The Aspect: The Cessation's Harbinger

by Ajax Lygan

  “Be careful, my love,” she said, standing and kissing him on the cheek.”

  Viktor sprouted his wings made of black shadow, waving at Tempest to follow him, and launched himself into the sky. The two men flew high in the sky until they were between both armies. Viktor spoke while he observed the state of the battlefield.

  “First off, let me apologize for my tardiness. I can assure you it was not intentional.”

  “What happened?”

  “I had personally traveled to Kerrbatuul, intending to move King Wulvenson’s army here first, rather than us taking the infinity mirrors to Verve and traveling south. It would have taken a lot of energy to move both armies here, but given the circumstances, it would have been worth it. As we were preparing to leave, the infinity mirrors activated, ripping open reality, revealing portals much like what happened here. Needless to say, we immediately went on the defensive, working to push back the enemies and giving me time to close the portal.”

  “How did you?”

  “By using that single drop of your blood. With that, together with the amount that had already been spilled, we were able to close the portals and shatter the mirrors. Luckily, I’d had the hindsight not to use all of it, which came in handy once I traveled back to Metrovenius Castle. With the two portals closed, I was able to arrive—just in the nick of time, it looks like.”

  “So, my blood is the key to closing the portals?”

  “The ritual that opened the big one did so with your blood. I’m assuming your blood is powering all of them. Based on the positioning of the troops and their waning strength, nothing that I will do will help us in this battle.”

  “Here,” Tempest said, pulling on the edge of his tunic and breastplate, exposing a clean spot of his neck. “Take a vial of blood this time. That should be enough to close the remaining gateways, should I fall.”

  Viktor didn’t hesitate to reach into his pocket dimension, pulling out his black bag full of tools. He began drawing Tempest’s blood, pouring it into a vial. Once full, he corked the vial and placed everything back into his bag, slinging it over his chest.

  “What do you plan to do?” Viktor asked.

  “What I need to do,” Tempest said, taking a swig of Ella’s healing potion.

  “Well, good luck then, your Eminence. Always a pleasure.”

  Tempest turned and grabbed Viktor’s arm, smiling as he clasped it. “Thank you for the guidance, Viktor. Give Valentina my best.”

  “She will be tickled to hear it.”

  Tempest departed with as much speed as he could muster. The lines were minutes from breaking. If he had any chance at saving his allies and loved ones, it would need to be in this next moment. However, he knew he couldn’t do it alone.

  He swooped down near the triage area where Alfonso and Ella were. “Ella, I need you with me,” Tempest shouted floating above her.

  “What for?” she asked.

  “I know how to close the portal.”

  Ella stopped what she was doing, grabbed her satchel, and hurriedly began stuffing it full of as many reagents as she could. When she was ready, Tempest lifted her with his magic and began flying back towards the right flank.

  “Where are we going? The portal is that way.”

  “We’re picking up Riika first. Can you whip us up some stamina potions on the way?”

  “Already ahead of you,” she said, shaking a bottle.

  A flash of blue lightning helped pinpoint Riika’s location as she, Bram, and the boys were now atop Tempest’s makeshift wall, assisting Alyndra with their defense. Tempest didn’t wait to ask, simply picking Riika up in the air and bringing her to him and Ella.

  “Whoa, what the…oh hey!” she exclaimed. “Ella’s here, so I am guessing you’ve got some kind of plan?”

  “We’re going straight to the portal, killing the enemy sorcerers holding it open, as well as the sorcerer general. I’ll need you both to have my back while I attempt to close the portal.”

  “We’re with you, Tempest,” Ella said.

  “We’ll keep you safe,” Riika added.

  The three swooped over the battlefield, getting the closest they had ever been to one of the portals. The atmosphere in the air and the smell of sulfur became thicker as they approached. The blood orbs floating above the sorcerers’ heads made them an obvious target for the group.

  “We need to take out the sorcerers before we approach the general!” Tempest shouted.

