The suspicious behaviour around the borders of Anamothra had been more serious than originally thought but with my effective team, we had dealt with the situation fairly quickly.

“Well done,” I praised them. Ibiki and Kiba had even surprised me in their execution of flying on the winged lions.

“Now what?” asked Ibiki.

“We’ll have to secure the area before sending a message to King Skyrus about getting a clean-up crew up here,” I answered.

Kiba wondered closer to the edge, just to check on the fallen Cathartes, but before he could say anything I sensed a massive boost in dark energy.

I dashed over, looking down directly at the dark Avis. He was clung to a dark crystal, his wounds healing themselves at an unfathomable speed.

“Hahaha,” he began laughing. “You have seen nothing of the darkness’s true power Fang. You may be strong, but he will grow more powerful the longer this world is filled with his essence.”

“I…” I was about to jump down when Kiba stopped me.

“Don’t,” he shook his head. “Not while he is releasing all that energy, you saw what happened last time when there was a massive surge.”

He was right, I didn’t want to be a burden to them if my power ended up disrupted again. I would not take the chance if it could be prevented.

“Do you want us to go down?” asked Lin.

“No.” I shook my head, not wanting to put any of them in danger, especially that much exposure to the darkness.

“What is he doing?” Edge watched with a horrified expression.

I watched as the energy from the dark crystals connected with each other, sparking off into different direction until it started to connect with the bodies of the Cathartes. Each one being pulled together as if magnetic.

“I’ll show you, what the eternal dragon’s power is capable off.” He continued to laugh as the dark crystals crumbled away, there whole form joining with the Cathartes but they no longer looked like Cathartes just a mass of black feathers.

The sparks and dark power intensified as the dark Avis ascended, coming up in front of his strange, constructed sphere. The wounds I had previously inflicted were no longer there.

“I doubt you’ll survive this one.” He opened his arms. “Perhaps you’ll win in a different life. This world belongs to my master.”

The mass of feathers shifted as its shape began to change. Two wings, a neck, talons, it was changing into a giant vulture.

“What have you done to them?!” I shouted. There might have been no way to save the survivors from the inflicted darkness, or even had a place to call home but the dead deserved to have an honourable burial.

“They have taken the form my master thinks is best for them, a true statement of his power.” He ascended higher. “Bye Fang.” He did a little bow and flew off.

The great vulture flapped its wings causing strong winds to blow in our direction. The gust was so powerful the rocks beneath trembled, flickering off in different directions.

I glanced back seeing everyone struggling to prevent themselves from being blown away. Edge leaned forward clinging to the ground with his claws.

Raziel and Arata did their best to shelter them from it, but even they were struggling to stay stood where they were.

I reached my hand out, sensing the wind as it was directed at us. Wind was nothing but a toy to the power Larana possessed.

I manipulated the wind, willing it to flow around me, expanding it further as protection to the others. I couldn’t have them being blown away.

The great vulture screeched, landing heavily on top of us, luckily the talons had missed us. Nobody moved waiting for the vulture’s next move. This bird was leaking out dark energy, it was far thicker than I had ever seen it, breathing it out like a toxin.

We would all have to be careful if we were all to make it through this battle without being injured. I had wanted to go after the dark Avis, but I could not leave my unit to face such a monstrous beast.