I'm Sorry Sombra

"The last thing a loyal dog will do is break its master's heart."

Long ago, in a land very very far away, there existed a Kingdom in a world of infinite bounds.  This was no ordinary Kingdom however, this was the very first Kingdom to ever come into existence.  It was inhabited by a race of creatures that called themselves Shahnarks, fearsome reptilian creatures.  The Shahnarks were creatures of supreme physical as well as spiritual abilities and they soon grew in size, dominating the landscape.  Soon enough, the Shahnarks realized that they were in fact alone, the only other Kingdoms that had been established were too far away for them to discover.  This saddened the Shahnark's hearts, they wished to find a world filled with life and diversity, what they found was merely an empty husk.

The King of the Shahnarks made a crucial choice at last, he gathered the most powerful priests in the Kingdom, and together, they created life, creatures different from themselves, creatures destined to inhabit the land.  At the same time, Shahnarks from all around joined hand in hand to forge massive empires, Kingdom's of iron and steel, Kingdom's for their creations to inhabit.  At the same time, a powerful Shahnark who would eventually change the course of history was born, they called him, the Guardian.  The Guardian saw what was happening, the creatures they gave life to, and he knew there would be consequences, but he held his tongue for the time being.

At long last, the Shahnark's children were placed into their Kingdoms, the creatures themselves knew not where they came from, or anything about the Shahnarks, but the Shahnarks wanted it that way, they wanted to watch, to protect them and guide them from a distance.  As time progressed, the creatures multiplied and expanded their empires, until they eventually collided with one another.  The Shahanrks had long hoped that when this occurred, that they would find peace, but alas, the Guardian's fears were realized.  Once the creations finally found one another, war broke out, trivial disputes over land ownership and ideals being the usual topics.

Upset by these events, the King sent in small armies led by the most powerful warrior of the time, the Guardian, to settle such disputes.  Though grossly outnumbered, the Shahnarks were supreme fighters, never losing a fight.  In clashes, they defended the weaker and destroyed the aggressor, now that all evils across the land knew such a force existed, they seemed ever more excited to test the Shahnark's will to fight.  More and more the Guardian led glorious battles against evil, his will had been tempered to be made of steel.  The King of the Shahnarks realized however, that this could not go on forever, a more permanent solution was needed.

The King gathered his priests once more, and together, they created one last breed, a breed destined to wipe out all life, regardless of whether it was just or unjust.  They called this race the Zetharians, similar to the Shahnarks, but much more vicious.  When the Zetharians were first created, they were trained to believe that the Shahnarks were their Gods, and that in order to have salvation, they must do whatever it was the Shahanrks commanded, and the Zetharians obeyed, believing they were pleasing the ones that created them.  The Zetharians spent a very long time, training, growing in size, and preparing to become the most powerful weapon that the world had ever known.  Shahnarks such as the Guardian were the ones that trained the Zetharians to become the warriors they eventually grew into, everyday, the Guardian feared what they were creating all the more, a weapon, their replacements.

Eventually, the Zetharians had reached their maximum potential, and they were unleashed upon the world, the goal that had been given to them by their God's being to destroy all life.  Quickly, the King had realized his mistake, he saw how quickly the Zetharians were wiping out one Kingdom after another with no end in sight.  The Zetharians were merciless, it seemed nothing could stand up to them, and all the while, the Zetharians believed they were pleasing the Shahnarks by doing so.  After years of devastation, the Shahnarks finally ordered them to stop, they told the Zetharians that they were no longer welcome in their Kingdom, and that they would be banished as defiled creatures.  This was the order that changed everything.

When the Zetharians realized that they had been banished by their masters, they were confused, they had only done what was asked of them, and now they were being tossed aside.  A leader rose up among the Zetharians, the Templar, the Templar lashed back at the Shahnarks, his war cry being that the Zetharians were an honorable race that had been betrayed, they did everything and anything the Shahnarks wanted, even killed the innocent, and now with hands stained so red, they were cast aside.  The Zetharians no longer wished to be a living weapon, but the new rulers of the world, since they believed themselves to be more pure than the Shahnarks.  At last, a war broke out between these two immortal races, thought relatively contained, those lands caught in the middle of the battles were demolished.

