Prism Academy 5- Chapter 36 (Patreon)

Chapter 36- Contact

I soared above the ruins of North America, my eyes scanning the desolate landscape below. Enhanced Senses made it so I could see as though looking through a powerful pair of binoculars.

The devastation the shadow had wrought upon our world was evident everywhere. Cities lay in ruin, forests were mere shadows of their former selves, and even the once-sparkling rivers ran thick with toxic sludge. I could hardly believe that this ravaged land was once the vibrant, thriving continent which was featured in the old movies I loved so much. Two centuries can entirely change a world.

As I flew, I activated my Sense Energy ability, reaching out with my mind to detect any lingering traces of the shadow's presence. The ability was unique to me and one which I should have tried to gift to my bonded. It was a serious oversight. Thinking about combat abilities was easy, but knowing the enemy was present also would have been useful. I actually felt stupid for not having considered this sooner.

ANOP and I had determined that this was probably a result of the way in which my mind had been protected from negative emotions while I was growing up. Whatever the reason, with this ability, I could find even the faintest whisper of shadow energy.

I began scanning at Chicago as I flew up and then toward St. Louis. The city, like all of NAAG’s cities was on high-alert for the push today. The city's normally bustling streets were now patrolled by military units and supers who were staying behind to protect the city. Their faces etched with the grim determination of those who had seen too much suffering. I could sense the fear that permeated the air, a fear I shared, and which only strengthened my resolve to confirm the shadow's departure.

Next, I moved on to Philadelphia, Atlanta, and Toronto, each city a testament to the resilience of the human spirit. Humanity might have been pushed back to just a few cities, but those cities had all grown beyond their pre-Earthfall sizes.

An hour turned into two as I streaked through the sky at speeds beyond Mach 7. I burnt my capacity to fly faster and further. Soon, though, I was forced to come to the conclusion that the shadow had withdrawn. I communicated my findings to my bonds telepathically before we began following the trail. I asked my other bonds to join us.

As I flew out over Atlantic, I could see the threads of power consolidating. The enemy was definitely gathering in one location, I just wasn’t sure where that was yet. I had to adapt to whatever they were doing and get ahead of this. The boost which gave all of my bonds the Angel of Light ability would only last for nine more hours. We needed to engage the enemy before then.

Thus, I gathered Eve, Precision, and Valkyrie with me before teleporting to Africa. There we stopped, and I sent back coordinates to Twinkle so she could teleport the rest of them to join me.

When we were all together again, Inferna asked, “Where could they be going?”

I said, “I had thought they might be coming here, but now I know that isn’t true.”

“Here? Why here?” Demis asked.

I smiled. “Follow me.”

Then I walked further into the jungle. My body transformed to fire and burnt a clear path. “Inferna can you keep this under control for me?”

Contrary to her name, Inferna kept the flames burning only a path forward. I said, “I wasn’t’ sure if it would be safe to teleport any closer.”

Eventually, the flames burned away a path to a clearing. In that clearing was a large stone, which we were all familiar with. It was the one which Prism Academy used to expose potential supers to massive amounts of progenitor energy. I could see the energy practically packed to bursting here. I heard gasps behind me. This place represented a traumatic day in the life of any super. We all stared at it for a second, but then I realized the energy was moving. I threw up my Cascading Frequency Shield.

The being that stepped out was one of pure light.

“You have no reason to fear me son of darkness, but you do have reason to fear my cousins.”

I’d only ever spoken to a creature of the light once before. I found the experience disconcerting. “And what are you intentions then? Come to try to manipulate some more humans?”

“I can taste your disdain. Perhaps what we attempted with your mother was poorly handled.”

I interrupted him. “Perhaps? You think, huh? It isn’t that, though. It’s the entire playing like you’re the good guys when you are just as much invaders of Earth as the shadow. If you had come and tried to make a bargain, then we might have been able to reach an agreement, but you simply came and took what you wanted. Those who couldn’t bear the transformation were simply served up to the shadow.”

“My people were being destroyed. Annihilation had found us. We had no choice but to flee to the Earth. It was the only world we found which had sufficient shielding from the Annihilation.”

“But that shielding has been damaged now, thanks to you.”

“Our travel here did cause some of the damage. We’ve found another world now that we could have left for. A world where Annihilation was pushed back. But we didn’t leave even though we are starving here.”

I shook my head. There was no reasoning with this creature. They simply believed they were entitled to get whatever they wanted from humanity. I stared at it so it spoke again. “The shadow are gathering on the continent you know as Australia. We believe that they intend to flee the Earth again but that in order to hide their passing they will open a way for Annihilation to enter this space.”

“And what is the light going to do about it?”

“You. You are what we’ve done about it. There are only a few of us left. Humans proved to be too prone to dark emotions. We have no place in this world. We will flee at the same time they do.”

“I intend to destroy them before they can do this to another world. My only question is what to do with you.”

