Chapter 523: The Night’s End (Patreon)

“Heed my call, Votum! Honorem!” shouted Ananta from the sky.

The twin daggers flew up and into her awaiting hands. She crossed the blades and channeled all the Chaos raging within her heart. The daggers shined with brilliant jade light and the sky darkened with storm clouds. An emerald tree of lightning manifested down from the clouds, like roots stretching to the earth.

Lunae and Holo watched in disbelief as the lightning spanned over the district, poised to smite the queen’s foes in a flash of brilliant thunder. But Ananta’s gaze wasn’t focused on either of them. No, Ananta stared at Melantha, standing still with eyes closed at the other end of the district.

Holo’s eyes widened in alarm. “Nel!” She Flickered away in the direction of her sister. She disappeared and reappeared in a flash every 30 meters, but it wasn’t enough. 

With cold iridescent eyes, Ananta aimed her blades at Melantha’s still form. The emerald tree flared brightly, new branches of lightning sprouting downwards, when a blast of orange light and black smoke ignited in the night sky. In its wake, Kaleidrog appeared in a massive Flicker spell. 

The dragon lord’s pristine azure scales had been scorched mostly black from the titan queen’s chaotic lightning. His hide was split all across his body, oozing fresh scarlet blood. The pale cerulean wings were torn from where Honorem’s edge had found him. But his eyes— his sapphire eyes burned with an inner storm like never before.

“ANANTA!!” Kaleidrog roared in a mighty voice that boomed over the sky.

“You’re alive!?” Ananta’s face twisted with anger and surprise. She turned her daggers on him and the emerald tree answered. Jagged roots of lightning thundered down on the dragon, but he spread his wings and channeled True Yellow.

Three spheres of Radiant magic coalesced around him, each brighter and larger than the last. The emerald fire wrapped around the spheres, crackling with the sound of thunder as it squeezed and burned over the chromatic spell.

Kaleidrog dove straight for Ananta, even as the lightning shattered his magic. He reached out and caught her in his claws. She screamed in defiance and stabbed his hand with Honorem and Votum, but he refused to let go and drew her close to his chest with both arms.

The emerald tree swirled around them, its roots eager to strike but unable to with its master so close. Ananta pulled Honorem back and sank the blade into the dragon’s chest, sliding through two ribs. Kaleidrog wracked blood and wheezed for air. His grip weakened and Ananta began to pull away.

Melantha’s lilac eyes snapped open. Blue mana surged to life around her, the air itself so thick with the ethereal energy that it glowed a cobalt blue. She stretched her hands out towards the sky and called down the power surging within the leylines.

A pillar of cerulean light erupted from the ground and shot upwards, and swallowed both the titan queen and dragon lord. The lightning ripped through the emerald tree’s branches and the dark storm clouds, piercing the night sky in an unending tower of brilliant blue.

The sky roared with thunder and the ground shook as if it was falling apart. Lunae dug her claws into the ground, crouched low, and held fast. Holo tried to Flicker away but was sent flying back from a shockwave.

 Suddenly, as quick as it had appeared, the pillar of lightning was gone, leaving behind a round chasm in the middle of the Bourge District. The air was filled with smoke and a distinct metallic scent. The titan queen and the dragon lord were gone.

Melantha collapsed to her knees and gasped for breath. Sweat covered her deep blue skin and her silver hair was soaked. Her shoulders heaved with every ragged breath. Holo stumbled towards Melantha, her appearance not much better.

“And here I thought you were holding out on me,” Holo smiled half-heartedly. “I’ve never seen a Meteoric Pillar even half that magnitude.”

“It’s not over,” Melantha noted grimly.

An enormous shadow rose from the smoke of the chasm. Two sets of arms stretched towards its feet. Three spindly tails swayed in the smoke, each with a long sharp point. A pair of wings unfurled behind its back, stretching 10 meters across. Dark veins pulsated through the leathery wings with a strange undulating pattern. 

A lifeless aura exploded outwards from the smoke like a whirlpool and swallowed the chromatic and elemental mana nearby. 

Three lidless ebon black eyes stared out from the smoke, watching Melantha with cold interest.

Holo took a fearful step back. “Unildyr…?” she whispered.

Melantha narrowed her eyes. “Unildyr’s heir… She’s been withholding her primordial powers until now. Why…?”

“Uh, Nel.” Holo stared at her hands, “Is it just me or can you not feel any chromatic mana within you either?”

“I doubt you’d find any sort of ethereal energy in the district.”

“Wonderful.”

“The queen is swallowing all mana— well, most of it.” Melantha glanced at the motes of chaotic light in the air vibrating against the void aura, choosing to float around erratically instead. She couldn’t help but smile wryly, “Unyielding as always.”

“You’re both alright!” said Lunae as she rushed into the street.

“More or less,” Holo admitted.

“As is she,” added Melantha pointedly.

Ananta rose to her full height in the darkness of the smoke. Her silhouette loomed over the titanesses. “H-Hungry…”

Holo stepped forward, “Lunae, throw Nel on your back and get ready to run.”

“Holo? What are you doing?” asked Melantha.

“Lunae has a son to look after. Mine is already grown,” said Holo.

