The Star, The Demon, and The God - 23. Raining Stone and Fire

Luno

I sit up in the bed and take deep breaths, groaning at the pain in my head.

Enfi flies next to my hand. She looks up at me and starts chirping like crazy. She hops around me in a circle, chirping her little heart away.

I smile at the imagery and reach out to hug her.

“Oh Enfi!” I laugh and kiss the top of her head.

Did I sleep?

It feels like I just woke up from days of sleeping, but I was so aware of what was happening!

The back of my head aches, as if something had been ripped out. It is a good ache though, as if a parasite was removed.

Massaging the back of my head, I look around my room.

Kulu and Tobias are missing.

I frown and move to stand, ready to go and look for them.

That was a mistake.

My knees wobble to the point that they can’t hold me up. I feel like a fawn learning how to walk again! Only this feels quite painful.

Hissing through my teeth, I choose to instead sit on the edge of the bed.

Enfi hops onto my thigh and looks at me with her head tilted in curiosity.

“My knees hurt,” I tell her. “I think it’s from not moving around for the last few days.”

I massage the sides of my knees, using my magic to heal them up. If only I had done this the other days that I had been...the way I was.

What exactly was that?

I frown and rub my fingers against my temple, thinking about all the thoughts I have been reflecting over.

It felt so dark and twisted; like I was thinking through the mind of another. At least I thought I was. I know I have definitely never thought of life or death in such a manner. It was awful! I hated every second of it.

I hated it, but I felt my emotions being clouded over. Everything that I saw, my mind would tell me that it did not matter because in the end, death will take advantage.

The emptiness of it all was the scariest part. I felt like I was just a soul in a shell, waiting for the end to come. Through it all, there was a small moment of relief.

My mind had thought of the one being that will avoid death.

Raiyo.

I thought that if I were never able to die, to never meet the end along with my friends and family, then I would be completely alone! Just like Raiyo.

Frowning, I feel awful for him now. Nobody should be alone. Not even someone like him. Perhaps especially someone like him.

I had told myself when I met Tobias that everyone deserves a friend, even ones who push others away. I still believe in that. Raiyo may be a killer, but even he deserves a friend.

Sadly he is locked away in Havano.

Maybe I could convince the Gods to free him? If they wish to imprison him, maybe he can join me in the Sanctuary? That would be nice!

Enfi rubs her head against my arm and squawks up at me. Someone is excited to see me up again.

I smile at her enthusiasm.

“Such a pretty bird,” I coo, brushing at the red feathers on top of her head. “I’m glad you’re still here with me!”

The door to my room bursts open and Tobias jumps inside, his eyes wide open.

I jump at his intrusion but I smile nonetheless.

“I feel better!” I grin and hold my arms out. “Can I get a hug?”

Kulu flies out from around Tobias’ neck and he wraps himself tight around my neck. I have to pull him off slightly so he won’t choke me to death!

A smile tugs at Tobias’ lips but then he freezes. His skin begins to pale and he runs for the window.

“Tobi?” I frown. “What’s wrong? I’m better! Why is the window more important?”

He leans out the window and looks straight up at the giant mountain above.

The fortress made out of the mountain is quite impressive. Maybe I can make something like that for me when I return to the Sanctuary.

Not a giant one of course. Just one big enough for me and my friends.

...or even Tobias if he wishes to join me.

He curses under his breath.

“You’re scaring me,” I say, moving to walk over to him. The soreness in my knees does not bother me quite as much now.

Tobias turns to me, his face still showing signs of fear. His hands are even starting to shake!

“If you’re fine now,” He says. “Then that means-”

A ground shaking explosion goes off outside. It shakes the walls of our room, tossing books off shelves and making pictures and mirrors shatter onto the floor.

“We need to go,” Tobias says. “Now!”

He vaults through the window and turns to help me climb through. Enfi quickly flies out after us.

What is happening? I do not see any damage done anywhere, not even on the fort in front of us! Was it somewhere in the city around us?

Looking around, I see other humans scattered about. They look scared.

I notice that most of them are staring above us. When I look up as well, I see a strange image.

There is a hole in the sky! At least I think it is a hole. It could be a portal as well. Maybe both? I am not sure.

Wait a minute! Havano is supposedly right above the fort. That must be it! Did something break an opening between the realms? Is someone trying to break Raiyo free?

Oh gods!

A couple of humans scream as two giant shapes come into Thymestrys. When I recognize the shape of the wings, my eyes widen in shock.

