On the road, we see animals like deer, rabbits, crows, and so on, some of them touched by the void's corruption.

we then start to notice creatures with red crystals growing from them, animals mutated by unknown means, and some even charge for us.

"This is what remained of the Red Dwarf Star, its influence spread itself almost like the void did."

Harko strikes down the creatures with light javelins as we continue to march on the light cloud.

"How are the remains of a star soo corruptive?"

Harko looks at a creature they just killed with crystals bursting through them

"The star is similarly corruptive as to void on death, nebulas create a sort of sentient infection that attempts to rebuild the star by making creatures into slaves to build it back"

I look forward

"So these creatures will try to rebuild the star huh? As far as I know, I absorbed the nebula no? Why am I immune to its effects?"

Harko points at my hand

"it is likely due to your half voidborn nature which grants you an innate immunity against corruption, this should make sense since you are still sane and own the ability to control the void."

I look at my right hand

"yeah that's a fair point, and what is that in the distance?"

Our march is postponed as a big crystal blocks the path

"Huh? Since when did this appear here? last time I came here with Jathorn I don't remember such an obstacle"

The crystal shakes as it begins to uproot itself, taking the form of a crystal golem, screeching as it notices us

"Seems it got here one way or another and it does not like our company either"

The golem smashes the ground and crystal spikes begin to come out of the ground, a spike goes right below us but the cloud allows us to be only thrown away.

I take my greatsword in hand and make a combustion to send me towards it. The golem punches toward me as I approach, I block with the sword the attack but still get sent back.

"It got one hell of a punch"

It then creates crystal sawblades that it throws at us, I block one with the sword and dodge the other which begins to make its way toward Harko.

Harko manages to dodge them and send light javelins to pierce the Golems tough crystal, as the javelins pierce I dash out of sight and the golem rushes towards Harko, I use this moment to prepare for a strong swipe of my greatsword, winding it back and sending it flying with a combustion cutting one of its legs off.

Harko makes light chains to pull the golem to the ground, as it falls Harko makes thousands of needle-like spears pointing upward, the golem becomes immobile and I jump in the air with a combustion throwing the greatsword in the Golems head.

The golem grows silent as the crystal begins to become dust. Harko harvests the dust and we get back onto the cloud and keep on going

"Interesting how the crystals began to take forms of their own, they are evolving at alarming rates."

I shake my head

"This one was fairly easy to defeat seeing how easy it is to draw its attention, they don't seem to be sentient"

Harko disagrees

"This is just the first version of what it will become, I reckon we will have to come here a lot more to suppress this evolution."

I shrug

"Well if it poses a threat then indeed we will"

Harko nods as we continue to march forward, soon, the massive crystals of the Red Star canyon pans into view, Light emanates from the crystals, and a mystic crystal tower with a hole in the middle sprouts from what I can estimate to be the middle of the canyon, a sphere resembling a star bursts a flare up into the sky splitting the clouds apart.

"Whoa, is that what I think it is Harko?"

I turn from the star's beauty to see a concerned Harko

"Yes... That is the red star that is supposed to be destroyed, it has already managed to form itself back as it seems, we will have to inspect that later on, for now, we must hurry and gather some of these glowing crystals"

Harko moves close to a sprouting bunch of crystals and begins to chip them off.

"Be wary of unwanted attention, ill harvest the crystals in the meantime"

I not to Harko as I begin inspecting our surroundings, as Harko chips the crystal, it pulsates ripples down into the ground which makes the earth rumble.

"We may have some visitors, Harko."

Harko begins to speed up the process as creatures of the same crystal emerge from the ground, beginning to attack me.

Swinging my greatsword does wonders, these creatures don't mind dodging or blocking, allowing me to shatter them easily. I create a barrier around Harko which keeps any of the creatures that get past me to reach them, they then all shift their focus on me.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

I jump up and punch the great sword once, the kinetic energy stored in it powers up the blade and I throw it against the ground which makes a blast that throws me several meters into the air while shattering the creatures.

I use my fire to soften my landing and the ground begins rumbling, this time more intense than the last.

A big worm-like creature sprouts from the ground right below me, It manages to get me in its mouth and bites down on me, with almost no time left to react I create a combustion to save myself. The blast opens up its mouth enough for me the make another blast to get away from the creature.

I throw a fire chain which entangles the handle of my greatsword, I pull it back to me but the worm creature creates an intense beam that snaps my chain and impacts the blade, the beam impacts the blade and creates another shockwave that sends me directly into a wall nearby stunning me, the barrier around Harko is lowered in the process. I almost black out as I notice Harko's light envelop me, pulling me towards them as another beam incinerates the wall I was pushed in

"WE HAVE TO GO NOW!"

