In the village of darkness, Obscura, it's residing ruler is pent up inside of her restored little manor, sitting on her throne with the usual smile on her face.
But there was something different about the vibe it carried this go-around, which was enough to make the sleeping Xiark raise his head from slumber to comment on it.
"Well, you seem to be in a good mood today, Ophelia." He said in a casual tone.
"Fu fu fu," Ophelia chuckled warmly, "Have I painted such an obvious picture of myself to you?"
"I would say it's more your presentation currently betrays the message you are trying to preach." Xiark yawned without opening his mouth and then stood on all fours, wiggling its ears around in circles.
Ophelia leaned against her knuckles and remarked, "I'm just...interested in seeing what lies in store in the future. I can't recall the last time I felt such elation."
"Ah," Xiark murmured dully, "This has to do with that boy."
"Hmph," Ophelia closed her eyes and leaned back into her throne, grabbing the arm gently beside her, "What is your opinion on him?"
"I could honestly care less about who he is as a person," Xiark said with majestic bluntness, "But...he shall provide an interesting snag in the status quo of the world."
"Yes," Ophelia nodded, "There will be much excitement to come in the following years. So feel free to lay there and continue to spectate, you cold-hearted lynx. For I shall provide you with the entertainment of a thousand lifetimes!"
"Hmph, so long as you don't disturb my nap again." Xiark said, immediately returning to the cold, wooden floor he enjoyed so much.
But as his skin flaps creased into place, the whole manor began to tremble, causing him to spring up on all four and hunch forward, claws at the ready.
Ophelia shook as well, as the roof and floorboards creaked, dislodging dust from the cracks.
She found her hand gripping the arm of her throne to it's breaking point without her thinking of it, and in turn, her eyes widened with delight.
Pulse after pulse of raw power shoved through the land and distorted sight and sound alike. The trees outside could be heard cracking, the skies lighting twisting into a multitude of shapes.
"This overwhelming hollowness...!" Xiark exclaimed, his skin being dragged towards the back of his frame, "How could such pitch blackness be here...?!"
Before they knew it a wall of silver light sliced through the corner of the wispy forest and took the ground out beneath it for miles on end. Obscura was exposed to the outside sky, which was fighting between colors of red, black and blue for dominance. And many flames towered over the wastelands, the mere embers of a greater power.
Xiark's eyes flared open as he continued to be exposed to the onslaught of power being cast off from a clash of two insanely powerful beings.
"Not even that Devil could be capable of this!""
Ophelia was caught shivering, a cold sweat forming at the edge of her brows. She dug her fingernails into the wood of her seat and then began to rise, using her shadows to call her parasol into her grasp.
Xiark jerked his head her way and told her in a blunt but calm tone, "Are you insane? Our planet has just become a battleground for true monsters! This is no time to be taking a stroll."
"YOU, be silent..."" Ophelia said, calm but with a tone that could puncture the thickest of metals. With an unsettling grin spanning her entire face, she had become fully absorbed in the moment, defying the encroaching armageddon with a stance stronger than diamond.
"Mortals, gods, monsters, I could care less what manner of creature has manifested itself. This world and it's sinners will not be judged by anyone but ME!""
But as she took one step away from her throne...
"...!"
Her eyes widened and her body froze in place as a painful prick penetrated her neck from behind.
She immediately turned around and threw hundreds of shadow claws out, smashing apart both throne and wall to seize the one who aggressed her.
But when the dust settled all she had to show for it was debris...
"What's wrong, Ophelia? Does a mere insect bite unnerve you that much?" Taunted a hollow, echoing voice, doing it's best to disguise it's gender.
Ophelia gestured her folded parasol forward and slanted her brows.
"Don't bother. You'll never find me. I mean...why would I let myself DIE after waiting 16 godforsaken years for you to FINALLY let your guard down?"
Ophelia swung her parasol around as the planet continued to shake, and destruction spread through the fracturing wasteland.
