Written By: Epicstu Wyyvernwriter

During the course of our battle to save Tesra, a multitude of Searl’s ships had entered the planet’s atmosphere. I, Freahira, alongside Tesra’s Leon Aventis, Necromancer, and Soothslayer had managed to hold the citadel for a time. We fought hard, but a loss seemed inevitable. At least until Searl’s forces suddenly vanished without a trace. It was finally over. I looked around at the handy work of my old life and saw the pain Searl had caused. A new war within me began to rage. I helped them rebuild and I cared for the wounded and dying, but I still could not look upon my own face. They called me a Knight of Edward, but I doubted I deserved the title. As time went on and I grew older, unable to cope with my past transgressions, I turned to prayer, but received no answers. Where had he gone? What halted Searl’s advance? Was the long war of the two Gods finally over? If so, who won?

*          *

The silence was the first to break, “Behold!” Edward recognized Searl’s voice immediately as the darkness broke with blinding light. “Your God!” he found himself in a coliseum. The crowd was silent. As his eyes adjusted Edward saw his believers lining the stands held prisoner by Searl’s guard and forced to watch whatever Searl had planned. “Today in his own Realm, created to protect those loyal to him, Edward Michael Dimir will suffer and he will die.” Searl’s guards cheered excitedly as Searl made his speech. Zesrial stood at his side, chained and powerless to do anything against him. “Look behind you, Fennec, and you shall know a taste of what is to come. 

Edward did and wept as he saw Heaven’s Warpriests, Leonidas and Snow, bloodied and chained to pillars on either side of his own Warpriest, Pip, also bloodied and chained. “I am sorry, my Lord,” Pip gurgled blood as he fought to produce words. “We tried.”

Edward’s sorrow turned to wrath as a growl grew under his breath, “behold the wrath of the Fennec false God!” Searl laughed. His loyal followers laughed with him as he floated down slowly and proudly basking in his own self righteous glory. “What are you going to do about it?” he questioned as he landed face to face with Edward grinning at his growl. “Go on then, I shall allow you the first blow,” he taunted with confidence.

“Kick his ass!” Leonidas cheered. “We believe in youaaaahhh!” all three of the Warpriests’ flesh began to boil as Searl’s light silenced the Spartan’s hopeful cheers.

“Iron! Ram!” Edward fell to his knees onto the hot dry dirt covered ground. He had put all of his might into that, yet his legendary attack had done nothing to Searl’s bare forehead.

“Come here,” Searl chuckled as he lifted Edward up off the ground and with a headbutt sent him flying into Pip’s pillar. Searl held out his hand and Edward was pulled to his grasp. Holding him by the neck Searl punched Edward down hard to the ground, put a boot to his chest, and began whaling upon his face with furious blows from his bare fists. Then, grabbing him by the tail, Searl smacked Edward against the ground over and over again before throwing him hard against the wall at the other end of the stadium. Though Heaven’s tears fell, her rain could not fall upon Searl’s bright and sunny day as he broke Edward’s bones, bruised his flesh, burnt off his fur, and bloodied his face in a brutish and unrelenting spectacle of superior physical might. Punching Edward against the walls of the stadium, Searl stood in the arena’s center pulling Edward back to him only to punch him into the stadium walls again and again laughing as he did. Defeated, Edward tried to force himself back to his feet, but, “you want more, huh?” Searl grabbed him by the ears dragged him to ever so slightly elevated ground and stomped his face into the curb there. Then lifting Edward up off the ground once more, Searl tore his bottom jaw from his face and dropped him. Edward landed on his knees, so Searl struck him across the face with his own bottom jaw before discarding it so that he would fall down. “Oh, mighty Blizzard, where is your frostbite now?”

“Edward. Please. Get up,” he could hear Zesrial’s voice call out to him, so he did.

“Why, Fennec?” Searl questioned, laughing in disbelief. “Why stand? You have lost. You cannot even speak. Why won’t you just die?” Edward only glared at Searl in response with unrelenting determination in his eyes. “As you wish,” from the ground arose a wooden cross. With a mere wave of his hand, spikes of iron nailed Edward to it“Take your time, Fennec. Oh, and while you hang there dying is there anything you’d like to say to your believers before you become mine forever? Any last words to your Heaven, before I claim you both?” Searl put an open hand to his ear, “I’m listening,” he taunted. Then Edward responded with incomprehensible words under gurgling blood.