I shake my head recovering from the stun and make myself the wings I used before, I create 5 firewalls in front of the creature to confuse it and run for it, the worm shoots out the beam in random directions and we turn to the right as it shoots multiple beams where it thought we were.

As the wall dissipates and it notices we are gone, it goes back within the ground and we make haste out of there.

"that was terribly close, I never knew such creatures could emerge from a once-dead star"

Harko appears frightened from the near-death experience

"This is what I was worried about, stars are progenitors of life, but this is something else. I've gathered enough crystals to keep Jathorn in shape for a few months now, but we will come back to help Jatorn reclaim the star."

A hand of white light approaches with my greatsword

"oh yeah, we can't allow the greatsword to lay around here"

I smile

"agreed, now let's get the hell out of here."

Harko nods

"This place is too cursed to remain on"

We then begin to make our way back to the Light Beacon, Harko stores the Crystals in a bag of light and we carry it on the white light cloud, the way is less eventful compared to when we came, but honestly, I'm thankful we didn't have to face another one of those creatures, that worm as Harko said was something else.

We arrive shortly at the Light Beacon, Harko takes out a stone with a white glowing engravement. They throw it up and it explodes in a white light, tensioning the guards of Harko's arrival.

The gates are open and Belyon awaits on the other side.

"Dreamer! Jathorn is going into a state of coma, we will need the crystals FAST!"

Harko begins to run towards the Light Beacon and I use the wings to speed up, Harko gets back on the cloud and speeds up too. We arrive fast at the Beacon and fly up the staircase and rush to the infirmary where a weak Jathorn lays in bed.

Harko gives the crystal to the apothecaries who begin to grind down the crystals in 3 different mortars and pasteles, they then take the ground crystals and sprinkle them on Jathorns body which begins to be absorbed. The pale skin of Jathorn begins to take color again as it used to and he opens his eyes.

"Urgh.."

He groans as he tries to stand up. The apothecaries put him back pushing him onto the bed softly

"rest dreamer, do not use your energy, rebuild it"

Jathorn slowly comes to his senses

"What... Happened? did we... beat the Herald?"

Harko nods

"We have indeed, but you have forced yourself too much Jathorn"

Jathorn smiles and sighs in relief

"Good... I will be more careful next time..."

Harko looks at the apothecaries

"make sure to rejuvenate his stardust essence, we will need his powers"

The apothecaries nod as they continue their work, Harko then looks towards me.

"Now that Jathorn is back up we will relocate the Beacon"

I raise an eyebrow

"How? The Beacon is huge"

Harko looks at Jathorn, Jathorn looks back at Harko and then they both look at me, and in unison, they respond

"You will see."

A bit confused I scratch the back of my head

"Alright then"

I go toward the door and a presence makes itself known

Tick....Tock....Tick....Tock...

The sounds of a clock resonate in the Infirmary

"What is this, Harko?"

I look back where Harko had been but now there is only me present in the room.

Tick.... Tock.... Tick.... Tock...

The ticking echoes from behind me at the door entrance, I glance behind me as a fully mechanical being made of exactly the same structure as my right-hand stands. Its chest holds a clock, it begins to approach me

"Xavier, let me out, Xavier"

Blue fire spreads from the gaps of its machine body, forming the being I first saw in the dream with the blue star nebula and the same being who ripped me in half in another.

"Who are you?"

The now fire creature made a sound of annoyance as if it scoffed at me

"Don't you dare be ignorant, child"

I suppose what Harko said was true even for my case.

"You are the byproduct of the blue star nebula, aren't you?"

It stops

"Indeed! Glad to see you aren't ignorant as you were before, child, you have kept me prisoner for almost 2 years now and I have grown within you, I want to leave this prison of your creation"

I shrug

"And you thought the best moment to get out is now when I got my memories fragmented? don't mistake me for being weak for just not knowing-"

My sentence is interrupted, as my chest's clothing suddenly rips and a gash on my chest dawns my possible demise. I spit out blood from the gash, attempting to use my fire to no avail.

"Arrogant. Impotent. Powerless."

The creature comes closer as I fall to my knees and it reaches out with its clawed fire hand toward my face, it opens its palm and makes me see the real world where my blue fire envelops the Infirmary, Harko, and Jathorn burst through the wall and jump out, while I remain still, dispersing flames in every direction.

"You cannot hope to bear this power when you can't even know when to stop using your power. You may hold my power, but you do not control it."

I fall limp to the ground starting to black out

"When you wake up do not expect your powers to function for without me, you are nothing, child, and you have abused my powers long enough during these short bursts."

The words of the creature echo out through my head as my consciousness fails me, blacking out.