She then felt a jolt entering her body through the neck, spreading throughout in the form of a kind of paralysis. One so great, it loosened the parasol from her hand and made her drop to her knees.
"Ghh...!"" Her sweating worsened, emanating primarily from the place she was pricked.
She laid a couple fingers against her wound and found the veins were bulging outward, as black as the pitch black depths of space.
Xiark moved to her side and growled. With his eyes alight towards the sound of the voice he remarked, "Are you an agent of that black monster?"
"I don't believe there is a connection. No, my affiliation is with...Mmm, well, I suppose there's no harm in saying it, since you will not remember my allegiance once I am done."
"I have delivered this gift of death at the behest of the Ten Sages of Sancturia."
"The Ten Sages?"" Xiark muttered, "So...Those Aurians have chosen to make their move yet again."
"Indeed. See...having Ophelia alive has been, oh, just a little problematic for our goals. We NEED the war, so a queen choosing to reign over the masses with fear well oh ho ho, that just cannot stand. So, we have toppled the queen."
"The poison will kill you slowly and agonizingly...As my colleague described it. Yes, he put all his hatred of you into that syringe."
"Fu fu fu, you should have sought immortality, Ophelia. But it's too late for regrets now. Die your single death, so that the status quo can turn back in our favor."
Ophelia continued to smile, but it let off a very nasty and hostile presence that made the Voice in Shadows chuckle.
"Do you feel it? The burning in your flesh as your body begins to wilt? How every nerve begs for a release that'll never come soon enough…"
"Mortality...is such a cumbersome weight. Farewell...'monster'."
The voice slipped away into nothingness, and not long after, the planet's tremors began to settle down.
Xiark remained a little on edge, then shook as the pristine sound of a sword being unsheathed reverberated all the way out here.
That was the decisive end to whatever battle had unfolded, and following one brief and violent aftershock, the planet was given the chance to settle down.
The skies returned to their normal shade of blue but there were now many, many fissures in the ground. They would heal in time, maybe. Right now, Xiark had other concerns to attend to.
As he looked towards Ophelia he saw her pressing her knees against the ground and starting to stand. Even he was a little amazed that she continued to smile, but now a hefty laugh forced its way out.
"Ha ha ha...! Cowards…"" She murmured with a slight sense of delight in her tone, perhaps a product of the pain burning in her neck.
"This assailant's first mistake...was to make an enemy of me."
"Their second mistake…"" With a loud and forceful set of grunts, she pushed on the black veins in her neck until they no longer bulged, though the presence of black was still visible as could be.
"Was to give me a chance to FIGHT!"" One of Ophelia's shadows forced her parasol up and she snatched it out of the air, giving it a firm swing to her side.
She then unfurled it over her head and used shadows to form a choker around her neck and conceal the veins.
Xiark sat down and remarked in his more detached tone, "This poison will take you eventually, Ophelia."
I know," Ophelia said, none too fazed by the cruel reminder of her mortality, "But I will not give that assailant the satisfaction of putting me in the grave so easily."
"Whether I die in a month or a year, I do not care. My will shall endure in my scion."
She then turned around and marched towards the scenery of destruction that scarred the surface of Genestasia.
"As I promised you, Xiark, there is plenty of excitement to come...!"" She said, wearing her biggest smile yet.
Chapter -120: Change
Up in Arc Hurricanos, they were receiving the deadliest brunt of the power struggle between the titanic forces that had invaded this world to fight.
Violent bursts of energy led to increasingly harsher winds battering the floating village. Twinbeak fluttered in the air over the village, pointed at where the energy was coming from, and used the wind from his wings to push it back.
But the isles were still being shaken, breaking houses and causing the islands to slant, a couple child sliding off and needing to be rescued by their parents.
As everyone else was screaming and bracing the ground for comfort, Lostrom rallied the adults in groups of five at the four corners of the city, where they allied with their Titan to keep the massive eye of the storm together beneath their home.