  “Bring us in close and I’ll let Lightning Breath handle them,” Riika said, holding her sword down at an angle.

  Tempest circled back around, raising his shield just in time, as giant spikes of blood cracked along its surface.

  “Suck on this!” Riika shouted. Lightning breath struck out from her sword, bouncing to any nearby combatants around the sorcerers. Riika laughed maniacally as the bodies popped like pockets of hot air, sending burning chunks of flesh into anyone and anything nearby.

  As Tempest pulled them further up, he glanced at the battle between the enemy general and the remaining hydra.

  Vatia and Kasta were fighting a losing battle. The enemy general’s regeneration power was too swift for them to make any progress. The creature showed neither pain nor fear as it recklessly swung its giant cleaver of a blade.

  Kasta spent most of her time and energy defending the wounded Vatia, who was taking blow after blow as she recklessly pressed her attack. Concern for them both only emphasized Tempest’s need to end this quickly.

  He curved their flight path back around, bringing them almost in at sea level, along the side of the portal which had the fewest number of enemies. There was a slight gap, where Tempest noticed there were no enemy troops. This was the area where the first sorcerers who entered the battle had stood, channeling their dark energies into the portal. It created a circular arena where Tempest planned to end this fight.

  Riika held her blade out parallel to the ground, slicing through enemies as they flew, while Ella rained hellfire down upon them with both alchemical bombs and crossbow bolts. It was enough to clear them a path to get to the portal. The only issue was that the enemy commander was ready, and he was waiting.

  The glassed sand cracked underneath Tempest’s feet as he landed them underneath the portal. He drew his blades, pointing in opposite directions for Ella and Riika to go in an effort to flank their foe.

  “Didn’t we kill this guy already?” Riika asked, noting the four-armed body similar to Tarsus the Brume.

  “My brother, no less,” the sorcerer said. “It is for that transgression that I will enjoy mutilating your corpses and consuming your souls.”

  Riika, unleashed Lightning Breath again, although not having the effect that she’d been hoping for. Her aim was true, but the blue lightning bolt passed through the sorcerer as if he was made of mist, connecting with the sorcerers arrayed underneath the portal and arcing between the three of them. Their deaths had unintended consequences.

  The gateway reverted back into its original, bulbous form, the portal sparking with large amounts of purple electricity. The winds around them began to howl, blowing gusts of sand and rock around as violent energetic outbursts from the portal filled the sky.

  It was clear the thing had become unstable, though the portal no longer opened onto a different plane and the unending flow of enemy reinforcements was no more.

  The sorcerer looked back, and realizing what had happened, attacked out of frustration. The three companions rushed their foe, dodging blood spikes that sprouted from the ground and large javelins of blood thrown in their direction by the six clawed arms that shot out of his back.

  Riika and Tempest entered the melee, using their combined attacks to create an unrelenting assault on their foe. Each swing, though, passed clean through the sorcerer’s body. Ella’s crossbow bolts had the same effect, punching small holes in the translucent surface along the enemy’s body.

  After a few minutes of the constant pressure, the three companions pulled back fr
om their assault.

  “Here, catch,” Ella said, tossing two vials to Tempest and Riika.

  Tempest drank the contents, revitalizing his stamina. Tempest reached out in an effort to grab the sorcerer, but much like his blades, he felt the creature slide through his magical grasp—like oil across water. His force powers pushed and pull at the creature, but made little difference when it came to delivering a killing blow.

  The sorcerer, too, had additional tricks up his sleeve. As the companions retreated, deliberating on their options, the sorcerer used the remaining blood in his pool to unleash his next attack. Strands from the globe of blood floating above him splashed to the ground in ten different locations. Rising from each of these pools was a blood clone of the sorcerer.

  “This isn’t good; any ideas?” Riika asked.

  “Let’s hope they’re not exactly the same.”

  “Tempest, raise the shield now!” Ella shouted.

