Abyssal Awakening

Getting up to the floating islands wasn't difficult by any means.

Especially now that the lightning has stopped trying to kill them.

However, reaching the centre was a different issue. Ria didn't want to rush in blindly to face the Sovereign.

Navigating through the ruins, she couldn't help but marvel at the layout of the place.

A ruin it may be but even the passage of time couldn't hide the care that had once gone into this city.

The carvings on the wall may be eroded but what little was left showed only achievable by master craftsman with weeks of dedication.

Tracing her finger along the carvings on the wall, Ria was silent.

"Time is fair on everyone. It doesn't care who you are or what you are, everything gets swept away." Luke muttered, picking up the remains of what seemed to be metal contraptions.

"Time is fair but humans are a catalyst for change. From the stories we read, if it wasn't for the Sun's intervention, maybe this place would've lasted a lot longer." Ria sighed.

"Even for supposedly immortal beings, once humans get involved and you lose your monotony, time will sweep away your corpse regardless of what you achieved in life."

Shaking her head, Ria continued her way through the city.

There were no treasures to be gotten and even if there were, she didn't want them.

She was already here to kill their old guardian beast that's fallen into madness. Any more would be disrespecting the dead who were wronged by the Sun church.

###

The floating islands were positioned in a way that acted as a boundary of sorts.

The first ring was the lightning field that kept the outsiders away.

The second was the empty space that allowed one to marvel at the city.

The third was the city itself that surrounded the centre.

The fourth. . .

"This. . ." Luke was hesitant.

"Mnm. . . It's a graveyard."

An expanse of stones amidst a field of blue and violet flowers. A silence that stretched on for eternity symbolising the fact that the dead will not speak again.

A starlit ocean of lavender and peony flowers that swayed gently from the wind.

Each stone stood tall and solemn, carved with the history of whoever is buried beneath.

Perhaps a graveyard was too cruel of a description. To Ria, it felt more like a gentle garden. Decorated with care, and each gravestone was placed with thought.

She glanced at the first three that she could see.

Names of a family.

Mother, father, daughter.

All three were placed side by side surrounded by a bed of flowers.

Messages dedicated to the family was etched in each stone.

It wasn't just the first few stones either.

Every single stone, every single message was different.

This. . . Garden.

Was handled delicately.

The biggest stones were placed in the centre.

Three in fact that looked over the others.

The first was placed in front of a statue of a woman.

She had long hair that flowed behind her and a pair of horns. Signs of scales on the edges of her face and a gentle yet cheerful smile.

"Here lies Venaris, the maiden of rain. Second of the Guardian Beasts." Ria muttered, reading the engraving.

"She brought about the rain when we needed it the most. She represented the reward after our hardship. The oasis in the desert. The smile that brought about light in deepest darkness. Thought her actions were cold, she loved this place more than anyone.

"Let the storms sing your lullaby, let the winds remember your name. May the sky cradle you ever more.

"Venaris, sister not of my blood. I pray that your spirit soars the boundless blue."

Reading the engraving, Ria could see the slight tremble within each word. She could see the sorrow behind the one who had to carve all of these by hand.

One by one until this field was full.

The second statue showed a dignified old man standing tall. Despite his tall stature, he didn't look imposing. Rather, there was a gentle air around him. He felt like the home that sheltered you from the outside world.

"Here rests Halric, warden of the forest. Third of the Guardian Beasts

"He brought life to the desert, a verdant forest within the harsh wastelands. He showed that even in the harshest conditions, life can persist. The guiding hand that will help us up should we ever fall.

"Let the groves whisper your memory, let the moss keep your peace. May the forest open its heart to you ever more.

"Halric, brother not of my blood. I pray that your spirit walks the endless green." Ria traced her finger along the words.

Her eyes were downcast as a new form of bitterness filled her heart.

Then there was the third stone.

Empty and devoid of carvings but the statue behind the stone showed Ria the first of the three guardians.