Darnia stood alone beneath the Titan, braced against the onslaught of raw power that made the skies sick to their stomach.
His eyes narrowed, observing the vast swathes of energy that washed over the land, bathing it in darkness, solar fire, and some manner of silver light.
It was all pushing out from far to the west, with the atmosphere splitting apart with every clash while the sun was shaved of it's solar flares.
"Is this the end of the world...?"" He muttered in a discordant tone.
"DAD!"" Sarajin shouted behind him.
He turned around with his face pale and a worried shout of, "Son?! What are you doing?! Get back home to your mother, now!"
He pointed away but his son continued to run towards him with a sheer panicked look in his eyes, "W-What's going on...what's happening?!"
Darnia squeezed his fists with a pained grunt and then closed his eyes, forcing himself to face the turmoil across the planet. And all he could offer to his child in these most trying times was a shake of the head.
"I do not know…"
He then threw his head back and shouted, "Twinbeak! Can you hold...?!"
The majestic owl was flapping its wings with weighty movements that looked like it was doing a number on its body. Yet it held out with all it could, expressing certainty in the future, "WE WILL LAST AS LONG AS WE CAN, DARNIA STRATOS!"
"ARE OUR PEOPLE SAFE?!"
"YES! We have everyone working to secure the city!"
"GOOD! My brethren are putting their all into protecting their lands too. We MUST survive this, we MUST...!"
But survive against what? Or whom? The enemy had no face, no motive, no proof of being beyond the scars it left on the planet.
And whatever was attacking this planet had an enemy. And all the planet could hope for...was that they wouldn't turn out to be their enemy too.
Sarajin joined his father at his side to look out in the distance. And when he saw the light beaming up into the sky his voice got hoarse, "T-That's...in the direction of Justek's...!"
Darnia stood in front of his son and forced his hands onto his shoulders, "Return home, Sarajin!"
Sarajin tried to shove ahead and exclaim, "N-No! My friend, he's in the middle of all that!"
His father wouldn't let him go no matter the effort he put in.
After all this tumultuous noise that left the galaxy in fear, it ceased to be with one decisive, pristine sound of triumph, with one last aftershock to prove that this was not an easy victory.
The bursts of power trickled down to nothingness in time and with that, Twinbeak could rest their weary wings and breathe a sigh of relief.
"It...it is over." It declared, as the skies above return to an inappropriate shade of cheerful blue.
Sarajin remained held down by his father's grip, sweating and his heart racing rapidly against his chest, "J-Justek...!"
He then performed one final shove and broke free from his father's grip to run out to the edge of the city.
"Sarajin!"" His father shouted.
A turbulent wind held Sarajin at bay as Twinbeak descended in front of them, hovering in place with his pertinent gaze locked onto Sarajin's worried expression.
"We would advise against heading down at the moment, young Sarajin."
"M-My friend was caught up in that, I have to...I have to make sure he's ok!"
Twinbeak nodded and then replied, "We will be heading in that direction to inspect the damage. All we ask for is your patience. The planet is very unstable and needs time to heal...Assuming this is the last of it."
Sarajin was frozen at the knees and bit his teeth down, as the Titan turned and leveled itself out to take flight, soaring quickly across the empty, uneasy skies.
Sarajin's legs felt weak and trembled. His father put a hand on his shoulder and told him in a dreary tone, "Please...Let us just return home for now until Twinbeak returns...There's nothing else we can do."
Sarajin raised his teary eyes and murmured, "Justek...Please be ok."
With great resistance he followed his dad on a long walk back home. The streets were fraught with destruction in the homes and it's people, but fortunately their humble little abode remained roughly intact.
Moses was nowhere to be found though, him and the rest of the birds having been scattered in all directions in a panic...But eventually he would return, his father assured him of such.
He walked into his home with his head hung and his mother running up to greet them.
