Act 4 - Chapter 8

Chapter 43: Oaraun; Shauran 46th; 344SR; 3:30

Oaraun's foot dragged back over the angled shard of the Necropolis stuck into the ground, it was a piece of a bridge. The divine being breathed in as he raised his greatsword up, his arm tired from constantly swinging. His shoulders and legs, despite being healed, still felt the damage from every attack he had taken already. 'I still have my Spirit Bloom for just a bit longer... He doesn't...' Ajal was slouched over, all three eyes weakly fixed on Oaraun. The off-worlder breathed out as he stood low with his right fist tucked in, and his left fist in front of him.

'He has to be on his last legs... I need to finish him off... But I can't underestimate him... His hand-to-hand combat is something to watch out for, he's much faster and has more power to his strikes...' The empty plain of land between Andurill and the bridge to Kamino was filled with similar chunks and pieces of debris. Long shadows were cast over the hills of grass by the setting sun. Ajal stood in front of a deep fissure in the ground Oaraun had cut. The tiny slivers of the orange sky were slowly consumed by a somber dark blue. Drips of embers fell from the sky, illuminating patches of grass with green flames.

"To envy is merely the way of Grelt, you think you can stop it!" Oaraun roared as he dashed off the edge of the brick platform.

Ajal didn't move. 'He's not arming himself?'

"Imperial Battle Arts," Ajal whispered, he rolled incredibly low to dodge the greatsword.

'Did he use the shadow to-' Ajal suddenly jumped while his back was turned and spun, swinging the back of both his feet around.

"Axe!" Ajal roared as he smashed the back of his feet into Oaraun's skull helmet, cracking the left side.

"Ah!" Oaraun gritted his teeth as Ajal landed on his palms.

"Piston!" said Ajal.

Ajal pushed off the ground and pressed both feet into Oaraun's stomach. 'Rgh!' His vision blurred, 'I've taken too much damage-' Oaraun reached forward, grabbing Ajal's head and pulling him into the air. Oaraun stepped forward and slammed Ajal head-first into the ground, however, he slipped into the shadow before taking damage.

'His abilities are being used more often... Is it because of the shadows-'

Ajal pounced out of the shadows behind Oaraun and ran up his armor to quickly clutch the spikes on his shoulder. Oaraun reached up and tried to grab him, but couldn't. Ajal slammed his knee into the back of Oaraun's massive head, cracking the other side of the helmet and smashing it off. Oaraun's left face was exposed to the cold breeze and his sweat dropped from his forehead. 'Pest! Jealous... Flame!' A stream of green flames shot out of Oaraun's armor, burning Ajal's hands and torso.

"Urgh!" Ajal grunted as he jumped back, pulling the twelve-foot slayer down. "Imperial battle arts!"

Ajal fell back into the shadow cast against the flames, and Oaraun's back crashed into the green stone. 'He uses the environment better than me!' Ajal ran out of the shadow cast on the sharp edge of the necropolis, lunging forward with a single step and both of his hands above his head.

"Hammer!" Ajal grunted as he smashed his clasped fists into Oaraun's head.

Ajal grabbed Oaraun using his calves, he reached for the ground and pulled Oaraun with him. Ajal's fingers dug into the dirt and held tightly, he flexed with all his strength and flipped Oaraun overhead. 'Huh-'

"Wrench!" Ajal yelled.

"Agh!" Oaraun was slammed face-first into the dirt, and Ajal slipped back into the shadows.

'What the hell?! Is his body mass even close to mine... He can throw me like that even when I'm in Spirit Bloom- With just his core and leg strength?!' Oaraun was feeling his spirit deplete as he pushed himself up on all fours, he clenched his fist. The grass ruffled as two light thumps came from behind, Oaraun quickly rose and turned to the sound.

A short gasp escaped Ajal's throat as he was mid-step, Oaraun had begun his swing without looking. Ajal tried to slip back into the shadows, however, Oaraun struck him directly in the face. Ajal's jaw cracked as Oaraun drove his fist upward.

"Rgh-" Ajal grunted.

"Spirit Ignition!" Oaraun roared.