The Guardian took charge again as he led massive armies against the Zetharians in what seemed to be the last war they would ever fight.  In the middle of the war, a child was born unlike any other, a child that had a Zetharian father, and a Shahnark mother, the first hybrid of either race to ever exist.  Even as an infant, it was obvious the child would become stronger than either the mother or the father, for it inherited the strength and power of two species combined.  The father tried to take the child back to his Kingdom while the mother stayed in the Kingdom of the Shahnarks.  However, when Templar had realized such a creature was living among his people, he brought the father to his knees, and had him executed.  The child was declared an abomination, a mistake, thought he didn't kill the child, he made an example of it, the child represented the idea of unity, and idea that Templar could not have at this point.

Eventually, the child was returned to his Shahnark mother, and grew into a healthy young boy.  When the King of the Shahnarks learned of this child, instead of casting him out, he welcomed the child into his land, and became his father of sorts, seeing as how the child did not have a father.  The child grew up peaceful, pure, and loving, the King poured all his ideals into the child, ideals of compassion and caring, showing another being that they matter, most importantly, ideas of peace.  Still a young boy, the mother set the child on a path to priesthood, to study and to become a beacon of hope among the Shahnarks, and the child happily chose this path of enlightenment.

During this time however, the Guardian learned of the child, though the child's heart was the purest he had ever seen, he had a power locked inside him that was beyond any he had ever seen.  Voicing his concern to the King, the King brought the child to the most powerful mages in the land, and they determined the child's future.  Though his future still remained shrouded in fog, the mages assured the King of one thing, that the child would eventually change the fate of the world, how, they did not know for sure.  The King believed in his heart that the child would finally bring peace between the Zetharians and Shahnarks, but only time would tell.

The child couldn't have wished for a better life, until one fateful day, his village came under attack by the Zetharians.  His mother was killed in front of him and his life was sparred to wallow in sorrow, it was then that a new part of the child came into existence, the Warrior.  The Warrior and the Child shared the same body, but conflicted over ideals, the Warrior represented justice, the ability to fight, courage, the Child represented purity, wisdom, unconditional love.  Now, the Warrior sought nothing but revenge upon the Zetharians, he immediately joined the army of the Shahnarks, and went off to war.

This action frightened the King, but the warrior could not be stopped, his lust for blood was unquenchable.  He fell under the leadership of the Guardian, who wielded him as his most powerful weapon.  Battle after battle, the warrior fought against the Zetharians and their allies, growing stronger with every encounter.  The Guardian quickly realized that the Warrior was becoming very powerful very quickly, but the Guardian knew that so long as the Child remained united with the Warrior, that he would never lash out of control, the Child moderated the Warrior's blood lust, that was simply the way it was.

After an eternity of war, the Warrior became the most powerful fighter to ever exist, more powerful than Templar, the King, or the Guardian.  Consequently, the Warrior became hardened, his heart had been stained black, he had had enough of war, he wanted to run away, to leave, he was afraid of the idea of fighting until death.  Everytime the Warrior remembered the Child he once was, he was hurt, because he realized what he had become, a monster.  So entered the third part of the same being, the Predator, the Predator was unlike the first two, the Predator didn't care about good or evil, the Predator only cared about self satisfaction, it enjoyed watching others suffer as much as it did relieving suffering.

It was during one final battle, the Battle of Gautoomb that the Predator, with spirits and mind broken by years of war, left the Shahnarks.  The Guardian knew that the Predator had left, but did not yet seek to pursue him, he first had to finish the war.  During the first few years of the Preadator's freedom, he looked to find resolution, traveling to far away Kingdoms to try to find out what his destiny in life was, his purpose, a journey that would turn out to take a very long time.  Meanwhile, the Guardian lost the Battle of Gautoomb, and it seemed the Zetharians were doing just as bad as the Shahnarks.  With both race nearly at the point of extinction, a ceasefire was called, both races put down their arms, and retreated into the shadows of the world to rebuild themselves.  During this, the King fell ill, before his final moments, the King told the Guardian he knew what had happened to the Child, he asked that the Guardian follow and protect the Child, seeing as how the King actually felt the Child was his own, this was very important to him.