"What happened?"" She whispered towards Darnia as she began to bend down to hug and comfort her son.
"I wish I could tell you…"" Darnia hung his head and closed his eyes, "All we can do is wait for Twinbeak's answer."
She looked at Sarajin and put her cold hands on his cheeks, "You're shivering...What's wrong?"
"My friend Justek...He might be...might be..."" Sarajin shook his head and forced his mother's grip off, then ran to the living room and collapsed in front of the table.
There he would wait with tearful eyes as the seconds turned to minutes, but felt like days turning to weeks. Every second of uncertainty left him desperate and wanting for answers, but this felt like it was far beyond his reach...No, far beyond anyone's reach, if even the Titan's were worried.
His father paced outside while his mother sat in the house beside him to keep him company. All she could offer was her hope and prayers for Justek's safety.
And Sarajin believed with all his might that he would be ok. He couldn't believe anything else at this point, lest he fall into despair...
Eventually though the mighty wing flaps of the Titan neared their doorstep, and Sarajin wasted no time dragging his weary legs out of the house to greet it.
It stood atop the nearby stone arch and loomed over them in all it's titanic glory. It appeared to be speaking with Darnia first and foremost, a conversation Sarajin desperately interrupted.
"What's going on?! What happened out there?! Please, I have to know!"
Twinbeak and Darnia were silent save for their respective hums. When the Titan shook its head, Sarajin felt ill in the pit of his gut.
"There was...a slaughter," Twinbeak started off, "An entity veiled in black fell from the sky and began massacring the wyverns and dragons."
Sarajin's pupils shrank and a desperate whisper of "No…"" left his mouth.
"A divine being fell from the light of the stars in pursuit of the entity and tried to stop it's consuming hunger from threatening the lives of the rest of the populace...But they were too late. When they arrived, the black beast had already killed nearly everyone in the village."
"No...!"" Sarajin clutched his fists against his thumping heart and shouted, "No...No that can't be true! J-J-Justek...!"
Darnia turned his head to the Titan and wondered, "You say 'nearly'...There were survivors?"
"Just one boy and two babies," Twinbeak closed its eyes and sighed, "The rest of the village has been destroyed beyond repair...We could not make out a single corpse."
Sarajin threw his head out at the Titan and screamed, "W-What did the survivor look like! Please, did they wear glasses?!"
Twinbeak's eyes opened sharply and with a quick nod he remarked, "As a matter of fact, we do believe they did...Is that your friend, young Sarajin?"
Hope sprang forth from a wound left by an arrow in his tense heart, with Sarajin struggling to maintain a smile as the despair had almost consumed him.
"He's alive...he's alive...!"" He clamped his hands over his mouth and gasped in relief, then prepared to set off when Twinbeak stirred...
"However…" They said, "You won't find him there anymore."
"W-What?"" He said as he turned around.
"As we were making our rounds, we saw a masked being picking up the boy and the two babies and carrying them away."
"...A mask?"" Sarajin's first thought was Ophelia, "We're they heading to Obscura?"
Twinbeak shook their head and replied, "They were heading towards Sancturia."
Sarajin's heart fluttered with elation and he laid his hand out against his chest, breathing a sigh of relief. Twinbeak then craned it's body back and spread it's wings.
"We must now depart. Your leader has been informed and shall spread the news in time. For now...we must consult with our brethren."
Twinbeak then took flight away from them.
Sarajin then curled his hand into a fist and steeled his dry eyes with determination, "I'm coming for you, Justek! Hang on!"
But he wasn't even one step removed from his spot when his father looked at him and wondered, "Son, where do you think you're going?"
Sarajin stopped and spun around, gesturing his fist out with a declaration of, "I'm going to see my friend!"
Darnia's eyes narrowed with bitter scorn as he muttered, "In Sancturia? Do not be ridiculous! That city has not been entered in millenia!"
