Nestled amid the breathtakingly blue rock mountains lay the Half God Realm, where nature's splendor intertwined with ancient myths, beckoning those brave enough to explore its wonders. But on this day, the vibrant hues of the landscape were brutally stained crimson, a stark testament to a savage betrayal.

  Aarav stood precariously on the edge of a cliff, his torn clothes soaked with his own blood, a dagger jutting from his heart like a grotesque flower, blooming with his demise. Fresh rivulets streamed from countless wounds, quickly painting the stone beneath his feet a dark, slick red, a grim masterpiece of treachery.

  "Ram! What in the heavens happened to you? You look like you're dying from your crush's dagger!"

  Levi's voice dripped with false sympathy, a venomous sweetness that belied the cruel amusement glinting in her eyes. "What do you mean, 'crush'? As if someone like him could ever…" She trailed off, feigning surprise, her act a sharp twist of the knife already embedded. "Aww!"

  "He'll be dead soon enough," Andras sneered, his gaze devoid of any warmth, as cold and sharp as the mountain peaks.

  "Hehe.Vrax, enough talk. Finish him," Eva commanded, a chilling eagerness in her tone, the anticipation of death a disturbing hunger.

  Ram, however, held up a hand, savoring the moment. "What's the rush? Let the dying dog bark one last time. What will it be, Aarav? 'Why did you betray me?' Or perhaps… 'Death God'?" The title hung in the air, heavy with unspoken significance.

  Andras scoffed. "'Death God'? He's nothing but a maggot now," his contempt a final dismissal.

  Eva's laughter echoed off the blue cliffs, sharp and scornful, a mocking serenade to Aarav's end.

  Aarav, surprisingly, chuckled, a raw, wet sound that spoke of pain and a strange acceptance. He turned his gaze, a playful yet unsettling glint in his bloodshot eyes, a flicker of something they couldn't extinguish. "Why did you betray me? Weren't we supposed to be… friends?" The question held a weight of genuine hurt amidst the dying breaths.

  Ram's cool demeanor didn't waver, a mask of calculated indifference.

  "Friends don't mock and belittle each other, Aarav. We simply tolerated your arrogance. We never saw you as a true equal," the words a final, brutal truth.

  "Ah, I see," Aarav interjected, a knowing smirk twisting his lips, a hint of understanding dawning in his fading eyes. "Ram, you always envied me, didn't you? Especially my destiny… my ascension to godhood." The accusation hung heavy with the unspoken power dynamics.

  "Fuck it, he's still laughing!" Ram muttered, his composure finally cracking into frustration, the dying man's resilience unnerving him.

  This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

  His so-called friends formed a suffocating circle around him, an impenetrable wall of malice, their faces illuminated by the setting sun and their cruel intent. The air crackled with tension, thick with betrayal and the stench of his dying blood, the very atmosphere heavy with his stolen life. Hope, a fragile butterfly, beat its wings weakly against the inevitability of his demise, a final, desperate flutter. Yet, even as the shadows of death crept closer, Aarav's expression remained strangely serene, his eyes like fathomless pools reflecting the twilight sky, holding secrets they couldn't fathom.

  Around him, the faces of his betrayers were a grotesque study in contrasting emotions. Some roared in panicked triumph, their voices echoing off the ancient stone, a desperate attempt to solidify their victory; others sneeze uncontrollably, the raw tension a physical irritant, a bizarre counterpoint to the deadly scene. A few clutched their weapons, their eyes darting nervously, as if even in his dying state, they feared his final act, a testament to the power he still held.

  An agonizing silence descended, stretching for what felt like an eternity, the unspoken anticipation hanging heavy in the air, the moment before the final blow. As evening bled across the sky, the setting sun painted the landscape in hues of fiery orange and deep crimson, as if the very earth was mirroring Aarav's spilled blood, a final, dramatic farewell.

  He watched the breathtaking spectacle, a soft, almost wistful chuckle escaping his lips, a sound that held both sorrow and a strange acceptance. "Morning is as gentle and fine as silken hair, while the night wraps the world in a blanket of soft, glistening snow," he mused, his voice surprisingly steady, each word a precious commodity. "Yet whether we triumph or falter, when we turn to look back, we find that nothing truly remains," a profound observation from the edge of oblivion.

  In that poignant moment, a wave of nostalgia washed over him, vivid memories of his former life on Earth – of quiet scholarship in India – flickering like dying embers, a life now impossibly distant. Two centuries he had endured in this realm, only to have another two vanish as if in the blink of an eye, the brevity of existence starkly apparent. Moments of joy and sorrow, the tapestry of his existence, unfurled before his inner eye, a final, rapid review. "I failed in the end," he breathed, a strange calm settling over him, devoid of regret, a quiet resignation.

  As if a switch had flipped, Aarav's enemies rushed toward him in a chaotic wave, ready to celebrate their victory. But as they closed in with their weapons, a powerful burst of energy erupted from Aarav. This intense storm of light surrounded him and defied his serious injuries.

  The spring rain fell softly in the Half God Realm, its gentle rhythm a stark contrast to the brutal scene, washing away the evidence of violence. Night had fully descended, and a cool breeze carried the scent of wet earth and blooming flowers, a deceptive serenity settling over the landscape.

  As the last traces of Aarav faded into the thin air, the steady rhythm of the rain continued to pour down, filling the air with a melancholic whisper. The once vibrant space he occupied now felt eerily empty, as if a shadow had slipped away, leaving behind a profound stillness. In that moment, the warmth of his presence was replaced by a chill that seeped into the surroundings, highlighting the void created by a life that had just been extinguished. The droplets struck the ground with a soft, sorrowful pattern, echoing the sense of loss that hung heavily in the air.

  Ram, Amenda, Levi, Andras, Eva, and Vrax laughed loudly, their voices filled with arrogance as they looked at the empty spot where Aarav had been, unaware of the true meaning of what had happened.

  After a moment, Ram took a deep breath, feeling the cool, rainy air fill his lungs. It was a breath of victory, mixed with the discomfort of Aarav's last moments. He knelt on the wet stone and looked up at the starry sky, not noticing the storm building in the fabric of time.