ROTU: Chapter Fifty-Three
Flashes of light brightened the night as Jalena and Drasúl teleported and reappeared at multiple points around the pyramid.
Jalena knew that she would not have enough energy to teleport to the top of the pyramid without opening her Reserve, which she had delayed doing for as long as possible. She fought with every remaining ounce of her strength without pause, keeping him close to limit his use of magic as she had during their battle in the mountains. A stronger power that Drasúl did not possess before flowed from him without end. His physical body had acclimated to Darkone's power and would not weaken as it had in the mountains. Aderes was no help to her now because with Darkone's power surfaced, his energy was suppressed completely.
Her blended sword became her best companion in battle as if it had a will that synchronized completely with her desires. Jalena appeared below Drasúl to deliver a sidekick up to his chin as her sword formed in the air behind him. The kick sent him flying directly back as the sword shot forward.
Drasúl arched his back as the sword pierced him through, and he dropped to his knees. Her knee met his chin as she came at him again. He teleported as he fell back, and Jalena's gladaé reformed in her grasp. His frustration at the difference in their skill was evident as his expression angered, and crimson-black flames spiked even higher around him.
Jalena extended her arm to reform Gyan's sword with her left hand and paused in surprise when it did not appear. She blocked Drasúl's incoming attack with her own and followed up with a flaming gold blast from her palm.
Nearby, Tau and Oba fought side-by-side against the last of the Dark Magi. Oba dropped his defense and gasped in pain as the Magi's staff struck his upper shoulder and sent an electric bolt through his body.
"No!" Tau shouted as Oba dropped to the ground.
Instinctively, Jalena teleported to Tau's side and blocked the Dark Magi's next attack against him. The flame markings around her eyes brightened as she blended Jarek's charisma with the energy of the dragons and sent repeated shots of fire at the Magi, who burst into flames as Tau held him fast with a binding spell.
She teleported just in time to avoid Drasúl's incoming blades.
Tau dropped to his knees to shield Oba with his body against Drasúl's attack.
Jalena threw her sword across the path of the blades, magnifying the dragon's energy around her gladaé. She succeeded in blocking his light blades but gasped as his poisoned sword pierced through the shielding fire toward the others.
Tau turned in alarm just as a thick blue block of light formed within Jalena's fiery wall, halting Drasúl's sword just inches from his chest.
Jalena's eyes widened. She smiled as she felt his energy before she saw him.
Gyan appeared directly behind Drasúl in a burst of light and wrapped blue-glowing chains around his neck. "I told Mordán once to get away from my girl. Don't you remember?" His expression hardened beneath the glowing markings of his opened Reserve.
"Where did you come from?" Drasúl choked.
"Just broke out of your prison, Damien."
Drasúl's expression fell to disbelief. He scowled. His eyes widened when he attempted to teleport and found Gyan's chains tightening further around him.
Jalena appeared in a flash before the two and grabbed one end of the chain, quickly combining the mixed frequency of Jarek's and the dragon's fire with Gyan's blue. Her halo turned bright green as the glowing vines on her face brightened, and she opened the Earth beneath Drasúl.
The weighted chains fell into the large crevice, and Drasúl dropped into the darkness below.
Jalena threw out a hand and immediately closed the Earth over him.
She took several steps back and dropped her gaze, not trusting herself to fight back the depth of emotion that rose within her now that Gyan stood before her in his true form. She was afraid to look at him—afraid that she would forget her surroundings and the battle she was in. She did not have to look at him to feel his piercing stare more intensely than ever before.
The Earth's quaking increased, shaking her out of her racing thoughts. She looked to the top of the pyramid. I have to go, Gyan. There is no time to… She couldn't form the words.
Gyan walked slowly toward her, the glow of his Reserve markings brightening. There are some things time slows down for.
Jalena's breath caught. The Earth won't hold Drasúl for long, she choked out.
Her heart rate spiked as he stood directly in front of her. She finally lifted her eyes to his—the violet and brown reflected opposite of hers—and exhaled the breath she had been holding.
Long enough for a dance? he said softly as he held out his hand. Last I remember, you still owe me one.
Jalena's eyes widened, and her tears spilled over as she realized what he was saying.
Sorry, I'm late to the party, he whispered.
Jalena fell against him as all her strength seemed to leave her at once.
Gyan kissed her deeply and drew her fully against him.
An infinite wave of intense power flooded their being as their souls expanded and love dominated their being. White light filled their vision as they yielded their identity to each other. The colors of the entire spectrum filled the twins' vision as the two lifted from the ground. Rapidly racing threads of light wound in circular paths around their bodies and multiplied in number. The threads solidified into solid beams and expanded into a glowing sphere that continued to swirl and seal around their intertwined form.
Drasúl burst through the ground in a cloud of crimson and black fire with a look of fury. Dirt and sand spewed upward as he coughed. He shielded his eyes against the pulsing rainbow sphere in the sky.
