When Marcus killed Tyler, the prophecy was fulfilled. But to Rhaine’s shock, nothing happened.
She rushed to the site of the battle, fear knotting in her chest. This was supposed to be the end… “I don’t understand,” she finally whispered, her voice tight with dread. She knelt and confirmed both men were dead.
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Alex approached quietly behind her. “Maybe the Church got it wrong,” he said, just as confused. He bent down and picked up the hilt of Marcus’ sword, the only piece that remained. “None of this ever made sense to begin with.”
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Before Rhaine could respond, both bodies began to dissolve. Their flesh, bone, and blood melted into two swirling pools of black liquid. Rhaine stepped back, eyes wide. The puddles lifted into the air, hovering with unnatural grace. Desperate, Rhaine swung her sword, trying to cut through them…. stop it, stop anything, but her blade sliced through without resistance. The masses reformed instantly.
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They were helpless. The two pools began to merge. “…Nope,” Alex muttered, eyes locked on the swirling mass. “They got it right.”
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They weren’t the only ones watching. From the church window, Elle and Melissa looked on. Melissa clutched the windowsill, trembling. “They failed. What… what are we going to do?”
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Elle shook her head slowly, never taking her eyes off Rhaine, Alex, and the dark, merging entity.
“They didn’t fail, Melissa,” she said, her voice calm. “This is just getting started.” Elle stood. “Melissa, I need you to do something for me.”
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Melissa tilted her head. “Yes, Elle?”
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“Rhaine is going to ask you a question soon. You’re going to hear things you’re not ready for—things you think you can’t face. But you must.” Elle paused, then leaned in and whispered something into Melissa’s ear.
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Melissa pulled back, confused. “How do you know all this?”
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“I just do, Melissa. You won’t see me for a while—I have to visit some people. But we’ll meet again.” Elle turned her gaze back to the window. “Stay strong. Don’t give up. Things are going to change for you and the survivors of River Hallow. You can make it… if you stick together.”
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“What? Where are you going? What are you talking about?!” Melissa asked, her voice rising in panic. Outside, the swirling black entity before Rhaine and Alex had begun to shift, taking on a humanoid form.
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Elle didn’t answer. She simply said, “Just remember what I told you, Melissa.” Then she snapped her fingers. The church bell rang for the third and final time. The sound thundered through River Hallow like a shockwave. Windows shattered all across town. Rhaine, Alex, and everyone standing outside were thrown off their feet as the bell—and the entire bell tower—exploded in a violent blast of sacred force.
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The entity before Rhaine screamed in agony as the force of the bell shattered it into countless pieces, scattering them like dust in the wind. When Melissa looked up from the shattered window, Elle was nowhere to be found. Heart pounding, Melissa hurried outside. She rushed to Rhaine, who was slowly pushing herself back to her feet. “Elle said… it was just starting,” Melissa said, her voice trembling.
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Rhaine scanned the area. There was no sign of the entity, no trace of the monstrous form that had stood before them. “When the Usher and the Harbinger unite, the Age of Annihilation follows in their wake,” she said quietly, her thoughts spinning. Something was wrong, very wrong. She kept replaying events in her mind, trying to understand where things had gone off course. One thought kept rising to the surface. “Melissa,” she said, her tone shifting, “there’s something about what you said regarding Marcus… something doesn’t sit right with me.”
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“I told you everything that happened,” Melissa replied, genuinely confused. “I swear, I was honest.”
Rhaine’s eyes narrowed, not in anger, but in deep suspicion.
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“Then tell me again. How did you stop Marcus from killing Orion?”
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Melissa paused, "It was something that Orion gave me, an expulsion…" Melissa realized what Rhaine was suspecting, and she agreed. The words that Elle whispered to her made sense, "Save Orion."
---
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The trial had been a sham, justice twisted into a farce. Orion slowly got back to his feet. He had served the Church, served the Creator, and now, in his final moments, both had turned their backs on him.
