Time felt so… fake after that day.

Chell awoke, his heart at ease with Harper next to him. Cunei wasn't present, but that was normal for the former leader. She went on her own quite often. Harper was hopeful they'd find other Incantatori out there, but Chell didn't hold his breath. He also considered the possibility that one day Cunei wouldn't return.

They had no idea what caused all of the other Incantatori to lose their magic.

There was one thing that was certain: Chell had inadvertently saved both he and Harper's lives that night. Avalon protected them, shielded them from whatever curse struck their brethren. It hurt that so many lives were lost. Tens of thousands. All gone in a single, horrible night.

"Chell!"

The cat snapped to, his head whipping to face Harper. His companion placed a trembling paw on his cheek. "I… are you okay?" asked Harper.

"Y-Yeah, are you?"

"Not really."

The pair remained in silence for a moment before Harper found his voice. "I had a dream. I think it was a prophecy… It felt so real. As if Lord Cievo was whispering his divine plan into my very soul."

Chell didn't like how shaken up his partner was. Regardless, he found his words easier than Harper had. "What was it?"

"It was a long long time from now. Longer than either of us could truly conceive. A meteor comes from the distant stars, and then nothing."

"Nothing?"

"Nothing. Everyone gone in an instant. Us, the giants, the humans. All gone."

Silence. They sat in the middle of the woods, unsure of what to do with that information. The wind tousled the trees. The sun shone on as it always had. Life marched on despite the weight of the world on these two tiny cats.

"Do you still want to connect everyone in the world with magic?" Chell questioned.

Harper raised his gaze. "Of course! I think… if we can do that, we can solve any problem. It is magic after all." Even if things were bleak, Harper was still Chell's north star--his guiding light.

"You think we'd get to see such a future?" Chell wondered.

It wasn't a far-fetched question to consider. They were young, yes, but they were still connected to the source. For beings of magic like themselves, biological death did not exist.

Magical death on the other hand…

"We should eat," Harper decided. He closed his eyes and cast.

"Pasto per due, Moderato."

In a poof of smoke, a pair of plates appeared with hot, fresh food for them. The duo ate in silence, both counting their blessings they still had access to magic. Without the ability to will a meal into existence, neither was certain how they'd even survive.

After consuming their food, the two moved on. Cunei always had a way of locating them, so neither cat concerned themselves with leaving her behind.

This world felt… abandoned. There were other creatures around, though their sapience was a different story. Compared to the two of them, these animals were basic biological machines. They hunted for sustenance, found mates to reproduce, and that was it. They didn't study the stars or puzzle out the greater wisdom contained within leylines. They just ate, slept, mated, and died.

As such, Chell and Harper found themselves on the receiving end of some attempted predation--larger creatures who thought the two small cats an easy meal.

How wrong they were. Even without their magic, Harper and Chell were nimble, efficient predators in their own right. Larger birds swooped down on them, ready to enjoy an easy kill, when in reality, it was the attacker who became lunch.

Fellow quadrupeds tried their luck against the two magically endowed cats, only to end up running away whining with claw marks decorating their forms.

Days passed like this and the two became excellent physical fighters. After all, they didn't know if their magic would one day leave them, like it did their brethren.

Speaking of--Cunei vanished one day without a trace. She left as usual, but never returned to the pair. At first, they held out hope for her to rejoin them, but as they traveled further and further away from where they last met with her, the more that seemed like wishful thinking.

It hurt.

She was one of them.

One of possibly the last Incantatori.

It was hard to consider her gone just like that.

Regardless, the two marched on. They had no destination in mind. The only thing they sought was company in one another. The were together. That's all that mattered.

…

…

…

Even that wasn't meant to last.

That morning was one Chell would remember for the rest of his existence.

He awoke alone. All alone. "H-harper?" he squeaked. Fear gripped his heart instantly. Something was wrong. Horribly wrong.

On instinct, he cast. "Rilevare l'intenzione, Lento."

Hostile presences, grouped up in the clearing ahead. Harper wasn't around, but Chell felt it in his fur and ran at the group anyway.

A small cluster of bipedal wolves turned to see the small cat run up to them.

In one of their paws was a limp body, steadily fading into the magic that formed his body.

"H-harper…?" Tears streamed down Chell's face as he watched his best friend, the love of his life become nothing more than a crystal.

"There's the second one," spoke one of the giants. "Good, kill it and we can get its crystal," ordered another one.

The threat was unheard by the threatened. Chell's ears rang so loudly the entire world was drowned out with tinnitic shock. The cat saw red, blood red. His heart pounded, his fur stood on end, his claws dug into the dirt.