A gentle woman with a motherly smile. She could tell that this statue was crafted with the greatest care, the one that started it all.

"Seems like this one. . . Nyzel reserved for herself." Luke muttered after a pause as Ria nodded her head in agreement.

Closing her eyes, Ria understood the true weight of what she was about to do. Clenching her first, she began to hesitate.

*RUMBLE!!!

Dark clouds loomed overhead as Ria instantly raised her guard.

She could feel a threatening aura filling the space as Luke did the same and summoned his chess pieces.

Both of them felt cold chills down their spine, the eyes of death that bore into them.

Standing atop the hill, she was there.

Nyzel the Sky Sovereign.

A towering beast of lightning with wings that blocked out the sky. The feathers along her body shimmered with the crackling of lightning as pulses of energy could be seen beneath the surface.

Just her presence caused the air to become charged with lightning, ready to strike out at any moment.

It was a different kind of feeling facing a sovereign that wasn't holding her aura back at all.

Nyzel was an unsheathed blade pointed at their throat. One wrong move and it felt like everything would end.

It didn't matter how many scars were across her body, the wounds that have yet to fully heal.

It still wasn't a beast that couldn't be taken lightly and it was clear that she knew why they were here, what they were here for.

"So you wish to claim my head? My power?"

Nyzel was the one that spoke first. Her words were cold and biting, each laced with an underlying anger and fury yet barely restrained by her eerie calmness.

Ria wanted to respond but what could she say?

She was here to kill? She was here to plunder her power?

Perhaps it would've been better if she didn't read about the stories of the past.

Perhaps it would've been better if she didn't see the graveyard.

She felt pity for the beast. Pity for the things that she had lost.

A wound on the heart was clear for her to see.

Nyzel saw the shadows of hesitation, the sadness in Ria's gaze despite being here to claim her head.

She felt as though she was looking at her children of the past.

"Do what you have come here to do, child. But let us not fight here. I do not wish to disturb my family's slumber, they do not deserve to have a battle fought where they're meant to rest."

With a swirl of lightning, the three of them were transported from the graveyard and directly to the top of the spire that overlooked the ruins.

With them now being in an arena, Ria took a deep breath.

But there was one last thing she wanted to ask.

She wanted to question this beast who was clearly endowed with intelligence and love.

"Why? Why did you involve the innocent? You could've just gone after the Sun Church! You didn't need to burn down the other cities, to cull the masses. Your goal is vengeance so why not direct it at the right people?!" Ria shouted.

If it did that, then maybe she wouldn't be designated as a bounty.

Maybe things wouldn't have needed to be this way.

Tilting her head at Ria's question, Nyzel let out a laugh.

"Justification. Don't people need justification? Child, if I were to cull the masses, the Sun would send his devotes towards me like moths to a flame. The justification to wipe me out despite being called a guardian beast.

"Whoever they send, I kill. The more I kill, the more they send. I do not wish to be left alone, there's nothing for me. I will spend the last spark of my life doing what I am created to do. That is to kill. Nothing more, nothing less. So come child, do what you've come here to do.

"There is no need for words, there is no need for you to feel pity. You will either kill me and take my power or I will kill you and await my next executioner.

"I may be riddled with wounds, covered by scars, but do not think for a moment that I will fall easily. For my heart burns with the fires of anger. To kill me is to inherit my anger, so prove to me that you can withstand my fury."

*RUMBLE!!!

Lightning crashed down on Nyzel as she manifested in her human form.

In the blink of an eye, she had already appeared in front of Ria as violet lightning crackled in her hands and a spear stabbed towards her!

Widening her eyes, Ria wanted to quickly get away but a violet cage of lightning restrained her movement!

Castling!

Quickly swapping Ria with a knight piece, Luke watched as his piece had the upper half obliterated without a chance of resistance.

A sadistic smile appeared on Nyzel's face as the light of madness covered her eyes.

No more words needed to be said. No more words could be said.

The Hunt had begun!