The night of the fifth day following the crash, Pyrus found himself lying on his infirmary bed, staring at the ceiling. Samateus and Kemet had fallen asleep curled up on either side of his bed over an hour ago, the rest having gone back to their duties after a small dinner party to celebrate his waking after the crash. He hazarded eating a cannoli, which sat surprisingly well, but his appetite had tanked again when Samateus returned to the rest.
She barely sat down when Khilseith looked at her, almost expectantly, worried yet hopeful. Samateus shaking her head had him downcast in a breath, the others watching her had her rolling her eyes lightly before she explained Xerxes had flatlined for over a minute. Any longer, he would have been lost to them, which she hated voicing knowing it would bring down the mood of the room, glancing at Pyrus who smirked but nodded a thanks for her restraint.
Remembering this, Pyrus tensed, hazarding a glance over at the prone form off to his right on the other side of the room.
**Pyrus...** Almost his father's voice, almost, but not. Pyrus stiffened, eyes widening as he sat up carefully, doing his best not to nudge Kemet's tail over his left thigh. The draconian probably put it there to monitor him while the two on either side of the Prince slept, just in case he needed to get up or move. He watched, seeing no sign of movement, wakefulness or change of any form in Xerxes, so where had the voice come from?
**Pyrus.** This time the voice sounded almost to have come from right next to him, his right hand contacting the Obsidian Blade lying next to him, and was much more hurried. He looked over to the chair at his left, where he had left the armour and undershirt before Samateus had helped him into his bed, his belt still there exactly as he had left it. Frowning, Pyrus looked at the blade and immediately stiffened, the swirling galaxy replaced instead with a single radioactive-green eye with a slit pupil.
**You must come. Now.** Sounded the voice in his head again, the eye narrowing before the edges of Pyrus' vision darkened and he felt as though moved through time and space, seeing the alliance at a distance, the Beast looming behind it again, bigger and flanked by endless forces of drones. One by one the Ahr'aht ships were destroyed, the Beast's forces ringing around and destroying the Battle moons one by one, watching morbidly as then Sand, Bone, Rock and lastly Ice, were devoured by the dreaded black sphere.
A howl of anguish and rage echoed in his head as Pyrus then jolted awake, narrowing his eyes and wincing at the sudden alarm klaxon sounding, and the sound of warning alarms from the bed off to his right. Kemet and Samateus were gone, Zera in the chair to his right instead, but watched worriedly as Ryme and two other medical staff worked nearby.
"Zera? What's going on?" Pyrus asked, making the small Icean jump and turn back to him, eyes wide.
"The Beast is back, Samateus asked me to stay here for her so she and Kemet could go help. We were hit, power went offline for a minute and affected his life-support. They're working on helping him but..." Zera explained hurriedly, respectfully looking away with a blush as Pyrus moved to sit on the edge of his bed, frowning that the Obsidian Blade was there still attached to his belt, unlike in the dream a moment earlier, but continued to dress anyway. Pyrus figured the Maker had reached out to him because they were in trouble, and knew he could do nothing where he remained, asleep as Kemet and Samateus had said. Once he had his armour and belt on, Pyrus quickly withdrew his father's staff, the metal feeling warm to his touch, which made him smile as he extended it and carefully moved to stand.
Zera loudly protested, swiftly moving around to try and help him, Pyrus chuckling lightly, and using her to help steady himself on his feet. He tried to put more of his weight on his staff, smirking to himself when the two were enveloped in light and teleported to the Aurora's bridge.
"Zera? Pyrus? What are you doing out of bed?" Cryos asked, standing at the command station with Glailen, both looked worse for wear, though the scene on the viewscreen just past them could be reasonably understood to be why. Beast drones streaked through everywhere, Taalrulthian and even smaller Ahr'aht fighters attempting to help alliance forces, who did their best to reciprocate the same. Khilseith had returned to the Dark Star, the main World ship he had first met the rest aboard, visible on one of the comms viewscreens before Cryos and Glailen. Cinder briefly shouting that the engine was holding but still only able to output at seventy percent of normal.
"Couldn't sleep..." Pyrus muttered, carefully stepping over to lean on the console for support, Zera shadowing him cautiously.
"Understandably." Cryos smirked, quickly catching himself on the console when the Aurora was rocked by another volley of null energy fire aimed expertly at their engines.
"Lost aft thrusters!"
"Starboard cannons are out!"
"Sir, there are ships coming out of the atmosphere of planet Sand and engaging the Beast forces!" The last announcement from the helmsman was a welcome one, Samateus could be heard laughing. Several of the new craft were then seen flying past them, the ships themselves looked like giant beetles with outstretched bird-like wings pitched forward like twin blades.
"Ramset and Zuma are finally up to speed! Let's hope they can turn this fight." Khilseith announced, his grin and meeting Pyrus' gaze helped Zera and Cryos relax, though he briefly expressed his concern telepathically for Pyrus being up and about without Samateus or Kemet.
**I'm okay, just focus on the fight.** Pyrus smirked, Khilseith's eyes widening a moment and nodded slightly, headfeathers bouncing lightly with the movement. Pyrus looked over the viewscreens, seeing the transmitted wireframes of the overall battle, a gift from the Ahr'aht over the last few weeks saw them able to project such in all alliance Capital ships, glad to see the Siren's Revenge and Obsidian Flare flanking the Firian battle moon, but Beast forces were harrying both. Other craft and even living beings of null energy were appearing and adding to the chaos beyond, Samateus roaring challenge at them and tearing one apart herself as others converged on and began to chase her.