Oaraun launched Ajal off of the ground, 'He can't use the shadows in the air!' Oaraun jumped up with his greatsword and thrust forward. Ajal conjured a handheld sickle to block, however, the force of Oaraun's strike threw him further up. Oaraun landed and then jumped up again with his greatsword in both hands. Ajal tried to block, but the sickle was knocked out of his hand and his arm was grazed. Oaraun launched him once again.

"Damn!" Ajal winced.

'Spirit Ignition!' Oaraun kicked off the air. But the moment he did, the size of his body started to decrease, his armor started to shrink and the length of his greatsword returned to normal. 'My Spirit Bloom's time is up!' Oaraun swung his greatsword down, Ajal tried to catch it with his palms but couldn't stop it from slashing his face and torso.

"Agh!" Ajal grunted as he was smashed down into the ground by the heavy blade, he crashed into it before his entire body slipped straight into another shadow.

"Hiding is useless! Come out and fight me!" Oaraun roared as the flames flowed out of him, ripping the earth to pieces with its explosive force as he slammed into the ground.

Oaraun spun his greatsword above him, fanning flames around him while channeling them through a spiral above his head. The pillar of flame surrounded him like a tornado, the shadows started to get pushed away.

"Jealous Flame!" Oaraun roared as he slammed his flaming sword into the ground.

The ground rippled as the force created a large divot into the ground, and flames spread through the field. Ajal tumbled over the grass as the shadows disappeared, he quickly got to his feet and ran up a shard of the necropolis. 'I can't use an ignition! Then-' Oaraun lunged forward with the force of his flames, 'I never thought about using my flames like this until fighting you... This is the only way I can match your speed!' Ajal turned as his third eye began to glow. Oaraun stepped down on the front of the shard of rubble, pushing it down and jumping into the air as Ajal fired. The chunk of the necropolis disintegrated as the beam struck it, and Oaraun jumped over it to evade.

"Raah!" Oaraun roared as he swung his blade down.

Ajal angled his blast upwards, but Oaraun split the beam in two, forcing Ajal to jump back. Oaraun slammed his greatsword into the ground, from the crouched position, he stepped forward quickly and thrust his greatsword with both hands again. Ajal conjured a scythe and deflected it, but was overpowered once again. Oaraun sprinted ahead while Ajal's feet dragged against the grass, he spun the scythe around him skillfully. Oaraun swung down and they clashed, sending Ajal flying back once again. He hit the ground, flipping, and pushing himself up with his hands. As Ajal landed, Oaraun jumped forward. Ajal dashed forward instead of continuing his retreat. 'Huh-' Ajal ducked impossibly low under the blade and cut through Oaraun's stomach. Oaraun stumbled to a stop, he touched his stomach and looked at the red blood on his fingertips.

"Tsk! Lucky hit!" Oaraun turned and dashed back in.

Ajal turned, he held his sickle with his teeth as he readied for the next exchange. Oaraun continued to slash at him with the greatsword in one hand. Ajal dodged out of the way, then hopped and skipped on his feet while watching Oaraun's every move. Oaraun persisted until Ajal suddenly dashed behind him in two steps. 'Huh-' Ajal dragged his growing scythe through the air and cleaved down Oaraun's back. 'Dammit-' Oaraun blindly swung backward, Ajal jumped over the blade and swung his foot into Oaraun's head.

"Agh!" Oaraun grunted, as Ajal kicked off his head.

"Dark Assault!" Ajal shouted as he jumped.

Six scythes appeared in the air. Oaraun looked up to see Ajal in the air holding two of them above his head and to one side. Oaraun noticed a white flame on Ajal's palms spreading onto the blades of the scythes. 'He plans to teleport!' Ajal spun forward and slashed, and Oaraun raised his sword and blocked several strikes. Ajal hit the ground and turned again, then threw one scythe.

Oaraun blocked the scythe in the air and got ready for Ajal's next attack, he threw the second scythe instead. Then grasped two of the remaining four.

