Infinite Realm: Monsters & Legends

Chapter 461: Tali

Fire And Sky

"You see!" Kael pointed at the viewscreen, where the Golden Phoenix's fire bloomed, killing the threat from the Dome, but also others. "She doesn't care, she is killing her own people. These are the people that we need to take down."

He rounded to look at Berion, and he couldn't help but look away. He was the only one among them that was vocal with his disagreements.

"You know that they need to go, Berion," Kael continued, a mad glint in his eyes. It was a look of someone who held complete conviction in his belief. Who had built himself around an idea and could not see anything else.

Berion turned his eyes back to what he was happening, the Phoenix's flames burning her own people. The sheer disregard of life made him so angry that he could barely keep himself from striking across space. But in the end, he owed Kael everything. And he did agree that some of the people ruling this world were not worthy of the trust and responsibility they held.

But taking them, giving them to the yeti for whatever nefarious purpose he had... that was what was bothering Berion the most. He kept silent, the others had all decided on this course, it was not his place to disagree.

Then the viewscreen cut out, and Berion straightened as he felt a change in the distance.

"What happened?" Kael asked.

"I don't know," Fethum answered, looking their array over, trying to turn it on again.

Berion's sense of the space around them had changed. He could no longer clearly sense the space in the Dome area. He focused his will and mind, and with |I Was One With Space| he extended his sense.

The world surrounding the Dome, was... changed. He could feel a powerful will of another leaning on Space and everything else.

"Ber?" Kael called, and he turned his attention to the others. Kael waved his hand, then asked. "Can you?"

Berion focused his mind and willpower, his Qi moving through his body in an enhancing technique, {Spatial Unity}, that made him more in tune with the space around him. Its range was short, or at least, it used to be. But ever since he became a Sage and made a Way, the range of all of his powers had skyrocketed. With ease, he reached out and poked at the edges of whatever it was that blocked him. It wasn't a real block, it was... almost as if the Essence in that area no longer wished to obey anything outside of it.

It was... interesting. He focused his will leaned on the space. It refused him at the start, but then he opened himself to the Plane of Space, the Plane that existed everywhere in one shape or another, that touched all existence. It knew him, and it opened its arms to him. Slowly, he pushed his awareness through the block and then with |I Fold Space| and {Spatial Bend} he shaped a square in front of him. Qi bent space in the shape of a window, creating the framework for his Skill. With his will, he lightly folded an area of space, just a flat plane, enough to reach his Qi through and shape a mirror of the window. Then he opened it up, and light spilled through, opening up a window for them to watch.

Everyone leaned in, trying to see what was happening. Smoke and fire were everywhere, a roar like thunder echoed in their cave and a high pitched cry followed it after. Even through space he could feel the power being unleashed. The sky was shaking in the distance. Cracks were opening up and the sky was breaking as Void spilled through them. Black and red flames burned everywhere in the shape of a phoenix.

"They are fighting," Kael whispered. "This is our opportunity, get ready."

Berion saw their targets fighting each other and felt a deep sense of... disgust. They couldn't even set aside their differences for long enough to fight a threat that could kill so many innocents.

Perhaps Kael is right, he thought to himself as he got ready to take them all across space.

Tali didn't hesitate, she activated her Evolved Form: Grand Minokawa. Her body grew in size, her neck elongating and her face changing to that of a predator, a short but powerful beak replaced her mouth, and two sharp eyes took place above it. Her wings grew two more pairs burst from her back and spread wide as her tail elongated and grew four spikes at the tip. Black and grey feathers covered her body, each glistening in the light as if it was made out of metal. A Cloak of Sky Qi shrouded her, a faint grey sheet that increased her control. She felt the wind on her face as she dove straight through the smoke, falling on top of her target. She moved her Qi, shaping techniques in an instant. With Sky Qi and {One With the World} sheincreased her stats and established a connection with the Sky around her as she had to be precise, with {Empty Dominion} and Bond Qi she cleared her mind of all things but what was in front of her. She focused the {One Bonded Sky} and {Empty World} techniques into her body, waiting for the moment to release them.

As she fell, her passage blew away the smoke around her along with the flames and heat. Awirren was on the ground, sitting in a crater filled with ash, dust, and broken earth. Lines of golden and red fire that was what remained of her ideal moved across the ground like a living thing, seeking any threat remaining.

Awirren raised her head suddenly, and noticed Tali. Her eyes narrowed, and for a moment she was confused, almost surprised. Then Tali saw the realization in her eyes. The Phoenix's flames flared, the golden color growing dimmer as more red burned around her.

She made to evade, Tali felt powers activating, but a voice echoed in the world around them.

"YOU STRIKE TRUE."

Tali reared back, bringing her clawed feet to bear. Tali's evasion attempts slipped from her as the world itself conspired against her. Tali slammed into her. She struck with {One Bonded Sky} hitting with the weight of all the Sky at her back. The weight of the world hit Awirren and Tali's claws biting deep, pushing the Phoenix into the ground, cratering it and sending a ripple of earth in all directions.

Bones cracked beneath her, and flesh parted. The heat intensified, her claws burned, red flames lashed out and burned the surface of Tali's feathers. Tali's soul cried out in memory and in pain as she felt it burning her.

But in that moment when she struck, the moment when Awirren was dazed, where her mind had to be concussed and will faltering, Tali was fully focused on only one thing. She released her second technique.

