Chapter thirty-five: Goddess of War

In the Galactic Realm

The coliginosity surrounds Vensen with the shrunken universe floating around his throne as the dark matter separates the galaxies from each other and form star systems within them. He sits on his cathedra where he commands the cosmos to do his bidding and stares directly down at the galaxy Apn’dentra. Vensen examines the whirlpool of interstellar dust shaping this barred spiral as the arms slowly twirl around the glowing bulge that devours the life-giving particles. His fingers scrunch together and then expand from his hand to zoom in on a particular spot in Apn’dentra and observe the star system known as Tethalia. With his long and bony fingers, he searches through the ten planets until he finds the familiar green and blue sphere he calls Fupum. Zooming in even closer to the planet, he spins it slightly to find the large country called Aishy. He glares at the territory from afar in the view of distant space with his tenebrific eyes and obscures it with his hand. An acme points out from the middle of the country and begins to pull the organic material upward into the palm of his hand as a white string.

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As Vila sleeps

The darkness around me immediately ceases from my vision before I can comprehend it. A valley forms around me with its welcoming flowers and blue sky. There’s a nice-looking cabin up ahead and for some reason I can sense it beckoning me to come closer. I cautiously walk over to the porch, feeling the soft and moist grass tickle the underside of my feet. A slight gasp from my lungs tells me of the surprise to the door opening and revealing a friend of mine.

Zaru jumps to the sight of me as he opens the door from inside the cabin.

Excitement fills me with joy to see him back in a healthy condition. “Zaru!” I run up the stairs to hug him, but then my foot gets caught underneath the last step and I fall to my face on the patio instead.

Zaru starts laughing to the point that a snort or two comes out of him before trying to control to muster up some words. “Oh man, I was seriously beginning to miss that.”

My head shoots upward to give him a glare. “Yeah, you enjoy yourself.” I get back to my feet, without his help, and further my claim, “It’s your own fault that you’re in this place. I wasn’t in any real dan-“

He raises a hand to me with a glum face: First time I’ve seen that. “Let me spare you the oxygen. I already got a lecture from your cousin, Omen.”

My tone completely changes to the news of more family being present. “My cousin? Where is he?”

Zaru looks over the valley. “After scolding my stupidity, he suddenly told me to stay around the house, murmured something about Fupum, and then ran off to somewhere.” He gazes back to me with his caring personality this time. “He acted like it was serious.”

We stand here starring at each other in silence before he says more. “You should get back to Ythem now.”

I look at him obfuscated. How does he know where we are?

“You need to get back now. I’ll be watching from here.”

Wha-what do you mean? What’s going on in Ythem?”

“During our chat, he said something about a cataclysm befalling Fupum.” He firmly grabs me by the arm in concern. “Vila, I’m still too weak to wake up from this place. I need you to protect my sis-“

“Vila!”

My body jolts awake to see a panicking Haru over me. I hear the huikan* birds screaming like crazy in the distance. In history class, the teacher said that they haven’t gone crazy like this since the Blood War…

“Vila, we have to get out of here!” I’ve never seen her so frightened before.

I scramble to get up and gather some of my possessions.

Everyone in the building trips over themselves and each other to abandon the hotel and leave into the crowded streets of Ythem. I can hear children cry for their mothers as they fall behind and become lost in the crowd of petrified civilians. Families are losing track of each other, calling out to their lost loved ones. The sky is so dark from the black clouds above us, mocking this once joyous city.

What are we running away from?

I’m trying to stay near our group in fear that we’ll be separated again.

Mueimma keeps stopping with Zaru unconscious on her back to turn and sniff the air. She’s probably worried about Ruus.

Caru and Haru try to rein her in so that we can board one of the ships docked at the sea shore.

It was a pain, but we finally get to the boarding docks.

A police officer stops us and lets other people on. “Please leave all animals for now, we need to make sure that we have enough room for people on the ships!” He speaks over the roaring crowd.

“What, no! We just got her back!” I exclaim with tears starting to form.

“I’m sorry ma’am, but your ousada has to stay!” He tries so hard to stay calm with all of this fear polluting the air.

Ari marches up to the man with a great aura of wrath oozing out of her and grabs the man by the shirt to pull him in closer to her savage-looking face. “You just denied a princess, dib-shit! I don’t care if this mutt’s weight makes us tip over, you’re letting her on!”

The officer doesn’t hesitate to let all of us, including Mueimma, onto the large ship.

There’s at least 2,000 people on the deck of the ship alone scrambling around to find their loved ones and make sure they’re alright. Everyone sways all over the place from the waves and the sailors try to make everyone calm down so that the boat doesn’t tip over from the uneven weight.