'This guy's-'

Ajal vanished and Oaraun felt two slashes run down his back in the opposite direction from the last time. The scythe Ajal threw pierced deep into Oaraun's shoulder, and he was caught off guard. Oaraun's vision blurred as he felt the blood rise from his throat. 'Fuck-' Oaraun gurgled on the blood. While he was distracted, Ajal had already teleported to the scythe. The black-haired man with eyes full of fury held it firm with both hands and then ripped it out.

"Aaaah!" Oaraun cried out in pain, coughing out blood as even more of it sprayed from his shoulder.

Ajal slashed relentlessly, slicing Oaraun's limbs with deep and shallow cuts. Oaraun was unable to process the attacks coming at him as he felt his armor get thrashed, two more swings embedded both of those scythes into Oaraun's other shoulders. Ajal jumped back as he grasped the final two scythes and crouched down, he held both scythes low.

"Dark Passage," said Ajal.

Ajal teleported to Oaraun and slashed him twice, teleported again with his blades held at a new angle, and slashed again. He teleported over and over, slashing Oaraun each time and eviscerating the ground and foliage around them in a flurry of slashes. Ajal landed and rolled against the ground. Oaraun protected his throat and head as best as he could. 'He's overwhelming me? Me?!'

"Ah!" Oaraun croaked as blood sprayed from his body. "T-Toll-" Oaraun uttered, "Toll of Envy!" all of his wounds closed in an instant, and his eyes lit up green as green flames burst from his body.

"Dark Abyss!" Ajal countered immediately, but couldn't stop Oaraun from healing the significant damage.

"Raauh!" Oaraun roared as he raised his fist.

Ajal's expression turned to concern as he saw the attack coming, he quickly grabbed the sickle in his mouth to block it. The strike sent him soaring backward, his feet dragged against the grass before he collided with a hill. Oaraun stepped down hard and rumbled the ground as he gritted his teeth to bare the pain. The black and white wave receded.

"Emerald... Forge..." Oaraun gritted his teeth as his ability didn't appear.

"Rgh..." Ajal coughed in the distant hill.

"Emerald... Forge!" Oaraun roared as the armor appeared and he took his greatsword in hand once more.

Oaraun charged forward, 'Jealous Flame!' the flames accelerated him. Ajal tried to get up, but his right leg gave out and he stumbled. 'Dodge this!' With his greatsword tilted to the side, he slapped Ajal with the face of the blade. Green flames soared along with his every motion.

"Agh!" Ajal groaned as he was sent rolling across the grass.

Oaraun quickly focused his flames, flying past the tumbling Ajal, pressing his feet into the ground to slow his speed down. Oaraun swung his foot and struck Ajal's shoulder, kicking him toward Andurill's wall. Ajal's body smashed into the city's outer wall made of stone, leaving an uneven circle of cracks. Oaraun took three massive steps forward, each one propelled by the green flames. The final step kicked him off the ground, Oaraun angled his shoulder as he soared straight at the depression within the stone wall. He tackled Ajal through to the other side, stones and chunks of rubble rained over the streets of Rea. Each stone, big or small, crashed or bounced off the ground

"Ah-ack!" Ajal coughed, he rolled onto his front and grasped his chest as he curled up.

The last fleeting rays of light shone down on Oaraun as he caught his breath, he hadn't taken one throughout that entire combo of attacks. Ajal writhed in pain, coughing as he grasped his stomach, he could barely breathe.

The dense structures around them were constructed with simple architecture and cubic shapes. Rectangular red beams between the buildings glowed with a vibrant crimson against the grey buildings as the sun fell past the west side of Andurill's wall. Ajal tried to get up, but his wobbling foot dragged and his knee slammed into the stone after each attempt to rise.

"Do you have any last words... Anything the friends of your homeworld should hear? I doubt I'll ever meet them... But I will honor our battle here..." said Oaraun.

Ajal's eyes quivered, struggling to stay open. Blood dripped from slashes on his torso and out his mouth. He uprighted himself and looked to the cloudy sky on his knees, heaving as his body healed slowly. Before Ajal could fall once more, he conjured a black scythe and leaned against it. However, the shadows spilled and lost their form, dissipating into the air. Ajal fell onto his arms, 'Why is he going so far... What is driving him...'

