, Minutes B4 12pm]

The blue moon changed to red, painting the whole city crimson as if a bloody war had just happened.

Dominika stood by the door of the main entrance, watching the change and with prepared eyes.

Tonight is gonna be a night of history, not easily forgotten.

If her plans goes as planned, then she destroys the sword and she'd die with it, together with her fake theories.

Ryker and his partner are going to be together for six more months, and during those six months, maybe they could find solution for the original owner issue.

She believes it could be done.

She has been in the shadows, watching their attachment from afar for six months, and she's aware of Ryker's deep-rooted obsession for his partner. When love runs too deep that you can't imagine the partner with anyone but yourself without running mad, then it's obsession.

Ryker is madly obsessed, and he'd do anything, so part of her prayers tonight is that he shouldn't try anything risky, or it'd ruin things.

Ryker might be the powerful, icy heartless one, but he's got no patience, and he possesses mad anger which could ruin if not well managed, but he has Shayla beside him, so she greatly hopes her presence does something tonight.

She'd try every possible best to make the plan work, cos if it doesn't, then things would go totally haywire.

"Are you sure Anatoli is gonna bring you the sword?" Rumi asked, coming to stand behind her by the door.

Dominika smiled, sending an arm around her daughter's shoulder.

"He will. Zeke is strong and strategic, and of course he has Esme and Tara with him, but Anatoli is ten times stronger than everyone of them, they don't just know. He'll bring me the sword no matter what measure he has to take," she said.

"That's some pretty sure devotion," Rumi smirked. "But Ryker, I'm sure he's aware of what's going to happen, he won't just sit still. What if he tells his partner to burn the city so they'd take the sword?"

"Ryker could go close to the sword when it was still Soren, but when it becomes a sword, they won't be able to go close, it'd deplete their power levels. The sword was made for them, so it sucks their powers even without stabbing them." Dominika explained.

"The heavens are crazy, why even make that shit?" Rumi sighed, looking ahead.

"And then there's Pearl, that psychopath has always irked me, I just hope she wasn't telling lies when she was narrating for you" 

"Not a single lie was told. I verified that by asking a trick question about the sword, and she told the truth that she never used it in her last life and she has no idea about the location." Dominika replied.

"Why are you so overly smart?" Rumi said, and the woman smiled again.

Her phone buzzed on the table inside the archive, and she went for it.

A message sat on the screen from Anatoli.

• Come at exactly 12.

"It's almost 12, I better go now," she told Rumi.

"I'm following you," Rumi replied.

"No. You do not even have your ability with you, it's better you stay back and I'll bring Xena back to you," Dominika assured.

"No," Rumi declined. "I might have no ability now, but I trust you to protect me and i—"

"Rumi, stay back. I'll be right back. I promise." Dominika smiled.

Rumi couldn't talk anymore after that.

Dominika left the household, going through the backdoor.

Now it's just Rumi inside.

For the first two minutes, she sat still, getting herself busy with bubble gum, but it wasn't enough to take her mind away from the upcoming.

She stood and left the house, too.

--

On the Lumi city road, is Granny Jojo's car which she has been driving for some hours now.

The drive to the temple was smooth, but the drive back was terrible.

Their car had problems twice which they had to stop to repair.

At the temple earlier, they found out that the sword is a person.

Not just any person—it's her grandson, Soren.

And he must be killed immediately he clocks 341 cos if they don't, then they have to wait for another birthday, but knowing Zeke's personality and his plan to take over every non-human city beyond Luminaria, he won't let it go past this year—tonight.

Tonight is the twins birthday so she has to be fast, or Soren would pass away before she gets there.

"I still don't understand though, why give birth to kids when you don't even love them." Lilith said.

Jojo had no time to even reply her. She's more focused on the road as she drove through a pothole.

"My human father's surname wasn't even known before he was execute with mother, and I wanted a surname for myself, that's why I insisted on getting married to take Ryker's surname." Lilith continued, looking at the ring on her finger.