What left the cat's maw next was not that of an Incantatori, but an emissary of rage incarnated. "Infranto Barriera del Suono, Ultrissimo," growled the cat. Before his attackers could even twitch, he vanished. In his wake, the very fabric of sound itself snapped.

Ghastly screams followed the rupture of the sound barrier, as the wolves yowled, thrown off their feet, blood spraying from their ears.

Suffer. They needed to suffer.

"Artemis Arktoi, Ultrissimo."

The ground began to shake and was torn asunder as wood began to sprout from the dirt. The wood groaned and cracked as it was subjugated into huge quadrupedal forms. The massive wooden bears that budded from the ground stomped around their summoner, moving not like plants, but like apex predators. "Restrain them," snarled Chell.

The summons moved with perfect obedience and grabbed the killers, keeping their arms firmly held. No matter how the wolves struggled, the bears didn't flinch--unfeeling, cold constructs of magic.

"Why?!" Chell barked.

The giants could not hear anything, Chell's first spell having destroyed their eardrums.

"Tch," the cat spat, barring his fangs. "La Bella Vita, Lento Tutti."

He healed the first one, who breathed hard, now freed from his pain, but not his restraints.

"Why?" Chell repeated his earlier question.

The wolf snarled at the cat like the uncivilized beast that he was.

"Wrong answer." Chell closed his eyes. "Scintilla di Civiltà, Ultrissimo."

The next that the cat opened his mouth, a stream of fire melted the giant, his agonized screech slowly fading as he turned to pure ash, scattered with the wind. The bear that restrained him was untouched by the display.

For those who remained, even if they couldn't hear anymore, knew they were not going to best this cat the same way they did the first one.

"Talk!" Chell demanded.

Body language was enough to get the order across.

"I-It was the human!" "He had blond hair!" "Crazy robes with like gold trimming!" "He carried a old looking sword!"

Chell digested the information as his hateful gaze studied the wolves. They didn't appear to be lying.

"He said he wanted the crystals from you two!" "We thought they were with your stuff!"

That was all the information he needed. He picked up the crystal that was once Harper in his mouth and moved it into a bag strapped to his side.

"Kill them. Slowly," Chell ordered of his summons.

As the shrieks of pain and horror filled the forest, Chell moved on. He had to find this swordsman. Whoever they were crossed the wrong cat.

If Chell had lost track of time before Harper's death, the concept was entirely foreign to him now. The only thing that mattered was finding the man who ordered his friend's death. He asked anyone and everyone he crossed paths with if they had seen the mysterious swordsman. Information was scarce, especially when the giants continuously attacked him.

He wasn't malicious. If they attacked first, he ended them with brutal and ruthless efficency.

Word soon spread of a cat who wielded magic of the gods. Fear began to grip the giant populations and many eyed him with fear or wariness.

His reputation didn't matter. All that mattered was his revenge. The swordsman had to die. The cowardly fool who couldn't even bloody his own hands.

It could have been months, or even years, but finally, Chell found a lead.

"A human sword wielder? Yeah, I saw one like that. He was headed to the next town over. It's about a day walk from here."

Chell ran in the direction he was pointed. Even if it was a lie, he wanted to believe he was close to the end of his quest. Once the swordsman was dead, he too could pass on.

Thankfully his magic had yet to fail him, as he boosted his running speed far past what his body could achieve on its own. The world around him blurred as he considered what he would do when he reached his target. He had an entire library of spells in his mind ready to inflict maximum violence on its intended target.

Finally, he found his quarry.

A blond haired man walked down the dirt path, white robes with the starry night sky painted up his pant legs and sleeves. The distinctive gold trim was was described. As he turned to face the rapidly approaching cat, he held a sword, chipped and marred by time.

That was all Chell needed to see.

"Fulmine de Zeus, Ultrissimo!" A bolt of lightning fired from the cat at the man, the divine bolt of heavenly electricity roared at its target, positioned to kill.

With a flick of his sword, the man deflected the bolt as if it was a common arrow.

Chell did not falter. "Scintilla di Saggezza, Ultrissimo!" The cat accelerated further as time slowed around him. He chained another spell. "Veleno Protonante, Ultrissimo!" From his maw he spat a stream of purple, corrosive liquid.

The swordsman dodged, even despite Chell operating at the speed of lightning. He landed in front of the man and launched another spell. "Dalla Culla Della Vita, Ultrissimo!" His eyes glowed as he scanned his adversary. Any weakness, any vulnerability would be bright as day under the scrutiny of this spell.

Yet…

"N-none…?" Chell's momentum was entirely halted. No matter how much he tried to force the spell to work its magic, it revealed no weaknesses, no vulnerability in the mysterious swordsman.

"Little Chell, that spell only works on those who were born," the swordsman finally spoke.