The ground shook harder, and the pyramid stones began to crack.
***
Within the inner realms of the Earth, the black mountain that loomed over Asteria shook violently. Nine silver eyes of what appeared at first glance to be men embedded around the base of the mountain opened wide. The arms and legs of the beings stretched and broke free from the mountain, their skin matching the stone they emerged from. Their silver eyes shone as a cloak of silver and black formed over their shoulders. Each grasped the rod of the silver-jeweled staff that formed before them in a swirl of glittering light.
The nine beings began to hum softly. They spread their arms out before them as their hum deepened. Their sound reverberated from the depths of their being and grew louder as it pulsed around and through the mountain. Black rocks crashed down as the song of the Earth caused the mountaintop to open wide.
From within, the root of the legendary Tree of Life lit with a blinding light. Standing before it was Kafele, who smiled broadly as green and gold light swirled within his gaze and whipped around the tree. Silver light joined the green and gold as it spread through the branches and leaves of the tree. Kafele's eyes brightened more as white light swirled through his being.
The Goddess messenger stepped backward and disappeared within the depths of the tree's trunk.
***
Drasúl lifted his hands and sent poisoned blades repeatedly into the light above him. An oval blue shield instantly formed beneath the sphere, blocking his attack.
When there was no counterattack, he teleported and reappeared in the air. The red glow of his eyes brightened, and his veins blackened as he blasted fire from his fingertips into the now-pulsing globe of light as he moved nearer.
A hand swiftly extended from the depths of the sphere and grabbed him by the throat. He struggled against the grip that held him fast. His eyes brightened and then dimmed as he attempted to teleport to no avail.
The light in the air disappeared to reveal the merged form of Gyan and Jalena, dominant in Jalena's features but stronger and taller physically. Her hair was highlighted with a mix of gold and violet within her black. Her eyes reflected colors representing the core power of the twins, one a starburst of violet at its center, spilling into golden brown, and the other with golden brown blending into violet. Colors of the spectrum swirled within the twins' united gaze as their power solidified from within. Colors of the spectrum swirled within the twins' united gaze as their power solidified from within.
A new symbol decorated Jalena's forehead in a violet and golden glow.
"Cosmic twins?" Drasúl choked out as he stared at the symbol and corresponding markings along Jalena's face and arms. For the first time since facing Jalena, his expression flashed fear.
Jalena released her grip on Drasúl's neck and shoved him back down to the earth with immense force.
He teleported out of sight before hitting the ground.
She floated down from her position in the air and walked over to Tau, who was still next to Oba. The shield around him disappeared.
Tau's eyes widened as Jalena knelt and placed her hand on Oba's forehead. After several seconds, he stirred.
"He will be alright," she reassured Tau.
Tau flinched as more stones from the pyramid fell.
Gyan's voice spoke. "Take him through the portal to the Avehkal ship near here, where Lyons and Sean are." He sent Tau a mental image of the location. "It will be safer for you. All is well now."
"What of Drasúl?"
"He will return. His arrogance will not let him walk away from this. It matters not, however, because his defeat is assured."
Tau nodded and held his staff before him. Golden orange light from the stone of his staff shone out through the night. He grabbed Oba and disappeared through the portal.
Jalena looked up to the pyramid as Drasúl reappeared in a burst of light behind her, dragging Gyan's chains. Crimson-black light wove through the length of the chains.
"It will not work, Drasúl," Jalena said calmly without turning around. "Accept your defeat."
More loose stones fell from the pyramid.
Drasúl teleported and then appeared in a flash, winding the chains around her body.
Jalena's eyes glowed with violet and gold as the twins' shared Reserve opened from beneath the chains. The chains disintegrated just as Drasúl gripped his sword and drew back his hand to thrust his blade forward.
Jalena's expression remained the same as she grasped and stopped the poisoned blade with her hand before it reached her. "As I told you," she gave Drasúl a hardened stare, "your magic will not work on us. We have merged the whole of who we are."
The sword's blade shattered into pieces as Jalena squeezed. She disappeared and reappeared in a flash before Drasúl.
The incoming flying kick hit the Javen square in the chest.
Drasúl's arms involuntarily stretched before him as he bulleted into the side of the pyramid and dropped to the ground within a large pile of falling stones.
***
From inside the crystal caves, Aeilah glanced left and then right as the Vok—child-sized creatures with an appearance similar to a rat—slowly crept toward her. The green halo in her eyes glowed brightly as white light began to pulse within the surrounding quartz. "I hope you're ready, Master Jalena," she said. Light spun within the halo of her eyes as her gaze brightened. She stuck her staff in the ground before her and spread her arms out wide.
