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Dirge's cry faded into the sound of the black light's roar. The beam finally fizzled out and became nothing, Eve's claws still extended triumphantly.

He fell forwards and touched down softly on his front paws, looking at Dirge. The creature lay on the ground, charred and broken by the blast, twisted in an unnatural pose. He breathed slowly, exhaling small squeaks every now and again.

Eveser looked around at the rest of the room which was now silent and gazing in awe at the spectacle they had just witnessed. Eve turned around to look at Grimlock and his cohorts. They were in awe as well, wide-eyed and open-mouthed. The black dragon was panting heavily and gave them a small smile before turning back to Dirge.

Without warning, a metal claw gripped his throat just as his snout turned and his eyes were met by two gleaming yellow pools of slime!

"Whatever doesn't kill me only makes me stronger," Dirge said in a grim whisper. He was fully restored; all the damage done by the blast was repaired. "I'm far stronger than before, dragon...much stronger..."

His grip was weak, Eve could feel it, but it was still strong enough to hold the dragon's head in place.

"I could squash you like a bug right now..." he growled. Then his grip suddenly went slack! "But I won't..."

Eve ripped away from his grasp and stood in front of his friends protectively. Dirge turned with his claws behind his back and began walking towards Grimlock and the others. He spoke as he walked.

"I want you to run, Eveser," he said. "Go. Get as far away from here as possible. Run to whoever you trust and say your goodbyes because I'll find them all regardless and have them strung up by their skeletons!"

Grimlock and Kyasha looked at Eve and smirked cruelly.

"Take all of your friends and crawl away..." Dirge said with a sadistic laugh. "Go!"

Eve wasted no time; he knew that if he was to escape he needed to take the opportunities he was granted...

He grabbed hoisted Teya and Darrow's limp body onto his back as Dameon grabbed Holi and Cyllea grabbed Dexter and Kerrigan. Then they all leapt up into the air, except for Eve.

"Kane," he called out. Kane cringed back, stepping further into the throngs of Carnians surrounding him. Eve's voice still cut through him like the sharpest of blades. "Remember what I said. Never lose sight and never forget who loves you."

And with that, he lifted himself into the air and followed the others out the hole in the throneroom wall. Dirge chuckled evilly and walked into the throneroom after them. He gazed out through the hole at the figures fading into the deep night sky.

"Run, little dragon, run," he sighed happily. Then he turned to the others who had followed him. All of his minions, his generals, Dirge could maybe even call them...friends! Bleh...no, no he certainly couldn't call them that. Allies works just fine. He raised his arms to the sides as he addressed them.

"My dearest friends," he said. "This...is a momentous occasion! It has been many years since I have lived like this and many more years before that, but now I have returned. With me, comes the greatest empire that has ever been erased from the history books..."

Grimlock shook his shoulders and raised his chin proudly.

"This is where we rise," he said with a smile.

"...The Carnian Empire," Dirge said, raising his arms above his head as cries of agree tore the air. "We have been forgotten, my brothers! Cast to the shadows of history, confined to the darkest corners of memory out of FEAR! Fear has been our damnation, but now we are above that..."

Kyasha herself grinned ambitiously at his words.

"Perhaps he IS someone to stay close to..." she thought to herself, playfully biting her fingernail.

"And now we are all at our prime once again, to raise the Carnian Empire out of the ashes and up to its former glory! The glory that brought terror to the minds of anyone unfortunate enough to see our flags approach, to hear our battle cries, or to feel our blades!" Dirge continued, eliciting more shouts of support from his flock.

Kane shuddered slightly...

"This is not where I belong..." he muttered worriedly. "What have I done?"

"Now raise your arms, my brothers!" Dirge cried above the rabble. "Raise your arms and march into the worms' homes and DESTROY THEM! Bring down the roofs of their self-righteousness on their miserable heads and let those who resist be twice destroyed..."