"Why are you suddenly telling me?" Jojo replied, still not giving her a glance.

"Cos I feel like coming clean. Yes I'm a cruel bîtch, but I spent exactly a month with you at your Lannister household, and I learnt things. You protected me, fed and clothed me, so I won't let that mercy slide. I'll repay you tonight. I'll protect you." Lilith replied.

Jojo finally looked at her.

"Don't say rubbish," she said.

"But I'm deadass," Lilith shrugged.

Jojo ignored her once again and drove into the East street.

--

[Liza Kings Mansion]

Liza's life lantern went off in her study since some hours ago, so Kade is aware that she's dead.

He expected this outcome after he abandoned her at the Fire Palace gate, but the fact that Shayla actually carried it out is more surprising.

Seems his twin sister is more merciless than he actually thought or expected of her.

But now... Liza is dead, and every secret is dead with her.

The dead can't talk anyways. They only sleep in eternal strife and rest in restlessness till forever.

He smiled as he stared at Liza's portraits on the wall, then he began turning everything to the ground one by one till he got to the door and turned the last one.

He took the last burning candle by the door and threw it on the ground, letting the fire catch the rug.

Within a minute, fire spread throughout the house.

Kade walked out, hands pocketed, and the house blew up behind him.

No more Liza's memories, he's going to move to the second mansion and start afresh.

"No more house?" A husky voice filled the air behind him, and he halted, feeling coldness on his skin suddenly when his eyes met the evil diabolical eyes of Caspian.

He's smiling, but the wise would know the smile means calamity.

He hasn't seen this man before, but his appearance is enough to tell him everything is wrong.

He wore a coat which is getting carried by the air as he walked towards him.

Kade stepped back.

"Who are you?"

"I'm not introducing myself, it's your fault for not knowing my identity before now, and it's your bad luck that even after today, you won't be among the people who'd know my real identity cos you'd be dead." Caspian replied arrogantly, pulling a shotgun out from his coat pocket.

Kade took two more steps back, eyes suddenly horrific.

This ain't the time to get shot. Liza is gone so who'd heal him? The alchemist shop is far from here.

"I heard you treated her bad, and you were so mad at her for sharing a mother with you," Caspian said. 

Kade's brows arched. "Shayla? You're here cos of that bîtch?" 

"Bîtch?" Caspian smiled, giving his gun a stare as if examining the last weapon before destruction.

"Mother did worse to her, and now she's dead, so if you're on the lookout for somehow to rant on, then go find her in hell!" Kade snapped, momentarily forgetting about the gun

"Rant? Do I look like I'm here to rant? Does this weapon smell like rant?" Caspian looked up, cocking the gun.

Kade froze again, but not for long, cos he moved back twice before turning around.

The blaze from the burning house was lightening his steps as he ran away from the devil.

Caspian stood there, watched him till he took the tenth step, then he shot.

He fired three bullets at Kade, all on the head.

Kade crashed into the dust, blood gushing out of his skull.

His eyes was closing slowly as his blood wet the dust, turning it to clay

So...in this lifetime, he died because of Shayla, just like his mother died because of her.

This isn't the end anyways. It can never be the end.

The dues shall be payed, soon.

Caspian dragged his body  back to the burning house, throwing it inside to glow it up.

He stepped back afterwards, grinning.

"Aren't Luminarians so funny? They can live for as long as two, three thousand years without getting old or sick, they get healed whenever they're heavily injured, but just shoot them on the head or chest, or nail their throat, they're gone."

He looked at the house again, sighing before biting his lip.

"Too bad I didn't get to kill Liza with my own hands, but my woman killed her, so it counts." He smiled, swinging the gun in his index finger as he walked away from the house, making his way to the East Palace.

--

[West Palace]

Blaise and Kasia are still crying, shaking Winona's body on the ground as if to wake her which is impossible since her core is gone.