I stood there in silence for a few minutes before I said, “If you will leave the Earth, then I’ll let you go in peace, but you’re no longer welcome here. And of course you have to promise that you aren’t going to try to bring the void or annihilation or whatever it should be called down on us.”

“We are incapable of causing intentional harm, although it may not seem that way from your perspective. So no, we will slip through the dimensions to this world our kin have found, a world full of powerful cultivators.”

I nodded my agreement and then had ANOP pull up a suitable location to teleport to in Australia. She only had old records to base things on, as that continent had been one of the hardest hit in the early days. Supposedly, it was a beautiful place before Earthfall, but now it was just the last bastion of our enemy.

Things were moving fast now. I didn’t like feeling like I had to react, but I couldn’t let this opportunity go and if even our enemy was so afraid of the void, I couldn’t let them be let loose on Earth. We teleported to an area one mile above what used to be a city known as Sidney. When we looked down, it was overgrown and in ruins. No one could have lived there within the past hundred years.

What was even more shocking though was the horde of shadow infected monsters. The place was practically swarming with them. There were perhaps a couple hundred former humans as hosts, but most of the rest were a hodgepodge of some of the strangest creatures. Tiny bears with oversized ears, overgrown snakes, spiders, and some type of massive rat which hopped around on its two back legs.

A few miles inland, I could feel the dark shadow energy gathering. These were just the lesser troops it was that which needed to be stopped. Yet I didn’t want to leave an enemy behind us.

“Are you ready, girls?”

Inferna transformed into her Angel of Light form. Since it was her power, she was the only one who didn’t have to hold it. All the others from Demis to Silk were already in that form, except for Eve. Each of them still looked like themselves but with a rather intensive angelic makeover.

Inferna said, “They’ve all practiced with the power. We know what has to be done.”

“Okay, then start dive bombing the crap out of them. I want you to work in pairs. Eve, you play back up and if anyone gets in trouble run interference for them. I deal with any that prove to be too strong, but I think that will mostly be the infected humans.”

The android nodded. I hear Precision cough. I glanced over at her and then realized I’d taken over her role as team tactician. “Sorry, I just got carried away.”

She shook her head. “Thanks for saying that but, I don’t disagree. This isn’t the time for holding back.

As we hovered high above the city, I watched my team prepare for the daunting task ahead. Each of them, clad in their Angel of Light forms, emanated an aura of power and grace. I could see the determination in their eyes as they looked down upon the horde of mutated monsters that stood between us and our ultimate goal.

Inferna and Precision took the lead, diving towards the horde with incredible speed. The ground below them seemed to tremble under their approach, and I could feel the dark energy emanating from the infected creatures below. As they neared the ground, the entire team unleashed a devastating barrage of light energy blasts, decimating the first wave of twisted beasts.

The mutated creatures were a sight to behold – a grotesque and unnatural fusion of familiar forms warped by the shadow's insidious influence. All of their bodies were twisted by the hate which formed them. No creature deserved to have that happen to them, but as mutated as they were, all we could offer them was a quick death.

The power of Light’s Judgment sprang from their hands and the shadow couldn’t stand up to it. It was amazing to watch.

As Inferna and Prism continued their assault, Valkyrie and Silk swooped in to join the fray. Their combined efforts rained down a hailstorm of light upon the monsters below, the powerful energy beams obliterating the shadow-infected beings. The women moved in tandem, their attacks synchronized, as if they had practiced this maneuver a thousand times.

Eve, ever vigilant, kept a watchful eye on the situation from above, ready to intervene if any of my team found themselves in trouble. The sight of her, serene and poised in the midst of chaos, was a reminder of the unwavering resolve that had brought us to this moment.

The mutated monsters were no match for the combined might of my team. As each beast was struck by the powerful light energy, the shadow infection within them dissipated, leaving behind only a lifeless husk. The air was filled with the scent of burnt flesh and the crackle of energy as the creatures were purged of the darkness that had consumed them. It was still taking time though because there were millions of shadow infected.

From my vantage point, I watched as my team systematically decimated the horde of millions. The city, once a bustling metropolis, now served as a battleground for a conflict that would shape the fate of our world. The twisted spires of ruined buildings reached for the sky like the grasping hands of the fallen, a testament to the destructive power of the shadow.

As my team pressed forward, cutting a swath of light through the darkness, I could feel the gathering energy of the shadow council just miles away. The knowledge that our true enemy lay just beyond this horde only strengthened my resolve. We had come so far and sacrificed so much, but the time had come to bring this war to an end – and we would not be denied our victory.

Their power was impressive. Even the shadow monsters made from humans didn’t stand up to the fury of their power. It was almost like a spray of light was covering the land and washing away the shadow. They cut their way further and further inland. Almost all of the shadow was destroyed, but I wasn’t silly enough to believe there wouldn’t be some remnants. Hunting down those last fragments of shadow might take years, but it would be a task I could throw myself into.

Finally, with a path opened up, I said, “Hold back and cover me. I don’t know what they’re doing up there, but I’m sensing some strange fluctuations in the energy around them.”