The multitude of boats finally begin to set sail and drive further into the crashing waves of the ocean. I stand at the railing of the boat, watching the people who were left behind throwing themselves into the water and trying to swim against the current away from the shore. I gaze above them to see what’s causing all of the chaos and see a thin needle of white glowing as it stretches from the ground all the way up into the sky. The clouds darken and twirl as they approach this giant string of power. I can feel a wrenching pull on my stomach as the realization causes me to become very uneasy.

The crew members guide all of the civilians into the congregation area of the ship in fear of a storm disturbing our route to Kiram. One man in uniform comes to place a hand on my shoulder. “Ma’am you need to come inside, this ride is gonna be bumpy.”

I just-stare at him blankly.

Dad comes up and wipes a tear from my face. “Go on now, the man just wants you to be safe. Ari and I have to stay up here and help.”

Without a thought to it, I do as I’m told and get inside to look for the others.

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Once all of the passengers enter into the congregation area below the dock of the ship, the crew members close all of the hatches. They jump back in awe from the glowing markings that suddenly appear on the doors.

“Thiill*.” Ari casts a sealing spell on the hatches so that no one sneaks out or any of the sailors decide to chicken out. She walks over to the railings and watches the needle of hell continuously suck organic material into the heavens.

Sommi joins her in contemplation. “Are you ready to fend them off? It’ll just be the two of us.” He can sense a group of holins heading for them.

As the rain begins to pour heavily on them, an object shines into her hand and forms as a small dagger with the same theme as her buster sword. “We save whoever we can.” She grabs a handful of her hair and slices the blade through to cut it off. “Might as well get rid of this, don’t want it getting in the way.” Ari hangs the dead hair over the matching ocean and releases it into the depths. She then turns to the rest of the crew and makes her command with an evil smile, “You all do your job staying here on this boat and steering it while my friend and I take care of the beasts of this great ocean!” Ignoring their confused looks, she brings her attention to Sommi. “You can take all of the ones on the south, while I take the north.”

Sommi stares at her with uncertainty. “Uh-sure…”

The waters beneath them suddenly make a low rumble that rocks the sailing fleet slightly. Great beasts of dark blue luminescent hides emerge from the Baki ocean in the distance ahead. They stand high into the sky like great titans, looking down at the moving dots below them called humans as they scramble around on their pathetic traveling boats. With one strike, they could easily take out one boat at a time. Their massive horns curve from the sides of their heads to point forward like their bull-shaped muzzles. A wall of these gigantic holins stand in defiance against the fleet of twenty ships of their destination to Kiram farther east. They wait to demolish the small buoyant vehicles.

Ari stays next to Sommi as her gaze squints with an intention of destruction towards the mighty holins. “Here’s the plan, we take them down from the middle outward as much as we can before the boats reach them.”

Sommi gulps down the great fear welling inside of him and answers shakily, “Right.”

She punches his arm for good measure. “This ain’t the time to be pissing your pants now.” The blade in her hand grows to its traditional buster sword by her side. “You can take one on your own, right?”

“Uh-yeah-I guess.”

Her glare of a radical fighting spirit intensifies towards the goliath monsters as water sprays from both the sky and the sea to create a thrashing storm. “Fuck I missed this!” She leaps into the air toward the holin straight ahead with her weapon ready to cut through.

Sommi notices a goliath on his right raising a fist in preparation. He reacts quickly by wrapping a chain around the lifted arm and then around its torso. He lands on the nape of the holin’s neck and pulls on the chain to keep it contained. A large spike in thin air is created and he forces it through the holin’s neck. As it crashes into the sea, Sommi watches a glimpse of Ari’s power play out against the rest of the giants.

She jumps from the body of her first target as it also becomes lost to the great waters and charges the others in the air. With one slash of her great blade, she passes through at least three beasts with their heads cut clean off and lands on a boat further north to regain her momentum.

Sommi can feel a quick burst of trembling fear of her abilities shutter over his body before leaping from his defeated foe and continuing to the others from the south side. One by one, he strangles them with his chain and tries to create multiple large spikes to take down at least two at a time. He manages to pick up his speed in his killing numbers before landing on the ship on the very edge of the fleet and collapsing onto one knee from exhaustion. He pants and heaves in all the oxygen he can get.

