CHAPTER 179: Harmony Returns and the Rogue Beasts Disappear
CHAPTER 179: Harmony Returns and the Rogue Beasts Disappear
There was a terrifying moment when it seemed like the world might end.
A behemoth from a bygone era, the hideous thing towered above the broken battlefield, radiating a blackness beyond all realms. Its voice was a deep, never-ending roar that seemed to rip away the very fabric of life, and its many eyes shone like suns fading into dark holes.
The soldiers of the Eclipse and Celestial worlds stood still around Rowan and Selene, their swords drooping, their hearts seized by an emotion that was older than memory: terror.
However, then
A heartbeat.
At first, it was faint, like a pulse whispering. becomes more powerful. Then roaring.
A shaft of pure, braided light, silver-threaded with deep indigo, swung down from the united heavens above, hitting the soil between the defenders and the giant monster. The earth trembled with regeneration rather than fear as it sang with force.
Selene gasped and grasped Rowan's fingers closer.
The Eclipse kid moved forward, her little body seeming almost enormous in the light. Her voice came loud and clear:
"This new world is not yours. You are the deterioration of the past. Start."
The giant let forth a screech that ripped through the skies and tore at their spirits. The combined power blazed, creating a barrier around the assembled defenders as it lashed out.
Then a miracle occurred.
The horrific monsters created from tainted Eclipse energy, known as rogue beasts, started to falter all over the battlefield. They whimpered in confusion as their snarls diminished. Their hideous forms lost shape and shimmered like vapor.
One by one, they disappeared not in pain or devastation, but just melting into the blending energies that were now engulfing the world.
The ground froze.
The sky became more radiant.
The shadows flinched.
And the enormous creature itself seemed to wane as the last renegade beast vanished, its many-eyed eyes wavering, unsure. It was poisoned by the equilibrium of the combined worlds, the meticulous blending of light and shade.
It let out another yell of rage, but as it did so, its shape started to tear at the seams, vanishing into streams of black mist that were drawn back through the opening it had carved.
And then, quiet.
A deep, painful quiet.
Breathing heavily, Rowan felt the earth's steady pulse under his boots. Around him, warriors fell on their knees, wolves transformed back into humans, and screams of relief and anguish soared into the now-calm sky.
With unshed tears shining in her silver eyes, Selene turned to face him.
"It's over," she said in a whisper.
However, Rowan felt something more a weight still weighing on the air and gently shook his head.
With her golden eyes calm yet unwavering, the Eclipse kid stepped forward once again.
She said, "The rogue beasts are gone." "Balance has arrived. However, it is brittle.
She gestured toward the rift's remains, a dim scar that pulsed gently in the sky.
"The wound persists despite the merging of the worlds. It will fester if left unchecked. It may yet give birth to new creatures.
Unbowed yet bruised, Kael took a stride forward. "Then what do we do?"
As if listening to a voice that no one else could hear, the toddler cocked her head.
Her words, "There must be Guardians," "One from the ancient realms on either side. under oath. by blood. Eternal guardians, in order for this delicate tranquility to continue."
Selene's face became white.
Before she ever spoke a word, Rowan knew.
"They mean us," said Selene.
The youngster gave a serious nod. "You, Kael, and Rowan. Both worlds touched everyone. You are all perched on the precipice between what was and what has to be.
Like a cloak, Rowan felt the weight fall upon him.
He had believed that the struggle was over.
The real cost, however, was this.
Not your typical existence. No peaceful future. He would not be able to live the life he and Selene had imagined. They would change from becoming something less to something greater.
Kael laughed quietly and without amusement. "I suppose that the universe always had more ambitious plans for us."
Selene gave Rowan's hand a squeeze. "If we do this can we still be together?"
The toddler gave a sad little grin. "No mortal heart will ever be tied the way you will be. Yes, all together. Therefore, you are no longer really a part of the world you battled to preserve."
Rowan's chest ached in a bittersweet way. He glanced at Selene, and he saw the same unwavering loyalty and furious love in her eyes.
They had already chosen love.
They would pick it once again.
even if they had to pay the price.
He gave a nod.
"I accept."
Selene inhaled, then nodded in agreement. "So do I."
Kael gave a grunt. Yes, all right. However, the first watch rotation will go to me.
Like sunshine penetrating storm clouds, a gentle chuckle echoed among the assembled soldiers.
A fresh, smaller fissure appeared in front of them as the youngster lifted her hands. It was exquisite, throbbing softly like a live heart and composed of both dark and bright strands.
"Step through," advised her. "Bind yourselves to the realms."
Kael moved up to stand next to Rowan as he tightened his grip on Selene's hand. The pack and the remains of the army watched in respectful stillness as they marched toward the gap together.
When they stepped inside the doorway
A flurry of light surrounded them.
They spun through images of all that had been and everything that may be as they were drawn through time and space. They saw a thousand possible outcomes: unity, treachery, conflict, and peace.
Something settled in Rowan's gut.
A force.
A fate.
He tightened his grip on Selene's hand.
Then they touched down
Not in combat.
Not up there in the skies.
Not in the country of eclipses.
But someplace else.
A vast, unexplored world. Mountains rising into the unending sky. Infinite fields of glowing flowers are woven with rivers of silver. Overhead, two moons hung in the sky.
Wide-eyed, Selene stumbled and caught herself.
Kael muttered a curse. "Where the hell are we?"
A person waited in front of them.
Not the kid.
No one knew.
However, a lady wearing garments of changing shadow and starlight had a fabric made from the night sky itself to veil her eyes.
Her speech reverberated inside their brains as she raised a hand.
"You have stepped into the Realm Beyond the cradle of all worlds."
She pulled off her hood to show a face that was both youthful and old, ugly and lovely.
"But you are not the first to come here."
In the distance behind her, individuals emerged from the mists, and shadows moved. There are hundreds of them.
Rowan's heart then fell.
He recognized some of their faces.
Warriors who have been lost.
Heroes lost to time.
Long ago, enemies believed they had been defeated.
Beside him, Selene tensed.
Once again, Kael swore, this time beneath his breath.
With a smile that was both wicked and compassionate, the lady in the starlight grinned.
"Welcome to your true trial, Guardians," she said.
"Only those who conquer the past may shape the future."
And the army of the lost charged as the mists completely parted.