Author's Note

Dear readers,

I understand that my break has lasted longer than I initially planned, and I want to apologize to you for that. I had promised to resolve my issues sooner, but unfortunately, the circumstances turned out to be more complicated than I expected, leading to a slight delay.

Life sometimes throws unexpected challenges our way, and the past few months have been exactly that for me. But despite all the difficulties, I’m happy to announce that I’ve finally returned to working on the story. I’ve truly missed your enthusiasm and discussions, and I hope you will continue to follow my creative process just as actively as before.

I have some good news for the future. I plan not only to release new chapters regularly, but also to change their format. Instead of longer chapters that were released less frequently, they will now be shorter, allowing for much more frequent updates. This way, we’ll have more reasons to connect and discuss the story on a regular basis!

I’m very grateful for your patience and support. I value each and every one of you and your comments—it’s your engagement that inspires me to keep working on the story.

In the near future, I’ll have a few surprises for those who want to dive deeper into the world of the story. Stay tuned—I promise there’s a lot of exciting things ahead!

Thank you for sticking with me. I’m full of energy and enthusiasm to continue, and I believe our journey together will only become more thrilling.

With best wishes,
Serene Wish

Chapter 29 - The King is dead

Sombra’s hoof slammed into Alexei’s chest with relentless force. A loud crack echoed, like the snapping of dry branches under monstrous pressure, as his ribs shattered. The air seemed to freeze for a moment, and then Alexei, like a ragdoll, was hurled into the air.

His body crashed against the hall’s wall, adorned with black crystals that splintered and scattered in all directions. The shards hung in the air, filling it with thick, black dust, resembling dense fog. The dust quickly swirled around the impact site, concealing the man’s body behind a thick curtain of darkness.

Wasting no time, Sombra’s horn flared with dark light. In the next instant, several shadowy beams shot from its tip, tearing through the air and striking where Alexei had disappeared. Each beam was accompanied by an explosion that reverberated through the hall, shaking the space around them. But Sombra couldn’t tell if his attack had hit its mark—part of his attention was diverted to a much more pressing problem.

A severed tentacle was protruding from a wound in Sombra’s side—a grotesque mass that began disintegrating into numerous tiny larvae. These vile creatures quickly burrowed into Sombra’s flesh, consuming not just his body, but also his magical energy. They multiplied at an alarming rate, and if he didn’t act immediately, his body would soon be drained and weakened to a dangerous degree.

Gritting his teeth, Sombra tore the remaining piece of tentacle from the wound. His horn flared again, and in the next second, his body became ethereal, cloaked in a shimmering shadow. But to his surprise, the larvae that had fed on his flesh were recognized by the spell as part of him, becoming incorporeal along with him. A flash of astonishment crossed his eyes for a moment, but he quickly regained his composure.

Sombra’s horn glowed again, and he cast a new spell. A low hum filled the air, and short bursts of energy radiated from the unicorn’s body, warping the space around him. Moments later, deformed corpses of the larvae fell from his body—burnt by the magical energy, they dropped to the ground like charred embers, having once posed a threat to his existence.

Sombra exhaled in relief. The crisis had been averted. His rank reduction had sharply limited the spells available to him, restricting him to first- and second-tier magic. How long had it been since he had first begun his path in magic? Over fifteen hundred years ago, he had used these spells regularly. Now, despite his vast experience, he could barely remember most of them. But his preparation for situations like this had not failed him.

A sudden impact shattered the silence. Sombra instantly teleported to the side, and right where he had stood a second earlier, a figure streaked by with a wild shriek. The unicorn turned his head and saw a man abruptly halt at the far end of the hall.

“He’s sped up again,” Sombra noted, casting a glance at the figure of Alexei, who had come to a stop on the opposite side of the hall.

The relaxed expression was gone from his face. This battle was starkly different from his past encounters with the Elements. Despite their power, those ponies wanted to win. What a naive desire. This being, Alexei, was different. Every movement he made, every strike, every feint or false emotion on his face—it all had one goal: to kill. Sombra understood that he couldn’t afford a moment of relaxation.