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

The cat flipped back, avoiding the blade that was thrust at his heart.

Now it was the swordsman's turn to go on the offensive. Chell hopped back and back and back. Avoiding swing after swing. He could feel it. That blade was dangerous. It looked as if it would crumble apart at any moment. Appearances were deceiving. The magic radiating from that weapon--it was old, primordial even. One stroke removed Chell's tail.

"AUGH!" The cat yowled. It was already too late for Avalon to be able to help him--plus he didn't want to sully Harper's memory with a bloody battle. "La Bella Vita, Lento!" He shouted through the pain. While the healing spell couldn't restore his tail, it stopped the bleeding and pain.

"Come now, surely this isn't the best the Incantatori have to offer!" the man jeered.

The taunt worked, only fueling the fire in his heart. He wasn't going to uselessly fling spells at the man; he was skilled. Skilled enough to deflect ultimate magic. Chell considered his options--of which one one remained. A spell with such destructive force he only made it for a situation like this: a foe who couldn't be beaten by ordinary power, and required the ultimate sacrifice.

"La Fine di una--!"

SHLICK!

His eyes went wide. How?! He didn't even see the man move, but the result was clear; before Chell could finish casting, he had been run through. The blade pierced his chest, rending bone, slicing organs. It penetrated the crystal that dwelt deep within his body. His very soul cracked under the pressure of the otherworldly weapon.

"Any last wishes? This sword can end them you know," said the man, driving the blade deeper into the cat.

Chell could feel his life starting to fade. He put a paw on the blade, but his strength was rapidly abandoning him. He slipped on his own blood and managed to raise his head to look at the man who killed him. Breathing hurt, talking more so; regardless, he found the strength, the fury to speak his mind.

"Last wishes?" Chell coughed. The taste of copper dripped past his fangs and claws scraped uselessly against the reddened steel. "Do I have any last wishes?" His breathing was heavy yet shallow, each expansion of his lungs only sending new waves of agony through his ragged body. He trembled with every movement, like each muscle was desperately flailing to recapture his fleeing life. But none of that mattered. Two things remained steady. Chell's eyes, pupils narrowed into blades, cut into the self-satisfied human and refused to move. And his voice. Whether it was the lonely magic of his soul or the ice of his fury, something chained each note of his voice to a smooth and dangerous timbre.

"Darkness. And quiet. These will be my final wishes. A black so thick and suffocating that you forget the sky has stars. A silence so pervasive and persistent that it trembles through your marrow and leaves you desperate to hear your own blood dripping to the filthy dirt," Chell hissed. His claws still failed to find purchase on the blade, so he pushed forward. The edge cut further into flesh, but he didn't care. Harper was gone and his greatest pain wasn't physical.

"May quiet moments never feel calm to this world again. May silence only remind you and your kin of the monsters living under your skin. May every living thing learn to chew and to bite. May every soul on this planet suffer sleepless nights less they wake to corpses they once loved," Chell growled. With every word he kept pushing. With every word his body swallowed just a little more of the blade, until his claws curled around the hilt and he began to pull, accepting the sword in its entirety as he cursed its hideous wielder.

"You. You cruel, selfish, small creature. You want to know what my final wishes are? They are to hollow you out. To carve joy from your body like the meat of a rotten fruit and to leave the remaining husk in the quiet and the dark. To poison everything you love and turn it against you. To shove your face in the mud of the world you think you own and show you nothing but a violent, ragged body. I wish for you and your friends, and everyone you rule to be hated by the earth and the sky and everything with teeth. For your people to be grist in the mill of a violent world." Chell felt the darkness creeping in. But he was hate. He was alone and he always would be, and all he had left was hate. Enough to terrify his oncoming death for just a few more breaths. A few more bites at the world that murdered a good cat.

"May you live long enough to feel as empty as I do, and then may you drown in your bile as you realize what you have wrought. My last wishes are for darkness, and quiet, and suffering." Chell let the final words fall from his mouth like poison, and then he let the world fade away.

The next sound that graced Chell's ears was an unfamiliar clacking, similar to an abacus, yet distinctly foreign.

He couldn't feel his body. It was numb. Only his hearing remained. However, with enough focus, he managed to regain his sight.

This didn't help matters.

The cat found himself in a room, made of materials he couldn't place. A table sat before him, a large flat panel of some kind sitting atop, connected by thin strings to a rectangle that lay flat.

What appeared to be a human sat his opposite. His eyes were focused on the standing panel emitting some kind of light from the side facing him.

"There you are," the human spoke gently, turning his attention to the cat. "You've made quite the mess now, didn't you?"

"What… happened to me?" asked Chell.

