Wrath of the Acolyte

Cold red and grey clouds hung heavy with incoming rain. The swarm undulated in rhythm as it gained on its prey. Each drone carried forsaken language in its core: false, manufactured crystal, humming the same plagiarised hymn. She had to destroy them all.

shehadtodestroythemall

Ten thousand shard-powered hulls whispered through the gathering dark. Purple prisms throbbed in their casings, syncing as they folded into a single unified formation. Above them, the sunlight tried to retreat.

Before them, the target left flames in its wake.

Connection beams whistled then burned to one another, tethering the colossal flock into a single unit. Neon purple ammunition ports activated as the drones completed their transformation into a searing, howling net.

All of them would be consumed.

The swarm calibrated. Crystals brightened, and the sky devolved into a geometric kaleidoscope of violence.

Jet engines screamed in gathering fury as Mach speed was reached and passed. Thunder rolled, carrying the sounds of a young woman’s animalistic roars. Blue flashes of lightning arced across the clouds.

Muscles tensed. Wrath gathered in the twitches between her vertebrae. Annihilation articulated itself in the pulsing agony that lined the edges of her teeth.

Telemetry aligned. Shard manifolds stabilized.

The jets slid into their planned vectors.

All units locked onto the airborne target.

Atmospheric pressure dipped.

Cloud vapor recoiled like a wounded animal.

Out ahead, the acolyte suddenly stopped her flight and then turned to face them, radiant body ablaze. Crashes of lightning exploded around her as she screamed out.

“COME AND MEET YOUR END!!”

With that, she heaved downward in a sky-tearing burst.

The horde was ready.

The formation tilted, and reality screamed forward.

Miu’s trajectory sent her towards the drones first. Years of being outnumbered in fights had taught her that she had to deal with the weaker ones first, otherwise they’d group up and become more formidable. Purple wrath gathered in the chambers as angelic cries rose to meet her.

There was a chime, then the beams appeared. Thousands of rays of neon purple tore forth with digital howls. It took all of Miu’s force to roll her body side to side while keeping her protective cone and barriers active.

Every fluctuation was straining her core and back. Muscles threatened to tear from strain. It was too fast. She didn’t know how to move or stabilize herself. But there was no time to learn. All she could do was respond, absorb, and push through the web of burning purple.

Pillars of light ripped through the heavens as the drones pursued her with coded focus. Her path shot through the lowest opening in the murderous netting, pulling the web of drones onto itself. But there was no crash. The machines were too smart and too well-programmed. Instead, the attack net simply pivoted and flowed into a new form as it recalibrated its flight path. Thousands of beams bent and intertwined before realigning on their target.

Another burst of purple energy was released. From the distant world below, dozens of surface to air missiles screamed upwards, leaving trails of synthetic incantations in their wake. Miu saw them just in time, screaming out as a concussion of fire and diamond flung itself from her hands. Every missile was intercepted, immediately detonating and flinging thousands of small, glittering flecks of spell remnants into the sky. Then they all ignited.

Terror burned across Miu’s skin as the myriad microscopic Manu-Crystals ripped holes in the air, leaving hovering fireballs in their wake. Even the trails of the former missiles were ignited. Then the second wave of beams arrived.

Sound bled into pure noise as Miu screamed in horror while the fiery aggression ignited the world around her. But she could not stop.

“Don’t stop flying! DON’T STOP!!” Miu commanded herself as she focused into a stronger burst.

All around her, portals appeared. She knew what was coming. Her flight pulled upwards in preparation, just as the jets arrived.

Five metallic beasts howled up from the opening, all of them leaving more trails of glittering light which began to explode once more.

Another burst of purple beams fired from above. Or was it below? Miu was spinning as she dove and dodged.

therewasnoabove…therewasnobelow…therewasonlythesky

Fire in the sky.

Miu had to retaliate. She was not Arcan. No matter what she had been taught, she was not defensive. She was not still.

Clouds shifted and rolled into spools of moisture as the air pockets shifted, telling Miu the jets were above her. More and more explosive trails of crystalline fury were stitching the sky into a tapestry of chaos. Heat from the devastation began to evaporate the watery reserves, filling the air with steam instead. It became harder to see. It became harder still. Harder still. The air was scalding her throat.

Everything glowed purple.

More missiles fired from the sea far below.