They had been fighting for over half an hour, and with each passing minute, Alexei’s control over his mutated body only grew. His speed had now reached an unimaginable level. But there was always a price to pay—Sombra could see the pinkish sweat streaming down the man’s body. Even from this distance, he could hear the wild rhythm of Alexei’s heart, beating so fiercely that it seemed on the verge of bursting. His pulse was approaching three hundred beats per minute—Alexei was going all in, squeezing the last drops of strength from his body, disregarding the devastating consequences.

Sombra knew that time was running out. The barrier would soon fall, and he would be able to teleport out of the hall. This man, clearly aware of that, was trying to end the fight while he still had a chance.

Yet, Sombra was far from pleased with how the battle was going. While Alexei could no longer inflict serious damage on him, Sombra also couldn’t find a way to kill or trap the man.

Increasing the rank of one’s magical core enhanced not only magical abilities but also physical endurance, strength, senses, cognitive speed, and even lifespan—the entire body underwent qualitative changes under the influence of magical energy. The inhabitants of Equestria who had chosen the alternative path were deprived of all this—mental energy only enhanced the two organs it directly interacted with: the soul and the brain.

Alexei, having traded his humanity for power, enjoyed the benefits of both paths: like the creatures from the Depths, every cell in his body was filled with mental energy. His cognitive speed not only matched but surpassed that of Sombra, who had fallen to the second rank.

The situation had reached an impasse, and now it was a matter of endurance. If Sombra held out until the barrier dropped—he would win. If not... Resurrection spells could be considered divine miracles, but all of them required preparation and had their limitations—you couldn’t pre-cast a hundred spells and enjoy endless resurrection. Sombra had already used two of his prepared methods. Once after the ritual’s failure, and the second time—in this very hall. He had one last resurrection method left, but...

The third resurrection spell, his final secret card, was quite peculiar. It would activate automatically after his death, its effect was powerful, and most importantly, incredibly subtle, but the situation wasn’t ideal for it. Ideally, he would have preferred to be killed by alicorns or that purple unicorn, not this man.

And so, a wet slap marked the start of a new attack. Alexei, propelled by his tentacles, charged at Sombra. The unicorn snapped his neck, tracing a blinding arc with his horn. In the next moment, all the shadows in the hall trembled and, like a predator, leaped from the walls, swiftly engulfing them both in impenetrable darkness, like prey caught in the fangs of the night.

The darkness abruptly lifted, revealing the hall where the unicorn and the man still stood. But something had changed: the space around them seemed to stretch, and the distance between Sombra and Alexei rapidly increased. Even the air between them seemed to elongate, as if reality itself was toying with their perception.

Alexei froze for a moment, his gaze warily scanning the hall like a trapped animal. He surveyed his surroundings, expecting a trick, and soon glanced behind him: a thick, impenetrable darkness was swiftly closing in on him. It moved as relentlessly as a raging storm, ready to swallow everything in its path.

Grimacing in frustration, Alexei bolted forward again, his body blurring with speed. But no matter how fast he moved or how hard he pushed himself, the distance between him and Sombra kept growing. The space continued to warp, as if it were a living entity, preventing him from reaching his target.

Sombra exhaled in satisfaction as he watched. He knew Alexei had no long-range attacks—his blood magic only worked at close or mid-range. The spell Sombra had cast might not kill the human, but it gave him the much-needed reprieve. Now, he had time to recover his strength.

During his long years of study, he had learned from changelings and mastered their abilities. Love wasn’t his source of sustenance, but he could absorb and convert negative emotions into magical energy.

Earlier, Sombra had invaded Alexei’s mind, destroyed his nightmare, and trapped him in a cage. The man might try to hide his feelings behind a stony face, but Sombra was certain there was plenty for him to feed on.

