Chapter 86 The Eye of the Storm
We stepped through the vortex and into the heart of the sun.
The transition was instant and violent. One moment we were in a dark, wind-swept corridor; the next, we were standing on a platform suspended in an ocean of blinding light.
The Apex Chamber transformed into an open space when its roof became a cyclone of aurora borealis that ascended into the stratosphere. The space which existed as a room had transformed into an infinite void which extended beyond the visible horizon after the walls vanished to create waterfalls of glowing liquid light.
The Avatar took the place which used to belong to Vespera's throne.
The Overcharge had taken physical form.
The creature stood ten feet tall and took on a humanoid shape which combined starlight with blooming flowers and crackling lightning. The creature possessed four arms which moved with hypnotic grace while its face continuously shifted between different energy patterns that displayed every existing color.
The object displayed a dual nature. The object displayed a dual nature. A god created from our mistake became their terrible creation.
The Avatar shouted, "WELCOME!"
The voice transmitted its message without using any mouth. The sound resonated through our body as it traveled through both the floor and the air. The sound produced by the breaking dam combined with a thousand children singing in harmony.
"The garden has been finished and you have become its initial seeds."
Vane tightened his grip on the pistol while he made the remark that the entity regarded them as fertilizer. He aimed at the entity, but his hand was shaking. The question arose about how to shoot at a storm.
Kael whispered that the planet contained its own consciousness. "We fueled the magic too much. It woke up. The entity wanted to expand its territory until it reached all of the stars. It believes that its actions will protect us because it consumes us.
Ryker took a step forward.
He displayed no eye protection. He showed no signs of being impressed. The Void Heart in his hand emitted a grey silence bubble which followed him around while reducing the Avatar's deafening sound.
Ryker announced, "Target identified." His voice emerged as a sharp sound that cut through the surrounding chaos. The being belonged to Class Alpha\-Omega Entity and presented an Absolute threat level.
He elevated the black stone upward.
"The process of cleansing the space will begin now."
The Avatar faced Ryker while it shifted its gaze from him. The entity perceived the existence of the Void. It recognized the space which rejected its attempt to create an unending universe.
The Avatar proclaimed, "YOU ARE HOLLOW" while his voice transitioned from regular speech into a powerful thunder of an octave lower. The entity declared his presence as DEATH who had no permission to enter the GARDEN.
The Avatar raised one of its four hands. A beam of pure white fire—hotter than a star—shot toward Ryker.
I screamed, "Ryker, move!" while creating a wind shield that I knew would be useless against such power.
He didn't move from his position while holding up the Void Heart.
FWOOM.
The beam of white fire hit the black stone.
The object remained intact without any explosion. The thing disappeared from existence. The Void Heart absorbed all energy by consuming every light particle just like a black hole consumes a star. The stone absorbed all fire which materialized from the fire and subsequently deleted everything.
Ryker took a step forward.
Ryker explained "Your energy operates at an inefficient rate." "I will rectify the situation."
He pushed the stone forward. From his hand, an overwhelming wave of total darkness shot forward.
The moment the darkness made contact with the floor, the glowing moss instantly transformed into grey ash. The wind vanished as it made contact with the air. The destruction of magic resulted in complete elimination of all aspects which existed within the room's reality.
Ryker was making all reality disappear from existence.
The Avatar unleashed a piercing shriek which resulted in all remaining glass from the phantom windows to shatter.
The Avatar performed an attack using matter during its next assault. The Avatar slammed its lower hands into the ground. Massive, thorny vines—thick as redwood trees—erupted from the floor, wrapping around Ryker’s legs, trying to crush him and pull him into the abyss.
Ryker showed no interest in the vine pile which he declared an impressive quantity of vines.
He touched the stone to the vines.
POOF.
The matter simply ceased to exist. The space remained empty of any material from the area which used to exist. The entire area vanished without leaving behind any evidence of its existence.
He kept walking forward while he moved. He was a walking apocalypse.
The Commander realized with horror that he had reached the conclusion that "He is going to kill it." "He will completely erase the Avatar from existence.
The Avatar's erasure will result in complete magic destruction." Kael yelled over the wind. "The shockwave will wipe out the city! We need to plant the stone in the center, not use it as a weapon! We must create balance with it instead of making it die.
"Ryker!" I ran toward him while the wind pushed against me which made me unsure of my steps. "Ryker, stop! You need to plant the stone!
Ryker did not listen to my words. He either did not hear me or did not show any concern.