The Guardian agreed, and as the Shahanrk Kingdom began to repair itself, the Guardian followed the Predator across the world.  At first, the Guardian remained hidden, waiting to see what the Predator, and at first, it was nothing, the Predator worked for a living, lived in a small home, and thought nothing of it, in reality, the Predator wanted to try something he had never experienced before, living a normal life.  The first Kingdom the Predator lived in was inhabited by many different races, he did not stand out, all he wanted was to start over, but the more he thought about the war, the more hatred built up inside of him.  Eventually, the Predator traveled back to the Kingdom of the Zetharians to destroy them once and for all, the Kingdom was already weak and the Predator had grown much more powerful, he knew he could eliminate them all.  Before he reached their Kingdom however, the Guardian confronted him, and told him that this would not bring him satisfaction, only grief.

Enraged by his words, the Predator clashed with the Guardian, but was quickly defeated, though the Guardian detested the Zetharians, he would not let the Predator spill blood senselessly.  The Predator fled, the Guardian however would follow him for the rest of his life, no matter where he went.  Now, the Predator became feral, it no longer sought resolution, but pain and suffering, it wanted to make other feel what it had felt all its life.

This was the majority of the Predator's life, visiting one Kingdom after another, destroying it, and moving on to the next one.  Many a warrior tried to resist the Predator, but the Predator only grew stronger and stronger with every army he leveled and every hero he brought down, he became seemingly immortal.  The Predator became only worse, not only did he crave suffering, but humiliation as well.  On many occasion, the Predator would rape a Kingdom's Queen before ruling the land for himself, since he could not be stopped, they obeyed him, doing whatever pleased him, and then, he would destroy the Kingdom before he left for another.  Sometimes he corrupted beings, other times he drove them insane, spreading as much pain as he possibly could.

At the same time, the Guardian followed the Predator, he too grew stronger as he fought evil forces and repaired the Kingdoms that the Predator had just demolished.  The Guardian wanted to kill the Predator and be done with it all, but he made a promise, the protect the Child, the Child and the Warrior were still inside the Predator, somehow, he had to kill the Predator without killing the Warrior or the Child, if there was even anything left of the two.

Finally, the Predator came across a land so remote and so isolated that it had never before been touched by outsiders, Predator called the land Paradise.  Paradise was a land unlike any he had ever seen, it was the physical manifestation of the Child that remained locked away inside him, valleys so green and rivers crystal blue, the skies not filled with the smoke that came from the industries of other Kingdoms.  The most unusual part of the land were it's inhabitants, small four legged creatures of various breeds, some proficient with magic, other's with physical ability, some of them could even fly with the wings adorned on their backs.

The energy flowing from the land was enough to give the Child control of his body once again, Child knew that Paradise could be the thing to finally kill the Predator, Child disguised himself as one of their kind, and lived among them in secrecy for a year.  When Guardian found Paradise and saw what had happened to the Predator, he was relieved, he believed that his solution had finally been found, that Child would finally retake full control of his body.  At first, everything was going perfectly, Child was taking more and more control of his body as he integrated into their society, but the Predator would prove to be more resilient than expected.

Enraged by the world he was living in, the Predator overpowered the Child once more to take control of the vessel, and the Predator knew that if he did not act quickly, both the Child and Paradise would suffocate him of all his hatred and regret.  The Predator was clever, as he quickly devised a plan to destroy not only the Child, but all of Paradise.  Guardian knew that Predator had retaken control, and he devised his own plan to work with the Predator's, he would not interfere directly, but he would surely defeat the Predator.  Guardian traveled to the coldest part of Paradise, and revealed himself to one family, from that family, he recruited a small child, a boy, explained to them his plan and what would come if he wasn't able to have the boy, and the family let the boy go.

At the same time, Predator began his own plan, first by studying the lore and magic of the land, and discovered only one magic powerful enough to defeat him if he were to attack the Kingdom, they called it, The Elements of Harmony.  The Elements of Harmony was a powerful magic forged long ago in times of crisis, and Predator sought to use it to his advantage, he knew the magic required 6 beings, 6 energy nodes for the magic to work, this was what he was to use to his advantage.  He set out on the land, looking and locating 6 infants, using his own energy, he embedded the energy required to be a node into each of them, along with the specific kind of energy, kindness, laughter, magic, generosity, loyalty, and honesty.  His energy resided in each of the 6, and as they grew up, he occasionally interfered in their lives to push them along the path he chose for them, but he remained hidden for the most part.

