Chapter 31
An unending drumbeat echoed throughout the Realm as the myst in the air turned viscous and chaotic. A boy of white hair and a tattered green robe sat immersed in an immense pillar of energy, a pylon piercing through the darkening sky. With more power than he had ever wielded, Kalex let his intentions be known to the beings attempting to force their way into his Realm. His words brought the attacks to a stop for a moment, but they started again with increased vigor. Using the power available to him, he would be able to hold the intruders off, but only barely. With new residents trusting him to provide protection, he would hold on as long as it would take– for the Realm would not be broken.
An avatar of Lex approached the struggling form of Kalex soon after the bludgeoning of the barrier resumed, providing any aid he could. “You must hold on, Mr. Wounder. Although we don’t have the resources to fight the Lumen and protect the Realm, we can hold out.” Lex said in a voice halfway between relaxed and urgent. “I understand that your control over the barrier isn’t total, but allow me to assist.” Lex moved closer to the pedestal and the avatar started to stretch into the black crystal that was his original body. Kalex could only grunt in response.
Hours passed as the battle of attrition continued. Other than the continuous hollow thumps and the patter of Kalex’s sweat falling to the cave floor, all was quiet. The lack of sound was unnerving to every resident of the new realm, but they continued to hide away from the violent racket that was happening above them. The only person who looked at ease was Timik, who was constantly refining metal out of every natural substance he could get his hands on– showing them to a struggling Kalex all the while. His frivolity was interrupted by a voice soon after, causing him to stop his metal making halfway, only creating a lump of sandy iron.
“WE HAVE COME ONLY FOR THE BROKEN AXIOM. ALL OTHERS WILL NOT BE HARMED. I ORDER YOU TO COME OUT AND BRING HIM TO US!” A booming voice said from atop the cerulean barrier. Kalex felt the authority of the command, but was able to push it aside as he could tell he was stronger and the words were not meant for him. Almost everyone began to exit their hiding spots and beeline to the cave entrance.
“That’s weird, why is everyone coming over here?” Timik stated as he looked out of the cave’s mouth. Kalex found it odd that Timik wasn’t actively trying to apprehend him and take him to the Lumen, but the strain on him made his mind go to holding the barrier stout. “Timik. I can’t let my focus waiver from the beacon. Please hold them back while I figure out how to get out of this mess.” Kalex said while sucking in as much breath as he could. Timik spun on his heel to face Kalex. “You can count on me! I wouldn’t be your Smith if I couldn’t hold back a few people.”
Timik’s hammer appeared in his hand and looked more like a sledge than the small hand hammer he had wielded up until this point. With a mighty grunt, Timik slammed the head of his hammer into the side of the cave’s opening, scattering debris throughout the entrance. His hammer disappeared as he tossed it to the side, turning his face to one of supreme concentration. Myst left his hands as the rock and gravel began to vibrate, turning into a substance with a slight sheen.
Moments before Kalex’s new residents were upon the cave, a metal wall covering the cave’s mouth was formed. Banging reminiscent of the Lumen began on the wall, leading Timik to resolidify the parts that weren’t actively being bashed. Kalex grinned at Timik’s antics; even though they hadn’t known each other for very long, he realized he was lucky to find such a devoted friend.
During the latter part of holding the barrier together, Lex had been Kalex’s stalwart companion, assisting with the stress that the beacon was dumping on them. “Mr. Wounder, I can hold the beacon alone for a minute before the strain becomes too much for me to bear. Use that minute wisely. I suggest pacifying the residents and bringing them into the cave proper, then pulling the weakest of the Lumen into the barrier to dispatch. We can follow this plan until we are no longer in danger.” The black rock plastered to the bottom of the pedestal said out loud. “Timik, when I try to overlay my words on everyone and when they stop beating on your wall, bring it down and keep them safe in here. We will only have moments. Can you do that?” Timik looked over to the beacon and gave a serious nod that Kalex reciprocated.
Still within the beam of myst, Kalex closed his eyes and put the burden fully onto Lex as he gracefully fell into his domain. Using his presence to peek through the veil of his domain was like breathing, with little focus needed. Looking up towards the uproar made him tilt his metaphysical head. “How can these be Lumen more powerful than Scyris? They look like children only starting to build their foundation; more so than beings to be worshiped, anyway.” Focusing on himself, the thought of weak Lumen left his mind as he looked closer into his domain.