Even without the core, she was attacked on the throat, and her pipe is cut, so it's a lost cause.

Kasia's snot mixed with her tears below her nose, and she could taste it in her mouth as she hugged Winona's inert body to herself.

She's sitting helplessly on the ground, looking pitiful, but there's no pity in the eyes of Faye and Astor as they stood over them.

"I should have noticed, I should have known!! You're the one who led us to the vipers household after Winona found out about the snake woman in the journal! Were we blind? Winona said the snake woman was a cobra but we were actually searching the vipers household for clues! Did you both blindfold us?" Blaise stood.

"We didn't need to blindfold y'all, your midnight curse was enough to veil your eyes. There were so many clues, but none of them was seen by anyone of y'all. Only Winona was smart, but too bad she didn't last. Her core was sweet, by the way." Astor smiled, and Kasia spranged up.

"Our ancestors sinned, they're the ones who killed your wife and household, not us! I haven't even been born back then, but you thought you could take it out on me and my children? I guess you're the one who killed my husband too, just to gain an opening to enter me!" 

"Yes! I killed your husband, Forrest. I killed him just so I could enter you by marrying you!" Astor yelled.

More tears rushed out of Kasia's eyes, and she staggered.

"No....no ... How could you!!!!"

"You killed father two years ago?" Blaise's lips were shivering as he talked.

"That was me.... actually. I killed your father, and I ate his core," Faye spoke up, and Blaise's heart shattered more.

He fell on the floor, right beside Winona's body.

"I knew something was up when I didn't like you both at first! I knew something was wrong when I just couldn't see you as my new father or Faye as my stepsister! I knew something was absolutely wrong!!!" He screamed, punching the ground.

"I am going to kill you, Astor! I'll kill you and your daughter!!!" Kasia removed the long pin in her hair, coming for him.

"It's 12am already—midnight. Think twice, cos right now you're powerless!" Astor replied.

"I do not care!!!" Kasia resumed her race till she arrived at him and drove the pin into his chest.

Blood dropped, but it didn't look like Astor even got stabbed cos he was grinning like a villain.

Suddenly, he shoved his hand into Kasia's tummy, getting a hold of her core from the inside.

The woman shed blood from her eyes, her mouth opened painfully, but she didn't let go of the pin at all.

"Mother!!!!" Blaise yelled, wanting to run over to them.

"Go, Blaise! Go away! Run!!!" Kasia yelled, driving the pin into Astor's chest harder.

Blaise stopped, tears falling from his eyes like a kid. 

Kasia's core is already in Astor's hand, so his efforts would be useless. There's no saving Kasia anymore.

"Go!!!" Kasia screamed again, and that was when he moved.

He ran out of the palace, and Faye followed him immediately.

"Think about this as an help, cos if you had gone to the East Palace, you'd have come back with nothing or end up dying in Zeke or Anatoli's hands. The FrostOrb and FireStone empowering tale? It's all fake!" Astor spat at her face.

"My ancestors sinned, and you thought taking it out on I and my kids is the right thing to do?" Kasia smiled painfully, crying hurtfully.

"Remember, that dues would be paid when it's time. It's not over yet." She muttered.

Astor pulled his hand out of her, bringing out her small core which he ate right in front of her.

Kasia's body crumbled on the ground, dying in top of Winona's.

--

Blaise barely got to the outside gate when Faye caught up with him.

She intentionally followed slowly, allowing him to run out of the gate.

He's running, she's walking, but he's still not out of her grasp. 

Cruel eyes and precise steps, she followed him closely till Blaise finally stopped some feet away from the gate

He faced her, presenting himself on a platter and awaiting his own death.

"Winona is gone, mother is gone. Why am I even running away from you? Kill me, do it." He sniffled, closing his eyes.

Faye stood there, unable to do a thing till Astor appeared behind her.

He raised her hand, whispering in her ear like a persuader...