Melantha shook her head, “Don’t be an idiot—”

“Remember our pact.”

“Holo— Seren, don’t do this,” Melantha whispered.

She glanced back at her younger sister and grinned warmly, “Remember our pact. Find Hope.”

“I’m so hungry…” groaned Ananta through the smoke. “N-NO!” She stumbled back and held her head in her hands. “N-no… NOOOOO!!” she shrieked. Ananta’s silhouette fluctuated, growing extra limbs and retracting them within a second. Different parts of her body grew disproportionately while others shrunk.

“What’s happening?” asked Holo.

“Caligo, she’s— rejecting her power?” mumbled Lunae in surprise.

“Why?” asked Melantha.

Holo narrowed her eyes in realization. “Because she can’t control it. That’s why she’s always limited her void abilities.”

Ananta’s body began to tremble all over and shrunk to her original form. She fell down on all fours and vomited bile. She panted heavily and glanced at the others silently. She turned away, sprouted scarlet wings, and shot into the sky.

Holo followed the direction of her flight with her eyes. “Oh, shit! She’s heading to the Ebon Tower!”

Lunae snapped her head up, “We can’t let her reach the tower!” Without hesitation, she grabbed each sister with her jaws and tossed them on her back, before dashing off towards the Ebon Tower.

“We have to kill her before she has a chance to do anything!” growled Lunae.

Melantha gripped her sword. “She’s refusing to rely on her void abilities. She’s exhausted and heavily injured. I just need one opening.”

“I’ll make sure you have it,” said Lunae adamantly.

“What if we’re wrong?” mumbled Holo.

Lunae faltered a step, “What?”

“What if…” Holo took a deep breath, “What if killing her isn’t the answer? …I think we should capture her.”

Melantha frowned. “Are you fucking insane?”

“Hear me out. Earlier, Caligo— no, Ananta, had me by the throat. She could have easily killed me, but she didn’t. I don’t think she wants to kill any of us. It’s why she’s refusing to let herself lose control to her void self. Because if she does, she could kill any of us.”

“Why would that even matter to her? She wants revenge,” said Lunae.

“For her people. The titans. Don’t you two get it? She doesn’t want to kill the last remnants of her kind, our kind,” said Holo.

“But she will if she has to,” said Lunae.

“We don’t know that,” said Holo.

“Why are you defending her?” growled Lunae.

“I’m not. We’re missing something crucial, I’m not sure what it is, but we need to know what’s really going on. We need answers! And she can give it to us.”

“She’ll never give up her secrets,” said Lunae.

“But if we capture her—”

“No, Lunae’s right,” Melantha shook her head. “There is no capturing her. That woman is the daughter of a Primordial. There is no prison strong enough to hold her. Kaleidrog died just to weaken her. If we don’t kill her now, we won’t get another chance!” Silver feathery wings sprang from her shoulders and she leaped into the air.

“Nel, wait!” Holo yelled but she was already gone.

~~~

Ananta flew towards the Central District, to the very center of Hollow Shade, where the Ebon Tower stood. She flew down between both black spires and landed on the smooth stone platform at their center. She lost her footing and almost collapsed. Her vision was faint and her head felt light. She could feel the void blood in her veins trying to usurp control, to heal her wounds, to save her life, and to devour all other life. But Ananta refused. She couldn’t lose focus, not now, not when she was so close.

Ananta bit her tongue until it bled. The pain brought her focus back, if only for a moment. She glanced down at her own wounds riddled over her body and the dark purple blood trickled down her legs. The blood dripped on the engraved floor and it ran through the strange sigils all over the round platform until each sigil began to glow with a faint light.

Summoning the last of her chaotic mana, she fell to her knees, clasped her hands together above her head, and slammed her fists into the stone floor. The sigils flared to life and shattered in a blast of green light.

Melantha saw the explosion from the night sky and swooped down into the plaza. Ananta lay on the floor at the top of the tower’s stairs. Melantha drew her sword and approached cautiously.

The Central District was filled with citizens who had fled the enemies at the gates. Yet none dared come close to the tower looming over them nor the frightening winged titaness.

The dark storm clouds of Ananta’s magic had faded away, leaving behind a clear night sky filled with stars. Past the city walls, beyond the valley’s green hills, at the edge of the horizon, peeked the golden rays of dawn. The storm had lifted and the dark night of battle had ended.

A tall figure emerged from the shattered stone platform. His skin was dark silver and bare, save for a black bracelet and a tattered white silken cloth wrapped around his waist. Locks of wispy black hair swayed in the breeze. A long scar ran down his wide back to his waist. Rippling muscles shifted at Melantha’s approach. His head turned in her direction for a moment, but he ignored her and knelt next to Ananta.

“Ann,” he whispered softly and brushed her warm brown cheek.

She gazed up at him and smiled tiredly, “Solis… I’m sorry I took so long.”

“Don’t apologize. You’ve done enough. Rest, I’ll take it from here.” 

Ananta nodded faintly and closed her eyes.

Solis stood to his feet and turned to Melantha, his deep golden eyes ablaze with power. The sun rose behind him on the horizon, its light stretching across the sky. “You did this to her?” he asked in a deadly voice.