"I have... Nothing to say to them anyway..." Ajal huffed.

Ajal leaned on his right leg, and using his left leg for the support he slowly rose off the ground. Oaraun tilted his head as he thought about that answer.

"Ha... Hahaha! You! You were abandoned!" Oaraun chuckled.

Ajal weakly raised an eyebrow.

"I didn't get it this whole time... Why would you go so far for the non-unified instead of trying to find your way home... You were cast out!" Oaraun shouted.

Ajal squinted at Oaraun.

"You try so hard for the non-unified and this world's inhabitants, simply because you have nothing left to return to..." Oaraun mocked.

"Shut up... Don't talk about me like you know me..."

"What a pathetic excuse of a divine being... You should've conquered that world with an iron will, you possessed the strength to-"

"I said shut up!"

Ajal dashed and threw his fist forward. Oaraun raised his greatsword and blocked the strike with the flat surface of the blade. Oaraun swung the sword and knocked him away. He crashed through a red beam and fell to the streets.

"Agh!" Ajal dropped to the streets.

'This battle is basically over...' Oaraun walked forward slowly, before sprinting forward and charging at Ajal with a clenched fist. Ajal was just getting up when Oaraun's fist struck his stomach, his eyes faded and he coughed up blood. The strike ruptured the ground, Ajal shut his eyes as he tried to take the pain. Oaraun grabbed his hair and pivoted on his other foot, swinging him around and throwing him over the buildings of Rea. Oaraun channeled flames through his feet and propelled himself above Ajal, lifting the sword above his head while descending.

"Jealous Flame!" Oaraun roared as he swung the blade down and launched a massive flaming arch through the sky.

"Dark Abyss!" A purple light flashed from Ajal in the sky.

The black and white wave released and the flaming slash vanished, Oaraun stopped on one beam and jumped up, just barely avoiding the wave. 'He used it early! Emerald forge!' Oaraun's armor reforged as the wave shrunk. He fell towards a red beam, then kicked off it, propelling forward through the air toward Ajal.

The black and white wave receded back into Ajal's third eye as he landed on a rooftop. Oaraun landed and immediately jumped, flipping forwards, and slamming the greatsword down. Ajal dodged to the left. Oaraun's foot dragged against the ground as he swung his blade around with the momentum of his body weight. Ajal tried to jump but was too slow, the blade cut through his shoulder. Before it could slice his neck Ajal managed to lean back enough, but his collar was still slashed. A chunk of his shoulder had been cut off. Ajal's third eye opened, glowing purple.

"Dark Blast!" Ajal fired the purple beam at Oaraun.

'It's almost like this guy...' Oaraun quickly closed the distance, then blocked the beam with his hand. 'He still believes he can win!' Oaraun pushed through the beam, his hand burning underneath the armor as he pushed forward with all his strength and grasped Ajal's head. Ajal grabbed Oaraun's arm and threw his leg over his head, raising himself up and latching on tightly. Before Oaraun could even react, Ajal spun all of his body weight to the right and twisted, Oaraun felt his shoulder dislocate. 'Agh!' Oaraun grasped Ajal with his other arm, holding him in place before he jumped off the building.

"Rgh!" Ajal tried to get away but couldn't.

"Graah!" Oaraun bellowed as the green flames propelled him forward.

Ajal's body was driven through a building, and Oaraun continued forward and smashed him into another. With each crash, Ajal's vision blurred more and more. 'Just fucking die already!'

"Hrraah!" Oaraun bellowed.

Oaraun twisted his body in the air and threw Ajal with all his strength into a roof. Ajal crashed through the corner of the building and descended back into the streets. Oaraun landed on another roof, they were close to the chasm in the center of Andurill. It was a surreal site, a massive hole that covered the entirety of Andurill's inner streets. 'Why does he still believe he can win!' Oaraun pondered as he dropped down to the ground. He channeled flames into his greatsword as he ran forward at Ajal.

"This is it!" said Oaraun.

"Imperial Battle Arts!" Ajal chanted.

Ajal slammed his foot into the ground and exhaled, white flames coated it. As Oaraun swung the blade above his head, Ajal jumped. As the blade came down, Ajal winded up his kick, dodging at the same time. 'Why would he try such a risky-' Ajal slammed his foot into the side of the blade.

