Episode 34: Judgement

Yesdar and Malaes, perched atop their majestic Ferion, soared through the sky, their hearts pounding from the chaos they had narrowly escaped. Below them, the battlefield was a tapestry of destruction: rivers of blood, charred remains of enemies, and the aftermath left by Griswa's and Fheniz's attacks. As they were approaching the area where Fheniz was unleashing his final technique, they were forced to halt mid-air, their eyes widening in disbelief at the sight unfolding before them.

"NOW WHAT?!! FIREBALLS?!!!" Yesdar exclaimed, his jaw dropping and his eyes bulging out comically. "I GUESS, AFTER WITNESSING SO MANY DESTRUCTIVE EVENTS ONE AFTER THE OTHER, IN JUST ONE WAR! NOTHING ELSE IS GONNA SURPRISE ME ANYMORE! Now what else is left to happen?!"

Malaes, equally stunned, let out a frustrated groan. "TRUE THAT! I WASN'T EVEN ABLE TO CONCENTRATE! AND IT'S ALL THEIR FAULT!" She pointed accusingly towards the mountains that were covered with the monster's blood. "How am I supposed to find Orngea in all this mess?!"

Yesdar couldn't help but chuckle despite the chaos. "Well, we've got lightning tornadoes, a tsunami of blood, and now gigantic fireballs the size of mountains. What's next? A rain of frogs?"

Malaes shot him a withering look. "Don't give them any ideas! I swear, these two are like walking, talking natural disasters!"

Ferion snorted in agreement, shaking his head as if to say he'd had enough of the insanity too. They had to hover in place, waiting for the fireballs to stop raining down, their bright light illuminating the battlefield below in a surreal, almost apocalyptic glow.

As the fireballs finally ceased, Yesdar shook his head in amazement. "This war is going to give me goosebumps for years."

Malaes nodded vigorously. "Yeah, and good luck explaining all this to your young ones. 'Oh, nothing much, just fought in a war where the landscape got turned into a scene like it was the end of the world, later we stopped them from using their ultimate technique, the rain of frogs. No biggie.'"

Yesdar laughed, his nerves getting the better of him. "At this point, I wouldn't be surprised if the next thing that happens is Griswa summoning a dragon from a far, different planet or something."

Malaes sighed. "I just hope we can find Fheniz and get out of here before they decide to add another chapter to this epic tale of destruction. I hope these are the final enemies and they get wiped out with this."

After what felt like an eternity, the fireballs finally ceased. Yesdar and Malaes urged Ferion to fly down towards the battlefield. They could feel the residual heat from the fireballs and see the massive craters they had left behind. They flew forwards for like an half hour, for a while. They got away from the falling debris of the seven warships.

Malaes closed her eyes and focused, trying to sense Fheniz's energy among the chaos. The lightning tornadoes' remnant energy was still messing terribly with her mind as she tried to concentrate hard, to locate a particular energy. "I'm trying to locate Fheniz. His energy signature is faint, but I think I can find him." she muttered, her mind acted like a scanner scanning the battlefield.

Meanwhile, on the sands, Fheniz lay sprawled on the ground, utterly exhausted. His ornate coat, once billowing majestically in the wind, was now tattered and covered in sand. He groaned, his body aching from the immense strain of his final technique.

"Ahh, this technique took a heavy toll on my body, ouch!" Fheniz muttered to himself, trying to catch his breath. "Still gotta practice even more, so much more that next time I can take down 1 billion of those enemies, and that though alone! I shall not need someone else's help, not even Gods'. And even after I fight the war alone, I will be standing straight with style, with so much energy left that I could take down a billion more. But for now, ow, ow, ahh, I need some rest."

He recalled how Master Ehayor had once come to his aid after a grueling battle. "Last time, Master Ehayor had come to pick me up, he himself put me on his back and rode me back home and helped me replenish my energy back. I wonder if his nap is over and he can come help me out here, pick me up again like he did before. Oh! by picking up I wonder, where the hell are those three? I think I myself would have to go and pick them up, sighs, handling children is tough."

As Fheniz lay there, contemplating his exhaustion and the need for more training, Malaes was struggling to pinpoint his location. The lingering energy from the lightning tornadoes made it difficult for her to focus. "Come on, come on, where are you, Fheniz?" she whispered, her frustration growing.