Eventually, the 6 met each other, and faced their first challenge, the Vengeful Moon Goddess.  Working together for the first time, Predator was able to see his energy activate the Elements of Harmony for the first time, and he was pleased with it's success.  From then on, each Element became friends with one another, just as the Predator had hoped.  They grew and bonded together over the days that passed, the Predator frequently intervened in their lives, but remained a shadow the entire time.

Meanwhile, this Boy lived with the Guardian, they bonded over many months and years, Guardian explained to the Boy what was happening, about Predator and his entire history.  Guardian instructed the Boy that when the time came, he would face the Predator, not with weapons, but words and wisdom, and bring this colossal to his knees by bringing out the one thing Predator hated more than anything, the Child inside.  Until that day, until the right moment, the two meditated in their remote land, waiting for Predator to make his final strike.

Time passed, and the Elements faced another titan of evil, the one they called Discord.  Discord was strong in magic, but Predator watched again with such satisfaction as his magic defeated Discord handily.  Predator had bred the ultimate weapon, and he had full control over it.  There would be one last titan before Predator enacted his plan, the Queen of the Changelings, however, it would not be his magic to defeat the titan this time, though the Elements did assist, it was the energy of love that ultimately cast out the evil enchantress.

It was then, in the time of peace that Predator finally chose to cast down his wrath upon Paradise.  Predator was stealthy though, he learned of the Boy and Guardian, and he wished to destroy the land in a manner undetectable, but long and painful.  He knew just how to do it, the same way he had been corrupted in the first place, to introduce the concept of evil to an otherwise pure entity.  One by one, he spread an idea, a thought, a simple concept to villagers all across the Kingdom, he taught them how to lie, steal, that it was ok to pollute the land, that they could abuse their bodies all they want and it wouldn't matter.  Predator even taught them that they could kill, not only each other, but themselves.

At first, nothing occurred, but slowly as the days dragged on, the villagers began acting differently, treating one another disrespectfully, abusing their bodies, becoming greedy and evil, however, it was slow enough that none of the villagers ever noticed the change, they forgot what they had originally, and accepted what they had become.  The Queen's of the land began to see this change, the Sun Goddess and the Moon Goddess alike agreed that something was happening, something they had never before encountered, and they weren't sure how to stop it.  This is what Predator wanted, unlike every time before where the evil was abolished with magic, this time, it was the fundamental hearts of the villagers that was changing, and magic couldn't reverse that.  This was Predator's curse, why he became what he became, once pure then corrupt, and on the inside, he could feel Warrior and Child slipping away.

Guardian and the Boy could see Paradise being consumed by a dark cloud of hatred, this was something they had not predicted, a much more fundamental evil, something they weren't sure they could reverse.  Predator's ideas became infectious, one villager after another turned towards darkness, these ideas even spread to neighboring Kingdoms.  The Elements remained uneffected, keeping strong their wills, they resisted the corruption.  However, at the point of anarchy, Predator finally revealed himself to the two Goddesses, making a mockery of their attempts to halt what could not be halted, he challenged them, and they brought too him the Elements.

This was the moment Predator had been waiting for, all the villagers gathered to see, the Elements confronted their creator for the first time, and used the Elements of Harmony against him.  However, because the magic originated from him, when it struck him, it was merely absorbed.  The entire Kingdom was shocked, it was the first time the Elements of Harmony had failed to work, and this was when Predator finally told them everything, that he created the Elements, that for a long time he had been building up their demise, that the Kingdom belonged to him, and that magic couldn't solve the problem this time.  This demoralized the Kingdom and its villagers beyond comprehension, he left them with that, now targeting the Elements one by one.

Predator visited each Element in the days that followed, breaking their will and sanity one by one, leaving Magic for the last.  When Predator reached Magic, she stood her ground against him, and Predator allowed her to keep her willpower for the time being, but warned her that her friends had been broken, that she was the only one left.

It was now that Guardian went to Paradise, and introduced himself to the Elements, the Boy had not yet arrived.  Guardian knew it would be hard to gain their trust, but he convinced them that he was their only hope.  He instructed Magic to take her friends and family and to escape the Capital as quickly as possible, the Moon Goddess accompanied them as well.  Meanwhile, Predator met the Sun Goddess in her chambers, and tortured her in a particularly brutal fashion.  It was slow and dragged out, just the way Predator liked it, he left her alive, but threw her broken body in the streets for all to see, with the phrase carved into her stomach, "Long Live the Sun Goddess."

