CHAPTER 487

INVASION (IV)

Rio froze in place, his eyes turning into saucers as he watched the sky -- there, the void tore open, the blasts of light and Qi shredding through the reality itself, turning into an ever-consuming storm. The light of dawn was snuffed, replaced instead by a horrible night, colors sucked away from the world and into the spanning gash, the massive wound that looked like a slit of a closed eye.

A storm surged from one end, draped in black and white folds of smoke and light, thriving underneath the pressure of destruction itself. A sword struck; thin, yet expanding, coated in light so holy Rio was afraid to look at it directly. The strike turned into a wide arc, thousands of blades of light exploding out into a cone, converging toward the other end -- there, the world turned to one, indistinguishable. There were no skies, there were no trodden winds, no storms -- just pure, electric everything bonded by a power beyond Rio’s comprehension.

The light crashed into the screen of unity, devoured by it; yet, the sheer number seemed too much, shearing through it as though it was a sheet of paper. Explosions followed, yet the void swallowed them whole. The earth and the sky trembled, as all eyes veered toward the high-skies, all battles ceasing. There was no room to maneuver, no Qi to draw from. It all belonged to those creatures up above, stoic formations, projections of creation itself.

Rio swallowed a hard mouthful, his body trembling. That was the pinnacle, he realized. Something he would never reach. Nay, something nobody should be able to reach. What worth were their squabbles down here, their empty deaths as rivers of blood and corpses piled on top of one another, when all their efforts can be erased with a single sigh? That powerlessness seeped into him, wriggled into his bones. The insecurities awoke, drowning him. The light. It was blinding.

All of a sudden, someone screamed out his name, though he was too dull to hear; he suddenly found himself aflight, dragged through the world in a rapid arc, a pair of arms strangling his waist as they dragged him away. Not a breath later, something crashed where he stood, exploding. The destruction... he gaped. The earth arose like waves in a ring-like fashion, blowing out for nearly a hundred meters up, blanketing the world. Screams and shouts erupted as men and women alike began running. Headless. Pointless.

He crashed alongside the figure holding him, rolling over the draped hills, his armor clanking against the hard rock. The mountains in his rolling sight trembled, seemingly a breath away from a complete collapse. What part was he supposed to play in this epoch? Not one that mattered, he ascertained. He watched as the sea of earth ended its upward trajectory, lurching back, toward him and the others, in a full circle. His mind was blank, unable to conjure up a thought.

Yet, as though by instinct, he raised his arms and wrapped them around the figure lying on top of him, rolling over to the side and shielding her. He closed his eyes, though he didn’t tremble. It wasn’t courage; no, it was simply apathy.

The chunks of dirt and rocks crashed into his back, pummeling his bones, nearly crushing his lungs, cracking nigh all ribs he had in his body. He prayed though he didn't believe even gods could help much. He held on tightly, ensuring she was covered. She had to live. She was better, bigger, ambitious. She could make something of herself, find a way to play the game of the creators.

By a miracle, he didn't lose his consciousness as the spraying began to settle. He was buried by at least two-three feet of dirt, as though thrown into a shallow grave, but he was alive. Every inch of him burned in pain, tears streaming involuntarily from his eyes, but he endured, cracking his teeth.

Another rumble followed, one so powerful it split open the earth above him. It was then that he heard it -- the roar. It was primordial, beyond anything he’d ever heard. Terrifying. Soul-crushing. Inhuman. The voice of the creator broke out into the world, one full of rage and fury. Light -- it was there again, even if he couldn't turn his head to stare at it directly. It washed over him, like a lithe, comforting wave. It was... beautiful. Calming. Tranquilizing. He felt his pain slowly fade away, the bones in his body restoring, regrowing, his raptured vessels sprouting anew, his nerves reconnecting... as though he was being reborn.

He dared turn, barely twisting his head to look over his shoulder; draped in light and darkness, a paradox that shouldn’t be, hovered there where Rio stood, surrounded by a crater so large it was difficult to calculate. Feathered wings sprung on both ends, folded in light and dark, his figure so imposing Rio instinctively wanted to bow -- part due to fear, and part due to awe.

He didn’t stay for long; following a quick glance around the battlefield, he shot back up, like a star. He cut through the void, cut through everything -- Rio realized, at that moment, that he was unbound. Unchained. Just as the stories said -- the Empyrean... was more than life. More than reality.

He felt slight movement pressing against his chest as he jumped to his feet, glancing down. Xia lay there, beneath him, her crimson hair sprawled back, mud dirtying her features, yet she seemed fine, unhurt. A gush of pride swelled, though was quickly drowned upon the realization that she’d saved him first. Why was it that he stood stone-faced when met with something higher, much higher, than himself, and that she was free of the chains?

“Mighty brave of you,” she smiled all of a sudden; a lithe smile, barely visible, yet it was there, Rio was certain. “To take advantage of me like so.”