The man maintained his focus on the Avatar. The black stone became brighter through an intense luminous display which consumed all magical power present in the room because it used Ryker's mind as a source to generate more power.
The incident occurred in front of my eyes. Ryker's face became completely expressionless. His worry lines and laughter scars and his rage scars began to disappear from his skin. He was transforming into a complete Y blank state.
The Avatar screamed its rage with the words "DIE HOLLOW THING".
The creature struck its four hands together.
A wave of creation power struck our location. My skin developed flower patterns. The blue butterflies emerged from Kael's datapad when it transformed into a butterfly swarm. The Commander's gun transformed into a snake that made hissing sounds.
What about Ryker?
A loud roar came from Ryker.
He shouted "SILENCE".
He created a portal into the Void.
His body produced a huge dome of black energy which spread throughout the surrounding area. The energy created a forward motion which brought everything back to its original state. The impact struck the Avatar, causing damage to its body. The Avatar let out a loud cry when its starlight arm was completely dissolved into empty space.
Ryker jumped.
He tackled the Avatar. The Man of Nothing and the God of Everything smashed into the center of the room.
The laws of physics bent because Ryker's punches caused the Avatar's body to release light at every point where his fists made contact. The Avatar burned him with energy which burned his skin while it used light to purify his body. Yet Ryker refused to show any signs of pain. His only mission objective was his mission.
He held the Avatar to the ground while he prepared to crush the Void Heart directly into the entity's chest.
I jumped on him to stop his movement "Ryker no".
I held him at the waist, but my efforts to pull him resulted in my failure. He stood there as if he was a mountain that was impossible to lift. He remained stiff because he had entered a state that prevented any movement.
Ryker growled at her to "Get off". He refused to look at me. He focused on the opponent who lay beneath his position. "It is resisting. I must delete it."
"You're not a killer! I sobbed while digging my heels into the crumbling floor. "You are a Guardian! Our mission is about maintaining harmony instead of bringing people to their deaths.
He stopped moving.
He stopped moving while speaking the word "Guardian".
He returned his gaze to me.
His eyes were terrifying because they appeared as two pools of oil. The gold was gone. Ryker no longer existed in his eyes.
Ryker demanded "Define Guardian".
"Your duty is to protect everything. I cried while my tears flowed down my face. "You protect the world! You protect... me!
He looked down at me while he stared at my face. The shining tears flowed down my cheeks. He blinked his eyes to capture the moment with his camera.
Ryker whispered "I know you.
I smiled through my tears as hope filled my heart. "Yes! I'm Elara! I'm your wife!
"I refuse to accept that he said with a blood-freezing tone "You are the Vessel. You are the battery.
My smile disappeared. My heart shattered into pieces.
Ryker looked again at the Void Heart in his hand. The thing in his hand vibrated while screaming against the Avatar's life. "The mission parameters... include your survival.
The black stone made the Avatar stand too far from his position.
Ryker spoke through his mechanical voice "If I delete this entity the atmospheric collapse will kill the Vessel with 100% chance of death.
I said "Yes! because I seized the remaining logical reasoning he had. "So don't kill it! Just... calm it down!
He studied the center of the room which contained a bright white fissure in the floor which served as the Overcharge's source.
Ryker stated "The Pedestal" The insertion point.
The Avatar stood up as he completed the action. He seized the Avatar by its light throat.
The act of killing it did not occur. The action resulted in him throwing it.
The Avatar flew across the room and slammed into the wall while it showed signs of dazedness and flickered between states.
Ryker moved toward the fissure. He held the Void Heart above the crack in the world. The stone and fissure energies began to create loud alarm sounds as their distance decreased.
Elara he called. He didn't turn around.
I whispered "I'm here".
Ryker explained "I am about to insert the stone. "The energy release will be catastrophic. "Take cover.
"What about you? I felt compelled to ask. "If you let go of the stone... will you come back?
Ryker looked at his empty hand. He looked at the Void Heart.
"Unknown" he replied.
Ryker please stop. I stepped toward him. "Try to remember something. Anything. "Remember the soup. Remember the dance. Remember the kiss.
He seemed to hesitate for just a moment. He closed his eyes for a second, searching the archives of his mind.
He spoke the words "Data not found.
He dropped the stone.
The white fissure received the Void Heart as its falling object.
CLICK.
The universe experienced a moment of silence.
The Black Stone collided with the White Light.
The Balance began.