𝗧 | 04 🇬🇧 • The Last March

Beneath three pillars forged in light That split the ancient sky apart, I'd conquered every sacred shrine Built by unseen hands from the start. The Broodmother turned to ash. The Megapithecus fell still. Even the Dragon watched the night Consume the dawn against its will. I thought the Island had been won. I thought my story reached its end. Yet silent Obelisks above Still whispered on the wind. Then the mountain split apart, Thunder rising from below. The volcano called my name And carved a path through fire and stone. By blood, By stone, By tooth and claw, No soul will be left behind. By blood, By stone, By tooth and claw, Our fire will never die. By blood, By stone, By tooth and claw, Even death will bend the knee. For those who fall in battle... Still march beside us. Toward the heart of living fire, I marched beside the ancient kings. Steel-fanged legends at my side, Faithful giants answering my call. Rivers of lava roared below Through halls of black volcanic stone, As though the mountain's wounded heart Longed to swallow every soul. Leading every step ahead Walked the name that time still knows. My scarred old Rex... The first true hero of my road. He faced the Broodmother with me. He stood through every war I'd known. Upon his back he carried all The weight of every path I'd walked. Then the mountain shook beneath our feet. Something rose... From the deep. Colossal. Raging. Starving. A nightmare born before all time. Its eyes burned bright like molten suns. Its fangs were carved by endless years. Even the lava seemed to flee Before the beast that now appeared. It roared. The volcano answered. Without command. Without fear. My oldest friend charged first. Like the very first day. Like the very first hunt. Then... The ledge collapsed. One crack. Silence. Our eyes met. Weary. Proud. At peace. With one final roar, He sank his fangs into the beast. Fire swallowed them both. Their destinies became one. The lava closed around... The monster... And the king. By blood, By stone, By tooth and claw, No soul will be left behind. By blood, By stone, By tooth and claw, Our fire will never die. By blood, By stone, By tooth and claw, Even death will bend the knee. For those who fall in battle... Still march beside us. Grief weighs heavy on every step, Yet still I walk into the dark. Beyond the shadows waits a truth Far more terrifying. Maps. Records. Forgotten archives. Every battle. Every victory. Every loss. Every scar. Observed. Since the very first fire. Since the very first blood was spilled. We were never masters of this Island. We were the test. Warning lights ignite. The monitors glow red. Ancient systems awaken. Ghosts return. I know every silhouette. Time could never erase them. Bodies made of light. Code. Electricity. The Broodmother spins once more. Lightning tears beneath my feet. The Dragon breathes another sun. Waves of fire consume the sky. The Megapithecus shatters steel. Bridges crumble all around. So I charge. Again. Always. Tooth against holograms. Flesh against algorithms. Rage against eternity. It strikes. It burns. It screams. The phantoms stagger. The systems fail. The monitors explode. One more. Ten more. A hundred more. Then... Silence. By blood, By stone, By tooth and claw, We've crossed beyond the edge. By blood, By stone, By tooth and claw, Guided by the ones we've lost. Beyond the fields of endless war. Beyond collapsing worlds. Those who live inside our hearts... Still march beside us. The walls became the stars. Stone became the sky. My armor turned to dust, Like a skin I'd long outgrown. Higher. Higher still. Above the forests. Above the mountains. Above the sea. I saw the beach where I awoke. The valleys of my first days. The graves of every fallen friend. And among them... One shadow remained. The endless mark... Of the one... Who never left my side. Then came the light. A blinding white. Time faded away. The Island vanished. The sky was gone. Before me... Endless dunes. This wasn't the end. Only... The first step... Into tomorrow.