"..." he found himself stunned for a brief moment before suddenly bursting out into free laughter. "Ha ha ha ha ha ha..." he couldn't stop; it seemed that all of his frustrations were chained to that laughter, the roaring, mad, unbridled laughter that no one but she could hear. It was drowned out by the battle above. Battle, he realized, he didn't seem to care too much about anymore.

"... so you can laugh properly," she said, pulling herself up, sitting down opposite of him. "I did not know that."

“... ha ha, aye, I suppose I can,” Rio said, finally settling somewhat. “I suppose I can.”

“Thank you,” she said, her eyes gluing his. “For saving my life.”

“Just repaying one of many favors,” he shrugged, smiling back. “Nothing too big.”

“Hm,” she nodded mischievously, a rarity in her countenance, smiling once more. If she was beautiful before, Rio realized, she was unfairly so now. That smile disarmed him, threw out all his inhibition in a quick sweep. “So you--”

“I want to be with you,” he said in a calm outburst, surprising both her and himself. “Xia. You were right; I am, in many ways, a coward. To me, all this... is much too large. I am fine being a soldier -- feeding the thrill as I sweep through the battlefield. Free. I’ve no desire to partake in those celestial battles. I’ve no desire to lead, to climb the ladder, have my name jotted down in the history books.”

“I know.” she replied simply, settling.

“And, yes, you were right,” he smiled bitterly. “I did fancy you much better than me. But, that’s because you are.”

“Rio--”

“No, let me finish,” he interrupted quickly. “Whatever your reply may be, at least let me get it off my chest.” she merely nodded, pulling back. “You are better. I don't care about your humbleness. I don't care for the equal posturing. I will never be your equal, Xia. I can't be. You will soar, I know it. You will become the blinding light, one that will outshine the sun itself, just as it did today. That's... that's what I fell in love with about you. Well, one among many things. That unparalleled drive. Thirst. And, even beyond that, the ability. To stand as your equal would mean to hold you back, to pull you off the heavenly chariots. I don't want that. I'd rather have my heart broken a thousand times over than to prevent you from becoming who I know you can and will become. I never considered you flawless, though. Nobody is, that much I can attest. I simply learned to love those flaws as well; the fact that you are so awkward around others, the fact that you are secretly ashamed you can’t set up tent without Qi, the fact that you can’t read maps to save your life... all these small things... they are a part of you.”

“...”

“What I can be, however,” he added, suddenly grabbing her hand tenderly. “Is the wind always pushing you. I may not stand by you, but I’ll always be right behind. Never letting you out of my sight. Oh, wow, that came out quite creepy. Sheesh, I really should have planned this out.”

“--you really should have, lad,” a voice suddenly spoke out, startling both Xia and Rio who cried out, jostling sideways and hugging instinctively, glancing toward the source. There, a man draped in way-worn hemp clothing stood, barefoot and topless, black hair swaying in the hazy wind. “That was rather stomach-churning, if I may say so. A lot of flair, admittedly, but too... verbose.”

“---L-l-l-lord Empyrean!!” Xia exclaimed fearfully, struggling to her feet and saluting in terror. Rio, on the other hand, sighed.

“Aren’t you supposed to be fighting, Lino?” Rio asked casually, much to Xia’s terror; she stared him down, looking at him as though he were a dead man.

“Fighting? Ah, I chased that pathetic fly off,” Lino shrugged. “Humph, he’s really good at running away, the little bitch.”

“Why do I have a feeling that you’re embellishing the tale?” Rio squinted his eyes, looking at Lino dubiously.

“... who’s been feeding you truths about me, lad? Tell me, and I’ll kill them instead of you.” Lino fired back with the same look.

“....” Xia stood still, part in horror and part in befuddlement. She didn’t know what to think at the moment.

“... thank you for saving me.” Rio said, smiling, his tone full of gratitude. “Even though it was you who hurt me, to begin with."

“Tsk,” Lino clicked his tongue. “Had you used your clever tongue on her instead of me, you wouldn’t be clenching your ass in the middle of a corpse-filled battlefield, professing your love to her like a poet talking to a damn tree.”

“--I---” Rio blushed all of a sudden, unable to provide a retort. Though, to be fair, he was never able to best Lino during their tongue-in-cheek moments. The man seemed ready for every strike Rio threw at him.

“Ah, very well,” Lino sighed audibly, glancing over the battlefield, his expression souring. “You did well. Regroup, write down the fallen, and retreat to the City of Sun. We’ll hold the pyres in a week.”

He vanished -- just like that. As though he wasn’t even there. Perhaps, if Rio tried telling others, nobody would believe him. They had no reason to.

He glanced at Xia who still stood stone-faced, seemingly unable to move. His lips curled up into a faint smile; it was the first time, he realized, that he’d held his composure while she’d lost hers. It felt... rather good. Being dragged to drink and toss clever retorts for months no longer seemed like a part of a dark chain of memories, but something rather pleasant. Inspiring.