Lightning ripped through the static.

Thunder clapped.

Incendiary rounds screamed from the nearest jet as it dove, forcing Miu to descend just as the drones unleashed another assault.

Every inch of the sky ignited, sending blinding, burning light into Miu’s eyes and across her flesh as she roared in fear and rage.

They broke through the cloud line, and Miu could see the water below. They were far from land now, and the battleship was waiting in the choppy sea. Now that she was visible, even more rounds were fired. Portals appeared at the edges of the barrels and then beneath her. Voices of soldiers chanting commands echoed from the portals as tendrils of black ripped upwards, grabbing for Miu’s skin. The portals were trying to lock onto her.

It was all too much.

it was all too much.

Itwasalltoomuch

ITWASALLTOOMUCH!!!

The horde of drones appeared and Miu finally had her chance.

“Burning the shadows! Sever the light from this world!! RIP THE SKY IN TWO!!!” Miu screamed as the funnels of black and purple swirled downward to envelop her.

Neon blue lightning burst down from the void and tore through the entirety of the swarm. Thousands upon thousands of purple explosions illuminated heaven and earth as hundreds of beams tore across space and time. Miu enveloped herself in protection as she watched the beams strike two ships below them, and one fighter jet.

Another burst of missiles appeared and almost intercepted her flight. Portals engulfed her and sent the missiles into nothingness. Chunks of metal and binding energy fell around her as more and more drones erupted. The net of death was falling towards her. She had to dodge as it destroyed itself. But the jets were behind her. She had to dodge their missiles as well.

More portals of cruelty appeared around her and she knew the hexes were attempting to lock onto her once more. The drone swarm was nearly on her now. Closer. Closer. 

She was small enough to fit through the netting. The jet was not.

Closer! CLOSER! CLOSER! CLOSER! CLOSER!!!

Purple wrath crackled and ignited in destructive farewell as she burst through its opening. The jet was not so lucky. It was consumed instantly.

Raw, true lightning exploded around them now as the storm awakened. Cold, harsh rain began to fall into the inferno. More trails of light were streaking across the sky as the remaining jets moved into position. Climb. CLIMB! HIGHER! HIGHER STILL!

Miu’s body was ripping apart as she forced out her own trails of wrath in hopes of catching a pursuer in her wake. Incandescent blue flame traced her path as she rose ever upwards. Even with her air cone of protection, the force was starting to tear the skin from her cheeks and arms.

Down below, the last three jets arrived in a roar of defiance. Miu did not see the red crystals igniting on the tops of the metal frames, but she felt a new pressure building around her, as though the air itself was becoming heavier and thicker. Her flight was slowing. The jets gained on her. Ravenous portals clawed for her limbs.

“NO!!” Miu screamed.

If she couldn’t outrun them, it was time to hunt them.

Miu’s hands flung forward and her speed stopped instantly. The jets were past her in less than a second, and now she was on their tails. All three broke into separate paths, and Miu settled on the lone plane that arced left.

“Rip away your wings! Devouring your escape! Let the sky ignite!!”

Blades of pure light appeared directly before the jet, slicing its wings away from its body instantly. Miu burst forward again just as the vessel began to spiral into oblivion. She caught sight of the pilot ejecting into the chaos and was upon them instantly.

Cries howled out as the pilot fought to pull their parachute, but the monster had them in her grasp. Burning pink billowed around them as sapphire flames engulfed both bodies. She did not scream. He did. As he began to burn, the pink beast dug her fingers around his throat.

“ALL THAT POWER! ALL THAT MAGIC! ALL THAT WEAPONRY AND YOU STILL LOSE TO ME!!” Miu screamed as the flames consumed his entire body.

Then the fiery rounds arrived, nearly striking her. Another jet had re-engaged.

“Return to your comrades!!” Miu shouted as she exploded towards her new attacker, the burning pilot still in her hands.

The attacker began to circle, but Miu was too swift. A portal appeared before her, then another appeared on the jet turbines. She rotated her body into a coil and hurled the screaming pilot into the portal, and he instantly appeared at the sister portal, where he immediately struck the metal and fire.

By the time the jet exploded, Miu was already stalking her last target.

Everything hurt.

It was impossible to hear.

It was impossible to see.

For once, she had to be still.

She had to let them come to her.