"I went in there!"" Sarajin proclaimed in confidence, "I even made friends with one of the leader's kids!"
Darnia's eyes widened with a trembling of uncertainty as he stuttered, "Y-You...did what?"
He then reaffirmed his sternness by shaking his head and declaring, "It doesn't matter. What makes you certain you'll be so lucky the second time? If the Aurians have chosen to reveal themselves after all these years then they do so with caution, and the city will no doubt be harder to enter now."
"If I did it once I can do it again!" Sarajin proclaimed, swinging his arm out aggressively as he bit his teeth down and muttered coldly, "Don't stop me dad…"
As he turned around Darnia latched his hand onto his shoulder and raised his voice, "I said NO! Think for once in your life, Sarajin. This will not be one of your trips, you'll be marching into enemy territory and they WILL be hostile to you!"
With a rough turn to throw his father's hand off Sarajin planted his hands against his chest and declared, "I'm not a child anymore dad! I can fend for myself just fine! And my friend needs me!"
"Enough of this recklessness! Please, for once in your LIFE I am BEGGING you to listen to what I have to say!"" But by the time Darnia was done his son was already turning and running away from him.
Darnia's hand tightened into a fist and his blood pressure rose, making his face red. He then thrust his hand out and shouted, "Stop!"
Sarajin tried to lift his legs but suddenly found something gripping tightly around them and holding him down.
He looked at his feet and found...vines, growing out of the ground to constrain him.
His heart started racing as he looked over his shoulder and into the face of betrayal, as his father's hand glowed with a faint green energy.
Darnia's glare was weak, moreso tired than angry at this point.
Sarajin's heart started pounding to the point his breaths got ragged. And he bit his teeth down, hissing in disbelief and scorn, "Y-You...You were the one Twinbeak told me to seek out…"
"..."" Darnia closed his eyes and held his hand up firmly, "I will let you go when you calm down, son."
"No." Sarajin growled, closing his own eyes and concentrating deep within to muster up the power of the Fire Conduit Form. With its presence alone he reduced the vines to ash to free his legs.
"Huh...?!"" Darnia gasped, his body trembling as he looked deep into his son's eyes and saw a fire that was never there before.
Sarajin slanted his brows and murmured in disgust, ""...I guess I'm not the only one keeping secrets…"
He then tried to move again as his father thrust his other hand out, coated in a brown energy. Sarajin's path became barred by a towering diamond wall.
He bit his teeth down hard and trembled, closing his eyes and switching to the Water Conduit Form. He then used its power to create a pillar of water beneath his feet to help carry him over the wall.
His father swung his hand out in frustration and the water froze solid in a slant, causing Sarajin to lose his balance and slide off onto the ground on his back.
He stood up feeling shook all over, with his dad's shadow looming over him from behind. He turned around and saw him standing there with narrow eyes and an impatient gaze.
"Stop it...! Why can't you just stop being reckless for one second and listen to what I have to say?!"" He proclaimed his desperation at a peak.
Sarajin grit his teeth and shouted back at him, "You LIED to me all this time! About the world, about Ophelia, about yourself! Why should I believe anything you say?!"
"Because I am your father, Sarajin!"" Darnia retaliated.
"Yeah...?"" Sarajin lowered his head and squeezed his fists. He then gazed up and muttered, "Ophelia's been a better parent to me than you've ever been. At least she doesn't lie!"
In the blink of an eye Sarajin heard a sharp resounding noise coming off his cheek as pain flared up throughout his head, inflicted onto him by the back of his father's hand.
The two were frozen in a moment of time neither would soon forget. Darnia was resolute in his action in the moment, but soon his expression melted, as his eyes were left trembling, his hand shaking.
He stared at his hand, now blistering red with a scar on his heart that will never heal.
And Sarajin just stared at him back, his gaze a bitter, righteous mix of confusion and rage.