"Axe!" Ajal grunted.

The blade flew out of Oaraun's hand, landing in the half-destroyed wall of a building. 'Huh... My hand...' The damage from his shoulder being dislocated remained. Oaraun wasn't focused on his sword, instead, he stepped forward and slammed his fist into Ajal's stomach. Ajal flinched from the pain, but his third eye opened and glowed purple. 'Shit!' Oaraun jumped back, however, Ajal vanished. 'A fake out!' The sound of a sword being pulled from the rubble alerted Oaraun to his right. 'This guy-' Oaraun turned to see Ajal lunge forward with the green greatsword, it burned his hands.

"You-" Oaraun stuttered in shock.

"Hraah!" Ajal roared as he swung the greatsword down.

The blade cleaved through Oaraun's left shoulder, before it could go any further Oaraun flexed all of his muscles to stop it from slicing his heart. 'What- What the hell is this guy!' Oaraun clenched, his teeth as he pushed the blade with his other hand. It pushed through a bit more causing Oaraun to grunt, the blade was just inches from his heart.

"Raaah!" Ajal yelled as loud as he could. "Dark Silence!" A thick black aura shrouded Ajal's hand.

"Grah!" Oaraun roared with all his might. "Toll of Envy!"

Ajal cringed as Oaraun's muscles grew slightly in size. Oaraun pushed the blade back with all his strength.

"Hngh! Jealous..." Oaraun chanted, and flames from his wound started to channel into the blade.

Ajal reached forward and grabbed Oaraun's forehead with his hand clad in the black aura. His pupils suddenly dilated as he felt his senses slip away instantly. 'What...'

***

' What happened... Is this an illusion? He was capable of that this entire time? Why wouldn't he use it?' Oaraun looked around the void of darkness. As he turned once more he witnessed Lavera standing with two children. 'Huh...' She wore a white dress that covered her feet, Oaraun walked forward slowly, his heart beating rapidly as he looked down at her. With her thin eyebrows, large forehead, and loose fluffy blue hair, Oaraun felt a tear come to his eyes as he witnessed her beauty again. Lavera's blue eyes peered into his soul.

"Oaraun..." Lavera uttered.

"Lavera-" Oaraun dropped to his knees in front of her, his head resting against her bosom as he held her shoulders. "I'm so sorry... I failed to save Eden... I failed to save you... I killed your father..."

Oaraun sobbed as the grief inside of him came flooding out, he almost forgot about the battle with Ajal. He noticed two children behind her. One of them was a young girl with light blue hair, she hid behind Lavera's dress. She had large eyes that peered up at Oaraun with a puzzled look, a white flower pin was tucked into her hair. 'Terra...' Next to Terra was an even younger toddler, sitting down and looking up at Oaraun with wide eyes and a mouth hung ajar. The little boy's hair was green.

"It isn't your fault dear, don't blame yourself," Lavera embraced him.

Oaraun felt his heart beat rapidly, 'I have to move... The fight is still-' Lavera held his face and looked him right in the eyes.

"You did everything you could, we'll be watching over you with open arms for when you're ready to rest..." Lavera said with a gentle smile. "We and our people have suffered, but we all have to move on as well... We all have to eventually..."

Oaraun's heartbeat hit its peak and suddenly stopped. The darkness cracked with white lines of bright light.

***

"What?!" Ajal said with a surprised tone, he held a large black scythe above his head.

"Raah!" Oaraun broke out of the vision with unyielding rage.

"Dark Abyss!"

The black and white wave erased Oaraun's armor and weapon. Ajal lunged forward, and Oaraun felt bloodlust in Ajal's eyes that almost rivaled his own. Ajal swung the massive scythe down, Oaraun was still disorientated, he couldn't react in time as the blade cleaved into his neck.

"Agh!" Oaraun felt the smooth blade underneath his flesh, he flexed his collarbone and pushed his shoulder up to keep it from going further.

"Die!" Ajal roared as he pushed the blade with all his strength.