"We need to abandon the palace here, Beast drones keep popping up, if that's what we can call these things!" Femur yelped, moving aside as something swiped at him, the nightmarish black and crimson creature that looked like a cross between an Ice-flea and a feline with blades for forepaws and two longer bladed ones from its back in view a moment as it missed its target. Blaster fire killed the beast, but must have also struck the console Femur had broadcast from as the comm feed cut out suddenly. Femur's thoughts directed at the rest through Samateus let everyone know he and Sternum were alright and heading out of the building as quickly as possible. Jade and Graveheart soon seconded the motion, having to abandon the palace on Rock temporarily to protect the teleport pad to their World engine.
Cryos soon had Medstar doing the same, Sternum directing Femur to get to Tibia and get to safety while he went to check on the World engine of Bone. Pyrus frowned, listening as more and more locations on the surfaces of the four worlds amongst the alliance were abandoned due to overwhelming numbers of Beast forces, losses piling up, he swore he could almost feel the deaths himself.
**Pyrus...** The makers' voice sounded more distant this time, as though drifting away. Pyrus frowned, unaware that Zera watched him and had noticed the Obsidian Blade at his side almost shuddering in its scabbard. Pyrus tried to ignore it, frowning and resolute in his faith that the rest could pull through. They had to.
**Pyrus.** No, he was not going to give up on the rest. Pyrus knew they could hold, but wait, that sounded more like Xerxes. **Pyrus, draw the blade. You must.**
**Dad?** Pyrus shuddered, eyes wide, he felt Zera's hand on his arm, knew Cryos was watching with concern, however it was as though time had stopped. Xerxes' thoughts lingered a moment, passed on his feelings of pride toward Pyrus, and were suddenly gone, Pyrus quickly releasing his hold on his staff and his hand clasped the hilt of the Obsidian Blade instinctively. It felt as though the blade at his hip had suddenly cut through his heart, a part of him reacting to the innate knowledge that his father had just died. Again. Only this time, he was not going to be able to come back.
"Pyrus?" Zera asked worriedly, having caught the staff as it fell from his grasp, seeing plainly the pain in Pyrus' eyes and worried expression he tried to hide. She blinked as he quickly drew the blade, catching his thumb on the exposed edge, and disappeared. Before Zera or Cryos could say a word, a massive black shape appeared between them and the Beast planet, appearing at first to be a wall of black metal that arguably could be likened to the shell of the Beast, Tekla and Khilseith both gaping at the screens on comms.
"The hell is that?" Someone muttered, gasps and reverences following as the wall came to life, rippling segments shimmering pulsing rainbows and illuminating exactly as the members of the alliance had seen within the world engines. Each of the four alliance worlds remaining appeared to be empowered by its presence, the four leaping forward and moving much faster on their path than before, their atmospheric shielding appearing to spark and repel any beast forces going into or out of their fields.
"That, is our Maker's Ark." Zera breathed, as none appeared able to.
**NO! You old bastard, STAY ASLEEP!** Voyd raged, launching volleys of null energy at the black monolith that appeared between him and his prey. His Generals had routed the efforts of the alliance to stay in their places of power, closing in and ever so close to gaining control of each world Engine. Soon, and he would be able to tear into each and relish the destruction he had wrought. He had to redeem himself, if only for his own pride, as the wounding he had been dealt still throbbed painfully, even though to outsiders there remained no sign that Ashtareen herself had done him harm.
Without warning, the spearhead shaped craft had moved from easily another two day's travel at current pace, to between Voyd and his prey, blocking his view and denying him ability to continue harrying the Ahr'aht ships protecting the rest. When the sides of the massive ship began to ripple, Voyd howled his hatred and began attacking the ship himself, and was promptly met by the sides of the ship shimmering pulsing rainbows along its surface.
**Withdraw the gunships, we must come up with another plan.** Voyd hated the decision, yet knew his resources to be almost spent, and his own strength in opening portals for more of the beings of the Void to fight for him had begun to wane. Lamprey and Blokk looked up at him incredulously.
"Master? You cannot be serious, we are winning!?" Lamprey promptly collapsed, writhing under the onslaught of his ire upon her.
**Do as you are told, the old one will not be so forgiving.** Voyd snarled, Blokk promptly did as instructed, several of the gunships he had on reserve quickly teleporting out of the battle to a safer location. Lamprey took a long moment to recover before she too redirected the group she had built up, half of her initial force able to withdraw from the planets via teleport, the rest had been destroyed during the pushes toward the world engines. She had been so close and now understood by watching the massive black ship turn away from them to follow its flock, the fear her master felt with its appearance.
Three of the sides of the ship appeared to open from the point that now faced toward them, a star hidden deep within the ship itself, white-hot and emitting a glow that made both her and Blokk wince, slightly repelling Voyd himself, illuminating the outer surface of the maw of the Beast planet. The shell itself shuddered, the three watching with mixtures of rage, hate and slight terror, halting in their advance out of mute respect and concern. Voyd knew the power of the Ark Ship, though had never seen it used, the ship itself sentient and bound to the star, which was itself the being that powered it.
Light to contrast the Darkness Voyd represented, it watched him warily before closing the three panels around itself as it guided the Ark along behind the Ahr'aht ships. Lamprey cursed under her breath at the almost smug actions of the being before them, uncaring that they themselves had acted much the same, dismissive and uncaring of the lives they snuffed. Unlike them, however, it had brought life, and helped power the worlds that its shepherd had helped create people and creatures for millennia ago, and it gladly gave strength to the keeper it answered to.
While more than capable of sending the Black sphere hurtling back to the depths of space far from them, Aureihanna waited, her keeper still conversing with the youngling Prince. She remained under order to not interfere, despite the losses already accrued, and relished that she could at least intimidate the one who followed them doggedly.