Guardian went to retrieve the Sun Goddess, and healed her wounds, and took her to a safe haven in Northern Paradise, where Predator's influence had not yet reached.  Predator seized control of Paradise, and enjoyed his reign, gorging himself on the evils of the corrupted villagers and his sadistic nature.  He even created his own personal army of vicious wolves that traveled the landscape, killing and pillaging whatever they found, the only ones they spared being those of darkened hearts.

  Now that Guardian, the Moon Goddess, the Sun Goddess, and all the Elements had reached a safe haven, Guardian finally introduced them to his solution, Boy.  Everyone though Guardian was insane, that Boy would be slaughtered by Predator, but Guardian taught Boy everything of Child, Warrior, and Predator, and he assured them that Boy would bring the tyrant to his knees.  It would be a few days before Boy departed, in this time, Magic fell in love with Boy in a way she had never felt before, this concerned Guardian but he allowed it.

Boy finally left to face Predator, and when they met, Predator laughed at Boy, mocking him as being the solution, mocking also the judgement of Guardian.  Predator didn't feel threatened by Boy at all, and never once laid a finger on him.  This is what Guardian wanted, Boy began, softening Predator's sanity before inflicting real damage.  He used only words, reminding him of his childhood, what he was, what he had become, he became the very monster that killed his parents long ago, and this truth pierced deeper than any blade could.  Predator began to buckle under the weight of such a history, he threatened Boy with death, but Guardian trained Boy to be immune to fear, and when Predator saw the lack of fear in the face of his own death, Predator began to fear Boy.  His sanity and will broken, he departed from the Capital, and Boy returned back to the safe haven, he had accomplished his task.

However, Guardian knew better, he knew Predator would lash out in revenge, and so it was.  After fleeing the Capital, Predator went to a neighboring Kingdom, and with his ideals of hatred and racism spread so deep, he convinced them to go to war with Paradise, telling them the exact location of the Sun Goddess and Moon Goddess.  Before the invasion landed, Boy and Magic became closer and closer, their love burning ever brighter, their bond became intimate, and more and more Guardian feared what would happen if one were to lose the other, and soon enough, he would find out.

In the final days of Predator, his army landed and bombarded the walls of the safe haven they had for so long taken refuge within.  The Sun Goddess and Moon Goddess led what army they had left in defense, even with the prior knowledge that they would lose, they fought valiantly.  Guardian fought in the battle, slaughtering the enemy army by the 100s.  Predator finally took action, drawing his own sword, and clashing with Guardian on the field of war.  Boy was so filled with sadness by the bloodshed, he ran desperately towards the clashing titans in an attempt to bring some kind of peace, Magic followed behind him.

Guardian no longer cared for the protection of Child or Warrior, he vowed to end this once and for all.  The two fought their hardest, the whole planet shook whenever their swords collided, it seemed as if though the entire Kingdom was crumbling under their feet.  At the height of the battle, Boy rushed between them, crying out for them to stop the senseless violence.  Boy was caught in their duel however, and was killed, and at long last, the two titans stopped, only to realize what they had done.

Guardian nor Predator spoke, they only watched as Magic, who had seen what had occurred, cried helplessly over the body of the one she loved.  It was then that Predator was finally defeated, he killed the one being that believed he could change, and in that moment, Predator vanished, along with his sanity.  Child at long last regained control of his body, his mind only half there.  Child turned to Guardian, and told him, in the most sincere voice Guardian had ever heard,

"I'm sorry..."

He then drove his own blade through his skull, and fell dead on the field, letting out one final cry that stopped all the fighting across the land and quieted every voice.  The heavens above parted as a gentle light was cast down among the gruesome scene and gentle rain.  Guardian was beyond words, what had seemed like an Eon of death and destruction, ended in a second and two simple words.  Just then, Boy's body began to glow, and Guardian quickly realized what was happening, Child was using what was left of him to bring Boy back to life.  Before her very eye's, Magic watched Boy reappear to her, as a whole being once more, and it was then that Magic uttered,

"I forgive you..."

