The Last Words of Zanoh, Champion of the Goddess:
“Fate hath been unkind to thee, Chosen of the Goddess. Loyal to the one thou cherished dearly, only to find thyself laying upon the end of thy mortal coil. Thine eyes tell it so, thou art not long for this world,” said a voice from the shadows as the sound of hollow footsteps echo amongst the rain.
Zanoh wearily opened his eyes, his vision clouded and fading. He could barely make the apparition that approached from afar, but as the figure neared, his body tensed. Even though he lay dying, his spirit still held strong, defiant, and ever valiant.
When his mouth cleared the congealed blood that blocked his throat, he gave leave to speak freely. “You...I know your face,” he said weakly.
“As ought thou should, for thy journey hath been fraught with malice. Noble Zanoh, valiant warrior, thy deeds sing the odyssey of the Goddess and her misaligned quest to rid the worlds of mortal’s evils,” the apparition, a masked entity, spoke as it found itself mere feet away; looking down upon the mortally wounded champion.
Zanoh, struggling to look to the apparition, responded curtly, “Do not speak ill of my Goddess, monster. I won’t allow her name to be tainted by the likes of you; you, who hath been banished for your malcontent and being! The one called Kain, the cursed item of power, void incarnate.”
“Ah, ‘tis good fortune thou knoweth of what fate hath made my being. Surely, thou hath an inkling of why fate decreed us meet in such affair”, Kain responded, as if in jest to torment the dying champion.
“I know not why you live accursed creature, or what foul machinations you plot, but I swear upon my blade and to my last breath I will strike you down”, Zanoh said defiantly.
“Bold words, champion, one fitting if thou art able to wield thy blade. Nay, ‘tis plain that thou lack the means to bring sustenance to thy hollow of words to smite my being. Fate, cruel mistress she be, hath spun her yarns, one that led thy fading coil upon my steps. A parting gift to thee, Goddess’ cherished champion, thou shalt serve me, and be consumed as my vessel; thy service relinquished to the Void.”
Hearing this Zanoh’s eyes widened, “No...I will not abandon my faith and my love to the Goddess to the likes of you! I will not become your puppet and aid in the destruction of the one I love. I will not let you, monster! I-,” Zanoh coughed as more blood would block his throat, stirred by the taunts of Kain.
“Defiant to the end, a noble warrior indeed. Yet thy love hath blinded thee to what is and what shall be. Thou asketh me by what measure I still live. ‘Tis quite simply the self-same reason that married thy corpse upon this ground; the mercy of the Goddess and her pining to life’s endless cruelties. O’ Irony, twin sister of fate, that by the nature of the Goddess be her destruction and the boon to the Void. Noble Zanoh, verily thou shalt fade into oblivion, and become one with my being. The void shalt be forged, and woe befall thy lover for the fated reunion that shall be her end,” Kain proselytised as Zanoh could feel his life fading.
Zanoh tried to respond, but felt his body give way. His head lay upon the damp earth and looked up to the darkened heavens, as the sky shed her endless tears upon his body. He could feel the drops attempt to cleanse blood coated face, a small comfort of what awaited him. His eyes could not help but join the heaven’s choir in sharing tears of his own, “My Goddess...forgive me, I have thrice failed you; as a man, as a warrior, and as a lover. If fate decrees us to meet once more, I beseech you to free me from this monster and live, even if it costs me my own being.”
With the last ounce strength that he could muster, Zanoh turns his head slowly to Kain, and defiant to the end, declared upon his foe, “It is as you say...I am not long for this world, abomination. However, to my last, I spite thee. Your hollowed words have not shattered my faith and love to the one whom I hold dear. Though you will claim and defile my body to your twisted ends, you will never have the satisfaction or right to claim victory over my soul. To the end, I will die the man whom the mask of power consumed, and not the monster that you will make me become.”
Those last words were what escaped the once proud warrior, as all around him faded into black.