End of an Era (Project Chrysalis Book 2), John Gold [ebook reader online txt] 📗

“Why are there astral beings swimming in that red cloud? Wendrew never has anything floating in his.”

Tiamat reached out and caught one of the transparent beasts.

“The resonance expands the aura, pushing it to partially overlap with the layers of reality. These astral creatures are swimming in the boy’s aura. We don’t have any astral beings in our world, which is why Wendrew just has a plain red cloud. The resonance is doing colossal damage to the boy’s mental body. I’m surprised he’s still alive.”

Just at that moment, Sagie died, having made the enormous meteor that was flying at Talamei. It was the size of a first-grade asteroid.

“Finally, he’s dead. He already ruined the trial.” Set was happy with how things had turned out. He had found the start of the battle mildly amusing, but he was now completely engaged.

Talamei and Miridia had thrown up shields, but the meteor shredded them. Both died in the attack, while the other divine beings were just wounded.

When Sagie arose in the form of a lich, Tiamat was the first to respond.

“Keeper! We need permission to interfere with the trial. Please remove our restrictions. This candidate is breaking the rules by using attacks beyond the world order.”

Out of nowhere, a voice was heard. Its owner didn’t need to appear in order to respond.

“Permission granted.”

The lich started hurling spikes at the astral beasts, his life force running through each of them. Everything caught in the red cloud became a source of power for Sagie. Soon, he had forty of the astral beings pegged.

As soon as Tiamat landed, everything living died. The lich, however, ignored the mental damage from the aura of death. On the other hand, it did lead Margul to send out a stream of fire that bathed the entire crater which the surviving undead had run into. The lich ignored that too, even chopping off one of the dragon’s wings with an enormous wind blade. Margul came crashing into the crater in a ball of fire. Surprised by what had just happened, Idzumi started shooting blood spears at everyone pulled from the astral to the battlefield, cutting down on the lich’s supply of health by killing his victims and whittling away at his shield. But it was Tiamat who was shocked when Idzumi came crashing down to earth. The lich had used a strong gravitational strike to knock Idzumi from his perch and interrupt his attack. Then, Set summoned two packs of hell hounds and sent them dashing at the lich. Margul tried to create a blue sun, but his attack was cut short by a giant icicle piercing his body.

The dragon was badly wounded. The shock wave from the meteor had started it, but then there was the lost wing, the rain of blood spears, and finally, the icicle going straight through him. Only Margul could be happy to see things looking so bad. The dose of adrenaline, the fear of death, and the proximity of regeneration filled him with joy. It was happiness, physical agony, and his desire to take on a worthy opponent. For the first time in two millennia, his entire dragon being longed for battle.

Idzumi decided to grab the bull by the horns and pulled out two activated spears. Tiamat activated his scythe and fired a force blade at the lich, who dodged and was very nearly hit by Idzumi’s attack. Instead of hitting him, the spear buried itself in the dragon’s body, shattering it completely. Two enormous hell hounds held the lich for a second, though it was just about to break free when Tiamat’s scythe took off its head.

Everyone went over to the boy’s body. Margul laid next to him, dying, until his winged followers dipped down from the sky to carry their god off on his final journey. Bernard soared next to the dragons. The bloody mist dissipated.

“They survived. Three officers to kill one rule-breaker, also managing to kill one of the candidates. Margul, you fulfilled your part of the bargain and will be reborn as promised.”

The dragon closed his eyes and breathed freely for the first time in fifteen hundred years. His body began to melt into a stream of white light, and the dragons in the sky sang a farewell song.

All three of the officers were forced to work within the limitations of the world they were in, which was why the battle lasted as long as it did. If the keeper had permitted them to use their real power, the entire continent would have died in an instant just from Tiamat’s aura. The boy had used power from a higher order, breaking the laws of the world, and the officers had been forced to stop him.

Idzumi smiled. It had been a good battle.

“That is how the chosen ones are born.”

***

Carl Shultz stood next to the med capsule of one of his wards. The boy was swimming in a pool of blood-red medical solution. The bleeding had stopped, but the blood hadn’t yet been drained from the solution.

Malcolm, Carl’s brother and the orphanage’s financial consultant, stepped into the room.

“What’s happened? Why did you call for me?”

Carl pointed at the med capsule.

“What’s wrong?”

“The doctor said that Anji Ganet had eleven blood vessels burst in his brain, so he needed blood therapy. His heart didn’t beat for almost a minute, though the med capsule was able to restart it. The latest encephalogram shows his brain at 97% activation. It was at that level for almost a minute and a half, with his nervous system at about the same level. Even if he survives, he’ll always be an invalid. The doctors say he’ll never recognize anything, never be the same, even if he comes to. His hormonal background is shot, and his cells are frayed. Do you understand what I’m trying to say?”

Malcolm frowned. It was civilian life, but