Sorrows and Sacrifices
Meanwhile, within the pit, Genryu lands on the freshly disheveled ground before slowly standing to search his immediate surroundings. The roots around him were all pitch black and rotted through, he looks down at the ground, seeing the Silverleaf tree being consumed by the same blackness as the roots. He feels a gentle breeze pick up behind him as it brushes forward past him, he slowly begins to trek forward down the dark cavern. The pathway was dark and the further he went inward the less that he was able to see, however, it does not make him nervous or scared. He simply trusted in his gifts and that wherever he was being led was where he was met to be. His pace increases as he travels deeper into the darkness, brushing past decaying roots before reaching the exit. Once inside the tunnel opens into an underground cave illuminated by crystals and gems. The space around him feels full of energy, it's almost as if the very air has been electrified, he steps further inside surveying the area.
As he strides deeper into the cavern, he comes to a rudimentary altar made from the same bioluminescent crystals spread throughout the walls and ceiling. He feels the winds pick up once more as they begin to swirl around the altar, he slowly places his hand upon the altar. As he does the crystal's lights begin to intensify, along with all the other crystals in the area. The crystals get brighter and brighter before suddenly extinguishing their glow, leaving the room in a state of empty darkness. The altar begins to shine once more illuminating a woman as she stands facing Genryu from the opposing side of the altar. She smiles at him before stepping forward and grasping his hand, she attempts to speak but no sound leaves her lips.
He watches the woman speak to him, instinctually knowing who is attempting to speak with him, his eyes soften looking in her direction as he returns her smile. The ethereal woman stops attempting to speak and just stares at Genryu for the next few moments, spectral tears begin to well in her eyes as she looks at him. They begin to stream down her pale white cheeks and dripping from her chin onto the altar, a sudden powerful gust of wind emerges and begins to circle them. The winds pick up the dust and debris around them forming a dome of wind, even without words he understands what's happening, genryu closes his eyes and gives himself over to the energy. His body slowly lifts off the ground, levitating several feet above the altar now; the winds begin to close in, swirling around his body creating a shell of green and silver energy.
While inside the etheric cocoon of energy, his mind is filled with images of his mother; He sees the last night his mother had entered this cavern. She ventured down into the depths of the caverns and found the altar, but she wasn't alone. A man appeared, approaching her slowly before halting; He appeared to be middle-aged with reddish-brown hair and a massive gash down his left eye. He was clad in dark robes and holding a pocket watch in his left palm, he spoke to Namira which seemed to cause visible irritation. He then pulled out a dagger and plunged it into his own heart. He did so with a smile on his face and appeared to be cackling; as he collapsed onto the ground, his blood pulsated from his body. A dark crimson hue appeared around his corpse, the eerie essence stretched outward entering the earth before, pulling stones and gravel onto him and molding his flesh into a new more grotesque form.
The ominous energy began to twist his flesh into misshapen heaps of meat, fusing them with the stones from the cavern, the monstrosity that now stood in the place of the man, faced Namira with an unholy fury within its eyes. Its gaze was filled with a crazed hatred, as it lunged at her it suddenly burst into a pool of blood, Namira was being surrounded by a powerful cyclone of wind which rended the flesh of the creature as it approached. The chunks of meat, gravel, and blood began to fuse once again, every time it was cut down they would grow larger and more powerful. Namira was beginning to slow down and her strikes grew weaker after defeating the creature countless times. It's at this point that she acknowledged one simple truth if she could not stop the creature here it would get loose and rampage killing everyone on the island including her son. She took a deep breath and made her final attack.
She lowered her wall of wind, and took a single deep breath, before releasing all her power at once. The resulting shockwave created a thunderous boom that could be heard across the entirety of Kiah island. The force of the blow splattered the creature's remains immediately, coating every wall within the cavern in tainted blood. Her eyes rolled back as she levitated off the ground, she released particles of magick into the air, and as the creature began to reform its body, it slowly absorbed the glimmers of magic. Her body started to shift from flesh and bone into pure light and energy, she poured every bit of her essence into her next spell. Suddenly roots shot out from her chest coated in silver light, piecing the ground and began absorbing the creature. The roots drank in the creature's essence as if it were water, preventing it from reforming. The roots then spread out, settling into the earth, eventually growing upward before blossoming into a tree.
As the images faded from Genryu's mind, as the winds gently laid him onto the ground leaving behind two shining marks on both of his wrists. The sigil formed on his left wrist glowed with a vibrant emerald hue and appeared to be two crescents swirling around one another. The other symbol formed upon his right wrist as an interconnected star shimmering with a silver light. He could feel himself becoming stronger, feeling the energy of the island and his mother united within his body. He then looked back towards the altar to see his mother waving at him, her form slowly faded away releasing particles of light that sparkled into nothing. A single tear streamed down Genryu's face as he closed his eyes and offered his mother one final prayer. He turned away from the altar to head back toward the entrance only to be suddenly stopped by a net of inky black ooze.
Genryu jumps back at the sight of it, clenching his fist for a moment before realizing that he doesn't have to be afraid anymore, he then reaches out his hand allowing it to be illuminated with not only his own golden light but the addition of green and silver as well. He visualizes a stream of energy launching from his hand and eviscerating the darkness, as he does this his magick responds. A powerful stream of light is released from his hand which completely engulfs the inky dark blockade eviscerating it. Without any further hesitation, he absconds from the cavern heading back up his original path, knowing that for every moment that passes another person could lose their life. As he lifts himself from the pit, he sees the massive chain explosion that was set off by Lukas. He stands atop the mountainside allowing his newfound power to flow naturally out of his body, completely illuminating him as he becomes a shining beacon in the night sky. He then barrels down the hill in the direction of the village, he's going to save the residents of Kiah island and finally put an end to this nightmarish creature.