[Next Day.]
[Back To The Triplets.]
The world was nothing but a horizon of shimring water. The group of six—Lucian, Treasure, Destiny, Jinx, Marriott, and Esther—sliced through the air above the sea’s surface, tearing the wind with insane speed. The roar of their flight was the only sound in the vast silence of the ocean.
’I can’t even see a single land for days.’ Esther thought, her knuckles white as she gripped the feathers of her massive Eagle Summon. Her gaze darted everywhere, searching for a break in the monotony, but all she saw was an infinite expanse of sapphire waves.
Ahead of the formation, Treasure squinted against the glare of the rising sun. She looked over her shoulder at Marriott, who trailed slightly behind the four. like them, Marriott didn’t need a mount. He hovered through the air using his own internal mana—a feat of rank that few in this world could achieve.
"Are we almost there?" Treasure called out over the rushing wind.
Marriott nodded, his expression turning grim as he pointed toward a massive disturbance in the distance. "It’s over there... But." He suddenly slowed to a halt, staring at the sight in disbelief.
"What happened?!" Jinx asked, hovering beside him. She scanned the churning water, her eyes narrowing as she looked at the old man.
"Well..." Marriott’s voice was heavy with concern. "There was a barrier here—a high-level illusion that hid the entrance. To the rest of the world, this should look like calm water."
He gestured to the violent, roaring vortex ahead.
"But now... that Barrier is gone. It seems we aren’t the only ones who know this place, and he or she has already entered through the doorway."
"Then what are we waiting for?! Let’s go!!" Treasure yelled, ready to dive. Then she paused, blinking. She turned back to Marriott with a sheepish look. "Um, where is the door again?"
"Right there." Marriott pointed directly at the eye of the gargantuan whirlpool. "We are flying inside."
"What???"
Esther yelled in shock, her heart dropping into her stomach as she stared at the terrifying maw of the ocean below them.
"Ok then." Ignoring Esther; Jinx nodded, her face setting into a mask of focus. She snapped her fingers, and a small, circular tallic chip appeared in her hand. The triplets mirrored her, summoning identical devices.
Marriott and Esther watched as the four placed the circular chips against their chests. The tech pulsed with a soft hum before expanding rapidly. In less than ten seconds, liquid gold crawled over their bodies, hardening into ornate, form-fitting Golden Armor.
"Wow!! That’s aweso!" Esther muttered in awe, watching the light reflect off the divine tal.
"With this, we can easily pass through without issues," Jinx said, clenching her fist to test the joints. She hadn’t worn the Eldorian combat suit in ages; it felt like returning to her true self.
"What about you two?" Destiny asked, glancing at Marriott and Esther. They were the only ones without the high-tech protection.
"Leave that to ." Marriott joined his palms together, his eyes snapping shut. He began chanting in a low, guttural language that sounded like the crashing of waves.
The group watched as water droplets rose from the sea, defying gravity. They rged in front of the old man and his granddaughter, swirling with intense pressure. Seconds later, two pill-sized spheres of concentrated water hovered in the air.
"Co on, Esther. We don’t have ti to waste." Marriott grabbed his water pill and swallowed it without a second thought.
Esther gulped, her nerves fraying. She took her pill and stared at it for a long ten seconds before placing it on her tongue. To her surprise, it didn’t feel like a solid pill; it instantly shattered into cool, refreshing water that she swallowed with ease.
"That was... new," she murmured, feeling a strange film of protection coat her internal organs.
"Co on, let’s go in!"
Marriott yelled, and with a burst of speed, he plumted into the heart of the whirlpool, vanishing into the spray. Jinx was right behind him, followed by Lucian, Treasure, and Destiny in a golden streak.
"Ok girl. It seems I will have to continue this journey alone." Esther took a deep breath. She jumped down from her Eagle, which shattered into gold particles and reverted into a Golden Card.
She snatched the card out of the air, stored it, and plunged legs first into the roaring Whirlpool.
____
[The End of the World — The Ashlands]
In a land of nightmares—blackened soil, piles of bleached bones, and active volcanoes that choked the sky with sulfurous smoke. A battle was already raging.
GRAAAAAA!!!!
A massive, five-headed dog—a beast of pure muscle and malice—opened its maws simultaneously. It unleashed a combined wave of infernal flas toward Night Ghost and the seven Commandnts accompanying him.
BOOOOM!!
The eight warriors leaped backward, the ground where they had stood lting into slag.
"Is this the Beast you’re after?!!" Night Ghost yelled, shielding himself from the intense heat. He stared at the smoldering crater where the flas had hit, watching the thick black smoke rise.
"Not even close! The Beast we’re after is one of the Great Calamities!! How can this little dog be compared to it?!!" the First Commandnt yelled back, landing lightly on her feet, her eyes fixed on the target.
"What?!!! You just called this ’little’?!!" Night Ghost scread in disbelief.
He stared up at the five-headed beast. It was the size of a skyscraper, each of its heads exhaling enough smoke to cover a city.
"This thing is a titan!! If it’s just a pup compared to what you’re after, how big would that Calamity be?!"
"Just shut up!! You’re the one that wanted to co along, we didn’t force you!!" the Second Commandnt snapped, her gaze cold and lethal. She was clearly annoyed by his lack of perspective.
The First Commandnt ignored the bickering. She stared at the dog, her primordial energy beginning to surge in rhythm with the lightning crackling in the clouds above.
"Seems I will have to kill it." She raised both her hands above her head, her palms open to the sky.
"Lightning of Annihilation!!!" she bellowed.
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