Dark shadows, tinged with green and purple light, flickered around Sombra’s eyes. He cast a spell that allowed him to see his opponent’s emotional aura. Now, he could choose what to consume. Expecting a surge of fear, anger, or hatred, he prepared to devour a torrent of negative emotions.

But in the next moment, his eyes widened in shock at what he saw. Alexei’s aura was glowing with just three colors: a soft golden light surrounded him, pierced by flashes of bright white, while a dense, dark-red mist swirled around.

Sombra blinked, thinking it was a mistake in the spell, but nothing changed. The golden light signified inner peace and tranquility, the white was joy and happiness, and the dark-red mist was the lust for blood and battle. This man not only harbored no ill will toward Sombra—he was literally radiating happiness, with only the battle lust tainting his aura in dangerous red. Without that, Sombra might’ve thought his spell was broken.

The shock quickly turned into seriousness. Sombra could be fierce and ruthless, but he was also rational. Rational beings feared the reckless, and the reckless feared those who didn’t care about their own lives. Even though Sombra was stronger and his rank higher, he felt an unease creeping in. This was the kind of madman who didn’t care if he lived or died. Was there anything this lunatic wouldn’t do?

“Stalling for time is no longer an option—I need to regain control,” Sombra thought, keeping a close eye on the approaching figure. “Who knows what he’ll try next? This method, though…”

Sombra had one way to fully heal, a spell that could even restore his magical energy. But it required precise use, and Sombra had hoped to save it for later. Now, however, the circumstances had changed dramatically—there was no more time to delay.

The space around them suddenly trembled, signaling the end of the spell. In the next instant, Alexei was already in front of Sombra. His fist shot forward, poised to strike, while tendrils erupting from his sides aimed for the unicorn’s eyes. But Sombra’s silhouette blurred and vanished, reappearing a few meters to the side, once again evading the attack.

Alexei spun sharply, using his tendrils for balance, and charged at him again. This time, Sombra engaged in close combat. He couldn’t teleport anymore—his energy was nearly drained.

Alexei lunged at Sombra, unleashing a flurry of quick, brutal strikes. His fist connected with Sombra’s side just as one of the tendrils snaked toward the unicorn’s throat. But Sombra reacted in time, deflecting the attack, his horn flaring as he parried the tendril with a magical burst.

Alexei didn’t let up. He attacked with elbows, knees, targeting vulnerable spots with ruthless precision. His tendrils writhed, trying to ensnare Sombra, while his arms and legs struck with deadly accuracy. One of his hits landed on Sombra’s leg joint, sending a sharp pain through the unicorn’s body. Alexei immediately followed up with an attempt to strike Sombra’s ribs, while his tendrils lunged toward his head. Sombra blocked both attacks but could already feel exhaustion tightening its grip on his movements.

Sombra’s horn suddenly flared, emitting a powerful aura as it encased him in a sturdy magical shield. Alexei roared in fury, slamming two tendrils against the shield with a dull, resounding thud that made it hum with tension like a bell, but the magical defense held strong. The shield, crackling with energy, continued to withstand the relentless assault.

“Good, I’ve prepared the spell,” Sombra thought with satisfaction, watching as the man pounded against the shield as though trying to break through an iron wall. “I just need to wait for the right moment.”

The unicorn hadn’t created this shield to hide behind and catch his breath. He needed time to prepare a complex spell, requiring complete focus. Its effect was incredibly powerful but had one crucial detail: it had to be timed to the exact second. The spell required five seconds to activate, and its trigger had to perfectly coincide with the moment of Alexei’s killing blow.

“I’ll make it seem like the shield has broken and re-engage in combat while retreating,” Sombra calculated, plotting his opponent’s next moves. “He’ll attack with a series of strikes to knock the wind out of me, then follow with a feint to the head, before going for the heart. If he changes the plan, I’ll just let myself get hit.”

