A Wretched Melody (2)

Lightning danced across the sky, scattering light like shards of a shattered blue star. Thunder cracked, its deafening roar seemed to tear at the fiery seams of the horizon.

A tremor shook the battlefield, blue lightning flashed and Crota's crystalline sabre was blasted from the air, its cries reverberating as it powerlessly slunk back to its master's hands.

The clouds trembled and thunder struck the ground in a violent arc, spitting Void, Sai, and Wei onto the moon's battered surface. An instant later, Eriana's fire enveloped them, her healing warmth a fleeting respite.

[Time remaining: 16 seconds]

A storm brewed above, Sai raised her hand and beckoned. A bolt struck her palm and the huntress gripped the searing arc, molding it into a staff. Her cold eyes gauged Void, an imperceptible sense of disbelief and awe present in her gaze. 

Words jumbled in her throat, followed by a sudden spell of unease. As if the storm within her mirrored the one above.

Her instincts screamed.

A jolt ran through her. Sai jerked to the right and Crota's sabre whistled past. Its burning edge slicing inches away from her neck. Her figure surged with lightning, Sai flickered. Her gaze darting till she spotted the Hive prince. With a swift flick of her wrist, the huntress hurled the staff and it exploded forwards.

Like a bolt of fury.

But even as her attack surged, the sabre that had missed her began to tremble. Like a puppet on unseen strings, and when a malevolent will tugged, it turned.

[Time Remaining: 15 Seconds]

Void drew in a breath, his lungs burned. His eyes flared a blue sheen. His mind focused, and the world froze.

He saw the instant the sabre's trajectory twisted, its burning edge turning towards Sai. A dark power radiated from it, wanting to pierce through her.

As each moment stretched to an eternity, the sabre blazed a viridian trail tearing through the air.

The timer ticked. [Time Remaining: 14 Seconds]

Void tried to move, at least he willed his body to obey, but it refused. Muscles convulsed in pain, his legs screamed in protest. The sabre loomed in front him, its searing edges so close he could feel the embers boil his skin as it glided past.

[Warning!: Status Condition (Lightning Overdraft) User is overwhelmed by lightning!]

[Warning!: Status Condition (Lightning Overdraft)]

His heart sunk, panic pounded in his chest, his body trembled under its own weight, and that's when he realized it. Unbeknownst to him, his light had pushed him too far.

'Move!' Void screamed internally.

Then a jolt flashed, like a crack of thunder and a brilliant blue shot past him.

'Wei!' 

Her hand caught the edge of the sabre, Wei gripped it with all her strength. Sparks erupted as her Cong clashed against the Viridian fire. For an instant, the blade grinded to a halt. 

But then its fire flared.

Wei's fingers cracked and crumbled, the metal on her gauntlets melted away. Lightning coursed through her veins, barely shielding her.

"Not today!" Wei growled.

[Time remaining: 13 Seconds]

As her knees buckled, Wei's light surged like a tempest. She drove her other fist into the flat edge of the sabre, the sheer force of her blow sent shockwaves rippling outwards. Yet the sabre didn't shatter.

Violently struggling in her grasp, the sabre burned through her fingers, eating away at her flesh as if alive, and as her light faltered for an instant, it wrenched free flinging her into the ground.

Crota loomed in the distance. Stretching from his Oversoul, tendrils of corrupted energy wrapped around Sai's staff, suspending it as it dissolved. The hive prince raised his hand, and the sabre flew to him with a sickening hum.

[Time remaining: 12 Seconds]

Crota's form began to blur, the edges of his figure melting into tendrils of shadow that slithered across the ground. The air chilled, a low hum of malevolence accompanying his vanishing act

The battlefield twisted, an unnatural darkness flooded above, staining the lunar skies, akin to ink on a dry canvas. Crota apparated, his towering figure punctuated by the eerie sea of darkness gathering below his feet. 

When the four guardians raised their heads, the shrill cries of wailing souls within the dark tide echoed in their ears. 

[Time remaining: 11 Seconds]

The Hive prince lowered his hand, blood curdling screams resounded, and an ocean of black came crashing down.

Eriana watched as an overwhelming darkness descended on them. Faint embers fizzled around her robe. Her fiery wings flared, and her frail arms weakly reached towards the horizon. She channelled her light.

Nestled in her palms, embers sputtered, giving life to fire. 

A fire that formed into ferocious red serpents that rose from the barren ground, slithering as they shot towards the horizon. The serpents grew tall, straightening into radiant pillars that held back the dark.

With a sea of darkness weighing on her shoulders, the warlock barked.

"I can't hold it for long, scatter!" 

[Time Remaining: 10 Seconds]

Her command was absolute. Sai darted left, arcs of lightning trailing her movements as she sought cover. Wei bolted, her fists glowing faintly as she prepared to strike again. Void stumbled, his body screaming in protest, but he forced himself to keep moving, adrenaline surging through his veins.

[Warning!: Status Condition (Lightning Overdraft)]

Void witnessed Eriana's flame struggling to hold back the dark, but with his own light working against him, he felt powerless. Void watched as the dark sea threatened to consume him, its tides wrestling against Eriana's fire.

'Powerless...' The word struck him. Void chuckled. It was true, he was powerless. Facing the strongest enemy he'd ever encountered, at the most critical junction, and just when he needed himself the most. He had fallen short.