{Empty World} unleashed through her feet, a surge of Bond Qi technique that sought to destroy everything in its wake. Bond met Soulfire, and clashed in a display of flaring power. Essence fought being torn apart, as will matched will. For a moment there it was as if time stopped, as they were poised there one above the other. And then Tali's technique pushed through. Feathers broke apart, and flesh burst open, bones cracked as her Qi pulled apart pieces of them, but not all. Awirren's body was resilient, and the fire all around Tali resisted having its bonds pulled apart.

It was almost as if it was a living thing, but Tali didn't have the time to think about it as the all flames around them rushed toward her. The golden light turned fully red and Tali felt it intimately. This close to another Soul, her Bonds of Soul and Sky, her Early Eternal Realm perk, could feel the full weight of another Soul, and its anger. She realized that somehow, Awirren had put a piece of her soul into her Qi, into all of her power, and that made it harder to destroy with her Bond Qi, it was not just her will and the meaning of her Essence that Tali's attack had to overcome, but also the power of Awirren's Soul.

She had no choice but to beat her wings and with |Mine Are The Winds, And The Sky|blast into the air, far away.

Fire covered Awirren fully, obscuring her as the flames turned dark red. And then they blasted up in a pillar of fire that sought Tali's death. With her |Greater Sky Evasion| Tali rolled out of the way.

Then a blur of gold and red blasted into the air, and flew above her, then Awirren spread her wings and her eyes met Tali's. Her body was ravaged, her chest open and blood flowed down the feathers that were turning red.

"Why?" Awirren just said.

Tali raised her head, feeling no shame. "You know why," she told her. "You tried to kill me, and you are insane, no matter how you pretend. If you were willing to kill me, your best friend, then I shudder to think what you will do once you lose the little control you have left."

Up above, Sigmund slowly lowered on his flying disk, to stand across from Awirren as well. Glowing orbs filled the air around him, ready to fire. But Tali could tell that he had expanded too much will to do much in the fight. Keeping the world from seeing what they were doing had cost him.

Tali used her ring, trying to see Awirren's screens. And just like before, she saw the clearly edited sheet. She had a more powerful item now, but she still couldn't see everything for some reason.

Awirren looked at Sigmund, then her beak opened and she cried out a piercing sound that made Tali's ears hurt. "I HELPED THEM ALL! I FOUGHT AND KILLED THE DOME MONSTERS, I AM NOT INSANE! THEY ALL KNOW ME, THEY LOVE ME!"

Tali grimaced at her tone. She could feel it reverberating inside her Soul. It was as if Awirren had somehow learned to reflect the true meaning of her Soul on the world around her. It was something that Tali and Ryun had only talked about. But she couldn't understand how Awirren was able to do it. Yet, some things made more sense now, like how Tali lost their last fight. "Look around you Awirren," Tali gestured with one wing. "You lost control. You killed your own people, those that survived are running away from you in fear."

Awirren's eyes turned to look in the distance, where the survivors were flying toward the perimeter fleet. Her eyes darkened, and for a moment Tali felt her entire Soul shudder as she felt something she couldn't even begin to describe coming from Awirren.

"YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO HELP ME," Awirren yelled, her tone deep and menacing. "BUT YOU TRICKED ME, YOU MADE ME STUCK IN PLACE, WITH NO WAY TO ADVANCE. YOU WERE JELOUS OF ME AND MY PLACE IN THE SKY. SHINING A LIGHT FOR ALL TO SEE."

Tali shook her head. They knew so little about Cultivation and what sharing inspiration truly meant, they still didn't understand it. How much had her understanding changed since she met Ryun? There were secrets in this world that none of them had even scratched the surface of. And yet, this wasn't about any of that. She could Awirren that she was mad, that she killed people and had to be put down all she wanted, but in the end, it wasn't about any of that. She steeled her mind and looked at her old friend with all intent she had.

"I didn't trick you," Tali responded. "I just wanted to help you, I loved you, and you turned your back on me. You tried to kill me. Because of you, I endured pain unlike anything that you can imagine, I was a slave. Nothing you did after matters; I will have my revenge."

The gold of Awirren's flames dimmed. "I AM THE RULER OF THESE SKIES, NOT YOU. I AM THE EMPRESS OF THIS DOMAIN. I AM THE BEACON THAT SWALLOWS ALL LIGHT IN THE SKY," Awirren's words made the world tremble, and Tali felt it in her soul. She didn't know how, but she recognized her words for what they were, a name, Awirren's True Name. The sun in the sky darkened, and her flames turned a darker shade of red.

Awirren reached up with one of her legs, then opened her beak and grabbed a pure black ring around one of her fingers. With a quick movement, she pulled it off, and it turned into black mist, disappearing.

A moment later Tali shuddered as Awirren's feathers and flames turned pure black. A wave of something unseen spread out of Awirren, something that made Tali's Soul want to scream and turn around, run away as far and as fast as she possibly could. Above her Sigmund doubled over, as if in physical pain.

Awirren's power flashed around her, and Tali recognized the feel of it. Quickly, she triggered her scrying ring again, and looked at Awirren's screens. This time she saw something entirely different.

"Awirren," Tali whispered. "What did you do?"

"YOU ROBBED ME OF THE PEAK OF CULTIVATION, BUT A CLASS HAS NO SUCH RESTRICTIONS, ONLY ONE'S DEEDS. AND I AM THE GRANDEST THERE IS."

Before Tali could respond, she felt abilities triggering, and Awirren blasted in her direction with a howling wind at her back.