They have dragons up there?

The dragons fly in place, staring back into the hole they just came out of. Not long after, a swirling black figure slips out.

It looks like a black cloud or a bundle of smoke.

My chest tightens up when I realize what that is. I have seen him use that form before in Enfierna.

The smoking form of Raiyo all of a sudden starts dropping straight for us. The shape of him grows larger and larger as he gets closer and closer.

The humans and their families start to scream in panic. They run around Tobias and I like roaches avoiding sunlight.

“What do we do?” I say, having to yell over everyone else’s screaming.

Tobias’ jaw clenches before he tears his gaze away from Raiyo.

“We need to get out of here,” He says. “It is not safe! We should hurry to the Sanctuary! That will be our best bet of getting to safety.”

I bite my lip.

That requires making another gateway to the Sanctuary. We would have to go somewhere away from the eyes of everyone here. I can’t risk the safety of all those animals!

I look up as strange sounds come from the mountain.

Glowing arrows are being sent up into the sky. They are all aimed for Raiyo.

He dodges around them, sometimes splitting himself into three to slip past the onslaught of the shining arrows. Every now and then, a flicker of red will shoot from the swirling darkness and cause an explosion, destroying the arrows.

The dragons from before have seemingly disappeared. That is slightly worrying!

Where did they go?

“Come on, let's go!” Tobias shouts as he grabs onto my hand, pulling me along with all the humans trying to run away from Raiyo.

I keep looking over my shoulder to keep an eye on him, scared of what his is going to do.

Raiyo reaches the tip of the fortress and when he begins to slowly glide down around it, a wave of fire is pouring out of his hands. It destroys all the humans manning the ballistas. The fires stream out of his hands like a waterfall, only this waterfall destroys everything that it touches.

I pull with my arm to stop Tobias.

“We have to help!” I shout over the mayhem around us. “We can’t just leave them all to die!”

Tobias glares and shakes his head. “We need to get out of here now! I will not risk you again!”

He makes a grab for my hand again but I pull away and fly into the air to keep out of reach.

“Luno get down here right now,” He calls in desperation. “He will kill you!”

Biting my lip, I turn back to the destruction behind us. Raiyo’s fire is chipping away at the mountain, causing chunks of stone to fall to the homes below.

My gut twists up just seeing that.

Raiyo sprays a large stream of fire halfway up on the mountain. He concentrates on that area for some time before he flies straight through, sinking into the rock.

Everything goes silent, as if he has disappeared forever.

The humans around me have stopped moving and stare at the mountain, no doubt confused as to what just happened as well.

The ground below us begins to tremble, forcing some to fall onto their knees.

Large cracks begin to form on the mountain. They travel from the middle of the mountain and spread upwards. The cracks then begin to glow orange, as if they are embers in a dead fire.

When the cracks at the top of the mountain glow, the entire top half of the mountain explodes, spewing fire and stone.

The force of the explosion is so strong, pushes me back down to the ground below!

Arms circle around me as Tobias catches me, forcing us both to slam onto the ground..

We glance at each other for a moment before turning to sounds of screams echoing around us.

My eyes widen when I see giant flaming boulders falling straight for us.

The ground begins to shake every time a boulder slams into the ground. Each time, the humans scream louder and louder. Some even cease to make any more sounds.

My breaths become shaky as I slowly stand, readying my hands to try and protect those around us.

A family a few meters in front of us screams. I see them cower and hug each other, preparing for a boulder to smash them flat!

Reaching my fist forward, I will for the boulder to stop its fall. It strains on my arm causing it to tremble against the sheer size of the stone.

The boulder soon comes to a slow stop in the air, the fires barely grazing the father’s hairs.

I give a small sigh of relief when I stop it.

Tobias stands next to me, his hand on my shoulder, perhaps his way of showing his support.

A man gives a high-pitched scream as he trips over his feet, another giant stone falling towards him.

Pushing Tobias away, I reach out with my other hand, trying to stop that rock from killing that man as well. This time I can stop it easier since it is slightly smaller.

“Look out!” A woman shouts behind me.

I am confused for a moment when I see another boulder fall right on top of the one over the family. It forces the boulder to collapse right on top of the family. They only manage to make a small scream before their blood is splattered beneath the rocks.

My face pales as I scream at the sight, my stomach feeling like it is about to throw up.

Tobias’ hands are around me and he pulls me backwards, trying to move me from staring at the blood pooling around the stone.

