Chapter 85 The Summit
The final stretch of the climb was not a journey through a building; it was an ascent into the throat of a hurricane.
We had already crossed through the lower floors which contained twisted gravity and the deadly guardians of the middle tiers, but Level 99 presented a completely different challenge. The air here had such powerful magical energy that my arm hairs stood up while they created static electricity. Every breath brought a taste of copper and ozone which created a metallic flavor that filled my throat and caused my teeth to feel pain.
The Spire had reached a point where its structural integrity began to collapse. The steel beams which supported the skyscraper began to produce loud groans and shrieks as they faced the extreme pressure from the strange storm which battered us from above. The walls had lost their solid state because they began to vibrate while they disappeared from view like a faulty holographic display.
Kael shouted "Steady" as the wind roared through the hallway. He was holding his datapad against his chest while his face showed extreme paleness and his body was covered in sweat. The reality anchor was reaching its failure point. Our falling motion from this point would lead to our complete disappearance from existence.
Vane held onto the stair railing while he stood with his one good hand. The mechanical arm of his body created a loud whirring sound as the servos faced difficulties due to the magnetic interference. "Just what I wanted to hear before I die" he said in a sarcastic tone.
We completed our journey up the last staircase. The elevators had vanished completely after the Overcharge heat melted them into fused slag. The stairs had a glowing moss which created a slippery surface that pulsed with a heartbeat which I could sense through the floor.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
The Avatar produced its heartbeat sound. The planet's consciousness remained at the top of the mountain until we arrived to visit it.
Ryker led the expedition team.
He advanced forward with a terrifying calmness that could not be stopped. The strong gusts of winds pulled his black tactical coat around his legs yet he maintained his position without moving towards the storm. The wind passed through him without making contact because he walked through it. The Void Heart on his belt began to vibrate with energy which produced a low tone that muffled the sound of the storm, whenever I approached its location.
The entity showed signs of hunger. It detected a large energy source waiting inside the Apex Chamber, which it used to pull Ryker towards it like a hound pulling on a leash.
"Ryker, slow down" I shouted, but the wind carried my voice away from him. "We need to regroup before we breach the doors" he said.
He continued walking forward without any interruption. He maintained his original speed without any signs of stopping.
"Regrouping is inefficient" his voice reached my ears from the stairwell through its undesired echoes. "The enemy is preparing. Time is a resource we do not possess."
I pushed my legs beyond their exhaustion limits to move faster. I reached his position as soon as we stepped onto the Level 99 landing.
We stopped.
The heavy double doors which led into Vespera's throne room, the Apex Chamber, had vanished from their original location. A swirling vortex of blinding white light and deafening noise had replaced them. The world appeared to have been ripped apart because a hole had emerged, which showed the core of a star.
The power which emerged from the doorway pushed me backward, forcing me to take one step back. The temperature was unbearable hot while it also had a magical coldness which froze my bones to the core.
The Commander approached me to say "This is it." He attempted to operate his shotgun but the action had no effect against the cosmic force which stood in front of us. "The Eye of the Storm."
Vane approached the light's border to shield his vision with his metal arm. He shouted "So" so the gale could carry his voice to hearable volume. "We just walk into the magical blender? That’s the plan? he asked.
"The path which we need to take leads us here" Ryker explained.
He positioned himself in front of the vortex. The light from above him created a shadow that extended across the corridor floor. He appeared to be a man-shaped hole in the universe which had been cut from the void.
He reached down and unclipped the pouch on his belt. He took out the Void Heart.
The stone had transformed from black to another color. The object absorbed surrounding light to a level which made it look like a sphere of negative space that distorted the air above his fingertips.
Ryker stated "This mission ends here."
He rotated his body to face our direction.
His face showed no emotion except his body had transformed into a statue. He studied the Commander. He studied Kael. He studied Vane. His gaze moved to each person for just one brief moment to analyze their abilities before deciding they lacked worth.
He shifted his gaze to me.
I held my breath. I searched his eyes—those golden eyes that I had fallen in love with, the eyes that used to look at me with such intensity that I felt like the only person in the world.
For a second—just a heartbreaking split second—I thought I saw a flicker. A small spark of warmth existed deep inside the golden object. A malfunction had occurred within the Void's programming system.
"Elara" he said.
My heart leaped into my throat. He had not addressed me as "Vessel." Instead, he had used my real name.
Yes? I stepped closer, reaching out my hand. "Ryker, are you in there? Are you back?
He watched my hand approach. He stayed where he was without moving but refused to touch my hand.
"Stay away from me" he said.
His voice maintained its calm tone without showing any signs of anger. His tone expressed truthfulness that sounded like a warning label found on a bottle containing toxic material.
"What? I whispered, with my hand stuck in mid-air.
"Ryker said "You are breakable."
The man pointed to the storm which was affecting his back and then he indicated the dark stone which he was holding.
The man explained his activation process while demonstrating it through his actions. The biological matter in close proximity will experience damage. You are weak because standing at the distance you are will lead to your destruction.
The woman did not show her affection toward him because she wanted to protect her husband from his death. The engine mechanic experienced the same feeling as he wanted to keep others away from the running machine because he knew the cleaning process would create a difficult situation.
My heart experienced a painful break.
I stated "I am not fragile" while my voice showed both my sadness and my determination to fight. I am the Origin because I can handle the light.
Ryker confirmed "The light exists" but he stated "I will bring the dark instead of the light".
He moved his body away from me while he changed how he held the stone.
Ryker ordered his team to follow him while he commanded them to stay behind because he wanted complete control of the situation. The entity should not be engaged until I complete my mission to destroy its main defense systems. The group should remain inside the Void's dark area.
The man continued to move without stopping to receive a response from the audience. The man advanced toward the front section of the room.
The man walked directly into the center of the vortex.
The light captured him without delay. The bright area showed his lone figure who walked toward the fire before he vanished from sight.
The wind howled with increasing intensity because the storm wanted to scream against his presence.
Vane released a deep breath which showed his nervousness while he spoke. "At parties he is an enjoyable person to be with.
The Commander stated that the soldier was focused on his work but his body language showed that he shared my level of disturbance.
I whispered "Everyone here needs to work" while I wiped the tear from my face. We have to protect him until he finishes his work because the world needs him to stay alive.
I used my remaining strength to summon my last energy. I called upon the Origin Stone which filled my body with its white light to create a defense against the high atmospheric pressure.
I said "Let's leave now" to solve our problem.
I stepped into the vortex.
The world became completely white. All sound disappeared from existence. The floor vanished from view.
We experienced three different states of motion which included falling and flying while we remained stationary. We managed to pass through the barrier.
We followed him into the last battle.