All went silent for a moment, but they seemed strangely organized...like they were preparing for something. Dirge raised his left arm straight up into the air and splayed his fingers apart, then held it in front of his chest. All of the Carnians, including Grimlock and Oxide, did the same, leaving Kyasha and Kane befuddled. Then Dirge began to speak...

"Death, disease, rot, and decay," he said loudly, gazing out over his followers.

"Truth shall drown upon this day," they shouted back, snarling viciously and excitedly.

"Pain and pox and foulest things," Dirge went on.

"The fear that Carnia's flag doth bring," they responded, beginning to bounce on their heels and gently tap their fists against their chests.

"Fire, fury, no remorse!" Dirge said louder, also beginning to beat his fist against his chalky chest.

"A hellish beast upon its course!" the Carnians cried, becoming more forceful with their strikes and making more noise. They snarled and howled occasionally, scratched their claws against the ground and snarled loudly, becoming more and more wound up.

"Demons dance and darkness rise!" Dirge shouted.

"Char the sun and boil the skies!" the chant echoed out of the hall and down the hill of the Behaku Palace!

"Damn the weak and mar the strong!" Dirge finally screamed and held his fist into the air powerfully!

"Let Carnia live, forever long!" the room erupted in roars and rage and the entire Carnian force was hurling itself into the air in the form of black fireballs! They rushed out into the night, roaring and bellowing furiously, leaving Kyasha and Kane alone with Dirge in the throneroom.

Dirge lowered his fist, still panting from the adrenaline rush of the war chant. He looked around the room and then approached the two.

"Come with me, I'd like to show the two of you something..." he said and held out his claws.

Kyasha grabbed hold immediately, but Kane was hesitant.

"Come along Kane, you're one of us now! I won't hurt you," Dirge said in a friendly tone. Kane looked to the ground and took the Carnian Emperor's claw reluctantly.

In an instant they were at the highest point of the palace: the open-roof tower. From there, they could look out over the lands and see almost all of Mallakoza city!

"Wonderful view," Dirge commented, taking a deep breath of the crisp night air.

"Indeed my lord," Kyasha genuinely marveled at the beautiful landscape. "Swade really had an eye for the architecture."

"What did you need to show us?" Kane asked. Dirge smiled and pointed out at the city.

"That," he said with a small laugh. From the tower, they could see small orange lights flickering in buildings and explosions popping up here and there. The city was under siege...

"How lovely!" Kyasha grinned and sat down on the tower's guardrail. "What do you think, little gryphon?"

"I was never partial to orange myself, always preferred blue," Kane said with an uneasy smile.

"How charming," Kyasha chuckled and patted her lap. "Come and sit with me? It's dreadfully cold out."

Kane looked around awkwardly and then hesitantly made his way over to the vixen. She opened her arms and hugged him as he put his front legs on her lap and pushed against her.

"Y'know...this really isn't half bad..." he thought to himself. Then he spoke out loud. "I thought working for the villains would be kinda scary at first..."

"It might be, we wouldn't know...we're not villains," Kyasha said and patted his little naïve head.

"Would you rather it be that way?" Dirge asked with a small chuckle. "I know some rather...intimidating hazing rituals if you'd like?"

Kane's eyes narrowed and he chuckled cautiously, not actually knowing for sure if that was a joke or not...

"I...I think this is uh, just fine," he said. Dirge laughed and turned back to the city. "I find it rather moving don't you? Perhaps you don't, it probably isn't quite the same feeling...you two can't experience the nostalgia or the pride that we feel right about now..."

"I think we all have our memories we can relate the destruction of innocent people to," Kyasha said with a chuckle as she watched the chaos and absentmindedly stroked Kane's feathers.

"You guys are very touchy-feely aren't you?" Kane asked, pulling away a bit. Both Kyasha and Dirge laughed in surprise.

"Oh my..." Dirge said as his laughter faded, wiping a small nonexistent tear from his eye. "I like you Kane, I really do. You have a funny take on life and if there's anything I value, it's something abnormal..."