The Vok disappeared within the green and white light that burst from her body as she intercepted the blinding light from the Tree of Life. White, silver, and gold rays spread out on either side of her through the crystal caves, spinning through the middle layers of the Earth. The power grew in an unstoppable momentum before surging to the surface.
***
The crop circles across the fields of the Earth began to glow. Light filled the circular patterns and projected upward, casting symbolic images into the sky. Stones resting in ancient formations—such as those on Easter Island and Stonehenge—shook as the light of the core filled them. The stones lifted from the ground and formed circular formations in the air. Light shot from the structures as they spun rapidly.
An aura of light spread around the pyramids of the Earth, filling each with a bright silver and white light. A beam of white light ran the edges of the Khafre and Menkaure pyramids alongside the Great Pyramid, forming spheres of light above each as the Earth's core energy gathered. Beams of white light stretched horizontally from the spheres, connecting one to the other, to create the top of a prism as a ray of white light projected out from the middle of each base to link and seal the formation of light. The portals to other dimensions resealed as the Earth's core energy engulfed the dimensional planes.
Jalena teleported and reappeared in the sphere above the Great Pyramid just as a stream of light pierced its tip. The twins' bonded form solidified to stabilize the peak of their power as Jalena's head was thrown back. Her arms and legs stretched wide as the energy of the Earth gathered within her. Light projected from every part of their shared being as the shield of the Earth launched fully and barreled rapidly across the sky.
***
Sitara stood on top of El Castillo, gazing down at her comrades, who now stood amid fallen Avehkal. The green halo within her gaze swirled with light as a large sphere of light formed above her. She rose into the sphere as her skin began to pulse with white, gold, and green light. The spreading shield that raced to the pyramid engulfed her as she connected it to the ray of light that gathered and projected up from beneath her feet.
***
Drisana glanced at the sphere of light gathering above the lit mountain and cried out in frustration as she hurriedly climbed through the snow drifts before her. Her green halo swirled with light as the Goddess's golden green blaze moved through her. Her eyes widened as she was suddenly pulled into the air. She sighed in relief as she realized the mountain was pulsing with magnetic energy and that it drew to it what it needed to fulfill its purpose.
Would have been nice to know before, she thought as she glanced down at the amount of distance she had climbed. Could have taken my time...
She smiled as she spread her arms out wide.
The points of light converged through her, and the light of the Earth continued to race on its path.
***
Gaia's power rapidly domed over the globe, converging at different points until it sealed completely in a solid stream that gathered in momentum.
The Conduits vanished as the light projecting from the pyramids ceased.
The warriors' gaze widened from their positions in space as the Earth's light stretched to form a sphere of protection around the globe.
She did it! exclaimed Brogan.
A sonic explosion resounded across the planet as the shield sealed and catapulted outward, rocketing through space.
Holy shit! Jarek and Hoshi exclaimed at the same time.
It's coming! Valora shouted. Get ready! She secured her ship into position.
Tarak glanced one last time at Danika's ship to measure its distance and vanished within his own. He reappeared inside her ship in front of the controls and locked her ship into position.
He unlocked Danika's straps and lifted her unconscious form into his arms as he shared his light.
She gasped as she regained consciousness and looked up into his concerned gaze. Her eyes immediately filled with tears.
He chuckled and gave her a nod as he set her down.
She wrapped her arms around his waist and immediately opened her Reserve again, then turned to face the incoming light together with Tarak.
As he saw the allied ships rapidly speeding away from the approaching light, Jarek's face reflected concern. Come on, Gyan… His expression shifted seconds later, and he shook his head in disbelief at the sight before him.
A soft blue light appeared and then brightened as Gyan's shield, combined with the protective power of the dragons, stretched beyond the Earth's energy and spread across space to coat ally ships before the Earth's power swallowed them.
The masters stood ready inside their ships positioned around the Earth. Their eyes brightened as they spread their arms out wide.
Jalena's and Gyan's merged voice entered the warriors' minds. Form the Lumfáinne. Do not waver in your focus. Open and adapt your being entirely to the frequency.
Eyes narrowed in concentration; each warrior focused fully on connecting with their team across the planet as the power of the Lumfáinne ignited and encircled the globe. The warrior's ships jerked forward violently as the fierce ring of the Earth's light slammed into them. The light of the masters' Reserve pulsed even brighter through their markings as their cores opened completely. The ships disintegrated as the light enveloped them, leaving the warriors suspended within space. Silver and gold light swirled through the eyes and transformed the rest of their appearance to match as the power of their Reserve released at full capacity. The warriors groaned and shouted as the Earth's light pushed the limits of their collective power. The energy of the Lumfáinne peaked in momentum as a spectrum of color spun through the circle until it transformed into a solidified pulsing beam. The circular wall of light sealed around the Earth's shield, completely absorbing any remaining power until it effectively slowed the Earth's energy progression. Each master disappeared completely within the confines of its glorious light.
***