It wasn't just Boy who was healed, the Sun Goddess, the Elements, the Moon Goddess, all the innocent warriors, all were healed and brought back to life in that moment.  All gathered around to see the body of Child, and just like Predator spread his ideals with a small number of villagers, those who saw the body began to return to pure hearts, the sacrifice and strife of Predator served as an icon to those with darkened hearts across the Kingdom.

Ultimately, all forgave Predator, they knew he was not truly evil, but the product of a world that formed him that way, something they had now experienced first hand.  Guardian did what he could to repair the land of its scars and to purify the hearts of the villagers, but ultimately, he left the task to them.  Guardian said his good byes, many asked if he would ever return, and he promised them he would.  Before he left, Boy requested to go with him, though is saddened Magic, she knew Boy could do so much good for the world, so she did the hardest thing possible for lovers, she let him go.

Guardian took Boy with him, and they departed the land, and for once, Paradise returned back to its original state.  However, the tale does not end there.  After he left Paradise, Guardian made an extremely risky move, one that is questioned to this day.  Before Predator found Paradise, there was one that he found love with, a Shahnark named Terra.  Guardian had met Terra once before, he knew she was perfect for Child, someone child could hold on to, someone to remind him about the power of love.  Guardian met with Terra, explaining what had happened, telling her that he would bring Child back to life if she would be with him, and she agreed.

Terra, Guardian, and Boy all traveled back to Paradise, to the spot that Predator ended his own life, now overgrown with weeds and grass.  There, Guardian opened a portal to the spirit realm through which Terra ventured.  She traveled across what seemed like a desolate and dark world filled with monsters of nightmarish level, all to find the lost soul of Child.  Once she found Child, she brought his soul back through the portal, and it was then that Child's body was restored.  Child, now facing Boy, Guardian, and Terra, confessed his sins to them, vowing to lead a new life with his newly given opportunity.

While in the spirit realm, Child released nearly all of his energy, seeing it more of a curse than a blessing, consequently, he was very weak when he returned.  He went on to wed Terra, and their love became a beacon of hope for Guardian, who only wished to see Child happy.  It would seem as if though Guardian had kept his promise after all.

Time passed, and the war between the Zetharians and Shahnarks from long ago was slowly beginning to build momentum, because of this, Guardian went back to their homeland.  Child wanted to come as well, to make up for abandoning them long ago, but before he left, he visited Paradise one last time.  Predator wasn't completely destroyed, but he was very much under Child's control, and Child let Predator have one last run, only to be sure he could leave, Child had refused to leave until he knew that Paradise was fully restored, and that his actions had benefited them rather than hurt them.  Predator took control, but with a much more harmless plot in mind this time around.

Predator looked for some way to cause a bit of chaos without completely destroying Paradise, he snooped through pages of lore and magic from long ago, and discovered a rumor about a being named Sombra.  He looked further into, finding the exact location of Sombra, and using what magic he had left, freed Sombra from his prison.  Predator could still detect whether or not a being was good based off of their energy, and when he met Sombra, he saw that Sombra was not the evil tyrant that had been depicted in the books of lore.  Sombra knew nothing of Predator, but Predator could see Sombra was very similar to him, a once evil being that had changed, and only wanted a second chance.

Predator revealed very little about himself, but promised Sombra his second chance if he obeyed his every will, and Sombra agreed.  A deal was struck, Sombra would rise again as the evil tyrant he once was, only for the sake of testing the Elements and the two Goddesses.  He was instructed to lose his fight, but to make it appear as if though he came with the full intent of ruling Paradise.  Sombra agreed to his terms, putting his full faith in a being he had only just encountered.  Predator sprung the ancient land of The Crystal Empire from it's grave and gave the rest to Sombra.

Child took back his body, and watched as Sombra dueled with the Elements.  He watched very carefully, noticing every behavior, anything negative that was a result of his actions.  However, what Child saw gave him his liberty at long last, they acted no differently than they had before, if nothing else, it seemed their bond was stronger than ever.  Satisfied by this, Child began his journey to uphold his end of the deal as Sombra finished his part, eventually being scattered across the land.

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Author note:  This is really messy right now and I plan to come back and clean it up in terms of quality control, just really wanted to get the base of the chapter out and done.