Ari fastens herself on the body of a dead holin before it crashes into the depths further north from the original boat. She makes a stance of one foot in front of the other with her torso facing the last holins and raises up her arm like she’s holding something to throw at them. With a majestic glow of white, a long spear of twice her height forms in her hand and she throws it into the head of the next holin with great power. The spear passes through with ease and advances to pierce into the next holin until it reaches the last one. Finally taking care of her half, Ari jumps to the last ship on her edge and then leaps again to the back a distance from the fleet to stand in the air just above the waves. She positions herself in a straight vertical figure and concentrates her energy in calming the waters where the fleet lies. Succeeding in this to some extent, the rest of this power is focused on creating a wave that gives the boats enough of a push to continue eastward at a quicker pace.

The momentum from the wave forces the sailors and Sommi to the wooden floors of the ships. He’s used up too much of his energy to even stand back up and have the balance to coordinate himself on the swaying boat. He’s had just about enough, everything in his body aches.

Ari realizes her mistake of amplifying the fleet’s speed when she sees a sea monster twice the size of the past holins emerge from the great depths in front of them.

Its scales glow with a bright blue pattern on a black base color through the hellish darkness from the obscuring clouds above. The lightning flashes with loud roars of thunder to give glimpses of its true awesome structure. The head and elongated neck easily size up her last opponents as its big golden eyes illuminate with a new form of wrath. The beast opens its large mouth that can take a big lake in one gulp and unleashes an ear piercing shrill for the whole world to hear its thirst for ultimate destruction.

Ari winces from her ears bleeding and feels dread wash over her. She made them head straight for it! But she’s too far behind them now, jumping for it won’t give her enough time! “No!” She leaps anyway in hopes of saving at least most of the pack.

The sea monster dashes to the group with its glowing blue-white scales and lengthened neck.

“No!”

Another sea creature of the same species jumps out of the water just in time and slams its jaws together on the opponent’s neck, getting in between the blue beast and the ships. Its white scales with a blue and golden pattern tell of its heroic nature as it wrestles with the vicious enemy.

Ari stops her charge at the exact boat she started on in the middle of the fleet and watches the battle between the two largest animals known in Fupum. Despite all of the sailors cowering in fear of the god-like battle between the symbols of good and evil, Ari gazes at her pale hero in awe. The word slips through her lips, “Omen…” The pride of her beloved son paralyzes her to admire his good nature and prevailing spirit.

Omen takes every opportunity he can to chomp onto the beast’s reptilic skin and tear it to draw blood. The sea monster also has his fair share of ripping through his scales and tainting them with his own blood. The waters crash and ripple with massive waves without regard to the ships.

Ari keeps her place by maintaining the original path to Kiram. They must get to Kiram. They have to make it to Catherr.

Omen starts to drag the monster northward and gain the upper hand. The sea serpent becomes overwhelmed by his prowess as he forces his way on top of his body. He manages to sink it down into the ocean with his jaws dislocating the head from the neck.

Ari then spots yet another enormous foe who stands even greater than the last opponent. Its dark purple and plain stature reaches to the heavens. The human likeness of the holin is nearly able to hide its face in the whirling chaotic clouds above them as the white eyes gaze into nothingness like the boats or the sea monsters don’t even exist.

Omen finishes his kill and looks to the same demon ahead. He gazes his red eyes directly to his mother and they form a mutual idea. Omen then enters his whole body into the waters to position himself a distance from the fleet closer to the gargantuan thing.

Ari jumps to the highest pole of the ship for the sail and focuses her energy while balancing on the tip. Her blade glows with white as it grows to an enormous length until the tip touches the ocean to her side away from the boat. Her knees bend for her to leap into the air towards Omen as he stretches to the hazardous sky as far as he can. One foot of her’s plants onto the top of his head and she bursts even higher into the air and forward to the holin. A screech of victory and power explodes from her mouth as her massive blade awaits its command to strike over her head. With one cut down the middle, head to toe, she slices through the boss.

The two halves slowly gain velocity as they fall into the ocean and contain life no more. A great gash slices through the baki ocean where Ari made her strike and then refills itself.

Omen does his best to shield the fleet from the waves caused by the impact of the dead holin that’s colliding into the watery grave.

Ari controls the gravity around her feet to stay above the water again and stares into the distance where Kiram lies. The sky finally opens up to let Tethalia praise her for her brave actions and glorify her astounding accomplishment. Ari soaks in the long-awaited light peacefully as the wind dries her clothing and short hair with its cold breath.

She has won this battle for sure.

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Huikan­- This is a large species of bird that has been bread over the years during the Blood War to act as a large-scale alarm or siren for any major events such as an air raid.

Thiill- From the same language as Shruul, it means “seal” or “Barrier.”