The Destructive Adventures of the Lovers-Chapter 64: The Saviors of Creation

The makeshift camp buzzed with uneasy murmurs, the air thick with tension. Rough, sunburnt Mankaynd survivors clashed with pale, stoic Laverans over sacks of grain and crates of dried fish. Arms flailed, voices cracked, and the sharp ring of metal clinking against metal sliced through the cold morning air.

"Hey, that's ours!" a Laveran woman shouted, clutching her child as a burly Mankaynd soldier ripped a sack from her grasp. "We share this land! Don't act like it's your kingdom."

The soldier sneered, tossing the sack over his shoulder. "You wouldn't even have a kingdom if it weren't for us. We bled for this world. We lost everything."

The argument swelled, drawing more villagers into the circle. Fists tightened. The air grew sharper, colder. Then, like a torch dropped into dry grass, a fight erupted. Shouts turned to screams, and fists became weapons. Baskets toppled, grain spilled into the mud, and the fragile peace shattered in a spray of blood and broken wood.

Ella pushed through the chaos, her breaths sharp and visible in the icy air. She spotted Matt at the edge of the camp, his fists clenched, eyes flickering with a wild, dangerous light.

"Matt!" she called, her voice strained as she stumbled over a fallen barrel. "Stop them before they tear each other apart!"

Matt's jaw tightened. His eyes darkened, shadows swallowing the warmth in his irises. He took a step forward, his muscles coiling, and then, in a burst of blazing heat, the ground around him scorched black. A massive, flaming skull burst from his back, its hollow eyesockets pouring fire, its jaw clattering like the grinding of ancient bones.

"ENOUGH!" Matt's voice boomed, a crack of thunder against the frigid air. The crowd froze. The skull twisted and writhed, its ghostly jaw stretching wide, casting hellish shadows across the tents and frost-covered stones.

He marched forward, his shadow stretching long and jagged, licking at the heels of those who dared to back away. "You think you've suffered?" he growled, his voice layered with the roar of the flames. "You think you've bled more than me? More than us?"

A Mankaynd soldier stumbled back, his face drained of color. The Laverans stepped away, eyes wide with awe and terror.

"We're all fighting for survival. We're all running from death. Act like it," Matt snarled, the flames behind him flaring brighter. "Or I'll show you what true suffering feels like."

For a moment, only the crackle of fire filled the silence. Then, one by one, the Mankaynd warriors dropped their makeshift weapons and slinked back to their tents, avoiding Matt's smoldering gaze.

The fire flickered, then died. The skull shattered into embers, falling like cursed snow. Matt's shoulders heaved, steam rising from his skin as the cold wind cut through the lingering heat.

He turned, shoving past the broken crates and scattered belongings, out of the camp and into the frozen woods beyond. Ella hesitated, then hurried after him, her breath frosting the air.

"Matt," she said, catching up to him as he leaned against a snow-covered tree, his breaths coming in ragged gasps. "What was that?"

He glanced at her, his eyes still blazing, but his expression hollow, almost lost. "I'm tired, Ella. Tired of this constant fight, tired of pretending we're all on the same side when we're just waiting for the next betrayal."

Ella stepped closer, her boots crunching the icy ground. "But this is our only chance. If we turn on each other now—"

"I know," Matt cut her off, slamming his fist into the tree, sending snow cascading down around them. "But I can't watch them tear each other apart. Not after everything we've lost."

For a moment, neither spoke. The wind howled around them, whipping Ella's hair into her face, tangling it with cold, unspoken fears.

She reached out, her gloved hand resting on his arm. "You're stronger than this anger, Matt. You have to be."

His jaw clenched, and for a brief second, the fire in his eyes dimmed, a flicker of the boy he once was surfacing through the rage.

"I just... I don't want to lose anyone else," he whispered, his voice breaking. "Not again."

Ella's grip tightened, her eyes glassy in the bitter wind. "Then let's fight together, not against each other."

Matt's shoulders slumped. He looked away, staring into the snow-covered trees, their branches bending under the weight of the storm.

"Yeah," he muttered, the flames in his eyes finally flickering out. "Together."

The wind howled through the cracks in the stone walls, threading icy fingers through the narrow hallways of the clinic. The fire in the corner flickered weakly, struggling against the cold. Gabriel, Margo, Lila, Matt, and Ella sat huddled in the dimly lit room, their breaths forming small, ghostly clouds in the frigid air.

"They're not going to survive much longer if this keeps up," Lila whispered, wrapping her arms around herself. Her skin had turned a ghostly white, the tips of her fingers trembling. "Even the Laverans are shivering now."

"We need to find her," Gabriel said, his jaw clenched, the firelight casting sharp shadows across his face. He looked at Ella, his eyes narrowing. "We need to stop the Ice Queen. But there's something else. Ella... you knew things you shouldn't have. About the storm. About the Queen."

Ella's heart pounded. She felt the weight of their stares pressing in on her, the air around them seeming to freeze even more. She met Gabriel's gaze, her breath catching in her throat. "I-I told you, I'm just a supernatural person. I've lived in an another world in my whole life."

Matt leaned forward, his eyes sharp, flickers of fire reflecting in his pupils. "But your last name is Snow. Martha's last name is Snow."

Ella's pulse raced. She forced herself to keep her voice steady. "That doesn't mean anything. There are many with that name. It's common in some worlds."

Margo looked at her, her head tilted slightly, eyes narrowed. "But you seem to know more about this storm than the others. You seem... connected."

Ella gripped the arm of her chair, her knuckles turning white. She could feel her heartbeat in her ears, loud and frantic. She felt like the walls were closing in. "I'm not... I'm not related to Martha. I swear."

The room fell silent for a moment, the crackling fire the only sound. Gabriel's eyes lingered on her, searching for a hint of deception, before he slowly leaned back, his suspicion momentarily set aside.

Matt broke the tension, leaning back and letting out a long breath. "Alright. We can't keep turning on each other. If we're going to survive this and stop the Ice Queen, we need a plan. We need to stand together."

Lila shivered, pulling her knees to her chest. "Maybe we should have a name. Something to remind us what we're fighting for."

Gabriel ran his fingers through his hair, the firelight catching on his dark eyes. "A name?"

"Yeah," Matt said, his voice warming slightly. "A name for our group. Something that gives us strength."

Margo's eyes brightened, a small, determined smile crossing her lips. "What about... the Defenders of Creation?"

Lila shook her head, a slight smile breaking her cold-bitten lips. "Too formal."

Gabriel chuckled softly, his breath a cloud of frost. "The Guardians?"

Matt smirked, the flames in his eyes flaring. "Sounds like old warriors in a dusty legend."

Ella, still shaken but trying to calm herself, whispered, "The Saviors of Creation?"

The room fell silent. The words hung in the cold air, their weight sinking into the walls, the floors, the very bones of the castle. The fire crackled, as if in agreement.

"I like that," Margo whispered, her eyes meeting Gabriel's. "It fits."

Gabriel nodded slowly, his suspicions about Ella still lingering but his resolve hardening. "Alright then. The Saviors of Creation."

They sat in the flickering shadows, their breaths mingling in the cold air, the weight of their new identity settling over them. Outside, the wind howled louder, the storm creeping ever closer.