by Drew Smith
“Are you afraid of snakes, Lears?” Rasel burst out with laughter as she took to one knee once again. Lears didn’t have time to respond with all of the snakes striking him at once. He continued to walk backwards and kill all that he could. He knew that he couldn’t keep up with the little star energy he had left. Rasel laughed hysterically as he tried so hard not to allow the snakes too close to him. He began to show panic in his eyes until they just stopped. The snakes just rotted away on the ground. The star energy on his hands faded as he fell to his knees. He looked over to Rasel expecting her to be on her way toward him to finish him off but to his surprise she had her eyes open wide. Lumus stood behind her on a bit of an angled stance with his hand on the center of her back.
“What are you doing? Don’t you want Lears dead too?” She said in fear.
“Maybe, but If he dies it will not be like this. I will return you to the planet, Rasel. No more fighting, no more anger, no more fear. You want to get the core to become something that threatens everyone I love. I cannot allow that, but I also cannot kill someone that was just born differently. You don’t deserve such a fate. You and I are similar where we both have been accidently created through means out of our control. Out of anyone’s control. I will bring you back to Twilight’s core and give you a second chance.” He assured her.
“I see. I suppose I wouldn’t have been able to beat you both in the end. I accept your offer Lumus. Return me to the planet I won’t stop you.” Rasel giggled.
“Good bye Rasel. I hope we meet again someday.” Lumus added.
“You can count on it Lumus.” Rasel glared at Lears with a sinister looking smile on her face.
Lumus’ hand began to glow on Rasel’s back. She closed her eyes and tilted her head back. Slowly her entire body turned to star energy, and she gently rose into the air then faded away. Lumus staggered then fell to the ground.
“She can return to the planet’s core now, and have a chance to redeem herself in the realm of the dead. Lears laid upon the ground across the battlefield. He raised his head in confusion.
(“What did he just do? How did he do that? Whatever he did just drained him completely. He was able to defeat Serpentarius just by resting his hand on her back. After everything I threw at her, but I suppose now is my chance to finish him off.”) Lears started crawling toward Lumus as the wind swept across the devastated Aquoise fields.
Chapter Thirty Four- Chaos
Aquoise fields had been laid to waste. The once lush open fields of long grass and flowers had become an uneven devastation of craters. Lumus lay face-down in the dirt, struggling to take in a breath. Lears crawled on the other side of the craters toward Lumus with blood rolling down his face from the battle with Rasel. Lears tried with all of his strength to pull himself across the rough terrain to Lumus. He couldn’t help but to think over and over what had just happened.
(“What did he do? I couldn’t see exactly what happened from so far away, but it looked as if Lumus just touched Rasel, and then she turned into star energy. I have never seen anything like that before. I suppose it won’t matter as long as I can make it to him before he gets his strength back. I can end him now, then take my place as this planet’s ruler once and for all.” Lears wheezed as he pulled himself along the rocky terrain.
(“Lumus? Lumus can you hear me?”) Lumus laid with his face against the dirt with his eyes closed.
(“Scarlette? I recognized your voice. I’m glad I get to talk to you again.”) Lumus confided.
(“I’m sorry Lumus… It turns out that I need to ask permission to speak to someone on Twilight this way. I am still learning their ways and how things work here.”) Scarlette muttered with a tone.
(“Permission? You are a goddess right? Why would you need permission Scarlette?”) He asked as he coughed.
(“We don’t have a lot of time to chat, Lumus. Let’s just say ‘higher powers’ get very upset when I intervene with the people’s fate. You seem to have confused a few of the gods here with that ability to revert Serpentarius to star energy. It would seem she is trying to break free from the Realm of the Dead Core, but Omega has her contained for the time being. I don’t know how you did that, but I wouldn’t recommend you ever do that again. The other Zins tell me that that ability was something only the gods know, and I should tell you that it was a one-time thing. Even the gods can only send one willing soul back to the core once every few hundred years. I too don’t know how you did that Lumus.”) Scarlette went quiet for a moment.
(“I don’t know. It was like a voice in my head was walking me through the steps of how to perform the transfer of star energy. It nearly killed me though.”) Lumus replied.
(“It scared me Lumus. Somehow I felt your life force immediately begin to fade, but I feel the others coming to my world. I have spoken to you too long. Please Lumus, open your eyes! Now!”) She shouted. Lumus felt like his head shook from Scarlette’s voice echoing in her head.
He felt a small shock in his chest too, enough to physically shake his body. He opened his eyes wide then squinted from the light. As he focused his blurred vision he noticed Lears’ eyes as he crawled toward him, but using the ability to return star energy to Twilight caused him to feel completely drained of energy.
(“Scarlette… I won’t die here…”) Lumus thought. He tried to lean on his forearms, but it took everything he had to even lift his head up.
“Lears, you are as worn out as I am. Are you sure you want to fight now?” Lumus coughed.
“Lumus it doesn’t matter if we are one hundred percent, or one percent of our power. I will always be better than you, and I will end you to take this world as mine, as it should be!” Lears boasted as he continued to crawl toward him. He used every ounce of strength to make it to one knee. He continued to wheeze as he drew in each breath. Lears pulled himself up to one knee matching his stance.
“So you really want to do this now, Lears?” Lumus asked.
“Like I said to Rasel; I will show you the darkness!” Lears struggled to raise an arm, and opened his fist. He aimed his palm at Lumus, matching his movements.
“Okay Lears. Have it your way.” Lumus continued to struggle for each breath.
There was thirty feet between the two warriors. They began to emit what star energy they could. They formed a concentrated sphere of star energy in front of their palms.
“Now you die, Lumus!” Lears announced with rage in his eyes. Their energies shot at each other and collided in between them. A flash of white and black energy sparked a massive reaction of energy that tore up the already devastated terrain. They both yelled as the attacks continued to collide. Their power slowly sapped their strength, but they managed to stay up on one knee. A flash blew a shockwave, sending both warriors flying in opposite directions across the ground. Both warriors fell unconscious where they landed. The wind had settled, but something wasn’t right. The entire planet began to shake and the ground around them began to crack. A large dimensional hole opened in the sky above them with a clear view of Dystopia from Twilight’s surface. A beam of blue light suddenly blew a hole through the ground at Aster Mountains, and up into the sky. Another beam of light from Dystopia came from the dimensional hole, but it was a solid red light. When the two lights collided just outside Twilights atmosphere, the lights spiraled higher into space. Another dimensional hole appeared in the far reaches of space, and the lights caused an enormous flash visible even from the surface of Dystopia.
The light faded to reveal a large red sphere. The dimensional hole leading to Dystopia shut, and shortly after the dimensional hole leading to the new mysterious red planet also shut. Neither Lumus nor Lears were conscious to witness the event, but people all over Twilight were able to see everything. The two warriors laid almost lifeless on the battlefield as the world in front of them had unknowingly changed forever.
