Bottle of Star Essence  

"Stir - Hoshin no Ishi."

After inhaling the colourful fume of the flask, Saruho's eyes fluttered open slowly, revealing a gaze that seemed to pierce through the very fabric of reality. Her pupils that was now a brilliant gold, were fixed on the Eden Ryuu Titan Avatar.

Moments later, a golden beam of light shot forth from her eyes, striking the dragon's chest with the force of a thunderbolt.

Boom!

"What the..." Kahless gasped in shock as he felt a surge of energy coursing through his body. He had sensed the attack coming, but he had been unable to react. It was as if time itself had slowed down, allowing the beam to strike him before he could even blink.

'What is this power?' his mind was clutching for answers. 'What is she doing to me?'

He glanced down at his body and realized with horror that a large portion of the dragon's torso was gone, obliterated by the golden beam. The dragon's flesh and bone had simply... vanished, leaving behind a gaping hole that exposed the sky beyond.

'I... I'm being erased...'

Kahless panicked. He had never experienced such a sensation before, such a feeling of utter helplessness.

He had faced countless opponents in his career as a soldier, from lowly bandits to seasoned Elemental Masters, but he had never encountered anything like this. It was as if he were facing a god, a being of immense power that could bend the very fabric of reality to its will.

And then, he remembered. He remembered a time, long ago, when he was just a young boy, cowering in fear as he witnessed his father beating his mother to death. He remembered the look of terror in his mother's eyes, the helplessness, the despair.

And he remembered the feeling of powerlessness that had consumed him, the knowledge that he could do nothing to stop it.

It was the same feeling he was experiencing now, as he watched his own Titan body being erased from existence.

'No...' he thought desperately. 'I will not die like this. I will not be powerless.'

With a burst of adrenaline, he ejected himself from his Titan Avatar form, leaving the dragon's body behind as it dissolved into a cloud of Aether Steam.

Whoosh!

Kahless emerged onto the ground amidst a pile of shredded wood and dirt. His body shook from shock and fatigue, and he gulped for oxygen.

He glanced down at his body and realized with horror that his legs and right arm were gone, erased from existence by Saruho's attack.

"Aaaaargh!" he screamed in agony, clutching his stumps. "My... my limbs..." Unlike earlier when he fiercely battled Sorah and regenerated his limbs, he had depleted his reserves of Aether Steam, which meant at the moment, he could no longer grow back his arm. He was handicap and bleeding out.

Warden Poahf, who had been seeing the fight from a distance, hurried over to support Kahless. Her eyes were filled with worry as she knelt beside him.

"Kahless! Are you alright?"

Kahless glared at her with a look of fury and despair. "Do I look alright? My legs... my arm... they're gone!"

Poahf's gaze shifted from Kahless's stumps to the central Baboon Dragon, Saruho. She could feel a primal fear gripping her heart as she stared into the creature's golden eyes.

"That... that thing..." she whispered. "It's a monster."

Kahless nodded grimly. "We have to get out of here. Now! Before it finishes us off." He could sense that Saruho's attack wasn't over, that she was preparing to unleash another devastating blow.

"Get us out of here right now. Do you hear me, Warden. Right now! There's no time to delay! Go! Go!"

"But..." Poahf hesitated, glancing back at the Rice Guru and Sorah's body. She wanted revenge, she wanted to see them suffer, but she also knew that they had to prioritize their own survival.

Kahless snapped, "There's no time to argue! Go!"

Poahf nodded and focused her intent on the earth element. She unleashed her TerraFlow Kana then kicked the ground and propelled herself into the air like a rocket.

She soared through the sky, leaving a trail of dust in her wake. She flew past Breeze Plume, who was carrying Daichi to safety, and didn't even spare them a glance.

"I can't believe that…" Daichi watched in astonishment as Poahf zoomed past them with incredible speed.

"Kyuuu?"

"Never mind that, Breeze Plume, keep going." Daichi yelled, urging the butterfly to fly faster.

The soldiers and guards, witnessing their superiors flee in terror, also began to run. Some scrambled onto the backs of their Sand Krayt Dragons and took to the skies, while others sprinted across the mountainside.

"Retreat!" one soldier screamed.

"Every man for himself!" another added.

They fled in all directions, desperate to escape the wrath of the Baboon Dragon Trinity.

Even though Poaf and Kahless were miles away by now, they both heard a resounding yet subtle echo in their consciousness which stunted their retreat:

"Pour - Hoshin no Ishi!"

Saruho began pouring a single drop of the flask's contents onto the ground.

Drip!

The moment the iridescent droplet touched the earth, a cataclysmic tremor resonated through the mountain, causing the very air to shimmer and distort. The ground beneath their feet began to tremble violently, and cracks appeared, spreading outwards like a spiderweb.

The soldiers and guards who were still fleeing across the mountainside stumbled and fell, their cries of terror were swallowed by the escalating chaos.

"What's happening?" one soldier screamed while scrambling to his feet.

"The mountain... it's... it's collapsing!" another yelled, pointing towards the peak where the Rendil Temple once stood.