Rain fell around her as winds pushed her hovering body to the side.

Then the portal appeared beneath her. There was no time for ancient language. All Miu could do was scream as her fists were encased in crystal and fire. The jet appeared through the portal but she was ready. Hundreds of tracers burst out, but Miu banished them all as she flew straight towards the invader, fists raised.

Her swing came down directly on the plane’s nose, flipping it over her head and flinging it into full collapse. She cried out in agony as her arm shattered. Bone ripped through skin. Muscle and ligament were torn. But she did not cease. Miu’s body bent and funneled itself backwards as she immediately rotated back to chase the falling form.

She didn’t want the pilot to eject.

“Seal them all away! Lock them into their own despair!!” Miu commanded.

She watched as the cockpit was sealed into the body with crystal stitching. Even as the jet spun in chaos, Miu could see the pilot pounding the glass in a desperate attempt at release.

But the monster was after him now. As his fists pounded on the glass, he saw her appear on the curved pane, eyes glowing blue and white with hate. Blood coated her body and hair as she laughed and let out a final scream. Then they exploded downward. He screamed and screamed as his stomach threatened to tear through his abdominal wall. They weren’t falling. They were being hurled downward.

Her hands stayed on the glass as she pushed the jet down. Faster and faster they dropped. Through the trails of fire. Through the webbing of wrath. Through the explosive flecks of light. Through the clouds.

More attack rounds whizzed by them as they crashed downward with more and more speed. His screams and prayers went unanswered as the blood vessels in his eyes tore. The last thing he saw before passing out was the flaming girl letting out a roar as funnels of raw energy swirled around them.

What he could not see was the desperate battleship below that was now the target of Miu’s stolen jet.

Miu did not even stop herself. She hurled the jet into the ship with full force, using her own body as propulsion to guarantee the impact would shred through every bulkhead and reinforcement. Last moment barriers shielded her from the force as she tore through metal and stone. Water greeted her and she knew she was in the ocean now. The ship was torn in half.

Vortexes of pressure shifted in the water as it rushed to fill the open chasm in the ship’s severed hull. Both chunks began to sink instantly. Oil and fuel poured into the water as desperate bodies tried to escape. Miu rose in silence until she broke through the waves and came to a stop several dozen meters above the calamity.

Hundreds of sailors were screaming below as they tried to find safety. But the monster was waiting. Looking up, they saw the fiery girl hovering without speaking as she waited. No more attacks came. No more portals or drones. No more jets. No more bullets. Only the screams awaited her.

It happened swiftly. She snapped her fingers, and dozens of blazing funnels shot down from the clouds. The fires encircled the wreckage of the ship like fenceposts. Then they began to churn. Every fiery pillar moved through the water like a baker’s mixing spoon, until the waters began to spin as well. The enormous whirlpool arrived quickly, and soon the souls beneath her were screaming in terror as they spun in circles while being pulled downward. Then the water began to boil, and the screaming intensified.

Scream.

SCREAM.

SCREAM!!!

Now Miu was truly still. All she wanted was to watch and hear their suffering as the fire and water devoured them in excruciating hunger. She watched and listened until every voice was gone and the ship had been consumed by the waves. Nothing remained except for the fire in the sky.

It was over. Miu gasped and slowly lowered in exhaustion. If her bloody tears were falling, she had no way of knowing. She was already drenched in red. Her bones were jagged and cracked as they protruded from her flesh and light weave. She could not stay here. She had to hide. She had to heal. She could not die here.

This was only the beginning.

But she was broken. She needed to heal.

Nowhere felt safe. But then, for whatever reason, a location flashed in her mind. It did not feel safe, and the very thought of it pulled her stomach into her spine. But it was abandoned.

Crystalline, empty, and irradiated. Forsaken and destitute. The place where everything good had ended. The place no one would dare go. She could erase the radiation and give herself protection.

It would be enough. At least for now.

Miu’s eyes closed in desperate sorrow as she prepared herself. A portal appeared before her, and she drifted forward. Cold wind drifted out to greet her like an old friend as she dropped from the portal and into her destination.

A formerly green and red tower peered down in silent judgement as its crystal exterior reflected the blue moon. Every surface was covered in shards and light. Color danced like flame. Silence welcomed her.

“Sapporo…” Miu sighed.