"You dare show me an illusion! An illusion of her!" Oaraun screamed.

Ajal grunted, struggling to push the blade forward, Oaraun was pulling it back with one hand 'He's far weaker right now...' The black and white wave receded. Oaraun raised his other hand and slammed it into Ajals' face.

"Jealous-"

Ajal's eyes lit up.

"Flame!" Oaraun screamed.

Green flames erupted in all directions. Ajal's shirt was blasted off as he was forced back, and the front of his body was burned. He let go of the scythe and jumped backward to avoid the heat. Oaraun pulled the blade out of his throat and then dashed forward, conjuring his greatsword in the other hand. Ajal stammered to his feet, but the moment Ajal raised his fists his entire body convulsed. A torrent of blood came up his throat, splattering against the white stone as Ajal stumbled forward. Oaraun stabbed the greatsword forward, the sound of it puncturing through his stomach was followed by the rippling force of Oaraun's thrust.

"Ack-" Ajal gasped weakly as blood dripped down the green blade, the entire length of the blade had been pressed vertically into his abdomen.

"Die..." Oaraun said to Ajal as they were face to face.

Oaraun kept the blade at arm's length as he felt his face twitch, he felt a manic rage at the illusion of Lavera. Ajal coughed up more blood and his eyes quivered, he struggled to remain conscious. Oaraun lifted his foot and pressed Ajal off the greatsword. The off-worlder tumbled backward wearily. To Oaraun's surprise, he didn't fall. Oaraun raised his greatsword once more as he breathed heavily, 'Impossible... He can't still-' Ajal's legs quivered as blood splattered over the ground.

"It's not an illusion..." Ajal coughed up even more blood as he dropped to his knees. "I knew it wouldn't work... I hate using that ability... I thought it would stall you long enough... I had to use it to stop you..."

Oaraun lowered the greatsword, he was going to strike but hesitated. 'That... Was real?' Ajal was barely conscious, the only thing moving his body was willpower. Ajal held the stab wound, a stream of blood flowed over his fingers, dripping against the ground before he leaned back.

"I have to... I have to..." Ajal reached to the sky as his eyes rolled to the back of his head. "Stop-"

Ajal leaned back and fell over the ledge, bouncing against the rock walls as he descended into the chasm. Oaraun listened to the echoes as he breathed heavily, the sounds of Ajal's body crashing and tumbling faded away. Oaraun turned and dropped his greatsword, it dissipated into green flames and faded into the air. His vision blurred, and blood filled Oaraun's mouth as he dropped to his knees.

"Rgh-" Oaraun coughed up blood, his entire body ached. "Lavera..." said Oaraun. "I can't-" he stuttered while trying to stay up, "I can't do that..."

Oaraun fell forward, his hefty armor smashed into the ground. His eyes slowly closed as Lavera's face was the only thing on his mind. 'That was real...'

***

The sound of the water's ebb and flow caused Oaraun to squint. He opened his eyes and looked up at the pitch-black sky, the mountains of Welis towered above him. 'Where am I...' Oaraun pushed himself off the soft and mushy sand. The sound of explosions in the distance caused Oaraun to glance to his right. 'The battle on Helios has comm-'

"You're awake at last..." An old man spoke, "To think that being was powerful enough to push you so far... It was a wonderful victory, my lord. I watched the whole thing."

The voice came from a man in green robes, his head appeared to be a large black mass. Their right hand held a golden scepter, 'A druid?' But upon turning, Oaraun saw the ghoulish face of someone he recognized very well.

"Bishop Ardel?!" Oaraun quickly rose.

"Greetings, my lord," Ardel lowered to his knees and brought his head down to the sand.

"I thought you would've died with the abyss... Your face..."

The old man's face almost looked like a mask, the skin underneath had been loose and the flesh underneath was slightly visible. The mass of black tendrils unwove, they sprawled out and revealed the left side of his face and shoulder. While his right eye was an empty socket, his left possessed a strangely shaped yellow eye. To the side of his head was the other eye of the creature that had latched to his body. The creature possessed a mouth that moved and spoke with Ardel's voice.