"Thank you?" Kane said with an unsure grin. Kyasha pulled him a little closer.

"Y'know, I'd like to get to know you a little better myself...maybe we can chat somewhere, private?" she whispered into his ear which immediately folded down. He looked at Dirge with one eyebrow raised.

"So can you, like, predict the future? Or was this just a lucky guess?" he asked.

"Are you asking a general question? Or are you referring to this very instance that I showed you in those visions?" Dirge asked, kneeling down to meet Kane's eyes.

"Both," Kane said interestedly. Dirge smiled and stood up again.

"Then both," he said, his voice tinged with humor. Kane sighed and rolled his eyes.

"And do all villains have to do their very best to avoid directly answering questions, too?" Kane asked with a small laugh.

"Now that's stereotyping!" Kyasha said, pretending to take offense. "And we're not villains."

"To some degree we are, my dear," Dirge said. "Let's be fair! The boy has quite a lot to become readjusted to..."

"Well, maybe I can help him along," Kyasha glanced down at him like a predator, her eyes glinting mischievously.

"Perhaps you can," Dirge chuckled. Then he waved his claw over his shoulder dismissively. "Now leave me. I have a bit of...redecorating to do."

Instantly the two were in the throneroom once again!

"Follow me, feathers, and try not to get lost," the vixen said sexily and traced her finger along the top of Kane's head.

"Where are we going?" he asked as he scampered up behind her.

"I'm going to help lubricate your transition to the more exciting side, my dear," Kyasha grinned and lead him into Dameon's bedroom, closing the door behind him...

Dirge looked out over the city with a gleam in his eye. It was just like old times...

"So falls this generation," he began, floating out over the edge of the tower and crossing his arms. "The age of reason, the age of justice...so falls the last civilization of weak, mindless drones hell-bent on destroying themselves. This day marks the end, the end of the days where truth and loyalty can help you survive, where only the strongest of the strong can prosper, where the feeble are crushed under the treads of the machine that is progress..."

He floated back over the tower and landed, holding his claw out in front of him. He clenched his fist tightly as a bright red glow began to pour from his palm.

"And rise Carnia!" he said loudly and slammed his palm down onto the stones of the tower! Immediately it spread like red veins down the sides of the palace, moving like snakes on the hunt. The tower shuddered and then rocketed up into the sky, growing longer at the neck and rising to an enormous height! It grew wider and bulkier, becoming a much thicker and more noticeable structure.

Then spikes began to form on it, jutting out from the side and giving the tower a really sinister look. The stones turned red and black, mottled like burnt flesh, and emanated red light. The palace took on the same color scheme, growing larger as spikes also began shooting from its outer walls!

The Behaku Palace was no more, and in its place stood a demonic refuge for all those whose morals were nothing more than an annoyance, those whose lives were dedicated to causing pain and taking lives.

"This," said Dirge. "I can learn to live with."

And so ends this tale.

Evil has prevailed in this battle, but the war is on. Good has been driven into hiding, but still they live.

Eveser lost a friend, his best friend, his brother...he lost the fight for the safety of the world...

And yet...

It continues...

For there are so many questions left unanswered! Who is Bahamut, what does he want with Eve and why is he so important? What did he mean, "They will meet soon"? What will happen to Kane and the world, now that Dirge is in control and Carnia has risen again?

As I said, the battle has been lost...but the war...has only...just...begun...

(Yes, this is the end of U.C.O.D. Scorn of The Lost. It is what it is, there is no twist, there is no alternate ending. There IS, however, MORE TO COME!!!!! Another installment, assuming anyone even reads this old thing anymore LOL! But yes, the story will continue into another series, smaller than this one presumably but certainly filled with at least twice the action and the excitement, I promise! Keep reading! Thanks so much to everyone who's actually stayed with me this entire time, I'll make up some kind of really awesome reward for all of you!!!!)

HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO ALL!!!