"His ancestors killed your mother when she was still wet with the blood of your birth, they killed our entire household, mercy for none. Kill him and stop wasting time, daughter. Kill him!" He instructed, pushing her hand forward 

Faye's hand entered Blaise's tummy, and his eyes flew open, wide and pained.

He fell on his eyes in front of her as her hand came out of him, holding his bloody core.

He crumbled like the rest of his family, and Astor laughed out loudly, the sound evil than evil.

Faye wrapped her palm on Blaise's core, a little tear leaving her eyes.

--

[East Palace,12am]

Slowly, it became clear.

He transformed into the GODSLAYING SWORD.

He's the sword.

"It's true! It's very f+kin true!" Zeke laughed through Xena and Sadie's cries as he walked up to where the sword lay.

He squatted, staring at it.

It looks crafted from rare silver and blue gold, carries the sharpest big blade which looks like a saber but it's not. The handle has a dragon statue hanging on it, and on the body, 341 was crafted.

"Beautiful, I've never seen something as beautiful." Zeke grinned again.

"Bastard!!!!" Sadie removed her heels, throwing the two at Zeke's head before biting him on the neck, not letting go till she pulled off his flesh.

No one could get her off till Tara and Esme joined arms to hold her.

"I should have known something was wrong the moment you agreed to his wedding to this slût without batting a lid! It's our birthday but you made it the bitterest day for me, and I'll never forgive you! In the next lifetime, I'll be your worse nightmare!!!" She screamed, throwing her legs forward.

She broke free from the two women and went for Zeke again, but Zeke was prepared this time.

He picked the knife he stabbed Soren with, pointing it forward so Sadie just ran into it.

She got stabbed without stressing.

Sadie's body turned cold as she felt the metal plowing her belly, and the last tear rolled out of her eyes.

Her eyes met with Zeke's, and Zeke smiled at her.

"Listen, I hate kids, but I only married Azura to make kids because I heard I was destined to give birth to the sword. You have no use for me, and you can go join your brothers." 

With brutality, he removed the knife from her belly, and Sadie fell.

Xena cried louder, carrying Sensei in her arms.

She started rushing to her father's side, but that was when Jojo and Lilith entered the house.

Jojo started crying her eyes out immediately she saw the sword on the ground, and Sadie's body.

"We're late, shit." Lilith muttered.

"Zeke, you should have been created as a dog. No, you shouldn't even be a dog, it's an insult to that breed. You should be a sewage rat, what is wrong with your head and your mother's head!!!" Jojo yelled.

"Power drives people crazy, you weren't told?" Zeke chuckled, walking to the sword already.

"Watch me, then..." Jojo smiled, raising her hand.

The night air went hot, and the blood-red moon in the sky changed colour again, turning white.

Thunderstorm started, heavier than anyone that has ever happened in the city. It deafened lots or people, and it left houses crumbling, including the palace. Rainstorm joined the exercise, and it got a lot worse.

"She got the thunder ability back?" Granny Tara muttered.

"Her daughter is dead, of course she'd get it back," Zeke replied. "Esmeralda, get the sword!"

Esme ran to where the sword lay and picked it up, but that instant, Lilith let out a sonorous scream.

The East Palace started crumbling again for the second time.

"Through the tunnel!" Zeke pointed, opening a tunnel on the wall.

He ran inside with Esme and Tara, but Anatoli and Rivera followed them

"Father!" Xena tried to enter too, but Anatoli pushed her back before closing the tunnel door.

Xena curled herself under one of the falling bricks, crying as she held desperately to Sensei.

The rabbit is crying and squirming in her arms too, and a large brick fell on them together.

"Mother!!!!" Mercury cried. She's squatting somewhere around the ruined room.

Inside the water tunnel, Zeke and his women thought they're the only ones present, but when they peered back and saw Anatoli and Rivera, they had to stop in surprise.

"Who exactly are you? Your friend Sadie died and you did nothing?" Anatoli muttered beside Rivera.