At the edges of what he could feel, Kalex noticed wisps of the highest quality myst he’d ever sensed, but lost track of it if it didn’t have his undivided attention. The only information he could glean from the myst was that it was not foreign, but not totally his either. The time limit for Lex brought him back to the task at hand and he focused on the Lumen. He could clearly see what they were doing as myst roiled off of their enforced blows. All except the Lumen who had spoken used their fists and feet, but the one leading this hunting party was using his myst offensively by throwing it at the barrier. While in his domain, Kalex always felt relaxed and safe, but that was a detriment at times like this where tangential thoughts could end the lives of those he was trying to protect.
“DO NOT ALLOW THE WORDS OF THE WEAK TO ALTER YOUR THOUGHTS. AS YOU STAND IN MY REALM, KNOW THAT YOU ARE SAFE.” Kalex’s calm voice projected throughout the Realm of the Broken and the Realm of Seeds. The assault on the barrier abruptly ended at the words; the Lumen moved away from the blue shield in turn. As Timik lowered his pocked metal wall and ushered everyone into the cave, Kalex took to the air and exited. Rising into the air to meet the Lumen loitering on the edge of his Realm, Kalex took a calming breath knowing that half of his time had already elapsed.
“ALTHOUGH YOU ATTACKED THE REALM OF THE BROKEN, I WILL ALLOW YOU TO LEAVE AND NOT RETURN. I WILL ONLY OFFER THIS ONCE, LUMEN. HOW DO YOU PROCEED?” The Lumen promptly went into formation and shouted all at once. “I INVOKE THE MARK OF THE AXIOM!”
The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.
Four beams struck the Lumen as their power skyrocketed. Using their combined power, their presences easily passed through the barrier and fell upon Kalex. It was as if the entire planet had fallen atop Kalex and he shot down and hit the ground immediately, shattering a thankfully empty cart. Blows against the barrier renewed and cracks could be seen with every hit. Kalex retreated to his domain to assess the situation with slower perceived time, when something seemed to speak to him.
The domain turned frigid and information entered his mind. He thought Lex to be the culprit but got nothing in response when pinging him. As the information stopped, Kalex was ejected from his domain. With only seconds left before Lex was forced to drop the barrier, Kalex yelled at the top of his lungs. The information that was given to him flowed out of him without effort. “I CALL UPON THE WILL OF THE BROKEN!”
Many things occurred as the words were finished being said. A ripple ran through reality in every direction, with Kalex in the epicenter. The wavering pillar of myst that Lex had been holding switched its position and now sat over Kalex, more powerfully than it had been before. Kalex could feel power surge through his body as the myst circulated at a speed that couldn’t be seen with his presence sight. With every cycle of the myst, Kalex instinctively sheared a bit off, which was fed into his domain to be processed by his core. The myst entering his domain was pure and dense and it assimilated with his core almost instantly, adding to the power he was now in possession of.
The moment the beacon moved positions, the barrier evaporated, leaving the shocked Lumen to gape at the shining form of the Broken Axiom below them. Shurai would not allow them back if they were unable to complete their task, so together they charged Kalex in a formation that merged their Mark of the Axiom boost in the hopes of completing their assignment in one fell swoop. Kalex had other ideas. To him, the Lumen looked like non-combatants in his presence sight, their myst dim and uncoordinated. He held out a hand, and with a flex of his willpower, stopped the approaching group in mid-air. Looking intently, Kalex closed his hand, making the aura of myst around each Lumen fizzle out.
Kalex peered into each Lumen’s status and noted that they were all of Harbinger Rank at the latter part of maturity. “Your leader really sent out people stronger than Scyris. But why do you feel so weak?” Kalex said to himself but was overheard by the now crouching Lumen. The Lumen who had spoken earlier and turned the residents of the Realm on Kalex, spat at Kalex’s feet.
“You are nothing in the eyes of the Ancestor. Even if we fail,” The Lumen that Kalex identified as Moret Hyect paused as he revealed his Axiom armament. He held the handle of the knife that bent over his knuckles in a bone-crunching grip. “Shurai will still get his wish!” With the dregs of his strength, Moret lunged at Kalex’s neck, hoping to finish the exchange with a single attack. The blade shone sky blue as it tore through the space in front of Kalex as if it were a simple fabric.
