Kingdoms #14 - Ruins

As Rey was heading home, after weeks of absence, escorted by 100 of Vera’s soldiers, they saw a dark thick smoke coming up from the capitol, as they got closer it seemed clearer - it was the palace, it’s burning.

“N-No… what.. what’s going on”, Rey said, holding tight the strings of his grasshopper.

“We have to go back”, the leader of Vera’s soldiers raised his hand, he looked at Rey, “you should come with us”.

Rey hopped on his grasshopper, “I’m not leaving my people”.

“Your Capitol is burning!” The soldier called from behind him as he stormed forward, hitting the strings, making his grasshopper jump farther and faster.

“R-Ruby, please survive”, he said in fear, advancing to what seems like imminent death, “faster!” He hit the strings again.

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“YOUR PALACE IS NO MORE”, Ruby screamed into the bell, “YOU HAVE NO CLAIM OF THIS KINGDOM, ITS LIBERATED”.

Zyrah, Yen and Shani stood in shock, looking at the tinies on the roof.

A terrifying silence, only the sounds of the palace crumbling and the crackling of fire could be heard.

“Liberated?” Zyrah asked, “you think you are liberated? you bunch of bugs, you are nothing”, she said and walked forward.

“It might be a trap”, Yen said but Zyrah ignored her.

With less than 10 steps, she was standing there, towering over Ruby and her rebels, looking down at them arrogantly.

She started clapping her hands slowly, every clap sends a gust of wind downwards, making even the bravest lieutenants to shake, but Ruby stood still, smiling like mad.

“Good job Ruby, all you achieved is the death of anyone you ever knew, we will rebuild, we will carry on, but you…”, Zyrah said calmly, caressing her hair behind her ears.

“You will never live to see it rebuilt, nor Yen or Shani, it will take decades, you are nothing now, not goddesses, queens of nothing”, Ruby said in obsessive determination, some of the rebels stepped back from her.

“Argh, let me crush her”, Yen said, leaping forward in anger.

Zyrah raised her hand up, making Yen to stand still, then she raised her foot up above Ruby.

“See this, bug?” Zyrah asked, “that’s what makes me a goddess, and a queen”, she lowered her foot beside her.

*CRACK* *crack*

Crushing dozens of rebels, blood sprayed Ruby from her left, but she didn’t quiver.

Henry’s hand was just next to her, the rest of his body beneath the ball of Zyrah’s foot, completely crushed.

Zyrah raised her foot again, hovering above Ruby.

Body parts and blood rained all around her, the rest of the rebels started running but

*CRACK* *crack*

Zyrah descended her foot on Ruby’s right, crushing the running rebels effortlessly, leaving no one alive on the rooftop except for Ruby.

Blood sprayed again, Ruby was covered in it now, the blood of her comrades, but she didn’t even flinch, she looked up at Zyrah with a huge smile on her face, knowing that it all doesn’t matter - she won.

Zyrah raised her foot again, hovered above Ruby, more blood, more bodies, raining around her like pebbles and dirt.

Ruby closed her eyes, waiting to be squished, thinking about the family she once lost, knowing she finally avenged them, but Zyrah placed her foot next to her again, narrowing her eyes and looking at her from above.

“Oh, little bug, you thought I’ll let you go out so easily?” She asked with a cruel smile, Ruby opened her eyes and looked at her, confused, her smile slowly fades.

It’s the first time since the rebellion started that she hasn't predicted.

“You will live and see every single soul in this capitol die”, she said and started reaching her hand towards Ruby, who stood still.

*SWOOSH*

“Ugh”, Zyrah pulled her hand back, something just stung her.

“RUBY, RUN!”

Rey screamed, holding his grasshopper tightly with one hand, holding the needle with his other hand, Zyrah’s finger didn’t even bleed, to Zyrah - it was less than a mosquito bite.

“What in the name of the goddess…” Zyrah said and looked aside, a knight riding a grasshopper.

“R-Rey?” Ruby asked and gulped, surprised for the second time in less than a minute.

“AHHHHH!!!!” Ray jumped again, aiming at Zyrah's eye.

Zyrah dodged it easily, looking at him lands not far from her, she ran towards it and *STOMP* breaking the ground and smiling, but then noticed the grasshopper jumped in time and escaped it.

“Since when can you ride bugs, you annoying things”, she said in frustration.

“DON'T TOUCH RUBY”, Rey screamed his guts out, taking a charge at her again, flying rapidly towards her face.

With a swift move, Zyrah caught it in her hand.

*CRACK*

She closed her hand on both of them, squishing both the brave knight and his grasshopper, and when she opened her hand again, they both fell all the way down, their lifeless bodies landed on the ground.

*SQUISH*

She placed her foot on them and twisted it, if there was any chance Rey survived - it’s now gone.

“Ok, now that we are done with that”, she said and fixed her hair, then turned to Ruby again, but only bodies and blood were on the rooftops.

“W-Where is she?!” She shouted.

“Fuck”, Yen said and spat on the ground.

“Sh-She ran away”, Shani said, blushing all red, supporting her sister.

“Whatever, let the people have her”, Zyrah said and took a deep breath, “people of my kingdom, you are forsaken until our return, I want her dead when I return, and I want everything rebuilt”, she said loud enough for the tinies of the capitol to hear her.

“M-Mom you told us to kill them all”, Shani said.

“Shut up, I changed my mind”, Zyrah said irritatedly, “let us leave”, she said and walked east.

Shani and Yen follow her, Yen leaping, looking at the crushed bodies of the grasshopper and the knight.

“We raised a monster”, Yen said from behind, then chuckled with a vicious smile.

“Huh?” Zyrah said and looked back with one eye.

“The tinies of this kingdom, what they achieved today, it’s amazing”, Yen laughed, Shani looked at her with  worried eyes, like she’s staring at a mad man.

Zyrah also twitched her eyebrows with confusion.

“We underestimated them”, Yen added.

“Hmph”, Zyrah looked forward and kept walking, Yen laughed from behind, leaping with the support of Shani.

Zyrah was too proud to admit that without any doubt - Yen was right.

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attachments - some generations that came out beautiful but doesn’t fit the scenes

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This is the end of Arc 1