"Due to my knowledge about you, Terra didn't destroy my mind completely, she used me as a pawn for her boredom...I recited tales about you to her... It genuinely made her happy," Ardel explained. "This abyssal creature latched to me and fed off the logorite in my veins keeping me alive... However, it allows me to resist succumbing to age, and allows me to forever serve Xenia."

"That's why you lead me to Pathos..." Oaraun muttered as another set of explosions echoed in the east. "How long was I out..."

"It's been a day... Our forces are marching into Helios as we speak."

Oaraun rose, his wet pants stuck to his legs. As he flexed his muscles, his back and shoulders cracked, followed by his arms and chest.

"That off-worlder... He showed me something before I defeated him..." Oaraun sounded unsure of himself.

"What was it?" Ardel asked.

"I saw Lavera... And she-" Oaraun shook his head, "She felt real..."

"His darkness... It was a strange darkness... My abilities as well as many other druids are derived from shadow manipulation, but..." Ardel paused. "His darkness was so much purer compared to ours."

Oaraun pondered it for a few seconds, "Forget it... There is no time to waste... Let us assist in the battle in Helios... Hopefully, there are still some angels for me to rip-"

A large splash alerted the two of them, Oaraun turned to see a pillar of water falling back into the sea. 'Something breached the surface...' A figure rose from the pillar, it was dark and hard to see, but a white mark almost looked like an eye. The massive creature had large fins on the left and right side of its body, as well as a spout. A high-pitched frequency echoed through the air as a decently sized wave rippled outwards from the creature.

"My lord, could it be?" Ardel asked in surprise.

"Yuria's descendants... The Hydronians..." Oaraun answered.

The creature drifted forward, floating through the water slowly. The shadow behind Ardel started to move. A figure stood atop the beast with his hands behind his back, between two women singing into the quiet night. He wore a tight black suit underneath plates of shiny silver armor. His helmet was an odd shape, the top protruded forward covering their head and eyes. It had a jagged set of teeth. 'Is that a Celestial beast... I haven't seen one in the flesh in years...'

"Don't do anything rash Ardel..." Oaraun warned. "Their Celestial has not fallen, they've continued to advance their strength all this time..."

"Why would they show themselves now... Just pondering about it makes me sick..." Ardel's voice sounded monstrous at that last part.

The women atop the creature had scaled tails with fins on the end, lustrous blue sparkles shone in the moonlight. Their upper halves were decorated with various blue jewels that matched their natural beauty. As they came closer, Oaraun noticed their lips moving, even closer and he heard their gentle song. Their voices were inviting. 'I know that gift... They can alter spatial perception with their tone of voice...' The tone caused their approach to almost seem gentle, slow, and harmless.

"Welcome back, divine lord, Oaraun," the man in silver armor spoke slowly.

The strange man stepped off the creature's dog-like snout and fell into the water, he patted the large mount's oily skin under golden chains, caressing its long whiskers. The beast seemed to be fixated on Oaraun. As he approached he took off his helmet and revealed long locks of curly red hair.

"Keep your distance and state your name..." Ardel stepped forward, the black tendrils covering his face.

The silver armor was minimal, covering just the most vital areas of his body. He had a large nose, and he was young, but he appeared stern. He stood tall as he walked onto the beach and bowed on one knee to Oaraun and Ardel. The man's tight black clothes tightly stuck to his skin, defining his lean muscles.

"I am the Prime Minister of Cerulea, please, call me Nepicis. I am here on behalf of Queen Yuria," the man greeted. "Our queen seeks an audience with her fellow monarchs."

'A minister... Why would someone so important approach so-' Oaraun looked past the oily creature and noticed several figures sticking out of the water. Small red stems acted as the eyes of hundreds of creatures that hid beneath the surface 'No... They brought an armada just in case...'

"Please, we mean you no hostility," Nepicis gave Oaraun a toothy smile.

"And why would that be, we are sworn enemies..." Oaraun replied.

"History is fickle, we," Nepicis took a breath, "Proud Hydronians, often ask ourselves why we are driven to commit such fickle acts... The three harbingers hated one another, but do we have to? Perhaps the Ammonians and Hydronians can come to a truce..."