At the same time, Ezra was running while carrying both Kieran and Ellirya. His feet were covered in fire, and every step he took covered several metres. This was a movement technique common for practitioners with a fire affinity, called Firewalker Steps.
As he ran, he glared with gritted teeth as he thought about what might be happening with his wife, father and clansmen. Never would he have imagined that this day would come. It was like a nightmare. It was quite possible that the destruction of the Moonfyre Clan, a clan that withstood the passage of millennia. Looking back, the only relief was that the storm brewing in the sky meant his wife was still alive.
He kept running, for the faster he could get the children to a safe place, the faster he could return and make his enemies burn.
Back at where the Assembly Hall used to exist, it was a scene of carnage. Bodies were piled everywhere and blood ran like rivers. The perpetrators had started to move around the clan grounds in order to kill everyone who wasn't present at the hall for the test. Wails of despair sounded all the time, and they were like knives stabbing at the heart of Erick.
Erick looked ghastly, emaciated and bleeding profusely from several wounds. Dark spread from those wounds like rot, eating away at his flesh and vitality. The Moon Flames only managing to slow the effects, not stop them.
Blackthorne looked to be having the time of his life, hurling attacks and cackling madly. He behaved like a cat that playing with a mouse, wanting to drag things out as much as possible so that Erick would see his clan driven to ruins without being able to do anything.
"So, Erick, my dear friend. How is the show I prepared for you? Feeling entertained? I sure am!" With a chuckle, Blackthorn sent more attacks towards Erick while either defending or jumping through shadows in order to dodge the occasional counter-attack. While these 'false' Moon Flames are not enough to bridge the gap between their power, it would still feel quite unpleasant if here were to be hit by them.
"You damnable bastard! I should've killed you when I had the chance!" Looking at the destruction around him, he couldn't help but shed tears. The Moonfyre Clan was going to fall while in his hands. How is he going to stand tall in front of his ancestors in the Netherworld?
Suddenly, silence reigned for a moment. The attackers that had been roaming the clan grounds looking for remnants of the clan returned and started watching the battle between Erick and Blackthorne. Erick knew what that meant, and his heart broke. The Moonfyre Clan was no more. The only hope in his heart was that his son, grandson and that little lass Ellirya could escape. Then he heard a scream that caused pain so great, he felt as if his soul was about to shatter.
"FATHER!"
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As Ezra was running, Kieran started to wake up. Confused, he looked around only to realise he was being carried by his father and was moving at blistering speeds. He also noticed that on his father's other arm, was the still unconcious Ellirya.
"Father, what's happening!?" Remembering the events prior to his loss of conscience, he started to panic.
"Kieran, listen to me very closely. Doomsday has arrived for our clan. We can't resist the forces against us. Our only hope is you and little Elli. Your mother is buying time so that I can bring you guys out to a safe place. The Moonfyre Clan is too old to not have contingencies in cases just like this. After I leave you at the entrance to the secret escape route, head north after leaving the city and follow the road. You should be able to find a place on a merchant convoy. Head to the Free City of Xaria near the Northern desert, a branch of our clan has been set up there centuries ago with a few mortal members of the clan being sent there every generation in order to ensure it's continued existence and stability. The branch has few practitioners, with only a single Master-Rank matriarch, but they run a successful merchant company and have healthy financial power."
While small, the financial might of that branch wasn't much weaker than the main family. More than enough to pour massive amounts of resources into developing two gifted individuals. Even though Kieran didn't have the opportunity to be tested, Ezra had no doubt that his son would have an affinity. The line of the family head has always produced individuals with talent, all the way to the clan founder.
While talking, he suddenly noticed that the storm that was gathering on the sky started dispersing. Ezra paled immediately and let out a loud roar filled with sorrow and unwillingness to part. That could only mean one thing, Karina...the love of his life... had fallen.
"Father! What is it?" Startled, Kieran flusteredly asked his father.
"Nothing, everything is fine son." Trying to hide the profound pain in his eyes, he gave Kieran a weak smile.
'Karina, don't worry. I'll come back and burn those bastards to ash! Then, I'll accompany you to the Netherworld' Ezra thought as pain greater than anything he felt wracked through his very core.
When he was about to turn a corner that would lead to the hidden passageway, however, a whistling noise suddenly appeared from behind. Before he could react, a powerful force struck his should, puncturing a hole from where blood gushed. Losing his balance, he lost his grip on the children.
Quickly stabilizing, he looked only to find one of the enemies grinning at him, a powerful aura of light magic swirling around him.
