HIIISSSSSSSSSSSSP….

  “Urgh… Huh? Whu-Whuuuu???” Magnus’s former Keeper turned ‘traitor’, Lero, huffed in a dazed and exhausted, confused-state after the heavily secured doors to his small, dark, and DAMP holding cell suddenly ‘slid open’.

  Funneling inside of the holding cell immediately were the four Voltairan Knights, who guarded the entrance.

  Stepping in after the Knights was Emperor Voltair, who bore a demented grin on his flawless face.

  “Grandest greetings, Lero… MY DEAR OLD FRIEND!” the grand emperor blasted in sickened glee at the Rannukan, who looked directly at him through his partially swollen, severely bruised eyes.

  “Ugh… Auh-Alix… Alixandr,” Lero croaked as one of the Voltairan Knights stepped towards him angrily.

  “YOU ARE TO REFER TO THE HOLY EMPEROR BY HIS OFFICIAL ROYAL TITLE, YOU THRACKING TRAITOR!!!” the Voltairan Knight blared in Lero’s pulverized face.

  Holding up his right palm, Emperor Voltair smirked, “Tis quite alright, Soldier. I take ‘no offense’… At least, not ‘yet’. Heh, heh…”

  Approaching Lero, Emperor Voltair now looked up at him with narrowed eyes.

  “Urgh… Wuh-What do you want?” Lero grunted whilst dangling lifelessly above the ground before the Royal Head of the Voltairan Empire.

  “He is gone, Lero.” Emperor Voltair informed crudely. “Your boy… The Oath-Breaker… MAGNUS. He is now gone from this world… FOREVER.”

  Scrunching his scaly brow in confusion, Lero huffed, “Huh? What? Nuh-No. No, no. You… You lie.”

  “No. I do not ‘lie’ to you, old friend. I speak only the truth. THE BREAKER OF WORLDS IS DEAD. Killed by Braako and the other remaining Galactic Deciders… As well planet Rannuk. Heh, heh, heh…”

  “WHAT?”

  “You heard me correctly, Lero. Magnus… ALONG WITH YOUR HOMEWORLD are both gone…. THRACKING GONE.”

  With his eyes still widened and chest feeling incredibly tight, Lero could not believe his ears.

  “If it brings you any ‘peace’, I must tell you that I did not order the ‘breaking of Rannuk’,” Emperor Voltair revealed. “‘TWAS COMMANDING-LEADER BRAAKO… And the other Galactic Deciders who took it upon themselves in a ‘last ditch effort’ to extinguish Magnus’s life-force… OF WHICH THEY SUCCESSFULLY THRACKING COMPLETED.”

  Seeing the visible ‘sadness’ in Lero’s nearly swollen shut eyes and upon his badly battered, scaly face, Emperor Voltair continued, “I know that it must ‘hurt you’, old friend. Knowing that your home world… And nearly the WHOLE ENTIRETY OF YOUR SPECIES be ‘no more’… ALONG WITH YOUR TRAITOROUS COHORT.”

  The Rannukan then dropped his head deadly in anguish whilst the emperor jabbed, “Lero… Do you remember when you told me that Magnus would ‘come for me’? Do you???”

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  Lero remained silent as Emperor Voltair continued, “Well, I guess you were wrong… DEAD WRONG! HA-HA-HA!!!!”

  Whilst the grand emperor laughed ravenously, Lero lowered his brow and asked, “Did… Did you see his vessel?”

  “What?” Emperor Voltair huffed upon halting his laughter.

  “His vessel… DID YOU SEE IT?”

  “Though it be none of your thracking concern, I suppose that I shall oblige you with an answer since your WHOLE HOME WORLD now be OBLITERATED… No. I did not see ‘the Oath-Breaker’s’ Vessel. For it was…”

  “THEN HOW DO YOU KNOW MAGNUS NO LONGER LIVES???”

  Eyes widened now, Emperor Voltair was at a loss for words whilst Lero continued to press, “You still ‘feel’ him… DON’T YOU, ALIXANDR??? Way deep down, somewhere inside of your wicked… TWISTED thracking frame you still feel Magnus’s ‘life-force energy’... HIS PRESENCE.”

  Voltair now had a slight ‘panicky’ look on his face as the Rannukan further dug, “If Magnus were dead… If he were TRULY dead then you would have felt a ‘release’, Alixandr. A release of emotion that you have kept locked away since the very start of this thracking cursed ‘Grand Plan’ of yours.”

  “Suh-Silence,” Emperor Voltair ordered in a shaky, ‘fear-riddled’ tone.

  “You know that I speak the truth, Alixandr,” Lero stated firmly. “Do not try to den--”

  “I SAID, SILENCE!!!!!”

  Giving the Rannukan a hateful glare, Emperor Voltair stated, “I originally came down here with the means to tell you of ‘the Oath-Breaker’s’ demise… But now that you have ‘upset’ me I come before you with VERY different means.”

  “Go on, you thrack… Threaten me all that you wish,” Lero fearlessly goaded. “I do not care. Not anymore. As you have just told me, my home world is gone… MY RACE IS GONE… But not Magnus. No. No, no, NO. Magnus still lives. Heh. Heh, heh… HE STILL LIVES! HA-HA! And he is coming for you, Alixandr! HE IS COMING!!! HA-HA-- AGH!!!”

  Delivering a ‘spearing front jab’ strike to the middle of Lero’s abdomen, the Rannukan let out a grand big gust of oxygen from his lungs whilst the emperor drew back his right fist once more.

  Glaring up at Lero, Emperor Voltair stated, “TONIGHT-CYCLE, after I have commended the Galactic Deciders for their ‘grand defeat’ over ‘the Oath-Breaker’ before the public masses, I shall have you taken out of your cell… STRIPPED and taken above on the surface of MY WORLD where shall be paraded through the streets, beaten, cursed, and finally… EXECUTED before the eyes of all. You shall live no more, Lero. Your time of existence is at an end… A FINAL END!!!”

  “Huff… Huff… Auh-And so is yours… Alixandr,” Lero said between breathless pants as the emperor continued to glare at him. “Huff… Huff… Huff… You… You just do not realize it yet. Huff… Huff… Or maybe you do? Heh. Heh, heh… Ugh… Gugh…”

  Narrowing his eyes, Emperor Voltair wanted to attack Lero even more, but he chose to turn his back and exit his holding cell… FOR HIS END WOULD COME SOON ENOUGH.