Meanwhile, Fheniz continued to talk to himself, trying to lift his spirits despite the pain. "I need to get stronger. Next time, I'll be unstoppable. But for now… maybe a little nap wouldn't hurt," he chuckled weakly.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Malaes sensed a flicker of Fheniz's energy. "There! I found him! He's to the east," she exclaimed, relief washing over her. She instructed Ferion to fly in that direction, and they quickly made their way towards Fheniz.

As they neared Fheniz's location, Malaes tried to communicate with him telepathically. "Fheniz, you there?"

After a brief pause, Fheniz's weary voice responded. "Yeah, where are you?"

Malaes smiled, feeling reassured that he was still conscious. "We're on our way. Can you do something to indicate where you are? Things seem smaller than ants from up here."

With the last of his remaining energy, Fheniz stretched his left hand upwards and did a small flicker, sending a tiny fireball into the sky. "There," he murmured.

Yesdar, spotting the flicker, pointed towards it. "There! I see him!" Ferion, understanding the direction, flew towards the small fireball. As they descended, they saw Fheniz lying on the ground, his right hand weakly waving.

"Whoa, it has worn you out," Yesdar said, looking at Fheniz with a mix of awe and concern.

"Yeah, thanks, you two were of no use," Fheniz replied with a smirk, trying to mask his exhaustion with humor.

"And who's fault is that?" Malaes asked, raising an eyebrow.

"What?" Fheniz responded, genuinely confused.

"Because of your thunderous giant lightning tornadoes, or whatever you call it, I wasn't able to concentrate at all, I couldn't find Orngea," Malaes said, her tone serious but laced with humor.

"Oh yeah, did you find Orngea?" Fheniz asked, trying to sit up.

"I just said I didn't, basically couldn't!" Malaes replied, funnily angry.

"Sorry, I'm tired, I didn't hear you properly, basically couldn't," Fheniz said, chuckling.

Malaes turned away with a "Humph!" and said, "I wanted to give myself a good impression which I failed to do so. I wanted to test my capabilities." 🥲🥲

Fheniz smiled gently. "There you are. See, even with disturbances, if one learns to concentrate to such an extent that distracting the one becomes impossible, that is true concentration. And you were easily distracted, your score of observation is good, but it's not the best. So, keep training."

Malaes sighed but understood the lesson. "But partly it's my fault too. Sorry for distracting," Fheniz continued.

"Apology accepted, Master," Malaes said, bowing dramatically, causing Yesdar to burst into laughter.

The three of them laughed together, the tension of the battle finally easing away.

"HEY! APOLOGY NOT ACCEPTED! WE COULD HAVE DIED AS THOSE FIREBALLS WERE CRASHING THE GROUND! WHAT WERE YOU DOING FHENIZ?!!" Yesdar said, as he was back to being the funnily, only normal person to question that. 

"Huh? I thought it's common sense to stop your journey if you know something is falling from the sky that's gonna make a kebab out of you." Fheniz replied and made it sound obvious. "I thought you do that when it's simply raining too."

"Of course that's what we did! But that's not what I am talking about! BAKAYARO!" Yesdar replied, funnily angry.

"Oh yeah, it reminds me, where's our lord Griswa?" Fheniz asked thinking Griswa should have come with them. "Did he go to find Orngea by himself?" Fheniz's question was confirming that he was finding Orngea.

Griswa soared high above the mountains, his eyes scanning the blood-soaked terrain below. His hair and coat billowed dramatically in the high-altitude winds, giving him an almost ethereal appearance. 

His keen eyes pierced through the clouds and debris, searching for any sign of movement. The bloodstorm had wreaked havoc on the landscape, making it difficult to see clearly. Griswa muttered to himself, "Orngea, you slippery fiend, where are you hiding?" His determination was palpable, and he pushed forward, flying over the chaotic scene below. As he continued his search, his thoughts were laser-focused on the task at hand. Orngea must be found and dealt with—no matter what it took.

Orngea hovered in a dark, secluded cave, having teleported himself to safety using his unique quirks. His body, devoid of legs, floated eerily in the air. Panic gnawed at him as he replayed the events of the battle in his mind. He had sensed the bloodstorm approaching from above and barely escaped in time. His thoughts raced as he tried to make sense of the overwhelming power he had witnessed.

"Did I lose again?" Orngea wondered aloud, his voice echoing in the cave's emptiness. "I brought forth a monster meant to end Fheniz, yet this new ally of his destroyed it with ease. Who is this person? Where did he come from?"

Orngea's mind was a whirlwind of fear and confusion. He had seen everything by using his hidden quirks —the lightning tornadoes, the fireballs crashing down and destroying the warships. His plan to escape by teleporting to one of the ships had been foiled by the fireballs' destructive power.