The exchange happened too fast for even the Lumen to witness. They only saw Moret lunge at the Broken Axiom, then fall to his side headless in the next moment. The attack took place in the span of a fraction of a heartbeat and the Lumen turned white as they put together what had happened.
Moret jumped to attack, siphoning off the remnants of the Mark from the other three Lumen. His attack had been strong enough to damage even the Masters of the Cabal, but there he lay, watering the bare ground with his life. Furthermore, the Broken Axiom was inspecting the crescent blade he had somehow taken from Moret in the exchange.
The blade disappeared into Kalex’s cube as he regarded the cowering Lumen in front of him. He had to decide what to do with them now that they were essentially powerless now that the Mark had been expended. They did attack his Realm and he had given them a chance to leave, but they hadn’t. He took a step closer to the group and was met with defiance. “You will rot once the Ancestor finds out what happened here. Best to have your funeral now, since there won’t be anything left of you to bury!” The Lumen Kalex identified as Karilone Baiser shouted.
Kalex let out a weary sigh as he knew what he had to do, but had no desire to. These were soldiers following orders. Kalex had no qualms with them before they were assigned to this task. But for his safety and the safety of his Realm, he would do what he must. He steeled himself to end the Lumen and began cycling his myst. As he took out Fool’s Requiem with a look of sadness, the confrontational Lumen suddenly took in a breath. A red line traced across the center of her neck as she fell to the ground in two pieces.
One of the Lumen started to loudly wail, while the other made to rush Kalex. In his confusion, Kalex didn’t react in time and the Lumen was almost upon him. A step away from contact, a shining fist that gleamed in the moonlight caught the Lumen, making him cascade in crimson as he finally stopped at the third tree he hit. Kalex took the focus off of himself and felt two figures standing behind him. Noticing one that was familiar, he turned to regard them. “Elder, what are you doing here?”
–
Sorene stayed hunkered down, waiting for the hammering to end. It had gone on for hours and she was starting to think that it would never stop. Arla noticed the nervous fidgeting and moved to comfort her daughter. “Kalex is strong. He made the bubble that’s protecting us right now. Temper your nervousness, We’ll make it through this.” Arla said in a tone far off from her usual. Sorene only nodded and fell deeper into the embrace.
“Do you remember when I went off on my own the other day and left you at the stall by your lonesome? I ended up finding myself in front of the Oracle’s shop.” Sorene gave her mother a puzzled look. “Oh, don’t look at me like that, I know that the Oracle spouts nonsense as much as the next person, but this time she was on the steps in obvious pain. I had just picked up a few remedies from the Blender and didn’t mind helping her out.” Sorene didn’t respond, but her mother had her rapt attention. “She told me that she had been cursed with dizziness and pain for days on end and that the remedy had helped her, so she, in turn, gave me a reading. She told me that the Moon would come soon and to prepare for its bounty.”
Sorene perked up. “It’s been a while since we’ve had a Moon, she could just be guessing.” Arla nodded and reached for her Mix Bag. “She could’ve been guessing, but my gut told me that she was speaking truth. I wasn’t sure if it would happen, so in the case that the Moon didn’t happen and give us anything, I got you something myself. Without your bottles and bags, we would’ve been toiling away like we always did.” Arla reached into the bag and took out an intricately designed necklace and handed it to Sorene.
“Ma, this must’ve cost a fortune!” Arla smiled. “No price is too high for you Sorey, I hope you like it. From what the Armorer told me, it should protect you from any unseen harm. Oh, I got one for Kalex too. That boy put himself in danger far too often.”
Sorene wore her gift proudly as they continued to wait out the attack. Only an hour after the new necklace was given, she and Alra began to glow as the pounding on the barrier subsided. “Ma, do you feel that too?” Sorene asked. Arla nodded and lifted the blanket they had been under to see what was going on outside. Kalex had spoken to the Lumen and was in the air, confronting the attackers. they saw him blasted to the ground a moment later at the Lumen’s garbled exclamation. Worry gripped the two until Kalex spoke in a language that sounded more like grunts than Enternian, but as he spoke, a familiar feeling inundated the Mix’s. Not daring to take their eyes off of the spectacle that was the Broken Axiom, they spoke to each other with wonder in their voices. “Happy Moon, Ma.” Sorene said in a whisper. Arla laid a hand on Sorene’s shoulder. “Happy Moon, dear.”