"You really do run fast, almost made me break a sweat." Chuckled the man, mockery clear in his visage.
"Kieran, grab your sister and run. Don't look back!" Grimacing at the pain in his shoulder, Ezra shouted.
"Father!" Kieran called out, worry clear on his young face.
"Listen to me! Go!" Roared Ezra as a blazing fiery aura started to burn around him. Fireballs, Fire Spears and massive waves of fire started firing at the enemy. Every time the flames touched anything they exploded. That was the Master-rank aspect of fire Ezra had comprehended, Explosion.
Massive shockwaves started manifesting in the battlefield, while the enemy leisurely dodged. Ezra was only a mid-level Master, while his opponent had already reached the peak of Master-Rank and was on the verge of comprehending a Grandmaster-rank aspect.
Before Kieran could run far, the man decided that he couldn't waste time with Ezra, lest the children really do manage to get away. Bursting with a massive amount of magical energy, spears of light started targeting every single attack sent by Ezra, while from his body a light so bright it felt like it would consume everything suddenly shone.
Ezra was blinded by the light, as was the intention of the enemy, until he suddenly felt a massive amount of pain coming from his abdomen. As he recovered his sight, he saw the man holding a spear of light, stabbing through him.
"Time to die." Chuckling, the man was just about to pull the spear out when suddenly Ezra grabbed his arm.
"Yeah, time to die motherfucker!" A hum filled the air, and afterwards, massive amounts of fire magical energy burst out of Ezra and set everything within 3 square metres aflame. Then, after a sudden compression, it exploded with a sound that made it seem like the end of the world had arrived. Ezra and Karina really were husband and wife, making the same choice right before death. Bringing at least one of the enemies down with them.
Several metres outside the blast radius, Kieran held Eliirya in his arms while having a dumbfounded look in his face. Confusion flashed in his eyes as if he couldn't quite understand what he had seen. That confusion was quickly replaced with horror, however, as everything dawned on him. Placing Ellirya on the ground, he ran towards the place where his father was. Looking around, he saw the mangled corpse of the enemy, burnt almost beyond recognition, with the entire right side of his torso missing.
His father was much better. Contrary to what it looked like, he didn't blow himself up. He flooded the area around them with his magic and then using his Aspect, detonated it. Now, his own magic couldn't possibly harm him, but the concussive shockwave of the explosion could. One of the most common dangers of the Explosion Aspect. His body was covered in soot, the arm he used to hold the enemy had been blown to smithereens. Madness still in his wide-open eyes. Face stuck in a terrible rictus of death.
Hands trembling, Kieran touched his father. No life could be felt.
"FATHER!" Roared Kieran, shaking the corpse, hoping against hope that this was all just a cruel prank.
"Father! Father! Please, no! Come back! I promise I'll be good, I'll never prank you again, I won't make fun of you again! Please!" Shaking his father, Kieran hysterically shouted.
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Back in the battle between Erick and Blackthorne. Erick's face was filled with pain as he heard the screams of his beloved grandson. His only son... was dead. Erick never felt so empty before. Not even when Elsbeth died. Then he could only feel pain and anger. Now he felt... nothing. It was like his soul had been ripped from his body. Kneeling on the ground, he stared blankly ahead.
"Hahaha ah, hahaha hahaha! Laughing maniacally, Blackthorne savoured the taste of victory and the despair of his old foe.
"Did ever think this day would come, Erick? Come on, rage! Rage, against the unfairness of it all! I destroyed everything you hold dear, just as a vowed!" With a mad and vicious expression, Blackthorne started to kick Erick. But it seemed as if his target couldn't feel anything. His expression remained the same, as blood poured out of his mouth.
"Tsk seems as if I've broken you. Let's finish this once and for all" A spike made of pure darkness shot out of Blackthorne's hand and pierced Erick through the head. Even after that, his expression remained the same.
Summoning a new cloak of darkness to cover his body, Blackthorne turned his back to the corpse of his old friend.
"Clean up the place. Raid the storage and the vaults. We might as well take everything before the vultures from the other clans get here." Ordering his underlings, Blackthorne was just about to remove the storage bracelet from Erick's corpse when suddenly it seemed as if the world had come to a standstill. As if time itself had stopped for a second. Then, an aura so vast, so mighty descended from the skies that the ground several kilometres around the Moonfyre Clan territory seemed to buckle under a terrible weight, the earth becoming compressed to the point of being harder than bedrock, causing the entire area to sink several metres.