Darnia began to cry, extending his hand softly towards his son, his voice the mere whisper of a once loving father, "Sarajin...I-I would never…"
Sarajin's whole face turned red and in an instant, he activated the Electricity Conduit Form, the ground cracking at his feet as electricity surged throughout his entire body.
With an angry scream, Sarajin threw his hands out while his dad was stunned by surprise, and blasted him in the chest point-blank with a million volts.
He was thrown back into the nearby wall and the impact dislodged a dozen bricks on top of his body.
Sarajin panted wildly and dropped the Conduit Form, gritting his teeth as tears ran down his cheeks, "I CAN change the world...! I won't give up on it like YOU did!"
"W-What's going...Oh my lord!"" Sarajin was wounded by the sound of his mother's voice at the doorstep, where she stood and bore witness to the painful sight of her husband groaning in pain and Sarajin with the smolders of electricity still fresh on his palms.
Her skin turned pale as she put her hands over her mouth and gasped, "S-Sarajin...what...what have you done?"
It was a period of betrayal inflicted upon an entire family. But in Sarajin's heart, he could never hate his mother for anything...
He ran up to her and held her around the waist as tight as he could, his tears soaking into her dress as he asserted with all his heart, "I...I WILL become strong mom...And make this world a better place for everyone! And then someday, I'll come back here, and free you too...!"
He then pulled away slowly, leaving the impression of his mother's face in the front of his mind as he turned and ran away, as far away as he could, without ever looking back.
He was gasping and crying, barely able to carry his legs to his destination at the other end of the city.
Lostrom spread the word of the near armageddon they survived, but they bounced off Sarajin's ears...He only cared about one thing now, and that was seeing his friend again.
"Ha...! Ha...!"" His destination was just a few feet away, all he had to do was round one more corner and he'd be there...
But as he did so, he bumped straight into who else but his trusted confidant, Nimus. He bounced off his gut and the man chuckled, still his usual playful self.
"Whoa, where you off to in such a hurry, kid?""
But Sarajin didn't have any time to chat, he tried to run around him while panting at the top of his lungs.
However, he suddenly stopped in place and let his thoughts catch up with the rest of his body. His panting slowed down and he absorbed the friendly chit-chat Nimus tried to engage him in.
"Crazy morning eh? I almost thought we'd be goners! But hey, you know-"
"N-Nimus!"" Sarajin turned around and ran up to him with a pleaful look in his eyes.
"W-Whoa...You look like shit, cotton puff."" He commented bluntly.
"Can you...can you...can you get me into Sancturia?!"
"W-What...?"" Nimus sputtered, "Where did this come from all of a sudden?"
"I-It's my friend, Justek...! His village has been wiped out and he's been carried away into the city!"
"R-Really?"" Nimus then turned his head aside, threw it back with his eyes rolling back, before uttering a quiet "Shit…"
He then threw his head forward and gesture his hand out, "I'd love to help kid, but-"
"Don't say no, please, don't say no!"" Sarajin pleaded at the top of his lungs, "If there's anyone who can help me, it's you!"
"..."" Nimus steeled his gaze and said in a dead serious tone while tucking his hands into his pockets, "You do get that it's not going to be as easy as sneak in through a blind spot this time right? You try and get in now, they'll know you're coming and they WILL put you through hell for trying to invade."
Sarajin shook his head and declared, "I...I don't care! I got the power of the Wellsprings from most of the Titans, I feel much stronger than I did the last time I went there!"
Nimus tensed up and let out a gulp, "M-Most of the Titans...? Does...that happen to include the old owl's?"
Sarajin firmly nodded his head a couple times and said, "They just gave me a piece of it yesterday to help me balance my elements out...Why?"
Nimus gave a shaky smile and then gestured a hand out of his pocket, "That's great news, kid. Maybe you'll be strong enough to handle yourself a little better from now on."
"D-Does that mean...?"" Sarajin's eyes glistened with hope.
Nimus nodded his head and chuckled, "Sure. Just close your eyes for a bit and I'll sort everything out for you."