"Ah, blind rage. The classic. I suppose we should start from the top." The man reached down and pulled up some kind of thin rectangle, shaped like a card.

Chell's eyes widened. The picture of the man was displayed, and under in runic text was "Cievo"

"L-lord Cievo?!" gasped the feline.

He released the identification card, the string attached to the top of it instantly pulling it back down, out of sight. "Indeed. I manage the world of Riterra, and my goodness you caused a spot of trouble."

So much was happening all at once, the poor cat didn't know what to do. His gaze moved anywhere but away from god's scrutiny.

Cievo was a patient diety, and allowed the mortal's mind to catch up with reality. Right as Chell went to speak, Cievo spoke.

"You're not entirely to blame. Sahji was always a wild child. He can't help himself when he finds something interesting. Unfortunately, his pranks have gone a bit too far this time. I'm afraid I can't fix this even with divine intervention. In fact, it's quite impressive."

Chell simply stared, if he could feel his face he knew he would be wearing a look of incredulity.

"Do you remember your last words?" quizzed Cievo.

"I… don't remember much of anything," admitted the cat.

"You cursed it."

Chell was confused.

"The entirety of Riterra has been irreversibly cursed. It's mere seeds for now, but one day the seeds will take root and doom the planet."

Bits and pieces returned to him. He had been killed, and in his dying breath he--

"Okay!" Cievo clapped. "So here's your job (welcome to the company, by the way). I need you to manage two systems, both of which you made."

"My systems? The Ultimate magic system, right?"

"That is one, yes. The other are the Scherzando. According to my current calculations, they should start hatching in about 8000 years or so. Pretty soon. I'll make sure you have access to everything you need to manage them, but they can't be turned off, so you're going to need to tweak their settings every so often to ensure they stay well-managed. Got it?"

"Not really I--"

"Don't sweat the details! Like I said, you have about 8000 years to learn the ins and outs of the system, you'll be a pro by the time they start hatching."

Chell wasn't sure what to say. He looked around, taking in the whole lot of nothing that this box contained. Four walls, the table, the rectangles. There were some photos hung up. Small humans--a girl with big red bird wings, another with yellow dragon wings, a blue one with a scowl and a reptilian tail. There were seven such of these pictures.

"That spell you made, Frutteto del l'Avalon. It's quite the work of art," spoke Cievo.

"Th-thank you…" Chell managed to feel himself blush despite not feeling much else. It felt good when god themselves told you they liked your work.

"So there is one problem," Cievo suddenly spoke. "Incantatori, they're extinct."

That… hurt.

He knew it to be true, but hearing it from the creator of everything still hurt. Chell went to ask the obvious question.

"No, sadly. Once a species is extinct, divine intervention can't touch it. Company policy and all that." Cievo smirked. "That doesn't mean those living on the planet can't do something about it," he chuckled.

"I can offer you something new for your replacement body, however. Think of it as compensation for Sahji's fooling around."

Chell didn't like how his brutal death was being referred to like a prank. "Are you going to make me into a giant?" questioned the cat.

"No, not a Natural, not at all. Think of this like a cross between a human and a Natural. I'd tell you what they're called, but that's still in development. All I need you to do is sign this NDA and we'll be set."

A stack of papers titled "Non-Disclosure Agreement" was pushed in front of the bodyless cat.

"All you have to do is think about signing them and it will be done," Cievo clarified.

"What is all this?" wondered Chell warily.

"Right, standard NDA, you are bound by divine law to not show yourself or speak of your current form until such a time that they arrive on the planet. At such time you are free to do however you wish and this agreement is null and void. Pretty simple, no strings attached."

"What about magic?" was the next question on his mind.

"Right, given the circumstances behind your ascension to Ethereal status, you'll have your choice of an element. There's many to choose from. You'll also have access to the full suite of spells of that element." Cievo's fingers tapped rapidly against the flat rectangle. "Oh, any utility spells you have learned up until this point will be at your disposal. A bit of a downgrade, I'll admit, but as an Ethereal you'll have no need to eat or sleep to maintain your form. You can still do those activities if you wish, it's not just mandatory. Additionally, should your new body be destroyed, you'll just wind up back here and I can poof you back down to Riterra, though there is a small waiting period while we gather up the appropriate resources to remake you."

"So I'm immortal?"

"Functionally."

"Because I cursed the planet you said?"

"I prefer to think of it as making you take responsibility for your actions."

"What if I choose not to manage it?"

"Well that'd make things quite boring."

"How so?"

Cievo leaned on his desk folding his hands in front of him. "I doubt you want to live on a dead rock."

The weight of those words were chilling. "O-okay…"

With that permission given, Chell's paw print appeared on the stack of papers. The last time he'd ever use that signature.

"Good luck!"

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.