The already cracked and broken temple began to crumble and fall. The walls surrounding the courtyard shattered into a thousand pieces, and the ground beneath them buckled and gave way.

Rumble!

The entire mountain peak, as if gripped by an unseen force, began to implode inwards upon itself. The air around them warped, creating a surreal landscape of shifting colours and impossible angles.

"This is…"

"No... this can't be happening!" Glancing backwards, Kahless was terrified. He had witnessed the destructive power of Titan Avatars, of elemental magic, and of Vayrukumers, but he had never seen anything like this.

It was as if the very fabric of reality were being torn apart, as if the world itself were coming to an end.

And as the mountain collapsed, as the earth and stone were sucked into the swirling vortex of oblivion, a single thought echoed through Kahless's mind...

'This is the power of the Aether Void element.'

…

High above, miles away from the imploding mountain, Breeze Plume soared through the clear blue sky, carrying Daichi to safety. The boy, still shaken from the events at the Rendil Temple, clung tightly to the butterfly's back.

"Kyuuu…"

"Thank you, Breeze Plume," Daichi whispered, feeling a surge of gratitude towards the loyal creature that had saved his life. He glanced back at the distant mountain range, or rather, former mountain range and wondered if the others had managed to escape.

'Master Sorah... Rice Guru...' he thought, his heart heavy with worry. 'I hope you're alright.'

"Kyuuu…?" Breeze Plume chirped, tilting its head as if sensing Daichi's distress.

"Hmm? You're right." He patted the butterfly's head reassuringly. "Let's go back and see if we can find any survivors."

Daichi then commanded, "Breeze Plume, descend! Take us back to the Rendil Temple."

"Kyuuu!" The butterfly obeyed, flapping its wings and gliding downwards towards the mountain range.

As they neared the area, they were met with a scene of utter devastation. The mountain peak was gone, replaced by a massive crater that stretched out for miles in all directions. The surrounding landscape was scarred and broken, littered with rubble.

"What the…" Daichi's eyes widened in shock as he surveyed the wreckage.

"What happened here?" he whispered, scarcely believing what he was seeing.

The Rendil Temple, once a majestic structure of ancient power and mystery, was now nothing but a pile of shattered stones. The courtyard where he had witnessed the epic battle between Sorah, the Rice Guru, Kahless, and Warden Poahf, was gone, swallowed by the earth.

"Kyuuu…" Breeze Plume chirped sadly, its wings drooping as it sensed the desolation that permeated the area.

Daichi commanded, "Lower, Breeze Plume. Let's see if we can find any survivors."

Slowly, the butterfly lowered down, its wings grazing the dust and detritus in the air.

They landed at the edge of the crater, and Daichi dismounted, his feet sinking into the soft, powdery ash. He glanced around, searching for any sign of life, any indication that someone had survived the cataclysm.

But there was nothing.

No bodies. No wreckage. No trace of the temple or the soldiers who had been left behind.

"Master Sorah... Rice Guru..." Daichi called out. "Where are you?"

His words echoed through the empty crater, unanswered.

Daichi sank to his knees, his head bowed in defeat. He had failed. He had been unable to protect his master, his friends, the people who had put their faith in him.

And as he knelt there, amidst the ruins of the Rendil Temple, he couldn't help but wonder...

'What now?'

He glanced up at the clear blue sky, a vast expanse of emptiness that mirrored the hollowness he felt within. He had nowhere to go, no one to turn to. He was alone, a fugitive in a hostile land, branded with the mark of the enemy.

'What am I going to do?'

Just then, something caught his eye. It was a small, metallic object lying amidst the dust. He reached out and picked it up, brushing away the grime that coated its surface.

"This is…"

It was Duke Theodore's Aether Pistol. The weapon that had ended the Duke's life, the weapon that had sealed his own fate as a fugitive.

Daichi's mind was racing with ideas and feelings as he gazed at the pistol. It served as a metaphor for his failure, his incapacity to restrain his own power, and the devastation and deaths he had brought about.

But it was also a symbol of hope.

It was a weapon, a tool that could be used to protect himself and others. It was a reminder that he was not powerless, that he still had a chance to make things right.

He gripped the pistol tightly, feeling its weight in his hand.

'I will not give up,' his heart ignited with resolve. 'I will find my friends. I will escape this kingdom. And I will make those bastards pay for what they've done.'

With a newfound sense of purpose, Daichi rose to his feet. He turned to Breeze Plume and commanded, "Take me to the nearest settlement."

"Kyuuu!"

The butterfly obeyed, flapping its wings and soaring into the sky. As they flew away from the ruins of the Rendil Temple, Daichi glanced back one last time. He saw the massive crater, the scar upon the land that marked the site of their battle, and he vowed to never forget what had happened there.

He would carry the memory of his fallen master, of the Rice Guru, and of the others who had perished in their fight for freedom. He would honour their sacrifice by continuing their struggle, by fighting for a world where justice and equality prevailed.

And as they disappeared into the vast expanse of the sky, a single thought echoed through Daichi's mind...

'I will become the blazing storm.'