Act 5 - Chapter 9, Part 2

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It had been several minutes since Oaraun was taken. The sky was orange as the sun rose. Ajal soared through the shadow as fast as he could, he was at past three-quarters of the way up now. 'What the hell happened... Who was that... They were too high up to be seen by my Spirit Sense!' As Ajal reached the top of the Celestial, he grasped the edge and pulled himself up, his eyebrows raised the moment he glimpsed the scene upon it.

A shirtless man stood in front of Oaraun's body on the ground, he was facing Ajal. His hair was white, and his pupils were bright red. Two black tattoos on the man's face resembled tears drooping down his pale cheeks, their spirit was immense and extremely violent. The black rags that covered his legs flapped in the wind. He lifted his bare foot, then slammed it down on Oaraun's head. The sun rose behind the man, shrouding his body in shadow as two vibrant red eyes tilted up at Ajal. The mysterious man's expression softened, and his spirit calmed.

"You really did a number on him... I don't even have to try to keep him down... He can barely stand... I saw that light show earlier, was that your magic?" the stranger spoke, he had a smile on his face but he looked sad.

"Who... Who are you..." Ajal asked hesitantly, he focused on his spirit to his foot.

"Huh," the man tilted his head, raised his hand, and pointed at himself. "What do you mean?" he spoke, his somber voice sounded familiar, and Ajal's eyes widened.

Ajal stopped channeling his spirit, "Jack... Is that you?!"

"Am I that unrecognizable now..." said Jack.

"Jack... You-" Ajal uttered with a shocked expression.

Jack looked down at his palms, then clenched his fists. Ajal was frozen in confusion as he looked at his friend's appearance. The same friend he had been fighting all this time for. Oaraun coughed, he pushed himself up and tried to stand.

"It was true... My dream was true... " Oaraun uttered weakly. "I knew it! I knew all-"

Jack raised his foot and then slammed it into the Oaraun's head. A shock wave of force rippled outwards. Ajal raised his hands and was forced back a step. Oaraun's body stopped moving, the damage from the battle prior had worn him out completely.

"Yeah... It's me..." Jack answered.

"What... Happened," were the only words that came to Ajal's mind.

Jack breathed in, and then exhaled slowly, "I died."

"What..." said Ajal.

"I was killed, by the king of the angels... He kicked my body into the sea, just seconds before the Celestial gave me the gift to fight back... No... That isn't right..."

"Huh..."

"I was saved, by the Celestial King..."

"The Celestial... King?" Ajal tilted his head, he was even more confused now. "Jack... What are you talking about... What happened to your skin?! What are those marks?!"

Ajal glanced at the gateway behind Jack, there was nothing through it but the orange sky. But then he looked back to Oaraun on the ground. 'Did he really get a gift... Is that what he used earlier?!' Jack walked toward the edge of the Celestial.

"And then he showed me the truth... He showed me why I was cursed with this life... Why this reality... Is truly nothing but a prison..."

Ajal's head tilted. "A prison?"

"He watches everything, he showed me everything..." Jack turned, it was hard to tell, but it looked like a tear fell from his eye. "I'm sorry Ajal, you were right..."

"Huh... What- What are you talking about..."

"Sin begets sin..." Jack stated. "But even if I know this, it'll never change."

"Never change..." Ajal repeated. "No... Jack, people can-"

"People can change Ajal? Is that what you're going to say..." Jack took a deep breath. "Their change will never bring Lydia back. Their change will never bring Carol back. The past, cannot be changed. I won't forgive them, not just the angels, the Lithonians as well, I will show this world the very despair I felt..."

"Jack wait! This isn't you! You're a good-"

Jack's spirit violently spiked, and he raised his hand. Ajal stepped back as he expected an attack. All he felt was his hair whip to the right as a sudden force launched past his head. Ajal stood still, glancing to his left where something had flown by. 'What was that... He fired something, I sensed it... But I didn't see anything...'

"Don't... Ever... Say that again..." Jack warned, his red eyes full of fury.

"I'm not taking it back..." Ajal uttered with surprise, he focused his spirit on his forehead and activated spirit manipulation at the same time. "I know they wronged you, but Jack, killing them won't change anything..."

"I know."

Jack raised his hand, and the diamond mark on his palm glowed, Ajal breathed in and got low. Jack waved his hand toward Ajal who tried to dodge, his third eye opened. 'Dark Passage!' He left a mark on the ground with his foot. However, all of a sudden, he stopped. 'Huh?!' Ajal tried to move, but he couldn't 'What- Nothing is touching-' Jack dragged his hand overhead, and Ajal's whole body was lifted through the air seamlessly. 'Woah!' Jack opened his palm and released Ajal, throwing him off the Celestial.

"Ah!" Ajal gasped as he soared right off the edge. "Jack!"

