fan-fiction: FADE TO BLACK

The Faceless Void stared into the rapidly darknening sky. There had never been a night as dark as this one; where the stars no longer sparkled and the moon had long lost its face. Though many of its former allies in the great battle against the Sentinels had great powerful abilities that could darken the skies, their powers paled in comparison to the events that were nearing their end.

"Has he given up trying to stop things?" the tattered form of the skeleton king himself, King Leoric, asked the darkterror while he stared at the last remaining settlements that were barely visible in the distance. The darkness swallowed them up and took away the final glimpses of proof that the land once held civilized men and monsters. The Skeleton King ran a bloodied hand over its tattered armor, then threw the powerful artifact known as the Divine Rapier to the ground. The god-slaying artifact was no longer needed.

"No," the Faceless Void replied without even turning to look towards the person they were speaking about. A few meters away, a frantic Nerubian Weaver struggled against the impossible. Anubseran, however, had no plans of halting his stubborness. He continued to call upon his ethereal powers and leapt backwards in time in hopes of returning to a time before everything fell apart. Its carapace glistened with sweat as it continued its futile efforts. On the ground lay scattered the Weaver's many magical treasures: the powerful azure axe that allowed it to summon illusionary doubles, the twin swords that gave him both unfathomed strength and speed. Even the forever coveted artifact known as Radiance was left on the grass. None served any purpose anymore.

He made no progress in his efforts.

Though his ultimate abilities allowed him to leap backwards in time, the most he could muster was five seconds.

Five seconds was all he could do.

"I doubt, however, that the Weaver would listen to any call for logic," the Faceless Void sighed and crossed his muscular arms over his chest. The darkness in the distance continued to close in towards them. King Leoric dropped his majestic sword to the ground and made his way beside the Faceless Void. He felt, however, a sudden pang of sympathy for the Weaver and realized to the very least he should offer his ally a chance at a more painless death.

"When it comes," King Leoric asked, "How much time will we have? You can cease the flow around us both, yes?"

"Not much," the Faceless Void admitted, "Like the Weaver, my command over time is no more greater than his. Perhaps ten? Fifteen seconds?"

"Six," King Leoric mused, knowing the Faceless Void would never admit his lack of greater power. Many of those they were long allied with saw the Darkterror as laughable, if not weak. There was a time the Darkterrors were so feared that many believed they had long existed even before the time of man. But when the war came upon them and the alliances of necessity required them to fight alongside one another against the sentinels, many began to see how much weaker the Darkterror truly was. "Proud even until the end, my friend," Leoric teased, "Proud until the end."

"It is here," was the Darkterror's only reply.

The Nerubian Weaver screamed in anger, seeing the darkness now rapidly sliding towards where he and the two other remaining survivors stood. The darkness was relentless and found nothing in its path that slowed its approach. Anubseran screamed as its watchers, spread out ahead to warn him of the darkness' approach, were quickly consumed by the growing void and rend from the world.

"This is not fair! We had won!" Anubseran screamed with a voice that contained every anger and fear the Weaver had long hidden from all prying eyes. King Leoric felt sad that one who was once such a proud and vicious slayer of foes had turned into such a weak and frightened fool. He decided to act upon the sympathy he had earlier felt and unleashed towards the Weaver the power contained within him. A magical Storm Bolt flew and struck the Weaver into stunned silence. The darkness came quickly and took the Weaver into its grasp.

"At least," King Leoric shared, as he bowed his head towards the ground, with the Darkterror, "I had spared him from the pain."

"We do not know for certain if there will be any pain," the Darkterror countered but, upon hearing nothing but silence from the skeleton king, offered a nod in respect. King Leoric raised his head once more and stared at the incoming darkness. Like a surging flood of black uncaring water, the darkness continued towards the two without any signs of slowing down.

"We are to find out the answer to that question, my friend," King Leoric mused and wrapped one arm around the Darkterror. "It was an honor, Faceless Void, to stand in battle alongside you."

The darkness wrapped over them.

Then stopped.

The Faceless Void stared at King Leoric's unblinking amber pupils, then threw its gaze upon the darkness that now surrounded everything save himself and his frozen ally. Both removed from time by the Faceless Void's ultimate skill over its flow, it was only the Darkterror, however, who remained cognizant of their state of being.

"Six seconds is more than none," the Darkterror proclaimed and was thankful that even at the very end of everything that existed, he was the last to bid farewell. That, for the Faceless Void, was enough.

-end-

Fade to Black was my entry to a fanfic contest in www.dotaportal.com To my surprise, it won first place and was received pretty well by many of those who visit the site. The cons of my story in hindsight: too reliant on having the reader be familiar with the game and the favoritism towards its various heroes. Lacks a nice view of the events that transpired before the ending of the world. Can seem kind of short for a tale that covers its scope.