  As the clones charged, Tempest watched a large glowing ball shatter in the midst of them, releasing a plume of white smoke. Tempest felt an icy shill all around them as crystals formed on the exterior of his force shield. When the smoke cleared, white statues of the blood sorcerer and his original form were all that remained.

  “It should be fine now; you can lower your shield.”

  Tempest walked over and touched one of the statues with his sword, causing it to crack into large, crystalized chunks.

  “What the hell was that?” Riika asked, shoving another one over.

  “A flash-freeze bomb,” Ella said with a smug smile. “Since our weapons wouldn’t work against a gas or a liquid, I figured I’d turn him into a solid.”

  “You know…sometimes you scare me,” Riika said, slamming her blade to her back.

  “As it should be,” Ella quipped.

  The three companions’ heads turned back to the battlefield as a familiar screech echoed across the distance. Vatia and Kasta had latched on to the enemy general and were biting and clawing the creature with all their might, ripping out chunks of writhing strands as they tried to shred the beast into pieces too small to reconstitute.

  With a flap of their mighty wings, and their mouths and claws clamped tight to their foe, they ripped the creature apart, separating its skull and spine from the wiggling tentacles. With its brain and spine separated, Kasta released her acidic breath onto the tentacles until there was nothing left. Vatia wasted no time crushing the bone in her massive jaws. The Queens lifted their weary heads and roared triumphantly.

  Bolts of the portal’s lightning struck nearby, reminding Tempest of his final task. The strikes were starting to occur every second, forcing Tempest to pull his companions into his side as the portal’s lightning nearly struck them with multiple bolts. With the stability of the portal in question, Tempest turned toward the nearby beach and threw his companions as far as he could.

  Their fading shouts and screams dug at his heart, but he knew this is what Iðna needed. He was the Aspect, defender of Iðna and its inhabitants. He knew it may take them years to recover from the devastation of this day, but all he needed to do was give the people a chance.

  Tempest ascended into the sky, coming to eye-level with the remnants of the portal. He wasn’t sure how he would close this thing, only having faith in Viktor’s words that his blood was the key. He reinforced his shield to protect him from the sparks of energy, before pulling his blade and slicing the serrated edge across both his hands.

  From the tears in his flesh, he pulled his blood. He closed his eyes, extending his outstretched arms, looking for any sign of what to do. He could feel a connection to the portal— in the same way he could connect his magic to himself.

  That’s it, it’s a wound that must be closed.

  With a newfound understanding, he poured everything he had left into healing it. In his mind, he visualized his blood pouring from his hands and covering the portal in its entirety. He pushed beyond his feeling of lightheadedness, exulting in the sensation of weakness, taking it for a sign that it was working.

  As his stamina waned, he released his shield, embracing the sparks from the portal as they crisped his skin, singed his hair, and burned his face. To Tempest, it was a small price to pay to save the world.

  He let out a howling scream as his body lit up with energy. As he and the portal became one, unimaginable energy passed between them. He reached out and grabbed the portal, as if it was a crystal orb, between his hands. With his final breath, he shouted as he pressed his hands together.

  He had nothing left; he only hoped it was enough. With the release of his magic, he started to fall, before being pulled upward and forward.

  The crackling storm of lightning was now a whirling force of suctioning wind. He smiled as he floated upward, tugged ever higher by the cool breeze. It was an amnesty from the portal’s heat. His only regret was for those he’d leave behind.

  With his eyes still closed, he was certain he had accomplished his final task. Before he lost consciousness, a familiar voice filled him with a moment of relief.

  “Don’t worry, Tempest, I’m with you. No matter what happens, I’ll protect you.”

  Epilogue

  Ella opened her eyes at the sounds of men shouting and carts moving, as the tent’s front flap fluttered in the wind behind her. She raised her head and turned to find the other side of her bed empty. As she pushed herself up to sit, she snorted; her stuffy nose making it difficult to breathe. She padded her hands on the empty bedding next to her looking for signs of warmth. It was as cold as the sand underneath it. Ella gritted her teeth before letting out a silent scream. Tears rolled down her face as she wrapped her arms around herself. Her sorrow quickly shifted to anger as the pain in her heart was released.

