OLD-WORLD EXTRA-Chapter 245: Fate

***

It was a tranquil morning, with the sun casting a warm light on the quiet landscape.

The gentle rustle of leaves painted a beautiful picture as the family went about their daily routines.

The backdrop was their five-story house, a fortified residence surrounded by a well-tended garden that shone under the sky's delicate hue.

Lyra, who sat in a cruiser, just exited the parking lot and reached the surface.

She then drove next to the sidewalk and stopped by Emir, who appeared to have been waiting there for a while.

"Ly, what's taking so long?"

Lyra shrugged her shoulders.

"Lily."

That name was enough for him to understand everything.

"Anyways I ain't got a lecture today, so I'll go hunt for a bit."

"Sure, be safe, alright?"

"You're turning into my mother now?"

They shared a laugh, while Laura naturally joined them, coming from behind.

She wore an SS-ranked augmented suit, one customized to match Emir's suit in design.

"What did I do?"

Emir shook his head.

"Nothing, mom; don't worry about it."

She puffed her cheeks in protest.

"Now you've made me more interested! What is it?"

"Is that kiddo's schtick rubbing off on you?"

"I said stop calling me that!"

Lily finally arrived, and like her mother, she wore Azazel's ring on her finger.

Her augmented suit was designed to look like their academy's uniform.

Her light blue skirt and shirt were accented with gold and green, matching the academy's colors and insignia that displayed itself atop her blazer, which completed the look.

"Shush and go, you'll be late!"

"Whatever!"

Lily nudged his shoulder and entered the cruiser.

"See you guys later."

"Bye, sweetie."

"I'll watch over Prince."

Lyra, Laura, and Emir exchanged casual smiles as they bid him farewell like usual while heading off to the academy.

A few cruisers followed after them and another few joined their front, forming a mini convoy. This scene was lovely to his eyes; his mother and sister were alive, vibrant, and protected...

Yet they were all blissfully unaware of the impending tragedy.

Just as they left the confines of their home, a being descended from the heavens.

The skies, once a calm blue, turned ominous as red clouds gathered.

From the looks of things, the one who had arrived was a Spell Weaver of some kind.

Or they might've been a monster in humanoid form.

But at this moment, none of that mattered.

That being manifested power that eclipsed the sun's fiery surface.

And then, in an instant, the world transformed into a spine-chilling theater.

They unleashed a torrent of Aether that squashed all buildings around the family to a paste.

Then a massive fireball descended, a searing inferno that consumed the scene in a fraction of a moment.

That ball of fire annihilated all in its path.

It reduced everything into ash, mere shadows amidst the roaring flames.

And Emir...

He didn't even have the chance to blink at such a sight.

It was so sudden that it left no room for comprehension.

His eyes saw everything, but his body couldn't move.

It wasn't allowed to move.

So the only thing he could do was watch... and think.

Watch in agonizing slow motion as his family was consumed and turned into dust.

'No... no, no, no, no, no, no, no!'

Something that he never regretted before was now his biggest nightmare.

'Please... just wait...'

As a Celestial, Emir had great eyesight.

'Hey, wait, wait.'

So he could see...

'Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait!'

He could see as their eyes shifted from joy to terror, almost frozen in time as the flames licked

at their very essence.

'Just fucking WAIT!'

The ground they stood on, once solid and familiar...

'No...'

Disintegrated.

Emir remained the only one standing amidst the now desolate landscape, filled with nothing

but charred remnants of life.

He never moved, and his face didn't show ache...

The man was still smiling.

Everything happened that quickly.

'Please... no.'

Slowly, time passed, and a single tear left his right eye.

It evaporated instantly, as the heat kept its mark.

Another tear escaped him.

A few more.

Then a torrent.

But they never dropped.

They couldn't. Emir was not even allowed to cry at his family's passing.

Even when his heart felt the searing pain of loss, aching with the weight of a thousand moons.

His face still showed a smile...

The air began to thicken with the acrid scent of burning memories, each moment eternally

seared into the canvas of his consciousness.

He was gripped-

Whoosh!

Death suddenly knocked on the door.

And the eye no longer existed.

It shattered like glass from the sheer power of it all.

His will... his Aether, damned it forevermore.

"You'll remain as an illusion... Nothing else."

With those words left behind, Emir stepped forward and walked through the remnants of his

truth.

He was once again reminded of the promise fate had kept for him.

Yet.. he was not one to shy away from tragedy.

After all, what kind of fool would kill himself knowing that he was going to die tomorrow?

"Even if I can't avoid the gallows..."

Click.

"I'll choose how to climb the steps."

***

|| ||

|| ||

"...The big guy's kind of cool, huh?"

Isidore sighed at Ignatius's comment.

"Fucking hell, just how is he so paranoid?"

Auric chuckled.

"I know, right? He actually thinks that some Archon will shoot up his family in a drive-by."

Eldritch shrugged.

"Who knows? He's an Order's chosen; such fears are feasible."

"Are they, though?"

Ignatius asked while leaning back on his throne.

"Maybe, maybe not; who knows..."

Isidore answered while adding:

"But if anything, this shows that he plans to go against the Order."

Eldritch nodded.

"Those of our level wouldn't randomly attack ants, so I'm inclined to agree."

Auric agreed as well:

"Right... and he's definitely got plans that go against them in that big head of his."

Ignatius then asked the obvious:

"We're involved in those plans, aren't we?"

Relatively quiet chuckles resounded in the room.

***

"Now then... let's give this Tyrant a little surprise." Emir stepped forward and was welcomed into the abyss.