"Caspian sent me here in case you need an extra hand to get the sword,". Rivera replied.

"That bastard Caspian must think I'm a weakling, but I don't need his help. You might have to stand down and let me handle my shit." Anatoli replied.

"Anatoli? Rivera? Why do we have you both in here?" Zeke questioned from the front.

"I'm not the stupid Old Chef whom you once knew, think you're the only one in the whole of Luminaria who's in need of the sword?" Anatoli replied, going closer.

"One more enemy to deal with?" Zeke smiled, signalling at Esme and Tara.

"Go with the sword!"

The women started running away, and Rivera followed them.

Anatoli and Zeke charged towards each other, both meeting at a dangerous point to throw hits.

They both tumbled, landing brutally on the muddy waters, but Zeke's landing was more brutal. He broke a arm bone, and he gasped.

He stood anyways, no time to wonder why Anatoli is so strong. 

The two old men went for each other, throwing strikes again. Dark energy collided with dark energy, and they both leapt, jabbing each other in their throats and spitting blood.

Their blood painted the tunnel walls as their bodies came back down, and their punches collided violently.

Zeke's energy was only enough to bend a bone on Anatoli's arm, but Anatoli's?

It crushed Zeke's arm completely, making the bones pierce the flesh to stab the skin.

"Arhhghh!!!!!!" Zeke cried, staggering to the tunnel body and punching a hole through it in the process.

Water rushed in, filling the tunnel more, reaching their calves.

In shock, Zeke looked up, unable to even stand from where he sat.

Anatoli siphoned his powers already.

"Who exactly are you?" He demanded.

"I'm what you can never understand, now bye!" Anatoli smiled, vanishing.

The moment he vanished off, Zeke started trying to stand again, but he couldn't.

It was harder than any task.

He got his channeler Shell out to contact Esme, but the shell broke before he could even talk into it.

Shayla and Ryker appeared in the tunnel, side by side with matching mocking smirks.

"I knew I shouldn't underestimate my errand boy," Ryker commented.

"You have no idea how pitiful you look right now," Shayla added, looking disgustingly at Zeke.

"You both... winning in every situation isn't by luck. You won't win this one." Zeke replied, bringing a vial of holy water out of his pocket.

He threw the opened vial at the two of them, and Ryker quickly covered Shayla, so the water sprinkle only met him.

Some parts of his robe burned into his skin, but that's just it. 

Nothing else.

"You ok?" Shayla asked, checking the skin out quickly.

"I'm fine," she replied before facing Zeke who's still handicapped on the ground.

Zeke groaned, looking at the water level with his shocked eyes.

"I'm guessing Xena told you my weakness is holy water from a church alter in the human realm?" He smirked darkly.

"At this point, i dunno who's more stupid between the two of you. I guess she saw it written close to the pavilion when I was still at the Heartless Tower, but the thing is...holy water only works on me if I am still at the first stage, but I attained stage 2 already. Next time, don't be so heartbreakingly dumb,"

"But there won't be next time," Shayla replied, getting out her fire sword.

Ryker pulled his ice sword, and together, they stabbed the madman in the chest, pulling his heart out to the the tunnel water.

Shayla set his body on fire, and they both vanished off.

--

Rivera was already rolling in a hot fight with Esme and Tara when Anatoli caught up with them in the middle of the tunnel.

The water level rose again, reaching the middle of their forelegs already.

Now it's two against two, nowhere to run to, so they faced it.

Tara and Rivera, Esme and Anatoli.

Rivera slapped the old granny with her wings many times, attempting to make her eyeballs fall out of her sockets, but Tara ain't so soft.

She fought back stubbornly till the last drop of her sweat.

Thanks to the sword Esme is holding, she got empowered, and she fought on par with Anatoli, but despite that, she couldn't match up.

After all, she cultivated her godslaying ability, she wasn't born with it.

She ran away when it got to a point, and Anatoli followed her.