Sombra was sure the final blow would target his heart. Though outwardly focused on the cracks forming on the surface of the shield, he saw everything. One of the tendrils protruding from Alexei’s lower back was gathering energy at its tip. Based on its position and length, Sombra could tell without a doubt that Alexei intended to distract him with a head strike. At the moment Sombra reacted to defend or dodge, the tendril would strike from behind, aiming for his heart.

"Let's begin," Sombra thought resolutely, as the shield shattered into pieces, forcing the unicorn back into close combat.

Alexei immediately attacked with a lightning-fast series of blows, just as Sombra had expected.

"Five... four... three... two... two... one!" Sombra dodged the strike aimed at his head, and the spell flared up inside him, ready to be activated. "Now!"

In that instant, Alexei's tentacle shot forward, just as Sombra had predicted, aiming directly at his heart.

With a sharp whistle, the tentacle plunged into Sombra’s side, piercing his heart. Pain exploded within his body like a searing blade cutting through his chest, knocking the air out of his lungs.

For a moment, everything froze inside him, only for the pain to return tenfold. The tentacle instantly splintered into dozens of thin tendrils, which, like predatory snakes, rushed inside, shredding his heart to pieces. A moment later, a powerful hand grabbed his horn and broke it off with a violent snap. The sharp, ripping pain coursed through Sombra's entire body, making him jerk and cough up blood. Red streaks remained on his lips, but even through the agony, his expression stayed satisfied. Everything was going according to plan...

"...What?"

Sombra's pupils suddenly widened in shock as he felt his own spell strike his internal organs. The energy he had so carefully controlled was now out of his grasp. The spell had failed!

Out of the corner of his eye, Sombra noticed a tiny larva crawling out from his cheek, disintegrating into gray smoke almost instantly. His gaze wavered, his mind filling with questions.

Hadn't he eradicated all of those larvae? Where had this one come from? What had it done? Was it an illusion?

Alexei had often been caught in Sombra’s illusions before, only to break free each time through sheer brute force. He had never been able to distinguish reality from fiction, wandering blind. Sombra had always believed that in illusions, he was in control. If this was indeed illusion, what had it accomplished?

Sombra’s gaze wavered again as realization dawned on him. The countdown... He had counted "two" twice! That thing had tampered with his mind and distorted his perception. The growing unease and discomfort that had haunted him since the beginning... Could it be?

Sombra looked up and locked eyes with Alexei’s cold, indifferent stare. A faint, barely noticeable smile played on Alexei's lips—the smile of someone who had gotten exactly what they wanted. Throughout the entire battle, Alexei had never once used his attribute of deceit. He had endured all of Sombra’s attacks, moving through the illusions, patiently laying the groundwork for this one moment.

"Wai—" Sombra began, but couldn’t finish.

The tentacles cracked and squelched as they tore into his body, ripping him apart. One by one, they shredded flesh, muscle, and bone, until finally, Sombra’s body burst into pieces. Chunks of his flesh, splattered with blood and bits of skin and organs, scattered across the floor. It was over.

From the ruined remains of Sombra’s body, a dark sphere emerged, composed of many layers of black, each darker than the last. Like a shadow, it tried to flee, but was immediately ensnared by Alexei's tentacle, from which gray smoke poured. The tentacle unfurled, and from its depths, dozens of thin tendrils emerged, latching onto Sombra's soul like predators seizing their prey.

A fierce struggle for control began.

The black sphere thrashed like a wild animal, clawing at reality, twisting and writhing in an attempt to escape. But the grip of Alexei's tentacles, which had seized it, slowly but surely tightened. Alexei held it in an iron grasp, increasing his pressure with each passing moment. The battle raged on for long seconds, but gradually, it became clear—the sphere was losing.

Just as the outcome seemed inevitable, a sharp crack sounded. Fractures began to spread across Sombra’s soul, emitting a blinding light that pierced the space around them. Alexei's gaze instantly shifted—Sombra was trying to detonate his soul!

