The Seven Realms - Chapter 2: The Forsaken Land

  Chapter 2: The Forsaken Land

  As they passed through the Forbidden Portal, the three boys--Ananta, Anava(Brother od Asha), and Anavar--were greeted by a

  haunting, desolate world.

  Severed heads and scattered limbs littered the barren ground. Cries of torment echoed in the air. People,

  chained and bruised, dragged

  their broken bodies under the ever-fading light. Among them walked others--corrupted beings--their eyes

  empty, devoid of life, yet their

  limbs moved, twisted by a power darker than death.

  The corrupted looked at the boys but made no move. They felt no danger from them--just three boys, strangers

  to a cursed land. They laughed,

  amused by what they thought was foolishness.

  But the enslaved--the ones still holding on to pieces of their humanity--gasped in disbelief.

  "Why are the boys here? How did they pass the portal?" they whispered, voices trembling with fear and hope.

  Ananta stepped forward, his voice steady and his eyes ablaze with purpose. "I am here to save you. All of

  you."

  A wave of astonishment spread through the chained crowd.

  From among them, a gaunt but defiant man named Saraya stepped forward. "I believe you. Please... save us. It

  was said--fifty, sixty years ago--that someone would come.

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  We waited... we suffered. But we never stopped believing."

  Laughter erupted from the corrupted, echoing like broken bells.

  Ananta turned to Saraya, his gaze unwavering. "I swear to you--I will set you all free."

  Anava stepped forward. "That's the spirit we need. We'll fight this monster together."

  "Saraya, do you know where Kaal resides?" asked Ananta.

  "Yes," Saraya said, pointing to the misty hill ahead. "In the palace on the hill. He is not just powerful--he is a

  force. He commands the Imperials--an army of frozen warriors.

  He draws strength from the Invisible Realm. His sword traps souls, and his powers... some are beyond

  comprehension."

  Ananta nodded solemnly. "Let's go, brothers. When we return, this land will breathe again."

  Saraya pressed his chained hands together in gratitude. "Thank you... for remembering us. For choosing to

  fight."

  With determination burning in their hearts, the boys drank invisibility potions, believing they would be hidden

  for the entire day. But fate was cruel--the magic faded after just 15 minutes.

  The Imperials descended upon them.

  A blade sliced through the air, and Anavar's arm was cut amd fell in the ground.

  Ananta cried out, horrified, "Anavar! Your arm!"

  Rage surged through him. From his hands burst a wave of pulsing silver and pink light--a magical distortion

  born from grief and fury.

  The earth beneath them trembled, and from the dust rose a seven-meter-tall skeleton, summoned from death

  itself. It wielded a Frozen Sword,

  cleaving through the soldiers like shadows.

  "How did you do that?" gasped Anavar, bloodied but alive.

  Ananta shook his head. "I don't know. But it fights for us. And that's enough."

  The palace loomed ahead, its gates dark and cold. Inside, seated upon a jagged throne, was Kaal. His crown

  shimmered with ice, and at his side sat frozen men--unmoving, watching.

  Dozens more sat upon thrones along the palace walls.

  Kaal spoke, his voice echoing through the cold halls. "Children. How did you get in? Who are you? Turn

  back. This is no place for the living."

  Ananta met his gaze. "I am your death."

  Behind him, the skeletal warrior burst from the shadows, slashing into the Imperials.

  Kaal, amused, chuckled. "Very impressive, boy."

  The enemy numbers were immense. Anavar, desperate, gripped a sword like the skeleton's. He charged,

  unleashing a devastating attack. Cursed ice knives burst from the blade--he called it Sword Blaster--and they

  tore through the frozen army.

  Victory was within reach.

  But in a single, breathless moment, it all changed.

  Anava and Anavar collapsed to the ground--lifeless, unmoving.

  Kaal furrowed his brow. "Why... why can't I capture his soul?"

  He roared and struck Ananta, hurling him to the stone floor. Blood pooled beneath him.

  Then Kaal turned his blade to the skeleton, froze it in an instant, and shattered it into pieces.

  Far beyond, in a place untouched by time, Xavier turned to his lord.

  "My lord Nexus, the boy is going to die."

  But Nexus stood firm, his voice heavy with destiny. "Do you think my blood will die that easily?"

  Xavier trembled. "Your son... your son... My lord..."