Rivera slapped Tara with her wings again, and the old woman fell, so Rivera flew away, following Anatoli.

Tara didn't get the chance to stand when Shayla and Ryker appeared again, majestically.

Ryker dumped a snake on Tara's body, and the woman gasped, looking up as the shockwaves gripped her.

It's her snake, same one she had sent into his Heartless Tower to plant venom in his body.

"Your son probably inherited his foolishness from you, but it's entertaining." Ryker crouched in front of the old woman who nearly entered the leaking tunnel wall.

"Your snake came to me in my Phoria that cold morning to plant the venom you sent it to plant as your plan B, but too bad, you know what I did? I took it in as a pet, and since then, I've been feeding it with the toxins from my mind's eye. A bite, and you'd die with it." He whispered.

Tara quickly shook the snake away from herself, and the serpent dropped dead on the water surface.

"Oh...seems you got bitten," Shayla muttered from the back.

Tara gasped again, trying to stand, but she dropped back on the tunnel wall, her eyes losing all colour.

The snakebite on her firearm reddened as her life slipped out of her. She went still, and the water covered her head as she fell flat.

Ryker froze her, shattering her figure with the water.

--

Esme wasn't lucky.

She was about to leave the leaking tunnel when Anatoli caught up with her, and she faced him, knowing it's either fight or die.

Her mistake was using the sword to fight him cos the sword only works on the gods, so all her weldings amounted to nothing.

She missed everytime, till Anatoli grabbed her arm, dragging her closer

"You cultivated the ability for how many months? Maybe five? And you think you're good to go? Real cultivators spend thousands of years in the run before becoming professions, so to me, you're just an idiot who should have known her damn place!" He said, slamming his forehead on hers.

He cast an obeisance spell, and Esme let go of the sword willingly.

Esme fell in the water weakly, and she git submerged.

Anatoli bursted out of the tunnel, meeting himself in front of the dismantled main castle where a crowd is waiting at.

Caspian who's now standing with Rivera beside him.

Granny Jojo and Lilith.

Pearl who's holding her stomach and bleeding.

Mercury who's looking for her mother and crying.

And a lot of City people. 

Hundreds of them.

His Master should be here right now—the red cloak, so he started searching with his eyes.

"Anatoli! What are you waiting for? Come here!" Caspian waved, but he never answered.

His search for Master continued till she saw her standing with a foreboding stance in the middle of the crowd, her cloak swirling.

He smiled widely, holding the sword tighter as he ran to her.

People made ways till he arrived, his smile widened more.

"I told you, I was bound to win. Didn't I? We can take the world together with this. Let's go!" He said, pointing the sword forward.

He can't even lift it too much so ce it's too heavy. Only godslayers lift and wield it with ease.

"Should I go beat him up and take the sword?" Rivera asked beside Caspian.

"Shh, don't." Caspian muttered.

Dominika took it from Anatoli slowly, and her second hand went to her head to lower the cloak, revealing her face.

Her former body died 350yrs ago, and her soul has entered another body, so she didn't expect him to recognize her very fast, but her scent.

The sandalwood scent from her cloak gave her away.

She didn't have to rub sandalwood oil. Dominika always had that unique body scent since the start, and it's just her. Just like how she's the only one bearing Dominika in the city.

Anatoli's eyes widened, and he quickly retracted a step. He felt his bones getting fried, and his flesh getting thawed.

"Domini..."

"Mother!" Rumi's voice interrupted as she ran out of the crushed castle with Xena who's bleeding so much between life and death.

When did Rumi even get here???

"What!" Dominika gasped, touching Anatoli's shoulder. She turned him into a sewage rat for now, and she dumped him in her cloak pocket.

And that was when she noticed the sword is gone from her.

Completely.

Someone must have snatched it when she was distracted by Xena and Rumi one minute ago, but there's only one person who would have done that.

When she looked ahead, it's exactly who she expected.

Ryker stood there, imposing and threatening as ever, holding the sword in his hand with murderous eyes and reeking killer intents.