“Come on, Luno,” Tobias says against my head. “We need to go!”

With a shaky breath, I make sure the man is safe enough for me to drop the stone. I then grab Tobias’ hand and prepare to leave with him.

Something stops me however.

The sounds of fire spewing out of Raiyo’s hands can be heard behind us. He is still torching up what is left of the fortress!

I know that if we leave now, he will kill more of the innocent humans here. I can’t let him do that! Not again!

Unraveling Kulu, I wrap him around Tobias before pulling my hand from his grip, I immediately fly towards Raiyo in the air.

Tobias cries out my name behind me, but I ignore him. I have to protect him as well!

To my surprise, Enfi is flying alongside me.

She begins to grow in size, morphing into her true form as a phoenix. Her wings grow so big, she ends up leaving large trails of fire as she flies.

Looks like it will be me and her against Raiyo.

I just need to touch him again. I’m sure I can do it!

I did it before!

A yelp escapes my lips as I almost run into a beam of black energy.

Raiyo’s laughter can be heard echoing in my head.

Looking up at the destroyed mountain, I see Raiyo floating above it with a smirk on his face. His eyes burning into mine.

He is no longer wearing his usual outfit. He has a black silk wrap around his waist. This makes all his tattoos free for anybody to see.

Why is he all of a sudden doing that? He hid it before!

Shivering, I fly up with Enfi by my side.

When I reach him, Raiyo raises his nose at me. “If it isn’t the famous Star! Thank you so much for letting my plans come together! I shall never forget it.”

I frown. “Raiyo, please! Leave these people alone! They’ve done nothing to you!”

“Oh?” He raises an eyebrow and chuckles. “Done nothing to me? Apparently fighting alongside my enemies is doing nothing! Forgive me. I guess you will have to restore all the souls and fix a mountain. Oh wait! You can’t!”

I stay silent at his mockery.

“Welcome to the real world, Star,” He fakes a curtsy. “Not everything can be fixed by bringing souls back to a corpse.”

I nod slowly, hoping to let him know that I am on his side.

“I do understand,” I say, trying to be careful with my words. “I never realized it before with all the lives I have brought back. I know now that keeping them from their fate is just as bad as killing them.”

Raiyo grins. “Yes, I imagine after taking my emotions, you learned quite a lot about that.”

It is true! I had no idea that some people wish to move on; that some who die were ready to pass into the afterlife. Yet, I kept them from that, like a selfish God.

“Now you’re seeing the bigger picture,” Raiyo says. “Congratulations! You’re all grown up now.”

I shake my head and fly a few paces away from him.

“But you are wrong to do this,” I say. “You can’t take innocent lives for no reason! It is not the right thing to do!”

I clench my hands into fists, causing the stone beneath Raiyo’s bare feet to be swallowed.

Raiyo chuckles. “You all really need to stop telling me what I can and cannot do.”

A spark flickers over the stone on his feet and I quickly fly away.

I do that just in time as an explosion goes off, freeing Raiyo.

Raiyo’s hands begins to glow orange and the air around him gives off heat waves.

I quickly cross my hands in front of me, creating a shield out of the water in the air. It is made just in time to protect me from the wave of fire sent by Raiyo.

Steam begins to form into a large cloud between us, making it hard to see through.

I use the winds to push it out of the way, but I see Raiyo has disappeared.

Turning around, I look for him.

Where is he? It was only for a few moments!

Left, nothing! Right, nothing!

Enfi screeches above me, causing me to look up.

I gasp when line after line of darkness is sent my way. I dodge and weave around them the best I can, scared of what could possibly happen if I were to get hit.

Raiyo chuckles as he literally sits on a throne in the middle of the air. He flicks his fingers at me lazily, sending wave after wave.

Enfi tries to hurt him, but all her fire attacks are useless!

He simply sits there and takes it.

Alright, I guess I could try something new right?

My hand glows and forms a silver ball of light, I cradle it with both hands, give it more and more power.

I launch it forward, praying that it will hit and knock Raiyo out.

Just as it is about to hit him, Raiyo vanishes into a puff of smoke.

I frown and look around me. Where is he?

Raiyo’s laughter echoes around me, no doubt toying with me right now.

I lash out and send orbs of white light into random directions that I hear him. Enfi flaps her wings, shooting waves of fire at the same places that I’ve thrown my magic at.