The wind flapped by his ears, Jack walked toward the edge and looked down as he fell. 'Dark Passage!' Ajal teleported back, he appeared where he had stood. Jack's back was turned. He dashed forward quickly but chose not to draw a weapon. Jack looked up and turned, 'Dark Abyss!' The black and white wave passed over the top of the Celestial. Jack floated backward as he tried to avoid it, but he couldn't. The wave hit Jack and he suddenly fell on his back. On the soles of his feet, there had been another symbol of a black diamond. Jack tried to get up, raising his hand but looked at it with a frustrated expression.

Ajal pushed his hand to the side and grasped his arm, stepping forward and sweeping his left foot. Jack slammed his foot down and kept his ground, then struck Ajal in the chin with his fist and an ignition. 'Agh- What the fuck?! His spirit is way stronger for some reason?!' Ajal twisted Jack's wrist and pulled him over his head.

"Agh!" Jack grunted as Ajal slammed him onto his back.

As Jack tried to get up, Ajal quickly maneuvered around and wrapped his legs around Jack's waist, arms, and around his neck.

"Agh!" Jack struggled to get up, but couldn't. "Let go!"

"What the hell happened to you!" Ajal asked with grit teeth as Jack struggled. "Stop fighting, talk to me god dammit! You're my friend!"

The black and white wave receded, and Jack looked up with a furious expression. Ajal felt his body lift as Jack rose off the ground. 'Woah- What the-!' Jack slammed his elbow into Ajal's stomach, and to his surprise, the wind was knocked out of him. 'When- When was he this strong!' Ajal reached for Jack, but he simply flew away out of range. 'Huh? Hold on...' Ajal flipped and landed, he looked right back up and blinked several times. 'What kind of gift is this... He can fly, fire invisible blasts, move people without touching them...' Ajal pondered, while Jack floated out of reach.

"They all deserve to die Ajal! And now that I have the power to do it, I will kill them all!" Jack declared. "This battle is over, I will crush the angels, right here, right now. That is why I exist! I am the envoy of my people!" Jack shouted with a determined tone.

Ajal froze as Jack's hands were suddenly shrouded in a black aura, for some reason the silhouette of his hand glowed white within. The ground shook, and Ajal looked down. 'What the...' Ajal looked back up at Jack, whose other hand was engulfed in a similar aura as they grasped something. Ajal looked down as he felt the entire Celestial move. 'No... That's... Not possible...' Jack raised his hand, the Celestial started to rumble. 'Hey... Hey, hey hey!' Ajal turned and looked off the edge, the plains of grass across Kamino were divided as several cracks divided the land.

Jack gritted his teeth, his muscles bulged and the veins in his head popped out. Ajal listened to the rumble, the voice of the land itself cried into the sky. The Celestial twisted slightly, causing Ajal to stumble. Then it twisted the other way and Ajal's heart sank. Jack breathed in as he started to pull his hands upwards. The Celestial started to rise, pulling the ground with it. Ajal stumbled again and fell as Oaraun looked around with wide eyes, he grinned as he started to laugh.

"I knew it! I knew you were to be feared, Jack Eldritch!" Oaraun laughed.

Ajal was speechless as the Celestial rose from the ground, the earth quaked and shifted. Jack raised his palm above his head and the Celestial rose even faster. As it tilted Ajal and Oaraun started to slide off. 'No! Don't let him go!' Ajal ran up the tilting ground.

"Jack! Stop!" Ajal screamed.

Ajal ran up the slope, he ignited his spirit as he built up enough speed. However, before Ajal could even reach the edge, Oaraun lunged forward and slammed his arm into his throat.

"Ack-" Ajal grit his teeth, and a rush of anger came over him. "Oaraun!"

"Bear witness, Imperial! Bear witness to the destruction you caused!" Oaraun chuckled madly.

Ajal slid against the ground, and the skin on his hand tore as he tried to hold on. It was too late as he slipped off the floating Celestial. Ajal watched in horror as the landmass the Celestial dragged with it cracked and crumbled before falling back down hundreds of feet.

"Jack!" Ajal shouted through the sky, but it was no use.

Ajal could only watch as the figure of the friend he tried to save drifted further and further away. The Celestial stopped moving, and the entire structure tilted.

"Jack!" Ajal screamed again. "Jack!" he tried over and over.

The entire Celestial stopped still for a second before the pillar was launched off of the planet at a surreal speed. The displacement of mass caused air to whip in all directions. Ajal flew off his course as they descended back to the ruined land of Kamino. A feeling of dread came over Ajal, gritting his teeth and shutting his eyes. 'Was I wrong... To choose to intervene in this world's affairs... To try and save you when you asked for help... Was the two of us meeting each other a mistake... Was it wrong that I survived...' Ajal could do nothing but regret as he fell back to the surface of Grelt.