Blood dropped in his brain more times than he could count, and his jaws are ticking faster than a clock.

Cheyenne and Sage emerged from the crowd, both panting when they sensed the heaviness in the air.

Eternus emerged too, his eyes very madly wide.

"I told you, Ryker. You can't do it! Don't do it!!" He shouted, all sweaty.

Even Shayla is confused beside Ryker at this point.

They won, didn't they? They killed all enemies except Anatoli who'd be easy to kill later cos his death his special.

They got the sword, and though the sword aura is sucking their powers right now and weakening them, they can go destroy it in the volcano in her Fire Palace, and she'd finally tell him about her pregnancy.

So why? Why is everything looking like it's far from ending?

Why is it looking like it's just the beginning?

Dominika's eyes widened beyond her kids where she stood, and her feet started running towards Ryker cos she read his mind already, and she knows what he's thinking.

"No. My baby! Don't!!!"

"Motherfucin Ryker!!!" Caspian started running forward too, but their run came to an abrupt end when Ryker did his worse 

He suddenly hugged Shayla, and Shayla gasped at the suddenness, but then the absolute worse happened.

Lifting the sword with his remaining fluctuating energy, Ryker stabbed Shayla from behind.

Since they're hugging, the sword pierced her, came out of her stomach to enter his own stomach, coming out at his back.

Their blood mixed, pains at the same level, and their agonizing screams left their lips at the same time as blood poured out of their mouths, staining their faces.

"No!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Dominika and Caspian co-yelled.

"Your lordship!!!!" Sage howled.

"Your ladyship!!!!!" Cheyenne rang.

Eternus staggered.

"Oh no..." Jojo started crying.

Lilith, too. She covered her mouth.

Pearl was speechless.

Rumi is still kneeling beside Xena's bedding body, and her teary eyes are wide.

"Brother..." She muttered.

"Ryker!!!!!!"

Mercury who's still searching for her mother stopped in shock, too.

Faye and Blaise entered the crowd with a run, and their eyes nearly flew off their sockets.

Shayla was shocked, but at the same time, the feeling of betrayal bit her deeply in her mind, heart and soul as her life slipped, together with Ryker's who's stabbed with her.

They're still conjoined, still dying.

"I'm... sorry for being a villain at the end, but if I can't have you, then no other man will, especially not Caspian." Ryker whispered, crying.

"Did you doubt my love for you so much that you couldn't even... couldn't even...tell me...that...you were gonna do this?" Shayla smiled sadly, her tears mixing with her blood and snot.

Ryker said nothing.

At that same moment of death, memories of their first life came flooding into Shayla's head, and she smiled dryly, shutting her eyes as the bitterness settled deeper, the betrayal and disappointment.

They showed in her eyes when she opened them again. She has stopped shedding tears now, and it's like the world stilled around them.

Like they're the only ones left in this cold, cruel, wretched world.

"I'll never forgive you for killing our baby. This blood debt, you'll pay it till you cry blood, Ryker." She called his full name, and Ryker's eyes widened.

"What did you just say?"

"I was pregnant before you stabbed me, and that was enough to change everything. That was enough to convince the heavens, but you had to ruin things with your impatience and lack of trust in me." Shayla replied.

"No... No... No it's...." Ryker choked on his own tears.

"Impossible?" Shayla smiled bitterly, bringing an hand to his face.

Their black robes are terribly wet with their blood, and the sword is slowly diminishing their existence.

"I love you, and I don't care if it tastes bitter and sour and bland in your mouth. I love you, remember it, even in your next life. Remember you killed our hope." She muttered, and her eyes closed for the last time.

Breaths stopped, pulse stopped, neck cracked, body failed.

Ryker held her bloody face, hot tears pilfering out of his regretful eyes as he kissed her forehead.

The sword between them shone, and the shine swallowed the two of them, sucking them into oblivion.

TBC.

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