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What had started as pain in his leg now consumed his entire body. The infection had ravaged him, pushing him to the brink of collapse. He stood trembling, dressed only in his thin undergarments, fever burning through him like fire. It felt as if his brain were boiling inside his skull. The guards held him upright as he slumped against their arms, his body no longer able to stand on its own.
“I want to say something…” Orion rasped, barely finding the strength to speak.
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Grandfather Lewiston, impatient and disgusted, snapped, “Stop stalling.”
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Orion tried to speak again—but instead, blood poured from his mouth. He doubled over and vomited blood onto the floor. Again and again, he retched, until the crimson pool spread beneath him.
There was no need for execution.
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---
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After being cast into the night air by the magical force of the exploding church bell, the liquid entity was hurled away from River Hallow. It surged through the sky like a living shadow, no longer tethered to its previous vessel. Though Tyler and Marcus had destroyed each other, Marcus had managed to reclaim control of himself after the bell rang. In doing so, he rendered his body—his vessel—unfit to birth Annihilation.
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Now, the entity raced through the forest, drawn by an unseen force, guided to another. Trees splintered and toppled in its path. Winterfawn was caught off guard when the storm of darkness reached her. “No!” she cried, as she and her animal companions were thrown like leaves in a gale. The dark magic raked across her body, searing into her skin. She collapsed, screaming, blood trailing down the fresh scars torn across her face. When the darkness passed, Winterfawn staggered to her feet, clutching her side. “It is no longer safe for us here,” she said to her trembling companions. “We must move south. Now.”
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The entity raced on, faster and faster, answering the call of the force that beckoned it forward.
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---
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"An Expulsion Rite," Rhaine said. She and Melissa exchanged dreadful glances. "We need to send the fastest rider we have to Trendell—immediately!" she ordered. She turned to get her horse, but Alex stepped in her path.
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"Talk to me, Commander," he said, his tone serious—there was no trace of his usual humor. "Where are you going?"
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"I release you from your service, Alex. You don’t have to follow us anymore." Her voice was strained. She needed him—he had become an integral part of the group—but what she had to do now was something else entirely. "I think I know where the Entity went," she added, turning to face him. "But I’m not going to ask you to come. You should find somewhere to hide someplace safe. You, Jirjin, the rest of your former bandits... all of you."
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"That’s a tender sentiment," Alex replied, stepping closer, "but that’s not going to happen. So talk to me, Rhaine."
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Rhaine took a step back. She could barely keep herself together. "The Expulsion Rite… the fever and infection Orion had after his battle with Marcus... A piece of Annihilation infected him." She paused, the words catching in her throat. "I'm a fool for not seeing it sooner. And in my stupidity…"
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Alex blinked. Then it hit him.
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Rhaine spoke before he could. "I sent the Destroyer to our home."
---
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The Entity found the city of Trendell. It tore through the streets, cutting down everyone in its path as it made its way to the cathedral. Inside, the congregation recoiled in disgust. Orion lay face down in a pool of his own blood, having emptied his stomach moments before. He blinked slowly, somehow still alive but the light within him was fading fast.
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Then, all the stained glass windows exploded inward. Wind howled as the Entity stormed inside, shards of glass slicing through pews, robes, and flesh. Screams erupted. The darkness had arrived.
The Entity moved with purpose. It found Orion and lifted him into the air. Where blood had once pumped through his body, the Entity now poured in, flooding him. A mass of black, slime-like tendrils wrapped around his limbs, absorbing into him like smoke sinking into skin. Constance, Lewiston, and the rest of the congregation were trapped inside. A dark barrier now coated the doors and windows, oozing and pulsing. When one man got too close, the barrier reached out and seized him, pulling him in and devouring him where he stood. Orion was lowered gently to the ground, his body now host to something else entirely.
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He opened his eyes. Lewiston gasped in horror. Orion’s eyes were pitch black. The red lines of infection that once scarred his flesh were gone replaced by deep, unnatural darkness. His leg wound no longer festered with pus, but with rotting, dead flesh. Slowly, Orion stepped forward, toward Grandfather Lewiston.
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"All hear the gospel of Annihilation."
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