Sarajin closed his eyes slowly, and the next thing he heard was a long, tired sigh coming from Nimus.
"...Sorry about this, kid.""
Sarajin's eyes began to open and then bulged out as he found himself winded by a punch to the gut.
"Ckk...ghhh...!"" He spat out, his body crumbling at the knees and left hanging on top of Nimus' fist.
He looked up into his eyes and saw that he was still smiling, "W-Why...?"
"Heh...About time."" He said in his usual carefree tone.
Sarajin felt something warm coming from his gut and looked down to see Nimus' hand pulling away, dragging out a little bit out of the Wind Wellspring energy as it did.
However, Nimus' hand was now wrapped in solid gray energy...Aura.
Sarajin's eyes trembled as he looked back up at Nimus' face once again. Nimus smirked, glancing off the side and mumbling to himself with mild disgust, "I was getting SO damn tired of perching up in this floating cage...""
He then finished pulling his hand away and stood up, leaving Sarajin to collapse onto his hands and knees, gasping for air.
Nimus wrapped the Wellspring energies into a small sphere and held it aloft before his face, "But it was all worth it to pluck this gem from the nest."
Sarajin raised his head and whispered, "T-This isn't happening...Tell me...Tell me you're joking, Uncle Nimus...!"
Nimus closed his eyes and shrugged, "Sorry, kid. Didn't I tell you in the past? I'm aaaaaall about telling the truth."
He started to walk past Sarajin with the orb at his side, and Sarajin laid into him with a bitter growl, "B-But, y-you...were an Aurian this whole time...?!
Nimus paused and then whipped his pointer finger out at his side, "Well...I never said I told the full truth."
"You...lived with us. We ate food together...! But all this time…"" Sarajin curled his fists against the ground and tears dropped on top of them, "Y-You were waiting to betray us...?! Betray me?!"
"..."" Nimus closed his eyes and sighed, "Pick your words wisely kid, 'traitor'' ain't a fitting label for a cool guy like me."
"I-I looked up to you...!"" Sarajin gasped with the pain of betrayal.
Nimus ruffled Sarajin's hair gently and then gave his head a couple pats while saying fondly, "Yeah, and look how far that got you. You've become pretty strong, kid."
He then withdrew his hand and pulled away, "Though, you've still got to learn who to trust, and who not to trust."
"Get your HAND off my SON!"" Darnia came roaring into the area and Nimus smirked.
"Speak of the dev-"" Nimus' eyes widened as a bright red glow advanced upon his location, "Oh SHI-!"
He jumped back and the bag on his back opened up right as a massive fireball collided with him and exploded.
Darnia ran up to his son and bent down to try and help him up, guarding him by embracing him against his chest.
Darnia glared at the smoke as it settled. Behind it was a pair of silver steel bird wings swung in front of Nimus' body. Every 'feather' was a deadly slicing blade wrapped in gray aura.
The wings had shielded Nimus from the attack but pushed him to the edge of the city. He pulled his wings back and looked a little surprised.
"Wait...that's it?"" He remarked, letting out a bit of a crazed chuckle before brushing his free hand across his forehead.
That was a pretty pathetic showing," He smirked confidently and then, hopped back off the edge, using his wings to sustain levitation. His tone got a little serious as he mocked Darnia directly, "To think I avoided you all this time cause I thought you were a threat. But nah, you're just another withered shell of a grown-up."
Darnia narrowed his eyes and shouted, "Who are you?! And what do you want with the Wellspring?!"
"Who am I?"" Nimus grinned, "Well...Heh heh, you don't know how long I've waited to brag about how cool I am…"
He grabbed hold of his poncho and tore it right off, revealing a leather jacket underneath with an orange and black pattern resembling the wings of a monarch butterfly. He let the tatters fall to the mercy of the wind and tucked his hands into his pockets, leaning comfortably into place.