Then, there was light.
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Kieran was still howling like a madman, begging his father to come back. Then threatening him with terrible pranks if he didn't come back. Nothing worked. As he became more and more agitated, a blue aura started emanating from him. Fog started appearing, as the ground around him started frosting over.
An unimaginable distance away, a being slept. As Kieran's magical aura was released into the world though, it stirred. Opening its eyes, which seemed to be the size of moons, it looked in the direction of the small world that Kieran lived. Its sight seemed to be able to penetrate space itself, as it zeroed in on Kieran. Curiosity and confusion appeared in its eyes for a second before recognition shone.
"So, that errant son of mine was able to leave behind his issue before falling... Who would've thought that I still had a family to call my own in this universe? It just had to his HIS descendent though, the only one of my children able to reach the Saint-rank before running out of lifespan, only to die a dogs death chasing a foolish dream. Sigh... What a pitiful child. Well, the rules prohibit the divine from directly interfering in the affairs of mortals. Nevermind, I'll deal with those old fogies myself, later. I'll dare them to complain." A feminine voice sounded, like the twinkling of ice crystals. As she spoke, her body moved and it became obvious what she was. Sitting on a throne, she looked like a Titaness. Skin bluish-white, grey eyes and hair like spun silver. A crown made of ice sat on her head, flashing blue lights occasionally appearing on it.
She was an Elemental Queen, a being that was created by the primordial gods to help control the elements and ensure their stability. Each aspect of an element had it's own elemental monarch, with all of them subordinate to the primordial deity of each specific element. She was the Monarch of Ice, under the Primordial God of Water.
She had many names, over many worlds, in many different times.
She prefers to be called...Monarch Wintertide.
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As Kieran raved and his aura climbed, a sigh suddenly sounded in his mind.
"Sleep now child, this one shall take care of everything." A regal, feminine voice called out to him.
"Wha-?" Before he could even complete his sentence, he slumped to the ground.
Then a majestic aura descended. The aura of an elemental monarch. Where she walks, even the world itself bows.
Kieran stood up from the ground. However, he looked nothing like before, with the exception of his grey eyes. But now they contained wisdom beyond his years and a disdain for all life. Long silver hair, a crown of ice and bluish-white skin, this was the form that Kieran now had.
A soft force picked up both the body of his father, as well as the still sleeping Ellirya, a soft look of curiosity adorning his face as he sensed the unique fire within her. Then, as he took a step, a platform of ice seemed to appear out of nowhere. After stepping on it, it extended like a bridge bringing him to the place where this all began.
Blackthorne had a baffled look in his face. He couldn't explain the events that had just transpired. A force beyond his wildest imagination had suddenly descended into the area, followed by a bright blue light... and then nothing.
As he was trying to puzzle out what had happened, he suddenly saw something heading in his direction through the air at a leisurely pace. Once it got closer, he realized it seemed to be a bridge made of solid ice on top of which stood a youth that seemed familiar yet not, with two others floating behind him. Those he recognized as the son of Erick and one of the children that had escaped with him. Then it clicked, why the one in the lead seemed familiar, it was the other child. Ericks's grandson. Why his skin looked blue, his hair silver and he now wore a crown of ice was beyond him though.
What he did recognize was the cold look in the face of the boy, a profound look of disdain, as if a god looking at the lowest of insects crawling on the ground. Wondering whether he should step on it or not.
Blackthorne was many things, but stupid was not one of them. As an old schemer, he immediately noticed something wasn't right with the boy. That combined with the phenomena that had just manifested minutes ago, and he had a feeling something terrible was about to happen.
"Who are you?! Where's the man who went after Erick's son? You better not interfere in something that doesn't concern you!" While Blackthorne might not be stupid, the same could not be said of his minions.
The...being on top of the ice bridge looked at the man who just shouted, then promptly ignored him again.
Then he...well I guess she by the voice, spoke.
"You could've stayed away. You could've forgotten your petty revenge, and finished your days in peace. But no, you had to come here and wreak havoc and destruction. Now, you have called the winter down upon yourself, and there is no pity in the snow. There is only death." The beautiful, regal and completely apathetic voice of the being before him sounded.
Blackthorne immediately made a judgement.
"RUN-!" He screamed at the top of his lungs, attempting to fade into the shadows,
But it was too late.
Raising her hand, Monarch Wintertide uttered the words to would seal the fate of both the killers and Kieran himself.
"Wintertide Entombment."
Light flashed... and then there was only ice and snow, as the world became white.