“It amazes me that you managed to turn Tobias against me,” Raiyo’s voice says. “I considered him as a close acquaintance! Now he fought in a war against me! Perhaps you are the true God of Persuasion.”

He still has not revealed himself. My attacks are starting to get desperate.

“No matter,” He sighs. “I guess I should have known not to trust humans. They are flawed beings but even then, I still trusted them more than the slugs who call themselves ‘Gods’.”

Out of the corner of my eye, I see a thin line of smoke!

It slams into my side and I end up spinning down to the earth.

The smoke leaves a burning sensation against my arm, but I bite through the pain.

Quickly, I stabilize myself in the air and look up at Raiyo.

He is flying before Enfi who is trying her hardest to burn Raiyo to a crisp. He simply ignores her and stares down at me.

“It is a shame that Morgoren brought you here,” He says. “I’ll be sure to avenge you when the time comes.”

I look up at him in confusion before he pushes his hands forward.

A giant wall of darkness summons in front of his hands and it gets sent flying straight for me. It flies so fast, I have no choice but to try and form the quickest shield I can make!

Just as it is about to hit me, Enfi flies straight into the line of fire, instantly becoming enveloped with darkness.

As soon as it touched her, the fire on her feathers instantly die down. She makes a small cry of pain before she stops moving, falling straight for the ground below.

“Enfi!” I cry and chase after her.

Raiyo’s echoing laughter can be heard above me.

She lands hard on top of a house, crushing it to pieces. Her red feathers have dulled down into a grey, looking nothing like she did before.

My eyes are filling up with tears as I kneel down next to her face.

“Enfi, no,” I whisper. “I-I’ll fix you up! Don’t worry, girl!”

Imbuing my hands with magic, I push as much of it into her body as I can, trying so desperately to bring the red back!

~~~
~~~

Tobias

As soon as I see Enfi fall, I morph into my tiger form and sprint straight for her.

I have to pounce over stone and piles of corpses. Circling around fires is the trickier part.

So many of the humans who have survived are now hiding in their homes, thinking that they will be safe in there.

The fools! They need to get out of here now!

“Why isn’t it working!” A voice cries.

It is Luno.

I pause when I see the giant bird collapsed on top of a building, but I quickly morph into my normal form and hurry to Luno’s side.

I almost end up blinded by the shining lights coming from Luno’s hands.

My chest twists up when I see Enfi’s dead form. She is not even breathing.

Luno’s magic is useless. Raiyo’s kills absorb their souls. She is long gone.

“Luno,” I reach out and grab his shoulders as he weeps over Enfi’s body. “She’s gone. Don’t let her death be in vain!”

He pushes against me with a small growl and goes back to trying to heal Enfi.

I look behind me and I almost forget how to breath when I see the mountain shatter into billions of little pieces. The pieces disappear into thin air and when they clear up, I see Raiyo standing on the ground where the mountain once stood.

His hands are raised as if he is preparing for an embrace, only this is for no such thing.

Raiyo takes one step forward, and everything within a few meters of him begin to shatter into millions of pieces.

Each step he makes causes more and more things to be destroyed. Buildings, boulders, stones, corpses, even the baskets in the street! Everything is shattering like glass and then disappearing into thin air.

Now we really need to go!

“Luno, I’m really sorry for this but I won’t take no for an answer!” I growl. “We are going to die if we stay here now!”

He sniffs and looks up at me. His eyes are puffy and red. The flowers in his hair are a dark blue.

With a nod from him, I morph into my Tiger form and allow him to climb onto my back.

Not even giving him much of a chance to grab onto me, I sprint for the city’s edge.

Weaving through the destruction of the city does not make a nice trip. It is especially bad when the humans begin to scream in terror once again. They run through the streets, desperate to get out to safety.

Even then, I know that some have chosen to hide in their homes. The homes that are getting destroyed by Raiyo.

I take a moment to look back at him; I instantly regret it when I see Enfi’s body explode into bits and pieces. They fly up into the wave of dots that made up this city.

Now it is being cleared out into nothing.

Luno whimpers above me, no doubt he saw Enfi’s body disappear as well.

Turning back, I carry us out of there and straight for the edge of the woods that lined the outside of the city.

There we find more humans gathered together. They all stare as their city is literally being wiped from existence by Raiyo.

Luno and I watch with them for a moment; watching the scary power of Raiyo.

Luno soon grips onto the hair on my neck and buries his face, ready to leave and never look again.

I carry us far away, away from the humans and away from the Gods.

Straight to the Sanctuary.