Without hesitation, Alexei grabbed the soul with his bare hands and closed his eyes, concentrating. Gray smoke surged into the soul through the cracks. This wasn’t the first time Alexei had faced something like this—in the Everfree Forest, some of his subjects had tried to destroy their souls in a similar fashion. Back then, he had relied on alchemy and Saada's help to stop them, but now, it wasn’t necessary.

Alexei's fingers trembled, but with quick, precise movements, he touched the cracking soul here and there, as if soothing it. The blinding light began to dim, while the gray smoke sealed the fractures. The solution was temporary, but that was all he needed.

At last, the soul seemed to stabilize.

"Wait," came Sombra’s urgent voice inside Alexei’s mind. "I know you don't hold a grudge against me. So why this hostility? Our goals align. As long as the Tree exists, you can forget your dream. And without my help, you won’t defeat it. Why not work together?"

"It’s possible," Alexei responded thoughtfully, still struggling for control over the unicorn’s soul. "But only on one condition."

Why had Sombra tried to destroy his soul before offering to cooperate? Did he find the idea of submission so repulsive? Or was there something more? Alexei could sense the scent of conspiracy. His mind was fully focused on gaining control over Sombra's soul.

"What condition?" Sombra snapped, still fiercely resisting.

The soul trembled in Alexei's hands like a wild beast caught in a cage. The unicorn could sense his end drawing near, but he wasn’t going down without a fight.

“Collaboration is only possible if both sides are equals,” Alexei replied, as one thin tentacle began to slowly envelop itself in gray smoke. “And I am stronger than you.”

At that moment, as if sensing the reaction, the tentacle struck, piercing one of the most vulnerable points in Sombra’s soul. The soul shuddered for a brief moment, and then... it quietly submitted. The final barrier fell, leaving Alexei in full control.

“Well said,” Sombra chuckled, though his voice was growing weaker, fainter, as if dissolving into the endless shadows. “But can you face the consequences?”

His final words echoed in the void before fading away entirely, and at last, the voice was gone. Sombra’s soul now lay in Alexei’s hands, no longer resisting. It was as if it had been burned out from within, drained of its former power, and Sombra was dead.

"These unicorns and their mysteries..." Alexei thought with mild irritation as he looked at the pale, fragile essence before him.

The soul grew weaker with each passing second, as if on the verge of falling apart, but Alexei wasn’t in a rush. He knew better than to hurry.

After carefully inspecting it, he concluded that Sombra’s soul was fine—there were no traps.

After countless resurrections, Sombra’s soul had been significantly weakened, and if there had been any problems, Alexei would’ve noticed with his current level of power. Besides, the unicorn had followed a path of magical energy, otherwise, Alexei wouldn’t have even considered such a bold act as consuming Sombra’s soul.

Of course, there could always be hidden dangers, but there was nothing to be done about that. If he let every potential risk stop him, he would still be stuck back in that tribe.

He squeezed the soul, opened his mouth, and swallowed it whole in one swift motion. Everything Sombra knew would now become his memories once the soul was fully digested.

Finished with that, Alexei glanced briefly at his trembling hand, then slowly bent down and picked up Sombra’s broken horn—it was somewhat interesting.

Wincing from dizziness, he scanned the room for Sombra’s remains, thinking that a quick snack wouldn’t be a bad idea. His energy was nearly depleted, and he was barely standing.

Suddenly, something caught his attention. His head snapped toward the far end of the hall. Six figures emerged from the shattered wall, illuminated by a bright, blinding white light. It was the six mares—the Elements of Harmony.

It seemed that while he was inspecting the soul, the barrier had already fallen, and they had arrived.

Alexei met them with an empty, indifferent gaze, briefly noticing the conflicted expressions on Applejack’s and Fluttershy’s faces. It looked like they didn’t quite approve of this situation. He tried to take a step toward the exit, but his legs cramped, and he nearly collapsed. Sombra’s soul had just begun to digest, and his own strength was running out.

Suddenly, from the center of the Elements of Harmony, a bright beam of light, shimmering with all the colors of the rainbow, shot forward. It aimed straight at Alexei, illuminating the dark hall in an instant.