A bitter pang resonated in his chest. 'So what if he lacked power?'

Was he supposed to roll over and accept his fate? No. That wasn't it. If all he needed was power, he would just borrow it.

'System, claim the roulette ticket'

[Claiming 1x Store Roulette Ticket] 

....

[Spinning the wheel !]

A transparent blue screen popped to his right, at its centre was a large wheel. At each spoke, was a name, etched in bright light, brandishing its own hue. As the wheel spun, Void waited with bated breaths.

[Time Remaining: 9 Seconds]

The wheel slowly grinded to a halt, its pointer clicking along the spokes. When it finally came to a stop. 

[Obtained 1x Character Card (Sai Mota) Lightning Waltz : For one minute, a coat of lightning envelopes you, Blade dancer abilities are enhanced ! ]

'Use it'

A crackle of thunder resounded, the card on the screen shattered into arcs and combined with his body. Lightning surged in his veins. He looked up, Eriana's pillars were beginning to crumble. The warlock was brought to her knees, her fire flickered.

Void stepped forward. 

***

Eriana felt the weight of the world crashing down on her, and as Crota's dark tides consumed her fire, she felt inexplicable fear. Her breaths quickened, she forced her light to burn brighter, but she knew it was futile.

She watched in horror as her pillars buckled, and the dark horizon moved to swallow her. Thoughts raced in her mind. 'Sai and Wei, they've taken cover.' She was sure they'd continue the fight. But as she recalled Void being unable to move, she could only hope he'd made it out.

The dark sea was inches above her, she could hear the wretched and vile screams resonating from within. Any moment, and it would consume her too. Perhaps she would be among the forlorn souls fated to be trapped within Crota's blighted shadows. 

But she'd played her part. In the end, that was all that mattered.

[Time remaining: 8 Seconds]

Lightning crackled, a blue spectre raced towards her. 

Eriana turned with an anxious gaze. 'Sai?' Had the huntress come back to try and save her?. She panicked, her lips parted, she had to warn her to escape! 

'No, it's not her. Then...it couldn't be!' 

Void shot towards her, squeezing every ounce of light in his veins. Just as the dark enveloped her, Void dashed in, tore through the tides, and grabbed the warlock. 

Before Eriana could even comprehend what happened, Void slung her over his shoulder, and darted. But the tides seemed to collapse around them. Eriana could not see a way out, she tried to summon her fire, but her light was too weak. 

Then she heard it.

"Zamyr! Push it back!" Void barked.

[Time remaining: 7 Seconds]

The dark tides rushed towards them from all sides. But then, a ghastly presence seeped into Void's light. Unlike anything Eriana had seen before.

She recognized it, that phantasmal force.

As the tides closed in, Eriana saw an Ahamkara's claw rest on Void's shoulder. The spectral wish dragon coiled around Void's back, rearing its head towards Crota. At that instant, a clash of true transcendents took place.

The wish dragon displayed its might, expending the souls its blade had claimed to wrestle the forces of the world against the hive prince. Crota's shadows withered, reeling back to their master's embrace, much to the prince's surprise.

As all came to an end, Void's sword stirred.

~I have done what I can, we shall meet again. O Brother mine.~

Zamyr vanished.

[Time remaining: 6 Seconds]

Void and Eriana heaved in heavy breaths. Crota still flew over them, but the Hive prince seemed oddly consumed by his own shadow. Perhaps, unable to understand what had happened.

"Calling all forces! We've secured our Retreat! Portals are up, main ground forces have retreated! Pull back now!" Ikorra's voice buzzed on the common channel, 

Instantly, Void and the others were filled with vigour. Leaving the Hive prince flabbergasted, the four guardians bolted towards the backlines. 

With the portals in sight everyone sighed in relief. A squad of warlocks led by Ikorra was rushing everyone in. All tertiary squads had pulled back from the frontier. At a glance, Void could see the Nightstalkers were further away, still posted up on sentry. 

Seeing as they had managed to hold back Crota, the other squads had ensured the Hive's armies failed in sabotaging their retreat.

This was the end, he'd made it. He'd single-handedly changed the course of the timeline.

He had succeeded.

***

In a Jumpship teetering above the ocean of storms, Toland hummed a grim melody. His gaze locked on to a peculiar Nightstalker. He'd seen the new guardian perform miracles. The hunter had pushed back the dark, and wrestled against the Hive ascendant. Toland knew of what Crota really was, and he was in awe.

'How did he do it?' The old warlock chuckled. 

Now, as Void rushed towards the retreat. Toland felt bemused. His fingers caressed the journal in his hands, slowly flipping to another page. He'd watched as the war slowly came to an end, and Toland had loved every moment of it. What he'd learned from the Hive, was nothing less than a treasure.

Now, perhaps it was finally time to use it. One last puzzle, that the war would help him solve. Though he had expected far more casualties. This much, was still acceptable. The warlock fingers traced the runes he'd carved into his Journal.

Toland spoke. Not word, nor phrase. Neither eye or ear could perceive it. 

And then, the runes glowed.

===

A/N: Hope you enjoyed the chapter!! Thank you all for voting for me in the fanfic poll! Today's the last day, and we're on #7 !!! As always, throw some stones! Leave a review!!