"Who is this new ally?" Orngea muttered, his voice trembling. "Fheniz never had allies before. Why now? He clearly is a God. But from which race?"

The uncertainty gnawed at him, and he felt his control slipping. He was a master of dimensions, able to warp reality to his will, but this new threat was beyond his comprehension. His usual confidence was replaced by a tormenting fear. He considered his options, but none seemed viable. He had the power to warp himself into another dimension of his own but he could never stay there for long and he would only return back to the place he was before. Also his teleportation power had its limits. The power this new ally displayed was overwhelming, and Orngea knew he could be found in no time.

"I can't stay here," he thought frantically. "But where can I go? Fheniz destroyed the ships. I have nowhere to run."

Orngea's anxiety was palpable as he struggled to formulate a plan. He couldn't remain hidden for long. The power displayed by this new ally, whom he didn't know was Griswa Skaar, was too immense to evade indefinitely.

"My seal..." Orngea thought, his eyes widening. "If I can capture him in one of my seals, maybe I can buy some time. But will it work? Can it contain such power?"

His thoughts were interrupted by a sudden crash above him. The cave ceiling shattered, and large chunks of rock rained down, crashing into the ground with a deafening thud. Orngea's heart raced as he saw a figure descend through the dust and debris.

It was Griswa, covered in the blood of the monster he had defeated. As he rose, a unique aura emanated from him, an aura that felt like theme music playing—a symphony of danger and elegance. This aura sent goosebumps down Orngea's spine. It was both gentlemanly and terrifying.

"Oh! So you did find me. Speak of the devil," Orngea said, trying to mask his fear with bravado.

Griswa replied with a cold smile, "Do think so little of me? And it's 'speak of the God'." His aura intensified, filling the cave with an overwhelming presence.

Orngea panicked and began to teleport again using his quirks, but before he could, Griswa moved with lightning speed, catching him by the hood. "And Gods are more dangerous than the devils." Griswa continued, his grip tightening.

Orngea panted heavily, his face hidden within his hood, but Griswa's godly eyes saw through the void. "Calm down," Griswa said, his voice steady. "I am here to ask you some questions. Depending on your answers, you'll live or die."

Orngea's desperation reached a peak. "I am done with the orders!" he shouted, pulling out a blue, medium-sized cube seal from his cloak that fitted in his palm completely. It was like a shining tesseract bind by an otherworldly metal on all of it's twelve edges. The cube glowed with an eerie light, with neon blue radiation that pulsed with energy.

Griswa's eyes narrowed as he recognized the danger. The seal was sudden and powerful, catching him off guard and trapping him within its confines. "This was the seal in which I had collected that monster," Orngea explained, his voice tinged with triumph. "I have many such seals with monsters inside. But sealing them back would have been a tough job. I used the best one, thinking it was enough. Yet it proved to be a failure."

Orngea's voice grew more frantic as he continued, "My seal is special. It's so powerful that it can even trap common gods by surprise. This boy is one of his kind. If I bring it to Lord Thylme, he will be pleased. Maybe I will have my freedom then! But how will I get out of this planet?"

Before Orngea could finish his thoughts, the seal in his hands began to shake violently. "Oh no! Now what?" he gasped as the cube flew out of his grip and soared upwards with incredible speed.

High above the cave, the seal ascended until it was above the mountains. It hovered there, shaking intensely. For a moment, it seemed as if it would hold, but then it shattered with a burst of blue energy.

Griswa emerged from the shattering seal, his form surrounded by a brilliant blue gradient of energy. The battlefield fell into a deeper silence, as if the world itself held its breath. Suddenly!!!! Clouds above roared with a thunderclap of ten million colors of lightning, illuminating the entire landscape, from the mountains till the end of the battlefield.

Yesdar, Malaes, and Fheniz felt their hearts skip a beat. Fheniz's back pain intensified, not from the deafening thunder but from the immense energy he sensed. Malaes and Yesdar's bodies shivered, their bones rattling with the sheer power they felt. Sweat poured down their faces and bodies like rain. Their eyes popped out like they were being gouged out by an invisible hand.

The energy was beyond anything they had encountered—a familiar force but amplified to unimaginable levels. Griswa hovered in the air, his presence commanding absolute silence.

He spoke a single word that echoed across the battlefield, a word carrying the horror of the apocalypse. One word, followed as their heartbeats echoed....

"Judgement."

Pronunciations:

Thylme: [THAI]+[LM]