  “Why him?!” Ella screamed, slamming her fists into the ground. “You fucking bastards! Why did you have to let this happen?! You could have done anything to prevent this!” After a few minutes of letting out her frustration, Ella padded the wet fur under her eyes and slowly got dressed.

  The sun hurt her eyes as she passed through the entrance of Riika’s tent. The heat was next. The unnatural storms they had fought in during the battle from days prior helped shield them from the sun’s harmful rays; however, without any overcast, Ella was already beginning to pant. She looked around at the circle of carriages surrounding her.

  After all of the armies had long since moved on, Alfonso, Bram, and their crews stayed behind to pick through the remains of equipment left over. They both agreed to go fifty-fifty on the spoils that remained. Ella waved to Keragore and Chogan as she headed toward the back of Bram’s open wagon.

  The large dwarven man was rummaging through boxes in his home on wheels. He stood toward the crates on the side of his wagon, scratching the top of his head as he looked around. When Ella came into view, he gave her a soft smile and stepped out of the back, the cart bouncing upward from the flex of his weight. With outreached arms he picked Ella up as her lip started to tremble, lifting her up and laying her onto his chest and shoulder as her tears fell once again.

  “Aw. There, there, lass. No need for those reptikin tears.”

  Ella wasn’t sure why her barrier broke at the sight of Bram; however, when he picked her up and held her, she felt like a little girl again. She was appreciative of his comfort as he slowly patted her on the back.

  “I’m so sorry,” she said, sniffling as she leaned up. “Seeing you reminded me of him.”

  “No reason to be sorry. We all need a good cry every now and again,” Bram said as he lowered her to the ground.

  Ella smiled as she rubbed her fingers under her eyes. She turned and looked around the camp again, before looking back up at Bram. “Have you seen Riika anywhere?”

  Bram let out a sigh. “They are both back on the beach.”

  Ella took a few steps back and cupped her hand over her forehead. Off in the distance, she could see Saïgra’s tree-form sprouted on the edge of the beach. They were underneath where Tempest h
ad left their world. Her eyes trailed toward the sky before quickly turning her head away, refusing to let herself fall back into her despair. Ella clenched her jaw before opening her eyes at the touch of Bram’s hand lightly patting her head.

  “Take it from someone who has been down this road,” he said. “Don’t let it consume you.”

  “I’ll try.”

  “That’s all you can do. Just…keep each other close. If you let it, it will pull you apart.”

  Ella nodded before turning and walking toward the beach. The circle of the convoy began to split as Alfonso led his caravans away. He glanced at the broken vulpine with a sorrowful look in his eyes and left with a subtle nod, for that was all he could say

  The field from the previous battle was a mix of black dried blood, crystalized ooze, and bright brown dirt from the unearthed sand as the coastal winds blew nearby. The ground was littered with things of little value. Broken spears, cut leather straps, and broken armor shards protruded from the earth like a civilization buried in quicksand. Obovna’s fractured stone buildings that were caught up in the portal acted as makeshift boulders in the nearby coast line, creating new homes for hundreds of small sea creatures.

  The walk was taxing across the hot sands with mirages floating across the horizon. Were it not for her carrying a waterskin, Ella would have thought she would be unable to make it. They had made camp a mile from the battlefield due to the smell of rotting corpses that lingered before they were piled and purged thanks to Ella’s alchemical fire. As she crested a nearby dune, Saïgra’s tree-form came into view.

  Ella didn’t see Riika until she reached a few feet from them. Her body slumped spiritless against the base of Saïgra’s trunk. An endless number of wine bottles sat sprawled around them and in the nearby waves. Ella let out a sigh of relief as she walked under Saïgra’s leaves. They provided a cooling break from the harsh sun.

  Ella leaned against Saïgra’s side as she spoke to her two lovers. “We can’t stay here forever. Everyone else has already moved on.”

  “We’re not moving,” Riika grumbled.