"You can call me Number IV of the Aurian's Ten Sages...Dominion of the Sky, Nimus the Sky Scourge!"
"Ten...Sages?"" Darnia growled.
"That's right old man,"" Nimus chuckled roughly, "I'm kind of a big deal, so be grateful I'm giving those crusty ears of yours a workout...!
He smiled and gestured the Wellspring orb out of his pocket, "As for what we want, well…"
He narrowed his eyes with a firm glare, "Revolution."
"Revolution...?"" Darnia said, his voice shaken.
"Yeah. It's time somebody uprooted the crappy status quo those bastard Titans have been enforcing all these years!"" Nimus proclaimed, "We'll return the freedom that's been stolen from it's people!"
"You're insane...!"" Darnia declared, "The Titans are the ones who keep balance in this world!"
"Yeah? And look where that's gotten your people...You're all happy and ignorant cause that foul-feathered fuck thinks it can enforce whatever laws it wants!"
As Darnia continued to glare, Nimus felt more insulted than anything and scoffed, "C'mon...Where's the fire in your eyes? I never took you for some pussy-whipped servant of god!"
He thrust his hand out and exclaimed, "Where's the Wandering Lion that prowled the land trying to upset the status quo?! You're nothing! Worthless!"
"And your son…"" Nimus gestured his pointer finger out at Sarajin and whispered cruelly, "He'd be better off without you."
:Say another word and-"
"You'll what?!"" Nimus shouted in laughter, "Hurt me? I dare you to try hitting me with another one of your pitiful fireballs!"
"Grr...!"" Darnia grunted.
"...When I first came here I was given two warnings about you. One, to never pick a fight with you, cause two, if I killed you by accident, Ophelia would get in our way."
Nimus smirked and raised his head high, "But...I guess I won't have to worry about either one of you anymore."
There was a sinister air to his words that made Darnia nervous to ask, "W-What do you mean by that...?"
Heh, because old man, that monster's already got one foot in the grave," Nimus remark caused both father and son's eyes to widen as his explanation continued, "Yep. One of my colleagues took advantage of the chaos that happened this morning to inject Ophelia with a poison. And sooner or later, she'll succumb to it."
"Opportunistic bastard...!"" Darnia roared, his eyes alight with fire, "If she dies the planet will be embroiled in war once more! What can you hope to gain from that?!"
"Whoa! There's the fire I was looking for...Didn't think you still cared about that wicked bitch."" Nimus chuckled.
"As for what we hope to gain, well,"" He smiled wide and with the sun at his back, he remarked, "I already told you...It's 'Revolution'. If we're going to uproot this deitriarchy, we're gonna need just a little blood to spill first."
"Buuuut, I think I've said enough about our plans..."" Nimus then gestured his head up and shouted, "Yo! Sarajin!"
Sarajin winced and slowly looked over his shoulder. Even after this betrayal, nothing about Nimus' presence had changed. He was still the same carefree man he knew and once admired...
"You should just give up on trying to save your friend right now...If I'm correct, he's soon going to be under old man Borealis' 'protection'. And the way you are now well...You try and dive headfirst into Sancturia and they'll chew you up and spit you OUT."
"So my advice? Get stronger, and take back what belongs to you!" Nimus grabbed his goggles and put them over his eyes, flashing a smile his way, "The whole world ain't gonna sit around and wait for you to become the change it needs, kid! War's coming back soon enough and unless you've got the will to bring about peace, the bodies are gonna start dropping like flies!" "
"Remember...The strongest people are the freest, like me! Maybe we'll see each other again someday, but for now, I gotta jet!"" He started to turn away only to glance over his shoulder and say softly, "Oh and...Happy birthday, cotton puff.:
He then flew off at hypersonic speeds away from the village. In his wake he left a trembling Sarajin, who whimpered into his father's chest and curled his hand into a fist, giving him a hard but broken punch...
Next Time: A Name One Bears